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Failure to find pregnancy effects on cortical thickness
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign 61820.
Behavioral and Neural Biology
|January 1, 1994
Summary
Pregnancy did not alter cerebral cortex size in rats when measured on the last day of gestation. These findings suggest parturition events may affect cortex size, or pregnancy
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Previous studies suggest pregnancy increases cerebral cortex size in rats.
- The cellular mechanisms underlying this reported phenomenon require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of pregnancy on cerebral cortex size in hooded rats.
- To serve as a prelude to examining the cellular basis of reported pregnancy-induced cortical changes.
Main Methods:
- Cortical size was measured in three coronal planes.
- Measurements were taken on the last day of pregnancy in hooded rats.
- Control group consisted of nonpregnant female littermates.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in cerebral cortex size were observed between pregnant and nonpregnant control rats.
- The study did not replicate previous findings of increased cortical size during pregnancy.
Conclusions:
- The reported increase in cerebral cortex size during pregnancy may not be reliable.
- Alternatively, events occurring on the day of parturition might influence cortical size.
- Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between pregnancy, parturition, and cortical plasticity.