Peri‐adolescent maturation of the prefrontal cortex is sex‐specific and disrupted by prenatal stress

Abstract The prefrontal cortex undergoes dramatic, sex‐specific maturation during adolescence. Adolescence is a vulnerable window for developing mental illnesses that show significant sexual dimorphisms. Gestational stress is associated with increased risk for both schizophrenia, which is more common among men, and cognitive deficits. We have shown that male, but not female, rats exposed to prenatal stress develop post‐pubertal deficits in cognitive behaviors supported by the prefrontal cortex. Here, we tested the hypothesis that repeated variable prenatal stress during the third week of rat gestation disrupts peri‐adolescent development of prefrontal neurons in a sex‐specific fashion. Using Golgi Cox stained tissue, we compared dendritic arborization and spine density of prelimbic...

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