News, Stories, Photos about Asia Human Rights, Culture, Poltics, Economy

Stressed, non-stressed monkeys studied


Published: April 8, 2008 at 1:29 PM
Print story
Email to a friend
Font size:
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say having lower social standing increases the likelihood a monkey faced with a stressful situation will choose cocaine over food.

The Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers also discovered more dominant monkeys undergoing the same stressful situation had fewer changes in brain activity in areas involved in stress and anxiety and were less likely to choose cocaine.

The brains of dominant monkeys and subordinate monkeys responded differently in both stressful and non-stressful situations

The scientists said their findings suggest monkeys that have to cope with constant, ongoing social stressors might have developed a lower level of brain activity even at rest.

In the abnormal situation of being placed in an unfamiliar cage surrounded by unfamiliar and aggressively behaving monkeys, however, the subordinate monkeys showed pronounced decreased brain activity in areas of their brain involved with stress, anxiety, reward and emotion while the dominant monkeys showed increases in reward-related areas in the same situation.

Robert Warren Gould, a graduate student in the laboratory of Professor Michael Nader, presented the study results Sunday in San Diego during Experimental Biology 2008.

© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
Print story
Order reprints
Email to a friend
Post comment
See Also:
» Next in Science: Genetic variants linked with hypertension

NASA DISCOVERY SPACE SHUTTLE
A crane lowers space shuttle Discovery toward the external tank and solid rocket boosters already stacked on the mobile launcher platform in high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Flordia. The stacking and mating took place in preparation for the launch on the STS-124 mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch on May 31, 2008. (UPI Photo/Jim Grossmann/NASA)
Space Shuttle Discovery set to launch on May 31
Full Photo | Slideshow