Differential Effects of Varying Durations of Adolescent Social Isolation on Social and Non-Social Behavior in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats
Description
This data examined the effects of 1, 2, or 3 weeks of adolescent social isolation on non-social and social behavior in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were assessed during adolescence and adulthood using a battery of behavioral tests, including the open field test, direct social interaction testing, and social preference paradigms. Open field performance showed few consistent effects of isolation across durations or ages, suggesting minimal influence on anxiety-like or exploratory behavior. In contrast, social behavior was reliably altered by isolation. During adolescence, social deficits emerged progressively with increasing isolation duration, with isolated animals displaying increased avoidance and reduced social approach following longer isolation periods. In adulthood, animals exposed to adolescent isolation consistently exhibited reduced social approach and decreased engagement with social stimuli regardless of isolation duration. Social preference testing further demonstrated reduced interest in conspecifics and, in some cohorts, increased allocation of time to alternative environmental stimuli. These findings indicate that adolescent social isolation preferentially affects social behavior while exerting relatively little influence on open field measures of anxiety-like behavior. Furthermore, the results suggest that social behaviors may be particularly sensitive to social deprivation during adolescence and that relatively brief periods of isolation can produce enduring alterations in adult social functioning.
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Steps to reproduce
To investigate the behavioral consequences of adolescent social isolation, male Sprague-Dawley rats were obtained at postnatal day (PND) 22 and pair-housed for acclimation. At PND 28, animals were randomly assigned to either a control group or one of three isolation stress paradigms, involving individual housing for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Throughout the isolation period, isolated animals remained in the same room as conspecifics, maintaining auditory, visual, and olfactory contact. Behavioral testing occurred immediately following isolation (adolescent testing) and again at ≥ PND 60 (adult testing). Testing was conducted in an 81 × 81 cm square arena with white acrylic walls and a black floor, and sessions were recorded via an overhead camera for analysis using TopScan software (Cleversys, Reston, VA) by observers blind to the experimental conditions. Exploratory and anxiety-like behaviors were assessed using the open field test (5 min duration; dim white lighting), where locomotion and zone entries were recorded. Social interaction was evaluated by placing one isolation-stress subject and one control subject together for 5 min to score approach, avoidance, freezing, aggression, and self-grooming. Finally, social preference was measured by allowing the subject to explore the arena containing four distinct stimuli: a conspecific (in a transparent barrier), a running wheel, a novel toy, and food. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism, employing independent-samples two-tailed t-tests for group differences and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey’s post hoc comparisons for multiple duration groups, with significance set at p < .05. To ensure reproducibility, researchers should note that these data were compiled from multiple cohorts over several years, and not all cohorts completed the full battery of tests. The provided data represents a synthesis of these independent experiments, allowing for a longitudinal assessment of how varying isolation durations impact social motivation and non-social exploratory behavior across developmental stages.
Institutions
- St. John Fisher CollegeNew York, Rochester