Gestational chronic mild stress: Effects on acoustic startle in male offspring of rats

► In prenatally stressed males, prepulse inhibition was altered by prior exposure to the postnatal stressful event of blood sampling under restraint. ► In control male offspring, the postnatal episode of blood sampling under restraint did not elicit differential prepulse inhibition compared to non-stressed males. ► Postnatal blood sampling was not associated with a generally enhanced PPI, as has previously been observed in female rats. ► Exposure to the relatively mild paradigm of chronic mild stress during gestation did not affect basal startle reaction and corticosterone response to restraint in the male offspring.