2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Effects of maternal nutrition on cerebral and mental development of the offspring

Research Project

Project/Area Number	24791128
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Embryonic/Neonatal medicine
Research Institution	National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute
Principal Investigator	AKITAKE Yoshiharu 独立行政法人国立循環器病研究センター, 研究所, 流動研究員 (20508791)
Project Period (FY)	2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
Keywords	子宮内胎児発育遅延 / 低出生体重児
Research Abstract	Recent human studies have shown that intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with neurodevelopmental disabilities such as learning disorder, memory impairment and mood disturbance in the offspring. However, the interaction between IUGR with neurodevelopmental disabilities is unclear because of the variety of the causes of IUGR. Fetal development is dependent on the placental supply of nutrition. Undernutrition of childbearing or pregnant woman is, therefore, one of the main causes of IUGR. In this study, we produced an IUGR model by moderate food restriction from pregnancy to the early lactation period in mice. There was low birth weight in the offspring. The IUGR models also showed delayed physical development and behavioral abnormalities such as anxiety and poor cognitive function. These results suggested that an abstemious maternal diet is a risk for not only IUGR but also for neurodevelopmental disability in the offspring.