Differential early rearing environments can accentuate or attenuate the responses to stress in male C57BL/6 mice

Parfitt, David B.; Levin, Jennifer K.; Saltstein, Katherine P.; Klayman, Andrea S.; Greer, Laura M.; Helmreich, Dana L.

doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2004.04.077

Cited by 90 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition, fecal pellets, indicative of stress, were produced at equal rates. This pattern differs from that seen in lab rats and mice, in which fearful behaviors in a novel environment are higher in adults than in younger animals [1,2,20,21]. The differences in the behavior patterns seen between grass rats and the other two species could reflect differences in methodology.…”

Section: Behavior and Hormonescontrasting

confidence: 61%

“…A similar phenomenon also occurs in mice, in which exploration of a novel environment is elevated in pre-pubertal compared to post-pubertal animals [2]. The development of responses to a novel environment may not be the same across species as agerelated patterns of vulnerability, as well as the demands for exploration, may differ.…”

mentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Whereas the earlier studies used either the social interaction test or the elevated plus maze to evaluate exploratory behavior, we examined such behavior in a defensive-withdrawal test where animals were placed in a novel glass aquarium with a familiar enclosure from their home cage. Using the defensive-withdrawal test, Parfitt et al (2004) [2] found that juvenile C57BL/6 mice emerged into a novel environment more rapidly than their adult counterparts. In the current experiment with grass rats, however, the defensive-withdrawal test was conducted with a familiar shelter with all of the odors of the home cage; an unfamiliar shelter was used in the earlier study with mice.…”

Section: Behavior and Hormonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Associations between behavior, hormones, and Fos responses to novelty differ in pre- and post-pubertal grass rats

Novak

Parfitt

Sisk

et al. 2007

Physiology & Behavior

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As animals progress from one developmental stage to the next, the nature of the challenges they face can change in systematic ways, as do the mechanisms that enable them to deal effectively with them. Here we examined the changes in the behavioral patterns and neuroendocrine mechanisms associated with exposure to a novel environment before and after the transition from a pre-to a post-pubertal stage of development in the unstriped Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), a murid rodent that appears to live in family groups in the wild. We introduced juvenile (28 day old) and adult (60 dayold) grass rats to a novel glass aquarium where they were kept for one hour; controls were maintained in their home cages during this time. Animals were then killed, blood was sampled, and plasma corticosterone and testosterone were measured. Brains were collected and processed for immunohistochemical detection of Fos. Although behavior in the novel environment did not differ as a function of age, corticosterone secretion and Fos expression in a variety of stress-related brain regions were increased by the manipulation to a greater extent in the juveniles compared to the adults. The data suggest a pattern of development in which a novel environment that elicits the same levels of exploratory behaviors in young and adult animals triggers a greater response in stress-related brain regions as well as corticosterone secretion in the more vulnerable young ones. KeywordsArvicanthis niloticus; unstriped Nile grass rat; stress; fear; puberty; development Over the course of life span development, the various challenges encountered by an animal change, as do the animal's responses to them. For example, young prepubertal animals don't engage in the myriad behaviors associated with reproduction, but they do have a greater need to explore and learn about their environment. Young animals are also typically more vulnerable to a greater range of potentially dangerous stimuli than are older animals. The overall balance between avoidance and exploration of a novel environment may thus shift as an animal develops from a pre-to a post-pubertal state. This type of change occurs in male Rattus

show abstract

Section: Behavior and Hormonescontrasting

confidence: 61%

mentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Behavior and Hormonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Associations between behavior, hormones, and Fos responses to novelty differ in pre- and post-pubertal grass rats

