Maternal Predator Odor Exposure in Mice Programs Adult Offspring Social Behavior and Increases Stress-Induced Behaviors in Semi-Naturalistic and Commonly-Used Laboratory Tasks
Maternal stress has a profound impact on the long-term behavioral phenotype of offspring, including behavioral responses to stressful and social situations. In this study, we examined the effects of maternal exposure to predator odor, an ethologically relevant psychogenic stressor, on stress-induced...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00136/full |
| _version_ | 1819232151838654464 |
|---|---|
| author | Sophie St-Cyr Sameera Abuaish Richard L. Spinieli Richard L. Spinieli Patrick O. McGowan Patrick O. McGowan Patrick O. McGowan |
| author_facet | Sophie St-Cyr Sameera Abuaish Richard L. Spinieli Richard L. Spinieli Patrick O. McGowan Patrick O. McGowan Patrick O. McGowan |
| author_sort | Sophie St-Cyr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Maternal stress has a profound impact on the long-term behavioral phenotype of offspring, including behavioral responses to stressful and social situations. In this study, we examined the effects of maternal exposure to predator odor, an ethologically relevant psychogenic stressor, on stress-induced behaviors in both semi-naturalistic and laboratory-based situations. Adult C57BL/6 mice offspring of dams exposed to predator odor during the last half of pregnancy showed increased anti-predatory behavior, more cautious foraging behavior and, in the elevated plus maze, avoidance of elevated open areas and elevated open areas following restraint stress challenge. These offspring also exhibited alterations in social behavior including reduced free interaction and increased initial investigation despite normal social recognition. These changes in behavior were associated with increased transcript abundance of corticotropin-releasing factor, mineralocorticoid receptor and oxytocin (Oxt) in the periventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Taken together, the findings are consistent with a long-term increase in ethologically-relevant behavioral and neural responses to stress in male and female offspring as a function of maternal predator odor exposure. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T11:56:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f08bfc437d494f98ad9b48fe39b94f14 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T11:56:18Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-f08bfc437d494f98ad9b48fe39b94f142022-12-21T17:48:05ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532018-07-011210.3389/fnbeh.2018.00136387277Maternal Predator Odor Exposure in Mice Programs Adult Offspring Social Behavior and Increases Stress-Induced Behaviors in Semi-Naturalistic and Commonly-Used Laboratory TasksSophie St-Cyr0Sameera Abuaish1Richard L. Spinieli2Richard L. Spinieli3Patrick O. McGowan4Patrick O. McGowan5Patrick O. McGowan6Center for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaCenter for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaCenter for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaPsychobiology Graduate Program, School of Philosophy, Science and Literature, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilCenter for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaMaternal stress has a profound impact on the long-term behavioral phenotype of offspring, including behavioral responses to stressful and social situations. In this study, we examined the effects of maternal exposure to predator odor, an ethologically relevant psychogenic stressor, on stress-induced behaviors in both semi-naturalistic and laboratory-based situations. Adult C57BL/6 mice offspring of dams exposed to predator odor during the last half of pregnancy showed increased anti-predatory behavior, more cautious foraging behavior and, in the elevated plus maze, avoidance of elevated open areas and elevated open areas following restraint stress challenge. These offspring also exhibited alterations in social behavior including reduced free interaction and increased initial investigation despite normal social recognition. These changes in behavior were associated with increased transcript abundance of corticotropin-releasing factor, mineralocorticoid receptor and oxytocin (Oxt) in the periventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Taken together, the findings are consistent with a long-term increase in ethologically-relevant behavioral and neural responses to stress in male and female offspring as a function of maternal predator odor exposure.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00136/fullstress responsesocial behaviorpredator odorperiventricular nucleusoxytocinmaternal programming |
| spellingShingle | Sophie St-Cyr Sameera Abuaish Richard L. Spinieli Richard L. Spinieli Patrick O. McGowan Patrick O. McGowan Patrick O. McGowan Maternal Predator Odor Exposure in Mice Programs Adult Offspring Social Behavior and Increases Stress-Induced Behaviors in Semi-Naturalistic and Commonly-Used Laboratory Tasks Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience stress response social behavior predator odor periventricular nucleus oxytocin maternal programming |
| title | Maternal Predator Odor Exposure in Mice Programs Adult Offspring Social Behavior and Increases Stress-Induced Behaviors in Semi-Naturalistic and Commonly-Used Laboratory Tasks |
| title_full | Maternal Predator Odor Exposure in Mice Programs Adult Offspring Social Behavior and Increases Stress-Induced Behaviors in Semi-Naturalistic and Commonly-Used Laboratory Tasks |
| title_fullStr | Maternal Predator Odor Exposure in Mice Programs Adult Offspring Social Behavior and Increases Stress-Induced Behaviors in Semi-Naturalistic and Commonly-Used Laboratory Tasks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Maternal Predator Odor Exposure in Mice Programs Adult Offspring Social Behavior and Increases Stress-Induced Behaviors in Semi-Naturalistic and Commonly-Used Laboratory Tasks |
| title_short | Maternal Predator Odor Exposure in Mice Programs Adult Offspring Social Behavior and Increases Stress-Induced Behaviors in Semi-Naturalistic and Commonly-Used Laboratory Tasks |
| title_sort | maternal predator odor exposure in mice programs adult offspring social behavior and increases stress induced behaviors in semi naturalistic and commonly used laboratory tasks |
| topic | stress response social behavior predator odor periventricular nucleus oxytocin maternal programming |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00136/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sophiestcyr maternalpredatorodorexposureinmiceprogramsadultoffspringsocialbehaviorandincreasesstressinducedbehaviorsinseminaturalisticandcommonlyusedlaboratorytasks AT sameeraabuaish maternalpredatorodorexposureinmiceprogramsadultoffspringsocialbehaviorandincreasesstressinducedbehaviorsinseminaturalisticandcommonlyusedlaboratorytasks AT richardlspinieli maternalpredatorodorexposureinmiceprogramsadultoffspringsocialbehaviorandincreasesstressinducedbehaviorsinseminaturalisticandcommonlyusedlaboratorytasks AT richardlspinieli maternalpredatorodorexposureinmiceprogramsadultoffspringsocialbehaviorandincreasesstressinducedbehaviorsinseminaturalisticandcommonlyusedlaboratorytasks AT patrickomcgowan maternalpredatorodorexposureinmiceprogramsadultoffspringsocialbehaviorandincreasesstressinducedbehaviorsinseminaturalisticandcommonlyusedlaboratorytasks AT patrickomcgowan maternalpredatorodorexposureinmiceprogramsadultoffspringsocialbehaviorandincreasesstressinducedbehaviorsinseminaturalisticandcommonlyusedlaboratorytasks AT patrickomcgowan maternalpredatorodorexposureinmiceprogramsadultoffspringsocialbehaviorandincreasesstressinducedbehaviorsinseminaturalisticandcommonlyusedlaboratorytasks |