Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, USA.
Stress. 2020 Jul;23(4):444-456. doi: 10.1080/10253890.2020.1724950. Epub 2020 Feb 17.
Uncontrollable stress precipitates negative mental and physical health outcomes. Furthermore, the vicarious experience of stress (e.g. observing another individual experience a direct stressor) can mimic the effects of directly experiencing the stressor. The current experiment examined the behavioral and physiological effects of the vicarious experience of stress using the socially monogamous prairie vole. Male prairie voles were exposed to either an empty open field chamber, or a chamber in which the animal observed a sibling undergoing a concurrent direct physical stressor (tail suspension test) for five minutes. Exploratory and anxiety-like behaviors were recorded in all observers during the test session. Cardiac indices of heart rate and heart rate variability were recorded in a subset of observers prior to, during, and following the test session. Corticosterone levels were measured in all observers and siblings following the test session. When compared to animals exposed to an empty open field chamber, animals that observed a sibling undergo a direct physical stressor exhibited increased heart rate and circulating corticosterone, and decreased heart rate variability. These physiological stress indicators were supported by behavioral changes, including increased freezing followed immediately by orienting of the head toward the center of the apparatus, and decreased locomotion, grooming, and rearing. These preliminary results suggest that prairie voles experience stress vicariously, and provide a foundation for additional studies focused on the underlying mechanisms of vicarious stress. The use of this model may inform our understanding of the social transmission of stress among social species, including humans.LAY SUMMARYThe experience of stress, including observing stress in a loved one, has negative consequences on mental and physical health. This study used a social rodent (prairie voles) to demonstrate that stress transfers among social individuals, consequently producing an increased physiological and behavioral stress response in prairie voles observing their siblings experience stress. This research informs our understanding of the interactions of social experiences and stress in humans.
无法控制的压力会导致负面的心理和身体健康后果。此外，间接体验压力（例如，观察另一个人经历直接压力源）可以模拟直接经历压力源的效果。目前的实验使用社交性单配的草原田鼠研究了间接体验压力的行为和生理影响。雄性草原田鼠被暴露于空的开阔场地室或动物观察到其兄弟姐妹同时经历直接身体压力源（尾部悬吊测试）的房间中五分钟。在测试过程中，所有观察者的探索和焦虑样行为都被记录下来。在测试过程中，一小部分观察者的心率和心率变异性的心脏指数被记录下来。在测试过程后，所有观察者和兄弟姐妹的皮质酮水平都被测量。与暴露于空的开阔场地室的动物相比，观察到兄弟姐妹经历直接身体压力源的动物表现出心率增加和循环皮质酮增加，以及心率变异性降低。这些生理压力指标得到了行为变化的支持，包括立即跟随冻结的头部朝向仪器中心的定向，以及减少运动、梳理和站立。这些初步结果表明，草原田鼠间接体验压力，并为进一步研究关注间接压力的潜在机制提供了基础。该模型的使用可以帮助我们理解社交物种（包括人类）之间压力的社会传递。
