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Articles

Variations in Dietary Iron Alter Behavior in Developing Rats¹

Domingo J. Piñero^*, Byron C. Jones and John L. Beard^2**

^* Department of Neuroscience and Anatomy, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033; Department of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802- 6508 and ^** Graduate Program in Nutrition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16814

²To whom correspondence should be addressed at Nutrition Department, S125 Henderson Building, University Park 16802. E-mail: its{at}psu.edu

Iron deficiency in children is associated with retardation in growth and cognitive development, and the effects on cognition may be irreversible, even with treatment. Excessive iron has also been associated with neurological disease, especially in reference to the increased iron content in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease patients. This study evaluated the effects of dietary iron deficiency and excess iron on physical activity in rats. The animal model used is developmentally sensitive and permits control of the timing as well as the duration of the nutritional insult. Hence, to study the effects of early, late and long-term iron deficiency or excess iron (supplementation), rats were either made iron deficient or supplemented on postnatal day (PND) 10–21, PND 21–35 and PND 10–35. Some iron-deficient rats were iron repleted between PND 21–35. Different measures of motor activity were taken at PND 14, 17, 20, 27 and 34. Iron-deficient and iron-supplemented rats showed decreased activity and stereotypic behavior; this was apparent for any onset and duration of the nutritional insult. Recovery from iron deficiency did not normalize these functional variables, showing that the deleterious effects of early iron deficiency persist despite subsequent adequate treatment. This study demonstrates that iron deficiency in early life leads to irreversible behavioral changes. The biological bases for these behavioral alterations are not readily apparent, because iron therapy rapidly reverses the iron losses in all brain regions.

KEY WORDS: • iron deficiency • iron excess • rats • behavior • habituation • physical activity

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