prenatal stress is shown to have several affects in fetal brain development. in the hippocampus of adult male rats, prenatal stress has shown to decrease the rate of proliferation and cell death in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. prenatal stressed animals have prolonged corticosterone response. removing the adrenal glands of the mother eliminates the effect of the pup's corticosterone response. supplementing the adrenalectamized mother with corticosterone, rescued the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis response to maternal stress for prenatally stressed offspring. prenatal stress caused high glucocorticoids, which in turn affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis negative feedback.