Dexamethasone (DEX) is widely used to prevent chronic lung disease in premature born infants. To investigate possible long-term adverse effects of neonatal DEX treatment, the consequences of a DEX treatment protocol in rat neonates on the social behavior of rats was studied. The Observer was used to measure social (play) behavior in juvenile rats, whereas EthoVision was used to assess social activity in adult rats. Neonatal DEX treatment resulted in enhanced social play behavior in juvenile rats. In contrast, social activity was not altered in adult DEX rats during the social interaction test.
[full paper
]
