Peculiarities of sexual behaviour formation in prenatally stressed rats exposed to nimodipine during critical period of brain sexual differentiation

Abstract

The object of the research was to study the participation of calcium channels in the regulation of sexual behaviour, by means of calcium channel blocker nimodipine in  prenatally stressed male and female rats. Oral nimodipine used before stressing of pregnant females caused substantially weakening of heterotypical sexual behavior  masculinization. Prenatally stressed exposed to nimodipine male offsprings were characterised by appearance of lordose reaction without demonstration of homo- or  bisexuality, while male sexual behaviour parameters remained unchanged. The results obtained indicate that calcium signalling participate in the forming of neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction in the early ontogenesis and in the pathogenesis of its disorders due to hormonal imbalance and prenatal stress.