RESUMO
UNLABELLED: Nutritional conditions early in life constitute one of the environmental factors that can influence brain electrophysiology, as evaluated through the phenomenon denominated as cortical spreading depression (CSD). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of hypercaloric diet intake in different phases of life on CSD features in adult rats. METHODS: Newborn Wistar rats were suckled by dams fed a high-lipid (cafeteria) hypercaloric diet during the lactation period. After suckling, part of the pups remained in the high-lipid diet until the end of the experiment in adulthood (group 'full-life' FL), and the other part received the control (lab chow) diet (group L). A third group received the hypercaloric diet only at adulthood (group Ad). When the animals reached 90-93 days of life, CSD was recorded. RESULTS: CSD propagation velocities (in mm/minute) and CSD amplitudes (in mV) were reduced (P < 0.05) in the groups L (2.77 ± 0.07 and 7.1 ± 2.0 for velocity and amplitude, respectively) and FL (3.05 ± 0.17 and 8.5 ± 1.9), but not in the group Ad (3.36 ± 0.11 and 10.7 ± 2.0), in comparison with a control group (C), fed the lab chow diet during the entire life (3.52 ± 0.18 and 10.8 ± 2.2). DISCUSSION: CSD velocity changes observed in adulthood were associated with the hypercaloric dietary treatment during brain development, constituting evidence in favor of permanent or at least long-lasting electrophysiological effects related to the prevailing nutritional status during the period of brain growth spurt.