Effects of resocialization on post-weaning social isolation-induced abnormal aggression and social deficits in rats

摘要

As previously shown, rats isolated from weaning develop abnormaludsocial and aggressive behavior characterized by biting attacks targeting vulnera-udble body parts of opponents, reduced attack signaling, and increased defensiveudbehavior despite increased attack counts. Here we studied whether this form ofudviolent aggression could be reversed by resocialization in adulthood. During theudfirst weak of resocialization, isolation-reared rats showed multiple social deficitsudincluding increased defensiveness and decreased huddling during sleep. Deficitsudwere markedly attenuated in the second and third weeks. Despite improved socialudfunctioning in groups, isolated rats readily showed abnormal features of aggres-udsion in a resident-intruder test performed after the 3-week-long resocialization.udThus, post-weaning social isolation-induced deficits in prosocial behavior wereudeliminated by resocialization during adulthood, but abnormal aggression wasudresilient to this treatment. Findings are compared to those obtained in humansudwho suffered early social maltreatment, and who also show social deficitsudand dysfunctional aggression in adulthood.