RESUMO
Objective To evaluate the effect of maternal separation stress on the behavior of neonatal rd mice.Methods Neonatal rd mice were divided into maternal separation (MS) group (n=9) and control group (n=9).MS-stress was induced in the MS group by 4-hour-separation per day for 28 days.Open field test,elevated plus maze test,forced swim test and tail suspension test were used to evaluate the anxiety-like and depression-like behavior of the neonatal rd mice.Results The stay time and distance travelled of MS group in the central zone were 0.88％ and 28.17±5.65 cm,respectively,significantly shorter than that of the control group (2.61％,109.9±9.79 cm.P =0.04,P =0.001).Compared with the control group,the stay time in open arms of the MS group was significantly decreased (P<0.01),while the immobility time in forced swim test and tail suspension test of the MS group were 126.5±10.22 s and 21.56±6.83 s,significantly longer than that of the control group (77.75±16.83 s,P =0.02,7.37±3.22 s,P =0.03).Conclutions The 28-day maternal separation stress can significantly increase the anxiety-like and depression-like behavior in neonatal rd mice.