Sex-dependent effects of aversive stimulation on holeboard and elevated plus-maze behavior.
The behavioral effects of exposure to inescapable shocks (IS) were studied in both the holeboard and the elevated plus-maze, 24 and 72 h after IS in male and female Wistar rats. The following effects were observed at the 24-h interval. In both sexes, head-dipping in the holeboard was reduced by IS, whereas general activity (ambulation and rearing) was reduced in males and not in females. Furthermore, the results of a correlation analysis indicate that previous exposure to IS disrupts the dissociation observed in control groups between exploratory activity directed at the holes (head-dipping) and general activity in the holeboard (ambulation and rearing). Effects of IS on plus-maze behavior could be observed in a clear suppression of rearing in males and not in females. IS did not affect time spent on the open arms. At the 72-h interval, IS affected head-dipping in the holeboard only in males and not in females. The present findings show that the effect of IS on specified behavioral elements is sex-dependent, with stronger and longer-lasting effects in males than in females.
Steenbergen
H L
HL
Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Amsterdam.
Farabollini
F
F
Heinsbroek
R P
RP
Van de Poll
N E
NE
D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004597:Electroshock; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009949:Orientation; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011930:Reaction Time; D012737:Sex Factors