Neuroendocrine disorders in adult rats treated prenatally with hydrocortisone acetate.

We investigated the effects of hydrocortisone acetate administered to pregnant rats over the last gestational week on some neuroendocrine characteristics in adult female and male offspring. Prenatal glucocorticoid eliminated sex dimorphism of the neurons nuclei volumes in the medial preoptic area and the suprachiasmatic nuclei. There was no elevation of blood plasma corticosterone level after noradrenaline infusion into the third brain ventricle in experimental males; meanwhile, in females adrenocortical response was augmented.