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Sotelo MI, Tyan J, Markunas C, Sulaman BA, Horwitz L, Lee H, Morrow JG, Rothschild G, Duan B, Eban-Rothschild A. Lateral hypothalamic neuronal ensembles regulate pre-sleep nest-building behavior. Curr Biol 2022; 32:806-822.e7. [PMID: 35051354 PMCID: PMC10455050 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The transition from wakefulness to sleep requires striking alterations in brain activity, physiology, and behavior, yet the precise neuronal circuit elements facilitating this transition remain unclear. Prior to sleep onset, many animal species display characteristic behaviors, including finding a safe location, performing hygiene-related behaviors, and preparing a space for sleep. It has been proposed that the pre-sleep period is a transitional phase in which engaging in a specific behavioral repertoire de-arouses the brain and facilitates the wake-to-sleep transition, yet both causal evidence for this premise and an understanding of the neuronal circuit elements involved are lacking. Here, we combine detailed behavioral observations, EEG-EMG recordings, selective targeting, and activity modulation of pre-sleep-active neurons to reveal the behaviors preceding sleep initiation and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms. We show that mice engage in temporally structured behaviors with stereotypic EEG signatures prior to sleep and that nest-building and grooming become significantly more prevalent with sleep proximity. We next demonstrate that the ability to build a nest promotes the initiation and consolidation of sleep and that the lack of nesting material chronically fragments sleep. Lastly, we identify broadly projecting and predominantly glutamatergic neuronal ensembles in the lateral hypothalamus that regulate the motivation to engage in pre-sleep nest-building behavior and gate sleep initiation and intensity. Our study provides causal evidence for the facilitatory role of pre-sleep behaviors in sleep initiation and consolidation and a functional characterization of the neuronal underpinnings regulating a sleep-related and goal-directed complex behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria I Sotelo
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jean Tyan
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Chelsea Markunas
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Bibi A Sulaman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Lorraine Horwitz
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Hankyu Lee
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Joshua G Morrow
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Gideon Rothschild
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Kresge Hearing Research Institute and Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Bo Duan
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Rohrer KN, Ferkin MH. Don’t listen to mom: no maternal influence on consistent nest and latrine site choice by their offspring in meadow voles. BEHAVIOUR 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Where does an animal build a nest? At a large scale, habitat preference can be informed by ‘natal habitat preference induction’, where an animal’s early environment impacts what habitat it finds suitable later in life. Other preferences may be present within a chosen habitat. We tracked the location angle of nests and latrines within the home cages of captive meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus. Nests and latrines were separated from each other by an angle of approximately 180°, perhaps to reduce disease transmission. Meadow voles’ nest and latrine site choices were individually consistent across time. Only nest site choices were consistent between siblings, as assessed by a random effect coefficient, and these choices were repeatable. However, nest site choices at maturity were independent of their mother’s nest choice. We posit that the nest and latrine site choice is a socially learned preference developed through the consensus of siblings after weaning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl N. Rohrer
- University of Memphis, Department of Biological Sciences, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Michael H. Ferkin
- University of Memphis, Department of Biological Sciences, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
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3
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Rebec GV, Koceja DM, Bunner KD. Measuring Movement in Health and Disease. Brain Res Bull 2022; 181:167-174. [PMID: 35122899 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Evaluating and quantifying the many aspects of movement -- from open-field locomotion and stepping patterns in rodent models to stride trajectory and postural sway in human patients -- are key to understanding brain function. Various experimental approaches have been used in applying these lines of research to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disease. Although valuable, data on movement are often limited by the shortcomings inherent in the data collection process itself. Steve Fowler and his research group have been instrumental in pioneering a technology that both minimizes these pitfalls in studies of rodent behavior and has applications to research on human patients. At the center of this technology is the force-plate actometer, developed by the Fowler group to assess multiple aspects of movement in rodent models. Our review highlights how use of the actometer and related behavioral measurements provides valuable insight into Huntington's disease (HD), an autosomal dominant condition of progressively deteriorating behavioral control. HD typically emerges in mid-life and has been replicated in multiple genetically engineered mouse models. The actometer also can be a valuable addition to cutting-edge neuronal and synaptic technologies that are now increasingly applied to studies of behaving animals. In short, the impact of the Fowler contribution to the neuroscience of movement is both meaningful and ongoing.
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Affiliation(s)
- George V Rebec
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States; Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States.
| | - David M Koceja
- Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States; Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Kendra D Bunner
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
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4
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Lewis JA, Morran LT. Advantages of laboratory natural selection in the applied sciences. J Evol Biol 2021; 35:5-22. [PMID: 34826161 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13964] [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: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the past three decades, laboratory natural selection has become a widely used technique in biological research. Most studies which have utilized this technique are in the realm of basic science, often testing hypotheses related to mechanisms of evolutionary change or ecological dynamics. While laboratory natural selection is currently utilized heavily in this setting, there is a significant gap with its usage in applied studies, especially when compared to the other selection experiment methodologies like artificial selection and directed evolution. This is despite avenues of research in the applied sciences which seem well suited to laboratory natural selection. In this review, we place laboratory natural selection in context with other selection experiments, identify the characteristics which make it well suited for particular kinds of applied research and briefly cover key examples of the usefulness of selection experiments within applied science. Finally, we identify three promising areas of inquiry for laboratory natural selection in the applied sciences: bioremediation technology, identifying mechanisms of drug resistance and optimizing biofuel production. Although laboratory natural selection is currently less utilized in applied science when compared to basic research, the method has immense promise in the field moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A Lewis
- Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Levi T Morran
- Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Mitra S, Bult-Ito A. Bidirectional Behavioral Selection in Mice: A Novel Pre-clinical Approach to Examining Compulsivity. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:716619. [PMID: 34566718 PMCID: PMC8458042 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.716619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders (OCRD) is one of the most prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders with no definitive etiology. The pathophysiological attributes of OCD are driven by a multitude of factors that involve polygenic mechanisms, gender, neurochemistry, physiological status, environmental exposures and complex interactions among these factors. Such complex intertwining of contributing factors imparts clinical heterogeneity to the disorder making it challenging for therapeutic intervention. Mouse strains selected for excessive levels of nest- building behavior exhibit a spontaneous, stable and predictable compulsive-like behavioral phenotype. These compulsive-like mice exhibit heterogeneity in expression of compulsive-like and other adjunct behaviors that might serve as a valuable animal equivalent for examining the interactions of genetics, sex and environmental factors in influencing the pathophysiology of OCD. The current review summarizes the existing findings on the compulsive-like mice that bolster their face, construct and predictive validity for studying various dimensions of compulsive and associated behaviors often reported in clinical OCD and OCRD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarup Mitra
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Abel Bult-Ito
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States
- OCRD Biomed LLC, Fairbanks, AK, United States
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Corrales-Moya J, Barrantes G, Chacón-Madrigal E, Sandoval L. Human waste used as nesting material affects nest cooling in the clay-colored thrush. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 284:117539. [PMID: 34261230 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The internal temperature of nests largely depends on the materials used in their construction because the characteristics of each material affect the isolation of nest walls. In urban environments, the availability of natural materials for nest building decreases, while the availability of artificial materials increases. Therefore, many urban bird species use more artificial materials for nest building inside cities, which may affect the thermal properties of the nest. We conducted an experiment to measure the effect of artificial materials included as part of the nest structure, on nest thermoregulation. We used as a model, nests of the clay-colored thrush (Turdus grayi), an urban bird species that have been reported using artificial nest materials. In our experiment, we measured how variation in artificial materials mass affects the nest cooling rate in a climate-controlled room. We found that artificial materials increased the cooling rate of clay-colored thrush nests, compared with nests with only natural materials. This result is especially relevant because showed a negative direct effect of the use of artificial material for nest building in birds. Considering that the availability of artificial material is increasing in urban areas, while natural material is decreasing, it is expected that the negative effect of using artificital material for nest construction would increase in the clay-colored thrush and other city bird species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Corrales-Moya
- Sistema de Estudios de Posgrado, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica; Laboratorio de Ecología Urbana y Comunicación Animal, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica; Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica.
