Unpredictable stress boosts perceptual learning and alters glucocorticoid and norepinephrine receptors in rats' dorsal hippocampus.

ABSTRACT: Cumulative stress is known for its detrimental effects, including anxiety and stress-related disorders. However, the potential positive or 'hormetic' outcomes of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) remain vague. In our study using adult male Wistar rats subjected to a 14-day CUS model, we explored the implications of its cumulative effects. We focused on how CUS influenced anxiety-like behavior, extinction memory, and the expression of specific receptors in the dorsal hippocampus (dHP). Our results indicated that CUS led to increased anxiety-related behaviors and heightened basal corticosterone levels. Interestingly, while aversive memory retrieval in CUS rats showed increased freezing, they exhibited enhanced memory extinction. This result suggests a compensatory mechanism initiated by CUS

SUBMITTER: Albernaz-Mariano KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12660680 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature