Social defeat stress modifies behaviors via the elevation of body temperature

抄録

Social defeat stress is known to increase the core body temperature of stress loaded-animals; however, it remains unknown whether and how the stress-induced elevation in body temperature modifies animal behaviors. Here we used a mouse model of social defeat stress and examined the relationship between core body temperature and stress-induced behaviors. We found that social defeat stress induces depressive and anxiety behaviors in mice using the tail suspension test and elevated plus maze test. We further found that the rectal temperature of stress-loaded mice significantly increases compared to control. The elevation of rectal temperature was maintained at least 4 weeks after the final stress was loaded. Thus, we currently examine whether and how the stress-induced elevation in the brain temperature modifies neural circuits and behaviors, specifically focusing on the involvement of the thermosensitive channel TRPV4 (Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4) which is highly expressed in the brain.