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Rogers JF, Vandendoren M, Prather JF, Landen JG, Bedford NL, Nelson AC. Neural cell-types and circuits linking thermoregulation and social behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105667. [PMID: 38599356 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Understanding how social and affective behavioral states are controlled by neural circuits is a fundamental challenge in neurobiology. Despite increasing understanding of central circuits governing prosocial and agonistic interactions, how bodily autonomic processes regulate these behaviors is less resolved. Thermoregulation is vital for maintaining homeostasis, but also associated with cognitive, physical, affective, and behavioral states. Here, we posit that adjusting body temperature may be integral to the appropriate expression of social behavior and argue that understanding neural links between behavior and thermoregulation is timely. First, changes in behavioral states-including social interaction-often accompany changes in body temperature. Second, recent work has uncovered neural populations controlling both thermoregulatory and social behavioral pathways. We identify additional neural populations that, in separate studies, control social behavior and thermoregulation, and highlight their relevance to human and animal studies. Third, dysregulation of body temperature is linked to human neuropsychiatric disorders. Although body temperature is a "hidden state" in many neurobiological studies, it likely plays an underappreciated role in regulating social and affective states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph F Rogers
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA; University of Wyoming Sensory Biology Center, USA
| | - Morgane Vandendoren
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA; University of Wyoming Sensory Biology Center, USA
| | - Jonathan F Prather
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Jason G Landen
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA; University of Wyoming Sensory Biology Center, USA
| | - Nicole L Bedford
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Adam C Nelson
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA; University of Wyoming Sensory Biology Center, USA.
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2
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Cantini D, Choleris E, Kavaliers M. Neurobiology of Pathogen Avoidance and Mate Choice: Current and Future Directions. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:296. [PMID: 38254465 PMCID: PMC10812398 DOI: 10.3390/ani14020296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals are under constant threat of parasitic infection. This has influenced the evolution of social behaviour and has strong implications for sexual selection and mate choice. Animals assess the infection status of conspecifics based on various sensory cues, with odours/chemical signals and the olfactory system playing a particularly important role. The detection of chemical cues and subsequent processing of the infection threat that they pose facilitates the expression of disgust, fear, anxiety, and adaptive avoidance behaviours. In this selective review, drawing primarily from rodent studies, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the detection and assessment of infection status and their relations to mate choice are briefly considered. Firstly, we offer a brief overview of the aspects of mate choice that are relevant to pathogen avoidance. Then, we specifically focus on the olfactory detection of and responses to conspecific cues of parasitic infection, followed by a brief overview of the neurobiological systems underlying the elicitation of disgust and the expression of avoidance of the pathogen threat. Throughout, we focus on current findings and provide suggestions for future directions and research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dante Cantini
- Department of Psychology, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada;
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada;
| | - Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada;
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
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3
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Djerdjaj A, Rieger NS, Brady BH, Carey BN, Ng AJ, Christianson JP. Social affective behaviors among female rats involve the basolateral amygdala and insular cortex. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281794. [PMID: 37797037 PMCID: PMC10553809 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect, appraise, and respond to another's emotional state is essential to social affective behavior. This is mediated by a network of brain regions responsible for integrating external cues with internal states to orchestrate situationally appropriate behavioral responses. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the insular cortex are reciprocally connected regions involved in social cognition and prior work in male rats revealed their contributions to social affective behavior. We investigated the functional role of these regions in female rats in a social affective preference (SAP) test in which experimental rats approach stressed juvenile but avoid stressed adult conspecifics. In separate experiments, the BLA or the insula were inhibited by local infusion of muscimol (100ng/side in 0.5μL saline) or vehicle prior to SAP tests. In both regions, muscimol interfered with preference for the stressed juvenile and naive adult, indicating that these regions are necessary for appropriate social affective behavior. In male rats, SAP behavior requires insular oxytocin but there are noteworthy sex differences in the oxytocin receptor distribution in rats. Oxytocin (500nM) administered to the insula did not alter social behavior but oxytocin infusions to the BLA increased social interaction. In sum, female rats appear to use the same BLA and insula regions for social affective behavior but sex differences exist in contribution of oxytocin in the insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel S. Rieger
