Natural Stressors, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Wound Healing, in a Murine Model

This study investigated the use of "naturalistic stressors" such as physical restraint and animal pheromones on the etiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a murine model. Pilot data suggest that stress effects may lead to an increase in the amount of time needed for cutaneous wounds to heal. Pilot data to support the creation of this model are presented suggesting that a delayed stress response may inhibit healing rates. In the present study an animal model of PTSD was used to investigate the effect of stress on the immune system. Yehuda and Antelman's (1993) nonhuman animal model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder was tested with respect to the animals' immune response to cutaneous wounding. Additionally, effects of stress on exploratory behavior and activity were examined. The findings support the hypothesis that restraint and pheremonal stress and housing arrangements influence the ability of mice to heal a 1.5 mm punch biopsy, and exploratory behavior. The findings also support a profile for the Post-Traumatic Mouse.