Effects of prenatal stress on prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of rat offspring and intervention strategies
The primary goal of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms through which prenatal stress confers long-term risk for affective disorders. It specifically investigated the role of neuronal hemoglobin beta, a previously poorly understood factor, in the prefrontal cortex. The research aimed to determine whether hemoglobin beta downregulation is a central causal link between PS and subsequent neurodevelopmental impairments, and to explore hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a potential early-life intervention. The study's key relevance lies in identifying cortical hemoglobin beta as a critical molecular mediator, defining a novel pathogenic pathway, and proposing hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a mechanism-based therapeutic strategy for stress-related psychiatric disorders.