Adult aggression during an initial social encounter: effects of neonatal anoxia and relation to juvenile open-field activity

Abstract

In male Long-Evans hooded rats, we examined: (1) combined effects of neonatal anoxia and novelty exposure on aggression during adulthood; (2) open-field activity before juvenility as a predictor for adult aggression. Litters of neonates were exposed to either 100% N 2 gas (Anoxia) or room air (Control) for 25 min on postnatal Day 1 (P1). Within each of the Anoxia and Control conditions, one half of the neonates were individually exposed to a non-home cage for 3 min daily during P2–21 (Novel: N Anoxia = 15; N Control = 13) while the other half remained in the home cage (Home: N Anoxia = 15; N Control = 13). Prior to the onset of juvenility (P25), open-field activity was measured during four 20-s trials. At the onset of adulthood (P100–101), we measured the occurrence of biting during four 5-min sessions of social interaction between pairs of rats. Neonatal anoxia and novelty exposure had contrasting effects on adult aggression with the former increasing aggression and the latter having no statistically significant effect. The open-field measures before the onset of juvenility were significantly correlated with the occurrence of biting behavior during adulthood, suggesting that activity in a novel environment observed very briefly in early life may serve as a predictor for adult aggression.