Nature of Infantile Shock Traumatization, Strain Differences, and Adaptability to Stress

Abstract

Infant rats of two strains were exposed to two types of shock traumatization in infancy: escapable and inescapable. The strains included Sprague-Dawley rats and Long-Evans hooded rats. Animals were tested in adulthood on open-field test, avoidance conditioning, and water escape maze. Statistical analysis yielded several significant Strain × Treatment interactions which suggest that strain of the animal and type of traumatization are potential influencing variables in the nature and direction of the effect produced by early traumatization. Such genetic and ontogenetic interaction complicates the issue of the nature of the effect produced by early experience.