Effects of early and late adverse experiences on intake behavior of rats subjected to stress during adulthood

Abstract

The aim of this study was to ascertain the effect on intake behavior, in adult rats subjected to intermittent chronic stress, through the alteration of the early rat-breeding linkage and altering the late social linkage through isolation, Twenty-eight newborn female rats were used. Experimental groups were exposed to early (E1), late (E2), and early-late (E3) adverse experiences, and subjected to intermittent chronic stress, for six days, in adulthood. The behavior was evaluated at the anticipatory and stress stages. Regarding body mass there was significant differences in the initial mass (day 1) between groups. The final mass (day 6) was higher in the E3 group showing significant differences with the E1 and E2 groups. The group subjected to early adverse experiences presented the highest average caloric intake in both the anticipatory and stress stages. In terms of the intake behavior observed in the different groups for day 1, there was greater consumption in the anticipatory stage than in the stress stage, with a tendency to harmonize intake among all the groups by day 6. Under chronic stress situation, total caloric intake from Quaker Quadritos (R) was higher in groups E1 and E2 than in the group controls. The early and late adverse experiences are factors that influence confrontation strategies at a stressful situation favoring higher calorie intake and food choice palatable.