Communal nesting differentially attenuates the impact of pre-weaning social isolation on behavior in male and female rats during adolescence and adulthood
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2023
Citazione:
Communal nesting differentially attenuates the impact of pre-weaning social isolation on behavior in male and female rats during adolescence and adulthood / J. Bratzu, M. Ciscato, A. Pisanu, G. Talani, R. Frau, P. Porcu, M. Diana, F. Fumagalli, P. Romualdi, L. Rullo, V. Trezza, R. Ciccocioppo, F. Sanna, L. Fattore. - In: FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE. - ISSN 1662-5153. - 17:(2023 Oct 17), pp. 1257417.1-1257417.12. [10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1257417]
Abstract:
Introduction: Early social isolation (ESI) disrupts neurodevelopmental processes,
potentially leading to long-lasting emotional and cognitive changes in adulthood.
Communal nesting (CN), i.e., the sharing of parental responsibilities between
multiple individuals in a nest, creates a socially enriching environment known to
impact social and anxiety-related behaviors.
Methods: This study examines the effects of (i) the CN condition and of (ii)
ESI during the 3rd week of life (i.e., pre-weaning ESI) on motor, cognitive, and
emotional domains during adolescence and adulthood in male and female rats
reared in the two different housing conditions, as well as (iii) the potential of CN
to mitigate the impact of ESI on offspring.
Results: We found that in a spontaneous locomotor activity test, females exhibited
higher activity levels compared to males. In female groups, adolescents reared
in standard housing (SH) condition spent less time in the center of the arena,
suggestive of increased anxiety levels, while the CN condition increased the time
spent in the center during adolescence, but not adulthood, independently from
ESI. The prepulse inhibition (PPI) test showed a reduced PPI in ESI adolescent
animals of both sexes and in adult males (but not in adult females), with CN
restoring PPI in males, but not in adolescent females. Further, in the marble
burying test SH-ESI adolescent males exhibited higher marble burying behavior
than all other groups, suggestive of obsessive-compulsive traits. CN completely
reversed this stress-induced effect. Interestingly, ESI and CN did not have a
significant impact on burying behavior in adult animals of both sexes.
Discussion: Overall, our findings (i) assess the effects of ESI on locomotion,
sensorimotor gating, and compulsive-like behaviors, (ii) reveal distinct vulnerabilities
of males and females within these domains, and (iii) show how early-life social
enrichment may successfully counteract some of the behavioral alterations induced
by early-life social stress in a sex-dependent manner. This study strengthens the notion
hat social experiences during early-life can shape emotional and cognitive outcomes
in adulthood, and points to the importance of social enrichment interventions for
mitigating the negative effects of early social stress on neurodevelopment.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
early-life stress; social enrichment; isolation; communal nesting; anxiety-like behaviors; marble-burying; pre-pulse inhibition; sex-difference
Elenco autori:
J. Bratzu, M. Ciscato, A. Pisanu, G. Talani, R. Frau, P. Porcu, M. Diana, F. Fumagalli, P. Romualdi, L. Rullo, V. Trezza, R. Ciccocioppo, F. Sanna, L. Fattore
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