Effects of Intraperitoneal Administration Oxytocin on Behavioral Fear and Fear Extinction in Female and Male Sprague-Dawley Rats
Faculty Mentor
Dr. David Daberkow
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Biology
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin is a neuropeptide widely known for its role in social bonding and emotional regulation. Recent studies have suggested its involvement in modulating fear, stress, and anxiety responses, potentially offering therapeutic applications for trauma-related disorders such as PTSD. This study investigated whether pretreatment with oxytocin reduces behavioral and physiological fear responses in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats using a classical fear conditioning model.
METHODS : Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats (12 males, 12 females) were assigned to one of four groups: control (no shock, no oxytocin), shock only, shock + low-dose oxytocin (0.5 mg/kg), and shock + high-dose oxytocin (1.0 mg/kg). Oxytocin or saline was administered intraperitoneally 30 minutes prior to conditioning. Fear conditioning involved five trials in which an 8-second tone was paired with a 2-second, 0.6 mA footshock. Rats were observed for freezing behavior and solid waste production (fecal data) as indicators of fear and stress.
RESULTS: Oxytocin-treated groups showed significantly reduced fecal output across shock and non-shock trials, suggesting reduced physiological stress. Freezing behavior showed dose-dependent reductions during initial conditioning, particularly in high-dose groups, but these effects were inconsistent during re-exposure trials. Correlation analysis revealed partial alignment between fecal and behavioral data, with early-trial reductions in both.
DISCUSSION: These results suggest that oxytocin may reduce acute fear and stress responses but has limited long-term impact on conditioned fear extinction. Future research should investigate neural mechanisms and the therapeutic potential of oxytocin for anxiety-related disorders.
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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Effects of Intraperitoneal Administration Oxytocin on Behavioral Fear and Fear Extinction in Female and Male Sprague-Dawley Rats
PUB NCR
INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin is a neuropeptide widely known for its role in social bonding and emotional regulation. Recent studies have suggested its involvement in modulating fear, stress, and anxiety responses, potentially offering therapeutic applications for trauma-related disorders such as PTSD. This study investigated whether pretreatment with oxytocin reduces behavioral and physiological fear responses in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats using a classical fear conditioning model.
METHODS : Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats (12 males, 12 females) were assigned to one of four groups: control (no shock, no oxytocin), shock only, shock + low-dose oxytocin (0.5 mg/kg), and shock + high-dose oxytocin (1.0 mg/kg). Oxytocin or saline was administered intraperitoneally 30 minutes prior to conditioning. Fear conditioning involved five trials in which an 8-second tone was paired with a 2-second, 0.6 mA footshock. Rats were observed for freezing behavior and solid waste production (fecal data) as indicators of fear and stress.
RESULTS: Oxytocin-treated groups showed significantly reduced fecal output across shock and non-shock trials, suggesting reduced physiological stress. Freezing behavior showed dose-dependent reductions during initial conditioning, particularly in high-dose groups, but these effects were inconsistent during re-exposure trials. Correlation analysis revealed partial alignment between fecal and behavioral data, with early-trial reductions in both.
DISCUSSION: These results suggest that oxytocin may reduce acute fear and stress responses but has limited long-term impact on conditioned fear extinction. Future research should investigate neural mechanisms and the therapeutic potential of oxytocin for anxiety-related disorders.
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