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. 2014 Jul 23;8:244. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00244

Figure 4.

Figure 4

Early life stress (ELS) was associated with a decrease in Fos-immunoreactivity in mpPVN and PVT neurons: Protective effect of exercise in male but not female rats. ELS resulted in a non-significant reduction in the percentage of Fos-positive TH cells in the VTA in male rats. Wheel running appeared to be protective against these effects. No ELS: n = 6; ELS: n = 6, ELS + Ex: n = 6 (A). In females, there was no effect of ELS or exercise on the percentage of Fos-positive TH cells in the VTA. No ELS: n = 7; ELS: n = 7; ELS + Ex: n = 7 (A). In the PVN, there was an ELS-induced reduction in Fos-positive cells in males and this effect was reversed by wheel running. There was no effect of ELS on the number of Fos-positive cells in the PVT in males however, wheel running was protective against the effects of ELS. No ELS: n = 7; ELS n = 9; ELS + Ex: n = 6 (B,C). In females, there was no effect of ELS on the number of Fos-positive cells in the PVN and PVT however, wheel running did exacerbate the effects of ELS. No ELS: n = 7; ELS: n = 8; ELS + Ex: n = 7 (B,C). Coronal sections of the PVN (males: D; females: E) and PVT (males: F; females: G) immunolabeled for Fos-protein, scale bar 100 μm. **p < 0.01 vs. No ELS, +p < 0.05 vs. No ELS, ++p < 0.01 vs. No ELS, +++p < 0.001 vs. No ELS, #p < 0.05 vs. ELS, ##p < 0.01 vs. ELS, ###p < 0.001 vs. ELS.