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Vyatkin YA, Shakhparonov VV. Learning the native pond odor as one of the mechanisms of olfactory orientation in juvenile smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:57-63. [PMID: 37266670 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01640-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Olfaction is an important mechanism of orientation in amphibians toward the breeding site. It is known that anurans can memorize the odor of the native pond during larval development and prefer this odor prior to the beginning of dispersion. However, such a mechanism in urodeles has not been studied yet. We conducted experiments on recognition of the odor of a native water body in juveniles of the smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris. One group of larvae were reared in pure water (control), the other group in water with morpholine (10-7 mol/L). A few days after metamorphosis, the newts were tested under paired-choice conditions in a T-maze. A total of 73 newts from the experimental group and 47 newts from the control group were tested. The results of the experiment show that the newts in the experimental group preferred the morpholine solution, whereas the individuals of the control group made the choice randomly. We conclude that newts can learn the odor of the environment in which they developed and use this memory for orientation in later stages of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaroslav Aleksandrovich Vyatkin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, k.12, Moscow, 119234, Russia.
| | - Vladimir Vladimirovich Shakhparonov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, k.12, Moscow, 119234, Russia
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Torez 44, Saint-Petersburg, 194223, Russia
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Kahnau P, Mieske P, Wilzopolski J, Kalliokoski O, Mandillo S, Hölter SM, Voikar V, Amfim A, Badurek S, Bartelik A, Caruso A, Čater M, Ey E, Golini E, Jaap A, Hrncic D, Kiryk A, Lang B, Loncarevic-Vasiljkovic N, Meziane H, Radzevičienė A, Rivalan M, Scattoni ML, Torquet N, Trifkovic J, Ulfhake B, Thöne-Reineke C, Diederich K, Lewejohann L, Hohlbaum K. A systematic review of the development and application of home cage monitoring in laboratory mice and rats. BMC Biol 2023; 21:256. [PMID: 37953247 PMCID: PMC10642068 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01751-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traditionally, in biomedical animal research, laboratory rodents are individually examined in test apparatuses outside of their home cages at selected time points. However, the outcome of such tests can be influenced by various factors and valuable information may be missed when the animals are only monitored for short periods. These issues can be overcome by longitudinally monitoring mice and rats in their home cages. To shed light on the development of home cage monitoring (HCM) and the current state-of-the-art, a systematic review was carried out on 521 publications retrieved through PubMed and Web of Science. RESULTS Both the absolute (~ × 26) and relative (~ × 7) number of HCM-related publications increased from 1974 to 2020. There was a clear bias towards males and individually housed animals, but during the past decade (2011-2020), an increasing number of studies used both sexes and group housing. In most studies, animals were kept for short (up to 4 weeks) time periods in the HCM systems; intermediate time periods (4-12 weeks) increased in frequency in the years between 2011 and 2020. Before the 2000s, HCM techniques were predominantly applied for less than 12 h, while 24-h measurements have been more frequent since the 2000s. The systematic review demonstrated that manual monitoring is decreasing in relation to automatic techniques but still relevant. Until (and including) the 1990s, most techniques were applied manually but have been progressively replaced by automation since the 2000s. Independent of the year of publication, the main behavioral parameters measured were locomotor activity, feeding, and social behaviors; the main physiological parameters were heart rate and electrocardiography. External appearance-related parameters were rarely examined in the home cages. Due to technological progress and application of artificial intelligence, more refined and detailed behavioral parameters have been investigated in the home cage more recently. CONCLUSIONS Over the period covered in this study, techniques for HCM of mice and rats have improved considerably. This development is ongoing and further progress as well as validation of HCM systems will extend the applications to allow for continuous, longitudinal, non-invasive monitoring of an increasing range of parameters in group-housed small rodents in their home cages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Kahnau
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Mieske
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Marchstr. 23, 10587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jenny Wilzopolski
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany
| | - Otto Kalliokoski
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Silvia Mandillo
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council CNR, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabine M Hölter
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Vootele Voikar
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Adriana Amfim
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Spiru Haret University, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Sylvia Badurek
- Preclinical Phenotyping Facility, Vienna Biocenter Core Facilities (VBCF), member of the Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Aleksandra Bartelik
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Angela Caruso
- Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, Research Coordination and Support Service, Rome, Italy
| | - Maša Čater
- Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Elodie Ey
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Inserm, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire UMR 7104- UMR-S 1258, Illkirch, 67400, France
| | - Elisabetta Golini
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council CNR, Rome, Italy
| | - Anne Jaap
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Marchstr. 23, 10587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dragan Hrncic
- Institute of Medical Physiology "Richard Burian", Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Anna Kiryk
- Laboratory of Preclinical Testing of Higher Standard, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Benjamin Lang
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Marchstr. 23, 10587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Natasa Loncarevic-Vasiljkovic
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hamid Meziane
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Clinique de La Souris (ICS), CELPHEDIA, PHENOMIN, 1 Rue Laurent Fries, Illkirch, 67404, France
| | - Aurelija Radzevičienė
- Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Medical Academy, Institute of Physiology and Pharmacology, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Marion Rivalan
- Research Institute for Experimental Medicine (FEM) and NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Animal Behaviour Phenotyping Facility, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Luisa Scattoni
- Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, Research Coordination and Support Service, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicolas Torquet
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Inserm, IGBMC, Institut Clinique de la Souris (ICS), CELPHEDIA, PHENOMIN, UMR 7104- UMR-S 1258, Illkirch, 67400, France
| | - Julijana Trifkovic
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, University of East Sarajevo, East Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Brun Ulfhake
- Div. Clinical Physiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Marchstr. 23, 10587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Marchstr. 23, 10587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Hohlbaum
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany.
