56. Milk oligosaccharides attenuate stressor-induced anxiety-like behavior in C57BL/6 mice

• Published in: Brain, behavior, and immunity behavior, and immunity, 2014-09, Vol.40, p.e17-e17
• Main Authors: Tarr, A.J, Chichlowski, M, Berg, B.M, Bailey, M.T
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergy and Immunology; Psychiatry
• ISSN: 0889-1591; 1090-2139
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.06.076

Stressor exposure significantly alters the structure of commensal microbial communities in the intestines, with studies often finding a significant reduction in the relative abundance of beneficial microbes within the genus Lactobacillus . Because consumption of probiotic lactobacilli can reduce anxiety, we sought to determine whether prebiotics that support the growth of beneficial commensal microbes would attenuate stressor-induced anxiety-like behavior. Mice (6–8 weeks old) were fed standard laboratory chow, or laboratory chow containing milk oligosaccharides 3′Sialyllactose (3SL) or 6′Sialyllactose (6SL) for two weeks prior to being exposed to either a social disruption stressor or a non-stressed control condition. As previously reported, exposure to the stressor resulted in anxiety-like behavior in mice fed a control diet. In comparison to non-stressed control mice, stressor-exposed mice spent significantly more time in the dark in the light:dark preference test and spent more time in the periphery of the open field. However, the behavior of stressor-exposed and non-stressed mice fed 3SL or 6SL was similar in both the light:dark preference task and the open field, indicating that these prebiotics can attenuate the effects of the stressor on anxiety-like behavior. Ongoing studies are determining activation profiles within the central nervous system and assessing microbial community structure in the intestines of mice given prebiotics during stressor exposure.