A STUDY OF EARLY MOTOR BEHAVIOUR AND POSTNATAL CEREBELLUM DEVELOPMENT IN SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RAT (SHR) AS A MODEL OF INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION

ARIAS I.; SELTZER A.; ASENSIO J.

Mendoza

Congreso; XXXIV Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo Del; 2016

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

Infants suffering intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) experience increased incidence of neurological and intellectual impairment. The offspring of SHR have been proposed as an animal model of IUGR. The effects of maternal hypertension in the SHR on brain development and cerebellar function are not fully understood. In this study, we evaluated the neurologic development and early motor behaviour of SHR rat pups and we examined morphological aspects of the postnatal cerebellum. Physical indicators of growth were evaluated throughout early postnatal life (P0-P30) in SHR (n=20) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY, normotensive strain) (n=20) rat pups. Body weight, sensory (eye opening, incisor eruption, ear unfolding) and neurological reflexes (righting reflex, negative geotaxis, gait) tests were performed under controlled environmental conditions. Weight at birth was significantly lower in the SHRs compared to WKYs (p