Effect of emotional stress in pregnant rats on brain development of their progeny.

We compared 21- and 40-day old rat pups from rats subjected to emotional stress in trimester III and from intact females. The width of the parietal cortex and the size of layer V neuron cytoplasm and nuclei in the anterior parietal lobe and hippocampus were increased in 21-day-old test pups compared to age-matched controls. In 40-day-old test pups, neurons in layers II and V of the parietal lobe and layer II of the anterior parietal lobe and hippocampal neurons were enlarged compared to the control.