DISSOCIATION OF STRESS AND FOOD-DEPRIVATION EFFECTS ON SPATIAL PERFORMANCE

Food deprivation and exposure to a stressor both influence spatial per formance. These effects may not be independent, because stress changes eating and body weight. The present study dissociated stress from eat ing and body weight to determine whether stress alters spatial perform ance indirectly via ingestive processes. Some rats experienced inescap able tailshock accompanied by reduced eating and body weight (STRESS+D EP), while others experienced only stress (STRESS) or only reduced eat ing and body weight (DEP). Eight-arm radial maze exploration was asses sed in all groups. Exploration quality was similar across groups, and amount of exploration differed most between the groups that differed l east with respect to deprivation: DEP rats explored more than did STRE SS+DEP rats. Thus, stress apparently does not alter exploration by vir tue of a change in ingestion. However, stressed rats that were spared reduced caloric intake and body weight (STRESS) explored more than did STRESS+DEP rats, suggesting that food can attenuate stress-induced re ductions in exploration.