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. 2021 Apr 15;12:659366. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.659366

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Effects of prenatal stress and neonatal handling on social behavior in the social novelty test on PND 22 and 33. (A) Neonatal handling increased total time of social contact in almost all groups on PND 22 and in PS offspring on PND 33. (B) PS offspring spent less time (%) in the compartment with the dams compared to the control on 22 PND. Neonatal handling increased the standing time (%) in the compartment with dams in the PS and control offspring on PND 22. (C) PS offspring spent more time (%) in a compartment with an unfamiliar female rat on PND 22 and less time in a compartment with non-siblings on PND 33 compared to control. Neonatal handling reduced the time (%) in a compartment with an unfamiliar female rat in PS and control offspring on PND 22. Neonatal handling increased the standing time (%) in the compartment with non-siblings in PS offspring to a control level on PND 33. (D) PS offspring spent more time (%) in the central compartment (p = 0.05) than control offspring on PND 33. Neonatal handling increased standing time (%) in the central compartment in offspring on PND 22. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001; Control, control rat offspring; PS, rat offspring with prenatal stress.