Anhedonic Type Behavior and Anxiety Profile of Wistar-UIS Rats Subjected to Chronic Social Isolation

Abstract

Chronic Social Isolation (CSI) is a model of prolonged stress employed in a variety of studies to induce depression and anxious behavior in rats. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of CSI on male Wistar rats in terms of “anhedonic-type” behavior in the Sucrose Preference Test (SPT) and anxiogenic profile in the elevated-plus-maze (EPM) test, as well as evaluating the effect of resocialization upon sucrose consumption. A total of 24 adolescent male Wistar rats were evaluated. The animals were housed either together (communally) or socially isolated for 21 days, and then exposed for four consecutive days to the SPT test [water vs. a 32% sucrose solution (SS)]. Four days later, they were again subjected to the SPT test (32% vs. 0.7% SS), and then tested on the EPM apparatus 3 days later. Following the completion of the anxiogenic profile of the model, the animals were resocialized for 72 h and then re-tested once again using the SPT (32% vs. 0.7% SS). Twenty-four hours after this final consumption, the animals were euthanized to record the weight of their adrenal glands (AG). It was found that exposure to CSI produces anhedonic-type behavior and an anxiogenic profile in adolescent male rats, as evidenced in both the SPT and EPM tests, as well as in the animals’ physiological stress response. It was also demonstrated that resocialization does not reverse the anhedonic-type behavior, nor the physiological response to stress.

Social isolation and post‐weaning environmental enrichment effects on rat emotional behavior and serotonergic system

“…The animals submitted to SI showed emotional dysregulation in the Sucrose Preference Test (Brenes & Fornaguera, 2008; Yildirim et al, 2012). Sucrose intake was higher in SI animals, which indicates a change in the reward threshold because of the greater need to experience rewarding sensations (Acero‐Castillo et al, 2021; Brenes et al, 2020). Alternatively, Yildirim et al (2012) observed higher sucrose consumption in SI and EE animals, indicating that the stress caused by other behavioral tests directly affected the result in animals submitted to EE.…”

Early-life maternal deprivation in rats increases sensitivity to the subsequent stressors: a pilot study

“…EPM is a widely used rodent model for evaluating anxietyrelated behavior, based on the natural preference of these animals for dark and protected places. Anxiety is measured by the proportion of test time spent in the closed arms of the maze, without coming into contact with the open areas (Acero-Castillo et al 2021).…”

“…Anhedonia, in this context, can be defined as low reward sensitivity (Rygula et al 2005). It should be noted that the concentration of sucrose solutions used can strongly affect the level of its ingestion (Acero-Castillo et al 2021;Markov 2022).…”

Repeated restraint stress induced neurobehavioral and sexual hormone disorders in male rats

“…Rats' animal experimentation model is based on the preference nature of water with sucrose dissolved in it over regular water [16] , [17] . Wherein the preference pattern of sucrose solutions concentrations at 1% [18] . When a rodent shows a lack of interest in the sucrose solution, it is said to be exhibiting anhedonia which is a classic component of depressive disorders [19] .…”