Effects of environmental enrichment on the coexpression of AVP/c-Fos in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus after acute stress exposure

Abstract

Environmental enrichment brings about morphological changes and neurochemical changes in the brain. Environmental enrichment can be in the form of sensory or social stimuli or both. Environmental enrichment has been found to provide stimulatory effects to the brain, and some studies had even elucidated its ability to augment attractiveness. On the contrary, stress also causes change in morphology and neurochemistry in the brain and is known to impair attractiveness. In this study, we want to explore the possibility of whether environmental enrichment has an effect on the association between the attractiveness and stress adaptive pathways. This is done by using a molecular assay, immunohistochemistry to quantify colocalization of an immediate early gene c-Fos, that is expressed upon fear or stress stimuli, with a neuropeptide, AVP, that is known to be secreted in a testosterone-dependent manner. Though environmental enrichment leads to higher average number of colocalised cells containing c-Fos and AVP, no association between the two pathways, modulated by EE can be drawn.