Effects of acute restraint stress and clozapine treatment in the modulation of prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex, novel object recognition, social interaction and their neurophysiological correlations in rats

• Grant number: 14/16634-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2015
• End date: August 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Physiological Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Regina Cláudia Barbosa da Silva
• Grantee: Regina Cláudia Barbosa da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Stress has been associated with a greater risk for different clinical conditions, including psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. The aim of the present study is to test the hypothesis that exposure to stress procedure by acute restraint would affect cognitive and social function in male Wistar rats. Restraint will be used as a stressor since previous evidence shows that it is one of the most useful types of inescapable stress for the study of stress-induced behavioral alterations and neuroplastic changes. The cognitive domains of interest in this study will be attention and memory that will be measure by two tests: Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response and Novel Object Recognition task, respectively. PPI is the reduction in the startle response caused by a low intensity non-startling stimulus (prepulse) which is presented shortly before the startle stimulus (pulse) and is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating. PPI is impaired in schizophrenia patients. The Novel Object Recognition task measures visual memory and allows the comparison between presented stimuli and previously stored information. Social behavior is frequently impaired in schizophrenic patients. To test social withdrawal we will use the social interaction task that measures a range of behaviors displayed by a subject when exposed to an unfamiliar conspecific. In an attempt to draw a parallel with the clinical we will also investigate the ability of the atypical antipsychotic clozapine (5 mg/kg; IP) to reverse the deficits, produced by exposure to acute restraint, in the behavioral parameters evaluated. Moreover, an analysis of fos protein immunoreactivity (fos-ir) will be used to map areas activated by exposure of male Wistar rats to the restraint stress. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE OLIVEIRA, RODOLPHO PEREIRA; NAGAISHI, KAREN YURIKO; BARBOSA SILVA, REGINA CLAUDIA. Atypical antipsychotic clozapine reversed deficit on prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex produced by microinjection of DOI into the inferior colliculus in rats. Behavioural Brain Research, v. 325, n. A, p. 72-78, MAY 15 2017. (14/16634-1)

DE OLIVEIRA, RODOLPHO PEREIRA; DE ANDRADE, JOSE SIMOES; SPINA, MARIANNA; CHAMON, JOAO VITOR; DIAS SILVA, PAULO HENRIQUE; WERDER, ANA KEYLA; ORTOLANI, DANIELA; CARDOSO THOMAZ, LUCAS DE SANTANA; ROMARIZ, SIMONE; RIBEIRO, DANIEL ARAKI; et al. Clozapine prevented social interaction deficits and reduced c-Fos immunoreactivity expression in several brain areas of rats exposed to acute restraint stress. PLoS One, v. 17, n. 3, p. 19-pg., 2022-03-03. (17/17051-8, 14/16634-1)

DE OLIVEIRA, RODOLPHO PEREIRA; NAGAISHI, KAREN YURIKO; BARBOSA SILVA, REGINA CLAUDIA. Atypical antipsychotic clozapine reversed deficit on prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex produced by microinjection of DOI into the inferior colliculus in rats. Behavioural Brain Research, v. 325, p. 7-pg., 2017-05-15. (14/16634-1)