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Effects of phenobarbital given to pregnant mice on behavior of mature offspring
Author(s) -
Middaugh Lawrence D.,
Santos Carroll A.,
Zemp John W.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420080404
Subject(s) - offspring , phenobarbital , pregnancy , open field , endocrinology , medicine , saline , physiology , biology , genetics
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.