Impacts of maternal prenatal enrichment on offspring brain morphology and behaviour in the Long-Evans rat

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dc.contributor.authorCantwell, Erin
dc.contributor.authorUniversity of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
dc.contributor.supervisorGibb, Robbin
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-22T21:42:25Z
dc.date.available2026-01-22T21:42:25Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.degree.levelMasters
dc.description.abstractThe maternal environment significantly impacts fetal development, and much of the existing research is focussed on outcomes following negative maternal experiences rather than positive experiences like enrichment. Maternal exposure to positive experiences is under-investigated, leaving its potential benefits largely unexplored. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a non-invasive paradigm that utilizes physical, social, and intellectual stimulation to benefit subjects. EE has been found to produce significant changes in behaviour and neuronal morphology. This research explores whether there are any long-term neuroanatomical and behavioural changes in offspring following maternal prenatal enrichment (PE). Dams were housed in distinct conditions, either standard (control dams) or enriched (PE dams) housing, during pregnancy. A total of 37 PE pups and 32 control pups were used for behavioural testing. Offspring underwent behavioural tests during early life (Open Field Test [OFT]), adolescence (Elevated Plus Maze [EPM]), and adulthood (Whishaw Tray Reaching [WTR], Morris Water Task [MWT]). Animals were euthanized, and their brains perfused, extracted, and prepared for Nissl analysis. A pilot sample of 15 male offspring (8 control, 7 PE) were used for volumetric analysis in the mPFC and parietal cortex. No significant differences in OFT, EPM, or MWT were found between PE and control offspring, indicating PE had no significant impact on anxiety-like behaviour, exploratory behaviour, or spatial learning and memory. However, PE offspring were found to have a significantly higher number of total and successful reaches in WTR, despite no differences in accuracy or lateralization, which may indicate increased task engagement or motivation in the PE offspring. No significant differences were found in total volume of both the mPFC and parietal cortex in the PE offspring, suggesting that PE had no impact on the overall volume of these regions.
dc.embargoNo
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/7278
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Neuroscience
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)
dc.subjectLong-Evans rat
dc.subjectMaternal prenatal
dc.subjectEnvironmental enrichment
dc.subjectOffspring
dc.subjectNeuroanatomical changes
dc.subjectBehavioral changes
dc.subject.lcshDissertations, Academic
dc.subject.lcshRats--Behavior
dc.titleImpacts of maternal prenatal enrichment on offspring brain morphology and behaviour in the Long-Evans rat
dc.typeThesis
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