Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by severe anxiety-like symptoms that are the result of experiencing one or more traumatic events. Currently, in the United States, PTSD has a prevalence rate of 8.3% indicating that there are over 8 million people living with this disorder (Goode et al, 2020). This experiment investigated the possible effects of early life stress (ELS) on fear discrimation in adulthood, as well as if there are sex differences expressed between male and female animals. To do this, 4 footshocks were given to the experimental group on postnatal day (PND) 17; then, in adulthood, behavioral fear tests were performed on all rats in context A (no footshock) and context B (1 footshock) for 10 days in order to determine if animals were able to differentiate between these two contexts. The results of this experiment could potentially open doors to further investigation into a suggested female vulnerability to PTSD, as well as add generally to our current lab’s animal model of PTSD. While there is so much unknown in regards to the mechanism and treatment of PTSD, we hope that our research can contribute to bettering the lives of millions.
Authors: Catherine F. Wasylyshyn, Madeline M. Booms
Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Quinn, Psychology
Graduate Student Advisor: Brianna Minshall, Psychology
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