Investigating the Effects of Pretreatment Intraperitoneal Oxytocin on Signs of Trauma
Faculty Mentor
David Daberkow
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
10-5-2023 11:15 AM
End Date
10-5-2023 1:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Department
Biology
Abstract
Introduction: Oxytocin has been used as a post-treatment for PTSD. Previous research suggests that pre-treatment of intranasal oxytocin attenuates signs of fear in rats; however, the impact of intraperitoneal (i.p) oxytocin pre-treatment on signs of fear in rats is unknown. To further this research, we investigated the specific dose of oxytocin, administered (i.p), that will also alleviate signs of fear in rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats, were split into five experimental groups (n=8 per group); 1.) control group treated with vehicle and no foot shock, 2.) shock group treated with vehicle and received foot shock, 3.) low dose group that received 0.03 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock, 4.) medium dose group that received 0.3 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock, and 5.) high dose group that received 1.0 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock. Rats were treated with oxytocin (or vehicle) 30 min prior to exposure to fear conditioning. Rats were put into a Colbourn Precision fear-conditioning shock chamber, a plexiglass box with a metal grate floor, which delivered five foot shocks at an intensity of 0.6 mA. Twenty-four hours later, the rats were re-exposed to the chamber for 5 minutes, not shocked, and the freezing time was recorded via a motion detector. Results: Preliminary data suggests that the low dose of oxytocin (0.03mg/kg) decreases freezing relative to the untreated shock group. Conclusion: These data suggests that a specific dose of oxytocin (0.03mg/kg), administered i.p., can be used as a prophylactic pre-treatment to mitigate signs of fear.
Recommended Citation
Alvarez, JJ, "Investigating the Effects of Pretreatment Intraperitoneal Oxytocin on Signs of Trauma" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 4.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/p2_2023/4
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Investigating the Effects of Pretreatment Intraperitoneal Oxytocin on Signs of Trauma
PUB NCR
Introduction: Oxytocin has been used as a post-treatment for PTSD. Previous research suggests that pre-treatment of intranasal oxytocin attenuates signs of fear in rats; however, the impact of intraperitoneal (i.p) oxytocin pre-treatment on signs of fear in rats is unknown. To further this research, we investigated the specific dose of oxytocin, administered (i.p), that will also alleviate signs of fear in rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats, were split into five experimental groups (n=8 per group); 1.) control group treated with vehicle and no foot shock, 2.) shock group treated with vehicle and received foot shock, 3.) low dose group that received 0.03 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock, 4.) medium dose group that received 0.3 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock, and 5.) high dose group that received 1.0 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock. Rats were treated with oxytocin (or vehicle) 30 min prior to exposure to fear conditioning. Rats were put into a Colbourn Precision fear-conditioning shock chamber, a plexiglass box with a metal grate floor, which delivered five foot shocks at an intensity of 0.6 mA. Twenty-four hours later, the rats were re-exposed to the chamber for 5 minutes, not shocked, and the freezing time was recorded via a motion detector. Results: Preliminary data suggests that the low dose of oxytocin (0.03mg/kg) decreases freezing relative to the untreated shock group. Conclusion: These data suggests that a specific dose of oxytocin (0.03mg/kg), administered i.p., can be used as a prophylactic pre-treatment to mitigate signs of fear.
