title: Prenatal stress changes courtship vocalizations and bone mineral density in mice.
abstract: Stress during the prenatal period has various effects on social and sexual behavior in both human and animal offspring. The present study examines the effects of chronic restraint stress in the second vs third trimester in pregnancy and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) heterozygous mutation on C57BL/6N male offspring's vocal courtship behavior in adulthood by applying a novel analyzing method. Finally, corticosterone and testosterone levels as well as bone mineral density were measured. Prenatal stress in the third, but not in the second trimester caused a significant qualitative change in males' courtship vocalizations, independent of their GR genotype. Bone mineral density was decreased also by prenatal stress exclusively in the third trimester in GR mutant and wildtype mice and - in contrast to corticosterone and testosterone - highly correlated with courtship vocalizations. In Gr+/-males corticosterone serum levels were significantly increased in animals that had experienced prenatal stress in the third trimester. Testosterone serum levels were overall increased in Gr+/-males in comparison to wildtypes as a tendency - whereas prenatal stress had no influence. Prenatal stress alters adult males' courtship vocalizations exclusively when applied in the third trimester, with closely related changes in bone mineral density. Bone mineral density seems to reflect best the complex neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying the production of courtship vocalizations. Besides, we demonstrated for the first time elevated basal corticosterone levels in Gr+/-males after prenatal stress which suggests that the Gr+/-mouse model of depression might also serve as a model of prenatal stress in male offspring.
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: michaela.schmidt@zi-mannheim.de.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lapert
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brandwein
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deuschle
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine I and Clinical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kasperk
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA.
authors.forename: Jasmine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Grimsley
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gass
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D003380:Courtship; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Bone mineral density; Corticosterone; GR; Prenatal stress; Testosterone; Ultrasonic vocalizations