Adolescent traumatic stress experience shapes adulthood fear conditioning and extinction responses

Abstract

A traumatic stress paradigm (underwater trauma, UWT) was used to model an intense developmental stress event during adolescence, and evaluate effects on fear and stress response lasting into adulthood. Adolescent rats (P37) were exposed to UWT or swim without submersion. Rats were then allowed to reach adulthood (P114) and fear conditioned using light and sound (conditioned stimulus), with or without footshock (unconditioned stimulus). After a three‐week fear incubation period, rats were given one extinction trial per day for five consecutive days using an operant behavior conditioned suppression task. Preliminary results suggest that adolescent traumatic stress experience shapes some aspects of adulthood stress response severity, and residual fear responses after five extinction trials.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2013
Source ID
10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.661.11

Entities

People

  • Nicole L.t. Moore
  • Raymond F. Genovese
  • Sangeeta Gauchan

Organizations

  • United States Army Medical Research and Development Command

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.
  • Toxicology/Environmental Toxicology