Background and Objective: Findings represent the role of social stress in aging, disease and mortality of individuals. Since the body responses to environmental stress by anxiety behaviors, in this study we compared the effects of "food restriction", "food deprivation" and "social inequality" on anxiety-like behaviors.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 48 male rats were divided into 6 groups including “control”, “food restriction 40% reduction of food intake being able to sense other’s feeding (inequality)”, “food restriction keeping in isolated place (without inequality)”, “intermittent food restriction” , “ food deprivation 70% reduction in food intake being able to sense other’s feeding (inequality)”, and “food deprivation keeping in isolated place (without inequality)”. Different environmental stresses were applied during three weeks. At the end of stress period, anxiety behavior was measured by elevated plus maze ( EPM) test.
Results and Conclusion: The duration and frequency of open arm entries in food deprivation groups had a significant increase and in food restriction groups had a significant decrease as compared to the control group. Combination of increasing activity of the animals with anxiety during dietary restriction along with food inequality represent the effort conditions of animals for improvement. Food deprivation reduces activity, especially when is combined with the feeling of inequality that can be considered as the probable role of social inequality in manifestation of a “learned helplessness” situation.
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