| | | | | | - Luis Sandoval
- Laboratorio de Ecología Urbana y Comunicación Animal, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica; Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
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Social Nesting, Animal Welfare, and Disease Monitoring. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11041079. [PMID: 33918975 PMCID: PMC8070261 DOI: 10.3390/ani11041079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Most standardized tools to evaluate welfare and disease progression in animals assess the individuals, while social behaviors are scarcely monitored, despite being useful to detecting acute illness and chronic and mental health problems. The main reason is that social behavior is complex and time-consuming. We are currently using the nests built by animals living together, a species-typical behavior naturally occurring in standard housing conditions, to monitor them. Here, we provide an example of its use to evaluate social deficits and the long-term effects of a neonatal tactile-proprioceptive sensorial treatment from postnatal day 1 to 21, in male and female adult mice modeling Alzheimer’s disease compared to mice with normal aging. Social nesting was worse in the mutants, mostly in males, since the number of days needed to build a perfect nest was longer or unsuccessful in a three-day test. Early life intervention was successful. Social nesting, easily included in housing routines, can be a useful tool to assess animal welfare, monitor disease progress, and evaluate potential risk factors and effects of preventive/therapeutical strategies. Other advantages, such as being a noninvasive, painless, simple, short, and low-cost, rend social nesting feasible to be implemented in most animal department settings. Abstract The assessment of welfare and disease progression in animal models is critical. Most tools rely on evaluating individual subjects, whereas social behaviors, also sensitive to acute illness, chronic diseases, or mental health, are scarcely monitored because they are complex and time-consuming. We propose the evaluation of social nesting, a species-typical behavior naturally occurring in standard housing conditions, for such behavioral monitoring. We provide an example of its use to evaluate social deficits and the long-term effects of neonatal tactile-proprioceptive sensorial stimulation from postnatal day 1 to 21, in male and female adult 3xTg-AD mice for Alzheimer’s disease compared to sex- and age-matched non-transgenic (NTg) counterparts with normal aging. Social nesting was sensitive to genotype (worse in 3xTg-AD mice), sex (worse in males), profile, and treatment (distinct time to observe the maximum score and incidence of the perfect nest). Since social nesting can be easily included in housing routines, this neuroethological approach can be useful for animal welfare, monitoring the disease’s progress, and evaluating potential risk factors and effects of preventive/therapeutical strategies. Finally, the noninvasive, painless, simple, short time, and low-cost features of this home-cage monitoring are advantages that make social nesting feasible to be successfully implemented in most animal department settings.
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Trait specific modulatory effects of caffeine exposure on compulsive-like behaviors in a spontaneous mouse model of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behav Pharmacol 2020; 31:622-632. [PMID: 32427622 PMCID: PMC7495980 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by recurring intrusive thoughts and repetitive compulsive behaviors, ultimately interfering with their quality of life. The complex heterogeneity of symptom dimensions across OCD patient subgroups impedes diagnosis and treatment. The core and comorbid symptomologies of OCD are thought to be modulated by common environmental exposures such as consumption of the psychostimulant caffeine. The effect of caffeine on the expression of obsessions and compulsions are unexplored. The current study utilized mouse strains (HA) with a spontaneous, predictable, and stable compulsive-like phenotype that have face, predictive, and construct validity for OCD. We demonstrate that an acute high dose (25 mg/kg) of caffeine decreased compulsive-like nest-building behavior in the HA strains in the first hour after injection. However, nest-building scores increased in hours 3, 4, and 5 after administration finally decreasing over a 24 h period. In contrast, a high dose of chronic caffeine (25 mg/kg/d) increased nest-building behavior. Interestingly for compulsive-like digging behavior, acute exposure to a high dose of caffeine decreased the number of marbles buried, while chronic exposure had little effect. An acute high dose of caffeine decreased anxiety-like and motor activity in open field behaviors whereas chronic caffeine administration did not have any overall effect on open field activity. The results, therefore, suggest a complex role of caffeine on compulsive-like, anxiety-like, and locomotor behaviors that is dependent on the duration of exposure.
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9
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Keleher MR, Zaidi R, Patel K, Ahmed A, Bettler C, Pavlatos C, Shah S, Cheverud JM. The effect of dietary fat on behavior in mice. J Diabetes Metab Disord 2018; 17:297-307. [PMID: 30918865 DOI: 10.1007/s40200-018-0373-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Obesity is linked to cognitive dysfunction in humans and rodents, and its effects can be passed on to the next generation. However, the extent of these effects is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a prenatal maternal high-fat diet and an individual high-fat diet in inbred mice. Methods We varied maternal diet and offspring diet to test the hypothesis that a high-fat diet would increase anxiety, reduce activity levels, and impair nest-building. First, we fed a high-fat (HF) or low-fat (LF) diet to genetically identical female Small (SM/J) mice and mated them with LF males. We cross-fostered all offspring to LF-fed SM/J nurses and weaned them onto an HF or LF diet. We weighed the mice weekly and we tested anxiety with the Open Field Test, activity levels with instantaneous scan sampling, and nest building using the Deacon Scale. Results Diet significantly affected weight, with HF females weighing 28.2 g (± 1.4 g SE) and LF females weighing 15.1 g (± 1.6 g SE) at 17 weeks old. The offspring's own diet had major behavioral effects. HF mice produced more fecal boli and urinations in the Open Field Test, built lower-quality nests, and had lower activity in adulthood than LF mice. The only trait that a prenatal maternal diet significantly affected was whether the offspring built their nests inside or outside of a hut. Conclusions Offspring diet, but not prenatal maternal diet, affected a wide range of behaviors in these mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Rose Keleher
- 1Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO USA.,2Department of Biology, Loyola University, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660 USA
| | - Rabab Zaidi
- 2Department of Biology, Loyola University, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660 USA
| | - Kayna Patel
- 2Department of Biology, Loyola University, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660 USA
| | - Amer Ahmed
- 2Department of Biology, Loyola University, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660 USA
| | - Carlee Bettler
- 2Department of Biology, Loyola University, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660 USA
| | - Cassondra Pavlatos
- 2Department of Biology, Loyola University, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660 USA
| | - Shyam Shah
- 2Department of Biology, Loyola University, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660 USA
| | - James M Cheverud
- 2Department of Biology, Loyola University, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660 USA
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Mitra S, Bult-Ito A. Attenuation of compulsive-like behavior by fluvoxamine in a non-induced mouse model of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behav Pharmacol 2018; 29:299-305. [PMID: 29035919 PMCID: PMC5899065 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The current study evaluated the role of strain and compulsive trait differences in response to fluvoxamine, a common obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) drug, in two different mouse strains (BIG1 and BIG2) with a spontaneous compulsive-like phenotype. For compulsive-like nest-building behavior, dose-dependent attenuation of nesting by fluvoxamine was observed for the BIG1 compulsive-like strain during the first hour after administration. No significant differences were found for the BIG2 strain during the first hour, although a dose-dependent trend similar to that in the BIG1 strain was observed. Fluvoxamine dose dependently decreased the number of marbles buried in both strains 1 h after administration. For anxiety-like behaviors in the open field, no significant drug effects were found for the latency to leave the center and the number of line crossings. Significant strain differences were observed, with the BIG2 strain showing higher anxiety-like behaviors and reduced locomotor activity compared with the BIG1 strain. Consequently, this study adds predictive validity to our mouse model of OCD, whereas the anxiety-like differences between the strains add heterogeneity to our mouse model, similar to the heterogeneity observed in OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarup Mitra
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
- IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
| | - Abel Bult-Ito
- Department of Biology & Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
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12
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Kohl J, Dulac C. Neural control of parental behaviors. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 49:116-122. [PMID: 29482085 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Parenting is a multicomponent social behavior that is essential for the survival of offspring in many species. Despite extensive characterization of individual brain areas involved in parental care, we do not fully understand how discrete aspects of this behavior are orchestrated at the neural circuit level. Recent progress in identifying genetically specified neuronal populations critical for parenting, and the use of genetic and viral tools for circuit-cracking now allow us to deconstruct the underlying circuitry and, thus, to elucidate how different aspects of parental care are controlled. Here we review the latest advances, outline possible organizational principles of parental circuits and discuss future challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Kohl
