Lukas, Michael and Neumann, Inga D. (2014) Social preference and maternal defeat-induced social avoidance in virgin female rats: Sex differences in involvement of brain oxytocin and vasopressin. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS, 234. pp. 101-107. ISSN 0165-0270, 1872-678X
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Background: Research concerning non-reproductive sociability in rodents is mainly restricted to assessing the effects of oxytocin (OXT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) in male rats and mice. Comparable studies on natural social preference and social avoidance in females are substantially lacking. New method: Here, we adapted a behavioral paradigm for monitoring social preference of female rats consisting of two consecutive exposures to either non-social or social stimuli. Further, to induce stimulus-specific social avoidance, female rats were exposed to a single 10-min maternal defeat by a lactating dam. Results: Social preference towards same-sex conspecifics in female rats was shown to be independent of the estrous cycle and even more pronounced than in male rats. Intracerebroventricular (icy) application of OXT, AVP, or their selective receptor antagonists or agonists, did not alter naturally-occurring social preference in female rats. Stimulus-specific social avoidance could be induced by prior exposure to a lactating rat: an effect that could not be reversed/overcome by icy OXT. Comparison with existing method(s): The female social preference paradigm for rats established in this study detected subtle sex differences in social preference behavior of rats. Further, stimulus-specific social deficits could be induced in female rats using an acute exposure to social defeat - as previously observed in male rodents. Conclusions: Female rats show strong social preference behavior, which can be prevented by social defeat, but does not seem to be regulated by the OXT or AVP systems. Accordingly, icy application of synthetic OXT does not reverse maternal defeat-induced social avoidance in female rats. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA; ARGININE-VASOPRESSIN; PARTNER PREFERENCES; KNOCKOUT MICE; PRAIRIE VOLES; BEHAVIOR; RECEPTOR; ANXIETY; MEMORY; FEAR; Oxytocin; Vasopressin; Social preference; Social approach; Intracerebroventricular; Sex differences |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Tierphysiologie/Neurobiologie (Prof. Dr. Inga Neumann) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Aug 2019 13:53 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Aug 2019 13:53 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/9719 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
