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Effects of Fetal and Early Postnatal Thiamin Deficiency on Avoidance Learning in Rats

Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17604

Thiamin deficiency was induced in two groups of young rats during two stages of growth: deficiency 1, from 8 days prepartum to 10 days postpartum or deficiency 2, from 1 to 18 days postpartum. The deficiency was reversed by thiamin injections for 5 days and return to a normal diet following which animals were tested at 35 days of age. Body weights at 21 and 36 days of age were not significantly reduced by the deficiency nor was brain weight affected. Activity levels were not significantly reduced by deficiency 1 but were reduced in deficiency 2. Both active and passive avoidance learning were significantly impaired in both deficiency 1 and 2, a finding which could not be attributed to alterations in pain sensitivity, motor ability or reduced activity levels. The results indicate that the developing brain is vulnerable to reduced thiamin intake and that the period of vulnerability may be different for activity and avoidance learning.

KEY WORDS: • thiamin • activity • avoidance learning

¹ Portions of this research were submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at Franklin and Marshall College, 1976. Presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Atlantic City, N.J., April 9–14, 1978. Bell, J. M. & Stewart, C. N. Avoidance learning deficit in young rats following fetal and postnatal thiamin deficiency. Federation Proc. 37, 2407 (Abstr.).

Manuscript received 10 March 1978.