Fighting during shock exposure attenuates the reduction in the number of low-affinity GABAA sites in the cerebral cortex.
Rats were submitted either singly or in pairs to a series of foot-shocks. Immediately following the stress event, animals were sacrificed and the binding of low-affinity GABAA sites assayed in the cerebral cortex. A reduced number of sites was observed in rats singly shocked. However, rats shocked in pairs and thus afforded the opportunity to fight during the shock did not present changes in the density of GABAA receptors as compared to unstressed animals. Our data may suggest that fighting during an aversive event could decrease the deleterious consequence of a highly stressful experience.
Departamento de Farmacologia, Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina.
G R
GR
Cuadra
V A
VA
Molina
D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D004597:Electroshock; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000502:physiology*
D011963:Receptors, GABA-A