QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, February 9, 2005, 25(6):1493-1502; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3293-04.2005

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (35) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Zhang, T. Y. Articles by Gratton, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Zhang, T. Y. Articles by Gratton, A. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Hazardous Substances DB DOPAMINE

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Influence of Naturally Occurring Variations in Maternal Care on Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle and the Medial Prefrontal Cortical Dopamine Response to Stress in Adult Rats

T. Y. Zhang, P. Chrétien, M. J. Meaney, and A. Gratton

Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H4H 1R3 Canada

In rats, naturally occurring variations in maternal care contribute to the development of individual differences in the behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stress during adulthood. The dopamine (DA) projection to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays an important role in mediating stress responsivity and is thought to be involved also in regulating sensorimotor gating. In the present study, we compared prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle as well as the left and right mPFC DA stress responses in the adult offspring of high- and low-licking/grooming (LG) dams. Our data indicate that the offspring of low-LG animals are impaired on measures of PPI compared with high-LG animals. We also observed in low-LG animals a significant blunting of the mPFC DA stress responses that was lateralized to the right hemisphere, whereas in high-LG animals, the left and right mPFC DA stress responses were equally attenuated. Although mPFC levels of DA transporter did not differ between the two groups of animals, mPFC levels of catechol-O-methyl transferase immunoreactivity of low-LG animals were significantly lower than those of high-LG animals. These data provide evidence that variations in maternal care can lead to lasting changes in mPFC DA responsivity to stress and suggest the possibility that such changes in mesocorticolimbic DA function can also lead to deficits in sensorimotor gating.

Key words: maternal licking/grooming; stress; voltammetry; prepulse inhibition; catechol-O-methyl transferase; dopamine transporter

---

Received Aug 11, 2004; revised December 20, 2004; accepted December 20, 2004.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. O. Johnson, J. E. Chambers, C. A. Nail, S. Givaruangsawat, and R. L. Carr Developmental Chlorpyrifos and Methyl Parathion Exposure Alters Radial-Arm Maze Performance in Juvenile and Adult Rats Toxicol. Sci., May 1, 2009; 109(1): 132 - 142. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help