Gestational hypoxia in late pregnancy differentially programs subcortical brain maturation in male and female rat offspring

Abstract

Highlights Brain maturation of the nigrostriatal pathway is sex- and age- dependent. Exposure to hypoxia in late pregnancy impacts brain maturation of the nigrostriatal pathway that can be observed during puberty and young adulthood. Gestational hypoxia impacted female offspring during puberty more than males, whereas it impacted male offspring during young adulthood more than females. These novel findings demonstrate that hypoxic insults during pregnancy mediate developmental programming of the cortical and subcortical pathways, in which male offspring exhibit long-term adverse effects compared to female offspring. Long-term adverse effects of gestational hypoxia in offspring can occur in the absence of pregnancy complications, especially if they occur within critical embryological developmental periods.

Keywords

• Prenatal programming
• Oxidative stress
• Sex differences
• Chronic intermittent hypoxia
• Ultrasonic vocalizations
• Substantia nigra