Open Access Opinion

Neurodevelopment is Particular Vulnerable in Neonatal Male Rats Subjected to Maternal Separation

Chunyao Yang1*, Jing Sun2 and Changsheng Li3

1Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Zhengzhou University, China

2Department of Psychiatry, Zhengzhou University, China

3Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Zhengzhou University, China

Corresponding Author

Received Date: January 02, 2020;  Published Date: January 17, 2020


Abstract

Objective: To explore the influence of maternal separation in early life on the neurodevelopment and young adult behavior of neonatal rats. Method Both male and female neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 2 h of maternal separation twice a day from postnatal days 2 (P2) through P9 followed by electroencephalogram (EEG) for 2 h on P10 or P11. Serum corticosteroid secretion and hippocampus expression of mGlu1R and mGlu5R were determined after EEG. Behavioral tests were examined by prepulse inhibition and elevated plus maze between P60~P70.

Results: The male group had increased corticosteroid level(t(10)=-5.458, P<0.001) and decreased mGlu1R and mGlu5R expression in the hippocampi compared to the control group, with greater abnormity in EEG(This is defined by the total duration of seizure (t(10)=6.134, P<0.001), number of episodes(t(10)=3.669, P=0.016) and duration of a single episode(t(10)=2.916, P=0.009)) compared to female pups. The male rats were more severely disturbed than female rats in prepulse inhibition and performed worse in elevated plus maze treatment.

Conclusion: Maternal separation in early life induced significant abnormities in EEG and alterations in expression of hippocampus mGlu1R and mGlu5R with greater changes in the corticosteroid level in males and extended behavior abnormalities in young adult rats.

Keywords:Neurodevelopment; Electroencephalogram; Maternal separation; Behavior

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