Rats exposed to traumatic stress bury unfamiliar objects — A novel measure of hyper-vigilance in PTSD models?

Abstract Electric shocks lead to lasting behavioral deficits in rodents, and as such are often used to model post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the laboratory. Here we show that a single exposure of rats to 3 mA-strong shocks results in a marked social avoidance that lasts at least 28 days; moreover, the response intensifies over […]

Voluntary exercise and increased food intake after mild chronic stress improve social avoidance behavior in mice

It is well-established that exercise can influence psychological conditions, cognitive function, and energy metabolism in peripheral tissues including the skeletal muscle. However, it is not clear whether exercise can influence social interaction with others and alleviate defeat stress. This study investigated the effect of voluntary wheel running on impaired social interaction induced by chronic social […]