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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13
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Mitra S, Mucha M, Owen S, Bult-Ito A. Postpartum Lactation-Mediated Behavioral Outcomes and Drug Responses in a Spontaneous Mouse Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. ACS Chem Neurosci 2017; 8:2683-2697. [PMID: 28945961 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a spontaneous mouse model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the current study evaluated the influence of postpartum lactation on the expression of compulsive-like behaviors, SSRI effectiveness, and the putative role of oxytocin and dopamine in mediating these lactation specific behavioral outcomes. Compulsive-like lactating mice were less compulsive-like in nest building and marble burying and showed enhanced responsiveness to fluoxetine (50 mg/kg) in comparison to compulsive-like nonlactating and nulliparous females. Lactating mice exhibited more anxiety-like behavior in the open field test compared to the nulliparous females, while chronic fluoxetine reduced anxiety-like behaviors. Blocking the oxytocin receptor with L368-899 (5 mg/kg) in the lactating mice exacerbated the compulsive-like and depression-like behaviors. The dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) agonist bromocriptine (10 mg/kg) suppressed marble burying, nest building, and central entries in the open field, but because it also suppressed overall locomotion in the open field, activation of the D2R receptor may have inhibited overall activity nonspecifically. Lactation- and fluoxetine-mediated behavioral outcomes in compulsive-like mice, therefore, appear to be partly regulated by oxytocinergic mechanisms. Serotonin immunoreactivity and serum levels were higher in lactating compulsive-like mice compared to nonlactating and nulliparous compulsive-like females. Together, these results suggest behavioral modulation, serotonergic alterations, and changes in SSRI effectiveness during lactation in compulsive-like mice. This warrants further investigation of postpartum events in OCD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarup Mitra
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, United States
- IDeA
Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, United States
| | - McKenzie Mucha
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, United States
| | - Savanah Owen
- Department of Biology & Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, United States
| | - Abel Bult-Ito
- Department of Biology & Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, United States
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Matsumoto Y, Goto T, Nishino J, Nakaoka H, Tanave A, Takano-Shimizu T, Mott RF, Koide T. Selective breeding and selection mapping using a novel wild-derived heterogeneous stock of mice revealed two closely-linked loci for tameness. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4607. [PMID: 28676693 PMCID: PMC5496859 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04869-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Tameness is a major behavioral factor for domestication, and can be divided into two potential components: motivation to approach humans (active tameness) and reluctance to avoid humans (passive tameness). We identified genetic loci for active tameness through selective breeding, selection mapping, and association analysis. In previous work using laboratory and wild mouse strains, we found that laboratory strains were predominantly selected for passive tameness but not active tameness during their domestication. To identify genetic regions associated with active tameness, we applied selective breeding over 9 generations for contacting, a behavioural parameter strongly associated with active tameness. The prerequisite for successful selective breeding is high genetic variation in the target population, so we established and used a novel resource, wild-derived heterogeneous stock (WHS) mice from eight wild strains. The mice had genetic variations not present in other outbred mouse populations. Selective breeding of the WHS mice increased the contacting level through the generations. Selection mapping was applied to the selected population using a simulation based on a non-selection model and inferred haplotype data derived from single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We found a genomic signature for selection on chromosome 11 containing two closely linked loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Matsumoto
- Mouse Genomics Resource Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan.,Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Tatsuhiko Goto
- Mouse Genomics Resource Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Jo Nishino
- Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Nakaoka
- Division of Human Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Akira Tanave
- Mouse Genomics Resource Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan.,Transdisciplinary Research Integration Center, Toranomon, Minatoku, Tokyo, 105-0001, Japan
| | | | - Richard F Mott
- Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Tsuyoshi Koide
- Mouse Genomics Resource Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan. .,Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan. .,Transdisciplinary Research Integration Center, Toranomon, Minatoku, Tokyo, 105-0001, Japan.
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Gromko MH, Briot A, Jensen SC, Fukui HH. SELECTION ON COPULATION DURATION IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: PREDICTABILITY OF DIRECT RESPONSE VERSUS UNPREDICTABILITY OF CORRELATED RESPONSE. Evolution 2017; 45:69-81. [PMID: 28564066 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1991.tb05267.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/1989] [Accepted: 05/30/1990] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Estimates of heritabilities and genetic correlations for seven reproductive attributes had previously been obtained from parent-offspring regression (Gromko, 1987, 1989). Copulation duration was shown to have a heritability of 0.23 and to be genetically correlated with courtship vigor (rA = -0.41) and with fertility (rA = 0.27). These observations form the basis for the prediction of direct and correlated responses to selection for increased and decreased copulation duration, which are reported here. The direct response corresponded closely to prediction, but the correlated responses did not provide consistent qualitative fit. A hypothesis is proposed to explain this difference in predictability of direct and correlated response to selection. The major postulate is that the different polygenes involved in the direct response to selection for copulation duration have different pleiotropic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark H Gromko
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
| | - Amy Briot
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
| | - Susan C Jensen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
| | - H Hank Fukui
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
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16
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Dingle H, Evans KE, Palmer JO. RESPONSES TO SELECTION AMONG LIFE‐HISTORY TRAITS IN A NONMIGRATORY POPULATION OF MILKWEED BUGS (
ONCOPELTUS FASCIATUS
). Evolution 2017; 42:79-92. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1988.tb04109.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/1987] [Accepted: 08/24/1987] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugh Dingle
- Department of Entomology University of California Davis CA 95616
| | - Kenneth E. Evans
- Department of Entomology University of California Davis CA 95616
| | - James O. Palmer
- Department of Biology, Program in Evolutionary Ecology and Behavior University of Iowa Iowa City IA 52242
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17
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Palmer JO, Dingle H. DIRECT AND CORRELATED RESPONSES TO SELECTION AMONG LIFE‐HISTORY TRAITS IN MILKWEED BUGS (
ONCOPELTUS FASCIATUS
). Evolution 2017; 40:767-777. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1986.tb00536.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/1985] [Accepted: 04/11/1986] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James O. Palmer
- Department of Biology, Program in Evolutionary Ecology and Behavior University of Iowa Iowa City IA 52242
| | - Hugh Dingle
- Department of Entomology University of California at Davis Davis CA 95616
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18
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Lucon-Xiccato T, Bisazza A. Individual differences in cognition among teleost fishes. Behav Processes 2017; 141:184-195. [PMID: 28126389 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2016] [Revised: 01/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Individual differences in cognitive abilities have been thoroughly investigated in humans and to a lesser extent in other mammals. Despite the growing interest in studying cognition in other taxonomic groups, data on individual differences are scarce for non-mammalian species. Here, we review the literature on individual differences in cognitive abilities in teleost fishes. Relatively few studies have directly addressed this topic and have provided evidence of consistent and heritable individual variation in cognitive abilities in fish. We found much more evidence of individual cognitive differences in other research areas, namely sex differences, personality differences, cerebral lateralisation and comparison between populations. Altogether, these studies suggest that individual differences in cognition are as common in fish as in warm-blooded vertebrates. Based on the example of research on mammals, we suggest directions for future investigation in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Angelo Bisazza
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
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19
