BEHAVIORAL IMPAIRMENT INDUCED BY SHORT-TERM ACUTE SOUND STRESS IS INFLUENCED BY ESTROUS CYCLE IN RATS.

TORRECILLA N. M., SÁNCHEZ E. M., GANGA M., QUERCETTI M., RODRIGUEZ ECHANDÍA E. L., GONZALEZ JATUFF A.

PHYSIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

Pergamon

Lugar: Estados Unidos; Año: 2009

0031-9384

Sudden unknown stressors induces a disruption of previous behavioural tasks in order to cope with potentially threatening new events. Gender and stage of Estrus are considered among major sources of  individual differences in the sensitivity to stress. In the present work we examine the disruption of motor and exploratory behaviour induced by exposure to a white noise lasting 1 minute in male and female rats. Females were tested at all estrus cycle stages. Each animal was individually tested in a plexiglass cage with automatic detection of motor activity; a novel object was placed in the center of the arena to elicit exploration. Activity was recorded in 5 minutes observations, and a white wound was applied along the third minute. This short sound stress could elicit a disruption of motor and exploratory behaviors with excitatory and inhibitory stress response, depending on the moment after exposure. The test itself  showed to be a useful and simple tool to screen pre-stress, intra-stress and pos-stress response in rodents. These responses were influenced by estrous cycle; diestrus exhibited the highest scores of inhibitory post-stress response. Proestrus and estrus, on the other hand, showed an attenuated reactivity. Our results support other findings that characterize the modulation of sex hormones on the stress response.