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Abstract Being one of the most important problems in our society, crowding and its effects on the thyroid gland has been studied in our work. The study was carried out on male and female albino rats of both age groups; adults weighing 100 - 130 grams and weaned rats weighing 25 - 35 g. Crowding was induced by multiplying the normal cage density by three. It was also induced in its continuous and intermittent forms, i.e. continuous and intermittent crowding. Half of the crowded rats received antithyroid therapy in the form of carbimazole by gastric injections daily, and the other half did not, to see the response of crowding in the presence and in the absence of thyroid hormones. Another potent crowding like stressor, i.e. reduced space was studied by putting the test animal each in a separate cage which dimensions allow, for the animal, the least motor activity. Again, half of them received the antithyroid drug daily. During the 2 months duration of the study, we j observed the behaviour of the test rats as regard aggression, psychomotor activity, food intake and body weight changes. After the study, we examined the following parameters: 1- Hormonal assay of T3 and T4 levels. 2- Lipid profile, i.e. blood cholesterol, TG, HDLv and LDL. |