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Using Chronic Social Stress to Model Postpartum Depression in Lactating Rodents
Published on: June 10, 2013
Long-term effects of maternal deprivation on the corticosterone response to stress in rats
1Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil.
Insights
Maternal deprivation in infant rats has lasting effects on stress hormone responses. Early deprivation leads to altered corticosterone levels in young and adult animals, impacting the stress axis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Maternal deprivation in early life activates the infant rat's stress response system.
- Understanding the long-term consequences of early life stress is crucial for developmental health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the enduring effects of a single period of maternal deprivation on the corticosterone (Cort) response to stress in rats.
- To determine how maternal deprivation influences the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis over time.
Main Methods:
- Rat pups underwent 24 hours of maternal deprivation on postnatal day 11.
- Corticosterone levels were measured at various time points (0, 5, 15, 30, 60 min) after saline injection on postnatal days 12, 16, 22, 30, and 60.
- Comparisons were made between maternally deprived (Dep) and non-deprived (non-Dep) groups, including sex differences at later ages.
Main Results:
- Immediately after deprivation (PND 12), Dep pups showed a heightened Cort response compared to non-Dep pups.
- No significant group differences were observed at PND 16 and 22.
- By PND 30, Dep rats exhibited lower Cort levels at several time points post-stress.
- As adults (PND 60), Dep rats showed altered Cort responses, with differences in the timing of stress hormone regulation compared to non-Dep rats, and sex-specific patterns emerged.
Conclusions:
- Maternal deprivation exerts long-lasting effects on the corticosterone stress response in rats.
- The HPA axis shows a blunted adrenal response to stress in young maternally deprived rats, with altered stress response dynamics in adulthood.
- These findings highlight the critical role of early life experiences in shaping long-term neuroendocrine function and stress reactivity.
Abstract:
Twenty-four hours of maternal deprivation result in activation of the infant rat's adrenocortical axis. In the present study we examined the long-term effects of maternal deprivation on the corticosterone (Cort) response to stress. Pups were maternally deprived (Dep) on postnatal day (PND) 11 and tested immediately (PND 12) or returned to their mothers and tested at later ages. Testing consisted of a time course of the Cort response to a saline injection (5, 15, 30, and 60 min). At PND 12, the response of Dep pups was higher than that of nondeprived (non-Dep) pups. No group differences were observed at PND 16 and 22. On PND 30, Dep rats showed lower Cort levels than non-Dep pups at 0, 5, and 30 min after saline. At PND 60, non-Dep females showed higher Cort levels than males at 5, 15, and 30 min. This gender difference for Dep pups was observed only at 5 min. Male and female Dep animals presented lower Cort levels than non-Dep counterparts at 60 and 30 min after saline, respectively. These findings indicate that maternal deprivation effects on Cort secretion are long lasting. Dep rats showed a smaller adrenal response to stress at PND 30, whereas as adults the stress response was similar but the turnoff was different.
