title: Postnatal handling reduces novelty-induced fear and increases [3H]flunitrazepam binding in rat brain.
abstract: Postnatal handling of rat pups alters their response to novelty. We have now shown that, as adults, rats handled for the first three weeks of life showed a suppression of feeding in a novel environment that was less, and a [3H]flunitrazepam binding in whole brain that was greater than in non-handled animals. These data suggest that variations in benzodiazepam binding capacity could be related to individual differences in the fear response to novelty.
authors.affiliation: Douglas Hospital Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bodnoff
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Suranyi-Cadotte
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quirion
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Meaney
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D005445:Flunitrazepam / Q000378:metabolism*; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D051381:Rats; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D005445:Flunitrazepam