Behavioral deficits in a rat model of maternal PKU

Phenylketonuria was experimentally induced in one group of pregnant rats by supplementing their diets with α-methylphenylalanine and phenylalanine on Days 10-21 of gestation. Control groups were either pair fed or ad-lib fed. Offspring of the drug-treated mothers were deficient on several measures of swimming development, active avoidance acquisition, and initiation of masculine sexual behavior. This experimental model of maternal PKU has been shown to exhibit fewer toxic effects than earlier models. The fact that the treatment induced enduring behavioral deficits, over and above deficits related to lower maternal food intake, suggests that this model is a useful one for studying the biochemical mechanisms of and treatment for maternal PKU.