Grooming behavior of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Abstract

In an open field spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibited lower scores for grooming when compared to their normotensive controls, the Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). After i.c.v. injection of 1 μg ACTH1–24 cumulative 50-min grooming scores were lower in SHR. Analysis of subscores indicated that the lesser effect of ACTH in SHR was especially prominent for headwashing and anogenital grooming. Moreover, a time course study revealed that the difference between SHR and WKY occurred in the first 6 observation periods of 5 min and thereafter disappeared. The results are discussed in the light of behavioral and central neurochemical differences between SHR and WKY.