The differential effects of prenatal stress in rats on the acoustic startle reflex under baseline conditions and in response to anxiogenic drugs
Abstract
The prenatal stress syndrome (PS) is characterized by exaggerated behavioral and physiological responses to stressful stimuli and anxiogenic agents. To characterize the behavioral effects of PS on the acoustic startle reflex (ASR) and to determine the possible role of PS-induced alterations in noradrenergic control of ASR by determining the effects of the alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonists, yohimbine, idazoxan, and RS79948-197. PS was induced by exposing pregnant dams to a mild stressor of handling and saline injection (0.1 ml, s.c.) from gestational days 14 to 21. Control dams were left undisturbed throughout pregnancy. Using adult male offspring, all ASR studies consisted of either a 30- or 60-min testing period containing 60 or 120 acoustic startle stimuli trials (95 dB, 50 ms noise burst) at a fixed intertrial interval of 30 s after a 5-min acclimation period. For drug studies, a 3-day repeated measures design was implemented. With the exception of the response to the first startle stimulus on the first day of testing, there were no significant differences in baseline ASR between control and PS offspring. Low doses of yohimbine, idazoxan, and RS79948-197 were anxiogenic in the ASR test in both control and PS offspring. PS offs...Continue Reading
Citations
Prenatal stress influences 8-OH-DPAT modulated startle responding and [3H]-8-OH-DPAT binding in rats
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