Development of the noradrenergic system of the rat brain after prenatal exposure to corticosterone

Abstract

The influence of corticosterone during the period of tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression (16th-18th days of rat embryogenesis), which is sensitive to hormonal induction, on the ontogenesis of presynaptic markers of the noradrenergic system has been studied. It has been found that hormone induced changes in the level of noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain cortex and brainstem had a transitive character and were eliminated in adulthood. At the same time, the hormone increased the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase in the cortex of 7 to 16 day old rat pups and in the cortex and brainstem of adult animals. It has been shown that the level of glucocorticoids is an important factor in development of the noradrenergic system of the brain, able during critical periods of ontogenesis to cause sustained changes of its functioning in subsequent periods of life.