Gestation-induced cell proliferation in the rat brain

The states of pregnancy and lactation bring about a range of physiological and behavioral changes in the adult mammal that prepare the mother to care for her young. In the present study, the effects of pregnancy on cell proliferation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) in female rats were examined. Thi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain research. Developmental brain research 2005-04, Vol.156 (1), p.61-66
Main Authors: Furuta, Miyako, Bridges, Robert S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Animals
Bromodeoxyuridine - metabolism
Cell Count - methods
Cell Proliferation
Female
Immunohistochemistry - methods
Lateral Ventricles - cytology
Lateral Ventricles - growth & development
Neurogenesis
Neurons - cytology
Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - metabolism
Pregnancy
Pregnancy - physiology
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Subventricular zone
Time Factors
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Summary:The states of pregnancy and lactation bring about a range of physiological and behavioral changes in the adult mammal that prepare the mother to care for her young. In the present study, the effects of pregnancy on cell proliferation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) in female rats were examined. This region has been identified as a site of neurogenesis in adult rodents. To examine the proliferating cell population, control and pregnant rats were injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU, 90 mg/kg, i.v.) and euthanized 1 h following injection. BrdU was visualized using diaminobenzidine. Changes in BrdU-labeled cells occurred in the female rat brain over pregnancy with significant increases found in the SVZ on day 21 when compared with cycling diestrous females. No changes were evident in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus as a function of gestation. These data demonstrate that, in the rat, as in mice, gestation stimulates an increase in the number of new cells in selected regions of the central nervous system.
ISSN:0165-3806
DOI:10.1016/j.devbrainres.2005.01.008