Offspring (N = 31) of 10 pregnant Wistar rats fed a fat free diet during pregnancy were compared with offspring (N = 41) of 10 pregnant females fed a standard laboratory diet throughout pregnancy. The mean weight of the fat deprived offspring was less than for the controls (p < .05) at time of birth but thereafter did not differ from the control Ss. Performance on the Lashley III maze for a food reward was significantly poorer for fat deprived Ss than for controls. The results suggest that brain maturation was irreversibly impaired by fat deprivation during prenatal life.
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