Fig. 1.

Restraint Stress-Induced Alterations in Endocannabinoid Levels.

(A) Representative methods schematic (created in Biorender). (B) Corticosterone (CORT) levels increased with restraint stress exposure and were greater in females compared to males both basally and in response to stress. Anandamide (AEA) levels were higher in females compared to males in the (C) amygdala, (D) hippocampus and (E) medial prefrontal cortex, but were only altered by stress in the (E) medial prefrontal cortex, where they were decreased. 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) levels were not altered by sex or restraint stress exposure in the (F) amygdala, (G) hippocampus and (H) medial prefrontal cortex. (I) Correlation matrix. Estradiol, progesterone and uterine weights only compared in females. Significant bars inside the axes represent specific comparisons between groups, while those outside of the axes represent main effects (sex and stress). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001. Basal = left pair, Stress = right pair. In each pair, the left bars are the males (grape, horizontal lines, diamonds) and the right bars are the females (teal, vertical lines, triangle).