Pre-weaning handling reduces adrenocorticotropin response to novel but not to noxious stimuli in adult rats.
Effects of handling stimuli given to the rat during pre-weaning period were investigated on plasma immunoreactive (ir) adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) level after electric footshocks or novel audiovisual stimuli in adult life. Plasma ir-ACTH levels after footshocks did not significantly differ between non-handled control and previously handled rats, while the hormone level after novel audiovisual stimuli was significantly lower in handled than in the control rats. These results demonstrate that pre-weaning handling reduces ACTH response to novel audiovisual stimuli but not to footshocks in adult life, and thus suggest the possibility that stress during pre-weaning period affects differentially the developmental plasticity of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis.
Hamamura
M
M
Department of Physiology, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan.
Onaka
T
T
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014886:Weaning
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone