Differences in Modification of Stress Mechanisms in Rat Pups Exposed to Continuous and Intermittent Maternal Deprivation

During antenatal short-term intermittent maternal deprivation the content of epinephrine increased by 123% in the cortex and by 135% in the hypothalamus of 15-day-old rat pups, which is higher than during physiological development, while dopamine content, instead of increasing, decreased by 24% in the cortex and by 35% in the hypothalamus on day 15 of life. Shifts in norepinephrine and dopamine concentrations in the cortex were less pronounced in rat pups exposed to permanent maternal deprivation compared to intermittent deprivation, while the shifts in the hypothalamus were even more pronounced. Presumably, discoordination of the dopaminergic and sympathoadrenal systems in the course of development of the nervous system underlies behavioral disorders in rat pups under conditions of maternal deprivation.