Prenatal Stress and Early Adoption Effects on Benzodiazepine Receptors and Anxiogenic Behavior in the Adult Rat Brain

BARROS VG; RODRIGUEZ P; MARTIJENA ID; PEREZ A; MOLINA VA; ANTONELLI MC

Wiley Liss Inc.

Año: 2006 vol. 60 p. 609 - 609

font face="AdvP66F9" color="#241f20" size="2"> ABSTRACT Chronic maternal stress during pregnancy has been associated with behavioral alterations that persist into adulthood. Moreover, adoption procedures performed immediately after birth can reverse these alterations. In this study, we examined the effects of prenatal restraint stress and adoption at birth (cross-fostering) on the behavioral response to an anxiety-provoking situation and on the adult male offspring expression of benzodiazepine (BDZ) receptors in selected brain areas. Adult offspring of rats stressed during the last week of pregnancy exhibited higher levels of anxiety than control rats. The anxiogenic behavior found at the elevated plus maze (EPM) has been related to the reduced levels of BDZ r