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Predator and restraint stress during gestation facilitates pilocarpine-induced seizures in prepubertal rats
Ramin Ahmadzadeh1, Ehsan Saboory, Shiva Roshan-Milani
1Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
Insights
Prenatal stress in rats, including restraint or predator exposure, worsened epilepsy development in pups. Psychosocial stress showed a more significant impact on neural and endocrine functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Prenatal stress can cause developmental issues.
- The effects of specific prenatal stressors on seizure susceptibility are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how prenatal restraint or predator stress affects pilocarpine-induced epileptic behavior in rat pups.
- To compare the impact of physical versus psychosocial prenatal stressors on neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Pregnant rats were subjected to restraint or predator stress on specific gestational days.
- Pups were tested for pilocarpine-induced seizures on postnatal day 25.
- Birth weight and corticosterone levels were measured.
Main Results:
- Prenatal stress resulted in lower birth weight and elevated corticosterone levels.
- Both stress types potentiated pilocarpine-induced seizures.
- Predator stress led to more severe seizures than restraint stress.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal stress significantly impacts fetal growth, neural, and endocrine functions.
- Psychosocial stressors may have a more profound effect on neuroendocrine function compared to physical stressors.
- Prenatal stress is a critical factor influencing epilepsy development.
Abstract:
Stress during gestation can result in early and long-term developmental aberrations. This study aimed to assess the impact of prenatal restraint or predator stress on pilocarpine-induced epileptic behavior. Pregnant rats were exposed to stressors on gestational days 15, 16, and 17. Restraint stress consisted of daily restraint of the dam. During predator stress, caged rats were exposed to a cat in a cage. On postnatal day 25, male pups were injected with pilocarpine and the behavior of each rat was observed. Prenatal stress led to low birth weight and increased blood corticosterone levels. Both stressors significantly potentiated pilocarpine-induced seizures. Predator-stressed pups exhibited significantly severe tonic-clonic seizures compared with restraint-stressed animals. These data emphasize the impact of prenatal stress on fetal growth, and neural and endocrine function. The results also suggest that psychosocial stressors have a greater impact on neural and endocrine function than physical stressors do.
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