Data in the paper relating to: Figures 1 (respiratory rates of the fetal cortex and cerebellum of saline and cortisol infused fetal sheep). Figure 2 (abundance of mitochondrial respiratory chain proteins in the cortex and cerebellum of saline and cortisol infused fetal sheep). Tables 1 (hormone concentrations, body biometry, and biochemical composition of the cortex and cerebellum of saline and cortisol infused fetal sheep). Table 2 (Correlation between the respiratory rates and the concentrations of cortisol and tri-iodothyronine (T3) in the cortex and cerebellum of saline and cortisol infused fetal sheep). Table 3 Morphological measurements of the cortex and cerebellum of saline and cortisol infused fetal sheep with illustrative examples of the measurments.