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Bridget H. Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Bridget N. Carey
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Alexandra J. Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - John P. Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
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4
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Ng AJ, Vincelette LK, Li J, Brady BH, Christianson JP. Serotonin modulates social responses to stressed conspecifics via insular 5-HT 2C receptors in rat. Neuropharmacology 2023; 236:109598. [PMID: 37230216 PMCID: PMC10330840 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Behaviors associated with distress can affect the anxiety-like states in observers and this social transfer of affect shapes social interactions among stressed individuals. We hypothesized that social reactions to stressed individuals engage the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) which promotes anxiety-like behavior via postsynaptic action of serotonin at serotonin 2C (5-HT2C) receptors in the forebrain. First, we inhibited the DRN by administering an agonist (8-OH-DPAT, 1 μg in 0.5 μL) for the inhibitory 5-HT1A autoreceptors which silences 5-HT neuronal activity. 8-OH-DPAT prevented the approach and avoidance, respectively, of stressed juvenile (PN30) or stressed adult (PN60) conspecifics in the social affective preference (SAP) test in rats. Similarly, systemic administration of a 5-HT2C receptor antagonist (SB242084, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) prevented approach and avoidance of stressed juvenile or adult conspecifics, respectively. Seeking a locus of 5-HT2C action, we considered the posterior insular cortex which is critical for social affective behaviors and rich with 5-HT2C receptors. SB242084 administered directly into the insular cortex (5 μM in 0.5 μL bilaterally) interfered with the typical approach and avoidance behaviors observed in the SAP test. Finally, using fluorescent in situ hybridization, we found that 5-HT2C receptor mRNA (htr2c) is primarily colocalized with mRNA associated with excitatory glutamatergic neurons (vglut1) in the posterior insula. Importantly, the results of these treatments were the same in male and female rats. These data suggest that interactions with stressed others require the serotonergic DRN and that serotonin modulates social affective decision-making via action at insular 5-HT2C receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
| | - Lindsay K Vincelette
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Jiayi Li
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Bridget H Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
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5
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Ng AJ, Vincelette LK, Li J, Brady BH, Christianson JP. Serotonin modulates social responses to stressed conspecifics via insular 5-HT 2C receptors in rat. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.18.529065. [PMID: 36824837 PMCID: PMC9949146 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.18.529065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Abstract
Social interaction allows for the transfer of affective states among individuals, and the behaviors and expressions associated with pain and fear can evoke anxiety-like states in observers which shape subsequent social interactions. We hypothesized that social reactions to stressed individuals engage the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) which promotes anxiety-like behavior via postsynaptic action of serotonin at serotonin 2C (5-HT 2C ) receptors in the forebrain. First, we inhibited the DRN by administering an agonist (8-OH-DPAT, 1µg in 0.5µL) for the inhibitory 5-HT 1A autoreceptors which silences 5-HT neuronal activity via G-protein coupled inward rectifying potassium channels. 8-OH-DPAT prevented the approach and avoidance, respectively, of stressed juvenile (PN30) or stressed adult (PN50) conspecifics in the social affective preference (SAP) test in rats. Similarly, systemic administration of a 5-HT 2C receptor antagonist (SB242084, 1mg/kg, i.p.) prevented approach and avoidance of stressed juvenile or adult conspecifics, respectively. Seeking a locus of 5-HT 2C action, we considered the posterior insular cortex which is critical for social affective behaviors and rich with 5-HT 2C receptors. SB242084 administered directly into the insular cortex (5µM bilaterally in 0.5µL ) interfered with the typical approach and avoidance behaviors observed in the SAP test. Finally, using fluorescent in situ hybridization, we found that 5-HT 2C receptor mRNA ( htr2c) is primarily colocalized with mRNA associated with excitatory glutamatergic neurons ( vglut1 ) in the posterior insula. Importantly, the results of these treatments were the same in male and female rats. These data suggest that interactions with stressed others require the serotonergic DRN and that serotonin modulates social affective decision-making via action at insular 5-HT 2C receptors.