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Marchstr. 23, 10587, Berlin, Germany.
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Lang B, Kahnau P, Hohlbaum K, Mieske P, Andresen NP, Boon MN, Thöne-Reineke C, Lewejohann L, Diederich K. Challenges and advanced concepts for the assessment of learning and memory function in mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1230082. [PMID: 37809039 PMCID: PMC10551171 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1230082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the formation and retrieval of memories are still an active area of research and discussion. Manifold models have been proposed and refined over the years, with most assuming a dichotomy between memory processes involving non-conscious and conscious mechanisms. Despite our incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms, tests of memory and learning count among the most performed behavioral experiments. Here, we will discuss available protocols for testing learning and memory using the example of the most prevalent animal species in research, the laboratory mouse. A wide range of protocols has been developed in mice to test, e.g., object recognition, spatial learning, procedural memory, sequential problem solving, operant- and fear conditioning, and social recognition. Those assays are carried out with individual subjects in apparatuses such as arenas and mazes, which allow for a high degree of standardization across laboratories and straightforward data interpretation but are not without caveats and limitations. In animal research, there is growing concern about the translatability of study results and animal welfare, leading to novel approaches beyond established protocols. Here, we present some of the more recent developments and more advanced concepts in learning and memory testing, such as multi-step sequential lockboxes, assays involving groups of animals, as well as home cage-based assays supported by automated tracking solutions; and weight their potential and limitations against those of established paradigms. Shifting the focus of learning tests from the classical experimental chamber to settings which are more natural for rodents comes with a new set of challenges for behavioral researchers, but also offers the opportunity to understand memory formation and retrieval in a more conclusive way than has been attainable with conventional test protocols. We predict and embrace an increase in studies relying on methods involving a higher degree of automatization, more naturalistic- and home cage-based experimental setting as well as more integrated learning tasks in the future. We are confident these trends are suited to alleviate the burden on animal subjects and improve study designs in memory research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Lang
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pia Kahnau
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Hohlbaum
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Mieske
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Niek P. Andresen
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus N. Boon
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Modeling of Cognitive Processes, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
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Sethi P, Mehan S, Khan Z, Chhabra S. Acetyl-11-keto-beta boswellic acid(AKBA) modulates CSTC-pathway by activating SIRT-1/Nrf2-HO-1 signalling in experimental rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder: Evidenced by CSF, blood plasma and histopathological alterations. Neurotoxicology 2023; 98:61-85. [PMID: 37549874 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD) is a long-term and persistent mental illness characterised by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. Numerous factors can contribute to the development or progression of OCD. These factors may result from the dysregulation of multiple intrinsic cellular pathways, including SIRT-1, Nrf2, and HO-1. Inhibitors of selective serotonin reuptake (SSRIs) are effective first-line treatments for OCD. In our ongoing research, we have investigated the role of SIRT-1, Nrf2, and HO-1, as well as the neuroprotective potential of Acetyl-11-keto-beta boswellic acid (AKBA) against behavioural and neurochemical changes in rodents treated with 8-OH-DPAT. In addition, the effects of AKBA were compared to those of fluvoxamine (FLX), a standard OCD medication. Injections of 8-OH-DPAT into the intra-dorso raphe nuclei (IDRN) of rats for seven days induced repetitive and compulsive behaviour accompanied by elevated oxidative stress, inflammatory processes, apoptosis, and neurotransmitter imbalances in CSF, blood plasma, and brain samples. Chronic administration of AKBA at 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg p.o. restored histopathological alterations in the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) pathway, including the cerebral cortex, striatum, and hippocampal regions. Our investigation revealed that when AKBA and fluvoxamine were administered together, the alterations were restored to a greater degree than when administered separately. These findings demonstrate that the neuroprotective effect of AKBA can serve as an effective basis for developing a novel OCD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranshul Sethi
- Division of Neuroscience, Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, Punjab, India
| | - Sidharth Mehan
- Division of Neuroscience, Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, Punjab, India.
