A predator-based psychosocial stress animal model of PTSD in females: Influence of estrous phase and ovarian hormones

Traumatized women are more likely than traumatized men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Still, the inclusion of females in animal models of PTSD has largely been avoided, likely due to the variable hormone profile of female rodents. Because a valid animal model of PTSD that incorpor...

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Published in:Hormones and behavior 2019-09, Vol.115, p.104564-104564, Article 104564
Main Authors: Zoladz, Phillip R., D'Alessio, Paul A., Seeley, Sarah L., Kasler, Charis D., Goodman, Cassandra S., Mucher, Kasey E., Allison, Alanis S., Smith, Ian F., Dodson, Jordan L., Stoops, Thorne S., Rorabaugh, Boyd R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal model
Animals
Anxiety - etiology
Anxiety - metabolism
Anxiety - physiopathology
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Disease Models, Animal
Estrous
Estrous Cycle - metabolism
Estrous Cycle - physiology
Female
Ovariectomy
PTSD
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reflex, Startle - physiology
Sex differences
Stress
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - metabolism
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology
Stress, Psychological - complications
Stress, Psychological - metabolism
Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
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Summary:Traumatized women are more likely than traumatized men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Still, the inclusion of females in animal models of PTSD has largely been avoided, likely due to the variable hormone profile of female rodents. Because a valid animal model of PTSD that incorporates females is still needed, we examined the influence of estrous stage and ovarian hormones on the female rat response to a predator-based psychosocial stress model of PTSD. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to psychosocial stress or control conditions for 31 days. Stressed rats were given two cat exposures and daily social instability; control rats were handled daily. Beginning on Day 32, rats underwent physiological or behavioral testing. In Experiment 1, vaginal smears were collected on days of the first and second cat exposures and each day of behavioral testing to determine estrous stage. In Experiments 2 and 3, ovariectomized or sham control rats were exposed to stress or control conditions. Then, they were given behavioral testing (Exp 2), or their hearts were isolated and subjected to ischemia/reperfusion on a Langendorff isolated heart system (Exp 3). Chronic stress increased anxiety-like behavior, irrespective of estrous stage or ovariectomy condition. Ovariectomized females displayed greater startle responses and anxiety-like behavior than sham rats. Stress had no impact on myocardial sensitivity to ischemic injury; however, ovariectomized females exhibited greater ischemia-induced infarction than sham rats. These findings suggest that ovarian hormones may prevent anxiety-like behavior and be cardioprotective in non-stressed controls, but they do not interact with chronic stress to influence the development of PTSD-like sequelae in female rats. •Chronic stress led to PTSD-like behavioral alterations in female rats.•Estrous stage and ovariectomy did not impact the stress-induced changes in females.•Ovariectomized rats exhibited greater anxiety and startle responses than sham rats.•Ovariectomized rats displayed greater myocardial sensitivity to ischemic injury.
ISSN:0018-506X
1095-6867
DOI:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104564