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Mitra S, Mucha M, Khatri SN, Glenon R, Schulte MK, Bult-Ito A. Attenuation of Compulsive-Like Behavior Through Positive Allosteric Modulation of α4β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Non-Induced Compulsive-Like Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 10:244. [PMID: 28105008 PMCID: PMC5214813 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotinic α4β2 receptors are the most abundant subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) expressed in brain regions implicated in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). These receptors are known to modify normal and addictive behaviors by modulating neuronal excitability. Desformylflustrabromine (dFBr) is a novel, positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of high acetylcholine sensitivity (HS) and low acetylcholine sensitivity (LS) α4β2 nAChRs. The present study tested the hypothesis that positive allosteric modulation of α4β2 receptors by dFBr will attenuate compulsive-like behavior in a non-induced compulsive-like mouse model. Male mice (Mus musculus) selected for compulsive-like nesting behavior (NB; 48 animals; 12 per group) received acute (once) and chronic (every day for 32 days) subcutaneous injection of dFBr at 2, 4 and 6 mg/kg doses. Saline was used as a control (0 mg/kg). Compulsive-like NB was assessed after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 24 h, while compulsive-like marble burying (MB) and anxiety-like open field (OF) behaviors were performed 2 h after dFBr administration. In the acute administration protocol, dFBr dose dependently attenuated NB and MB. Rapid effects (1–2 h after drug administration) of dFBr on MB and NB were observed for the chronic administration which was in congruence with the acute study. Chronic administration also revealed sustained suppression of NB by dFBr following 5 weeks of treatment. In both the acute and chronic regimen dFBr did not modulate OF behaviors. This research demonstrates the novel role of positive allosteric modulation of α4β2 nicotinic receptors by dFBr as a translational potential for OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarup Mitra
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK, USA; IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Mckenzie Mucha
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Shailesh N Khatri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Richard Glenon
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Marvin K Schulte
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Abel Bult-Ito
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK, USA
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20
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Mitra S, Bastos CP, Chesworth S, Frye C, Bult-Ito A. Strain and sex based characterization of behavioral expressions in non-induced compulsive-like mice. Physiol Behav 2016; 168:103-111. [PMID: 27838311 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Revised: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
There is currently a lack of understanding how genetic background and sex differences attribute to the heterogeneity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). An animal model of compulsive-like behaviors has been developed through bidirectional selection of house mice (Mus musculus) for high (big cotton nests; BIG mice) and low levels (small nests; SMALL mice) of nest-building behavior. The BIG male strains have predictive and face validity as a spontaneous animal model of OCD. Here, we evaluated compulsive-, anxiety-, cognitive-, and depression-like behaviors among male and proestrus female replicate strains each of BIG (BIG1, BIG2) and SMALL (SML1, SML2) nest-builders, and randomly-bred Controls (C1, C2). BIG1 and BIG2 males and females had higher nesting scores when compared to SMALL and Control strains. Male BIG1 and BIG2 strains showed more compulsive-like nesting than BIG1 and BIG2 proestrus females, which was not observed among the other strains. Nesting scores were also different between BIG replicate male strains. A similar pattern was observed in the compulsive-like marble burying behavior with BIG strains burying more marbles than SMALL and Control strains. Significant replicate and sex differences were also observed in marble burying among the BIG strains. The open field test revealed replicate effects while the BIG strains showed less anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze test compared to the SMALL strains. For novel object recognition only the Control strains showed replicate and sex differences. In the depression-like forced swim test proestrus females demonstrated less depression-like behavior than males. BIG and SMALL nest-building strains had a higher corticosterone stress response than the Control strains. Together these results indicate a strong interplay of genetic background and sex in influencing expression of behaviors in our compulsive-like mouse model. These results are in congruence with the clinical heterogeneity of OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarup Mitra
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA; IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
| | - Cristiane P Bastos
- IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA; Núcleo de Neurociências, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Savanna Chesworth
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
| | - Cheryl Frye
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA; IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA; Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA
| | - Abel Bult-Ito
- Department of Biology & Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA.
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21
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Mitra S, Bastos CP, Bates K, Pereira GS, Bult-Ito A. Ovarian Sex Hormones Modulate Compulsive, Affective and Cognitive Functions in A Non-Induced Mouse Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:215. [PMID: 27881956 PMCID: PMC5101197 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
There is currently a lack of understanding of how surgical menopause can influence obsessions, compulsions and associated affective and cognitive functions in female obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. Early menopause in women due to surgical removal of ovaries not only causes dramatic hormonal changes, but also may induce affective and cognitive disorders. Here, we tested if surgical removal of ovaries (ovariectomy, OVX), which mimics surgical menopause in humans, would result in exacerbation of compulsive, affective and cognitive behaviors in mice strains that exhibit a spontaneous compulsive-like phenotype. Female mice from compulsive-like BIG, non-compulsive SMALL and randomly-bred Control strains were subjected to OVX or sham-surgery. After 7 days animals were tested for nest building and marble burying to measure compulsive-like behavior. The elevated plus maze and open field tests measured anxiety-like behaviors, while memory was assessed by the novel object recognition. Acute OVX resulted in exacerbation of compulsive-like and anxiety-like behaviors in compulsive-like BIG mice. No significant effects of OVX were observed for the non-compulsive SMALL and Control strains. Object recognition memory was impaired in compulsive-like BIG female mice compared to the Control mice, without an effect of OVX on the BIG mice. We also tested whether 17 β-estradiol (E2) or progesterone (P4) could reverse the effects of OVX. E2, but not P4, attenuated the compulsive-like behaviors in compulsive-like BIG OVX female mice. The actions of the sex steroids on anxiety-like behaviors in OVX females were strain and behavioral test dependent. Altogether, our results indicate that already existing compulsions can be worsened during acute ovarian deprivation concomitant with exacerbation of affective behaviors and responses to hormonal intervention in OVX female mice can be influenced by genetic background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarup Mitra
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK, USA; IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Cristiane P Bastos
- IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK, USA; Núcleo de Neurociências, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisBelo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Katherine Bates
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Grace S Pereira
- Núcleo de Neurociências, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Abel Bult-Ito
- IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK, USA; Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK, USA
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22
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Greenberg GD, Phillips TJ, Crabbe JC. Effects of acute alcohol withdrawal on nest building in mice selectively bred for alcohol withdrawal severity. Physiol Behav 2016; 165:257-66. [PMID: 27503811 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Nest building has been used to assess thermoregulatory behavior and positive motivational states in mice. There are known genetic influences on ethanol withdrawal severity as well as individual/thermoregulatory nest building. Withdrawal Seizure-Prone (WSP-1, WSP-2) and Withdrawal Seizure-Resistant (WSR-1, WSR-2) mice were selectively bred for high vs low handling-induced convulsion (HIC) severity, respectively, during withdrawal from chronic ethanol vapor inhalation. They also differ in HIC severity during withdrawal from an acute, 4g/kg ethanol injection. In our initial study, withdrawal from an acute dose of ethanol dose-dependently impaired nest building over the initial 24h of withdrawal in genetically segregating Withdrawal Seizure Control (WSC) mice. In two further studies, acute ethanol withdrawal suppressed nest building for up to two days in WSP-1 females. Deficits in nest building from ethanol were limited to the initial 10h of withdrawal in WSR-1 females and to the initial 24h of withdrawal in WSP-1 and WSR-1 males. Effects of ethanol on nest building for up to two days were found in WSP-2 and WSR-2 mice of both sexes. Nest building deficits in female mice from the first replicate could not be explained by a general decrease in locomotor behavior. These results suggest that nest building is a novel behavioral phenotype for indexing the severity of acute ethanol withdrawal, and that genes contributing to this trait differ from those affecting acute withdrawal HIC severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gian D Greenberg
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA.
