Using Sprague-Dawley rats developmentally exposed to sodium fluoride (NaF) from pregnancy until 6 months of delivery as in vivo model, we showed that fluoride impaired the cognitive abilities of offspring rats, decreased the density of dendritic spines and the expression of synapse proteins synaptophysin (SYN) and postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) in hippocampus, suggesting fluoride-induced cognitive deficit associates with synaptic impairment.
The present study indicated disrupted FC and topological organization of the DMN in the context of RGD, and further implied their contribution to cognitive deficits in RGD patients.