| Popis: |
After weaning on the 21th day, offspring of Wistar rats were reared in groups of 4-5 (controls), singly (social isolation), or exposed to alternate days of isolation and housing in groups of 10 with partner rotation (social instability) for 6 weeks. Then, a part of the rats was decapitated and the remaining young animals were tested and left undisturbed for 2 months in stable groups of 4-5 animals. Adults were tested repeatedly. The weight of the body, thymus and adrenals, resting and acute stress-induced plasma corticosterone levels and basal testosterone concentration, resting and stress-induced systolic blood pressure, amplitude and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reflex, anxiety- and depression-related behavior were studied in young and adult rats. It was shown that social environment in adolescence can affect the physiological and behavioral responses, some of the effects being transient blunted by subsequent rearing in stable groups, yet others still persisted with age or were clearly manifested in adults only. |
