The adrenal to body weight ratios were significantly increased in stressed animals, when compared to the controls. The pattern and total volume of the barrel subfield remained unaltered, but the lesion-induced map plasticity index, calculated as the D/C ratio, decreased in stressed animals. In addition, the BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor), NT-3 (neurotrophin-3) and the cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation levels in tissue homogenates of the barrel cortices were measured using the MLN2238 order ELISA method. In prenatally stressed animals, the BDNF and NT-3 levels were reduced on the lesioned side, but significant CREB activation

was observed on the intact side of the barrel cortex. Taken together, the results show that prenatal stress exposure negatively affects critical period plasticity by

reducing the expansion of active barrels following peripheral whisker lesion. These changes arise independent of CREB phosphorylation and appear to be mediated by reduced levels of neurotrophins. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Many rodent experiments have assessed effects of diets, drugs, genes, and other factors on life span. A challenge with such experiments is their long duration, selleck kinase inhibitor typically over 3.5 years given rodent life spans, thus requiring significant time costs until answers are obtained. We collected longevity data from 15 rodent studies and artificially truncated them at 2 years to assess the extent to which one will obtain the same answer regarding mortality effects. When truncated, the point estimates were not significantly different in any study, implying that in most cases, truncated studies yield similar estimates. The median ratio of variances of coefficients for truncated to full-length studies was 3.4, implying that truncated studies with roughly 3.4 times as many rodents will often have equivalent or greater power. Cost calculations suggest that shorter studies will be

more expensive but perhaps not so much to not be worth the reduced time.”
“Objective: To examine the association of prenatal exposure to bisphenol A and select common phthalates with infant neurobehavior measured at 5 weeks.

Methods: We compared the concentration of maternal Pazopanib in vitro urinary metabolites of bisphenol A and phthalates at two distinct time points in pregnancy (16w, 26w) with scores on the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) at 5 weeks of age in a cohort of 350 mother/infant pairs.

Results: Prenatal exposure to BPA was not significantly associated with neurobehavioral outcomes at 5 weeks. Significant associations between prenatal exposure to measured phthalates and infant neurobehavioral outcomes differed by type of phthalate and were only seen with exposure measured at 26 weeks.