Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2015 Dec 23;65:109–117. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.12.004

Figure 4. Chronic stress in adolescence leads to reduced AVP mRNA expression and increased OXT mRNA expression in the PVN in adulthood.

Figure 4

A) Representative image of AVP mRNA of adult control animal at the level of −2.12 mm (Top) −2.30 mm (bottom) bregma. Scale bar=500µm. Abbreviations: mp – medial parvocellular, dp – dorsal parvocellular, m – magnocellular. B) Adult female rats previously exposed to CVS have lower levels of AVP mRNA expression in the mpPVN when compared to non-stress adult rats. Adolescent females have greater AVP mRNA expression in the mpPVN relative to adult. C,D) Adolescent females exposed to CVS had increased expression of AVP in the mPVN and in the dpPVN when compared to non-stressed age matched controls. E) Adolescent females exposed to CVS have lower levels of OXT mRNA expression in the dpPVN, when compared to non-stressed age-matched controls. F) Adult female rats exposed to CVS have increased levels of oxytocin mRNA than do age-matched controls in the mPVN. Adolescent female rats have greater levels of OXT mRNA in the mPVN relative to adult control rats. # p<0.05 significant effect of stress within age group, ^p<0.05 significant effect of age within stress group. Data presented as mean ± SEM, n=10–12.