Prenatal stress and postnatal development of neonatal rats--sex-dependent effects on emotional behavior and learning ability of neonatal rats.
Maternal sound stress (800 Hz; 77 dB, every other minute for 15 min/day, from day 10 to 18 of gestation), combined with forced swimming stress (15 min/day), was found to cause potentiation of sound-induced loss of locomotor activity, referred to as emotional behavior, of male offspring, but not that of female offspring, at 4 weeks of age. Maternal stress also caused an increase in the total number of errors by male, but not female offspring in the water-maze test at 6 weeks of age. These effects of stress on emotional behavior and learning behavior were abolished when dams were pretreated with buspirone (30 min before the stress, from day 8 to 18 of gestation). Thus, prenatal stress might have sex-dependent effects on emotional behavior and learning ability of neonatal rats.
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuyama University, Fukuyama, 729-0292, Hiroshima, Japan. nishio@fupharm.fukuyama-u.ac.jp
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Nishio
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Kasuga
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Ushijima
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Harada
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D002065:Buspirone / Q000494:pharmacology; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018876:Environmental Illness / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012737:Sex Factors; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013550:Swimming / Q000523:psychology
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D003975:Diazepam; D002065:Buspirone