ARS | Publication request: SOCIAL STRESS INDUCED DIFFERENT ALTERATIONS OF DOPAMINE CONCENTRATIONS AND ADRENAL FUNCTION TO GENETICALLY SELECTED CHICKEN LINES

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 28, 2001
Publication Date: July 1, 2001
Citation: CHENG, H., SINGLETON, P.B., CHEN, Y., MUIR, M.W. SOCIAL STRESS INDUCED DIFFERENT ALTERATIONS OF DOPAMINE CONCENTRATIONS AND ADRENAL FUNCTION TO GENETICALLY SELECTED CHICKEN LINES. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE. 2001. V. 80(1). P. 345.

Technical Abstract: Dopamine (DA) and corticosterone (CORT) are involved in regulating animals' responses to stress. This study was designed to examine effects of genetic selection on regulation of DA and adrenal functions in response to social stress in chickens from White Leghorn lines that were selected for high (HGPS) and low (LGPS) group productivity and survivability resulting from cannibalism and flightiness. At 17-wk of age, hens were randomly assigned into single and 2-hen cages. The 2-hen cages contained one hen from either the HGPS or LGPS line and one from a commercial Dekalb XL line that was used as standardized genetic competitor. The data showed that, at 24-wk of age, HGPS hens in single- hen cages had heavier adrenal glands indicated as a greater AW/BW ratio (P < 0.05). However, LGPS hens tended to have greater plasma concentrations of DA (P = 0.07). In 2-hen treatment, LGPS hens, but not HGPS hens, had a greater increase in the AW/BW ratio in 2-hen cages vs. single-hen cages (P < 0.05). In addition, both plasma concentrations of CORT and DA were greater in LGPS hens when compared to those of HGPS hens, (P < 0.05 and P < 0.0 1, respectively). The results suggest that social stress, at 2-hen treatment, induced an up regulation of DA and adrenal function in LGPS hens but not in HGPS hens, even though HGPS hens had heavier AW/BW in the single-hen condition. The data was consistent with the previous findings that HGPS hens adapted better to social competition. Some of the parameters, such as concentrations of DA and CORT, could be used as an indicator of chicken well-being.