PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Dmitrii Vasilev
AU  - Daniel Havel
AU  - Simone Liebscher
AU  - Silvia Slesiona-Kuenzel
AU  - Nikos K. Logothetis
AU  - Katja Schenke-Layland
AU  - Nelson K. Totah
TI  - Three Water Restriction Schedules Used in Rodent Behavioral Tasks Transiently Impair Growth and Differentially Evoke a Stress Hormone Response without Causing Dehydration
AID  - 10.1523/ENEURO.0424-21.2021
DP  - 2021 Nov 01
TA  - eneuro
PG  - ENEURO.0424-21.2021
VI  - 8
IP  - 6
4099  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/8/6/ENEURO.0424-21.2021.short
4100  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/8/6/ENEURO.0424-21.2021.full
SO  - eNeuro2021 Nov 01; 8
AB  - Water restriction is commonly used to motivate rodents to perform behavioral tasks; however, its effects on hydration and stress hormone levels are unknown. Here, we report daily body weight and bi-weekly packed red blood cell volume and corticosterone (CORT) in adult male rats across 80 days for three commonly used water restriction schedules. We also assessed renal adaptation to water restriction using postmortem histologic evaluation of renal medulla. A control group received ad libitum water. After one week of water restriction, rats on all restriction schedules resumed similar levels of growth relative to the control group. Normal hydration was observed, and water restriction did not drive renal adaptation. An intermittent restriction schedule was associated with an increase in CORT relative to the control group. However, intermittent restriction evokes a stress response which could affect behavioral and neurobiological results. Our results also suggest that stable motivation in behavioral tasks may only be achieved after one week of restriction.