title: Brain N-acetyl aspartate concentrations measured by H MRS are reduced in adult male rats subjected to perinatal stress: preliminary observations and hypothetical implications for neurodevelopmental disorders.
abstract: The present study was undertaken to determine if the concentration of brain N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a putative neuronal marker, is reduced in adult rats subjected to stress during the perinatal period. As the prenatal stressor, pregnant rats were subjected to restraint stress for one hour twice daily from days 14-21 of gestation; stressed offspring were reared by normal dams and studied as adults. As the postnatal stressor, normal pups were reared by prenatally 'stressed' dams and studied as adults. As compared to non-stressed controls (n=6), NAA concentrations were significantly reduced 21 and 25% in left frontal cortex from the prenatal (n=4) and postnatal (n=6) stress groups. respectively. The data suggest that in perinatally stressed adult offspring permanent neuronal damage or loss has occurred. While no direct causal associations between perinatal stress and the developmental of particular disorders can be inferred from these limited data, the effects of perinatal stress on subsequent brain neuropathology are reviewed. particularly in relation to NAA. For hypothesis-generating purposes, the possible relevance of stress and NAA to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia is discussed in greater detail.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90509, USA. poland@harbor2.humc.edu
authors: R E
authors: RE
authors: Poland
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Cloak
authors: P J
authors: PJ
authors: Lutchmansingh
authors: J T
authors: JT
authors: McCracken
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Chang
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ernst
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D019370:Observation; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid