Research Article

Maternal anesthesia via isoflurane or ether differentially affects pre-and postnatal behavior in rat offspring

  1. April E. Ronca1,*,
  2. Regina A. Abel2,
  3. Jeffrey R. Alberts3

Article first published online: 17 OCT 2007

DOI: 10.1002/dev.20242

Issue

Developmental Psychobiology

Developmental Psychobiology

Volume 49, Issue 7, pages 675–684, November 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

Ronca, A. E., Abel, R. A. and Alberts, J. R. (2007), Maternal anesthesia via isoflurane or ether differentially affects pre-and postnatal behavior in rat offspring. Dev. Psychobiol., 49: 675–684. doi: 10.1002/dev.20242

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Neurobiology & Anatomy Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157

  2. 2

    Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108

  3. 3

    Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405

*Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Neurobiology & Anatomy Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 17 OCT 2007
  2. Article first published online: 17 OCT 2007
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 16 APR 2007
  4. Manuscript Received: 20 SEP 2006

Funded by

  • NIH. Grant Numbers: MH46485, MH28355, HD50201

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Keywords:

  • isoflurane;
  • ether;
  • behavior;
  • fetal;
  • perinatal;
  • newborn;
  • labor contractions

Abstract

Our understanding of prenatal behavior has been significantly advanced by techniques for direct observation and manipulation of unanesthetized, behaving rodent fetuses with intact umbilical connections to the mother. These techniques involve brief administration of an inhalant anesthesic, enabling spinal transection of the rat or mouse dam, after which procedures can continue with unanesthetized dams and fetuses. Because anesthetics administered to the mother can cross the placental barrier, it is possible that fetuses are anesthetized to varying degrees. We compared in perinatal rats the effects of prenatal maternal exposure to two inhalant anesthetics: ether and isoflurane. Fewer spontaneous fetal movements and first postpartum nipple attachments were observed following maternal exposure to ether as compared to isoflurane. Neonatal breathing frequencies and oxygenation did not account for group differences in nipple attachment. Our results provide evidence that the particular inhalant anesthetic employed in prenatal manipulation studies determines frequencies of perinatal behavior. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 675–684, 2007.

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