Author(s)

Anna Yu. Shishelova, Kirill S. Smirnov, Vladimir V. Raevskiy^*

Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS Moscow, Moscow, Russia.

The effect of complete social deprivation in early postnatal ontogenesis on adult behavior in Wag/Rij rats with a genetic predisposition to the development of absence epilepsy was studied. From the 2^nd to the 8^th day of life, a 3-hour daily isolation of the pups from the mother and siblings was performed, the control animals were handled. In adulthood, offspring behavior was tested in an elevated plus-maze, an open field, and for an ability to learn the conditioned reflex of active avoidance. In isolated earlier rats, an increase in emotional reactivity, exploratory behavior in a potentially dangerous space, the speed of learning a conditioned reflex with negative painful reinforcement, and a disturbance of the formation of a defensive reaction were revealed. It is assumed that high emotional reactivity creates the prerequisites for the development of absence epilepsy.

Ontogenesis, Absence Epilepsy, Behavior, Wag/Rij Rats

Shishelova, A. , Smirnov, K. and Raevskiy, V. (2019) Social Deprivation of Newborn Rats Modifies Exploratory and Defensive Behavior at Mature Age. Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science, 9, 375-384. doi: 10.4236/jbbs.2019.910028.