Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: May | Volume: 6 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 370-377
Sexually Dimorphic Effects of Chronic Prenatal Restraint Stress on Hippocampal Neurogenesis Using Doublecortin Immunostaining Technique
Cherian SB1, Bairy KL2, Rao MS3
1Associate Professor, Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Hyderabad, Telangana- 500096
2Professor, RAK College of Medical Sciences, RAS Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
3Associate Professor, Kuwait University, Safat- 13110
Corresponding Author: Cherian SB
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Maternal stress can have a profound effect on physiology; behavior and cognitive function of the offspring, but the mechanism affect brain function of offspring when they are adult remains primarily unknown. Doublecortin (DCX), a microtubule associated phosphoprotein is used as a marker of newly born neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG). This study was designed with the view to examine the gender- specific effects of prenatal stress on neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus in male and female wistar rats at weaning.
Materials and Methods: Pregnant rats of known gestational age were subjected to restraint stress from 11th gestational day till delivery. Rat pups belonging to different groups were sacrificed on 22nd postnatal day and brains were processed for Doublecortin Immunostaining and quantification.
Result: It was observed that prenatal stress caused significantly less number of DCX positive neurons in stressed males but not in stressed females. There was no difference in neuronal density between normal male and female rats.
Conclusion: These data reinforce the view that prenatal stress affects cognitive development in a sex-specific manner and the diminished effect seen in females could be due to the oestrogen- mediated neuroprotection on hippocampal function.
Key words: Doublecortin Immunostaining, prenatal stress, hippocampus
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