Association between body weight of newborn rats and density of serotonin transporters in the frontal cortex at adulthood.
Persisting alterations in monoaminergic innervation patterns have been observed following various environmental manipulations and neuro-psychopharmacological treatments during fetal or early postnatal life. The present study investigates the question how differences in initial growth conditions at birth might interfere with subsequent development of both serotonergic and noradrenergic innervation in the rat frontal cortex (FC) and brain stem. For this purpose, newborn rat littermates were divided into two groups, a low and a high birth weight group, and the densities of both serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) transporters in the FC and brain stem were analyzed at adulthood. 5-HT transporter density in the FC was significantly higher in the high birth weight group as compared with the low birth weight group. No significant differences were observed between both groups in the density of 5-HT transporters in the brain stem and in the densities of NE transporters in FC and brain stem. It is discussed that differences in birth weight may affect the postnatal development of 5-HT projections to the frontal cortex.
Himpel
S
S
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen and University Hospital, Erlangen, Germany.
Bartels
J
J
Zimdars
K
K
Huether
G
G
Adler
L
L
Dawirs
R R
RR
Moll
G H
GH
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D050484:Norepinephrine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000172:deficiency*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D050484:Norepinephrine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012701:Serotonin; D009638:Norepinephrine