| | - Tamara J Phillips
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - John C Crabbe
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
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23
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Garland T, Zhao M, Saltzman W. Hormones and the Evolution of Complex Traits: Insights from Artificial Selection on Behavior. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:207-24. [PMID: 27252193 PMCID: PMC5964798 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although behavior may often be a fairly direct target of natural or sexual selection, it cannot evolve without changes in subordinate traits that cause or permit its expression. In principle, changes in endocrine function could be a common mechanism underlying behavioral evolution because they are well positioned to mediate integrated responses to behavioral selection. More specifically, hormones can influence both motivational (e.g., brain) and performance (e.g., muscles) components of behavior simultaneously and in a coordinated fashion. If the endocrine system is often "used" as a general mechanism to effect responses to selection, then correlated responses in other aspects of behavior, life history, and organismal performance (e.g., locomotor abilities) should commonly occur because any cell with appropriate receptors could be affected. Ways in which behavior coadapts with other aspects of the phenotype can be studied directly through artificial selection and experimental evolution. Several studies have targeted rodent behavior for selective breeding and reported changes in other aspects of behavior, life history, and lower-level effectors of these organismal traits, including endocrine function. One example involves selection for high levels of voluntary wheel running, one aspect of physical activity, in four replicate High Runner (HR) lines of mice. Circulating levels of several hormones (including insulin, testosterone, thyroxine, triiodothyronine) have been characterized, three of which-corticosterone, leptin, and adiponectin-differ between HR and control lines, depending on sex, age, and generation. Potential changes in circulating levels of other behaviorally and metabolically relevant hormones, as well as in other components of the endocrine system (e.g., receptors), have yet to be examined. Overall, results to date identify promising avenues for further studies on the endocrine basis of activity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore Garland
- *Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92506, USA
| | - Meng Zhao
- *Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92506, USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- *Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92506, USA
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24
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Greenberg GD, Huang LC, Spence SE, Schlumbohm JP, Metten P, Ozburn AR, Crabbe JC. Nest building is a novel method for indexing severity of alcohol withdrawal in mice. Behav Brain Res 2016; 302:182-90. [PMID: 26795092 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 01/01/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Withdrawal after chronic ethanol (EtOH) affects body temperature, goal-directed behavior and motor function in mice and increases general central nervous system excitability. Nest-building tests have been used to assay these states but to this point have not been employed as measures of EtOH withdrawal severity. We first refined nest-scoring methods using a genetically heterogeneous stock of mice (HS/Npt). Mice were then made physically dependent following three days of chronic EtOH vapor inhalation to produce average blood EtOH concentrations (BECs) of 1.89 mg/mL. EtOH withdrawal affected the progression of nest building over time when mice were tested 2-4 days after removal from three days of chronic exposure to EtOH. In a separate group of mice, chronic EtOH vapor inhalation (BECs 1.84 mg/mL) suppressed nest building over days 1-2 but not days 2-3 of withdrawal. In a following experiment, EtOH withdrawal dose-dependently slowed recovery of nest building for up to 32 h. Finally, we determined that long-lasting nest-building deficits extend to mice undergoing withdrawal from a high dose (4 g/kg) of acute EtOH. Sex differences for nest building were absent following EtOH exposure. In mice naïve to EtOH treatments, male mice had lower pre-test body temperatures and increased nest scores across a two-day testing period compared to females. These results suggest that nest building can be used to assess chronic and acute EtOH withdrawal severity in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- G D Greenberg
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA.
| | - L C Huang
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - S E Spence
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - J P Schlumbohm
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - P Metten
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - A R Ozburn
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - J C Crabbe
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
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25
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Goto T, Okayama T, Toyoda A. Strain differences in temporal changes of nesting behaviors in C57BL/6N, DBA/2N, and their F1 hybrid mice assessed by a three-dimensional monitoring system. Behav Processes 2015. [PMID: 26220275 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Nest building is one of the innate behaviors that are widely observed throughout the animal kingdom. Previous studies have reported specific brain regions and genetic loci associated with nest building in mice. These studies mainly evaluated the nest structure, without observing the nesting process. In this study, we evaluated the effects of strain and learning on the nesting process of mice using a 3D depth camera. To determine the quality of the nest structure, a conventional scoring method, Deacon scores 1-5, was applied to the recorded depth images. The final score of the nest, latency to start nesting behavior, and latencies to reach Deacon scores 3-5, were determined using three genetically different mouse strains-C57BL/6NCrl (B6), DBA/2NCrlCrlj (DBA), and B6D2F1/Crl (B6D2F1). The final score of the DBA nest was significantly lower than that of the B6D2F1 nest, and DBA mice showed significantly longer latency to start nest building than the other two strains in the first trial. By observing the time course of nest building, we confirmed that DBA mice took significantly longer to build their nests than B6 and B6D2F1 mice. Although we did not find any significant differences between DBA and B6 mice in the final assessment of the nest based on the Deacon method, overnight monitoring of the nesting behavior using a 3D depth camera could elucidate the clear differences in the amount of time spent nesting between DBA and B6 mice. In addition, the learning effect was more evident in DBA mice than it was in B6 in terms of latencies to reach Deacon score 3-5 in five repeated trials. DBA mice showed a gradual decrease in latency to build, whereas nesting behaviors of B6 mice were relatively consistent throughout the five trials. Therefore, our 3D depth image method gives higher resolution and structural information regarding the nesting process in mice. Future genetic analyses using the 3D assessment system will provide novel insights into the complex genetic basis for nesting and other behaviors in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuhiko Goto
- College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, Ami, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan; Ibaraki University Cooperation between Agriculture and Medical Science (IUCAM), Ami, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Okayama
- College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, Ami, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan; Ibaraki University Cooperation between Agriculture and Medical Science (IUCAM), Ami, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan; United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu-city, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Atsushi Toyoda
- College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, Ami, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan; Ibaraki University Cooperation between Agriculture and Medical Science (IUCAM), Ami, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan; United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu-city, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
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26
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Catanese MC, Suvorov A, Vandenberg LN. Beyond a means of exposure: a new view of the mother in toxicology research. Toxicol Res (Camb) 2015. [DOI: 10.1039/c4tx00119b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxicological studies generally view pregnant animals as a conduit through which gestational exposure of offspring to chemicals can be achieved, allowing for the study of developmental toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary C. Catanese
- Program in Neuroscience & Behaviour
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst
- Amherst
- USA
| | - Alexander Suvorov
- Program in Neuroscience & Behaviour
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst
- Amherst
- USA
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences
| | - Laura N. Vandenberg
- Program in Neuroscience & Behaviour
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst
- Amherst
- USA
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences
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27
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28
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Genetic variability, individuality and the evolution of the mammalian brain. Behav Processes 2014; 35:19-33. [PMID: 24896017 DOI: 10.1016/0376-6357(95)00037-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/11/1995] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The neo-Darwinian theory of evolution has difficulty in explaining the rapid evolution of mammalian brain and behavior. I shall argue that the plasticity mechanisms of the brain (i.e., system homeostasis, developmental reorganization, structural adult plasticity, and cognition and learning) have evolved primarily as genetic buffer systems which protect subtle mutations influencing brain structures from natural selection. These buffer systems permit accumulation of genetic variation in the higher system levels of the brain (simply defined as structures with late differentiation), while low-level systems are kept constant by natural selection. The organization of this intrinsic genetic buffering system provides several features facilitating neo-Darwinian evolution: In conclusion, the evolutionary appearance of cognition and intelligence is an ordinary biological mechanism compensating evolutionary drags such as long lifespans and fewer offspring. The concept has heuristic value for identifying gene-brain-behavior relationships and for explaining behavioral consequences of artifical gene deletions.
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29
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Jirkof P. Burrowing and nest building behavior as indicators of well-being in mice. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 234:139-46. [PMID: 24525328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 265] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2013] [Revised: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 02/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The assessment of pain, distress and suffering, as well as evaluation of the efficacy of stress-reduction strategies, is crucial in animal experimentation but can be challenging in laboratory mice. Nest building and burrowing performance, observed in the home cage, have proved to be valuable and easy-to-use tools to assess brain damage or malfunction as well as neurodegenerative diseases. Both behaviors are used as parameters in models of psychiatric disorders or to monitor sickness behavior following infection. Their use has been proposed in more realistic and clinically relevant preclinical models of disease, and reduction of these behaviors seems to be especially useful as an early sign of dysfunction and to monitor disease progression. Finally, both behaviors are reduced by pain and stress. Therefore, in combination with specific disease markers, changes in nest building and burrowing performance may help provide a global picture of a mouse's state, and thus aid monitoring to ensure well-being in animal experimentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulin Jirkof
- Division of Surgical Research, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Sternwartstr. 6, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
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30
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Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions (trichotillomania, pathological skin-picking, pathological nail-biting) are common and disabling. Current treatment approaches fail to help a significant proportion of patients. Multiple tiers of evidence link these conditions with underlying dysregulation of particular cortico-subcortical circuitry and monoamine systems, which represent targets for treatment. Animal models designed to capture aspects of these conditions are critical for several reasons. First, they help in furthering our understanding of neuroanatomical and neurochemical underpinnings of the obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum. Second, they help to account for the brain mechanisms by which existing treatments (pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, deep brain stimulation) exert their beneficial effects on patients. Third, they inform the search for novel treatments. This article provides a critique of key animal models for selected OC spectrum disorders, beginning with initial work relating to anxiety, but moving on to recent developments in domains of genetic, pharmacological, cognitive, and ethological models. We find that there is a burgeoning literature in these areas with important ramifications, which are considered, along with salient future lines of research.
