title: Prenatal stress and emotional response of adult offspring.
abstract: Pregnant dams were subjected to REM sleep deprivation during different stages of pregnancy. Pups were reared by their biological mothers and tested as adults for susceptibility to PTZ-induced convulsions, and ambulation and defecation in an open-field arena. Adrenal weights were taken at this time. Those animals whose mothers had been stressed during the first trimester showed a reduction in ambulatory behavior measured in the open field, and a reduction in adrenal weight after open-field exposure. Subjects exposed to prenatal stress (PNS) during the 2nd trimester showed an increased susceptibility to PTZ-induced clonic convulsions, and a reduction in adrenal weight after PTZ administration and open-field exposure. Finally, subjects exposed to PNS during the third trimester showed a reduction in susceptibility to PTZ compared with 2nd week PNS pups. The results showed different patterns of prenatal stress-induced behavioral and physiological changes, depending on the developmental stage in which the stress was applied.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicobiologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Suchecki
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palermo Neto
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000502:physiology; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D012931:Social Environment
chemical_list: D003345:Corticosterone