Document Type

Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Winter 2014

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Experimental Psychology

Committee Chair

Kara Gabriel

Second Committee Member

Ralf Greenwald

Third Committee Member

Terry DeVietti

Abstract

The goals of the experiment presented in this thesis were threefold. The primary goal was to construct a mouse model of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from an existing rat model that utilizes predator scent exposure as a traumatic event that then triggers changes in anxiety-like behavior. The second goal of the experiment was to study the rate of occurrence of PTSD in female and male mice to determine whether the model would mirror the higher rate of PTSD observed in women. Finally, the role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as a protective element in biological susceptibility to PTSD was assessed via intraperitoneal injections following exposure to a predator scent. Results from the 228 mice studied showed no significant changes in anxiety-like behavior of mice exposed to a predator scent compared to those that were not exposed to the predator scent. As the mouse model was not verified, the results from this experiment regarding the effect of GABA cannot be examined in the context of PTSD, but GABA had no effect on anxiety-like behavior in this study. There were, however, marginally significant differences between male and female mice in behavior, suggesting differential stress reactions that could indicate the need for separate sex-based behavioral criteria in the development of a mouse model of PTSD.

Comments

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