Consequences of two types of social defeat stress (episodic vs. continuous) on ethanol's stimulant effects and levels of monoamines and corticosterone

• Grant number: 14/14623-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Neuropsychopharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Isabel Marian Hartmann de Quadros
• Grantee: Cristiane Aparecida Favoretto
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In humans as in animal models, chronic exposure to stress seems to promote enduring and persistent effects on behaviors, neuroendocrine physhiology and central nervous system function of individuals. For this reason, stress is considered an important vulnerability factor for neuropsychiatric diseases, drug abuse and dependence. Social defeat has been used as an animal model to study social stress and its consequences on behavioral, neural and endocrine function, particularly in rats and mice. However, two different protocols of social defeat (episodic vs. continuous) seem to promote opposite effects on behavior and neurochemistry transmission, especially concerning the effects of psychostimulant drugs. The current proposal aims to evaluate and compare the consequences of repeated exposure to social defeat stress (episodic defeat vs. continuous defeat) on ethanol-induced stimulation in male Swiss mice. The study will also assess plasmatic corticosterone and brain monoamine levels in specific brain regions associated with reward and motivation, in animals previously exposed to the two protocols of social defeat. Two experiments will be carried out with mice that undergo the episodic (experiment 1) or the continuous protocol of social defeat (experiment 2), and are then assessed for ethanol-induced stimulation. Blood samples will be collected to determine plasma corticosterone, a stress-related hormone. After the ethanol test, brains will be collected for posterior assessment of brain monoamine concentrations in regions of interest, using HPLC.

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)

FAVORETTO, CRISTIANE A.; NUNES, YASMIN C.; MACEDO, GIOVANA C.; ROCHA LOPES, JANAINA SILVA; HARTMANN QUADROS, ISABEL M.. Chronic social defeat stress: Impacts on ethanol-induced stimulation, corticosterone response, and brain monoamine levels. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, v. 34, n. 4, JAN 2020. (14/14623-2, 16/04309-4, 13/01562-2)

HARTMANN QUADROS, ISABEL MARIAN; MACEDO, GIOVANA CAMILA; DOMINGUES, LIZ PAOLA; FAVORETTO, CRISTIANE APARECIDA. An Update on CRF Mechanisms Underlying Alcohol Use Disorders and Dependence. FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY, v. 7, OCT 21 2016. (14/14623-2, 13/01562-2)

FAVORETTO, CRISTIANE A.; MACEDO, GIOVANA C.; QUADROS, ISABEL M. H.. Effects of ethanol on social avoidance induced by chronic social defeat stress in mice. STRESS-THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON THE BIOLOGY OF STRESS, v. 20, n. 1, p. 68-74, 2017. (14/14623-2)