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Limited changes of mouse maternal care after prenatal oxazepam: dissociation from pup-related stimulus perception

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Abstract

There is evidence that activity at the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor complex in specific brain areas might be enhanced during rodent motherhood. We tested the hypothesis that the manipulation of this neurochemical system by prenatal benzodiazepine exposure affects typical behavioural responses of lactating mouse dams. Outbred CD-1 mouse fetuses were administered either oxazepam (OX, 15 mg/kg) or vehicle twice a day on embryonic days 12–16 and fostered at birth to untreated dams. Female offspring were subsequently mated at the young adult stage. In a first experiment, the behavioural repertoire of the two groups of lactating females was scored (single 10-min session) from postpartum days 3 to 18. When compared with VEH dams, OX females showed a shorter duration ofpup-sniffing at 7–10 days and enhancedcrouching behaviour when pups had reached the age of 14–18 days. In addition, OX-treated dams used more cotton for nest construction than the controls. The two female groups were differentiated only in the presence of their offspring. In a second experiment aimed at investigating possible OX-induced changes in pup-stimulus perception, the same lactating females were challenged in sequence on postpartum day 8 with three different patterns of pup-related cues consisting of: three 8-day-old live male pups (LP), three same-age dead pups DP, or three dead pups accompanied by pre-recorded ultrasounds (DPU). In the absence of carry-over effects of prenatal dam treatment, LP stimuli elicited a higher frequency ofsniffing anddigging than the others, whereas the level oflicking, andgrooming was reduced. In conclusion, the present results indicate that the slight alteration in maternal care resulting from prenatal OX treatment can be dissociated from changes in pup-related stimulus perception.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section f Behavioural Pathophysiology, Laboratorio di Fisiopatologia di Organo e de Sistema, Istituto Superiore di Sanitá, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161, Roma, Italy

    S. Petruzzi, F. Chiarotti, E. Alleva & G. Laviola

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  1. S. Petruzzi
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  2. F. Chiarotti
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  3. E. Alleva
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  4. G. Laviola
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Petruzzi, S., Chiarotti, F., Alleva, E. et al. Limited changes of mouse maternal care after prenatal oxazepam: dissociation from pup-related stimulus perception. Psychopharmacology 122, 58–65 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02246442

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02246442

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