Prenatal immune challenge induces behavioral deficits, neuronal remodeling, and increases brain nitric oxide and zinc levels in the male rat offspring

Neuroscience
Guillermina Tellez-MerloGonzalo Flores

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder with numerous etiological susceptibilities. Maternal infection is a key risk factor for schizophrenia. Prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) infection stimulates cytokine production that affects brain development. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal LPS injection at gestational day (GD) 14-16 on behavioral paradigms, and neuronal morphology in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), basolateral amygdala (BLA), nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and ventral hippocampus (VH) at two critical ages of development: pre-pubertal (postnatal day 35, PD35) and post-pubertal (PD60) age in male rats. We also evaluated the effects of LPS on nitric oxide (NO) and zinc (Zn) levels in seven brain areas (PFC, VH, amygdala, brainstem, striatum and dorsal hippocampus) at PD35 and PD60. LPS induced hyperlocomotion in a novel environment and reduced social contact as well as increased the levels of NO and Zn in the PFC, brainstem and amygdala as observed in other animal models of schizophrenia-related behavior. Furthermore, we found that LPS-treated rats presented post-pubertal neuronal hypertrophy in the PFC and BLA and decreased spine density in the NAcc. The neuronal morphology of neurons in the ...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 14, 2020·Histochemistry and Cell Biology·Sareesh Naduvil NarayananSuresh Kumar Srinivasamurthy
Jun 20, 2020·Molecular Psychiatry·Luis Enrique Arroyo-GarcíaGonzalo Flores
Oct 23, 2020·The International Journal of Neuroscience·Sachin P BorikarKishor R Danao
Apr 28, 2021·Biological Trace Element Research·Mehran Shayganfard
Apr 19, 2021·Behavioural Brain Research·Julio César Morales-MedinaGonzalo Flores
May 22, 2021·Behavioural Brain Research·Arthur Rocha-GomesHércules Ribeiro Leite
Aug 14, 2021·Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy·Sonia Irais González-CanoGonzalo Flores

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