Presentation Title
The Effects of Social Defeat Stress on Anxiety-Inducing Situations
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
College
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Major
Biology
Psychology
Session Number
3
Location
RM 211
Juror Names
Moderator: Dr. Christopher Gentry
Start Date
5-21-2015 4:40 PM
End Date
5-21-2015 5:00 PM
Abstract
Adolescence is the peak age range for the development of a mood related disorder due to immense stress from a number of competing factors. Additionally, juveniles are at a higher risk for developing a mood-related disorder, such as depression. Among youths with depression, anxiety is the most common comorbid disorder with rates ranging from 15 to 75 percent. Past research has shown that when paired with depression, anxiety becomes increasingly severe. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 1 in 8 children are diagnosed with anxiety. In order to study novel treatments or consequences of drug therapies, we must have a model to examine anxiety at the preclinical level. To create this model, c57/BL6 mice were exposed to social defeat stress across ten days. 24 hours after the last day of defeat, adolescent mice were then tested on the elevated plus maze and open field test. Socially defeated mice expressed avoidance-like behaviors as inferred by spending significantly less time exploring the open arms of the elevated plus maze and the center of the open field test compared to their non-defeated counterparts. These results illustrate the capability of the social defeat stress model in inducing an anxiety-like phenotype. Findings from the current experiment are crucial for limitless future studies in anxiety affecting the pediatric population by generating a foundation to study this disorder at the preclinical level.
The Effects of Social Defeat Stress on Anxiety-Inducing Situations
RM 211
Adolescence is the peak age range for the development of a mood related disorder due to immense stress from a number of competing factors. Additionally, juveniles are at a higher risk for developing a mood-related disorder, such as depression. Among youths with depression, anxiety is the most common comorbid disorder with rates ranging from 15 to 75 percent. Past research has shown that when paired with depression, anxiety becomes increasingly severe. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 1 in 8 children are diagnosed with anxiety. In order to study novel treatments or consequences of drug therapies, we must have a model to examine anxiety at the preclinical level. To create this model, c57/BL6 mice were exposed to social defeat stress across ten days. 24 hours after the last day of defeat, adolescent mice were then tested on the elevated plus maze and open field test. Socially defeated mice expressed avoidance-like behaviors as inferred by spending significantly less time exploring the open arms of the elevated plus maze and the center of the open field test compared to their non-defeated counterparts. These results illustrate the capability of the social defeat stress model in inducing an anxiety-like phenotype. Findings from the current experiment are crucial for limitless future studies in anxiety affecting the pediatric population by generating a foundation to study this disorder at the preclinical level.
