Maternal dietary intake of choline in mice regulates development of the cerebral cortex in the offspring.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Preclinical animal study (pregnant mice and offspring)
PubMed 26700730 · doi:10.1096/fj.15-282426
What was done
Mouse dams were fed either a control or low-choline diet between embryonic days E11 and E17 of gestation. The investigators examined offspring cortical development by measuring neural progenitor cells (radial glial cells and intermediate progenitor cells) in fetal brains, counting upper layer cortical neurons at E17 and at 4 months of age, and assessing epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in neural progenitor cells.
What was found
Maternal low-choline diet reduced fetal brain radial glial cells and intermediate progenitor cells (P < 0.01). Upper layer cortical neurons were decreased in offspring of low-choline dams at both E17 (P < 0.001) and at 4 months of age (P < 0.001). These changes were mediated by decreased EGFR signaling in neural progenitor cells due to disruption of EGFR posttranscriptional regulation. Exact cell counts and effect sizes were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This study identifies a cellular and molecular pathway (disrupted EGFR posttranscriptional regulation in neural progenitor cells) through which maternal choline restriction causes lasting structural deficits in the cerebral cortex.
Limits
Findings are from an animal model (mice) and may not directly translate to human physiology. The abstract omits sample sizes (n), absolute cell counts, exact nutrient concentrations, and any behavioral or cognitive functional testing.
Cited by
- supports Animal studies show that depriving pregnant mothers of choline causes fetal brain development to stop earlier and leads to babies born with fewer neurons.