Physiological and behavioral contagion/buffering effects of chronic unpredictable stress in a socially enriched environment: A preliminary study

IF 4.3 2区 医学 Q1 NEUROSCIENCES
Evren Eraslan , Magda J. Castelhano-Carlos , Liliana Amorim , Carina Soares-Cunha , Ana J. Rodrigues , Nuno Sousa
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Rodents are sensitive to the emotional state of conspecifics. While the presence of affiliative social partners mitigates the physiological response to stressors (buffering), the partners of stressed individuals show behavioral and endocrine changes indicating that stress parameters can be transmitted across the group members (contagion). In this study, we investigated the social contagion/buffering phenomena in behavior and neuroendocrine mechanisms after exposure to chronic stress, in groups of rats living in the PhenoWorld (PhW). Three groups were tested (8 stressed rats, 8 unstressed rats, and a mixed group with 4 and 4) and these were analyzed under 4 conditions: stressed (pure stress group, n = 8), unstressed (naive control group, n = 8), stressed from mixed group (stressed companion group, n = 8), unstressed from mixed group (unstressed companion group, n = 8. While naive control animals remained undisturbed, pure stress group animals were all exposed to stress. Half of the animals under the mixed-treatment condition were exposed to stress (stressed companion group) and cohabitated with their unstressed partners (unstressed companion group). We confirmed the well-established chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) effects in physiological, behavioral, and neuroendocrine endpoints; body weight gain, open arm entries and time in EPM, and oxytocin receptor expression levels in the amygdala decreased by stress exposure, whereas adrenal weight was increased by stress. Furthermore, we found that playing, rearing and solitary resting behaviors decreased, whereas huddling behavior increased by CUS. In addition, we detected significant increases (stress-buffering) in body weight gain and huddling behaviors between pure stress and stress companion animals, and significant stress contagion effects in emotional behavior and oxytocin receptor expression levels between naive control and control companion groups. Hence, we demonstrate buffering and contagion effects were evident in physiological parameters, emotional behaviors, and social home-cage behaviors of rats and we suggest a possible mediation of these effects by oxytocin neurotransmission. In conclusion, the results herein suggest that the stress status of animals living in the same housing environment influences the behavior of the group.

在社交丰富的环境中,慢性不可预测压力的生理和行为传染/缓冲效应:初步研究
啮齿动物对同类的情绪状态很敏感。当有附属的社会伙伴存在时,应激反应的生理反应会减轻(缓冲),而应激个体的伙伴则会表现出行为和内分泌变化,这表明应激参数可以在群体成员之间传播(传染)。在这项研究中,我们以生活在 PhenoWorld(PhW)中的大鼠为研究对象,调查了它们在受到慢性压力后的行为和神经内分泌机制中的社会传染/缓冲现象。我们测试了三组大鼠(8 只应激大鼠、8 只非应激大鼠以及 4 和 4 的混合组),并在 4 种条件下对这些大鼠进行了分析:应激(纯应激组,n = 8)、非应激(天真对照组,n = 8)、来自混合组的应激(应激同伴组,n = 8)、来自混合组的非应激(非应激同伴组,n = 8)。 天真对照组动物不受干扰,而纯应激组动物则全部暴露于应激中。在混合处理条件下,半数动物受到应激(应激伴侣组),并与未受应激的伴侣同居(未受应激伴侣组)。我们证实了慢性不可预知应激(CUS)对生理、行为和神经内分泌终点的影响;体重增加、EPM中张开手臂的次数和时间以及杏仁核中催产素受体的表达水平因应激暴露而降低,而肾上腺重量则因应激而增加。此外,我们还发现,嬉戏、饲养和单独休息行为会因CUS而减少,而蜷缩行为会因CUS而增加。此外,我们还发现纯应激动物和应激伴侣动物之间体重增加和蜷缩行为的显著增加(应激缓冲),以及天真对照组和对照伴侣组之间情绪行为和催产素受体表达水平的显著应激传染效应。因此,我们证明在大鼠的生理参数、情绪行为和社会性笼养行为中存在明显的缓冲和传染效应,并认为催产素神经递质可能对这些效应起着中介作用。总之,本文的研究结果表明,生活在同一饲养环境中的动物的应激状态会影响群体行为。
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来源期刊
Neurobiology of Stress
Neurobiology of Stress Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Biochemistry
CiteScore
9.40
自引率
4.00%
发文量
74
审稿时长
48 days
期刊介绍: Neurobiology of Stress is a multidisciplinary journal for the publication of original research and review articles on basic, translational and clinical research into stress and related disorders. It will focus on the impact of stress on the brain from cellular to behavioral functions and stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders (such as depression, trauma and anxiety). The translation of basic research findings into real-world applications will be a key aim of the journal. Basic, translational and clinical research on the following topics as they relate to stress will be covered: Molecular substrates and cell signaling, Genetics and epigenetics, Stress circuitry, Structural and physiological plasticity, Developmental Aspects, Laboratory models of stress, Neuroinflammation and pathology, Memory and Cognition, Motivational Processes, Fear and Anxiety, Stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders (including depression, PTSD, substance abuse), Neuropsychopharmacology.
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