Date of Award
2009
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Abstract
Experimentally naive rats exhibit varying degrees of novelty exploration. Some rats display high rates of locomotor reactivity to novelty (high responders; HR), and others display low rates (low responders; LR). The novelty-seeking phenotype (LRHR) is introduced as a model of stress responsiveness. In this thesis I examined effects of chronic variable physical and social stress or control handling on the levels of various neurotrophins in the hippocampus, and changes in mossy fibre terminal fields in LRHR rats. A positive correlation is seen between histone deacetylase 2 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels both of which are oppositely regulated in LRHR CA3 fields in response to chronic social stress. Increase in BDNF levels in CA3 field accompanied increase in supra-pyramidal mossy fibre terminal field size (SP-MF) in HRs, and decrease in BDNF levels accompanied decrease in SP-MF volume in LRs. Epigenetic regulation of neurotrophic support underlying these structural changes is discussed.
Extent
xi, 74 p. : ill.
Recommended Citation
Oztan, Ozge., "Chronic variable stress affects hippocampal neurotrophic factor gene expression in the novelty-seeking phenotype" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009. 1631.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_5/1631
Identifier
FADT215290
Comments
by Ozge Oztan.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009.|Includes bibliography.|Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.|by Ozge Oztan.