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Rock ML, Karas AZ, Rodriguez KBG, Gallo MS, Pritchett-Corning K, Karas RH, Aronovitz M, Gaskill BN. The time-to-integrate-to-nest test as an indicator of wellbeing in laboratory mice. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE : JAALAS 2014; 53:24-8. [PMID: 24411776 PMCID: PMC3894644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2013] [Revised: 05/10/2013] [Accepted: 07/12/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Minimizing and alleviating pain and distress in laboratory mice without compromising the methodologic integrity of research is a crucial goal. However, current methods for welfare assessment in mice are not well suited to cageside checks. In the present study, we developed a simple assessment tool-the time-to-integrate-to-nest test (TINT)-and evaluated its ability to identify mice with compromised welfare. To conduct the TINT, a nominal amount of nesting material is added to a mouse cage, and the nesting behaviors that occur immediately thereafter are observed. The TINT yields a positive result when a mouse integrates the new nesting material into the main nest site within 10 min; failure to interact with the nesting material is defined as a negative TINT. Our first experiment examined whether genetic background and sex are associated with differences in the likelihood of a positive TINT in unmanipulated mice. A significant effect related to mouse strain was found: C3H/HeNCrl had the lowest positive TINT rate among the 10 strains evaluated. A second experiment assessed whether results of the TINT would be altered after a painful surgical procedure, such as carotid artery injury. Despite all mice having received buprenorphine as analgesia at the time of surgery, significantly more mice had a negative TINT for 2 d after surgery than before surgery. Based on the results of the current study, additional work is needed to specifically validate the TINT in injured and noninjured subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan L Rock
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Alicia Z Karas
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Miranda S Gallo
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Richard H Karas
- Molecular Cardiology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark Aronovitz
- Molecular Cardiology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brianna N Gaskill
- Charles River, Research Models and Services, Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA
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Careau V, Wolak ME, Carter PA, Garland T. LIMITS TO BEHAVIORAL EVOLUTION: THE QUANTITATIVE GENETICS OF A COMPLEX TRAIT UNDER DIRECTIONAL SELECTION. Evolution 2013; 67:3102-19. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 05/31/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Careau
- Department of Biology; University of California; Riverside California 92521
| | - Matthew E. Wolak
- Department of Biology; University of California; Riverside California 92521
| | - Patrick A. Carter
- School of Biological Sciences; Washington State University; Pullman Washington 99164
| | - Theodore Garland
- Department of Biology; University of California; Riverside California 92521
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Ramniwas S, Kajla B, Dev K, Parkash R. Direct and correlated responses to laboratory selection for body melanisation in Drosophila melanogaster: support for the melanisation-desiccation resistance hypothesis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 216:1244-54. [PMID: 23239892 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.076166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
For Drosophila melanogaster, cuticular melanisation is a quantitative trait, varying from no melanin to completely dark. Variation in melanisation has been linked with stress resistance, especially desiccation, in D. melanogaster and other species. As melanism has a genetic component, we selected melanic and non-melanic phenotypes of D. melanogaster in order to confirm the association of desiccation resistance and rate of water loss with cuticular melanisation previously reported for this species. A bidirectional selection experiment for dark (D1-D4) and light (L1-L4) body colour in D. melanogaster was conducted for 60 generations. We observed a 1.6-fold increase in abdominal melanisation in selected dark strains and a 14-fold decrease in selected light strains compared with control populations. Desiccation resistance increased significantly in the dark-selected morphs as compared with controls. The observed increase in desiccation resistance appeared as a consequence of a decrease in cuticular permeability. Our results show that traits related to water balance were significantly correlated with abdominal melanisation and were simultaneously selected bidirectionally along with melanisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seema Ramniwas
- Lab No. 13, Drosophila Genetics Laboratory, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak-124001, Haryana, India.
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Pienaar IS, Lu B, Schallert T. Closing the gap between clinic and cage: sensori-motor and cognitive behavioural testing regimens in neurotoxin-induced animal models of Parkinson's disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36:2305-24. [PMID: 22910679 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Revised: 06/28/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Animal models that make use of chemical toxins to adversely affect the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway of rodents and primates have contributed significantly towards the development of symptomatic therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Although their use in developing neuro-therapeutic and -regenerative compounds remains to be ascertained, toxin-based mammalian and a range of non-mammalian models of PD are important tools in the identification and validation of candidate biomarkers for earlier diagnosis, as well as in the development of novel treatments that are currently working their way into the clinic. Toxin models of PD have and continue to be important models to use for understanding the consequences of nigrostriatal dopamine cell loss. Functional assessment of these models is also a critical component for eventual translational success. Sensitive behavioural testing regimens for assessing the extent of dysfunction exhibited in the toxin models, the degree of protection or improvement afforded by potential treatment modalities, and the correlation of these findings with what is observed clinically in PD patients, ultimately determines whether a potential treatment moves to clinical trials. Here, we review existing published work that describes the use of such behavioural outcome measures associated with toxin models of parkinsonism. In particular, we focus on tests assessing sensorimotor and cognitive function, both of which are significantly and progressively impaired in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilse S Pienaar
- Institute for Ageing and Health, Department of Neurology, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.
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35
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Variation in the structure of bird nests between northern Manitoba and southeastern Ontario. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19086. [PMID: 21552515 PMCID: PMC3084263 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2010] [Accepted: 03/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Traits that converge in appearance under similar environmental conditions among phylogenetically independent lineages are thought to represent adaptations to local environments. We tested for convergence in nest morphology and composition of birds breeding in two ecologically different locations in Canada: Churchill in northern Manitoba and Elgin in southeastern Ontario. We examined nests from four families of passerine birds (Turdidae: Turdus, Parulidae: Dendroica, Emberizidae: Passerculus and Fringillidae: Carduelis) where closely related populations or species breed in both locations. Nests of American Robins, Yellow Warblers, and Carduelis finches had heavier nest masses, and tended to have thicker nest-walls, in northern Manitoba compared with conspecifics or congenerics breeding in southeastern Ontario. Together, all species showed evidence for wider internal and external nest-cup diameters in northern Manitoba, while individual species showed varying patterns for internal nest-cup and external nest depths. American Robins, Yellow Warblers, and Carduelis finches in northern Manitoba achieved heavier nest masses in different ways. American Robins increased all materials in similar proportions, and Yellow Warblers and Common Redpolls used greater amounts of select materials. While changes in nest composition vary uniquely for each species, the pattern of larger nests in northern Manitoba compared to southeastern Ontario in three of our four phylogenetically-independent comparisons suggests that birds are adapting to similar selective pressures between locations.
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Greene-Schloesser DM, Van der Zee EA, Sheppard DK, Castillo MR, Gregg KA, Burrow T, Foltz H, Slater M, Bult-Ito A. Predictive validity of a non-induced mouse model of compulsive-like behavior. Behav Brain Res 2011; 221:55-62. [PMID: 21316394 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2010] [Revised: 01/29/2011] [Accepted: 02/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
A key to advancing the understanding of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)-like symptoms is the development of spontaneous animal models. Over 55 generations of bidirectional selection for nest-building behavior in house mice, Mus musculus, resulted in a 40-fold difference in the amount of cotton used for a nest in high (BIG) and low (SMALL) selected lines. The nesting behavior of BIG mice appears to be compulsive-like and has initial face validity as an animal model for OCD in humans. Compulsive-like digging behavior was assessed; BIG male mice buried about three times as many marbles as SMALL male mice, strengthening face validity. Using the open field and elevated plus maze, SMALL male mice showed higher levels of anxiety/fear-like behavior than BIG male mice, indicating that compulsive-like and not anxiety-like behavior was measured. To establish predictive validity, chronic (4 weeks) oral administration of fluoxetine (30, 50 and 100mg/kg/day) and clomipramine (80 mg/kg/day), both effective in treating OCD, significantly reduced compulsive-like nest-building behavior in BIG male mice. Compulsive-like digging behavior was also significantly reduced by chronic oral fluoxetine (30 and 80 mg/kg/day) treatment in BIG male mice. General locomotor activity was not affected by chronic oral fluoxetine (30 and 80 mg/kg/day) treatment; chronic oral treatment with desipramine (30 mg/kg/day), an antidepressant not effective in treating OCD, had no effect on nesting behavior of BIG male mice, strengthening predictive validity. Together, the results indicate that these mice have good face and predictive validity as a non-induced mouse model of compulsive-like behavior relevant to OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Greene-Schloesser
- Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Biology and Wildlife & Institute of Arctic Biology, PO Box 756100, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6100, USA
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Wesson DW, Wilson DA. Age and gene overexpression interact to abolish nesting behavior in Tg2576 amyloid precursor protein (APP) mice. Behav Brain Res 2011; 216:408-13. [PMID: 20804789 PMCID: PMC2975804 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2010] [Revised: 08/17/2010] [Accepted: 08/20/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Elucidating the modulators of social behavioral is important in understanding the neural basis of behavior and in developing methods to enhance behavior in cases of disorder. The work here stems from the observation that the Alzheimer's disease mouse model Tg2576, overexpressing human mutations of the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP), fails to construct nests when supplied paper towels in their home cages. Experiments using commercially available cotton nesting material found similar results. Additional experiments revealed that the genotype effect is progressively modulated by age in APP mice but not their WT counterparts. There was no effect of sex on nesting behavior in any group. Finally, this effect was independent of ambient temperature - even when subjected to a cold environment, APP mice fail to build nests whereas WT mice do. These results suggest that the APP gene plays a role in affiliative behaviors and are discussed in relation to disorders characteristic of mutations in the APP gene and in affective dysfunction, including Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Wesson
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, United States.
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38
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Sager TN, Kirchhoff J, Mørk A, Van Beek J, Thirstrup K, Didriksen M, Lauridsen JB. Nest building performance following MPTP toxicity in mice. Behav Brain Res 2010; 208:444-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2009] [Revised: 12/08/2009] [Accepted: 12/14/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Behavioral outcome measures for the assessment of sensorimotor function in animal models of movement disorders. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2009; 89:57-65. [PMID: 19900615 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(09)89003-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Animal models have and continue to contribute to our understanding of the neurobiology many types of disorders. In movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), animal models have directly led to various therapeutic treatments such as deep brain stimulation. To facilitate the development of potential therapeutics, sensitive and reliable outcome measures in animal models are necessary to maximize their benefit. In this chapter, behavioral outcome measures, sensitive to varying degrees of sensorimotor dysfunction, are reviewed in rats and mice.
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40
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Touma C, Bunck M, Glasl L, Nussbaumer M, Palme R, Stein H, Wolferstätter M, Zeh R, Zimbelmann M, Holsboer F, Landgraf R. Mice selected for high versus low stress reactivity: a new animal model for affective disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2008; 33:839-62. [PMID: 18502051 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2007] [Revised: 03/22/2008] [Accepted: 03/26/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Affective disorders such as major depression are among the most prevalent and costly diseases of the central nervous system, but the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. In recent years, it has become evident that alterations of the stress hormone system, in particular dysfunctions (hyper- or hypo-activity) of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, play a prominent role in the development of major depressive disorders. Therefore, we aimed to generate a new animal model comprising these neuroendocrine core symptoms in order to unravel parameters underlying increased or decreased stress reactivity. Starting from a population of outbred mice (parental generation: 100 males and 100 females of the CD-1 strain), two breeding lines were established according to the outcome of a 'stress reactivity test' (SRT), consisting of a 15-min restraint period and tail blood samplings immediately before and after exposure to the stressor. Mice showing a very high or a very low secretion of corticosterone in the SRT, i.e. animals expressing a hyper- or a hypo-reactivity of the HPA axis, were selected for the 'high reactivity' (HR) and the 'low reactivity' (LR) breeding line, respectively. Additionally, a third breeding line was established consisting of animals with an 'intermediate reactivity' (IR) in the SRT. Already in the first generation, i.e. animals derived from breeding pairs selected from the parental generation, significant differences in the reactivity of the HPA axis between HR, IR, and LR mice were observed. Moreover, these differences were found across all subsequent generations and could be increased by selective breeding, which indicates a genetic basis of the respective phenotype. Repeated testing of individuals in the SRT furthermore proved that the observed differences in stress responsiveness are present already early in life and can be regarded as a robust genetic predisposition. Tests investigating the animal's emotionality including anxiety-related behavior, exploratory drive, locomotor activity, and depression-like behavior point to phenotypic similarities with behavioral changes observed in depressive patients. In general, HR males and females were 'hyperactive' in some behavioral paradigms, resembling symptoms of restlessness and agitation often seen in melancholic depression. LR mice, on the other hand, showed more passive-aggressive coping styles, corresponding to signs of retardation and retreat observed in atypical depression. Several morphometric and neuroendocrine findings further support this view. For example, monitoring the circadian rhythm of glucocorticoid secretion revealed clearly increased trough levels in HR mice, resulting in a flattened diurnal rhythm, again adding to the neuroendocrine similarities to patients suffering from melancholic depression. Taken together, our results suggest that distinct mechanisms influencing the function and regulation of the HPA axis are involved in the respective behavioral and neurobiological endophenotypes. Thus, the generated HR/IR/LR mouse lines can be a valuable model to elucidate molecular genetic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral parameters associated with altered stress reactivity, thereby improving our understanding of affective disorders, presumably including the symptomatology and pathophysiology of specific subtypes of major depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chadi Touma
- Department of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, D-80804 Munich, Germany.
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41
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Vinyard CJ, Payseur BA. Of "mice" and mammals: utilizing classical inbred mice to study the genetic architecture of function and performance in mammals. Integr Comp Biol 2008; 48:324-37. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icn063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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42
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Gammie SC, Garland T, Stevenson SA. Artificial selection for increased maternal defense behavior in mice. Behav Genet 2007; 36:713-22. [PMID: 16676225 PMCID: PMC2423941 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-006-9071-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2005] [Accepted: 03/10/2006] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Maternal aggression is directed towards intruders by lactating females and is critical for defense of offspring. Within-family selection for increased maternal defense in outbred house mice (Mus domesticus; Hsd:ICR strain) was applied to one selected (S) line, using total duration of attacks in a 3-min test as the selection criterion. One control (C) line was maintained and both lines were propagated by 13 families in each generation. Prior to selection, heritability of maternal aggression was estimated to be 0.61 based on mother-offspring regression. Duration of attacks responded to selection with a mean realized heritability of 0.40 (corrected for within-family selection) after eight generations. At generation 5, the S and C line also differed significantly for litter size at birth and at mid-lactation (both lower in S), average individual pup mass at midlactation (higher in S), and pup retrieval latency (longer in S), but not for other maternal measures that we studied (e.g., dam mass). Additionally, number of entries to middle and closed plus maze compartments was significantly higher in S mice in Generation 5. This is the first study to select for high maternal defense and these mice will be made available as a tool for understanding the genetic and neural basis of maternal aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C Gammie
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, 1117 West Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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Hiroi N, Zhu H, Lee M, Funke B, Arai M, Itokawa M, Kucherlapati R, Morrow B, Sawamura T, Agatsuma S. A 200-kb region of human chromosome 22q11.2 confers antipsychotic-responsive behavioral abnormalities in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:19132-7. [PMID: 16365290 PMCID: PMC1323212 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0509635102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Human chromosome 22q11.2 has been implicated in various behavioral abnormalities, including schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric/behavioral disorders. However, the specific genes within 22q11.2 that contribute to these disorders are still poorly understood. Here, we show that an approximately 200-kb segment of human 22q11.2 causes specific behavioral abnormalities in mice. Mice that overexpress an approximately 200-kb region of human 22q11.2, containing CDCrel, GP1Bbeta, TBX1, and WDR14, exhibited spontaneous sensitization of hyperactivity and a lack of habituation. These effects were ameliorated by antipsychotic drugs. The transgenic mice were also impaired in nesting behavior. Although Tbx1 has been shown to be responsible for many physical defects associated with 22q11.2 haploinsufficiency, Tbx1 heterozygous mice did not display these behavioral abnormalities. Our results show that the approximately 200-kb region of 22q11.2 contains a gene(s) responsible for behavioral abnormalities and suggest that distinct genetic components within 22q11.2 mediate physical and behavioral abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noboru Hiroi
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
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Van der Veen DR, Castillo MR, Van der Zee EA, Jansen K, Gerkema MP, Bult-Ito A. Circadian dynamics of vasopressin in mouse selection lines: translation and release in the SCN. Brain Res 2005; 1060:16-25. [PMID: 16198320 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2005.07.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2005] [Revised: 07/25/2005] [Accepted: 07/27/2005] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Arg8-vasopressin (AVP), a circadian clock-controlled gene product, is released from the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in mice in a circadian fashion. Previously reported differences in two mouse lines, initially selected for thermoregulatory nest-building behavior (building small nests (S-mice) or big nests (B-mice)) with different circadian organization of behavior and in number of SCN-AVP immunoreactive neurons, were further investigated. We confirmed and expanded the finding that S-mice exhibited constant high levels of SCN-AVP content with no apparent circadian rhythmicity, whereas B-mice had lower numbers of AVP positive cells which varied with time of day. We found that AVP mRNA expression levels at midnight and midday were similar in both lines, as established by in situ hybridization. When AVP transport and release were blocked by colchicine, SCN-AVP immunoreactivity was similar in both lines. This suggests that differences in SCN-AVP content depend on transport or release. Organotypic SCN cultures of B-mice showed more AVP release per neuron than cultures of S-mice. These results reveal that on a mechanistic level the mouse lines differed in transport and/or release of AVP in the SCN, rather than differential regulation of AVP gene transcription or number of AVP immunoreactive neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Van der Veen
- Department of Chronobiology, University of Groningen, PO Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands.
