Sex and age differences in the impact of the forced swimming test on the levels of steroid hormones

Abstract Compared with the adult disorder, depression in children exhibits differences in its neurobiology, particularly in the HPA axis regulation. The bases of such differences can be evaluated in animal models of depression. The objective of the present study was to determine age and sex differen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiology & behavior 2011-10, Vol.104 (5), p.900-905
Main Authors: Martínez-Mota, Lucía, Ulloa, Rosa-Elena, Herrera-Pérez, Jaime, Chavira, Roberto, Fernández-Guasti, Alonso
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
adults
Aging - physiology
Analysis of Variance
animal models
Animals
Anxiety - blood
Anxiety - physiopathology
behavior change
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
blood serum
children
corticosterone
Depression
Disease Models, Animal
Estrogens
Female
Forced swimming test
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
gender differences
Male
males
Medical sciences
Mood disorders
Motor Activity
Neurodevelopment
neurophysiology
Prepubertal rats
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Sex Characteristics
Steroid hormone levels
steroid hormones
Steroids - blood
swimming
Swimming - psychology
testosterone
Time Factors
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Summary:Abstract Compared with the adult disorder, depression in children exhibits differences in its neurobiology, particularly in the HPA axis regulation. The bases of such differences can be evaluated in animal models of depression. The objective of the present study was to determine age and sex differences of Wistar rats in the forced swimming test (FST). The influence of sex and age on corticosterone, estrogens and testosterone serum levels was also determined. Prepubertal rats showed immobility, swimming and climbing behaviors during the pre-test and test sessions. In addition, in the prepubertal animals, no sex differences were found during the pre-test and test sessions. Age comparisons indicated no differences in the female groups, however adult males exhibited more immobility and less swimming than young males, in both FST sessions. The young and female rats showed less immobility behavior and increased levels of estrogens after the FST. The present results indicate that the FST is an animal model suitable to evaluate depressive-like behaviors in prepubertal subjects and to explore behavioral changes related to neurodevelopment.
ISSN:0031-9384
1873-507X
DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.05.027