Untersuchungen über die Auswirkung des Hungers auf die postnatale Entwicklung der Regulationszentren des Wasserhaushaltes

Summary

This experiment involved starvation for 6 days in rats between 25–30 days old. In control animals neurones contained abundant Nisslsubstance and fine granules of neurosecretory material, while Herring bodies were conspicuous in the tractus supraoptico-hypophyseus; neurosecretory material was abundant in the neurohypophysis, and in some animals there were small NM-concentrations in the periphery of the neurohypophysis.

After starvation there was a diminution of Nissl-substance in the nuclear regions with a marked depletion of neurosecretory material in these regions and in the neurohypophysis. Some Nissl-substance persisted in the periphery of the neuronal cell-body leaving a clear zone around the nucleus, which was often eccentric. Between 10 and 20 days after the end of starvation, these changes were no longer evident, that is the appearances of the neurones studied were identical with those of control animals of the same age. Recovery in rats in which starvation began at 25 days seemed retarded, as compared with those which were 5 days older, and which were subjected to the same detailed analysis; but this difference was not a clear one.

These observations suggest that starvation like other stresses affects the development of the neurosecretory system. It is however a rather unspecific stimulus.

It is recognised in clinical practice that severe dehydration causes greater disturbances of water metabolism than does starvation. It follows that these animal experiments corroborate clinical observations; moreover, they give an insight into the morphological changes caused by starvation in the neurosecretory system, and thus clarify clinical findings.