title: Effect of prenatal valproic acid exposure on cortical morphology in female mice.
abstract: We have recently shown that prenatal valproic acid (VPA) exposure causes autism spectrum disorders-like behavioral abnormalities and Nissl-positive cell loss in both prefrontal and somatosensory cortices in male mice. We have also found that VPA-induced social interaction deficits are observed in male but not female offspring. This study demonstrated that the exposure to VPA at embryonic day 12.5 significantly decreased Nissl-positive cell numbers in the prefrontal cortex, but not in the somatosensory cortex, in female offspring. These findings suggest that VPA-induced morphological abnormalities in the somatosensory cortex may be involved in the sex-dependent social interaction deficits.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medicinal Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuta
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ago
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takuma
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014635:Valproic Acid