Social behavior and social stress in adolescence: a focus on animal models

Abstract

Adolescence is a transitional phase during which the juvenile develops into an independent adult individual. In this period in particular frontal cortical brain regions and related neural circuitry are structurally remodeled to a relatively high extent resulting in a refined connectivity and functionality of these brain regions in adulthood. In this review we aim to address the question whether a high structural neuronal plasticity during adolescence makes this developmental period particularly vulnerable to lasting detrimental effects of stress. To answer this question we focus on results from experimental animal research on behavioral, physiological and neurobiological consequences of stress during adolescence. There are indeed results from animal models on stress that confirm that adolescent stress can lastingly alter adult brain and behavior. Since many studies, however, have shown that long-lasting effects of stress also occur in other phases of life as the perinatal period and adulthood the data do not suggest that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of stress. The outcome of many of the studies on adolescent stress also emphasizes the high resilience of adolescent animals to develop long-lasting psychopathological changes in behavior after being exposed to adolescent stress.