Prenatal stress: effects on brain biogenic amine and plasma corticosterone levels.
Pregnant rats were subjected to once daily stress treatments consisting of handling and a saline injection. The offspring showed region-specific changes in brain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and norepinephrine (NE) levels in infancy but only the hypothalamus still showed significant changes at 60 days of age. In a reaction-to-stress test 23-day-old offspring in the prenatal stress group showed a greater elevation in plasma corticosterone level but smaller changes in hypothalamic NE and 5-HIAA levels than control offspring suggesting that prenatal stress may have altered the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. It is suggested that changes in the development of specific monoamine-containing neurons may be associated with the reported behavioral deficits in offspring of female rats stressed during pregnancy.
D000818:Animals; D001679:Biogenic Amines / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology*
D001679:Biogenic Amines; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D003345:Corticosterone