title: Temperament moderates the influence of periadolescent social experience on behavior and adrenocortical activity in adult male rats.
abstract: Adolescence is a period of significant behavioral and physiological maturation, particularly related to stress responses. Animal studies that have tested the influence of adolescent social experiences on stress-related behavioral and physiological development have led to complex results. We used a rodent model of neophobia to test the hypothesis that the influence of adolescent social experience on adult behavior and adrenocortical function is modulated by pre-adolescent temperament. Exploratory activity was assessed in 53 male Sprague-Dawley rats to classify temperament and then they were housed in one of the three conditions during postnatal days (PND) 28-46: (1) with familiar kin, (2) with novel social partners, or (3) individually with no social partners. Effects on adult adrenocortical function were evaluated from fecal samples collected while rats were individually-housed and exposed to a 1-hour novel social challenge during PND 110-114. Adolescent-housing with novel or no social partners led to reduced adult glucocorticoid production compared to adolescent-housing with familiar littermates. Additionally, highly-exploratory pre-weanling rats that were housed with novel social partners during adolescence exhibited increased exploratory behavior and a more rapid return to basal glucocorticoid production in adulthood compared to those housed with familiar or no social partners during adolescence and compared to low-exploratory rats exposed to novel social partners. In sum, relatively short-term adolescent social experiences can cause transient changes in temperament and potentially longer-term changes in recovery of glucocorticoid production in response to adult social challenges. Furthermore, early temperament may modulate the influence of adolescent experiences on adult behavioral and adrenocortical function.
authors: Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. Electronic address: mjc5038@psu.edu.
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Caruso
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; The Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Electronic address: mkm1@uchicago.edu.
authors: M K
authors: MK
authors: McClintock
authors: Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. Electronic address: sac34@psu.edu.
authors: S A
authors: SA
authors: Cavigelli
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids
keywords: Adolescence; Behavioral inhibition; Fecal corticoid; Neophobia; Social experience