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Water associated zero maze: a novel rat test for long term traumatic re-experiencing
Gilad Ritov1, Gal Richter-Levin2
1Department of Psychology, The Institute for the Study of Affective Neuroscience, University of Haifa Haifa, Israel ; Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa Haifa, Israel.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
|January 31, 2014
Summary
A novel water maze test effectively models post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms in rats, revealing long-term behavioral changes and amygdala activity after trauma exposure.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in rats, like freezing, are complex and vary individually.
- Assessing long-term trauma effects requires advanced behavioral measures beyond simple stress responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate the water associated zero maze (WAZM) for modeling trauma-related behavioral changes.
- To investigate the impact of context preceding trauma on complex behaviors and amygdala activity.
Main Methods:
- Rats were exposed to the WAZM followed immediately by underwater trauma (UWT).
- Behavior was recorded during WAZM re-exposure one month later.
- Amygdala c-Fos expression was measured post-re-exposure.
Main Results:
- The WAZM successfully identified long-term behavioral alterations after traumatic events.
- Observed behavioral changes correlated with altered amygdala c-Fos expression.
Conclusions:
- The WAZM is a viable tool for studying the re-experiencing of traumatic memories in rodent models.
- This model aids in understanding stress-related pathologies like PTSD.
