A Model of Stress or Adaptation? The effects of the dominance hierarchy on (chronic) stress, behavior, physiology, and neurobiology in Wild Type Groningen rats

Legemaat, Sebastiaan (2023) A Model of Stress or Adaptation? The effects of the dominance hierarchy on (chronic) stress, behavior, physiology, and neurobiology in Wild Type Groningen rats. Research Project 1 (minor thesis), Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences.

Preview	Text Minor_Thesis_Sebastiaan_Legemaat_s5007879.pdf Download (2MB) | Preview
	Text toestemming.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (126kB)

Abstract

Only few individuals develop stress-related disorders. Chronic subordination results in higher psychosocial stress than high-ranked males, but little is known for female rats. Subordination stress can be assessed by the Visible Burrow System (VBS), a model that mimics the natural environment of rats. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dominance rank, sex, and behavior on stress-induced neuronal (mal) adaptation in Wilde Type Groningen (WTG) rats, and to compare two behavioral scoring methods. 48 male and 48 female adult WTG rats were divided over 12 VBS’ (4 males + 4 females) and housed for 10 days in the VBS. All agonistic interactions were videotaped and scored (in two ways) to determine the dominance hierarchy. Consequences of social rank were assessed in body and organ weight changes, including corticosterone levels, as well as spine number changes in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), hippocampal fields (CA1 & CA3), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), using Golgi-Cox staining. Both scoring methods showed very similar results, with only female dominance being different. Dominance rank showed a clear effect on agonistic behavior and mPFC spines, but not on organ and body weight, corticosterone, or spines in the CA1/3, and BLA. These findings suggest that WTG subordinates and dominants show similar stress in the VBS, contrasting previous studies using Long Evans rats, with mPFC spines being associated with behavior and not stress.

Item Type:	Thesis (Research Project 1 (minor thesis))
Supervisor name:	Buwalda, B.
Degree programme:	Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences
Thesis type:	Research Project 1 (minor thesis)
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	25 Jan 2023 09:45
Last Modified:	25 Jan 2023 09:45
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/29160

Actions (login required)

View Item