| | - Zuber Khan
- Division of Neuroscience, Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, Punjab, India
| | - Swesha Chhabra
- Division of Neuroscience, Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, Punjab, India
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Spontaneous alternation and stereotypical behaviour in deer mice: response to escitalopram and levetiracetam. Behav Pharmacol 2022; 33:282-290. [PMID: 35621170 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is varyingly associated with cognitive impairment, that is, deficits in spatial working memory, although it seems unlikely that this is generalised across all domains of functioning. Further, it is unclear whether symptoms will respond to potentially novel, non-serotonergic drugs that have shown promise as so-called cognitive enhancers. Here, we studied low (Norm-N; n = 31) and compulsive-like high (Comp-H; n = 34) stereotypical deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii) to establish (1) whether there is a relationship between stereotypical intensity and working memory ability as measured by spontaneous T-maze arm alternation and (2) if and how stereotypy and its association with changes in working memory, would respond to the known anti-compulsive agent, escitalopram, and the proposed cognitive enhancer, levetiracetam. After assessing the stereotypical and alternation behaviour of all animals at baseline, they were divided into three socially housed drug exposure groups, that is, water control (n = 11 per phenotype), escitalopram 50 mg/kg/d (n = 11 per phenotype) and levetiracetam 75 mg/kg/d (Norm-N: n = 9; Comp-H: n = 12). Drugs were administered for 28 days before stereotypy and alternation assessment were repeated. The present data indicate a weak negative relationship between stereotypical intensity and spontaneous alternation. While levetiracetam increased the time spent engaging in normal rodent activity by Comp-H, but not Norm-N animals, neither of the interventions affected the expression of Comp-H behaviour or the alternation behaviour of deer mice. In conclusion, this work points to some degree of cognitive involvement in Comp-H expression, which should be explored to further our understanding of compulsive-like stereotypy.
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Kahnau P, Guenther A, Boon MN, Terzenbach JD, Hanitzsch E, Lewejohann L, Brust V. Lifetime Observation of Cognition and Physiological Parameters in Male Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:709775. [PMID: 34539359 PMCID: PMC8442583 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.709775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Laboratory mice are predominantly used for one experiment only, i.e., new mice are ordered or bred for every new experiment. Moreover, most experiments use relatively young mice in the range of late adolescence to early adulthood. As a consequence, little is known about the day-to-day life of adult and aged laboratory mice. Here we present a long-term data set with three consecutive phases conducted with the same male mice over their lifetime in order to shed light on possible long-term effects of repeated cognitive stimulation. One third of the animals was trained by a variety of learning tasks conducted up to an age of 606 days. The mice were housed in four cages with 12 animals per cage; only four mice per cage had to repeatedly solve cognitive tasks for getting access to water using the IntelliCage system. In addition, these learner mice were tested in standard cognitive tests outside their home-cage. The other eight mice served as two control groups living in the same environment but without having to solve tasks for getting access to water. One control group was additionally placed on the test set-ups without having to learn the tasks. Next to the cognitive tasks, we took physiological measures (body mass, resting metabolic rate) and tested for dominance behavior, and attractivity in a female choice experiment. Overall, the mice were under surveillance until they died a natural death, providing a unique data set over the course of virtually their entire lives. Our data showed treatment differences during the first phase of our lifetime data set. Young learner mice showed a higher activity, less growth and resting metabolic rate, and were less attractive for female mice. These effects, however, were not preserved over the long-term. We also did not find differences in dominance or effects on longevity. However, we generated a unique and valuable set of long-term behavioral and physiological data from a single group of male mice and note that our long-term data contribute to a better understanding of the behavioral and physiological processes in male C57Bl/6J mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Kahnau
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Marcus Nicolaas Boon
- Department for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Modeling of Cognitive Processes, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Exzellenzcluster Science of Intelligence, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Eric Hanitzsch
- Behavioral Phenotyping Unit, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vera Brust
- Behavioral Phenotyping Unit, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
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