Early Postnatal Hypoxia Induces Behavioral Deficits but not Morphological Damage in the Hippocampus in Adolescent Rats

Hypoxia is one of the major pathological factors affecting brain function. The aim of the present study was to describe the effect of neonatal hypobaric hypoxia on the behavior of rats and to analyze its effect on hippocampal neurodegeneration. Hypobaric hypoxia at a simulated altitude of 9000 m was induced for one hour in neonatal rat pups (PND7 and PND9) of both sexes. Subsequently, the rats underwent behavioral testing on PND25 and PND35 using a LABORAS apparatus to assess spontaneous behavior. Hypoxia did not cause any morphological damage in the hippocampus of rats. However, hypoxia on PND7 led to less horizontal locomotor activity both in males (on PND25) and females (on PND35). Hypoxia on PND9 led to higher rearing in females on PND25. Hypoxic males exhibited higher grooming activity, while females lower grooming activity on PND35 following hypoxia induced on PND7. In females, hypoxia on PND9 resulted in higher grooming activity on PND25. Sex differences in the effect of hypoxia were observed on PND35, when hypoxic males compared to hypoxic females displayed more locomotor, rearing and grooming activity. Our data suggest that hypoxia on PND7 versus PND9 differently affects locomotion and grooming later in adolescence and these effects are sex-dependent.