title: Behavioral and physiological consequences of enrichment loss in rats.
abstract: Significant loss produces the highest degree of stress and compromised well-being in humans. Current rodent models of stress involve the application of physically or psychologically aversive stimuli, but do not address the concept of loss. We developed a rodent model for significant loss, involving removal of long-term access to a rewarding enriched environment. Our results indicate that removal from environmental enrichment produces a profound behavioral and physiological phenotype with depression-like qualities, including helplessness behavior, hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis dysregulation and overeating. Importantly, this enrichment removal phenotype was prevented by antidepressant treatment. Furthermore, the effects of enrichment removal do not occur following relief from chronic stress and are not duplicated by loss of exercise or social contact.
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, United States.
authors.forename: Brittany L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, United States.
authors.forename: Carey E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, United States.
authors.forename: Fernanda Guilhaume
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, United States.
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Benoit
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, United States.
authors.forename: Brent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, United States.
authors.forename: Matia B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, United States. Electronic address: james.herman@uc.edu.
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Herman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004032:Diet; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006799:Housing, Animal; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D012201:Reward; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents
keywords: Depression; Environmental enrichment; Imipramine; Loss; Stress; Weight gain