Behavioral, hormonal, and neurotransmitter reactions to stress in adult rats with a history of high IL-1ß content in the early postnatal ontogeny.

Behavioral, hormonal, and neurotransmitter reactions to foot shock were studied in adult rats treated with IL-1ß during week 3 of life. After stress, these animals differed from controls treated with saline by high levels of dopamine, serotonin, and 5-hydroxy-indolacetic acid in the hypothalamus. In contrast to controls, they developed a significant stress-induced increase of blood corticosterone level and exhibited lesser motor and exploratory activities in the open field test.