Defeat, learned submissiveness, and analgesia in mice: effect of genotype

Defeat-induced unconditioned and conditioned behaviors of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice were assessed in a social-learning paradigm. Upon bites, mice of the DBA strain reacted with significantly more escape reactions, while C57 mice showed more immobility, crouch, and defensive sideways and upright postures. Clear genotype-dependent patterns were also evident from the conditioned responses recorded 24 h after defeat. DBA mice displayed more escape and defensive sideways and upright postures upon contact with a nonaggressive partner mouse; in contrast, C57 mice reacted with more immobility and crouch. With an increasing number of bites the sum of learned responses increased in C57 mice while it decreased in mice of the DBA strain. This decrement was paralleled by an increase in the analgesic response measured on the hot plate in defeated DBA mice. The possible role of endogenous opioids in the genotype-dependent interaction of defeat-induced learned submissiveness and analgesia is discussed.