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Persistent changes in corticotropin-releasing factor neuronal systems induced by maternal deprivation
C O Ladd1, M J Owens, C B Nemeroff
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta 30322, USA.
Endocrinology
|April 1, 1996
Summary
Early life stress in rats alters stress hormone systems long-term. Maternal deprivation during development leads to lasting changes in corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neural systems, affecting adult stress responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroendocrinology
- Stress Research
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons are central to stress response integration.
- Early life stress can have profound and lasting effects on neural development and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term effects of early stress on hypothalamic and extrahypothalamic CRF neural systems in rats.
- To determine if early stress exposure alters biochemical responses to stress in adulthood.
Main Methods:
- Rats underwent daily isolation (early stress) during early development (postnatal days 2-20).
- Adult male rats were exposed to mild foot shock stress.
- ACTH and CRF concentrations, and CRF receptor binding were measured in different brain regions and the pituitary.
Main Results:
- Early stress (maternal deprivation) increased basal and stress-induced ACTH levels.
- Immunoreactive CRF concentrations increased in the median eminence, while CRF receptor binding decreased in the anterior pituitary of deprived rats.
- CRF receptor binding increased in the raphe nucleus, and CRF concentrations increased in the parabrachial nucleus of deprived rats.
Conclusions:
- Maternal deprivation in early life causes persistent alterations in CRF neural systems in the rat brain and pituitary.
- These neurobiological changes are evident months later and likely contribute to altered behavioral responses to stress in adult rats.