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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
06:39

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

Published on: June 13, 2021

Prenatal psychological stress causes higher emotionality, depression-like behavior, and elevated activity in the

Hiroshi Abe1, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Kawagoe

  • 1Division of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan. abehiro@med.miyazaki-u.ac.jp

Neuroscience Research
|July 31, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Psychological prenatal stress in pregnant rats can alter offspring behavior and neurobiology. This study shows that maternal stress during gestation impacts emotionality and stress responses in male offspring.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Prenatal stress in humans is linked to offspring psychiatric disorders.
  • Rodent studies demonstrate physical prenatal stress alters offspring neurobiology and behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if psychological prenatal stress, with minimal physical stress, induces neurobiological and behavioral changes in Sprague-Dawley rat offspring.
  • To compare effects of psychological prenatal stress to those of physical prenatal stress.

Main Methods:

  • Pregnant dams were exposed to psychological stress (observing electrical shock) during the last trimester.
  • Offspring behavior was assessed using open field and forced swim tests.
  • Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activity and context conditioning were evaluated.

Main Results:

  • Male offspring exposed to psychological prenatal stress exhibited increased emotionality and depression-like behaviors.
  • Enhanced activity in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis was observed in stressed offspring.
  • Cognitive abilities, specifically context conditioning, remained intact.

Conclusions:

  • Psychological prenatal stress during gestation can significantly alter offspring neurobiology and behavior.
  • This study provides the first evidence of such effects from psychological stress in a rodent communication box model.
  • Findings suggest maternal psychological stress is a critical factor in offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes.

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