Title: Level of Maternal Stress during two pregnancy periods on rat offspring behaviors
Abstract: Four levels of prenatal stress and two periods during pregnancy were used in this study in an attempt to systematically investigate the varying influences of the prenatal environment on postnatal offspring behaviors. The data suggested significant behavioral decrement in offspring whose mothers were exposed to stress during the second half of pregnancy. In addition, greater behavioral deficit was significantly associated with greater levels of stress. Rates of fertility and viability of the stressed animals were also significantly reduced.