Morphological study on effect of radiation in developing mouse brain after fetal exposure

태아시기의 방사선 노출에 의한 마우스 뇌 발달에 미치는 영향에 관한 형태학적 연구

The present study analyze the morphological aspects of the cerebrum of mice with prenatal exposure to high and low dose (0.5, 1, 2 Gy) of $\gamma$-radiation on gestation day 12 or 16. The animal were allowed to give birth and the offspring were sacrificed at postnatal days 28 for gross and microscopic examination of cerebrum. Their body weight, brain weight, brain length, brain width, cortical thickness and area of cingulum bundle were examined. The histological and planimetric analysis were performed observing coronal sections. The gross malfomation (microcephaly) and abnormality of cortical architecture were prominent after exposure to 2 Gy on day 12 of gestation. significant dose-related reductions in body weight, brain weight, brain size were found in all irradiated groups. A significant change was found in thickness of the cerebral cortex and area of the cingulum bundle in the groups exposed to 0.5 Gy or more. There was no difference a lamina patter of six layers in cerebral cortex between the control and irradiated groups, but cell packing density increased significantly in the group exposed to 1 Gy or more. These results suggested that dose as low as 0.5 Gy could cause a morphologically reduce change in developing mouse cerebrum and exposure on day 12 of gestation to $\gamma$-irradiation is a particularly sensitive phase in causing malformation and abnormality of central nerve system.