Premium
Development of behavioral and neuronal responses to social stress: early adolescence as a sensitive period
Author(s) -
Bingham Brian,
McFadden Kile,
Zhang Xiaoyan,
Bhatnagar Seema,
Beck Sheryl,
Valentino Rita
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.768.1
Subject(s) - locus coeruleus , stressor , psychology , social stress , social defeat , coping (psychology) , medicine , endocrinology , developmental psychology , neuroscience , clinical psychology , central nervous system
The research goal was to determine whether social stress differentially impacts on behavior and brain physiology during critical windows in adolescent development. Early adolescent (EA), mid‐adolescent (MA) and adult rats were exposed to 7 days of a social stressor, the resident‐intruder paradigm. Social stress had divergent effects on behavior in EA and adult rats, promoting active coping behaviors in EA rats and decreasing active coping behaviors in adult rats as determined by the defensive burying test and response to swim stress. Mid‐adolescent rats exposed to social stress showed no changes in the behavioral endpoints. Effects of social stress in EA rats was not mimicked by chronic restraint stress. Because the locus coeruleus (LC)‐norepinephrine system has been implicated in certain active coping behaviors, LC neuronal activity was recorded in EA rats exposed to social stress and matched controls. LC spontaneous firing rates were higher in EA rats exposed to social stress. Moreover, intra‐LC infusion of the CRF antagonist, DPheCRF 12‐41 , inhibited LC neurons of stressed rats but not controls. These data suggest that exposure to social stress in early adolescence promotes tonic secretion of CRF into the LC to activate this system. This CRF‐induced activation of the LC‐norepinephrine system may underlie the promotion of active‐coping behaviors noted in socially stressed EA rats. MH058250