Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in Mice

Psychogenic hyperthermia is a stress-related condition reported mostly in women. Neuroendocrine responses to stress in females differ from those in males, and these differences cannot be explained solely based on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Here, we used infrared (IR) thermog...

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Main Authors: Jamshid Faraji, Gerlinde A. S. Metz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00079/full
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author Jamshid Faraji
Jamshid Faraji
Gerlinde A. S. Metz
author_facet Jamshid Faraji
Jamshid Faraji
Gerlinde A. S. Metz
author_sort Jamshid Faraji
collection DOAJ
description Psychogenic hyperthermia is a stress-related condition reported mostly in women. Neuroendocrine responses to stress in females differ from those in males, and these differences cannot be explained solely based on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Here, we used infrared (IR) thermographic imaging to record changes in cutaneous temperature following two types of stressful experiences in female and male mice. Mice were exposed to either single-session restraint stress or vertical exploration (rearing) deprivation and were monitored for exploratory activity and IR surface thermal changes. Females displayed higher rearing activity than males during the dark phase of the light cycle. Both sexes showed similar plasma corticosterone (CORT) responses after a challenge with restraint and rearing deprivation. However, only females responded to rearing deprivation with increased cutaneous temperature in the head and back, and a reduced thermal response in the tail. Circulating CORT levels were not correlated with the thermal variations. These findings, for the first time, provide evidence for sex-specific cutaneous thermal responses to short-term stress in mice following transient vertical-activity deprivation that may mimic clinical psychogenic hyperthermia.
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spelling doaj.art-c71c2a0d00b54860b32bbf11514514a82022-12-22T00:50:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532020-05-011410.3389/fnbeh.2020.00079534022Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in MiceJamshid Faraji0Jamshid Faraji1Gerlinde A. S. Metz2Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, CanadaFaculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, IranCanadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, CanadaPsychogenic hyperthermia is a stress-related condition reported mostly in women. Neuroendocrine responses to stress in females differ from those in males, and these differences cannot be explained solely based on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Here, we used infrared (IR) thermographic imaging to record changes in cutaneous temperature following two types of stressful experiences in female and male mice. Mice were exposed to either single-session restraint stress or vertical exploration (rearing) deprivation and were monitored for exploratory activity and IR surface thermal changes. Females displayed higher rearing activity than males during the dark phase of the light cycle. Both sexes showed similar plasma corticosterone (CORT) responses after a challenge with restraint and rearing deprivation. However, only females responded to rearing deprivation with increased cutaneous temperature in the head and back, and a reduced thermal response in the tail. Circulating CORT levels were not correlated with the thermal variations. These findings, for the first time, provide evidence for sex-specific cutaneous thermal responses to short-term stress in mice following transient vertical-activity deprivation that may mimic clinical psychogenic hyperthermia.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00079/fullsex differencesinfrared thermographyrestraint stressHPA axisvertical activity deprivationstress response
spellingShingle Jamshid Faraji
Jamshid Faraji
Gerlinde A. S. Metz
Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in Mice
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
sex differences
infrared thermography
restraint stress
HPA axis
vertical activity deprivation
stress response
title Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in Mice
title_full Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in Mice
title_fullStr Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in Mice
title_full_unstemmed Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in Mice
title_short Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in Mice
title_sort infrared thermography reveals sex specific responses to stress in mice
topic sex differences
infrared thermography
restraint stress
HPA axis
vertical activity deprivation
stress response
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00079/full
work_keys_str_mv AT jamshidfaraji infraredthermographyrevealssexspecificresponsestostressinmice
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AT gerlindeasmetz infraredthermographyrevealssexspecificresponsestostressinmice