TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of acute stress and acute corticosterone administration on the immobility response in rats
AU - Zamudio, Sergio R.
AU - Quevedo-Corona, Lucía
AU - Garcés, Linda
AU - De La Cruz, Fidel
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by funds from the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (SIP-IPN, 20080779). SRZ, LG and FD are fellows of Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (SNI-16541, 202231 and SNI-957 respectively). We thank Dr. Ellis Glazier for the editing of the English-language text.
PY - 2009/12/16
Y1 - 2009/12/16
N2 - The immobility response is an innate antipredatory behavior in a broad variety of species. The immobility response varies in its postural components but in general is characterized by an absence of movement and a relative unresponsiveness to stimuli. Experimentally in rats, clamping the neck followed by body inversion and manual restrain elicits a response called "immobility by clamping the neck". Stress reactions protect animals against predators and are characterized by activation of the sympathetic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal systems. However, in mammals, the role of acute stress as a modulator of immobility response has been less studied. The aim of our study was to assess the effects of acute stress and the injection of corticosterone (5 mg/kg, ip) on immobility by clamping the neck in rats. We observed that either previous acute stress caused by forced exposure to elevated open platform or application of a heat-pain stimulus to the rat's tail during the immobility increased the duration of the immobility response caused by clamping the neck. Also, the corticosterone produced a rapid increase (15 min after injection) in the duration of this immobility response. Our results show that the acute stress, in rats, is a facilitator of the immobility response and suggest a possible nongenomic rapid action of corticosterone over brain structures that control this behavior.
AB - The immobility response is an innate antipredatory behavior in a broad variety of species. The immobility response varies in its postural components but in general is characterized by an absence of movement and a relative unresponsiveness to stimuli. Experimentally in rats, clamping the neck followed by body inversion and manual restrain elicits a response called "immobility by clamping the neck". Stress reactions protect animals against predators and are characterized by activation of the sympathetic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal systems. However, in mammals, the role of acute stress as a modulator of immobility response has been less studied. The aim of our study was to assess the effects of acute stress and the injection of corticosterone (5 mg/kg, ip) on immobility by clamping the neck in rats. We observed that either previous acute stress caused by forced exposure to elevated open platform or application of a heat-pain stimulus to the rat's tail during the immobility increased the duration of the immobility response caused by clamping the neck. Also, the corticosterone produced a rapid increase (15 min after injection) in the duration of this immobility response. Our results show that the acute stress, in rats, is a facilitator of the immobility response and suggest a possible nongenomic rapid action of corticosterone over brain structures that control this behavior.
KW - Acute stress
KW - Corticosterone
KW - Immobility response
KW - Rat
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70349961493&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2009.09.005
DO - 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2009.09.005
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 19772903
SN - 0361-9230
VL - 80
SP - 331
EP - 336
JO - Brain Research Bulletin
JF - Brain Research Bulletin
IS - 6
ER -