Perinatal undernutrition alters hypothermic responses to different central agonists in recovered adult rats

Adult rats submitted to a protein deprivation schedule at perinatal age and later rehabilitated with balanced laboratory chow were studied in order to evaluate the hypothermic effect induced by the following central agonists: apomorphine, naphazoline, clonidine, diazepam, 5-MeODMT and oxotremorine. Deprived animals showed an enhanced reactivity to the hypothermic effect of apomorphine, naphazoline and diazepam, while a reduced responsiveness to clonidine was observed. Hypothermic responses to oxotremorine and 5-MeODMT were similar between both groups. These results stressed the functional relevancy of neurochemical changes induced by early undernutrition that may persist into adult life after nutritional recovery.