Synchronization of the Estrous Cycle against the Background of Increased Excitability in Rats Selected for Catatonic Type of Reaction

Abstract

Selection for the elevation of catatonic type of reaction in female GC rats ("genetic" and "catatonia") was followed by an increase in the number of intense running episodes in response to acoustic stimulation. The observed changes are typical of increased general excitability in these animals. The phenomenon of estrous cycle synchronization was confirmed by variations in the concentrations of estradiol and progesterone in groups of Wistar and GC rats differing by the degree of synchronization. Some differences were found in the concentration of main sex hormones in the blood from female GC and Wistar rats.

Role of cortical alpha-2 adrenoceptors in alcohol withdrawal-induced depression and tricyclic antidepressants

“…both female rats (Carrier and Kabbaj, 2013; Kokras et al, 2015) and mice (Franceschelli et al, 2015) show enhanced response and greater sensitivity to antidepressant treatments compared to their male counterparts. Although menstrual cycle may have an important role in human behavioral outcome, it should be noted that the estrous cycle in rats is relatively very short (4 days, Spornitz et al 1999), and that rats tend to synchronize their estrous cycle when housed in group or close proximity (Alekhina et al 2015; McClintock, 1978) In addition, use of appropriate controls, as used in this study, can reduce the chance of false positive or negative results when using female rats.…”