Resumo

BORRALHO, Thaíssa Gomes; MENDES, Fabíola de Carvalho Chaves de Siqueira; DINIZ, Cristovam Wanderley Picanço  e  SOSTHENES, Marcia Consentino Kronka. Influence of mastivbvccatory activity, age, and environment on the suggestive behavior of anxiety in murine model. Rev Pan-Amaz Saude [online]. 2016, vol.7, n.4, pp.67-77. ISSN 2176-6215.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/s2176-62232016000400009.

Previous studies have indicated a close relationship among aging, reduction of masticatory activity, environmental impoverishment, and cognitive decline. However, little is known about possible relationships among these variables and changes in anxiety levels. Thus, in a senile murine rodent, different experimental groups were submitted to diets of distinct consistencies and environment. Imitating the sedentary or active lifestyle, the animals were raised in standard cages (impoverished environment) or in enriched cages (enriched environment), respectively, from the 21st postnatal day. In order to measure the effects of aging, animals of 6, 12 and 18 months of age were compared with each other. To investigate the effects of masticatory activity, one of three dietary regimens was imposed to the different experimental groups: solid diet, pellet (hard diet - HD); pelleted diet followed by a powdered one, mash feed (soft diet - HD/SD); or pelleted diet followed by powder and pelleted diet again (HD/SD/HD) with equal time intervals in each diet. The elevated plus maze test was used expecting that animals with anxious-like behavior remained for a long time in there and walked greater distances in the closed arms. It was hypothesized that aging, impoverishment, and reduction of masticatory activity, acting together, would induce a higher level of behavior similar to the anxious. Data revealed that aging and environment influence significantly in behavior and these variables interact with masticatory activity, incresing or reducing this behavior.

Palavras-chave : Chewing; Aging; Animal Behavior; Anxiety; Animal Models.

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