Effects of postweaning social and physical deprivation on locomotor activity patterns and explorative behavior in female CD‐1 mice

Abstract

Social and physical deprivation during adolescence has detrimental consequences for brain maturation and cognitive functions. To test the hypothesis that social and physical deprivation during mouse adolescence would disrupt activity and exploration behavior, we exposed mice either to deprived or enriched rearing (postnatal days 21-60) and assessed activity and exploration of adult mice individually or in mixed treatment groups. In automated group compartments, deprived-reared mice displayed higher locomotor activity, reduced explorative behavior and shifted activity timing compared to enriched-reared mice. Contrastingly, distance and timing of wheel running were largely unaffected by deprived rearing. Our results demonstrate that postweaning social and physical deprivation has measurable effects on mouse locomotor and exploratory behavior, and that such effects may be discernable depending on the activity type studied. Our results further emphasize the importance of the sensitive postweaning period for shaping adult behavioral profiles.