title: Long-term influence of perinatal asphyxia on the social behavior in aging rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various groups have been addressing the question of whether perinatal asphyxia (PA) affects the behavior of young animals, but no information is available on long-term effects of PA on the behavior in aged rats, although it has been postulated that PA may lead to neurological and psychiatric deficits in adult life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We, therefore, decided to study the effects of PA on social and anxiety-related behaviors in 2-year-old rats, using a noninvasive animal model resembling the clinical situation.
  
  
  METHODS
  For the behavioral studies, the open-field test, the elevated plus-maze test, and a social interaction test in pairs were performed. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was selected to rule out neuropathological changes due to the aging process per se, as well as asphyxia-induced pathologies in the brain areas known to play an important role in the modulation of behavior.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The social interaction test revealed a statistically significant increase in the number of social grooming episodes and the time spent running alone, whereas the numbers of social sniffing and fighting episodes and the time spent running together were decreased in the asphyxiated group. The elevated plus- maze test revealed a higher presence of entries into the closed arm. Furthermore, sniffing and self-grooming episodes were significantly increased in the asphyxiated group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found a significantly decreased social aggressiveness and an increased social contact behavior as well as increased anxiety levels in the asphyxiated animals. The present findings may provide important information on the long-term behavioral sequelae of PA in the aged individual.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Allgemeines Krankenhaus, Vienna, Germany.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weitzdoerfer
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gerstl
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pollak
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoeger
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dreher
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lubec
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000523:psychology*; D006120:Grooming; D018782:Maze Learning; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012919:Social Behavior; D013997:Time Factors