Early life stress produces compulsive-like, but not impulsive, behavior in females

Brydges, Nichola, Holmes, Megan C., Harris, Anjanette P., Cardinal, Rudolf N. and Hall, Jeremy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2737-9009 2015. Early life stress produces compulsive-like, but not impulsive, behavior in females. Behavioral Neuroscience 129 (3) , pp. 300-308. 10.1037/bne0000059

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Abstract

Adverse experiences during childhood are associated with the development of psychiatric disorders later in life. In particular, childhood abuse and neglect are risk factors for addictive disorders, such as substance misuse and pathological gambling. Impulsivity and compulsivity are key features of these disorders. Therefore, we investigated whether childhood adversity might increase vulnerability for addictive disorders through promotion of compulsive and impulsive behaviors. Rats were exposed to a brief, variable childhood or prepubertal stress protocol (Postnatal Days 25–27), and their behavior in a delay discounting task was compared with that of control animals in adulthood. Prepubertal stress produced compulsive-type behavior in females. Specifically, stressed females displayed inappropriate responses during a choice phase of the task, perseverating with nosepoke responding instead of choosing between 2 levers. Stressed females also showed learning impairments during task training. However, prepubertal stress was not associated with the development of impulsive behavior, as rates of delay discounting were not affected in either sex. Childhood adversity may contribute to the establishment and maintenance of addictive disorders by increasing perseveration in females. Perseverative behavior may therefore provide a viable therapeutic target for preventing the development of addictive disorders in individuals exposed to childhood adversity. These effects were not seen in males, highlighting sex differences in response to early life stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology Medicine Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	compulsivity; impulsivity; perseveration; childhood stress; sex differences
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
ISSN:	1939-0084
Funders:	MRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Date of Acceptance:	3 March 2015
Last Modified:	15 Dec 2023 07:28
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/73717

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