Novak

Parfitt

Sisk

et al. 2007

Physiology & Behavior

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Alternatively, the chronic but mild stress experienced by pups exposed to brief periods (e.g., 15 minutes) of maternal separation (BMS) over the same neonatal period often results in attenuated hormonal responses to stressors in adulthood (7,(12)(13)(14). Importantly, neuroendocrine regulation not only influences circulating stress hormone levels (e.g., corticosterone in rodents) but can also alter the circulating levels of mammogenic reproductive hormones through the well-established interactions between the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (LHPA stress) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG; reproductive) axes (15).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neonatal Experiences Differentially Influence Mammary Gland Morphology, Estrogen Receptor α Protein Levels, and Carcinogenesis in BALB/c Mice

Boyd

Salleh

Humber

et al. 2010

Cancer Prevention Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Prevention of breast cancer can be achieved with a better understanding of the factors contributing to normal breast development. Because the breast develops postnatally, alterations in the development and lifetime activity of the neuroendocrine system may set up an environment that increases cancer risk. The present study examined how two neonatal experiences over the first 3 weeks of life influence normal and malignant mammary gland development in female BALB/c mice. Following puberty, both brief (15 minutes) and prolonged (4 hours) daily maternal separations of newborn mice accelerated mammary gland development relative to nonseparated mice. Despite similar mammary gland morphologies between mice exposed to these two neonatal separation experiences, only mice exposed to prolonged maternal separation bouts showed a higher incidence and faster onset of mammary tumorigenesis following adulthood carcinogen [7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene] administration. Molecular analysis of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and p53, two proteins that have been implicated in breast cancer, revealed that for mice exposed to prolonged neonatal maternal separation bouts, mammary gland ERα protein levels were upregulated in a transcription-independent manner. On the other hand, p53 expression in mammary glands of adult mice was not differentially influenced by neonatal experiences. Our findings show that chronic, moderate psychosocial stress during the neonatal period increases the expression of ERα protein and promotes mammary tumorigenesis in adulthood. Cancer Prev Res; 3(11); 1398-408. ©2010 AACR.

show abstract

“…This separation seems to result in better coping responses to novel stimuli as adults when compared to undisturbed control animals (Levine, 1957;Meaney, Viau, Aitken, & Bhatnagar, 1989;Parfitt et al, 2004). For instance, when EH rat pups are subjected to a restraint stress as adults, their corticosterone (CORT) and adrenocorticotropin releasing hormone (ACTH) response is lower compared to nonhandled control animals (Núñez et al, 1995;Plotsky & Meaney, 1993).…”

Section: Maternal Behavior and Emotionality Of Offspringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can knowledge of developmental processes illuminate the evolution of parental care?

Michel¹,

Tyler²

2006

Developmental Psychobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There are two levels of investigation for elucidating the evolution of parental behavior. The macro level focuses on how parental behavior can evolve as an aspect of reproduction. The micro level focuses on how species variations in parental behavior evolve. Recently, modern evolutionary biology has turned to developmental biology as a source for information about how trait variability (the substrate upon which natural selection and other evolutionary mechanisms can operate) can emerge during development (called ''evo-devo''). Application of this evo-devo approach to the phenomenon of parental behavior requires identification of those mechanisms that produce variations in developmental pathways leading to parental behavior. It is these variations that provide the phenotypes for the potential evolution of different parental behavior systems. Variations in rodent maternal behavior affect the development of the HPA and HPG axes in their offspring. These mechanisms are examined to reveal how such developmental variations could underlie the evolution of biparental behavior. Knowledge of the developmental mechanisms responsible for species variations in mammalian parental behavior systems may provide insight into those mechanisms that may have been involved in the evolution of parental behavior itself. ß 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 33-44, 2007.

show abstract

Differential early rearing environments can accentuate or attenuate the responses to stress in male C57BL/6 mice

Cited by 90 publications

References 31 publications

Associations between behavior, hormones, and Fos responses to novelty differ in pre- and post-pubertal grass rats

Associations between behavior, hormones, and Fos responses to novelty differ in pre- and post-pubertal grass rats

Neonatal Experiences Differentially Influence Mammary Gland Morphology, Estrogen Receptor α Protein Levels, and Carcinogenesis in BALB/c Mice

Can knowledge of developmental processes illuminate the evolution of parental care?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About