Low stress reactivity and neuroendocrine factors in the BTBR T+tf/J mouse model of autism

▶Circulating corticosterone is higher in BTBR than in B6. ▶BTBR and B6 were similar on several tasks assessing stress and anxiety. ▶BTBR displayed less reactivity than B6 to a noxious thermal stimulus.▶BTBR were less immobile than B6 in two depression-related tasks. ▶Autism-relevant behaviors in BTBR are not the result of abnormal stress reactivity.