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BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RATS ON VARIOUS HIERARCHICAL LEVEL CAUSED BY ACUTE INFORMATIONAL STRESS
T Matitaishvili1, T Domianidze1, N Emukhvari1
1I. Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Georgian Medical News
|April 28, 2016
Summary
Dominant rats show better stress resistance and maintain activity under informational stress due to developed self-regulation. Submissive rats are more affected by stress, impacting their behavior and hierarchical status.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Stress Physiology
Background:
- Social hierarchy influences stress response in animal models.
- Understanding behavioral adaptations to acute informational stress is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate behavioral indices of rats at different hierarchical levels under acute informational stress.
- To assess stress resistance in relation to social status.
- To analyze behavioral changes in conflict and agonist conditions during stress.
Main Methods:
- Determination of hierarchical relations in rats.
- Application of a 14-day stress procedure involving active avoidance reactions.
- Behavioral observation in conflict and agonist situations with high motivation.
- Utilizing the "open field" test to evaluate emotional states.
Main Results:
- Behavioral differences between hierarchical levels were observed under stress.
- Dominant rats maintained activity and hierarchical status with less detected impact from stress.
- Submissive rats exhibited greater behavioral influence from stress.
- No significant difference in behavior was noted in conflict situations after equal stress exposure.
Conclusions:
- Dominant animals possess more developed self-regulating brain mechanisms, contributing to higher stress resistance.
- Social status significantly modulates the behavioral response to acute informational stress.
- Behavioral indices effectively differentiate stress resilience across social hierarchies.
