EFFECTS OF EARLY ADVERSE LIFE EVENTS ON GABAERGIC NEURONS

SALATINO, AE; ODEON, MM; ORTA, ML; ACOSTA, GB

Rosario

Congreso; XLI Reunión Anual Sociedad Argentina de Farmacología Experimental; 2009

SAFE

Neonatal period may be an especially high risk period given the continued proliferation of neuronal cells and developmental of neuronal pathways. We investigate the consequences of repeated  maternal separation and exposed to cold stress on brain development in order to determinate if the effects on GABAergic function were age-specific. Rats’ pups were separated from their mother plus cold exposure (4ºC) for 1h at postnatal (PD) 5, 7, 13 and 21 during 20 days (wash-out period: 30d). The rats were killed by decapitation and trunk blood samples were collected to measure corticosterone levels. Frontal cortex (FC) and hippocampus (HIC) were dissected in order to study GABA uptake. Also we used Western blotting to evaluate the alterations in the expression of HIC and FC GAT-1. Our results shows that the time course of repeated stress decreased GABA uptake in FC at PD5 and HIC at PD13. At PD5 we found a decreased GAT-1 level in HIC and increased in CF. Chronic stress altered the basal levels of corticosterone at the different ages studied. These results support the notion that the development of the FC is affected by stressors during early life. The findings are in agreement with the hypothesis of compensatory changes development in response to repeated stress, we would propose a FC as key in the development of adaptative mechanisms.