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Results for “SOCIAL ISOLATION”

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At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Development of stress-induced responses in preweanling rats.

This study examined in postnatal Days 7, 14, and 21 male rats the effects of social isolation and social isolation with administration of brief foot shocks on the development of stress-induced behavioral and pituitary-adrenal hormone responses. Day 21 rats appeared similar to adult rats in their repsonses to the two test conditions. That is, exposure to either isolation or to shock increased both pituitary-adrenal hormone secretion and tail-flick latencies but only administration of shock potentiated freezing and ultrasonic vocalizations. Younger rats differed from Day 21 rats in their responses to the two test conditions. In both tests, Day 7 rats produced the highest number of ultrasounds, which may be due to a significant decrease in body temperature. In contrast, in Day 14 pups, exposure to shock significantly reduced isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations. Additional age-dependent differences were found in the analgesic responses of Days 7 and 14 rats. Day 7 rats exposed to stress became consistently hyperalgesic whereas Day 14 rats showed only a short-lasting analgesic response. Although in Days 7 and 14 rats exposure to the two stress conditions produced significant elevations in pituitary-adrenal hormone concentrations, plasma levels were lower than those measured in Day 21 rats. To summarize, preweanling rats exhibit varied age-dependent responses when exposed to different stress environments.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed2005

Influence of social support on progression of coronary artery disease in women.

There is strong and consistent evidence across numerous studies that social isolation or lack of social support is an independent risk factor for incident coronary heart disease. However, the impact of social isolation or lack of social support on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in women has not been well documented. Among 292 women, aged 30-65 years, consecutively hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina between 1991 and 1994 enrolled in the female coronary risk study, 102 women were available to study disease progression over an average of 3.2 years. Three aspects of social support were studied: emotional support, social integration, and interpersonal social relations. Quantitative coronary angiography was performed 3-6 months following index hospitalization and repeated 3 years later. Progression of coronary atherosclerosis was evaluated as the change in mean luminal diameter from first to second measurements of 10 pre-defined coronary segments. Mixed model ANOVA was used to analyze the impact of social support on progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Significantly greater coronary atherosclerosis progression was found among women who lacked emotional support (mean coronary artery luminal diameter narrowing by 0.15 mm), with social isolation (0.14 mm), and lack of interpersonal social relations (0.13 mm), whereas women with high levels of support progressed less. It was 0.05 mm in women with high levels of emotional support, 0.07 mm for socially integrated women, and 0.04 mm in women with adequate interpersonal social relations. These associations were independent of conventional clinical and lifestyle factors such as age, smoking history, body mass index, menopausal status, and diagnosis of index event of acute myocardial infarction. The results of our study suggest that lack of emotional support, social isolation, and lack of interpersonal social relations are important risk factors for accelerated progression of coronary atherosclerosis in middle-aged women.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Social isolation-induced increase in alpha and delta subunit gene expression is associated with a greater efficacy of ethanol on steroidogenesis and GABA receptor function.

Previously we have demonstrated that social isolation of rats reduces both the cerebrocortical and plasma concentrations of 3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one (3alpha,5alpha-TH PROG), and potentiates the positive effects of acute ethanol administration on the concentrations of this neurosteroid. We now show that the ethanol-induced increase in 3alpha,5alpha-TH PROG is more pronounced in the brain than in the plasma of isolated rats. The ability of ethanol to inhibit isoniazid-induced convulsions is greater in isolated rats than in group-housed animals and this effect is prevented by treatment with finasteride. Social isolation modified the effects of ethanol on the amounts of steroidogenic regulatory protein mRNA and protein in the brain. Moreover, ethanol increased the amplitude of GABA(A) receptor-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents recorded from CA1 pyramidal neurones with greater potency in hippocampal slices prepared from socially isolated rats than in those from group-housed rats, an effect inhibited by finasteride. The amounts of the alpha(4) and delta subunits of the GABA(A) receptor in the hippocampus were increased in isolated rats as were GABA(A) receptor-mediated tonic inhibitory currents in granule cells of the dentate gyrus. These results suggest that social isolation results in changes in GABA(A) receptor expression in the brain, and in an enhancement of the stimulatory effect of ethanol on brain steroidogenesis, GABA(A) receptor function and associated behaviour.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1989

Involvement of opioid and dopaminergic systems in isolation-induced pinning and social grooming of young rats.

Pinning, as a measure for play, and social grooming were simultaneously studied in juvenile rats. Short-term social isolation increased both behavioural responses. This increase was attenuated by the opioid antagonist naltrexone, whilst the opiate, morphine, and the opioid peptide beta-endorphin, increased the responses. Pinning was more sensitive to the effects of naltrexone, whilst beta-endorphin stimulated particularly social grooming. Small doses of the dopaminergic drug, apomorphine, decreased both pinning and grooming behaviour of the short-term isolated rats. Some of the effects were partially antagonized by the dopamine antagonist haloperidol, and the neurolepticum-like peptide, desenkephalin-gamma-endorphin (DE-gamma-E). A small dose of haloperidol and DE-gamma-E stimulated social grooming in particular, whilst a larger dose of haloperidol decreased pinning and social grooming. It is concluded that both opioid and dopaminergic systems are implicated in the increase of pinning and social grooming induced by short-term social isolation. The differences in sensitivity of pinning and social grooming for opioid and dopaminergic drugs and peptides are discussed in relation to possible differences in the neural systems underlying both social activities.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Hyperactivity of central noradrenergic and CRF systems is involved in social isolation-induced decrease in pentobarbital sleep.

The modulatory effects of the central noradrenergic and CRF systems on the pentobarbital-induced hypnotic activity were investigated in socially isolated mice. Pentobarbital-induced sleeping time decreased depending on the duration of isolation period and reached the minimum at 4 weeks after the isolation. The intermale aggressive behavior tested in isolated mice increased along with the decrease of hypnotic activity of pentobarbital. I.c.v. injection of CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor; 0.6-2.1 nmol) and i.p. injection of yohimbine (0.5-1 mg/kg), an alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist, significantly decreased the pentobarbital-induced sleeping time in group-housed but not in socially isolated mice while alpha-helical CRF9-41 (alpha hCRF; 3.3-6.5 nmol i.c.v.), a CRF antagonist, and clonidine (12.5-100 micrograms/kg i.p. and 7.5-15 nmol i.c.v.), an alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, recovered the hypnotic activity of pentobarbital decreased by social isolation to the level in group-housed mice without changing the activity observed in group-housed animals. alpha hCRF (6.5 nmol i.c.v.) significantly abolished the yohimbine (1 mg/kg i.p.)-induced decrease in the hypnotic activity of pentobarbital in group-housed mice. Propranolol (50-100 nmol i.c.v. and 5-10 mg/kg i.p.), a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, and prazosin (5-10 nmol i.c.v. and 250-500 micrograms/kg i.p.), an alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist, significantly and dose-dependently recovered the hypnotic activity of pentobarbital in socially isolated mice to the level in group-housed mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic Agents↗
PubMed2005

Sex differences in the long-term effect of preweanling isolation stress on memory retention.

Social experiences during development can powerfully modulate later neuroendocrine and behavioral system. In the present study, male and female rat pups experienced daily bouts of social isolation for 6 h per day or control conditions during the third postnatal week. Performance on a 12-arm radial maze with 8 arms consistently baited with food reward was examined in adulthood. During the social isolation, both male and female pups exhibited a significant increase in plasma corticosterone levels. When tested on the radial arm maze as adults, the performance of female rats that had experienced social isolation during development was not affected; however, male rats in the isolation condition initially exhibited impairments in working memory but not reference memory. Despite achieving comparable asymptotic levels of performance on the maze, male rats that experienced social isolation during the third week demonstrated disruption in working memory retention when radial arm maze trials were interrupted after the fourth arm choice. Thus, while male rats that experience social isolation during the third week of life eventually perform comparably to controls on the standard radial arm maze task, their ability to retain information over a delay remains impaired. These findings highlight an important sex difference in the long-term effects of stress during this period of late preweanling development.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Ethnicity, gender and social stress among three groups of elderly Hispanics.

This study examines ethnic and gender differences in social stress among three groups of elderly Hispanics: Mexican Americans (n = 773), Cuban Americans (n = 714), and Puerto Ricans (n = 368). Findings from the crosstabulation analysis between stress and ethnic groups reveal that the elderly Cuban Americans appear to experience less caregiving, family, anxiety, and social dependence stress than their Mexican Americans and Puerto Rican American counterparts. Findings from the crosstabulation analysis between stress and gender reveal that elderly Hispanic women were more likely to experience family, anxiety, social isolation, and social dependence stress. The logistic regression analyses reveal that ethnic differences in family stress, and anxiety and gender differences in caregiving stress and social isolation stress were confounded by differences in sociodemographic and health variables. Further sub-group analyses of ethnic and gender differences provide a more in-depth understanding of social dependency stress and anxiety. Implications for human services and research are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Consequences of hyper-aggressiveness in Siamese fighting fish: cheaters seldom prospered

Zahavi's handicap theory, formalized by Grafen, suggests that 'cheaters' must be at a disadvantage if a communication system such as ritualized aggression is to evolve (Grafen 1991, In: Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach (Ed. by J. R. Krebs & N. B. Davies), pp. 5-31. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific). To determine whether cheating is disadvantageous in Betta splendens, we held a series of live interactions, after inducing hyper-aggression by socially isolating and then briefly 'priming' the fish. Primed isolates, which were no stronger than their rivals, 'cheated' by escalating rapidly to tailbeating and biting. These cheaters, however, usually lost fights to non-isolated opponents. Unprimed isolates, i.e. socially isolated fish that were not primed, were not initially hyper-aggressive and thus did not cheat. They lost fewer fights than the cheaters. Results suggested that cheaters lost because they exhausted themselves by their hyper-aggressiveness, allowing their non-hyper-aggressive opponents to win. This result is consistent with the Zahavi-Grafen model of how an 'honest' level of ritualized aggression can be stabilized in a population. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

Short-term isolation increases social interactions of male rats: a parametric analysis.

Frequencies of social interactions were higher in pairs of short-term individually housed male Wistar rats as compared to group-housed animals. This was most pronounced when an individually housed rat and a group-housed conspecific were tested together in the morning under red light conditions. Then, in particular the behavioral elements exploration partner, anogenital investigation, crawl over/mount and social grooming were enhanced. The increases in social interactions was dependent on the duration of the period of individual housing and appeared to be maximal after 4 to 7 days of individual housing. The effect extinguished after repeated testing. The observed behavioral changes were hardly affected by habituation to the test cage and were also present in young animals. The increase in social interactions is apparently not due to a general increase in locomotor or exploratory behavior, since no differences in ambulation between individually- and group-housed animals were observed when they were tested together in the social interaction test, and locomotor activities hardly differed in an open field test procedure.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1996

Patient compliance: recognition of factors involved and suggestions for promoting compliance with therapeutic regimens.

Patient compliance is paramount in the effectiveness of therapeutic regimens. Without compliance therapeutic goals cannot be achieved, resulting in poorer patient outcomes. The social and psychological factors thought to influence compliance are identified as (a) knowledge and understanding including communication, (b) quality of the interaction including the patient-provider relationship and patient satisfaction, (c) social isolation and social support including the effect of the family, (d) health beliefs and attitudes-health belief model variables, and (e) factors associated with the illness and the treatment including the duration and the complexity of the regimen. Noncompliance is a significant problem and a major challenge for the health care team. Practical advice is offered for nurses and other health care professionals to increase patient compliance with therapeutic regimens. These include factors involved in the patient-provider relationship, communication skills and information-giving, and the mobilization of existing social support networks. Further research is needed to provide more conclusive results into the factors involved in patient compliance and to test the effectiveness of compliance-enhancing strategies.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1997

Does growing old increase the risk for depression?

OBJECTIVE: Most research examining age as a risk factor for depression has been based on cross-sectional data. To investigate the effect of aging on rates of depression prospectively, the authors used two waves of data from a panel study of community residents 50 years old and older. METHOD: Data on symptoms of major depressive episodes were examined for the 1994 and 1995 cohorts of the Alameda County Study. The authors examined age, gender, marital status, education, financial strain, chronic medical conditions, functional impairment, cognitive problems, life events, neighborhood problems, social isolation, and social support. Depression was measured with 12 items covering DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for major depressive episodes. RESULTS: Point prevalence of major depressive episodes was 8.7% in 1994 and 9.0% in 1995. Among the subjects 60 years old and older, there was a tendency toward higher prevalence in 1995. The highest prevalence rates in 1994 and in 1995 were among those 80 years old and older. Subjects who were depressed in 1994 were at greater risk for depression in 1995. When the effects of age and other psychosocial risk factors in 1994 were controlled, there were no significant age effects on depression in 1995. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that the initial age effects were due mainly to chronic health problems and functional impairment. Gender, chronic health conditions, problems with activities of daily living, cognitive problems, neighborhood problems, and social isolation in 1994 all were significant predictors of depression in 1995. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy, normally functioning older adults are at no greater risk for depression than younger adults. What seem to be age-related effects on depression are attributable to physical health problems and related disability.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

[Effect of lithium, carbamazepine, ca-valproate and diazepam on changes in social isolation-induced behavior in mice].

Neurobiological changes induced by social isolation of mice are used to characterize pharmacological influences of lithium and several other drugs. Lithium is able to prevent not only early serotoninergic changes but also enhanced aggressiveness and enhanced spontaneous locomotion, seen after long term isolation. Very similar to lithium are the effects of carbamazepine, whereas Ca-valproat and diazepam prevent the early serotoninergic (stress like) changes, but not later changes in aggressivity and locomotion.

Aggression↗
PubMed2004

Rewarding properties of social interactions in adolescent and adult male and female rats: impact of social versus isolate housing of subjects and partners.

Social interactions have been shown to be rewarding for adolescent and adult rats; however, there has been little emphasis on comparing the strength of the rewarding value of social stimuli across ontogeny. Since age differences in social interactions may vary with sex or housing circumstances, the present study assessed social conditioned place preference (CPP) in adolescent and adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats housed either socially or in isolation and conditioned with either group-housed or isolate-housed partners. Isolated animals of both sexes and ages demonstrated social CPP, with the strongest preference emerging in adolescent males. Social CPP was not evident in group-housed adults whereas group-housed adolescents developed a preference for the compartment previously paired with similarly housed partners; however, when socially housed adolescents were conditioned with isolated partners, social CPP did not emerge. Age differences in social CPP may reflect age-related neural alterations in brain systems implicated in regulation of social behavior.

Aging↗
PubMed1991

Tolerance to the behavioural effect of serotonergic (5-HT1B) agonists in the isolation-induced social behavioural deficit test.

In mice, isolation-induced social behavioural deficits are attenuated by stimulants of 5-HT1B receptors, such as TFMPP or CGS 120 66B. Repeated treatment with RU 24969 (5 mg/kg, daily, for 3 days) reduced the effect of TFMPP and that of other 5-HT1B agonists (CGS 120 66B, m-CPP, RU 24969). Similarly, repeated treatment with CGS 120 66B (8 mg/kg, twice a day for 3 days) abolished the effect of a test-dose of the same drug. Desensitization of the 5-HT1B receptors involved in this effect is suggested to have occurred. Such a desensitization may be therapeutically relevant, since acute administration of benzodiazepines and chronic administration of antidepressants both reversed the effect of TFMPP.

Animals↗