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A Mouse Model of Subchronic and Mild Social Defeat Stress for Understanding Stress-induced Behavioral and Physiological Deficits
Published on: November 24, 2015
Dynamic body weight and body composition changes in response to subordination stress
Kellie L K Tamashiro1, Maria A Hegeman, Mary M N Nguyen
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA.
Physiology & Behavior
|May 22, 2007
Summary
Social stress in rats leads to obesity and metabolic changes, particularly in subordinate individuals. This study introduces a novel animal model for investigating stress-induced metabolic disease.
Area of Science:
- Neuroendocrinology
- Metabolic Disease Research
- Animal Models of Stress
Background:
- Social stress is a significant factor in human obesity and metabolic dysfunction.
- Existing animal models inadequately replicate the multifaceted consequences of chronic social stress.
- Understanding the etiology of stress-induced adiposity requires a suitable experimental model.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of chronic social stress on body weight and composition in rats.
- To explore the neuroendocrine and behavioral changes associated with stress-induced obesity.
- To validate the visible burrow system (VBS) as a model for stress-associated metabolic disease.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the visible burrow system (VBS) to induce chronic social stress in mixed-gender rat colonies for two weeks.
- Monitored body weight, body composition, and food/sucrose intake in subordinate and dominant rats.
- Observed the effects of a high-fat diet on social hierarchy and stress-induced metabolic changes.
Main Results:
- Subordinate rats exhibited increased body weight and adiposity, characteristic of obesity, due to neuroendocrine alterations and altered food intake.
- Subordinate rats were hyperphagic but showed anhedonia, indicated by a lack of increased sucrose solution intake.
- A high-fat diet did not influence social hierarchy but exacerbated the effects of chronic stress on body composition.
Conclusions:
- The visible burrow system (VBS) effectively models chronic social stress, leading to obesity and metabolic alterations in subordinate rats.
- This model provides a valuable tool for studying the mechanisms underlying stress-induced metabolic syndrome and for developing therapeutic strategies.
- Findings highlight the complex interplay between social stress, neuroendocrine function, feeding behavior, and metabolic health.
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