Differential Effects of Varying Durations of Adolescent Social Isolation on Social and Non-Social Behavior in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats

Animals were assessed during adolescence and adulthood using a battery of behavioral tests, including the open field test, direct social interaction testing, and social preference paradigms. Open field performance showed few consistent effects of isolation across durations or ages, suggesting minimal influence on anxiety-like or exploratory behavior.

In contrast, social behavior was reliably altered by isolation. During adolescence, social deficits emerged progressively with increasing isolation duration, with isolated animals displaying increased avoidance and reduced social approach following longer isolation periods. In adulthood, animals exposed to adolescent isolation consistently exhibited reduced social approach and decreased engagement with social stimuli regardless of isolation duration.