Behavioral and neurochemical changes following predatory stress in mice

This article had several objectives. First it aimed at investigating the anxiogenic-like behaviors elicited by unavoidable cat exposure and/or cat odor across nine strains of mice (BALB/c, C57BL/6, C3H, CBA, DBA/2, NMRI, NZB, SJL, Swiss) in a modified version of the free-exploration test. The second objective was to investigate possible neurochemical changes following cat exposure in Swiss mice by measuring the turnover of dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT) in several brain regions known to be involved in the modulation of emotional processes (hippocampus, hypothalamus and striatum). Finally, the third objective was to examine the effects of anxiolytic drug treatments on the anxiogenic responses elicited by a cat odor (i.e. a feces) in Swiss mice previously exposed to a cat using the free-exploration test. Results from the strain comparison showed that mice could be divided into three distinct groups: two non-reactive strains (NZB and SJL) which were relatively insensitive to predatory exposure and/or odor; five intermediate-reactive strains (Swiss, NMRI, CBA, C3H and BALB/c) which displayed clear anxiogenic-like responses only when exposed to both cat and, subsequently, to feces; and two high reactive strains (C57BL/6 and DBA/2) which showed anxiogenic-like reactions following cat exposure, regardless of the stimulus (clay or feces) present in the free-exploration cage. Neurochemical data revealed that, while brain levels of NA, DA, 5-HT in cat exposed Swiss mice were not significantly different from those of control animals, turnover rates of these monoamines were increased in the hippocampus (NA and 5-HT), hypothalamus and striatum (DA) after cat exposure. Results from pharmacological experiments indicated that repeated administration of the 5-HT reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (5-20 mg/kg, twice a day, for 5 days) completely abolished avoidance of the cat feces in Swiss mice previously exposed to the predator. Neither acute nor repeated administration of the classical anxiolytic diazepam was able to reduce avoidance behavior of the anxiogenic stimulus in the free-exploration test. Taken together, these findings indicate that the exposure of mice to unavoidable predatory stimuli is associated with behavioral and neurochemical changes consistent with increased anxiety.