title: Early exposure to bisphenol A alters neuron and glia number in the rat prefrontal cortex of adult males, but not females.
abstract: Previous work has shown that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during early development can alter sexual differentiation of the brain in rodents, although few studies have examined effects on areas of the brain associated with cognition. The current study examined if developmental BPA exposure alters the total number of neurons and glia in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in adulthood. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were orally exposed to 0, 4, 40, or 400-μg/kg BPA in corn oil throughout pregnancy. From postnatal days 1 to 9, pups were given daily oral doses of oil or BPA, at doses corresponding to those given during gestation. Brains were examined in adulthood, and the volume of layers 2/3 and layers 5/6 of the mPFC was parcellated. The density of neurons and glia in these layers was quantified stereologically with the optical disector, and density was multiplied by volume for each animal. Males exposed to 400-μg/kg BPA were found to have increased numbers of neurons and glia in layers 5/6. Although there were no significant effects of BPA in layers 2/3, the pattern of increased neuron number in males exposed to 400-μg/kg BPA was similar to that seen in layers 5/6. No effects of BPA were seen in females or in males exposed to the other doses of BPA. This study indicates that males are more susceptible to the long-lasting effects of BPA on anatomy of the mPFC, an area implicated in neurological disorders.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States.
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Sadowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States.
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Schantz
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States. Electronic address: jjuraska@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Juraska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D002452:Cell Count; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009929:Organ Size; D010636:Phenols / Q000633:toxicity*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D066127:White Matter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; D010636:Phenols; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
keywords: BPA; autism; glia number; neuron number; prefrontal cortex