Investigating the Impact of Pretreatment Intraperitoneal Oxytocin on Signs of Trauma
Faculty Mentor
David Daberkow
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
5-7-2024 12:50 PM
End Date
5-7-2024 1:10 PM
Location
PAT 328
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Biology
Abstract
Investigating the Impact of Pretreatment Intraperitoneal Oxytocin on Signs of Trauma
Jair E. Alvarez Jr., Dr. David Daberkow
Department of Biology, Eastern Washington University
Oxytocin is a 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. We investigated the effects of i.p. oxytocin pre-treatment on signs of fear. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups, (n=8 per group); 1.) controls (vehicle and no foot shock), 2.) shock (vehicle and foot shock), 3.) low dose (0.03 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock), 4.) medium dose (0.3 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock), and 5.) high dose (1.0 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock). Rats were treated with oxytocin (or vehicle) 30 min prior to fear conditioning. Day 1, rats were placed in fear-conditioning chamber which delivered five foot shocks at an intensity of 0.6 mA to the metal grate floor. Day 2, the rats were re-exposed to chamber for 5 minutes, not shocked, and freezing time was recorded via a motion detector. Day 3, rats were re-exposed to chamber for 5 min and shocked again with the same parameters. Day 4, rats were re-exposed to the chamber for 5 min, not shocked, and freezing time was recorded. Preliminary data suggests that the low dose of oxytocin (0.03mg/kg) decreases freezing relative to the untreated shock group. An additional day of shock showed a significant decrease in freezing with the high dose (1.0mg/kg). These data suggest that oxytocin, administered i.p., can be used as a prophylactic pre-treatment to mitigate signs of fear.
Recommended Citation
Alvarez, Jair E. Jr. and Daberkow, David, "Investigating the Impact of Pretreatment Intraperitoneal Oxytocin on Signs of Trauma" (2024). 2024 Symposium. 10.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2024/op_2024/o4_2024/10
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Investigating the Impact of Pretreatment Intraperitoneal Oxytocin on Signs of Trauma
PAT 328
Investigating the Impact of Pretreatment Intraperitoneal Oxytocin on Signs of Trauma
Jair E. Alvarez Jr., Dr. David Daberkow
Department of Biology, Eastern Washington University
Oxytocin is a 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. We investigated the effects of i.p. oxytocin pre-treatment on signs of fear. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups, (n=8 per group); 1.) controls (vehicle and no foot shock), 2.) shock (vehicle and foot shock), 3.) low dose (0.03 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock), 4.) medium dose (0.3 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock), and 5.) high dose (1.0 mg/kg oxytocin and foot shock). Rats were treated with oxytocin (or vehicle) 30 min prior to fear conditioning. Day 1, rats were placed in fear-conditioning chamber which delivered five foot shocks at an intensity of 0.6 mA to the metal grate floor. Day 2, the rats were re-exposed to chamber for 5 minutes, not shocked, and freezing time was recorded via a motion detector. Day 3, rats were re-exposed to chamber for 5 min and shocked again with the same parameters. Day 4, rats were re-exposed to the chamber for 5 min, not shocked, and freezing time was recorded. Preliminary data suggests that the low dose of oxytocin (0.03mg/kg) decreases freezing relative to the untreated shock group. An additional day of shock showed a significant decrease in freezing with the high dose (1.0mg/kg). These data suggest that oxytocin, administered i.p., can be used as a prophylactic pre-treatment to mitigate signs of fear.
