Effects of choline supplementation in mothers with hypothyroidism on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression changes in pre-pubertal offspring rats.

Background: Thyroid hormones play a vital function in the maturation in the course of mind development. Regarding the well-known effects of choline on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the study examined the effects of choline on hippocampal BDNF gene expression in maternal hypothyroidism rats.

Methods And Results: To induce the hypothyroidism, 6-propyl-2-thiouracil was introduced to the ingesting water from the sixth day of gestation to twenty-first postnatal day (PND).