PITUITARY-ADRENAL RESPONSE TO ETHER STRESS IN THE NEONATAL RAT

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Wolfson Laboratory for Research in Gerontology, Department of Zoology, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX (Received 20 June 1977) A relative lack of adrenocortical responsiveness to stress has been described in the rat during the period from day 2 to about day 16 of neonatal life (Schapiro, Geller & Eiduson, 1962; Levine, Glick & Nakane, 1967; Corte & Yasumura, 1975) and the reports to date seem to implicate a lack of response of the pituitary gland as the primary cause (Zarrow, Philpott & Denenberg, 1968; Donovan, 1970; Corte & Yasumura, 1975). Since very little work has been done on the response of the pituitary gland to stress in the neonatal rat, the present study was undertaken. Female Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 300 g were housed at 22 °C with a light : darkness cycle of 12 : 12 h. Mated female rats were isolated on day 1 of pregnancy, and after