SOCIAL-ISOLATION AND ENERGY-METABOLISM IN RAT HIPPOCAMPUS

Social isolation and energy metabolism in rat hippocampus. Social isol ation could be understood as a kind of sensorial deprivation. It is we ll known that enriched or complex stimular environments affect CNS at both anatomical and physiological levels. In our study, two groups of rats were used: one was comprised of isolated animals from the end of the lactation period during 30 days and a control group of animals hou sed in groups of three during the same period. Brain hippocampal oxida tive metabolism was measured using cytochrome oxidase histochemistry ( GO) in CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus regions. The results show a signific ant increase of CO activity in all of the regions studied in the isola ted group, with differences among the studied hippocampal regions in b oth groups. In this paper, the possible role of brain arousal caused b y stress and the sensitivity of CO histochemistry to detect these chan ges are discussed.