Neonatal stress conditions like hypoglycemia cause brain damage by affecting various signaling pathways thereby
causing long term effects on brain functions. A proper understanding of the signaling pathways affected by this
stress will help to devise better neonatal care. The focus of the current study was to evaluate the effect of neonatal
hypoglycemic insult on cerebellar metabotropic cholinergic receptor function in one month old rats. The receptor
analysis of cholinergic muscarinic receptors were done by radioreceptor assays and gene expression was analysed
using Real Time PCR. Neonatal hypoglycemia significantly reduced (p<0.001) the cerebellar muscarinic receptor
density with a down regulation (p<0.001) of muscarinic M3 receptor subtype gene expression in one month
old rats. Both muscarinic M1 and M2 receptor subtype expression were not significantly altered. The catabolic
enzyme in acetyl choline metabolism- acetylcholine esterase – showed a significant (p<0.001) up regulation with
no siginificant change in the anabolic enzyme – choline acetyl transferase, signifying a change in the turnover
ratio. Targeting these pathways at different levels can be exploited to devise better treatment for neonatal stress
management and also for diseases with impaired insulin secretion such as diabetes.
Long Term Effects of Neonatal Hypoglycemia on Muscarinic Receptor Function
in the Cerebellum
