Abstract
Gravid Sprague-Dawley-derived rats were injected SC twice daily with either 20 or 40 mg/kg pentobarbital sodium (PT), sodium phenobarbital (PH), or the same volume of the saline vehicle on days 9–21 of pregnancy. Pair-feeding was employed. Vital, developmental, and activity measures were obtained on the neonates and locomotor activity was measured from 3–10 months of age. Avoidance was measured sequentially in a shuttle box, and in an operant chamber beginning at 3 months of age. The PH-80 dams gained less weight over the gestational period, and PH-80 and PH-40 offspring had more neonatal deaths. These male offspring were hyperactive at maturity, and PH-80 rats were initially slower to escape experimenter-initiated shock. PT exposure caused transient neonatal and juvenile hyperactivity. PT rats performed more poorly on both the conditioned avoidance and Sidman shock schedules, and had significantly lower brain: body weight ratios at 1 year of age. All four drug groups outperformed the saline offspring on subject-initiated shock schedules (punishment). Sex of offspring was determined on postnatal day 4 and the sex ratio was shifted towards male births with both drugs relative to controls.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armitage S (1952) The effects of barbiturates on the behavior of rat offspring measured in learning and reasoning situations. J Comp Physiol Psychol 45:146–152
Becker RF, Flanagan E, King JE (1958) The fate of offspring from mothers receiving sodium pentobarbital before delivery. Neurology 8:776–782
Becker RF, Boneau CA, Shearin CA, King JE (1964) Behavioral alterations of young rats with a history of oversedation at birth. Neurology 14:510–520
Castellanos A (1967) Malformations in children whose mothers ingested different types of drugs. Rev Solumb Pediatr Pueric 23:421–432
Cowger ML, Labbe RF, Mackler B (19862) Relation of barbiturate structure to DPNH oxidase inhibition. Arch Biochem Biophys 96:583–587
Crombie E, Pinsent RJFH, Slater BC, Fleming D, Cross KW (1970) Teratogenic drugs: RCGP survey. Br Med J 4:178–179
Dixon WJ, Massey FJ (1957) Introduction to statistical analysis. McGraw-Hill, New York
Enns MD, Wilson MW, Grinker JA, Faust IM (1983) Prenatal food restriction and subsequent weight gain in rats. Science 219:1093–1094
Jensh RP, Magaziner A, Vogel WH (1981) Effects of maternal environment and postnatal multiple testing on adult rat offspring. J Toxicol Environ Health 7:655–663
Jones AP, Friedman MI (1981) Obesity and adipocyte abnormalities in offspring of rats undernourished during pregnancy. Science 215:1518–1519
King JE (1964) Sex differences in the responses of rats to pentobarbital sodium. Am J Obstet Gynecol 89:1019–1025
Laties VG, Weiss B, Clark DC, Reynolds MD (1965) Overt ‘mediating’ behavior during temporally spaced responding. J Exp Anal Behav 8:107–116
Mackler B, Grace RF, Tippitt RJ, Lxire TH, Shepard T, Kelly VC (1975) Studies of the development of congenital anomalies in rats. III. Effects of inhibition of mitochondrial energy systems on embryonic development. Teratology 12:291–296
Martin JC (1970) Escape/avoidance and punishment behavior in the rat after fetal X-irradiation. Radiat Res 41:614–622
Martin JC, Martin DC, Lemire R, Mackler B (1979) Effects of maternal absorption of phenobarbital upon rat offspring development and function. Neurobehav Toxicol 1:49–55
Meyer JG (1973) The teratological effects of anti-convulsants and the effects on pregnancy and birth. Eur Neurol 10:179–190
Middaugh LD, Santos CA, Zemp JW (1975a) Phenobarbital during pregnancy alters operant behavior of offspring in C-57BL16J mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 3:1137–1139
Middaugh LD, Santos CA, Zemp JW (1975b) Effects of phenobarbital given to pregnant mice on behavior of mature offspring. Dev Psychobiol 8:305–313
Middaugh LD, Simpson LW, Thomas TN, Zemp JW (1981) Prenatal maternal phenobarbital increases reactivity and retards habituation of mature offspring to environmental stimuli. Psychopharmacology 74:349–352
Murai N (1966) Effects of maternal medication during pregnancy upon behavioral development. Tohoku Exp Med 89:254–272
Neel JW (1973) Changing perspectives on the genetic effects of radiation. Charles Thomas. Springfield IL
Poland BJ, Wogan L, Calvin J (1972) Teenagers, illicit drugs and pregnancy. Can Med Assoc J 107:955–958
Ravn J (1974–1975) Pregnancy and progeny after long-term contraceptive treatment with low dose progestogens. Curr Med Res Opin 2:616–619
Richards IDG, Buu-Hoi NP (1970) Teratological studies of p-butoxyphenylacethydroxamic acid (CP 1044J3) in rats and rabbits. Arzneim Forsch 20:565–569
Robertson JS, Sheard AV (1973) Altered sex ratio after outbreak of hepatitis. Lancet 1:532–534
Wilson MP, Keller FS (1953) On the selected reinforcement of spaced responses. J Comp Physiol Psychol 46:190–193
Yanai J, Roselli-Austin L, Tabakoff B (1979) Neuronal deficits in mice following prenatal exposure to phenobarbital. Exp Neurol 64:237–244
Zemp JW, Middaugh LD (1975) Some effects of prenatal exposure to d-amphetamine sulfate and phenobarbital on developmental neurochemistry and on behavior. Addict Res 2:307–331
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Martin, J.C., Martin, D.C., Mackler, B. et al. Maternal barbiturate administration and offspring response to shock. Psychopharmacology 85, 214–220 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428417
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428417