Sex differences have been observed across many psychiatric diseases, especially mood
disorders. For major depression, the most prevalent psychiatric disorder, females show a …

Social fear and avoidance of social situations represent the main behavioral symptoms of
social anxiety disorder (SAD), a highly prevalent anxiety disorder that is poorly elucidated …

Various tests have been developed to evaluate behavior in animal studies where rodents
are used as animal models. These tests are useful for understanding the pathophysiology of …

The impact of ostensibly aversive social stresses on triggering, amplifying and prolonging
intensely rewarding drug taking is an apparent contradiction in need of resolution. Social …

The loss of fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene function causes fragile X syndrome
(FXS), a common mental retardation syndrome. Anxiety and abnormal social behaviors are …

Endomorphin-1 (Tyr-Pro-Trp-Phe-NH2) and endomorphin-2 (Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2) are two
endogenous opioid peptides with high affinity and remarkable selectivity for the μ-opioid …

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability in
humans. In addition to cognitive impairment, patients may exhibit hyperactivity, attention …

In a laboratory environment, aggressive interactions between male mice may exceed normal
levels leading to negative effects both on the well-being of the animals and on the validity of …

This paper is a review of the main research topics currently investigated in laboratory
rodents using the stress of defeat or subordination as ethologically relevant models of social …

Chronic psychoemotional stress induced by negative experience of social defeats in
intermale confrontations over a period of 30 days was found to lead to the development of …