Meeting Abstract

P2.126  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Prenatal Social Stress Affects Siberian Hamster (Phodopus sungorus) Offspring Social Behavior and Physiology ANDRIEUX, S.J.*; CHESTER, E.M.; DEMAS, G.E.; SUNY College at Old Westbury; Indiana University ; Indiana University sybandrew@yahoo.com

The in utero environment can exert profound influences on both mother and offspring, resulting in modified adult offspring physiology and behavior. The present study examined the effects of social stress on physiology and behavior in both mothers and adult offspring. We hypothesized that prenatal animals exposed to social stress would display increased behavioral (i.e., aggression, submission) and endocrine responsiveness, while suppressing immune activity. To test this, pregnant hamsters received either social interactions or a handling control. Social interactions involved placing an animal in a resident’s home cage for five minutes for the last six nights of gestation. Control hamsters were placed in soiled resident cages for the same time. We monitored the mother’s agonistic behavior (e.g., submission, grooming and attacks) as well as maternal behaviors and pup growth. We also tested the agonistic behavior of adult offspring, and measured serum cortisol and innate immunity. Social stress did not affect maternal behavior or pup growth. Prolonged prenatal social stress, however, affected submissive behavior toward a same sex conspecific in adult female offspring while male offspring were not affected. Grooming, number of attacks and serum cortisol levels were not significantly different between groups. These results suggest that prenatal social interactions can exert profound effects on offspring behavior that can persist into adulthood. Further, this study aids in our understanding about the effects of maternal environment on the immune and endocrine systems and behavior of both mother and offspring in hamsters and likely other species.