Environmental Enrichment Reverses the Effects of Maternal Separation on Stress Reactivity

Postnatal maternal separation increases hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) gene expression and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and behavioral responses to stress. We report here that environmental enrichment during the peripubertal period completely reverses the effects of matern...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of neuroscience 2002-09, Vol.22 (18), p.7840-7843
Main Authors: Francis, Darlene D, Diorio, Josie, Plotsky, Paul M, Meaney, Michael J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Appetitive Behavior - physiology
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Brain - metabolism
Brain Chemistry
Brief Communication
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone - genetics
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone - metabolism
Exploratory Behavior - physiology
Handling, Psychological
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - physiology
In Situ Hybridization
Maternal Deprivation
Pituitary-Adrenal System - physiology
Rats
Rats, Long-Evans
Receptors, Glucocorticoid - genetics
Receptors, Glucocorticoid - metabolism
RNA, Messenger - analysis
RNA, Messenger - metabolism
Social Environment
Stress, Physiological - physiopathology
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Summary:Postnatal maternal separation increases hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) gene expression and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and behavioral responses to stress. We report here that environmental enrichment during the peripubertal period completely reverses the effects of maternal separation on both HPA and behavioral responses to stress, with no effect on CRF mRNA expression. We conclude that environmental enrichment leads to a functional reversal of the effects of maternal separation through compensation for, rather than reversal of, the neural effects of early life adversity.
ISSN:0270-6474
1529-2401
1529-2401
DOI:10.1523/jneurosci.22-18-07840.2002