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  • Title: Single, intense prenatal stress decreases emotionality and enhances learning performance in the adolescent rat offspring: interaction with a brief, daily maternal separation.
    Author: Cannizzaro C, Plescia F, Martire M, Gagliano M, Cannizzaro G, Mantia G, Cannizzaro E.
    Journal: Behav Brain Res; 2006 Apr 25; 169(1):128-36. PubMed ID: 16445990.
    Abstract:
    Perinatal manipulations can lead to neurobehavioural changes in the progeny. In this study we investigated, in adolescent male rat offspring, the consequences of a single, intense prenatal stress induced by a 120 min-maternal immobilization at gestational day 16, and of a daily, brief maternal separation from postnatal day 2 until 21, on: unconditioned fear/anxiety-like behaviour in open field and in elevated plus-maze; learning performance in the "Can test", a non-aversive spatial and tactile/visual task; corticosterone plasma levels under basal and stress-induced conditions. Our results indicate that both prenatal stress and maternal separation procedures decrease emotionality and enhance learning performance. Maternal separation potentiates prenatal stress-induced effects in enhancing learning performance. Both basal and stress-induced corticosterone plasma levels are reduced following prenatal stress, maternal separation and the combination of two procedures. These findings suggest that a single, intense prenatal stress can enhance the adaptive stress-related responses in the progeny, probably due to the involvement of maternal factors. The synergistic effect of prenatal stress and maternal separation on learning performance may be due to a further damping of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response in the progeny that better cope with the task administered.
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