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Two biological systems are involved in the stress response - the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal hormonal system (HPA axis). The intensity and duration of the HPA axis activation translates into the intensity of the stress reaction.(1) Endogenous opioids inhibit the HPA axis, and naloxine, as an opioid receptor antagonist, inhibits their effect (2). An important element of stress response studies in animal models is the selection of a mouse strain with specific sensitivity to stress.
In the discussed work, two inbred strains of laboratory mice, C57BL/6J and SWR/J, were studied. Each strain was characterized by a different phenotype and consequently, a different post-stress response. The C57BL/6J strain exhibits a passive style of coping with stress, which includes high conditioned fear and a frezzing reaction to a threatening stimulus. The SWR/J strain shows an active style of coping with stress, which is characterized by low conditioned fear and a strategy of active escape from a threatening situation. SWR/J mice also show greater activity of genes encoding opioid peptides (Penk, Pdyn, Pomc), which could explain their stress resistance.(2)
| Field | Biosciences |
|---|---|
| Length | Poster |
