The effects of predictable and unpredictable schedules of physical restraint upon rats

Quirce, Carlos M.; Odio, Mauricio; Solano, José Miguel Estevan

doi:10.1016/0024-3205(81)90296-4

Cited by 40 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Such an increase has not been reported previously after chronic IMO in outbred rats [20][21][22], perhaps because of the low magnitude of the changes and possibly strain differences, as revealed by the present data. Exposure to chronic IMO increased basal B levels in BN, FIS, SHR and WKY rats, in good agreement with results obtained in outbred rats [16,20,22,50], However, such an increase was significantly lower in WKY than in BN, FIS or SHR rats, and LEW rats failed to show it. Our data indicate that neither interstrain differences at the pituitary level can apparently be ex plained by hypothalamic data, nor changes at the adrenal level can be explained by ACTH data.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Response to Chronic Stress in Five Inbred Rat Strains: Differential Responses Are Mainly Located at the Adrenocortical Level

Gómez

Lahmame

Kloet³

et al. 1996

Neuroendocrinology

247

137

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The effects of chronic stress on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis were studied in five inbred rat strains, i.e. Brown Norway (BN), Fischer (FIS), Lewis (LEW), Spontaneously Hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY). Previously, these rat strains had been shown to display clear behavioral differences in the forced swimming test that presumably measures depression-like behavior, BN and WKY being more passive than the other strains. Here we test the hypothesis that the differences in behavioral immobility might be associated with an abnormal HPA response to chronic immobilization (IMO) stress. In stress-naive rats under basal conditions (morning) there were no differences among strains in adrenal weight, serum adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (B) levels, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and hippocampal glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor (GR and MR) mRNA. After chronic IMO, basal serum ACTH levels were increased in LEW, SHR and WKY, but not in BN or FIS rats, whereas basal B levels were increased in BN, FIS, SHR and WKY rats, but not in LEW. The increase in adrenal weight was also strain dependent and correlated negatively with chronic IMO-induced hypercorticosteronemia. These peripheral differences among strains were not observed at central levels. Thus, chronic IMO increased the CRF mRNA content in the PVN, analyzed by in situ hybridization, similarly in all strains. In addition, after chronic IMO no differences were found among strains in hippocampal GR mRNA and RM mRNA contents. Considering data from all strains together, chronic IMO reduced the GR mRNA (50-60%) content in the hippocampal CA1, CA3 and DG areas, and slightly diminished (11–13%) MR mRNA levels in CA1 and CA3 areas. The present results indicate that: (i) chronic IMO down-regulates GR mRNA in the hippocampus and slightly up-regulates CRF mRNA in the hypothalamic PVN similarly in all strains; (ii) after chronic IMO interstrain differences were observed in serum ACTH and B levels as well as adrenal hypertrophy; (iii) some changes are probably located at the adrenal level since changes in serum B level and adrenal weight were not related to changes in ACTH; (iv) in LEW and WKY rats, B hyporesponsiveness to chronic IMO might be linked to low adrenal sensitivity to ACTH, and (v) HPA axis changes induced by the chronic IMO procedure are not related to previously reported data on depressive-like behavior of BN and WKY in the forced swimming test.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Response to Chronic Stress in Five Inbred Rat Strains: Differential Responses Are Mainly Located at the Adrenocortical Level

Gómez

Lahmame

Kloet³

et al. 1996

Neuroendocrinology

247

137

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“…In the unpredictable IMO paradigm (uIMO), the immobilization schedule was established to minimize predictability of the presentation of the stress. Several studies have utilized immobilization stress with an unpredictable schedule varying stress-rest days, immobilization duration, and time of day (Quirce et al 1981; Rockman et al 1987; Bryant et al 1988; Martí and Armario 1997). In the 3 day uIMO schedule (n=7), the schedule included immobilization on days 1 and 3 and no immobilization stress on day 2 (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Experiment 2, we focused on whether the stress response in female prairie voles was affected by the predictability of a repeated homotypic stressor. While repeated exposures to immobilization stress can lead to habituation to this stressor when it is predictable (Martí and Armario 1997; Girotti et al 2006; Gagliano et al 2008; Rabasa et al 2011), it has been demonstrated that an irregular or unpredictable schedule of immobilization stress does not desensitize, and can even augment, the stress response in male rats (Quirce et al 1981). Therefore, we predicted that female prairie voles would adapt to repeated exposures of immobilization stress as a function of predictability, with predictable immobilization stress producing a habituating effect and unpredictable immobilization stress augmenting the biobehavioral stress response.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral and physiological responses of female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) to various stressful conditions

