Affiliation in periadolescent rats: behavioral and corticosterone response to social reunion with familiar or unfamiliar partners
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the social relationship between periadolescent rats, which is characterized by a high expression of play behavior, resembles attachment or whether it reflects a nonspecific social attraction between peers. Sprague-Dawley rats have been kept in pairs with a conspecific of the same age and sex from the time of weaning (PND 21). On PND 34, the members of each pair were separated for a 24-h period and randomly assigned to one of three groups: a) immediately sacrificed (NT = nontreated); b) reunited for 30 min with their previous cagemate (FAM); or c) with an unfamiliar conspecific of the same age and sex (UNF). During the reunion, the occurrence of both social and nonsocial behaviors was scored. Overall, periadolescent UNF animals spent more time in social investigation than FAM rats, which were conversely more involved in cage-oriented activities. In addition, higher levels of rough-and-tumble play were expressed in encounters between UNF subjects than between FAM rats. Finally, within the female group, UNF rats were more involved in play soliciting and less in digging activity than FAM animals. Blood corticosterone levels, which were measured at the end of the separation period, were higher in females than in males and were significantly lower than following reunion in a novel environment. The degree of familiarity did not affect hormonal changes. Results suggest that periadolescent rats do not form attachment relationships with…
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Play-soliciting behaviors are higher in females than in males when playing with an unfamiliar partner.
“In fact, play-soliciting behaviors were found to be higher in females than in males when playing with an unfamiliar partner (Cirulli et al., 1996).”
From Sex-specific modulation of juvenile social play by vasopressin (2013) · cites this paper as Cirulli et al., 1996
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The adolescent brain and age-related behavioral manifestations
Spear, L. P. (2000) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/s0149-7634(00)00014-2 · Cited by 5,433 · see citing works
Internet addiction in adolescence: neurobiological, psychosocial and clinical issues
Cerniglia, L., Zoratto, F., Cimino, S., Laviola, G., Ammaniti, M., & Adriani, W. (2017) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.024 · Cited by 371 · see citing works
Self-citationPeculiar vulnerability to nicotine oral self-administration in mice during early adolescence
Adriani, W. (2002) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/s0893-133x(02)00295-6 · Cited by 214 · see citing works
Sex-specific modulation of juvenile social play by vasopressin
Veenema, A. H., Bredewold, R., & De Vries, G. J. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.06.002 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
“In fact, play-soliciting behaviors were found to be higher in females than in males when playing with an unfamiliar partner (Cirulli et al., 1996).”
BackgroundEthanol‐induced conditioned taste aversion in male Sprague‐Dawley rats: impact of age and stress
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Orsucci, I. C., Becker, K. D., Ham, J. R., Lee, J. D. A., Bowden, S. M., & Veenema, A. H. (2025) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115080 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Cirulli, F., Terranova, M. L., & Laviola, G.
- Affiliations
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità (IT)
- ORCID
- Cirulli, Francesca
- Venue
- Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1996-05
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 99-105
- ISSN
- 0091-3057 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1966120848
- Cited by
- 92
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Keywords
- social affiliation, periadolescence, attachment, partner familiarity, corticosterone, rough-and-tumble play, social investigation, sex differences
- MeSH terms
- Aging, Animals, Corticosterone, Exploratory Behavior, Female, Male, Sex Characteristics, Social Behavior, Social Environment, Time Factors, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Rats
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