Evidence that endogenous corticotropin-releasing factor suppresses behavioral responses of guinea pig pups to brief isolation in novel surroundings
✍ Scribed by Michael B. Hennessy; Shawn M. McInturf; Samuel J. Mazzei
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 122 KB
- Volume
- 31
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0012-1630
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Guinea pig pups were injected subcutaneously with a corticotropin-releasing factor antagonist (CRF 12-41 ) or saline vehicle and then placed into a novel cage for 30 or 60 min. Isolated 20-to 26-day-old pups vocalized more and exhibited more locomotor activity when given 15 to 150 Ȑg of CRF 12-41 than when given saline. The presence of the mother in the test cage prevented the antagonist from affecting behavior. The influence of the antagonist during isolation was not limited to guinea pigs near weaning age: CRF 12-41 increased levels of vocalizing in isolated, 4-to 6-day-old pups, though no changes were seen in locomotor activity. Results support the hypothesis that endogenous corticotropinreleasing factor, perhaps acting at a peripheral binding site, suppresses the active behavioral response characteristic of pups during the early phase of isolation in novel surroundings.