Mature offspring of C57BL/6J mice (Mus musculus) injected daily with phenobarbital (40 mg/kg) for the last third of pregnancy differed from saline and untreated control animals on 3 measures of behavior. Offspring of phenobarbital treated animals had higher locomotor scores than controls during an open field activity test at 75 days of age. Male offspring were also tested on a 1-trial passive avoidance task and treated animals were found to be deficient. Finally, female offspring responded less than controls on fixed ratio schedules of reinforcement. The behavioral changes suggest that offspring of mice injected with phenobarbital during pregnancy are less responsive to the stimuli in their environment which maintain behavior.

Offspring of C57BL/6J mice injected with d-amphetamine sulfate during the last third of pregnancy had slightly reduced body weight at birth, altered concentrations of catecholamines (CA's) in their brains during development, and increased activity after they had matured. Norepinephrine concentrations were depressed at birth, returned to control values by Day 3, and were elevated a t 21 and 30 days after birth. Dopamine values were elevated at 30 days after birth. At 75 days of age, animals prenatally exposed to the drug had CA concentrations similar to controls, but had heightened activity levels compared to controls tested in the open field. The results of these experiments demonstrate that d-amphetamine sulfate administered to mice during the last third of pregnancy produce transient alterations in CA concentrations and long-lasting changes in behavior.

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