Lifelong impact of variations in maternal care on dendritic structure and function of cortical layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in rat offspring.
Maternal licking and grooming (LG) exerts profound influence on hippocampal development and function in the offspring. However, little information is available on the effects of variations in maternal care on other brain regions. Here we examined the effects of variation in the frequency of maternal LG on morphological and electrophysiological properties of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the somatosensory cortex in adult offspring. Compared to low LG offspring, high LG offspring displayed decreased dendritic complexity, reduced spine density and decreased amplitude of spontaneous postsynaptic currents. These changes were accompanied by higher levels of reelin expression in offspring of high LG mothers. Taken together, these findings suggest that differential amount of naturally-occurring variations in maternal LG is associated with enduring changes in dendritic morphology and synaptic function in layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of the somatosensory cortex.
Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Laura A
LA
Smit-Rigter
Danielle L
DL
Champagne
Johannes A
JA
van Hooft
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004594:Electrophysiology; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006120:Grooming / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D000091042:Reelin Protein; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism
D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000091042:Reelin Protein; C000717129:Reln protein, rat; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases