Isolated during adolescence: long-term impact on social behavior, pain sensitivity, and the oxytocin system in male and female rats.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Adolescent social isolation (ASI) has profound long-term effects on behavioral and neural development. Despite this, the specific long-term impact of ASI during different adolescent stages and across sexes remain underexplored.

Methods

Our study addresses this gap by examining the effects of early- and late- adolescent social isolation on both male and female rats. Rats were either isolated (or group-housed) starting from PD 21 (early) or PD 42 (late) for three weeks and then rehoused into groups. In adulthood (PD 90), rats underwent a battery of tests: elevated plus-maze, open field, novel object recognition, social interaction and social recognition memory and hotplate tests. Finally, we analyzed oxytocin receptor binding in several regions in the brains of a se

SUBMITTER: P Graf A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11476712 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature