Soziale und agonistische Konfrontationen zwischen männlichen Dark Agouti Ratten: neuronale Aktivierung in limbischen Hirngebieten und Auswirkungen auf die 5-HT1A-Rezeptordichte

This thesis comprises three studies on the territorial behavior of male Dark Agouti rats during resident-intruder (RI) tests and its underlying neuronal basis. The first study determined the behavioral profile of non-selected rats and investigated telencephalic limbic brain regions activated during social and agonistic encounters using c-Fos as a neuronal marker. Study 2 aimed to identify changes in 5-HT1A receptor density in the limbic telencephalon and the dorsal raphe nucleus following inter-male encounters. In study 3, the influence of a provocation phase, prior to the RI test, on the aggressive behavior and the c-Fos expression was examined. The studies found individual differences in the offensive behavior of Dark Agouti rats depending on the actual context and behavior of the intruder. In frontal cortices and amygdala, neuronal activation and 5-HT1A-receptor density was increased, which suggest overlapping of the neuronal networks of stress coping and aggressive behavior.