TITLE:
Social Deprivation of Newborn Rats Modifies Exploratory and Defensive Behavior at Mature Age
AUTHORS:
Anna Yu. Shishelova, Kirill S. Smirnov, Vladimir V. Raevskiy
KEYWORDS:
Ontogenesis, Absence Epilepsy, Behavior, Wag/Rij Rats
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science,
Vol.9 No.10,
October
22,
2019
ABSTRACT: The effect of complete social deprivation in early postnatal ontogenesis on adult behavior in Wag/Rij rats with a genetic predisposition to the development of absence epilepsy was studied. From the 2nd to the 8th day of life, a 3-hour daily isolation of the pups from the mother and siblings was performed, the control animals were handled. In adulthood, offspring behavior was tested in an elevated plus-maze, an open field, and for an ability to learn the conditioned reflex of active avoidance. In isolated earlier rats, an increase in emotional reactivity, exploratory behavior in a potentially dangerous space, the speed of learning a conditioned reflex with negative painful reinforcement, and a disturbance of the formation of a defensive reaction were revealed. It is assumed that high emotional reactivity creates the prerequisites for the development of absence epilepsy.