Research articleLong-term effects of prenatal stress and diazepam on D2 receptor expression in the nucleus accumbens of adult rats

- Prenatal stress has long lasting effects on the dopaminergic system in the nucleus accumbens.
- Offspring from prenatally stressed dams exhibited significantly elevated Drd2 mRNA expression.
- Repeated adult diazepam exposure down-regulated Drd2 expression and prevented the effect of prenatal stress.

Early life stress during the gestational period alters specific neuronal circuits leading to behavioral alterations later in life. In the present study, we assessed the effects of prenatal stress and repeated benzodiazepine administration on dopamine receptor 2 expression in the nucleus accumbens of adult offspring.Our results show elevated Drd2 expression levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) of prenatally stressed rats compared to control subjects, while repeated diazepam administration in adulthood down-regulated Drd2 expression and prevented the effect of prenatal stress. These observations suggest that prenatal stress may induce permanent alterations in the corticolimbic pathway implicated in drug-seeking behavior.