Behavioral and hippocampal changes after prenatal invasive interventions with possible relevance to schizophrenia.
In an attempt to model neurodevelopmental defects that may contribute to the outbreak of schizophrenia after adolescence, the present study examined the effects of prenatal interventions in rats, including injections of kainic acid, on motor, cognitive and social behaviour, which was assessed repeatedly between PDs 56-62 (week 8) and 168-174 (week 24), as well as on hippocampal morphology. As compared to untreated controls (n=5-9), the offspring (n=12 or 16) of treated mothers exhibited shorter latencies to leave a dark box and enter an illuminated field on weeks 12, 16 and 20, a higher number of perseverations in a T-maze alternation task on weeks 16 and 20, longer nose contacts with strange and familiar partners in a social interaction test on weeks 12 and 16 and lower weight gains over the course of testing. They also had shorter pyramidal cells in hippocampal area CA3. Thus, the prenatally treated offspring showed certain alterations in their brains and behaviour that resembled the human condition of schizophrenia (e.g., changes at cell level in the hippocampus, perseverative behaviour, lower weight gains), although others (e.g., increased social contacts) did not.
Sprick
Ulrich
U
Rheinische Kliniken Düsseldorf, Kliniken der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Bergische Landstr. 2, D-40629 Düsseldorf, Germany. ulrich.sprick@wkp.lwl.org
von Wilmsdorff
Martina
M
Bouvier
Marie-Luise
ML
Schulz
Daniela
D
Gaebel
Wolfgang
W
D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D048429:Cell Size; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012919:Social Behavior
D007608:Kainic Acid