Beneficial effects of infantile stimulation on coping (avoidance) behavior in rats are prevented by perinatal blockade of benzodiazepine receptors with Ro 15-1788.
The present study shows that postnatal 'consistent' handling (CH; which consisted of removing the pups from the nest and placing them individually in plastic cages lined with paper towel for a period of 15 min daily between 1 and 22 postnatal days) of rats had long-lasting improving effects on coping with a stressful task (i.e. enhancement on the early acquisition of two-way active avoidance), but such effects were completely prevented when CH treatment was combined with chronic perinatal Ro 15-1788 (7 mg/kg/day, between prenatal day 19 and postnatal day 22) administration (i.e. blockade of benzodiazepine receptor (BZR)). A long-lasting decremental effect was also observed in the same task in rats which received postnatal 'inconsistent' handling (INCH; in which stimulation of pups was changed every day between 1 and 22 postnatal days), without being affected by the concomitant perinatal Ro 15-1788 treatment. These results suggest that intact ontogeny of BZRs is necessary to obtain the enduring positive effects of CH on emotional behavior (i.e. early acquisition of two-way active avoidance).
Escorihuela
R M
RM
Department of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.
Fernández-Teruel
A
A
Núñez
F J
FJ
Zapata
A
A
Tobeña
A
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005442:Flumazenil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values
D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D005442:Flumazenil