[Changes in the sensomotor cortex of offspring after chronic intoxication with tobacco smoke through the mother-fetus system].

The state of the sensomotor cortex in the offspring of white non-inbred rats, "passively" smoking before mating, during mating and throughout pregnancy time has been investigated. The investigation performed in 14 age groups from the period of birth up to a relative morphological stability (age of 3 months), control and experimental rats (as a whole 281 animals) makes it possible to conclude that certain components of the tobacco smoke are accumulated in the offspring blood and continue to exercise a destructive influence on the neocortex during 2 weeks after birth. The consequence of chronic intoxication of the tobacco smoke through the system mother--fetus is expressed as diffuse and focal decrease of neurons nearly by 1/3 in the sensomotor cortex, especially in the V cytoarchitectonic layer.