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6
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Djerdjaj A, Rieger NS, Brady BH, Carey BN, Ng AJ, Christianson JP. Social affective behaviors among female rats involve the basolateral amygdala and insular cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526780. [PMID: 36778382 PMCID: PMC9915682 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to detect, appraise, and respond to another's emotional state is essential to social affective behavior. This is mediated by a network of brain regions responsible for integrating external cues with internal states to orchestrate situationally appropriate behavioral responses. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the insular cortex are reciprocally connected regions involved in social cognition and prior work in male rats revealed their contributions to social affective behavior. We investigated the functional role of these regions in female rats in a social affective preference (SAP) test in which experimental rats approach stressed juvenile but avoid stressed adult conspecifics. In separate experiments, the BLA or the insula were inhibited by local infusion of muscimol (100ng/side in 0.5μL saline) or vehicle prior to SAP tests. In both regions, muscimol interfered with preference for the stressed juvenile and naive adult, indicating that these regions are necessary for appropriate social affective behavior. In male rats, SAP behavior requires insular oxytocin but there are noteworthy sex differences in the oxytocin receptor distribution in rats. Oxytocin (500nM) administered to the insula did not alter social behavior but oxytocin infusions to the BLA increased social interaction. In sum, female rats appear to use the same BLA and insula regions for social affective behavior but sex differences exist in contribution of oxytocin in the insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Nathaniel S Rieger
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Bridget H Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Bridget N Carey
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
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7
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Djerdjaj A, Ng AJ, Rieger NS, Christianson JP. The basolateral amygdala to posterior insular cortex tract is necessary for social interaction with stressed juvenile rats. Behav Brain Res 2022; 435:114050. [PMID: 35973470 PMCID: PMC10440830 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Vocalizations, chemosignals, and behaviors are influenced by one's internal affective state and are used by others to shape social behaviors. A network of interconnected brain structures, often called the social behavior network or social decision-making network, integrates these stimuli and coordinates social behaviors, and in-network connectivity deficits underlie several psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. Here, we investigated the role of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and its projections to the posterior insular cortex, regions independently implicated in a range of sociocognitive processes, in a social affective preference (SAP) test. Viral vectors containing the gene coding for inhibitory chemogenetic receptors (AAV5-hSyn-hM4Di-mCherry) were injected into the BLA. SAP tests, which allow for the observation of unconditioned behavioral responses to the affective states of others, were conducted after inhibition of the BLA by systemic administration of the hM4Di agonist clozapine-n-oxide (CNO), or inhibition of BLA-insula terminals by direct infusion of CNO to the insula. After vehicle infusions, rats displayed preference for interactions with stressed juvenile conspecifics. However, CNO treatment eliminated preference behavior. The current results suggest that social decision making involves the transfer of emotional information from the BLA to the insula which represents a previously unrecognized anatomical substrate for social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Boston College, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Boston College, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Nathaniel S Rieger
- Boston College, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - John P Christianson
- Boston College, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
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8
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Najgebauer P, Staś M, Wrzalik R, Broda MA, Wieczorek PP, Andrushchenko V, Kupka T. Muscimol hydration and vibrational spectroscopy – The impact of explicit and implicit water. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2022.119870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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9
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Toyoshima M, Okuda E, Hasegawa N, Kaseda K, Yamada K. Socially Transferred Stress Experience Modulates Social Affective Behaviors in Rats. Neuroscience 2022; 502:68-76. [PMID: 36064051 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Social communication of affective states between individuals, as well as actual experiences, influences their internal states and behaviors. Although prior stress experiences promote empathy-like behaviors, it remains unclear whether the social transmission of stress events modulates these behaviors. Here, we provide evidence that transferred stress experiences from cage mates modulate socioaffective approach-avoidance behaviors in rats. Male Wistar-Imamichi rats were assigned to one of five experimental groups (Control (n = 15); no shock with shocked cage mates (n = 15); low (0.1 mA, n = 15), middle (0.5 mA, n = 14), and high shock (1.0 mA, n = 14)). Except for the naïve and housed with stressed mate groups, rats received two foot-shocks (5 s for each). The next day, the subjects were allowed to explore two unfamiliar conspecifics; one was a naïve, while the other was a distressed conspecific that received two foot-shocks (1.0 mA, 5 s) immediately before the test. Rats that were housed with stressed mates, as well as those that experienced a higher intensity of foot-shocks, were more likely to approach, while naïve rats avoided, a distressed conspecific. These results suggest that socially transferred stress shifts socioaffective response styles from avoidance to approach toward a stressed conspecific in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michimasa Toyoshima
- Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan; JSPS Research Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan.
| | - Eri Okuda
- Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Natsu Hasegawa
- Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Kodai Kaseda
- Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Kazuo Yamada
- Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan.
