NBTS 2008 Abstracts

Abstracts are sorted by programme number.March 8, 2008 – Chronological Order, No Session Category

NBTS1

Prenatal behavior and transition to postnatal life

Mark StantonPsychology Department, University of Delaware, United States

This symposium features presentations by Drs. Scott Robinson,Gale Kleven, and April Ronca, who will describe (1) recentadvances in the study of fetal behavior and of neural andbehavioral aspects of the transition from prenatal to postnatallife in rodent models; (2) how these advances can serve themission of the Neurobehavioral Teratology Society to identify andunderstand the causes and mechanisms of adverse neuro-behavioral development so as to prevent or treat human devel-opmental disorders; and (3) how developmental neurotoxicitycan be understood within broader epigenetic frameworks (e.g.,Fetal Basis of Adult Disease, FEBAD). This work has the potential toreveal new mechanisms and interventions that can only bestudied during the fetal and perinatal periods and also illustratesthe growing awareness of the role that developmental andenvironmental factors play in psychiatric and neurologicaldisorders such as schizophrenia, autism, ADHD, and Parkinsonism.

doi:10.1016/j.ntt.2008.03.004

NBTS2

The externalized rodent fetus: A model system for the study ofprenatal behavioral development

Scott RobinsonUniversity of Iowa, United States

A new perspective on behavioral development has emergedfrom research that has focused on motor, sensory and learningcapacities during the prenatal period. In large part, this researchhas been advanced by the use of animal models of fetal behavioraldevelopment, prominently including studies of rodent fetuses.

Researchers face a significant challenge to gain experimentalaccess to fetal subjects for behavioral study. This challenge hasbeen overcome by methods that involve blockade of the spinalcord of the pregnant rat or mouse, permitting surgical exterior-ization of the uterus and fetuses into a supportive fluid medium.These methods enable experiments involving video recording offetal motor behavior, manipulation of chemical, tactile, vestibularand proprioceptive stimuli, administration of drugs, or surgicalmanipulation of the central nervous system in test sessionslasting up to 2 h. The advent of these methods for studying thebehavior of the rodent fetus has provided a window on prenataldevelopment, which has confirmed spatiotemporal motor orga-nization, expression of coordinated movement, responsiveness tosensory stimuli, and capacity acquire, retain and expressnonassociative and associative learning before birth.

doi:10.1016/j.ntt.2008.03.005

NBTS3

Behavioral functioning of the fetus after prenatal toxin exposureand neural insult

Gale KlevenWake Forest University, United States

Recent advances in methods for direct observation of the ro-dent fetus permit behavioral assessment prior to birth. Combinedwith sensitive quantitativemeasures of behavior, these techniqueshave revealed dose-dependent functional deficits in fetal rats afterprenatal exposure tomethylazoxymethanol (MAM). Pregnant ratswere injected i.p. with 10 mg/kg MAM on day 17 (E17) of a 22 daygestation. The fetal offspring were then observed on one of sevenprenatal or postnatal ages (E18–E21 and P1, P5, and P10). De-pendent measures included interlimb movement synchrony dur-ing spontaneous movement, facial wiping (defensive) response tolemon solution, oral grasping and suckling response to a non-nutritive nipple, and hindlimb stepping after mechanical tailstimulation. Collectively, these experiments revealed deficits thatemerged in waves across development at the peak expression ofeach newly emerging behavior. This variability in the timing and

Neurotoxicology and Teratology 30 (2008) 243–259

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Neurotoxicology and Teratology

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