EFFECT OF EARLY POSTNATAL STRESS UPON PSYCHOEMOTIONAL STATE AND DEVELOPMENT OF EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF HIGH-CARBOHYDRATE FOOD IN RATS

Abstract

Perinatal, especially early postnatal stress can have a significant impact on the physical and psychoemotional state of the developing organism, and lead to the development of addiction. Stress at an early age can cause anxiety, depression, and reduced learning in adulthood. The aim of this study is to study the influence of different types of stress at an early age on the psychoemotional state, behavior, memory, and on the development of a tendency to excessive consumption of high carbohydrate foods in rats. The study was conducted on the offspring of Wistar rats. The animals were divided into 4 groups of 20-30 in each: 1st - intact baby rats, 2nd - cubs separated from the mother for 180 minutes, 3rd - separated from the mother for 30 minutes, and 4th group «neonatal handling». From the second to the 12th day of the study, the rats of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th groups were exposed to the corresponding type of stress daily. At the age of 4 months, the tests «Open Field» and «Eight arm radial maze», «Forced swimming» and «Two bottle test» were performed. According to the results of the tests «Open Field» and «Eight arm radial maze», the most hyperactive, anxious and least trainable rats were separated from their mother for 180 minutes. Rats from the «handling» group had higher research activity, stress resistance and learning ability, and better long term memory. According to the results of the «Forced Swimming Test», the rats that were weaned for 30 minutes were more «depressed». Pronounced carbohydrate dependence was observed in a group of rats with weaning for 180 minutes. During the tests, aggressive behavior was observed in the rats weaned for 30 minutes. Thus, stress at an early age leads to the development of long term consequences such as hyperactivity disorder, a tendency to develop depression and various addictions, this should be taken into account when developing new methods of psychotherapeutic and pharmacological correction.