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Proven cardiac changes during death-feigning (tonic immobility) in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

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Tonic immobility (TI) is a response to fear or threat by remaining motionless, principally when attacked by predators from which there is no possibility of escape. Thus, here we demonstrate a way of easily reproducing this phenomenon in a laboratory setting and characterize the cardiac electromechanical alterations during TI. We observed a significant decrease in heart rate (HR) and changes of rhythm in electrocardiogram during TI in rabbits. Echocardiogram showed a significant increase in the left ventricle chamber diameter during systole and a consequent decrease in fractional shortening and ejection fraction, in addition to the HR and rhythm changes. There was also a significant decrease in aortic and pulmonary artery blood flow. Diastolic functional changes included a significant decrease of the peak atrial contraction velocity (A peak) and consequent increase in the ratio of peak early diastolic velocity to A peak and increased isovolumetric relaxation time. We were able to prove that TI changes the cardiac function considerably. Although the “fight-or-flight” response is the most common response to fear, which is characterized by the action of sympathetic nervous system with tachycardia and increased physical activity, TI is an alternative anti-predator behavior causing cardiac changes opposite to the “fight-or-flight” phenomenon.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Gillian Shaw, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA, for her invaluable help in the preparation of this manuscript. Additionally, the authors would like to thank the veterinary medicine students that served as animal care providers during the experiment, Andreise Costa Przydzimirski; Clara Alita Corona Ponczek e Fátima Aparecida de Lara.

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  1. Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários, 1540, Curitiba, PR, 80035-050, Brazil

    Amália Turner Giannico, Leandro Lima, Rogério Ribas Lange, Tilde Rodrigues Froes & Fabiano Montiani-Ferreira

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  1. Amália Turner Giannico
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Correspondence to Fabiano Montiani-Ferreira.

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Giannico, A.T., Lima, L., Lange, R.R. et al. Proven cardiac changes during death-feigning (tonic immobility) in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). J Comp Physiol A 200, 305–310 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-014-0884-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-014-0884-4

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