Effects of litter-overlapping on emotionality, stress response, and reproductive functions in male and female rats. 2009

Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio, Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Sarmento Leite 500, Porto Alegre, 90050-170, RS, Brazil. natiuria@gmail.com

In rats, mating at postpartum estrus and delayed dispersal of the young would result in the overlapping of two different-age litters. As a consequence, newborn pups' early experience will include not only that acquired during the interaction with the mother and age-matched littermates, but also with older siblings. As early-life experience modulates rodents' brain function, behavior and reproduction, we aimed to assess how changes in the early environment provoked by the overlapping of litters would affect emotionality, stress response and reproductive functions of male and female pups during adulthood. Results showed that both male and female overlapped reared pups exhibited a reduced behavioral inhibition in the open field test during adulthood. In addition, overlapped reared adult females, but not males, showed a blunted corticosterone response to an acute stressor during diestrus and a reduction in sexual behavior. In summary, natural changes in early experience provoked by the overlapping of litters, long-term modulate affective and reproductive behaviors, and the endocrine stress response in a sex dimorphic manner.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007266 Inhibition, Psychological The interference with or prevention of a behavioral or verbal response even though the stimulus for that response is present; in psychoanalysis the unconscious restraining of an instinctual process. Inhibition (Psychology),Inhibition, Psychology,Psychological Inhibition,Inhibitions (Psychology),Inhibitions, Psychological,Inhibitions, Psychology,Psychological Inhibitions,Psychology Inhibition,Psychology Inhibitions
D008098 Litter Size The number of offspring produced at one birth by a viviparous animal. Litter Sizes,Size, Litter,Sizes, Litter
D008297 Male Males
D009043 Motor Activity Body movements of a human or an animal as a behavioral phenomenon. Activities, Motor,Activity, Motor,Motor Activities
D010060 Ovulation The discharge of an OVUM from a rupturing follicle in the OVARY. Ovulations
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011270 Pregnancy, Animal The process of bearing developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero in non-human mammals, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Animal Pregnancies,Animal Pregnancy,Pregnancies, Animal
D003345 Corticosterone An adrenocortical steroid that has modest but significant activities as a mineralocorticoid and a glucocorticoid. (From Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 8th ed, p1437)
D004031 Diestrus A phase of the ESTROUS CYCLES that follows METESTRUS. Diestrus is a period of sexual quiescence separating phases of ESTRUS in polyestrous animals.
D004644 Emotions Those affective states which can be experienced and have arousing and motivational properties. Feelings,Regret,Emotion,Feeling,Regrets

Related Publications

Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
July 2007, Developmental psychobiology,
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
November 2007, Physiology & behavior,
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
July 2014, Molecules (Basel, Switzerland),
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
April 1990, Experimental parasitology,
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
June 2017, JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association,
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
May 2011, Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.),
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
November 1982, Toxicology and applied pharmacology,
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
July 2012, Reproductive biology,
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
January 1998, Life sciences,
Natalia Uriarte, and Annabel Ferreira, and Ximena F Rosa, and Aldo B Lucion
February 2020, Toxicology letters,
Copied contents to your clipboard!