Social isolation-induced changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the rat

Social isolation of rats both reduces the cerebrocortical and plasma concentrations of 3a-hydroxy-5a-pregnan-20-one (3a,5a-TH PROG) and 3a,5a-tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone and potentiates the positive effects of acute stress and ethanol on the concentrations of these neuroactive steroids. We now show that social isolation decreased the plasma level of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), moreover, intracerebroventricular administration of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) induced a marked increase in the plasma corticosterone level in both isolated and group-housed rats, but this effect was significantly greater in the isolated rats (+121%) than in the group-housed rats (+86%). In addition, in isolated rats, a low dose of dexamethasone had no effect on the plasma corticosterone concentration, whereas, a high dose significantly reduced it; both doses of dexamethasone reduced plasma corticosterone in group-housed rats. Furthermore, the corticosterone level after injection of dexamethasone at the high dose was significantly greater in the isolated animals than in the group-housed rats. These results suggest that social isolation increased sensitivity of the pituitary to CRF and impaired negative feedback regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.