Presenter(s)
Parker Maddison Griff
Files
Download Project (5.5 MB)
Description
Early life stress is a risk factor for later development of alcohol use disorders and anxiety disorders in humans. Using rodent experimental models, we know that rats experiencing social isolation as early-life stress exhibit greater anxiety-like behavior and alcohol consumption than rats housed in groups. Examining potential preventive strategies, we investigated the effects of probiotics, which have previously been shown to decrease rodent anxiety-like behavior, on the relationship between early-life stress and anxiety-like behavior in rats. We hypothesized that probiotics consumption would decrease anxiety-like behavior in socially isolated rats, as well as in rats housed in groups. To our surprise, we found that the probiotics had no significant effect on anxiety-like behavior for socially isolated rats but significantly increased anxiety-like behavior in rats housed in groups. Our results suggest probiotics do not have a positive benefit to alleviate consequences of early life stress and raise caution for their therapeutic use.
Publication Date
4-18-2018
Project Designation
Honors Thesis
Primary Advisor
Tracy R. Butler, Yvonne Y. Sun
Primary Advisor's Department
Psychology
Keywords
Stander Symposium project
Recommended Citation
"Chronic administration of probiotic L. rhamnosus increases anxiety-like behavior in group-housed male Long Evans rats" (2018). Stander Symposium Projects. 1161.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1161
![Chronic administration of probiotic L. rhamnosus increases anxiety-like behavior in group-housed male Long Evans rats](https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/2161/thumbnail.jpg)