Effects of tactile stimulation and underwater trauma on the behavior of protein-malnourished rats in the elevated plus-maze test

Autor(es)

Alicia Cabral ^[1] ; Sebastião Sousa Almeida ^[2]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Universidade de São Paulo - Brasil

^[2] Universidade de São Paulo - Brasil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Psychology & Neuroscience; v. 1, n. 1, p. 67-72, 2008-06-00.

Resumo

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the interaction of two kinds of external stimuli (long-term tactile stimulation and underwater trauma) on the exploratory behavior of malnourished rats in an elevated plus maze (EPM). The results showed that tactile stimulation partially recovered body weight deficits produced by malnutrition and decreased EPM exploration. Malnutrition increased EPM exploration while underwater trauma decreased it, thus reducing differences between well nourished and malnourished animals. These data show that only one of the two external stimuli (underwater trauma) interacted with diet condition, suggesting that the stress caused by trauma was efficient in decreasing higher EPM exploration, equalizing the response of malnourished animals to that of non-traumatized well-nourished animals. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 02/05674-5 - Efeitos da desnutrição precoce em modelos de interação social, exploração, aprendizagem, memória e ansiedade em ratos: uma análise comportamental e farmacológica
• Beneficiário: Sebastião de Sousa Almeida
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular