Gravid female mice received either a single subcutaneous dose of cerium citrate (80 mg Ce/kg) or an equivalent (in citrate) dose of sodium citrate on d 7 or 12 of gestation or on d 2 postpartum. To separate effects of prenatal and postnatal exposure, a cross-fostering design was employed. The weight and gross activity of the neonates were assessed on d 8 or 13 postpartum. Open-field behavioral parameters, accelerating rotarod performance, and passive avoidance learning were assessed on d 60-65 postpartum. Maternal offspring retrieval latency was measured on d 3 postpartum. Analyses revealed that neonatal weight was reduced both in offspring exposed to Ce in utero and in the offspring of mothers receiving Ce during lactation/suckling. Ce also appeared to affect maternal/offspring interaction: pups exposed prenatally to Ce were retrieved in less time than control pups. Except for an increased frequency of rearings in the open field of adult offspring exposed to Ce in utero, Ce exposure had no apparent effect on behavioral parameters, either in neonatal or adult offspring.