Long-term behavioral and neurochemical effects of chronic stress exposure in rats

J Neurochem. 2001 Dec;79(6):1113-21. doi: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2001.00665.x.

Abstract

Rats exposed to acute unavoidable stress develop a deficit in escaping avoidable aversive stimuli that lasts as long as unavoidable stress exposure is repeated. A 3-week exposure to unavoidable stress also reduces dopamine (DA) output in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcS). This study showed that a 7-day exposure to unavoidable stress induced in rats an escape deficit and a decrease in extraneuronal DA basal concentration in the NAcS. Moreover, animals had reduced DA and serotonin (5-HT) accumulation after cocaine administration in the medial pre-frontal cortex (mPFC) and NAcS, compared with control animals. After a 3-week exposure to unavoidable stress, escape deficit and reduced DA output in the NAcS were still significant at day 14 after the last stress administration. In the mPFC we observed: (i) a short-term reduction in DA basal levels that was back to control values at day 14; (ii) a decrease in DA accumulation at day 3 followed by a significant increase beyond control values at day 14; (iii) a significant reduction in 5-HT extraneuronal basal levels at day 3, but not at day 14. Finally, a significant decrease in 5-HT accumulation following cocaine administration was present in the NAcS and mPFC at day 3, but not at day 14. In conclusion, a long-term stress exposure induced long-lasting behavioral sequelae associated with reproducible neurochemical modifications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chronic Disease
  • Cocaine / pharmacology
  • Dopamine / deficiency*
  • Dopamine / metabolism
  • Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Escape Reaction*
  • Helplessness, Learned
  • Male
  • Microdialysis
  • Muscarinic Antagonists / pharmacology
  • Nucleus Accumbens / metabolism*
  • Prefrontal Cortex / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Restraint, Physical / adverse effects*
  • Restraint, Physical / psychology
  • Scopolamine / pharmacology
  • Serotonin / deficiency*
  • Serotonin / metabolism
  • Stress, Physiological / physiopathology*
  • Stress, Physiological / psychology
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors
  • Muscarinic Antagonists
  • Serotonin
  • Scopolamine
  • Cocaine
  • Dopamine