THE EFFECTS OF STRESS IN EARLY AND LATE ADOLESCENCE ON THE ANXIETY-LIKE, DEPRESSION-LIKE, AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF MALE AND FEMALE ADULT MICE

Abstract

The effects of adolescent stress on behaviour, and social behaviour in particular, has been scarcely studied despite possible increased neural sensitivity to stress due to the extensive neural development characterizing adolescence. Despite the continuous development of the brain and HPA axis throughout this stage, differential sensitivity to stress in sub-periods within adolescence have been scarcely explored. The effects of chronic psychological stress in early and late adolescence on anxiety-like, depression-like, and social behaviour in male and female mice were investigated. All stressed mice showed hyperactivity and increased anxiety-like and pro-social behaviours, and females showed anhedonia while males showed increased sucrose preference. Early adolescent stress also produced opposite changes in rearing in males and females. This study provides evidence that stress during adolescence leads to long-term effects on behaviour, that these effects can differ based on sex, and that certain aspects of behaviour can be differentially affected by stress in different sub-stages within adolescence.