Volume :
4
Issue :
2
Abstract :
Background Maternal stress has a variety of deleterious effects on developing fetus that manifests into adulthood. Aims The present study was designed with the view to examine the gender- specific effects of chronic maternal stress on sensorimotor coordination following prenatal stress in rats. Materials and Methods Pregnant Wistar rats were subjected to restraint stress from embryonic day 11 till delivery. Male and female rat pups on the 33rd day of postnatal life were subjected to rotarod test for motor coordination and balance. Results It was observed that prenatal stress caused significant effects in stressed males when compared to that of control and did not show any effect in stressed females. Conclusion These data reinforce the view that prenatal stress affects motor coordination in a sex-specific manner and the diminished effect seen in females could be due to the estrogen- mediated neuroprotection on hippocampal function.