A novel social fear conditioning procedure alters social behavior and mTOR signaling in differentially housed adolescent rats.

ABSTRACT: Vulnerabilities to fear-related disorders can be enhanced following early life adversity. This study sought to determine whether post-weaning social isolation (PSI), an animal model of early life adversity, alters the development of social fear in an innovative model of conditioned social fear. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent either social rearing (SR) or PSI for 4 weeks following weaning. Rats were then assigned to groups consisting of either Footshock only, Social conditioned stimulus (CS) only, or Paired footshock with a social CS. Social behavior was assessed the next day. We observed a novel behavioral response in PSI rats, running in circles, that was rarely observed in SR rats; moreover, this behavior was augmented after Paired treatment in PSI rats. Other social behav

SUBMITTER: Dawud LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7726006 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature