Social isolation induces behavioral and neuroendocrine disturbances relevant to depression in female and male prairie voles

Grippo, Angela J.; Gerena, Davida; Huang, Jonathan; Kumar, Narmda; Shah, Maulin; Ughreja, Raj; Carter, C. Sue

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2007.07.004

Cited by 302 publications

(302 citation statements)

References 83 publications

(106 reference statements)

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“…The effects of social isolation on physiology are less well defined compared with those of restraint-related stress. It seems, however, that isolationrelated stress affects HPA function (15). Based on the present results of Williams et al (11), it also seems that social isolation could have important effects on signaling pathways influencing tumor biology.…”

supporting

confidence: 50%

Isolating the Effects of Social Interactions on Cancer Biology

Trainor

Sweeney

Cardiff

2009

Cancer Prevention Research

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This perspective on Williams et al. (beginning on p. 850 in this issue of the journal) examines the connections between biological responses activated during psychosocial stress and mammary tumorigenesis. Experiments in mouse models of cancer are identifying aspects of tumor biology that may be regulated by hormones such as glucocorticoids released during psychosocial stress. Our growing understanding of the actions of glucocorticoids on breast tumors could lead to important changes in cancer treatment.Psychosocial factors have long been suspected to have important effects on human health (1). Epidemiologic studies of the relationships between breast cancer and psychosocial stress, however, have produced maddeningly inconsistent results. Some studies indicate that depression and lack of social support may be risk factors for breast cancer development and progression (2, 3), whereas others report no link between social stress and breast cancer incidence (4). A weakness common to all of these studies is in not having measured individual physiologic responses to stress. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which stimulates the release of glucocorticoids and epinephrine, is an important stress-activated system. The HPA axis has become a focal point for understanding the effects of stress on health because of its ability to affect a wide range of physiologic processes, including immune function (5). In a natural context, activation of the HPA axis prepares an individual to "fight or flee" from a challenging situation (6). The HPA axis, however, could be chronically activated in the absence of a natural challenge, and it has been proposed that many of the deleterious effects of stress on human health may result from this chronic activation (7). Psychosocial stress in the forms of anxiety, depression, and interpersonal conflict could activate the HPA axis, causing the release of glucocorticoids and epinephrine.It is becoming increasingly clear that individuals vary in their physiologic responses to stressful situations (8). Therefore, stressful life events are not universally translated into physiologic signals that could affect cancer biology. This may partially explain why epidemiologic studies examining the association between stress and breast cancer have produced such heterogeneous results. Two general approaches could help resolve the question of whether psychosocial stress indeed affects physiologic processes regulating the development and/or progression of cancer. First, epidemiologic studies need to characterize individual variation in how stressful life events translate into biological signals such as glucocorticoids. Although individual differences in stress hormone responses are not normally collected within large-scale epidemiologic studies, it will be difficult for the field to move forward without this critical information. Second, mechanistic studies can test whether biological signals (such as glucocorticoids) activated during stress regulate cancer biology.The Conzen group is a leade...

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supporting

confidence: 50%

Isolating the Effects of Social Interactions on Cancer Biology

Trainor

Sweeney

Cardiff

2009

Cancer Prevention Research

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“…attachment and affiliation; [6]). Meanwhile, the post-weaning environments may influence stress reactivity and other aspects of behaviour that may modulate anti-social behaviours [13,14]. Such experiences have been suggested as means for informing and preparing individuals to survive when environments that they are likely to experience as adults are dynamic, variable or relatively unpredictable [16].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adolescence and early adulthood are also periods of life known to assert a profound influence over developmental trajectories. For example, comparisons of rodents living in isolated versus group housing conditions post-weaning suggest that isolated animals develop high anxiety-like phenotypes and stress-induced behavioural and neuroendocrine changes [13][14][15], indicating that the social environment continues to impact development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perinatal and juvenile social environments interact to shape cognitive behaviour and neural phenotype in prairie voles

et al. 2015

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Social environments experienced at different developmental stages profoundly shape adult behavioural and neural phenotypes, and may have important interactive effects. We asked if social experience before and after weaning influenced adult social cognition in male prairie voles. Animals were raised either with or without fathers and then either housed singly or in sibling pairs. Males that were socially deprived before (fatherless) and after (singly housed) weaning did not demonstrate social recognition or dissociate spatial from social information. We also examined oxytocin and vasopressin receptors (OTR and V1aR) in areas of the forebrain associated with social behaviour and memory. Pre-and post-wean experience differentially altered receptor expression in several structures. Of note, OTR in the lateral septum-an area in which oxytocin inhibits social recognition-was greatest in animals that did not clearly demonstrate social recognition. The combination of absentee fathers on V1aR in the retrosplenial cortex and single housing on OTR in the septohippocampal nucleus produced a unique phenotype previously found to be associated with poor reproductive success in nature. We demonstrate that interactive effects of early life experiences throughout development have tremendous influence over brain -behaviour phenotype and can buffer potentially negative outcomes due to social deprivation.

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“…2007a), neuroendocrine disruptions (Grippo et al. 2007b), suppressed immune responses (Scotti et al. 2015) and even shorter lifespans (Ruan & Wu 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural and Hormonal Stress Responses to Social Separation in Ravens, Corvus corax

et al. 2016

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Social life is profitable, but it facilitates conflicts over resources and creates interdependence between individuals. Separating highly social animals triggers intense reactions aimed at re‐establishing lost connections. Less is known, however, about behavioural and physiological responses to separation in socially facultative species, where individuals temporarily form groups and may subsequently leave them. Non‐breeding common ravens (Corvus corax) gather in large numbers at feeding and roosting sites, but otherwise spend time seemingly solitary or in small subgroups. We here studied how ravens cope with being socially isolated, and investigated the life characteristics that might explain potential individual differences. For this, we individually separated captive subadult ravens (n = 25) and housed them in physical and visual isolation from their group members across 4 d. During the separation period, we collected behavioural data and measured the amount of immunoreactive corticosterone metabolites from bird droppings to assess the ravens’ physiological stress response. We found behavioural indicators of stress at the start of the separation, when ravens showed higher levels of tension than of comfort – a pattern that reversed at the end of the separation. Furthermore, we found that the upbringing of ravens affected their behaviour during separation. Hand‐raised birds produced more vocalisations in the beginning of the separation, and were less active at the end, while the reverse pattern occurred with parent‐raised ravens. Contrary to our predictions, we did not find differences in hormonal responses between the beginning and end of the separation period or any link between hormonal responses and behaviours. Ravens’ behavioural responses to social separation stress seem to be dependent on their arousal states, although possible links with hormonal reactions remain unclear. Our results show that behavioural reactions are not always linked with hormonal responses to stress, and further emphasise the importance of investigating effects of early‐life experiences.

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Social isolation induces behavioral and neuroendocrine disturbances relevant to depression in female and male prairie voles

Cited by 302 publications

References 83 publications

Isolating the Effects of Social Interactions on Cancer Biology

Isolating the Effects of Social Interactions on Cancer Biology

Perinatal and juvenile social environments interact to shape cognitive behaviour and neural phenotype in prairie voles

Behavioural and Hormonal Stress Responses to Social Separation in Ravens, Corvus corax

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