Repeated social defeat stress enhances the anxiogenic effect of bright light on operant reward-seeking behavior in rats

Abstract

Repeated stress can trigger episodes of depression, along with symptoms of anhedonia and anxiety. Although often modeled separately, anxiogenic factors potently modulate hedonic, or appetitive, behavior. While repeated stress can increase anxiety and decrease appetitive behavior, it is not clear whether repeated stress can influence the impact of anxiogenic factors on appetitive behavior. This study tests whether repeated stress shifts behavior in a task that measures anxiogenic-appetitive balance. To test this, adult male rats were trained to lever press for sucrose pellet reward, and the effect of anxiogenic bright light on this behavior was measured. The impact of the bright light anxiogenic stimulus on lever pressing was compared between groups exposed to either daily repeated social defeat stress or control handling. We found that repeated stress reduced exploration in the open field and decreased social interaction, but had minimal effect on baseline lever pressing for reward. Repeated stress substantially enhanced the effect of anxiogenic bright light on lever pressing. This effect was greater two days after the last stress exposure, and began to diminish within two weeks. These data demonstrate that the anxiogenic and anhedonic features induced by repeated stress can be separately measured, and that the impact of anxiogenic stimuli can be greatly enhanced after repeated stress, even in the face of appetitive drive. The data also demonstrate that some apparent anhedonic-like effects of repeated stress can be due to increased sensitivity to anxiogenic stimuli, and may reflect an imbalance in an appetitive approach-withdrawal continuum.