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Evidence of alterations in the learning and memory in offspring of stress-induced male rats

  • Ashok Kumar Jyothi , Balaji Thotakura EMAIL logo , Swathi Priyadarshini C , Manickam Subramanian and Hannah Sugirthabai Rajila
Published/Copyright: June 22, 2021
Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology
From the journal Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology Volume 34 Issue 4

Abstract

Objectives

There is extensive data pointing to offspring outcomes related to maternal life incidents, but there is less research concerning the association between paternal life events and progeny brain development and behaviour. As male gametogenesis is a continuous process, the incidences happening in life can modify the epigenetic regulation, altering the offspring’s development and behaviour. The present study evaluates the effects of paternal stress during different life periods on their offspring’s learning ability, memory, morphological and biochemical changes in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in the rat model.

Methods

Four weeks’ old male rats were subjected to five variable stressors at the rate of one per day. Stress received male rats were bred with naive female rats for 1 to 3 nights. The offspring’s learning and memory were assessed by the Morris water maze test and automated Y maze. Following behavioural studies, offspring were euthanized to examine global DNA methylation, neurotransmitter levels, namely acetylcholine, glutamate in the hippocampus and frontal cortex.

Results

The offspring of stress-induced animals exhibited a delay in acquiring learning and defect in memory and altered global DNA methylation in the hippocampus (p=0.000124). There was significant reduction of acetylcholine and glutamate levels in hippocampus (p=0.000018, p=0.00001, respectively) and in prefrontal cortex (p=0.00001, p=0.00001, respectively). HPA axis of offspring was altered considerably (p=0.00001). The histomorphometry of the prefrontal cortex and different hippocampal regions revealed a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in neuronal numbers in the offspring of stressed animals compared to that of control. These impacts were markedly high in the offspring of fathers who received stress during both pubertal and adult periods.

Conclusions

The findings of this study demonstrate that paternal stress can impact offspring learning and memory.

Keywords: DNA methylation; HPA axis; learning; memory; offspring; paternal stress
Corresponding author: Balaji Thotakura, Professor, Department of Anatomy, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chettinad Health City, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India, Phone: +91 9710905221, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: This work is financially supported by the Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Chennai, India.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  5. Ethical approval: Animal experiments were conducted according to the guidelines of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA). The experimental protocol was approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee of Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute (Approval number: IAEC 1/Desp.No.7/Dt.02.03.17).

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Received: 2020-07-06
Accepted: 2021-04-20
Published Online: 2021-06-22

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2020-0183
Keywords for this article
DNA methylation; HPA axis; learning; memory; offspring; paternal stress

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Minireview
  3. Impact of mental toughness on athlete’s performance and interventions to improve
  4. Reviews
  5. A review of the mechanisms of anti-cancer activities of some medicinal plants–biochemical perspectives
  6. Antimicrobials in COVID-19: strategies for treating a COVID-19 pandemic
  7. Anxiolytic effects of vestibular stimulation: an update
  8. Original Articles
  9. Intermittent exposure to green and white light-at-night activates hepatic glycogenolytic and gluconeogenetic activities in male Wistar rats
  10. Study of pre-operative neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio in urothelial carcinoma
  11. The effects of Berberis vulgaris L. root extract on the opiate withdrawal syndrome and psychological factors: a randomized double-blind clinical trial
  12. Evidence of alterations in the learning and memory in offspring of stress-induced male rats
  13. The impact of vestibular symptoms and electronystagmography results on recovery from sudden sensorineural hearing loss
  14. Complementary mechanisms of modulation of spontaneous phasic contractions by the gaseous signalling molecules NO, H2S, HNO and the polysulfide Na2S3 in the rat colon
  15. Pharmacist-directed Sputnik V (GAM-COVID-VAC) surveillance program: a prospective observational study in Southern India
  16. Correlation among Poincare plot and traditional heart rate variability indices in adults with different risk levels of metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional approach from Southern India
  17. Does etodolac affect TRPA1 functionality in vivo in human?
  18. Dynamic of irisin secretion change after moderate-intensity chronic physical exercise on obese female
  19. Letter to the Editor
  20. The prospective record-breaking obesity drug tirzepatide raises concerns about affordability
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