Early handling, but not maternal separation, decreases emotional responses in two paradigms of fear without changes in mesolimbic dopamine.
This study aimed at identifying the effects of neonatal handling (H) and maternal separation (MS) on two paradigms of fear, learned and innate, and on the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive cells in adult life. Wistar rats were daily handled with a brief maternal separation, maternal separated for 3 h or left undisturbed during the first 10 days of life. Behavioural responses in the open-field (innate fear) and conditioned fear (learned fear) were evaluated. Moreover, a semi-quantitative analysis of TH immunoreactivity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) was performed using optical densitometry and confirmed by planar measurements of neuronal density. Early handling decreased behaviour responses of innate and learned fear in adult life, while maternal separation had no significant long-lasting effect on these responses compared to the non-handled group. The behavioural effects of early handling could not be explained by changes in the density of midbrain dopaminergic cells, which were not affected by handling or maternal separation.
Madruga
Clarice
C
Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Sarmento Leite, 500 Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil.
Xavier
Léder L
LL
Achaval
Matilde
M
Sanvitto
Gilberto L
GL
Lucion
Aldo B
AB
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000378:metabolism*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000378:metabolism*
D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine