Birth insult and stress interact to alter dopamine transporter binding in rat brain.

This study investigated whether mild birth complications (C-section birth, C-section + 15 min global anoxia) interact with stress at adulthood to modulate levels of [3H]WIN 35428 binding to dopamine transporters (DAT) in rat brain. Without stress, adult C-sectioned rats showed increased DAT binding in the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens core compared to vaginal birth, while anoxic rats showed increased DAT binding in cingulate and infralimbic cortices. Stress at adulthood had differential effects on DAT binding in the three birth groups. Thus, after repeated tail pinch stress at adulthood, DAT binding was significantly lower in the nucleus accumbens in both the C-section group and the anoxic group, compared to vaginal birth. It is concluded that a history of birth complications can alter the manner in which DAT is regulated by stress in the adult rat brain.