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10
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Paletta P, Bass N, Kavaliers M, Choleris E. The role of oxytocin in shaping complex social behaviours: possible interactions with other neuromodulators. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210058. [PMID: 35858107 PMCID: PMC9272141 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
This review explores the role of oxytocin in the mediation of select social behaviours, with particular emphasis on female rodents. These behaviours include social recognition, social learning, pathogen detection and avoidance, and maternal care. Specific brain regions where oxytocin has been shown to directly mediate various aspects of these social behaviours, as well as other proposed regions, are discussed. Possible interactions between oxytocin and other regulatory systems, in particular that of oestrogens and dopamine, in the modulation of social behaviour are considered. Similarities and differences between males and females are highlighted. This article is part of the theme issue 'Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Paletta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, MacKinnon Building Room 4020, 50 Stone Road E., Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Noah Bass
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, MacKinnon Building Room 4020, 50 Stone Road E., Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, MacKinnon Building Room 4020, 50 Stone Road E., Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, MacKinnon Building Room 4020, 50 Stone Road E., Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
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11
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Rieger NS, Varela JA, Ng AJ, Granata L, Djerdjaj A, Brenhouse HC, Christianson JP. Insular cortex corticotropin-releasing factor integrates stress signaling with social affective behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1156-1168. [PMID: 35220413 PMCID: PMC9018766 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01292-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in identifying and responding to the emotions of others manifest in a variety of psychopathologies. Therefore, elaborating the neurobiological mechanisms that underpin social responses to social emotions, or social affective behavior, is a translationally important goal. The insular cortex is consistently implicated in stress-related social and anxiety disorders, which are associated with diminished ability to make and use inferences about the emotions of others to guide behavior. We investigated how corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a neuromodulator evoked upon exposure to stressed conspecifics, influenced the insula. We hypothesized that social affective behavior requires CRF signaling in the insular cortex in order to detect stress in social interactions. In acute slices from male and female rats, CRF depolarized insular pyramidal neurons. In males, but not females, CRF suppressed presynaptic GABAergic inhibition leading to greater excitatory synaptic efficacy in a CRF receptor 1 (CRF1)- and cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1)-dependent fashion. In males only, insular CRF increased social investigation, and CRF1 and CB1 antagonists interfered with social interactions with stressed conspecifics. To investigate the molecular and cellular basis for the effect of CRF we examined insular CRF1 and CB1 mRNAs and found greater total insula CRF1 mRNA in females but greater CRF1 and CB1 mRNA colocalization in male insular cortex glutamatergic neurons that suggest complex, sex-specific organization of CRF and endocannabinoid systems. Together these results reveal a new mechanism by which stress and affect contribute to social affective behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel S Rieger
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Juan A Varela
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Lauren Granata
- Psychology Department, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 115 Richards Hall, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Heather C Brenhouse
- Psychology Department, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 115 Richards Hall, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
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12
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Kavaliers M, Ossenkopp KP, Tyson CD, Bishnoi IR, Choleris E. Social factors and the neurobiology of pathogen avoidance. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210371. [PMID: 35193366 PMCID: PMC8864371 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the evolutionary causes and consequences of pathogen avoidance have been gaining increasing interest, there has been less attention paid to the proximate neurobiological mechanisms. Animals gauge the infection status of conspecifics and the threat they represent on the basis of various sensory and social cues. Here, we consider the neurobiology of pathogen detection and avoidance from a cognitive, motivational and affective state (disgust) perspective, focusing on the mechanisms associated with activating and directing parasite/pathogen avoidance. Drawing upon studies with laboratory rodents, we briefly discuss aspects of (i) olfactory-mediated recognition and avoidance of infected conspecifics; (ii) relationships between pathogen avoidance and various social factors (e.g. social vigilance, social distancing (approach/avoidance), social salience and social reward); (iii) the roles of various brain regions (in particular the amygdala and insular cortex) and neuromodulators (neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, steroidal hormones and immune components) in the regulation of pathogen avoidance. We propose that understanding the proximate neurobiological mechanisms can provide insights into the ecological and evolutionary consequences of the non-consumptive effects of pathogens and how, when and why females and males engage in pathogen avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1
| | - Cashmeira-Dove Tyson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1
| | - Indra R Bishnoi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
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13
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Devlin BA, Smith CJ, Bilbo SD. Sickness and the social brain: How the immune system regulates behavior across species. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 97:197-210. [PMID: 34915474 DOI: 10.1159/000521476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Many instances of sickness critically involve the immune system. The immune system talks to the brain in a bi-directional loop. This discourse affords the immune system immense control, such that it can influence behavior and optimize recovery from illness. These behavioral responses to infection are called sickness behaviors and can manifest in many ways, including changes in mood, motivation, or energy. Fascinatingly, most of these changes are conserved across species, and most organisms demonstrate some form of sickness behaviors. One of the most interesting sickness behaviors, and not immediately obvious, is altered sociability. Here, we discuss how the immune system impacts social behavior, by examining the brain regions and immune mediators involved in this process. We first outline how social behavior changes in response to infection in various species. Next, we explore which brain regions control social behavior and their evolutionary origins. Finally, we describe which immune mediators establish the link between illness and social behavior, in the context of both normal development and infection. Overall, we hope to make clear the striking similarities between the mechanisms that facilitate changes in sociability in derived and ancestral vertebrate, as well as invertebrate, species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A Devlin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Caroline J Smith
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Staci D Bilbo
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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