Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada; Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
Mitra Karimi
Inclusive-Integrated Education Program for Children with Special Needs, Exceptional Education Organization, Tehran, Iran
Nabiollah Soltanpour
Department of Anatomical Sciences, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
Alireza Moharrerie
Department of Anatomy, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
Zahra Rouhzadeh
Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran
Hamid lotfi
Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
S Abedin Hosseini
Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
S Yaghoob Jafari
Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
Shabnam Roudaki
Department of Behavioural Studies, Avicenna Institute of Neuroscience, Yazd, Iran
Reza Moeeini
Department of Behavioural Studies, Avicenna Institute of Neuroscience, Yazd, Iran
The quality of social relationships is a powerful determinant of lifetime health. Here, we explored the impact of social experiences on circulating oxytocin (OT) concentration, telomere length (TL), and novelty-seeking behaviour in male and female rats. Prolonged social housing raised circulating OT levels in both sexes while elongating TL only in females. Novelty-seeking behaviour in females was more responsive to social housing and increased OT levels than males. The OT antagonist (OT ANT) L-366,509 blocked the benefits of social housing in all conditions along with female-specific TL erosion and novelty-seeking deficit. Thus, females seem more susceptible than males to genetic and behavioural changes when the secretion of endogenous OT in response to social life is interrupted. Social enrichment may, therefore, provide a therapeutic avenue to promote stress resiliency and chances of healthy aging across generations.
