Neurobehavioral Responses of Male Offspring to Maternal Stress in Wistar Rats
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- Category: Vol. 84, December 2016
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Neurobehavioral Responses of Male Offspring to Maternal Stress in Wistar Rats, NASHWA A. ABD EL-MOTTALEB, HAYAM G. SAYED and RASHA M. ALI
Abstract
Background: Maternal stress has deleterious effects on brain development. This study aimed to assess the effect of maternal stress during different prenatal and postnatal periods on offspring's neurobehavioral responses.
Material and Methods: Pregnant rats were divided into 6 stressed groups, and underwent stress at gestational day 1- 7, gestational day 8-14, gestational day 15-21, postnatal day 1-7, postnatal day 8-14, and postnatal day 15-21. Each stressed group has a matched control group. At the end of last stress session, measurement of corticosterone was done and dams were submitted to sucrose preference test and open field test. At postnatal day 45, two male pups of each group were subjected to radial arm maze test; passive avoidance test and open field test; and the brain was homogenized for measure-ment of glutamate, gamma amino butyric acid, serotonin, caspase-3 and sodium-potassium adenosine tri-phosphatase activity.
Results: Stressed dams showed elevated corticosterone with increased anxiety and depressive behavior. Anxiety and impaired cognitive functions were more prominent in offspring during mid pregnancy and mid lactation periods. These be-havioral changes were accompanied by decreasing glutamate, serotonin and sodium-potassium adenosine tri-phosphatase activity, increasing gamma amino butyric acid concentrations and caspase-3.
Conclusion: Second week of pregnancy and lactation were the most sensitive periods for behavioral and cognitive disabilities in offspring of stressed dams.