Long-term impairment of social memory in the rat after social defeat is not restored by desglycinamide-vasopressin.
Repeated social defeat followed by individual housing caused a long-term impairment of social memory in male rats. Social memory, as assessed in the social discrimination test using an intertrial interval of 3 min, was impaired for at least 8 weeks after the social defeat experience. Since social memory of male rodents depends on proper functioning of the sexually dimorphic vasopressin system, it was investigated whether a centrally active vasopressin fragment could restore the impaired social memory. Subcutaneous administration of 6 microg/kg of the vasopressin fragment desglycinamide-vasopressin (VP1-8) 40 days after social defeat slightly improved social memory in both control and socially defeated rats. It is concluded that social defeat followed by individual housing caused a long-term impairment of social memory, which was not restored by treatment with VP1-8.
Reijmers
L G
LG
Rudolf Magnus Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Medical Pharmacology, Utrecht University, The, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Hoekstra
K
K
Burbach
J P
JP
van Ree
J M
JM
Spruijt
B M
BM
D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012016:Reference Values; D012934:Social Isolation; D013997:Time Factors
D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; C015119:argipressin, des-GlyNH2(9)-