Effects of postnatal handling of rats on emotional, HPA-axis, and prolactin reactivity to novelty and conflict.

The present studies evaluated whether or not postnatal handling (PH) (administered during the first 21 days of life) could enduringly improve coping behavior with novel and/or conflict situations. To this purpose, different groups of naive male rats (control and PH-treated) were submitted in separate experiments to 1 of the 3 following situations: an emotional reactivity test (in 4-month-old animals), an open-field session followed by endocrine measurements (in 7-month-old animals) and a punished drinking test (in 11-month-old animals). PH effects were significant in the 3 situations: handled animals were less resistant to capture or to the handling manouvers involved in the emotional reactivity test: the hormonal responses (corticosterone, prolactin, and ACTH changes) during and after an open-field stress were less intense, and PH effects lasted up to 11 months in the punished drinking test, as measured by a higher number of punished responses and less time spent freezing by handled animals during the punished period. The results are discussed in relation to previous evidence showing a long-lasting reduction of fearfulness in rats due to postnatal handling.