Central allopregnanolone is increased in rat pups in response to repeated, short episodes of neonatal isolation

This experiment investigated whether neonatal isolation stress alters central concentrations of progestins. Whole brain progesterone (P), dihydroprogesterone (DHP), and allopregnanolone (3alpha, 5alpha-THP) were measured in pups that were isolated from the nest, dam, and siblings for 1 h on postnatal days (PND) 2-9 and were compared to control litters of pups that were not isolated. Isolated 2-day-old pups had significantly lower central P and higher P to DHP and 3alpha, 5alpha-THP metabolism ratios. On PND 9, pups that had been repeatedly isolated (PND 2-8), had significantly lower whole brain DHP and significantly greater whole brain 3alpha, 5alpha-THP compared to controls. Thus, the biosocial stress of isolation in neonatal rats alters central pregnane steroids.