Behavioral, Reproductive & Neuroendocrine Consequences of Prenatal Stress

雌性哺乳动物，特别是啮齿类动物，表现出许多生殖功能。 由于暴露于产前压力而导致的缺陷。 中 最严重的是对生育力和繁殖力的影响。 到目前为止， 还没有一个系统的分析， 导致生殖生理缺陷的因素， 可能是产前压力过大的女性的行为。 本 建议在产前强调目前的生殖缺陷， 女性将重点研究生理，即 内分泌/神经内分泌，行为过程和相互作用 雌性的行为状态和她的生理状态 应答 在初步研究中，繁殖成功率的下降 在产前应激的雌性大鼠中， 这些女性未能进行他们的怀孕足月，只有10%的 交配后的雌性在哺乳期的第一周养育一窝幼崽。 此外，产前压力大的女性在行为上 对他们的年轻，产前压力的女性表现出 成年后内分泌反应减弱 由于两次怀孕 维持以及诱导大鼠的母性行为， 在内分泌（激素）控制下， 妊娠维持、哺乳性能和母亲行为， 产前压力女性，可能是由于一个共同的潜在的 雌激素缺乏女性分泌激素的能力不足， 是由子宫内的压力引起的 在目前的研究中， 罗伯特·布里奇斯和克雷格·金斯利博士正在研究 潜在的生理机制，有助于 生殖生理和行为的衰退。 工作将集中在 是否在怀孕，哺乳和行为的影响， 从激素（催乳素）调节和作用的变化， 产前压力的影响 这些研究的结果将 有助于确定负责正常维护的因素， 妊娠和哺乳期，并将提供一个数据库，以评估 其他哺乳动物中类似的内分泌和行为缺陷，包括 人类

Female mammals, particularly rodents, exhibit a number of reproductive deficits as a consequence of exposure to prenatal stress. Among the most serious are the effects upon fertility and fecundity. To date, there has not been a systematic analysis that has delineated those factors responsible for the deficits on reproductive physiology and possibly behavior in prenatally stressed females. In the present proposal the reproductive deficits present in the prenatally-stressed female will be studied with focus upon physiological, i.e. endocrine/neuroendocrine, and behavioral processes and the interactions between the behavioral state of the female and her physiological responses. In preliminary studies, decrements in reproductive success in prenatally-stressed female rats were found with as many as 80% of these females failing to carry their pregnancies to term and only 10% of the mated females raising a litter through the first week of lactation. In addition, prenatally-stressed females were behaviorally less responsive to their young, and prenatally-stressed females showed diminished endocrine responses as adults. Since both pregnancy maintenance as well as the induction of maternal behavior in the rat are under endocrine (hormonal) control, it is possible that the deficits in pregnancy maintenance, lactational performance, and maternal behavior in the prenatally-stressed female, may result from a common underlying deficiency in the female's ability to secrete hormones, a deficiency brought about by exposure to stress in utero. In the current research, Drs. Robert Bridges and Craig Kinsley are studying the potential common underlying physiological mechanisms that contribute to both the decrements in reproductive physiology and behavior. The work will focus on whether the detriments in pregnancy, lactation and behavior result from changes in hormone (prolactin) regulation and action brought about by the prenatal stress experience. The results of these studies will help to define those factors responsible for the normal maintenance of pregnancy and lactation, and will provide a data base for evaluating analogous endocrine and behavioral deficits in other mammals, including humans.