Unpredictable neonatal stress enhances adult anxiety and alters amygdala gene expression related to serotonin and GABA.

ABSTRACT: Anxiety-related disorders are among the most common psychiatric illnesses, thought to have both genetic and environmental causes. Early-life trauma, such as abuse from a caregiver, can be predictable or unpredictable, each resulting in increased prevalence and severity of a unique set of disorders. In this study, we examined the influence of early unpredictable trauma on both the behavioral expression of adult anxiety and gene expression within the amygdala. Neonatal rats were exposed to unpaired odor-shock conditioning for 5 days, which produces deficits in adult behavior and amygdala dysfunction. In adulthood, we used the Light/Dark box test to measure anxiety-related behaviors, measuring the latency to enter the lit area and quantified urination and defecation. The amygdala was then dis

SUBMITTER: Sarro EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4050971 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature