Anabolic/androgenic steroid administration during adolescence and adulthood differentially modulates aggression and anxiety

作者：Morrison Thomas R; Ricci Lesley A; Melloni Richard H Jr^*

来源：Hormones and Behavior, 2015, 69: 132-138.

DOI：10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.01.009

• Anabolic-androgenic
• Steroids
• AAS
• Adolescence
• AAS withdrawal
• Anxiety
• Aggression
• Developmental AAS exposure
• Elevated-plus maze

Anabolic/androgenic steroid (AAS) use remains high in both teens and adults in the U.S. and worldwide despite studies showing that AAS use is associated with a higher incidence of aggression and anxiety. Recently we showed that chronic exposure to AAS through adolescence increases aggression and decreases anxious behaviors, while during AAS-withdrawal aggression is lowered to species-normative levels and anxiety increases. AAS exposure is known to differentially alter behaviors and their underlying neural substrates between adults and adolescents and thus the current study investigated whether exposure to MS during adulthood affects the relationship between aggression and anxiety in a manner similar to that previously observed in adolescents. Male hamsters were administered a moderate dose of AAS (5.0 mg/kg/day x 30 days) during adolescence (P27-56) or young adulthood (P65-P94) and then tested for aggression and anxiety during AAS exposure (i.e., on P57 or P95) and during MS withdrawal (i.e., 30 days later on P77 or P115). Adolescent exposure to AAS increased aggressive responding during the AAS exposure period and anxiety-like responding during AAS withdrawal. Neither behavior was similarly influenced by adult exposure to MS. Adult MS exposure produced no difference in aggressive responding during AAS exposure (P95) or MS withdrawal (P115); however, while AAS exposure during adulthood produced no difference in anxiety-like responding during MS exposure, adult hamsters administered MS were less anxious than vehicle control animals following MS withdrawal. Together these data suggest that the aggression and anxiety provoking influence of MS are likely a developmental phenomenon and that adult exposure to AAS may be anxiolytic over the long term.

• 出版日期2015-3
• 单位东北大学