Social defeat stress induces an anxiety-like outcome in male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

Anxiety-related illnesses constitute one of the leading causes of disability across the globe. Consequently, the need for validated preclinical models to uncover the etiology of anxiety phenotypes remains essential. Given the link between social stress experience and the manifestation of anxiogenic-like outcomes, we evaluated whether social defeat stress (SDS) reduces open-space exploratory behavior in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Thus, we exposed adult sexually-naïve male voles to 10 consecutive days of SDS episodes and evaluated responses to the anxiogenic environment of the light/dark box test or the elevated plus-maze, 24 hours later. We found that, when compared to non-stressed controls, SDS-exposed voles displayed longer latency to enter the light compartment of the light/dark box. Similarly, on the elevated plus-maze, SDS-exposed voles displayed decreases in the number of entries into the open arms, while spending more time in the closed arms of the maze. No differences in locomotor activity were noted between the experimental groups. Collectively, these data indicate that chronic SDS exposure induces anxiety-like responses in adult male prairie voles, thus, providing a preclinical model for the study of social stress-induced anxiogenic phenotypes.