Prenatal stress in rats effects synaptic transmission in the dorsal raphe nucleus of their adolescent offspring

• Autorzy: Sowa J.G. , Hess G.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Prenatal maternal stress (PS) can adversely affect the development of the central nervous system in offspring. The effects of PS become evident laterin life and may be in‑ volved in the pathogenesis of neurological and mental dis‑ orders. The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), as a major source of serotonin (5-HT) in the mammalian forebrain, plays a key role in the stress response. The DRN is also involved in the development of stress-related disorders. GABA-ergic and glutamatergic transmission in the DRN are modulated by the 5-HT7 receptor, however, little is known about the effects of PS on the activity of the DRN neuronal network. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of PS by analysing excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmis‑ sion, and its modulation by the 5-HT7 receptor, in the DRN of rat adolescent offspring of stressed rat dams. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected daily to three restraint stress sessions, from the 14th day of pregnancy until birth. During each stress session, rats were placed in plastic cyl‑ inders and exposed to bright light for 45 min. Control preg‑ nant females were left undisturbed in their home cages. The effects of PS were studied in slices of the DRN prepared from adolescent male offspring of control and stressed mothers. Whole-cell recordings were carried out from pu‑ tative 5-HT neurons. Spontaneous excitatory (sEPSCs) and inhibitory (sIPSCs) postsynaptic currents were recorded to assess glutamatergic and GABA-ergic transmission, respec‑ tively. 5-CT, in the presence of WAY 100635, was applied to the ACSF to selectively activate the 5-HT7 receptor. In pre‑ natally-stressed rats an increased frequency of sEPSCs and a decreased frequency of sIPSCs were evident, compared to control animals. In slices originating from control rats, ac‑ tivation of the 5-HT7 receptor resulted in a decrease in the mean frequency of sEPSCs and an increase in the mean fre‑ quency of sIPSCs. These effects were absent from slices ob‑ tained from prenatally-stressed rats. These results suggest that prenatal maternal stress in rats causes an enhance‑ ment of glutamatergic transmission and an attenuation of GABA-ergic transmission and affects the function of the 5-HT7 receptor in the DRN of their adolescent offspring. These effects may be related to prenatal stress-induced ab‑ normalities in the functioning of the serotonergic system. Support: This study was supported by grant 2015/17/N/ NZ4/02455, National Science Centre Poland.

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis
• Rocznik: 2018
• Tom: 78
• Numer: Suppl.1
• Opis fizyczny: p.12-13

Twórcy

autor

Sowa J.G.

• Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland

autor

Hess G.

• Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
• Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland