Chronic mild stress schedule
| Start of Stress Exposure | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | |||||||
| 9:00 AM | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Food restriction (3 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Access to an empty bottle (2 h) | Inversion of the light/dark cycle |
| 2:00 PM | Forced wash in water at 32°C (30 min) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Paired housing in damp sawdust (10 h) | Dark (2 h) | Housing in mild damp sawdust (30 h) | |
| 6:00 PM | Water and food deprivation (16 h) | Water deprivation (16 h) | |||||
| Week 2 | |||||||
| 9:00 AM | Confinement in small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Paired housing with food restriction (10 min) | Inversion of the light/dark cycle | Inversion of the light/dark cycle | Inversion of the light/dark cycle |
| 2:00 PM | Forced wash in water at 32°C (30 min) | Paired housing in damp sawdust (10 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Inversion of the light/dark cycle | Housing in mild damp sawdust (30 h) | ||
| 6:00 PM | Water and food deprivation (16 h) | ||||||
| Week 3 | |||||||
| 9:00 AM | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Food restriction (3 h) | Paired housing in damp sawdust (10 h) | Forced wash in water at 32°C (30 min) | Access to an empty bottle (2 h) | Inversion of the light/dark cycle | Inversion of the light/dark cycle |
| 2:00 PM | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | Confinement in a small tube (1 h) | ||
| 6:00 PM | Water and food deprivation (16 h) | Water deprivation (16 h) | Housing in mild damp sawdust (30 h) |