title: Maternal separation and lesion of adtn alters anxiety and adrenal activity in male rats.
abstract: The present study investigated the effect of early maternal separation on anxiety and hypophyso-adrenal system activity to anterodorsal thalamic nuclei (ADTN) lesion in male rats as adults in order to compare this with previous results with female rats. During the first 3 weeks of life, male rats were isolated 4.5 hr daily and tested as adults. Thirty days after ADTN lesion we found that adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) plasma levels were affected neither by maternal separation nor by ADTN lesion. Plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentration was increased with lesion of the ADTN in maternally separated rats. A significant increase in plasma catecholamine concentration was induced by early maternal separation. In ADTN-lesioned rats, plasma norepinephrine (NE) concentration was significantly lower than in the respective sham-lesioned groups. In terms of anxiety, there were no significant effects of early experience. However, the ADTN lesion tended to decrease anxiety-related behavior.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Vélez Sarsfield, 299X5000JJC Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Bárbara Bárcena
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Esquivel
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: María Angélica
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rivarola
authors.forename: Marta Magdalena
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Suárez
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000502:physiology*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D020643:Anterior Thalamic Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000502:physiology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine