Booth Id:
BEHA058
Category:
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Year:
2022
Finalist Names:
Wickramasundara, Ashi (School: Manhattan High School)
Abstract:
In Dr.Maria Diehl’s lab, a study was conducted from February 2020 to May 2021 using trauma manipulation with 45 female and 47 male rats. Foot shock exposure was used for fear and avoidance conditioning before a social exploration task, where they were placed in an enclosed field and allowed to interact with a cage in the middle of the space. In the empty cage stage, the percentage of time spent in the periphery and inner areas of the field and distance traveled were collected for fear-conditioned, avoidance-conditioned, and naive rats. In the social stage, a rat was placed in the center cage to determine if the presence of a peer had any effect on the subject’s willingness to interact with its surroundings. The data suggest that the severity of trauma experience does not affect a rat’s ability to complete the social exploration task. The addition of a peer increased participation despite the rat’s condition, and males tended to have a more significant increase in time spent near the center than females when an unfamiliar rat was introduced. This reveals that having a strong community or support system helps a rat perform successfully despite debilitating trauma and isolation. In contrast, rats who lack the skills to participate in social exploration effectively will be less likely to survive in a natural setting. Furthermore, these findings can be applied to humans as they share similar brain structures to that of a rat. So the implementation of group counseling and peer-based initiatives are essential aids to properly integrate individuals suffering from anxiety disorders back into society and overcome their fears.