Familiarity modulates social approach toward stressed conspecifics in female rats

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200971
• Publication Date: 2018-10-02T13:41:31Z
• Authors: Morgan M. Rogers-...; Anthony Djerdjaj; Amelia R. Culp; Joshua A. Elbaz; John P. Christianson
• Keywords: Male; 0301 basic medicine; Behavior, Animal; Science; Q; R; Recognition, Psychology; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; 03 medical and health sciences; Medicine; Animals; Female; Cues; Social Behavior; Research Article

AbstractFamiliarity between conspecifics may influence how social affective cues shape social behaviors. In a social affective preference test, experimental rats, when given the choice to explore an unfamiliar stressed or a naive adult, will avoid interaction with a stressed conspecific. To determine if familiarity would influence social interactions with stressed conspecifics, male and female test rats underwent 2 social affective preference tests in isosexual triads where an experimental rat was presented with a naïve and a stressed target conspecific who were either familiar (cagemate) or unfamiliar. Male and female experimental rats avoided stressed unfamiliar conspecifics. However, experimental female rats demonstrated a preference to interact with their stressed, familiar cagemates. Male and female rats exhibited more self-grooming and immobility behavior in the presence of stressed conspecifics, which may indicate emotion contagion. These findings suggest a sex-specific role of familiarity in social approach and avoidance, and warrant further mechanistic exploration.