Animal models of social stress: the dark side of social interactions

Social stress occurs in all social species, including humans, and shape both mental health and future interactions with conspecifics. Animal models of social stress are used to unravel the precise role of the main stress system - the HPA axis - on the one hand, and the social behavior network on the...

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Published in:Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Netherlands), 2018-09, Vol.21 (5), p.417-432
Main Authors: Masis-Calvo, Marianela, Schmidtner, Anna K., de Moura Oliveira, Vinícius E., Grossmann, Cindy P., de Jong, Trynke R., Neumann, Inga D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aggression
Animals
Behavior, Animal - physiology
chronic subordinate colony housing
Humans
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - metabolism
Life sciences
Models, Animal
oxytocin
Oxytocin - metabolism
Pituitary-Adrenal System - metabolism
Sciences du vivant
Social Behavior
social fear
Social stress
Stress, Psychological - metabolism
Stress, Psychological - psychology
Stress, Psychological/metabolism/psychology
vasopressin
Vasopressins - metabolism
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Summary:Social stress occurs in all social species, including humans, and shape both mental health and future interactions with conspecifics. Animal models of social stress are used to unravel the precise role of the main stress system - the HPA axis - on the one hand, and the social behavior network on the other, as these are intricately interwoven. The present review aims to summarize the insights gained from three highly useful and clinically relevant animal models of psychosocial stress: the resident-intruder (RI) test, the chronic subordinate colony housing (CSC), and the social fear conditioning (SFC). Each model brings its own focus: the role of the HPA axis in shaping acute social confrontations (RI test), the physiological and behavioral impairments resulting from chronic exposure to negative social experiences (CSC), and the neurobiology underlying social fear and its effects on future social interactions (SFC). Moreover, these models are discussed with special attention to the HPA axis and the neuropeptides vasopressin and oxytocin, which are important messengers in the stress system, in emotion regulation, as well as in the social behavior network. It appears that both nonapeptides balance the relative strength of the stress response, and simultaneously predispose the animal to positive or negative social interactions.
ISSN:1025-3890
1607-8888
1607-8888
DOI:10.1080/10253890.2018.1462327