Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
Using Chronic Social Stress to Model Postpartum Depression in Lactating Rodents
Published on: June 10, 2013
Effects of maternal stress on development and behaviour in rat offspring
1Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Hebrew University Hadassah School of Medicine, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. martar@cc.huji.ac.il
Insights
Prenatal stress in animal models can lead to developmental delays, immune changes, and behavioral issues like anxiety and depression. These effects may be reversed by specific maternal treatments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Immunology
Background:
- Gestational stress in humans is linked to developmental delays, allergies, infections, and behavioral problems in children.
- Prenatal stress in rats models human outcomes, including immune suppression and heightened allergen sensitivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental and behavioral effects of prenatal stress in a rat model.
- To explore potential therapeutic interventions for stress-induced alterations in offspring.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a rat model to study the impact of prenatal stress on offspring development and behavior.
- Administered opioid antagonists, diazepam, and allopregnanolone to pregnant rats to assess effects on offspring.
Main Results:
- Prenatally-stressed rats exhibited suppressed immune function, increased allergen sensitivity, reduced social interaction, and heightened anxiety.
- Offspring displayed behaviors consistent with depression, including circadian rhythm shifts and learned helplessness.
- Male rats showed demasculinization and feminization of sexual behavior.
- Maternal administration of certain drugs corrected some developmental and behavioral abnormalities.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal stress induces a range of developmental and behavioral abnormalities in offspring, mirroring human conditions.
- Endogenous opioids and neurosteroids may mediate these effects, suggesting potential therapeutic targets.
Abstract:
Retrospective studies suggest that gestational stress in humans can delay the attainment of developmental milestones, increase the incidence of allergic reactions and respiratory infections and cause behavioural abnormalities in the children. Our studies and others have shown that prenatal stress in rats can mimic several of these developmental and behavioural alterations. These include a suppression of immune function, but also enhanced sensitivity to allergens. Prenatally-stressed rats, like children, show a reduced propensity for social interaction and increased anxiety in intimidating or novel situations. They have physiological and behavioural alterations consistent with depressive symptoms, including a phase-shift in their circadian rhythm for corticosterone, sleep abnormalities, and greater acquisition of learned helplessness under appropriate conditions. Prenatally-stressed male rats also show demasculinisation and feminisation of their sexual behaviour. The developmental and behavioural abnormalities in prenatally-stressed offspring may be mediated by alterations in the activity of endogenous opioids or neurosteroids, since several of them can be corrected by maternal administration of an opioid antagonist or by drugs like diazepam and allopregnanolone that modulate GABA transmission.