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45
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Kolkman MJM, Streijger F, Linkels M, Bloemen M, Heeren DJ, Hendriks WJAJ, Van der Zee CEEM. Mice lacking leukocyte common antigen-related (LAR) protein tyrosine phosphatase domains demonstrate spatial learning impairment in the two-trial water maze and hyperactivity in multiple behavioural tests. Behav Brain Res 2004; 154:171-82. [PMID: 15302123 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2004.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2003] [Revised: 02/05/2004] [Accepted: 02/06/2004] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Leukocyte common antigen-related (LAR) protein is a cell adhesion molecule-like receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase. We previously reported that in LAR tyrosine phosphatase-deficient (LAR-Delta P) mice the number and size of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons as well as their innervation of the hippocampal area was reduced. With the hippocampus being implicated in behavioural activity aspects, including learning and memory processes, we assessed possible phenotypic consequences of LAR phosphatase deficiency using a battery of rodent behaviour tests. Motor function and co-ordination tests as well as spatial learning ability assays did not reveal any performance differences between wildtype and LAR-Delta P mice. A spatial learning impairment was found in the difficult variant of the Morris water maze. Exploration, nestbuilding and activity tests indicated that LAR-Delta P mice were more active than wildtype littermates. The observed hyperactivity in LAR-Delta P mice could not be explained by altered anxiety or curiosity levels, and was found to be persistent throughout the nocturnal period. In conclusion, behavioural testing of the LAR-Delta P mice revealed a spatial learning impairment and a significant increase in activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marloes J M Kolkman
- Department of Cell Biology, Nijmegen Center for Molecular Life Sciences, UMC St. Radboud, University of Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Bond TLY, Neumann PE, Mathieson WB, Brown RE. Nest building in nulligravid, primigravid and primiparous C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice (Mus musculus). Physiol Behav 2002; 75:551-5. [PMID: 12062319 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(02)00659-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mice differ in maternal behavior and nest building, but previous observations on nest building appear to be contradictory. Lactating B6 females spent more time nest building than lactating D2 females [Physiol. Behav. 67 (1999) 599.]; however, pregnant D2 females have been reported to build better nests than pregnant B6 females [Physiol. Behav. 29 (1982) 153.]. To resolve this apparent discrepancy, virgin B6 and D2 females were mated, and the nest quality of nulligravid, primigravid and lactating primiparous females was compared between groups and with that of virgin females. There were no strain differences in the nest ratings of virgin or mated nulligravid females, nor did these groups differ within strains. Pregnant and lactating females of both strains built better nests than nonpregnant females. There was an increase in nest ratings in both strains on the day of parturition. The nest ratings of pregnant and lactating females were higher in B6 than D2 females. The largest strain differences were observed between pregnant B6 and D2 females. One hypothesis to account for these results is that females of these two strains differ in their levels of or sensitivity to hormones during pregnancy and parturition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara L Y Bond
- Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4J1
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Plusquellec P, Bouissou MF. Behavioural characteristics of two dairy breeds of cows selected (Hérens) or not (Brune des Alpes) for fighting and dominance ability. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2001; 72:1-21. [PMID: 11259823 DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1591(00)00198-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Two breeds of dairy cattle, one selected for intra-specific fighting and dominance ability (Hérens, H), the other not selected for this behavioural trait (Brune des Alpes, BA), submitted to the same management techniques, were compared with respect to their social behaviour (dominance, agonistic behaviour, social tolerance, social motivation, social distance), fear reactions, ease of handling and physiological correlates.As expected, cows from the H breed were dominant over the BA cows, they were also less fearful either in response to novel objects or in surprise effect tests and had higher social distances at pasture.On the contrary, H cows were less aggressive in undisturbed groups and more tolerant in a food-competition test than BA cows. There were no differences between the two breeds either in aggressive acts in encounters with unfamiliar animals, or in persistence in conflict situations.Furthermore, H cows were less easy to handle in a standardised test, and tended to be less socially motivated than BA cows. Lastly, H cows had higher plasma testosterone levels, and tended to present a lower increase in plasma cortisol level after a surprise effect than BA cows.Thus, the breeders' selection for fighting and dominance ability in H breed appears to have led to several behavioural and hormonal changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Plusquellec
- I.N.R.A., Laboratoire d'Etude du Comportement Animal, F-37380, Nouzilly, France
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Phylogenetic comparison and artificial selection. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2001. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4757-3401-0_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin E. Feder
- Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy and Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago, 1027 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637; e-mail:
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697; e-mail:
- Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1800; e-mail:
| | - Albert F. Bennett
- Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy and Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago, 1027 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637; e-mail:
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697; e-mail:
- Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1800; e-mail:
| | - Raymond B. Huey
- Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy and Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago, 1027 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637; e-mail:
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697; e-mail:
- Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1800; e-mail:
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Amy SP, Chari R, Bult A. Fos in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of house mouse lines that reveal a different phase-delay response to the same light pulse. J Biol Rhythms 2000; 15:95-102. [PMID: 10762027 DOI: 10.1177/074873040001500203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Increased light intensity of a 5-min light pulse is positively correlated with Fos mRNA and Fos protein levels in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of hamsters. These findings suggest that the level of Fos activation is proportional to the light intensity and that the magnitude of the phase-shift response depends on the level of Fos activation. However, to what extent different phase-delay responses to the same light pulse are mediated by differential Fos activation is unknown. To elucidate this, the authors used selected house mouse lines that reveal an almost threefold difference in phase-delay responses in constant darkness (DD) between circadian time (CT) 16 and CT 20 to the same light pulse. The authors measured wheel-running activity and subjected male mice of these lines to a 15-min light pulse at CT 16 after 2 weeks in DD. The behavioral response was measured and 10 to 12 days later the animals were again subjected to the same light pulse at CT 16. One hour after the start of the second light pulse, the animals were sacrificed for Fos immunocytochemistry. Results indicate a significant difference between the lines in the phase-delay response (F2,26 = 5.112, p < 0.017) and the level of Fos activation (F2,26 = 27.15, p < 0.0001) after a 15-min light pulse at CT 16. These findings support the hypothesis that the magnitude of the phase-delay response is proportional to the number of cells in the SCN that exhibit Fos induction after the same 15-min light pulse at CT 16 in DD. It also indicates a possible difference in the input pathways among the lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- S P Amy
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, VT 05753, USA
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