V-102
Neuroendocrinology and Neuroimmunology
Sex differences in behavioral, brain and adrenal outcomes in social isolated adolescent rats: role of pubertal gonadal hormone exposure
Martina Sardi Rivera1, Ana Paula Toselli2, Oriana Micaela Casado3, Franco Rafael Mir5, Fernando Carezzano4, Maria Angelica Rivarola3
1. Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología Comportamental (LABNECO), Cátedra de Fisiología Animal, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (FCEFyN), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Argentina.
2. Cátedra de Morfología Animal, Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (FCEFyN), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Argentina.
3. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. INICSA-CONICET-UNC. Córdoba, Argentina.
4. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martin Ferreyra. INIMEC-CONICET-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina.
5. Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. La Rioja, Argentina.
Presenting Author:
martina_sardi@mi.unc.edu.ar
Adolescence is a critical period for neurobiological development during which social interaction contributes to emotional regulation. Pubertal gonadal hormones exert organizational effects that may contribute to sex differences in stress responses. This study evaluated whether the pubertal surge modulates behavioral outcomes, locus coeruleus (LC) cell number, and adrenal morphology in socially isolated adolescent rats. Male and female Wistar rats were reared under social or isolated conditions and gonadectomized before (PND23; PrePub) or after puberty (PND45; PostPub). Behavioral tests were performed on PND50–54, and brains and adrenal glands were collected on PND55. Pubertal hormone increased exploratory behaviors (rearings and head-dippings), even under isolated conditions. Females showed more interrupted grooming sequences and fewer head-shakes than males. LC analysis showed higher cell number in females and sex-dependent effects of pubertal hormone exposure, with a decrease in PostPub males and an increase in PostPub females. Adrenal weight was reduced in males by pubertal hormone exposure, while isolation increased adrenal width in females. These findings suggest that social isolation alters behavioral, neural, and adrenal responses during adolescence, with effects modulated by sex and pubertal gonadal hormone exposure.
