Cited by 235Stress Responses and CortisolNeuroendocrine regulation and behaviorNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Consequences of post-weaning social isolation on anxiety behavior and related neural circuits in rodents

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Lukkes, Jodi L.·2009·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

Abstract

Exposure to adverse experiences in early-life is implicated in the later vulnerability to development of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and affective disorders in humans. Adverse early-life experiences likely impart their long-term consequences on mental health by disrupting the normal development of neural systems involved in stress responses, emotional behavior and emotional states. Neural systems utilizing the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) are implicated in mediating emotive behaviors, and dysfunction of these neurochemical systems is associated with mood/anxiety disorders. These neural systems continue maturing until early or mid-adolescence in humans, thus alterations to their development are likely to contribute to the long-term consequences of adverse early-life experiences. A large body of literature suggests that post-weaning isolation rearing of rodents models the behavioral consequences of adverse early-life experiences in humans. Overall, the majority findings suggest that post-weaning social isolation that encompasses pre-adolescence produces long-lasting alterations to anxiety behavior, while measures of monoaminergic activity in various limbic regions during social isolation suggest alterations to dopamine and serotonin systems. The goal of this review is to evaluate and integrate findings from post-weaning social isolation studies specifically related to altered fear and anxiety behaviors and associated changes in neuroendocrine function and the activity of monoaminergic systems.

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Crossref · 10.3389/neuro.08.018.2009

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  • Complete social isolation in adolescent rodents evokes widespread structural and functional brain changes, most prominently in dopamine and serotonin systems and cortical/striatal targets.

    “Complete social isolation in adolescent rodents evokes widespread structural and functional changes in the brain, most prominently in neuromodulatory dopamine and serotonin systems and particularly within cortical and striatal targets.33, 36, 37”

    From The effects of social deprivation on adolescent development and mental health (2020) · cites this paper as [37]

    The sections on dopaminergic function report isolation-associated changes in dopamine innervation and activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, alongside changes in serotonin activity. But the review focuses on particular anxiety-related circuits; it does not establish that structural and functional changes are widespread across the brain or that cortical and striatal targets are the most affected. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • Rodent development progresses through similar stages as human development.

    “An advantage of rodent animal models such as mice and rats is that their development progresses through similar stages as human development.37”
  • Most consistent findings report increased dopamine release in reward regions such as nucleus accumbens and decreased dopamine activity in prefrontal cortex following adolescent isolation.

    “More specifically, although some divergent effects have been observed, the most consistent findings report that dopamine release in reward regions such as the nucleus accumbens increases following adolescent isolation, but dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex decreases.33, 36, 37”
  • By depriving animals of play experiences that normally guide cortical development, post-weaning social isolation is conceptualized as a rodent model of adolescent adversity with long-lasting effects on neurobiology and behavior.

    “By depriving animals of the play experiences that normally guide cortical development, post-weaning social isolation is conceptualized as a rodent model of adolescent adversity with long-lasting effects on neurobiology and behavior (Fone and Porkess, 2008; Lukkes et al., 2009; Robbins, 2016).”

    From The effects of early life stress on reward processing (2018) · cites this paper as Lukkes et al., 2009

  • Post-weaning social isolation during the juvenile and adolescent period produces sensory processing deficits and increases in fear and anxiety-like behavior.

    “While pre-weaning maternal separation is often conceptualized as early life neglect and results in a depressive-like phenotype (Pryce et al., 2005), post-weaning social isolation during the juvenile and adolescent period produces sensory processing deficits and increases in fear and anxiety-like behavior (Fone and Porkess, 2008; Lukkes et al., 2009).”

    From The effects of early life stress on reward processing (2018) · cites this paper as Lukkes et al., 2009

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Authors
Lukkes, J. L.
Affiliations
University of Colorado Boulder (US)
Corresponding author
Lukkes, Jodi L.
Venue
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
Published
2009
Volume
3
Pages
18-18
ISSN
1662-5153 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2074801302
Cited by
235
References
138
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 9
FWCI
4.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (CAREER)
  • National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA019921)
  • National Center for Research Resources (P20RR015567)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
post-weaning social isolation, childhood adversity, anxiety-like behavior, fear behavior, monoaminergic systems, serotonin, dopamine, corticotropin-releasing factor, neuroendocrine function, limbic system, late childhood, psychiatric vulnerability, rodent models

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