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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Nov 13.
Published in final edited form as: Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Aug 18;73(1):10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.06.035. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.06.035

Figure 6.

Figure 6

Transmission of enhanced anxiety and defective social interactions to F2 female offspring occurs predominantly through F1 fathers. F1 females from both stressed parents were mated with F1 control males and vice versa, and their female offspring were tested when they were 2 months old. (A) In the elevated plus maze, F2 females from single F1 fathers from stressed mice spent significantly less time in the open arms compared with F2 females from control mice and F2 females from single F1 mothers from stressed mice [F(2,21) = 4.935, p < .05]. (B) Intheopen field, F2 females from single F1 fathers from stressed mice showed a significant reduction in locomotor adaptation compared with F2 control females [F(2,21) = 7.428, p < .01] but not compared with F2 females from single F1 mothers from stressed mice. Number of litters used in A and B: 6 litters from F1 females from stressed mice and F1 control males, 6 litters from F1 males from stressed mice and F1 control females, and 10 litters from both F1 control females and males. (C) In the direct social interaction test with a juvenile, F2 females from single F1 fathers from stressed mice spent significantly less time interacting with and investigating the juvenile in contrast to F2 control females and F2 females from single F1 mothers from stressed mice [F(2,16) = 15.53, p < .001]. Number of litters used in C: 6 litters from F1 females from stressed mice and F1 control males, 6 litters from F1 males from stressed mice and F1 control females, and 5 litters from both F1 control females and males. (D) In the sociability test, F2 control females (n = 6), F2 females from single F1 mothers from stressed mice (n = 6), and F2 females from single F1 fathers from stressed mice (n = 6) spent significantly more time sniffing and interacting with the cage containing Stranger 1 than with the empty cage [F(1,11) = 40.80, p < .01, p < .05]. (E) In the preference for social novelty test, F2 control females (n = 6) spent significantly more time interacting with and sniffing the cage containing Stranger 2 compared with the cage containing Stranger 1 [F(1,11) = 6.836, p < .05]. In contrast, F2 females from single F1 mothers from stressed mice (n = 6) and F2 females from single F1 fathers from stressed mice (n = 6) did not show any difference in time spent interacting with both enclosed strangers (p > .05). Number of litters used in D and E: 3 litters from F1 females from stressed mice and F1 control males, 3 litters from F1 males from stressed mice and F1 control females, and 2–3 litters from both F1 control females and males. Error bars indicate SEM. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.