This study aimed to explore the pathological change to hippocampal neurons and the expression of growth associated protein 43 in 21-day-old young rats following chronic intermittent hypoxia. Hematoxylin-eosin staining results showed varying degrees of degeneration and necrosis in hippocampal neurons depending on the modeling time. Immunohistochemistry revealed that growth associated protein 43 expression in young rats following chronic intermittent hypoxia de-creased, but that levels were still higher than those of normal rats at each time point, especially 4 weeks after modeling. During 1-5 weeks after modeling, a slow growth in rat weight was ob-served. Experimental findings indicate that chronic intermittent hypoxia may induce growth dys-function and necrosis of hippocampal neurons, as well as increase the expression of growth as-sociated protein 43 in young rats.