Prenatal Maternal Stress Due to Repeated Exposure to Cold Environment Affects Development of Catecholamine Neurons in Rat Offsprings | Chapter 16 | Recent Developments in Medicine and Medical Research Vol. 8

 We studied the effect of maternal recurrent cold stress (RCS) on catecholamine neuron development in offspring using 8-day-old pups and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry. RCS was loaded into pregnant rats between the 10th and 20th day after fertilisation. In rats prenatally exposed to RCS, the frontal and cingulate cortices had less TH-immunoreactive (-ir) fibres, and the density of TH-ir varicosities with a large size (more than 7 m in diameter) was significantly (p0.05) lower than in controls. Locus coeruleus neurons in prenatal RCS rats displayed lower TH immunoreactivity than controls. RCS rats showed smaller TH-ir neurons and fewer TH-ir fibres in the medullary C1/A1 catecholaminergic field, but the differences were not significant. In the originating and projection regions of the midbrain dopaminergic system, we identified no differences in TH-ir structures between the two groups. According to these research, prenatal RCS impaired the development of catecholaminergic neurons in pups, particularly noradrenergic neurons.

Author(S) Details

Keiko Ikemoto
Department of Psychiatry, Iwaki City Medical Center, Japan.

Teruko Uwano
System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Japan.

Taketoshi Ono
System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Japan.

Hisao Nishijo
System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Japan.

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