Popović, NatalijaBaño-Otalora, BeatrizRol, Maria-AngelesVenero, CésarMadrid, Juan AntonioPopović, Miroljub2024-05-172024-05-172023-08Front Behav Neurosci. 2023 Aug 3:17:1221090.1662-5153http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/19441Introduction: Prolonged social isolation is a form of passive chronic stress that has consequences on human and animal behavior. The present study was undertaken to elucidate whether the long-term isolation would precipitate age-related changes in anxiety and spatial learning and memory in degus. Methods: We investigated the effects of long-term social isolation on anxiety levels in the light-dark test, and spatial orientation abilities in the Barnes maze. Middle-aged female Octodon degus were allocated to either group-housed (3 animals per cage) or individually-housed for 5 months. Results: Under this experimental condition, there were no significant group differences in the anxiety level tested in the light-dark test and in the motivation to escape from the Barnes maze. There were no significant differences in cortisol levels between individually- and group-housed animals. On the last acquisition training day of spatial learning, individually- housed animals had a significantly higher number of correct responses and a smaller number of reference and working memory errors than the group-housed animals. In addition, isolated animals showed a tendency for reference and working memory impairment on the retention trial, while group-housed degus showed improvement in these parameters. Discussion and conclusion: The present study indicates that prolonged social isolation during adulthood in female degus has a dual effect on spatial orientation. Specifically, it results in a significant improvement in acquisition skills but a slight impairment in memory retention. The obtained cognitive changes were not accompanied by modification in anxiety and cortisol levels.engVoRhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Barnes mazeLight-dark testOctodon degusSocial isolationAnxietyLearning and memoryEffects of long-term individual housing of middle-aged female Octodon degus on spatial learning and memory in the Barnes maze taskAtribución 4.0 Internacional3760076217122109010.3389/fnbeh.2023.1221090Frontiers in behavioral neuroscienceopen access