Identifying the threshold of iron deficiency in the central nervous system of the rat by the auditory brainstem response.

The deleterious effects of anemia on auditory nerve (AN) development have been well investigated; however, we have previously reported that significant functional consequences in the auditory brainstem response (ABR) can also occur as a consequence of marginal iron deficiency (ID). As the ABR has widespread clinical use, we evaluated the ability of this electrophysiological method to characterize the threshold of tissue ID in rats by examining the relationship between markers of tissue ID and severity of ABR latency defects. To generate various levels of ID, female Long-Evans rats were exposed to diets containing sufficient, borderline, or deficient iron (Fe) concentrations throughout gestation and offspring lifetime.

Gestational iron deficiency differentially alters the structure and function of white and gray matter brain regions of developing rats.

Gestational iron deficiency (ID) has been associated with a wide variety of central nervous system (CNS) impairments in developing offspring. However, a focus on singular regions has impeded an understanding of the CNS-wide effects of this micronutrient deficiency. Because the developing brain requires iron during specific phases of growth in a region-specific manner, we hypothesized that maternal iron deprivation would lead to region-specific impairments in the CNS of offspring.