Effects of psychological or physical prenatal stress on attention and locomotion in juvenile rats

GhotbiRavandi, Samaneh; Shabani, Mohammad; Bakhshaei, Sina; Nazeri, Masoud; Nozari, Masoumeh

doi:10.1080/00207454.2020.1738427

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We did assess two markers that were thought to intersect with stress‐related changes and agmatine's mechanism of action, however, under the conditions we used, expression of these markers was not noted. Further, we only used females in our study; however, several studies have attributed differential effects of stressor types to sex hormones, indicating that male and female offspring are differentially affected by prenatal stress (GhotbiRavandi et al, 2021; Nazeri et al, 2015). Because our study was conducted on female offspring only, we suggest that future studies examine whether sex‐based differences in outcomes depending on modalities of stressor are present in our models and whether similar protective effects of agmatine are present in males.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Administration of agmatine prior to physical or psychological stress in pregnant mice ameliorates behavioural and cognitive deficits in female offspring

Hassanshahi

Janahmadi

Razavinasab

et al. 2023

Intl J of Devlp Neuroscience

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Physical or psychological stress experienced by a mother during gestation is often associated with serious behavioural and cognitive deficits in newborns. Investigations of protective agents, which could prevent the adverse outcomes of prenatal stress (PS), are warranted. Agmatine is a neurotransmitter putatively involved in the physiological response to stress, and exogenous administration of agmatine has been shown to produce a variety of neuroprotective effects. In this study, we aimed to assess whether prenatal agmatine exposure could ameliorate behavioural and cognitive deficits in female offspring born to prenatally stressed mice. Pregnant Swiss Webster (SW) mice were exposed to physical or psychological stress from the 11th to 17th days of gestation. Agmatine (37.5 mg/kg, i.p.) was administrated 30 min before the induction of stress for seven consecutive days. The pups were assessed using a variety of behavioural tests and molecular assays on postnatal days 40 to 47. Agmatine attenuated impairments in locomotor activity, anxiety‐like behaviour, and drug‐seeking behaviour associated with both physical and psychological PS. Furthermore, agmatine reduced PS‐induced impairments in passive avoidance memory and learning. Neither PS nor agmatine treatment affected the mRNA expression level of hippocampal brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Taken together, our findings highlight the protective effects of prenatally administered agmatine on PS‐mediated behavioural and cognitive deficits of the offspring. Future studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, which could allow for more targeted prenatal treatments.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Administration of agmatine prior to physical or psychological stress in pregnant mice ameliorates behavioural and cognitive deficits in female offspring

Hassanshahi

Janahmadi

Razavinasab

et al. 2023

Intl J of Devlp Neuroscience

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Two male offspring were selected from each litter and were weaned from their mothers on the 23rd day and were then caged in groups of four (n = 20 for each group; 10 for behavioral tests and 10 for electrophysiological assays). As several previous studies have demonstrated that male and female offspring are differentially affected by prenatal stress 52 , 54 , 55 , to avoid any potential conflicting results that might be attributed to hormonal changes seen in the female mice, in the current study we used males only. The behavioral tests and electrophysiological assays were performed on postnatal days (PND) 40–45.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hyperexcitability of laterodorsal tegmentum cholinergic neurons accompanies adverse behavioral and cognitive outcomes of prenatal stress

Shabani

Ilaghi

Naderi

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exposure to prenatal stress (PS) leads to the offspring's vulnerability towards the development of cognitive and behavioral disorders. Laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) is a part of the brainstem cholinergic system that is believed to play a pivotal role in the stress-associated progression of anxiety, memory impairment, and addictive behaviors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the electrophysiological alterations of LDT cholinergic neurons and its accompanied behavioral and cognitive outcomes in the offspring of mice exposed to physical or psychological PS. Swiss Webster mice were exposed to physical or psychological stress on the tenth day of gestation. Ex vivo investigations in LDT brain slices of adolescent male offspring were performed to evaluate the effects of two stressor types on the activity of cholinergic neurons. Open field test, elevated plus maze, passive avoidance test, and conditioned place preference were conducted to assess behavioral and cognitive alterations in the offspring. The offspring of both physical and psychological PS-exposed mice exhibited increased locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, memory impairment, and preference to morphine. In both early- and late-firing cholinergic neurons of the LDT, stressed groups demonstrated higher firing frequency, lower adaptation ratio, decreased action potential threshold, and therefore increased excitability compared to the control group. The findings of the present study suggest that the hyperexcitability of the cholinergic neurons of LDT might be involved in the development of PS-associated anxiety-like behaviors, drug seeking, and memory impairment.

show abstract

“…Considering that several previous studies have indicated that PS might differentially affect each sex (Gué et al., 2004; GhotbiRavandi et al., 2021), the sex‐dependent effects of PS must be taken into account. The findings of our present study are comparable to our recent findings in female offspring (Hassanshahi et al., 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preventive putative effect of agmatine on cognitive and molecular outcomes in ventral tegmental area of male offspring following physical and psychological prenatal stress

Hassanshahi

Janahmadi

Razavinasab

et al. 2023

Developmental Psychobiology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Prenatal stress (PS) results from a maternal experience of stressful events during pregnancy, which has been associated with an increased risk of behavioral disorders including substance abuse and anxiety in the offspring. PS is known to result in heightened dopamine release in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), in part through the effects of corticotropin‐releasing hormone, which directly excites dopaminergic cells. It has recently been suggested that agmatine plays a role in modulating anxiety‐like behaviors. In this study, we investigated whether agmatine could reduce negative cognitive outcomes in male mice prenatally exposed to psychological/physical stress, and whether this could be associated with molecular changes in VTA. Agmatine (37.5 mg/kg) was administrated 30 min prior to PS induction in pregnant Swiss mice. Male offspring were evaluated in a series of behavioral and molecular assays. Findings demonstrated that agmatine reduced the impairment in locomotor activity induced by both psychological and physical PS. Agmatine also decreased heightened conditioned place preference to morphine seen in PS offspring. Moreover, agmatine ameliorated the anxiety‐like behavior and drug‐seeking behavior induced by PS in the male offspring. Molecular effects were seen in VTA as the enhanced brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) induced by PS in the VTA was reduced by agmatine. Behavioral tests indicate that agmatine exerts a protective effect on PS‐induced impairments in male offspring, which could be due in part to agmatine‐associated molecular alterations in the VTA. Taken together, our data suggest that prenatal treatment with agmatine exerts protective effect against negative consequences of PS on the development of affective circuits in the offspring.

show abstract

Effects of psychological or physical prenatal stress on attention and locomotion in juvenile rats

Cited by 7 publications

References 22 publications

Administration of agmatine prior to physical or psychological stress in pregnant mice ameliorates behavioural and cognitive deficits in female offspring

Administration of agmatine prior to physical or psychological stress in pregnant mice ameliorates behavioural and cognitive deficits in female offspring

The hyperexcitability of laterodorsal tegmentum cholinergic neurons accompanies adverse behavioral and cognitive outcomes of prenatal stress

Preventive putative effect of agmatine on cognitive and molecular outcomes in ventral tegmental area of male offspring following physical and psychological prenatal stress

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About