Researchers at the University of California at Davis (UCD), in the United States, have succeeded in inducing antisocial behavior in female mice of the Peromyscus californicus species. In this way they could explain the physiological bases of human mood disorders such as depression and anxiety , more frequent in women than in men.
The researchers found that the gnaws showed signs of social withdrawal after subjecting them to a series of encounters with much stronger and more aggressive mice. When they examined their brains, they identified obvious changes in an area called the nucleus accumbens , associated with motivation and reward. These changes could help explain what triggers antisocial behavior in mammals , they conclude in the journal PloS ONE . Furthermore, although the mouse could not be diagnosed as "depressive," the changes in its behavior were comparable to depression in humans, explained Brian Trainor, a co-author of the study. Trainor hopes the results help understand, among other things, why stressful situations can trigger depression in humans.
The work has been funded by the US National Institute of Mental Health.
