Development of brain damages in the male domestic fowl injected with monosodium glutamate at five days of age

N. Snapir, B. Robinzon, M. Perek

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

The development of brain damage in the hypothalamic and extra hypothalamic areas of the male domestic fowl after a single subcutaneous injection of monosodium glutamate (M.S.G.) to 5 day old chicks was studied. Histologic observations of the brains started 30 min post injection and continued for the following 235 days. In all birds, the main hypothalamic damage was located in the base of the brain, on both sides, near the midline, close to the third ventricle. It extended dorsally till the subrotundus nuclei, laterally till the rotundus nuclei, and ventrally till the tractus opticus marginalis. The abovementioned area was bordered by a dark stainable zone containing condensed cells. In most of the birds the hypothalamic ventromedial nuclei remained unaffected. The damage was expressed as a significant decrease in the number of neurons. The greatest part of this process occurred with the 2nd hr post injection and continued until 6 hr post injection. In all M.S.G. treated birds the rotundus nuclei were damaged; this was reflected in 2 separate stages during the experimental period. The first one, starting within hours post injection, was a neuronal swelling process followed by marked disappearance of nerve cells. The second stage, which started only 40 days post injection, was expressed by the appearance of vacuoles in part of the nerve cells. This process was chronically developed and continued till the end of the experiment. In some treated birds, vacuolated nerve cells appeared in the hypothalamic ventromedial nuclei, mammillary nuclei, subrotundus nuclei, ovoid nuclei, dorsomedial anterior nuclei and archistriatum. In some of the treated birds a sharp decrease of fibers and cells occurred in the lateral forebrain bundles.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)265-275
Number of pages11
JournalPathologia Europaea
Volume8
Issue number4
StatePublished - 1973

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