Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
7
pubmed:dateCreated
2007-6-14
pubmed:abstractText
Central dopaminergic (DA) systems appear to be particularly vulnerable to disruption by exposure to stressors in early life, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. As endogenous glucocorticoids (GCs) are implicated in other aspects of neurobiological programming, this study aimed to characterize the effects of perinatal GC exposure on the cytoarchitecture of DA populations in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Dexamethasone was administered non-invasively to rat pups via the mothers' drinking water during embryonic days 16-19 or postnatal days 1-7, with a total oral intake circa 0.075 or 0.15 mg/kg/day, respectively; controls received normal drinking water. Analysis of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive cell counts and regional volumes in adult offspring identified notable sex differences in the shape and volume of the SNc and VTA, as well as the topographical organization and size of the DA populations. Perinatal GC treatments increased the DA population size and altered the shape of the SNc and VTA as well as the organization of the DA neurons by expanding and/or shifting them in a caudal direction. This response was sexually dimorphic and included a feminization or demasculinization of the three-dimensional cytoarchitecture in males, and subtle differences that were dependent on the window of exposure. These findings demonstrate that inappropriate perinatal exposure to GCs have enduring effects on the organization of midbrain DA systems that are critically important for normal brain function throughout life.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jul
pubmed:issn
0893-133X
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
32
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1462-76
pubmed:dateRevised
2011-5-18
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Cell Differentiation, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Cell Proliferation, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Dopamine, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Female, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Glucocorticoids, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Male, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Mesencephalon, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Nervous System Malformations, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Neurons, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Pregnancy, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Rats, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Rats, Sprague-Dawley, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Sex Characteristics, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Sex Factors, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Substantia Nigra, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Time Factors, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase, pubmed-meshheading:17164817-Ventral Tegmental Area
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
The size and distribution of midbrain dopaminergic populations are permanently altered by perinatal glucocorticoid exposure in a sex- region- and time-specific manner.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Imperial College, London, UK.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't