Maternal ingestion of tyrosine during rat pregnancy modifies the offspring behavioral lateralization

Physiol Behav. 1994 Apr;55(4):607-13. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(94)90033-7.

Abstract

It was previously reported that oral administration of tyrosine (500 mg/kg) to pregnant rats increases tyrosine and monoamines level in the fetal brain and modifies locomotion during postnatal life. In the present study, it was found that this treatment alters behavioral lateralization in the offspring. Neonatal rats whose mothers received tyrosine during the second half of gestation showed a low level of absolute and population laterality in both tail and head movements. The alteration of behavioral lateralization was also found during postnatal development and during adulthood. The T-maze behavioral ontogeny was different for tyrosine-mother and sham-treated or untreated mother rats. During adulthood, the T-max lateralization after stress sessions (a procedure that decreases alternation behavior and facilitates the quantification of behavioral lateralization) was also different in control and tyrosine-mother groups. Neonatal and adult rats showed an increase in right-side movements probability. These data provide evidence that maternal ingestion of a catecholamine precursor during gestation may induce a long-lasting modification of the behavioral lateralization of the offspring.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Age Factors
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / physiology
  • Discrimination Learning / drug effects
  • Discrimination Learning / physiology
  • Dominance, Cerebral / drug effects*
  • Dominance, Cerebral / physiology
  • Dopamine / physiology*
  • Female
  • Male
  • Mental Recall / drug effects
  • Mental Recall / physiology
  • Motor Activity / drug effects
  • Motor Activity / physiology
  • Orientation / drug effects
  • Orientation / physiology
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Tyrosine / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Tyrosine
  • Dopamine