Fig. 1

Timeline of experimental procedures. In the housing experiment, timeline begins with 7 days of daily handling (− 7) before single prolonged stress (SPS) and baseline acoustic startle response (ASR) testing the day before (− 1) SPS. In the gonadectomy experiment, GDX or sham surgery is performed 15 days before SPS, with daily handling 1 week before (− 7) SPS and baseline ASR testing the day before (− 1) SPS. Rats are left undisturbed for 1 week after SPS, and sucrose preference is assessed 8 days later, social interaction 9 days later, post-stress ASR 11 days later, and dexamethasone suppression test (DST) 13 days later