Social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats: A role for BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1
This study aimed to investigate the effects of social isolation stress during pregnancy on maternal behavior and associated neurochemical changes in the hippocampus of rats.Twenty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either a group housing (two rats per cage: control group) or a soci...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497625000013 |
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| author | Samira Khayat Hamed Fanaei Kiarash Anaraki Haji Bagheri |
| author_facet | Samira Khayat Hamed Fanaei Kiarash Anaraki Haji Bagheri |
| author_sort | Samira Khayat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study aimed to investigate the effects of social isolation stress during pregnancy on maternal behavior and associated neurochemical changes in the hippocampus of rats.Twenty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either a group housing (two rats per cage: control group) or a social isolation stress group (one rat per cage: SI group) during pregnancy. At the end of the study, we assessed the levels of BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1 in the hippocampus of the maternal brain, along with evaluating the endurance, integration, and emotional aspects of maternal behavior. Results indicated that social isolation stress significantly decreased maternal endurance, integration, and emotionality (self-calming) of maternal behavior. Concurrently, blood and the hippocampal corticosterone concentration significantly increased, while BDNF concentration significantly decreased in the SI stress group compared to controls. Moreover, GABAARα1 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in the hippocampus of socially isolated rats. These findings demonstrate that social isolation stress during pregnancy profoundly impacts maternal behaviors in rats, including endurance, integration, and self-soothing. The altered concentration of corticosterone and BDNF, and GABAARα1 mRNA expression in the hippocampus of social isolation group suggests disruptions in stress response regulation and synaptic plasticity during pregnancy to form normal maternal behavior. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1245b77e91aa4d678f20ef5ada28db3d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2666-4976 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology |
| spelling | doaj-art-1245b77e91aa4d678f20ef5ada28db3d2025-08-20T03:05:42ZengElsevierComprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology2666-49762025-02-012110028210.1016/j.cpnec.2025.100282Social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats: A role for BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1Samira Khayat0Hamed Fanaei1Kiarash Anaraki Haji Bagheri2Pregnancy Health Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran; Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, IranPregnancy Health Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran; Corresponding author. Pregnancy Health Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, IranThis study aimed to investigate the effects of social isolation stress during pregnancy on maternal behavior and associated neurochemical changes in the hippocampus of rats.Twenty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either a group housing (two rats per cage: control group) or a social isolation stress group (one rat per cage: SI group) during pregnancy. At the end of the study, we assessed the levels of BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1 in the hippocampus of the maternal brain, along with evaluating the endurance, integration, and emotional aspects of maternal behavior. Results indicated that social isolation stress significantly decreased maternal endurance, integration, and emotionality (self-calming) of maternal behavior. Concurrently, blood and the hippocampal corticosterone concentration significantly increased, while BDNF concentration significantly decreased in the SI stress group compared to controls. Moreover, GABAARα1 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in the hippocampus of socially isolated rats. These findings demonstrate that social isolation stress during pregnancy profoundly impacts maternal behaviors in rats, including endurance, integration, and self-soothing. The altered concentration of corticosterone and BDNF, and GABAARα1 mRNA expression in the hippocampus of social isolation group suggests disruptions in stress response regulation and synaptic plasticity during pregnancy to form normal maternal behavior.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497625000013Social isolation stressPregnancyMaternal behaviorCorticosteroneBDNFGABAARα1 |
| spellingShingle | Samira Khayat Hamed Fanaei Kiarash Anaraki Haji Bagheri Social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats: A role for BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1 Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology Social isolation stress Pregnancy Maternal behavior Corticosterone BDNF GABAARα1 |
| title | Social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats: A role for BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1 |
| title_full | Social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats: A role for BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1 |
| title_fullStr | Social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats: A role for BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats: A role for BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1 |
| title_short | Social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats: A role for BDNF, corticosterone, and GABAARα1 |
| title_sort | social isolation during pregnancy disrupts maternal behavior and hippocampal neurochemistry in rats a role for bdnf corticosterone and gabaarα1 |
| topic | Social isolation stress Pregnancy Maternal behavior Corticosterone BDNF GABAARα1 |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497625000013 |
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