A Study Of Behavioral Stress Modifies Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity And Spatial Learning In Rat

Objective: Prenatal stress underlies many physical and psychological problems in offspring. However, the relevance of the prenatal stress to synaptic plasticity (such as Long-term Potentiation, LTP and Long-term Depression, LTD) in hippocampal CA1 area was unknown. We explored the effects of prenatal stress on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and behavior of the offspring by testing LTP and LTD in hippocampal CA1 area and learning and memory in Morris Water Maze.Methods: Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into chronic stress group and control group randomly. Maternal prenatal behavioral stress (STR) was daily given during gestational days 13 - 19. Behavioral stress was evoked by 10 foot shocks (1sec, 0.8 mA, 2-3 min inter-shock intervals) in a Skinner box. The mothers in control group (CTL) were left undisturbed. The male offspring of each group was divided into 2 subgroups at birth and fostered by the mothers of STR and CTL, respectively (four groups: CTL fostered by control mother or...