Quality of rearing guides expression of behavioral and neural  seizure phenotypes in EL mice.
The present studies employed behavioral and neural markers of seizure-related plasticity to examine the relative contributions of genetic predisposition versus rearing environment in generating adult phenotypes in EL mice, a stress-induced animal model of epilepsy. Early environment was manipulated by cross-fostering pups of the EL strain to a seizure-resistant CD-1 control strain of mouse. The impact of changes in rearing quality on growth,exploratory and stress-reactivity phenotypes were examined, with a focus on the role of maternal care in shaping seizure susceptibility and neural cF os activation. Improvement in maternal care imposed by replacing biological EL dams with foster CD-1 mothers was sufficient to decrease pup mortality, to increase body weight gain (+0.1 g/day) and to delay the onset of seizure susceptibility in EL offspring beyond post-natal day 80–90. Moreover,hypoactivity in hippocampus and cortex among EL offspring cross-fostered to EL, but not CD-1 control, dams suggests that changes in rearing environment were accompanied by enduring changes in brain plasticity. Thus, neural and behavioral phenotypes of EL mice are dependent upon post-partum maternal care which if systematically enhanced can postpone seizure expression.
Leussis
Melanie P
MP
Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
Heinrichs
Stephen C
SC
D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D001835:Body Weight; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D051379:Mice; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D012640:Seizures / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013315:Stress, Psychological
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos