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Stress-induced synaptic changes in the rat anterior cingulate cortex are dependent on endocrine developmental time
Tomasz Gos1, Jörg Bock, Gerd Poeggel
1Institute of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-204 Gdańsk, Poland.
Synapse (New York, N.Y.)
|December 20, 2007
Summary
Neonatal separation stress impacts brain development. Stress during the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP) of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis significantly decreased spine density in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACd).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Brain development features sensitive time windows for environmental influences.
- Experience-induced neuronal changes correlate with endocrine development windows.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of neonatal separation stress on brain development during specific endocrine maturation phases.
- To test if stress during the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP) affects synaptic plasticity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACd).
Main Methods:
- Rats were exposed to neonatal separation stress during different phases of endocrine maturation: before, during, and after the SHRP.
- Spine density and dendritic length of pyramidal cells in layer V of the ACd were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Stress exposure during the SHRP significantly decreased spine density by 29% in the ACd.
- Stress during other developmental windows did not affect spine density.
- Dendritic length remained unaffected by stress at any tested time window.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal stress during the SHRP specifically impacts synaptic wiring in the deeper layers of the anterior cingulate cortex.
- These effects on synaptic plasticity are not mediated by hormonal mechanisms related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
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