“Male and female rats exposed in the womb and during lactation to plasticizing chemicals known as phthalates had significantly fewer neurons and synapses than those that were not exposed, researchers report in a new study. The phthalate-exposed rats had reductions in the size of their medial prefrontal cortex, a brain region that regulates behavior, and showed deficits in cognitive flexibility.”
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Daniel G. Kougias, Elli P. Sellinger, Jari Willing, Janice M. Juraska. Perinatal exposure to an environmentally relevant mixture of phthalates results in a lower number of neurons and synapses in the medial prefrontal cortex and decreased cognitive flexibility in adult male and female rats. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2018; 0607-18 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0607-18.2018