title: Perinatal alterations of thyroid hormones and behaviour in adult rats.
abstract: Several studies have shown the relevance of the neuroendocrinological system in the development and function of the nervous system. In order to observe the influence of thyroid hormones during development on the behaviour of adult rats we induced dysthyroid states during the perinatal period. Results indicate that some behaviours are more susceptible to the action of thyroid hormones than others. We observed that the thyroid hormone deficiency causes an increase of activity in animals in spite of a large period of rehabilitation. Thyroxine-treated rats showed an anxiogenic behavioural pattern in the elevated plus-maze, while animals rehabilitated from perinatal deficit of thyroid hormones showed an anxiolitic pattern. These findings suggest that an excess of thyroid hormones has less effect on behaviour than a deficiency of these hormones.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Psicologia de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Darbra
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Balada
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gatell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Marti-Carbonell
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008713:Methimazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D008713:Methimazole; D013974:Thyroxine