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NEONATAL ASPHYXIA IN THE RAT: GREATER VULNERABILITY OF MALES AND PERSISTENT EFFECTS ON BRAIN MONOAMINE SYNTHESIS
Author(s) -
Simon Nicole,
Volicer L.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1976.tb06470.x
Subject(s) - monoamine neurotransmitter , asphyxia , serotonin , endocrinology , medicine , perinatal asphyxia , norepinephrine , reflex , brain damage , physiology , anesthesia , dopamine , receptor
— In the rat, neonatal asphyxia produced by suffocation did not leave permanent visible lesions in thc brain, nor did it result in permanent motor impairment, although a delay in the development of some reflexes was observed. A transient retardation of body and brain growth, which was more pronounced in males, was found. By 5‐6 weeks of age, body and brain weights of asphyxiated rats were no longer significantly different from control animals. However, an increase in brain norepinephrine synthesis was found to persist after maturation. An alteration of serotonin metabolism was found after maturation only in asphyxiated males. The possibility that neonatal asphyxia in the rat is a model for abnormal development of monoamine metabolism, relevant to early childhood behavior disorders such as infantile autism or the syndrome of minimal brain dysfunction, is discussed.