Smith

Lieberwirth

Wang

2013

Stress

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Stressful life events elicit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation, which may alter psychological states or behavioral routines. Therefore, the current study focused on the HPA axis response to better understand such manifestations in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). In Experiment 1, females were stressed for 1 h via one of four stressors: exposure to a novel environment, immobilization (‘plastic mesh’), brief social defeat, or prolonged social defeat. Following a 30 min recovery, the females received a 5-min elevated plus maze (EPM) test and, subsequently, blood was collected to measure plasma corticosterone concentrations. Only immobilization stress induced an anxiety-like behavioral response in the EPM test and elevated plasma corticosterone levels compared to the control groups. Corticosterone concentrations were also significantly elevated following exposure to prolonged social defeat compared to the control conditions, but not after novel environment stress or short social defeat. In Experiment 2, females were exposed to immobilization stress over 1, 3, or 7 days in a daily (predictable; pIMO) or irregular (unpredictable; uIMO) schedule. The biobehavioral stress response in females exposed to pIMO for 3 or 7 days did not differ significantly from controls, suggesting these females habituated. By comparison, females exposed to uIMO over 3 or 7 days did not habituate behaviorally or physiologically, even producing augmented corticosterone levels. In both experiments, positive correlations were found between corticosterone levels and anxiety-like behaviors in the EPM test. Together, our data suggest that the stress response by female prairie voles is dependent on stress intensity, source, previous experience, and predictability. Furthermore, the HPA axis response, as evident by corticosterone levels, is associated with the impact that these factors have on behavioral routine.

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“…Quirce et al (9) showed that the increase of plasma corticosterone due to restraint stress can be gradually attenuated by repeated exposure to this stress, whereas Fride and Weinstock (5) reported that there is no adaptation to variable stresses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of prenatal exposure to a mild chronic variable stress on body weight, preweaning mortality and rat behavior

Cabrera

Rodríguez-Echandía

Jatuff

et al. 1999

Braz J Med Biol Res

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Early stimulation has been shown to produce long-lasting effects in many species. Prenatal exposure to some strong stressors may affect development of the nervous system leading to behavioral impairment in adult life. The purpose of the present work was to study the postnatal harmful effects of exposure to variable mild stresses in rats during pregnancy. Female Holtzman rats were submitted daily to one session of a chronic variable stress (CVS) during pregnancy (prenatal stress; PS group). Control pregnant rats (C group) were undisturbed. The pups of PS and C dams were weighed and separated into two groups 48 h after delivery. One group was maintained with their own dams (PS group, N = 70; C group, N = 36) while the other PS pups were cross-fostered with C dams (PSF group, N = 47) and the other C pups were cross-fostered with PS dams (CF group, N = 58). Pups were undisturbed until weaning (postnatal day 28). The male offspring underwent motor activity tests (day 28), enriched environment tests (day 37) and social interaction tests (day 42) in an animal activity monitor. Body weight was recorded on days 2, 28 and 60. The PS pups showed lower birth weight than C pups (Duncans test, P<0.05). The PS pups suckling with their stressed mothers displayed greater preweaning mortality (C: 23%, PS: 60%; c 2 test, P<0.05) and lower body weight than controls at days 28 and 60 (Duncans test, P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). The PS, PSF and CF groups showed lower motor activity scores than controls when tested at day 28 (Duncans test, P<0.01 for PS group and P<0.05 for CF and PSF groups). In the enriched environment test performed on day 37, between-group differences in total motor activity were not detected; however, the PS, CF and PSF groups displayed less exploration time than controls (Duncans test, P<0.05). Only the PS group showed impaired motor activity and impaired social behavior at day 42 (Duncans test, P<0.05). In fact, CVS treatment during gestation plus suckling with a previously stressed mother caused long-lasting physical and behavioral changes in rats. Cross-fostering PS-exposed pups to a dam which was not submitted to stress counteracted most of the harmful effects of the treatment. It is probable that prenatal stress plus suckling from a previously stressed mother can induce long-lasting changes in the neurotransmitter systems involved in emotional regulation. Further experiments using neurochemical and pharmacological approaches would be interesting in this model. Correspondence

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The effects of predictable and unpredictable schedules of physical restraint upon rats

Cited by 40 publications

References 20 publications

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Response to Chronic Stress in Five Inbred Rat Strains: Differential Responses Are Mainly Located at the Adrenocortical Level

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Response to Chronic Stress in Five Inbred Rat Strains: Differential Responses Are Mainly Located at the Adrenocortical Level

Behavioral and physiological responses of female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) to various stressful conditions

Effects of prenatal exposure to a mild chronic variable stress on body weight, preweaning mortality and rat behavior

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