Influence of environmental rearing history and postsurgical environmental change on the septal rage syndrome in mice.
Reactivity to handling was examined in Binghamton Heterogeneous (HET) mice given septal lesions or control surgery following 5 weeks of postweaning rearing in enriched or restricted environments. Three housing conditions were employed: continuous enrichment, continuous restriction (both pre- and postsurgically), and a group switched from environmental enrichment to restriction 24 hours after surgery. The restricted mice were more reactive to handling than the enriched mice presurgically (60 days old), and interactions of housing conditions and surgery were found over the seven day postsurgical handling and testing period. The restricted mice given septal lesions greatly increased in reactivity postsurgically, while the intact controls declined in reactivity over the postsurgical week. The enriched septals were only moderately increased over the low presurgical reactivity baseline, and were much less reactive than the restricted septals. Perhaps the most remarkable finding was the dramatic and immediate increase in reactivity in the septals switched from enrichment to restriction, while intact controls showed no effect of the switch. These results emphasize the importance of experience in determining the effects of septal damage, and may be useful in examining other correlates of septal rage.
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011889:Rage / Q000502:physiology*; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*; D012931:Social Environment; D013577:Syndrome