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Effects of neonatal novelty exposure on sexual behavior, fear, and stress‐response in adult rats
Author(s) -
Benetti Fernando,
Andrade de Araujo Paulo,
Luiz Sanvitto Gilberto,
Lucion Aldo Bolten
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.20181
Subject(s) - open field , psychology , prolactin , developmental psychology , maternal deprivation , novelty , endocrine system , litter , odor , endocrinology , habituation , sexual behavior , medicine , physiology , hormone , neuroscience , biology , social psychology , psychiatry , agronomy
Environmental stimuli in early life may result in permanent behavioral and physiological changes. Present study evaluated the effects of exposing pups to a novel environment on behaviors (open‐field test and sexual behavior) and prolactin stress‐responses in adult male rats. Half of a litter was daily removed outside (OUT) from the nest and stimulated by handling for 3 min, while the other half remained inside (IN) the nest and was also handled for the same period during the first 10 days postpartum. Maternal behavior after all the pups were returned to the nest was not different between IN and OUT littermates. In adulthood, OUT males showed increased general and central locomotion activity in the open‐field test, reduced sexual behavior, and attenuated prolactin secretion in response to restraint stress compared with the IN littermates. The repeated exposition of rat pups to a novel environment is a causal factor for the long‐lasting behavioral and endocrine changes. The premature exposition of the pup to unfamiliar environments decreases fear and stress‐response, and also reduces sexual behavior. We suggest that the absence of the odor of the mother may be crucial to explain the effects detected in adulthood. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 258–264, 2007.