The Effect of Maternal Stress Activation on the Offspring during Lactation in Light of Vasopressin
Figure 1
Serum hormone levels at rest (control) or at the end of forced swim stress (FST; description of the stressor: [20]). ((a), (b)) Normal AVP containing virgin and lactating (suckling 7–11-day-old pups) females were compared after 5 min FST. –10 ACTH secretion was smaller in dams, while resting prolactin levels were already elevated and there was no further increase in dams. The corticosterone levels were not elevated in FST animals at this time point. ((c), (d)) Normal dams were compared to AVP-deficient Brattleboro mothers after 15 min FST. –11 The stressor-induced ACTH elevation was smaller in AVP− animals, but there was no difference between the genotypes in corticosterone rises. versus virgin or AVP+; versus nonstressed control.
