title: Effects of prenatal exposure to antipsychotic risperidone on developmental neurotoxicity, apoptotic neurodegeneration and neurobehavioral sequelae in rat offspring.
abstract: A tremendous increase has been documented in the recent past in prescribing second generation atypical antipsychotic drugs (AAPDs) to the pregnant women with psychosis, considering their reproductive and teratogenic safety. Among AAPDs, risperidone (RIS) ranked third after olanzapine (OLZ) and quetiapine (QUE) used during pregnancy, as OLZ is associated to substantial weight gain in adults and offspring. Although teratogenic safety of RIS has been established, its potential role in developmental neurotoxicity and related neurobehavioral impairments in adolescents has not been documented so far. Therefore, present study has been undertaken to elucidate the effect of prenatal exposure to risperidone (RIS) on developmental neurotoxicity and apoptotic neurodegeneration in neocortical region of fetal brain; and related functional sequelae in young rat offspring. The pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to RIS at 0.8, 1.0 and 2.0mg/kg, at equivalent therapeutic doses, orally from GD 6 to 21. Half of the pregnant rats were sacrificed and their brains were collected, weighed, and processed for neurohistopathological and apoptotic neurodegenerative evaluation. The remaining dams were allowed to deliver naturally, and their offspring were reared up to 10 weeks for neurobehavioral study. Prenatal exposure to RIS induced significant stunting of fetal body and brain weight, substantial reduction in the thickness of neocortical layers and apoptotic neurodegeneration in fetal brains, and delayed postnatal development and growth of the offspring; as well as long- lasting impact on anxiety like impaired behavioral responses on explorative mazes. Therefore, health care providers should be careful in prescribing atypical antipsychotics in general and RIS in particular, to the pregnant psychotic population.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Lab., Department of Zoology, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211 002, India. Electronic address: kpsald29@gmail.com.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Lab., Department of Zoology, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211 002, India.
authors.forename: Manoj Kr
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, Mohali, India.
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000378:metabolism; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D018967:Risperidone / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D017304:Annexin A5; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018967:Risperidone
keywords: Antipsychotic; Apoptosis; Fetal neocortex; Neurobehaviour; Postnatal growth; Prenatal; Rat; Risperidone