The high- and low-avoidance animal (HAA and LAA respectively) strains of Hatano rats were originally selected and bred from Sprague-Dawley rats for their performance in the shuttle-box task. The present study focused on the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis of HAA and LAA rats in response to restraint stress. The restraint stress induced an elevation in plasma conc...

Chronic restraint stress may change hippocampal mRNA levels of markers for synaptic plasticity such as synaptophysin, growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In order to examine the relation between that stressor and those biochemical markers on protein level as well as the Ki-67 protein, a marker of progenitor cell proliferation, we subjected rats t...

The effects of repeated mild stress on DNA and lipid metabolic damages in multiple organs of dyslipidemic mice, and the preventive role of metallothionein (MT) were investigated. Female adult wild-type and MT-null mice fed high-fat diet (HFD) or standard diet (STD) were repeatedly subjected to fasting or restraint for three weeks. The liver, pancreas, spleen, bone marrow and serum samples were ...

Rodents submitted to restraint stress show decreased activity in an elevated plus-maze (EPM) 24 h later. The objective of the present study was to determine if a certain amount of time is needed after stress for the development of these changes. We also wanted to verify if behavioral tolerance of repeated daily restraint would be detectable in this model. Male Wistar rats were restrained for 2 ...

Habituation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response to chronic intermittent restraint stress (30 min/day for 15 days) and the cross-sensitization to a heterotypic stress [i.p. lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] were investigated in intact male Sprague Dawley rats, and in rats bearing quinolinic acid lesions to the medial anterior bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) or anterior region o...

Baicalein (BA), a plant-derived active flavonoid present in the root of Scutellaria baicalensis, has been widely used for the treatment of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders including depression. Previous studies have demonstrated that repeated restraint stress disrupts the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in depression. The behavioral and neurochemica...

While several studies have investigated mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) emitted by isolated pups or by males in mating contexts, studies of behavioral contexts other than mating and vocalization categories other than USVs have been limited. By improving our understanding of the vocalizations emitted by mice across behavioral contexts, we will better understand the natural vocal behavior o...

Early life experiences can shape brain function and behavior in adulthood. The present study sought to elucidate the effects of repetitive, predictable vs. varied, unpredictable prenatal stress on sexually dichotomous neuroendocrine and anxiety-related behavioral responses in adult offspring. Rat dams were exposed repeatedly during the last week of pregnancy to no stress, only restraint stress ...

With the increased interest in longitudinal brain imaging of awake rodents, it is important to understand both the short-term and long-term effects of restraint on sensory and emotional processing in the brain. To understand the effects of repeated restraint on pain behaviors and stress responses, we modeled a restraint protocol similar to those used to habituate rodents for magnetic resonance ...

Epidemiological studies strongly suggest that chronic psychological stress promotes tumorigenesis. However, its direct link in vivo and the underlying mechanisms that cause this remain unclear. This study provides direct evidence that chronic stress promotes tumorigenesis in vivo; chronic restraint, a well-established mouse model to induce chronic stress, greatly promotes ionizing radiation (IR...