Early exposure to bisphenol A alters neuron and glia number in the rat prefrontal cortex of adult males, but not females

- Pregnant females received 0, 4, 40, or 400-μg/kg/day BPA throughout gestation.
- Male and female offspring were orally given the same dose from postnatal days 1 to 9.
- In adulthood, neuron and glia numbers in the medial prefrontal cortex were quantified using stereological techniques.
- Males exposed to 400-μg/kg/day BPA during development had more neurons and glia in layers 5/6 compared to male controls.
- Females were unaffected.

Previous work has shown that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during early development can alter sexual differentiation of the brain in rodents, although few studies have examined effects on areas of the brain associated with cognition. The current study examined if developmental BPA exposure alters the total number of neurons and glia in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in adulthood. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were orally exposed to 0, 4, 40, or 400-μg/kg BPA in corn oil throughout pregnancy. From postnatal days 1 to 9, pups were given daily oral doses of oil or BPA, at doses corresponding to those given during gestation. Brains were examined in adulthood, and the volume of layers 2/3 and layers 5/6 of the mPFC was parcellated. The density of neurons and glia in these layers was quantified stereologically with the optical disector, and density was multiplied by volume for each animal. Males exposed to 400-μg/kg BPA were found to have increased numbers of neurons and glia in layers 5/6. Although there were no significant effects of BPA in layers 2/3, the pattern of increased neuron number in males exposed to 400-μg/kg BPA was similar to that seen in layers 5/6. No effects of BPA were seen in females or in males exposed to the other doses of BPA. This study indicates that males are more susceptible to the long-lasting effects of BPA on anatomy of the mPFC, an area implicated in neurological disorders.