FIGURE 1.

Study timeline. Timeline outlining study design, with weeks relative to stress start shown. Rats were housed in Building A from birth to approximately 20 weeks from stress start, and then Building B until study completion. Mild stress was administered starting after weaning and continued for 12 weeks, while 4 weeks of unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) started 15 weeks after initial stress exposure. Metabolic phenotyping included EchoMRI analysis (EchoMRI), a week of individual housing (IND) to measure individual food intake, an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), and euthanasia (Sac). Behavioral tests included the novelty suppressed feeding test (NSF), forced swim test (FST), and open field test (OFT). Corticosterone was assessed 10 weeks after stress start at an acute restraint test, prior to UCMS 15 weeks into the study, and then at euthanasia (represented by star symbols).