Sex-dependent effects of aversive stimulation on holeboard and elevated plus-maze behavior

The behavioral effects of exposure to inescapable shocks (IS) were studied in both the holeboard and the elevated plus-maze, 24 and 72 h after IS in male and female Wistar rats. The following effects were observed at the 24-h interval. In both sexes, head-dipping in the holeboard was reduced by IS, whereas general activity (ambulation and rearing) was reduced in males and not in females. Furthermore, the results of a correlation analysis indicate that previous exposure to IS disrupts the dissociation observed in control groups between exploratory activity directed at the holes (head-dipping) and general activity in the holeboard (ambulation and rearing). Effects of IS on plus-maze behavior could be observed in a clear suppression of rearing in males and not in females. IS did not affect time spent on the open arms. At the 72-h interval, IS affected head-dipping in the holeboard only in males and not in females. The present findings show that the effect of IS on specified behavioral elements is sex-dependent, with stronger and longer-lasting effects in males than in females.