A chronic stress state in rats: effects of repeated stress on basal corticosterone and behavior. |
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Authors: | J E Ottenweller R J Servatius W N Tapp S D Drastal M T Bergen B H Natelson |
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Affiliation: | Neurobehavioral Unit 127A, VA Medical Center, East Orange, NJ 07019. |
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Abstract: | The chronic stress state has previously been defined as persistent visceral arousal coupled with behavioral abnormalities. To determine the number of stressor exposures necessary to induce a chronic stress state, male rats were given 2 hours of inescapable shock on 10, 7, 4, or 3 consecutive days. The 3-day stress group had the most pervasive changes in the variables measured: persistently elevated basal plasma corticosterone (CORT), continued weight loss in the post-stressor period, and abnormal behavior. More exposures to the stress regimen did not produce higher CORT levels or greater behavioral changes. Acutely stressed rats, exposed to 1 day of inescapable shock, had persistent CORT elevations without the other changes seen in the 3-day stress group. The data suggest that 3 days of our stress regimen are sufficient to produce a state of chronic stress and that some signs of this state begin to appear as early as the first exposure to our inescapable stress regimen. |
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