Objective: Assessment of anxiety-like behavior by measuring time spent in open arms versus closed arms of an elevated plus-maze
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It is well known that the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is altered by early environmental experiences, particularly in the perinatal period. This may be one mechanism by which the environment changes the physiology of the animal such that individual differences in adult adaptative capabilities, such as behavioral reactivity and memory performance, are observable. To determine the origin of these behavioral individual differences, we have investigated whether the long-term influence of prenatal and postnatal experiences on emotional and cognitive behaviors in adult rats are correlated with changes in HPA activity. To this end, prenatal stress of rat dams during the last week of gestation and postnatal daily handling of rat pups during the first 3 weeks of life were used as two environmental manipulations. The behavioral reactivity of the adult offspring in response to novelty was evaluated using four different parameters: the number of visits to different arms in a Y-maze, the distance covered in an open field, the time spent in the corners of the open field, and the time spent in the open arms of an elevated plus-maze. Cognitive performance was assessed using a water maze and a two-trial memory test. Adult prenatally stressed rats showed high anxiety-like behavior, expressed as an escape behavior to novelty correlated with high secretion of corticosterone in response to stress, whereas adult handled rats exhibited low anxiety-like behavior, expressed as high exploratory behavior correlated with low secretion of corticosterone in response to stress. On the other hand, neither prenatal stress nor handling changed spatial learning or memory performance. Taken together, these results suggest that individual differences in adult emotional status may be governed by early environmental factors; however, perinatal experiences are not effective in influencing adult memory capacity.
Pregnant rat dams were subjected to stress during the last week of gestation as an environmental manipulation
Note: This is one of two environmental manipulations used to create different behavioral phenotypes
“prenatal stress of rat dams during the last week of gestation”
Rat pups received daily handling during the first 3 weeks of life as a second environmental manipulation
Note: This manipulation was used as a contrasting environmental condition to prenatal stress
“postnatal daily handling of rat pups during the first 3 weeks of life”
Adult offspring were tested on the elevated plus-maze to measure anxiety-like behavior through time spent in open arms
Note: This is one of four behavioral parameters used to evaluate reactivity to novelty
“the time spent in the open arms of an elevated plus-maze”
Adult offspring were tested in a Y-maze to measure the number of visits to different arms as an indicator of behavioral reactivity
Note: First of four behavioral parameters for evaluating reactivity to novelty
“the number of visits to different arms in a Y-maze”
Adult offspring were tested in an open field to measure distance covered and time spent in corners
Note: Two of four behavioral parameters measured: distance covered and time in corners
“the distance covered in an open field, the time spent in the corners of the open field”
Adult offspring were tested in a water maze to assess spatial learning and memory performance
Note: Cognitive performance assessment
“Cognitive performance was assessed using a water maze and a two-trial memory test”
Adult offspring underwent a two-trial memory test to assess memory performance
Note: Second cognitive performance assessment
“Cognitive performance was assessed using a water maze and a two-trial memory test”
Stress-induced corticosterone secretion was measured in adult offspring to correlate with behavioral outcomes
Note: Physiological measurement correlated with behavioral reactivity
“correlated with stress-induced corticosterone secretion”
Offspring of dams that underwent prenatal stress or postnatal handling manipulations
