Thesis
Feline odor-induced anxiety in post-partum female rats
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2010
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/103604
Abstract
Post-partum mood disorders, including depression and anxiety, occur in 10-15% of mothers. It is suspected that reproductive hormones play a role in the severity of these disorders; for example, in women, correlations have been reported between low post-partum estrogen and progesterone levels and depressive symptoms. In this study, we tested anxiety levels in rats in the post-partum period using a feline odor stimulus. Rats innately respond to the presence of feline odor by displaying various anxiety-like behaviors. We hypothesized that post-partum rats - those that have been pregnant and those that have undergone a hormone-simulated pregnancy (HSP) - would display greater anxiety-like behaviors than control rats to feline odor. To generate previously pregnant rats, females were paired with a male, while control rats were paired with another control female, and separated on day 14. HSP rats were ovariectomized and given one of three injection regimens lasting the length of pregnancy (22 days) - an estradiol withdrawal model (HSP-E) which models a typical rat pregnancy, a progesterone withdrawal model (HSP-P), or vehicle treatment (control). Rats were habituated to the test chamber the day before testing, and then tested the next day (post-partum day 2, 4, or 7) with a piece of cat collar that had been worn by a cat. Post-partum rats showed significantly less anxiety-like behavior than control females on post-partum days 2 and 4. In contrast, the HSP-E and -P groups did not display greater anxiety-like behavior than the control group. These results do not support the original hypothesis; rather than showing increased anxiety during the post-partum period, postpartum females have a blunted anxiety response to predator odor. Furthermore, the HSP results suggest that estradiol and progesterone withdrawal alone do not account for significant changes in anxiety during the early post-partum period.
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Details
- Title
- Feline odor-induced anxiety in post-partum female rats
- Creators
- Karen D. Gerde
- Contributors
- Rebecca M. Craft (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525298701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis