Electric shock to the foot or tail activates the HPA axis and induces anxiety-like behavior in rodents. Acute exposure to electric shock decreases cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus of adult rats (Malberg & Duman, 2003). One study showed a delayed decrease in cell proliferation seven days following shock trials, after the increases in glucocorticoid levels had gone back down to baseline (Fornal et al., 2007), suggesting a more complicated relationship may exist between electric shock and cell proliferation.
