The focus of this study was to characterize the impact of gestational exposure to benzo(a)pyrene, [B (a)P] on modulation of glutamate receptor subunit expression that is critical for the maintenance of synaptic plasticity mechanisms during hippocampal or cortical development in offspring. Previous studies have demonstrated that hippocampal and/or cortical synaptic plasticity (as measured by longterm potentiation and S1-cortex spontaneous/evoked neuronal activity) and learning behavior (as measured by fixed-ratio performance operant testing) is significantly impaired in polycyclic aromatic or halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon-exposed offspring as compared to controls. These previous studies have also revealed that brain to body weight ratios are greater in exposed offspring relative to controls indicative of intrauterine growth retardation which has been shown to manifest as low birth weight in offspring. Recent epidemiological studies have identified an effect of prenatal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on neurodevelopment in the first 3 Years of life among inner-city children (Perera et al., 2006). The present study utilizes a well-characterized animal model to test the hypothesis that gestational exposure to B(a)P causes dysregulation of developmental ionotropic glutamate receptor subunit expression, namely the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor (AMPAR) both critical to the expression of synaptic plasticity mechanisms. To mechanistically ascertain the basis of B(a)P-induced plasticity perturbations, timed pregnant Long-Evans rats were exposed in an oral subacute exposure regimen to 0, 25 and 150µg/kg BW B(a)P on gestation days 14-17. The first sub-hypothesis tested whether gestational exposure to B(a)P would result in significant disposition in offspring. The second sub-hypothesis tested whether gestational exposure to B(a)P would result in downregulation of early developmental expression of NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits in the *Corresponding author: Darryl B. Hood, Ph.D., Department of Neurobiology and Neurotoxicology, Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA. Phone (615) 327-6358, FAX: (615) 327-6632. email: dhood@mmc.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. hippocampus of offspring as well as in primary neuronal cultures. The results of these studies revealed significant: 1) disposition to the hippocampus and cortex, 2) down-regulation of developmental glutamate receptor mRNA and protein subunit expres...