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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats
Published on: December 14, 2014
Consequences of early postnatal benzodiazepines exposure in rats. II. Social behavior
Anna Mikulecká1, Martin Subrt1, Martina Pařízková1
1Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic.
Insights
Early postnatal exposure to clonazepam (CZP) in rats significantly reduced social play behavior. These effects on social behavior were observed across different ages and testing environments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Social behavior is crucial in rats and susceptible to drug and environmental effects.
- Early life experiences can shape long-term behavioral patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if early postnatal clonazepam (CZP) exposure causes age-dependent alterations in rat social behavior.
- To investigate the impact of CZP on social play and investigation across different ages and test conditions.
Main Methods:
- Rats received daily intraperitoneal doses of clonazepam (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg) from postnatal day 7 to 11.
- Social behavior was assessed in juveniles and adolescents (P18-P42) using familiarity tests and a resident-intruder paradigm.
- Evaluated frequency and duration of social play and investigation patterns.
Main Results:
- Postnatal CZP exposure decreased social play behavior irrespective of age or environmental familiarity.
- Social investigation behavior was not significantly affected by CZP exposure.
- In resident-intruder tests, CZP-exposed rats exhibited intense wrestling and inhibited genital investigation.
Conclusions:
- Short-term early postnatal clonazepam exposure inhibits social play behavior in rats.
- CZP alters specific social behaviors in an age- and environment-dependent manner.
- Findings highlight the lasting impact of early-life pharmacological interventions on social development.
Abstract:
Social behavior represents an integral part of behavioral repertoire of rats particularly sensitive to pharmacological and environmental influences. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether early postnatal clonazepam (CZP) exposure can induce age-dependent changes related to expression of social behavior. The drug was administered from postnatal day (P) 7 until P11 at daily doses of 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg i.p. We designed three experiments to assess whether exposure to CZP affects social behavior in respect to the age of rats and the test circumstances, specifically their familiarity with test conditions during adolescence (P32), social behavior in juveniles and adolescents (P18-P42) and social behavior in a resident-intruder paradigm. The frequency and duration of a various patterns of social behavior related to play and social investigation not related to play were evaluated. The results showed that CZP postnatal exposure decreased social play behavior regardless of age and familiarity or unfamiliarity of experimental environment but did not affect the social investigation per se. When rats were confronted with an intruder in their home cages intense wrestling and inhibition of genital investigation were found. In conclusion, these findings show that short-term CZP postnatal exposure inhibits social play behavior and alters specific patterns of social behavior in an age and environment related manner.
