Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Maternal growth hormone and growth and function.

V R Sara, L Lazarus

    Developmental Psychobiology
    |November 1, 1975
    PubMed
    Summary

    Administering growth hormone to pregnant rats enhanced progeny brain growth and neuron development. This led to improved learning performance in mature offspring, suggesting a link between prenatal growth factors and cognitive function.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Demographics with purpose: a scientific necessity, not a social stigma.

    Surgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA·2025
    Same author

    A rare variation of five major vessels arising from the aortic arch with an absence of brachiocephalic trunk.

    Surgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA·2025
    Same author

    The effect of COVID-19 on placental functioning in South African pregnancies: investigation of kisspeptin expression and vascular and inflammatory alterations.

    Histochemistry and cell biology·2025
    Same author

    Effect of COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy on the Plasma/Extracellular Vesicles Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Profile.

    American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989)·2025
    Same author

    An MRI-based study of the insula in a South African population.

    Surgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA·2024
    Same author

    Ophthalmic artery arising from the external carotid artery system: the middle meningeal artery in South African patients.

    BMC ophthalmology·2023

    Area of Science:

    • Neuroscience
    • Developmental Biology
    • Endocrinology

    Background:

    • Prenatal factors significantly influence offspring brain development and function.
    • Growth hormone (GH) plays a critical role in somatic growth.
    • The impact of prenatal GH administration on neurodevelopment requires further investigation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the effects of administering growth hormone to pregnant rats on the growth and cognitive function of their progeny.
    • To determine if prenatal GH exposure influences brain development, specifically brain weight and neuronal cell number.
    • To assess the long-term impact of prenatal GH on learning and memory in adult offspring.

    Main Methods:

    • Pregnant rats were administered growth hormone.
    • Brain weight and cortical neuron number were quantified in the progeny.
    • Neuronal cell number was determined using DNA labeling with thymidine and subsequent autoradiography.
    • Learning performance was evaluated in mature offspring using conditional discrimination tasks.

    Main Results:

    • Prenatal growth hormone administration resulted in a significant increase in progeny brain weight.
    • A notable increase in cortical neuron number was observed in the offspring.
    • Mature offspring exhibited enhanced learning performance on conditional discrimination tasks.

    Conclusions:

    • Prenatal exposure to growth hormone positively impacts brain growth and neuronal development.
    • Enhanced neurodevelopment in offspring correlates with improved cognitive functions, specifically learning capabilities.
    • These findings highlight the critical role of prenatal growth factors in shaping long-term brain function and behavior.

    Related Experiment Videos