Apoptosis in the developing cerebellum of the thyroid hormone deficient rat.

The mechanism underlying transient reduction of cell number in the developing cerebellum have been studied for several decades. In this study we analyzed cell death by apoptosis in the developing cerebellum of euthyroid and hypothyroid rats. Results showed that in both groups the apoptotic activity is limited to the internal granular layer from postnatal (p) day 2 to day 12 in euthyroid animals, with the peak at 8 days. No apoptotic cells were detected in the cerebellum of 22 days old euthyroid rats. The level of apoptosis in the cerebellum of hypothyroid rats also reached a peak at 8 days but was four times higher than in control animals. Apoptosis in hypothyroid animals was also observed at p22 and corresponds to the value found in the time of the apoptotic peak in euthyroid cerebellum. At the age of 42 days, no apoptotic cells were found in the cerebellum of either group. Furthermore, it appears that the hormone also plays a role in the disappearance of the external germinal layer, since its presence is still apparent in 42 day old hypothyroid cerebellum. Hence, our results suggest that the deficiency of thyroid hormone (TH) not only increases, but also extends apoptosis during rat cerebellum development and affects the disappearance of the external germinal layer.