[Behavioral reactions of animals subjected in the prenatal development period to space flight conditions]

The Wistar female rats were flown on the biosatellite Cosmos-1514 during their pregnancy days 13-18. Offspring (at the age 1 to 3 months) of four of these rats were used to investigate their behavioral reactions in the open field and mazes of different design, food attraction being applied. Control rats of matched pregnancy term were kept either in a vivarium or in a biosatellite mockup where all flight factors, except for weightlessness, were simulated. It was found that exposure to weightlessness in the above intrauterine developmental period caused no serious changes in the behavioral reactions of rats during their postnatal development. The number of refusals and errors and the latency period were similar in the rats from the flight and control groups. Changes were seen only in fine behavioral regulation. The flown animals displayed a lower research activity in the open field, a longer time of search in the maze, a far longer time or grooming and a greater number of inadequate movements, and a stronger response to external inhibiting stimuli. These changes seem to be caused by a slight attenuation of the basic nervous processes (primarily, inhibitory) and a decrease of their balance and lability. These effects may be associated with an inhibitory influence of space flight factors on the maturation of cortical structures.