title: Gender differences in aggression and cortisol levels in zebrafish subjected to unpredictable chronic stress.
abstract: Chronic stress may cause physical, behavioral and neuropsychiatric changes, affecting the health condition of an individual. Aggression is a universal behavior with great relevance on human and animal social systems. Despite studies showing the influence of chronic stress on aggression, the effects of unpredictable chronic stress (UCS) on aggressive behavior in male and female zebrafish remain unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of UCS on the aggressive behavior and cortisol levels in adult zebrafish of both sexes. Our results showed that UCS increased aggression in males, but not in females, which displayed more aggressive behavior at baseline than control males. Increased whole-body cortisol levels were observed in stressed males; however, no differences were found between female groups. In conclusion, we reported for the first time gender differences on behavioral parameters and cortisol levels in response to UCS in zebrafish. These results highlight the relevance of studying behavioral and physiological parameters in both sexes separately.
authors.affiliation: PUCRS, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Psicofarmacologia, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cassiano L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rambo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Laboratório de Psicofarmacologia e Comportamento, Av. Sarmento Leite 500/107, 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricieri
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mocelin
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Laboratório de Psicofarmacologia e Comportamento, Av. Sarmento Leite 500/107, 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Matheus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marcon
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Laboratório de Psicofarmacologia e Comportamento, Av. Sarmento Leite 500/107, 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Débora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Villanova
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Campus Universitário, Camobi, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gessi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koakoski
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Campus Universitário, Camobi, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Murilo S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: de Abreu
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Campus Universitário, Camobi, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Campus Universitário, Camobi, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Universidade de Passo Fundo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioexperimentação, BR 285, 99052-900, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo J G
authors.initials: LJG
authors.lastname: Barcellos
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Laboratório de Psicofarmacologia e Comportamento, Av. Sarmento Leite 500/107, 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angelo L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Piato
authors.affiliation: PUCRS, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Psicofarmacologia, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: cbonan@pucrs.br.
authors.forename: Carla D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bonan
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Aggression; Cortisol; Gender differences; Unpredictable chronic stress