Table 2.
Behavioural measurements
| Factor | Control/Control | SCFA/Control | Control/Stress | SCFA/Stress | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marble burying test | |||||
| Marbles buried (#) | 13.7 ± 1.5 | 12.6 ± 1.8 | 11.0 ± 1.6 | 16.1 ± 0.5 | |
| Elevated plus maze | |||||
| Time spend in open arm (s) | 7.6 ± 2.8 | 5.9 ± 2.3 | 9.1 ± 2.6 | 12.6 ± 3.3 | |
| Entries into open arm (#) | 1.6 ± 0.5 | 1.6 ± 0.5 | 2.3 ± 0.4 | 2.2 ± 0.5 | |
| Tail suspension test | |||||
| Immobility time (s) | 127.0 ± 18.5 | 169.6 ± 4.0 | 144.8 ± 8.5 | 131.4 ± 12.2 | |
| Sucrose preference test | |||||
| Sucrose preference (%) | 81.5 ± 1.6 | 73.4 ± 3.8 | 86.4 ± 0.6* | 80.6 ± 2.1## | |
| Water consumption (mL) | 3.53 ± 0.14 | 4.10 ± 0.39 | 3.28 ± 0.07 | 3.90 ± 0.37 | |
| Sucrose consumption (mL) | 16.6 ± 1.6 | 12.4 ± 1.4 | 21.4 ± 1.5 | 17.0 ± 1.6 | |
| Novel object recognition | |||||
| Object preference (%) | 65.2 ± 3.5 | 58.6 ± 4.8 | 63.3 ± 5.6 | 65.7 ± 3.7 | |
| Hot plate test | |||||
| Time until frontpaw lick (s) | 17.6 ± 1.2 | 17.7 ± 0.7 | 16.0 ± 0.6 | 15.6 ± 0.9 | |
Tests for anxiety‐like behaviour were the marble burying test, which was performed 2 weeks post stress and the elevated plus maze which was done 3 weeks post stress. Depression was assessed using the tail‐suspension test 3 weeks post stress. Reward‐seeking behaviour was tested using the sucrose preference test 4 days post stress. Cognition was determined using the novel object recognition test 2 weeks post stress. Somatic pain response was assessed with the hot plate test 4 weeks post stress. Data from the sucrose preference test were non‐parametrically distributed and analysed using the Kruskal‐Wallis test, followed by the Mann‐Whitney test. Data from the hot plate test were normally distributed and analysed using a two‐way ANOVA. Significant differences are depicted as: * P < 0.05; Control/Control compared to Control/Stress, ## P < 0.01; Control/Stress compared to SCFA/Stress. All data are expressed as means ± SEM (n = 8–10).