Chronic unpredictable stress during adolescence causes long-term anxiety

L E Chaby; S A Cavigelli; A M Hirrlinger; M J Caruso; V A Braithwaite

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2014.09.003

Chronic unpredictable stress during adolescence causes long-term anxiety

Behav Brain Res. 2015 Feb 1:278:492-5. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.09.003. Epub 2014 Oct 22.

Authors

L E Chaby¹, S A Cavigelli², A M Hirrlinger³, M J Caruso⁴, V A Braithwaite⁵

Affiliations

¹ Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States; Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States; Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States. Electronic address: Chaby@psu.edu.
² Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States; Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States; Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
³ Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
⁴ Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States; Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
⁵ Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States; Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States.

PMID: 25448433
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.09.003

Abstract

Exposure to stress during adolescence can cause long-term changes in behavior and cognition. Anxiety diagnoses rise during adolescence and are increased by adverse experiences. Currently, it is unknown how long stress during adolescence alters anxiety in adulthood. We found that rats exposed to chronic unpredictable stress during adolescence expressed altered behavior 6.5 months later; showing increased anxiety in a feeding test in a novel environment. Although behavioral changes indicative of anxiety were detected in late adulthood, the basal levels of fecal corticoid metabolites in prior-stressed rats did not differ from unstressed, control rats.

Keywords: Adolescence; Anxiety; Chronic unpredictable stress; Corticosterone; Novelty suppressed feeding; Rattus norvegicus.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adrenal Cortex Hormones / blood
Age Factors
Animals
Anxiety / etiology*
Cognition
Disease Models, Animal
Male
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reaction Time
Reward
Stress, Psychological / complications*

Substances

Adrenal Cortex Hormones