Maternal separation enhances offensive play-fighting, basal corticosterone and hypothalamic vasopressin mRNA expression in juvenile male rats
Abstract
Early life stress is a risk factor for altered adult emotionality including impaired social behavior, enhanced aggression and violence. These behavioral deficits most likely have an earlier onset in life. We recently demonstrated that maternal separation (MS, 3h daily on postnatal day 1-14) increased intermale aggression in adult Wistar rats. Here, we investigated whether MS induced alterations in juvenile play-fighting, which is a precursor of aggression. MS increased offensive play-fighting behaviors in juvenile male rats, as indicated by a twofold increase in the number of nape attacks, a higher frequency of offensive pulling and biting, and a lower frequency of submissive play behaviors. Furthermore, MS rats showed higher plasma corticosterone levels and higher vasopressin mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis compared with control rats during the early dark phase. Thus, MS enhanced aggressive play-fighting accompanied by changes in several relevant neuroendocrine parameters. Taken together with previous findings, the increase in aggressive behaviors both at juvenile and adult age illustrates that exposure to MS alters the way rats cope with social conflict situations throughout life.
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Social play activities were found to be altered in juvenile male rats that were exposed to either maternal separation or prenatal immune stress.
“Likewise, social play activities were found to be altered in juvenile male rats that were exposed to either maternal separation (Veenema and Neumann, 2009) or prenatal immune stress (Taylor et al., 2012).”
From Sex-specific modulation of juvenile social play behavior by vasopressin and oxytocin depends on social context (2014) · cites this paper as Veenema and Neumann, 2009
In the PVN, AVP mRNA expression is altered by experimental manipulations that impact agonistic and affiliative interactions, including play.
“In the PVN, AVP mRNA expression is altered by experimental manipulations that impact agonistic and affiliative interactions, including play (Veenema et al., 2006; Veenema and Neumann, 2009; Murakami et al., 2011; De Souza et al., 2013).”
From Sexually dimorphic role for vasopressin in the development of social play (2014) · cites this paper as Veenema and Neumann, 2009
Increased PVN AVP mRNA expression accompanies enhanced offensive play behaviors in juvenile male rats after early postnatal maternal separation.
“increased PVN AVP mRNA expression that accompanies enhanced offensive play behaviors in juvenile male rats after early postnatal maternal separation (Veenema and Neumann, 2009)”
From Sexually dimorphic role for vasopressin in the development of social play (2014) · cites this paper as Veenema and Neumann, 2009
Various early-life manipulations can increase or decrease play of juvenile males, or affect both sexes equivalently.
“various early-life manipulations can increase or decrease play of juvenile males (Veenema and Neumann, 2009; Edelmann et al., 2013), or affect both sexes equivalently (Karkow and Lucion, 2013).”
From Sexually dimorphic role for vasopressin in the development of social play (2014) · cites this paper as Veenema and Neumann, 2009
In rats, 3-6 h of daily maternal separation in the first 2 or 3 weeks of life either increased, decreased, or did not affect play behavior.
“In rats, 3–6 h of daily maternal separation in the first 2 or 3 weeks of life either increased (Veenema and Neumann, 2009; Zimmerberg and Sageser, 2011; Lundberg et al., 2017), decreased (Muhammad and Kolb, 2011), or did not affect (Arnold and Siviy, 2002) play behavior.”
From Effects of Maternal Deprivation and Complex Housing on Rat Social Behavior in Adolescence and Adulthood (2018) · cites this paper as Veenema and Neumann, 2009
Social play is modulated by early life experiences.
“Importantly, social play has been shown to be modulated by early life experiences.”
Early life stress elicits both increased play fighting and adult aggressive behaviors in different species.
“This finding is consistent with former observations in different species showing that both increased play fighting and adult aggressive behaviors are elicited by early life stress.”
Early-life stress has been shown to alter play fighting in rats and hamsters and to increase aggressive behaviors at adulthood.
“Early-life stress has been shown to alter play fighting in rats and hamsters as well as to increase aggressive behaviors at adulthood.”
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Self-citationSex-specific modulation of juvenile social play by vasopressin
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“This finding is also consistent with increased PVN AVP mRNA expression that accompanies enhanced offensive play behaviors in juvenile male rats after early postnatal maternal separation (Veenema and Neumann, 2009).”
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Evaluating the play fighting of rats: A sociological perspective
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- Authors
- Veenema, A. H., & Neumann, I. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Regensburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Neumann, Inga D.
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-04
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 463-467
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1977029849
- Cited by
- 191
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 10.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Regensburg Publication Server (University of Regensburg) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Keywords
- maternal separation, early life stress, aggression, corticosterone, vasopressin, paraventricular nucleus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, hypothalamus, social conflict, young rats
- MeSH terms
- Aging, Agonistic Behavior, Animals, Corticosterone, Hypothalamus, Male, Maternal Deprivation, Play and Playthings, RNA, Messenger, Vasopressins, Rats, Wistar, Rats
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