151
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Faure P, Fayad SL, Solié C, Reynolds LM. Social Determinants of Inter-Individual Variability and Vulnerability: The Role of Dopamine. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:836343. [PMID: 35386723 PMCID: PMC8979673 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.836343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals differ in their traits and preferences, which shape their interactions, their prospects for survival and their susceptibility to diseases. These correlations are well documented, yet the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the emergence of distinct personalities and their relation to vulnerability to diseases are poorly understood. Social ties, in particular, are thought to be major modulators of personality traits and psychiatric vulnerability, yet the majority of neuroscience studies are performed on rodents in socially impoverished conditions. Rodent micro-society paradigms are therefore key experimental paradigms to understand how social life generates diversity by shaping individual traits. Dopamine circuitry is implicated at the interface between social life experiences, the expression of essential traits, and the emergence of pathologies, thus proving a possible mechanism to link these three concepts at a neuromodulatory level. Evaluating inter-individual variability in automated social testing environments shows great promise for improving our understanding of the link between social life, personality, and precision psychiatry – as well as elucidating the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms.
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152
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Characterization and Distribution of Kisspeptins, Kisspeptin Receptors, GnIH, and GnRH1 in the Brain of the Protogynous Bluehead Wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum). J Chem Neuroanat 2022; 121:102087. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2022.102087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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153
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Prior NH, Bentz EJ, Ophir AG. Reciprocal processes of sensory perception and social bonding: an integrated social-sensory framework of social behavior. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12781. [PMID: 34905293 PMCID: PMC9744507 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Organisms filter the complexity of natural stimuli through their individual sensory and perceptual systems. Such perceptual filtering is particularly important for social stimuli. A shared "social umwelt" allows individuals to respond appropriately to the expected diversity of cues and signals during social interactions. In this way, the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of sociality and social bonding cannot be disentangled from perceptual mechanisms and sensory processing. While a degree of embeddedness between social and sensory processes is clear, our dominant theoretical frameworks favor treating the social and sensory processes as distinct. An integrated social-sensory framework has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying individual variation in social bonding and sociality more broadly. Here we leverage what is known about sensory processing and pair bonding in two common study systems with significant species differences in their umwelt (rodent chemosensation and avian acoustic communication). We primarily highlight that (1) communication is essential for pair bond formation and maintenance, (2) the neural circuits underlying perception, communication and social bonding are integrated, and (3) candidate neuromodulatory mechanisms that regulate pair bonding also impact communication and perception. Finally, we propose approaches and frameworks that more fully integrate sensory processing, communication, and social bonding across levels of analysis: behavioral, neurobiological, and genomic. This perspective raises two key questions: (1) how is social bonding shaped by differences in sensory processing?, and (2) to what extent is sensory processing and the saliency of signals shaped by social interactions and emerging relationships?
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H. Prior
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Ehren J. Bentz
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
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154
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Gustison ML, Phelps SM. Individual differences in social attachment: A multi-disciplinary perspective. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12792. [PMID: 35170839 PMCID: PMC8916993 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Social behavior varies across both individuals and species. Research to explain this variation falls under the purview of multiple disciplines, each with its own theoretical and empirical traditions. Integration of these disciplinary traditions is key to developing a holistic perspective. Here, we review research on the biology of social attachment, a phenomena in which individuals develop strong affective connections to one another. We provide a historical overview of research on social attachment from psychological, ethological and neurobiological perspectives. As a case study, we describe work on pair-bonding in prairie voles, a socially monogamous rodent. This specific topic takes advantage of many biological perspectives and techniques to explain social bonds. Lastly, we conclude with an overview of multi-dimensional conceptual frameworks that can be used to explain social phenomena, and we propose a new framework for research on individual variation in attachment behavior. These conceptual frameworks originate from philosophy, physics, ethology, cognitive science and neuroscience. The application and synthesis of such frameworks offers a rich opportunity to advance understanding of social behavior and its mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan L. Gustison
- Department of Integrative BiologyThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - Steven M. Phelps
- Department of Integrative BiologyThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
- Institute for NeuroscienceThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
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155
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Dwortz MF, Curley JP, Tye KM, Padilla-Coreano N. Neural systems that facilitate the representation of social rank. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200444. [PMID: 35000438 PMCID: PMC8743891 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Across species, animals organize into social dominance hierarchies that serve to decrease aggression and facilitate survival of the group. Neuroscientists have adopted several model organisms to study dominance hierarchies in the laboratory setting, including fish, reptiles, rodents and primates. We review recent literature across species that sheds light onto how the brain represents social rank to guide socially appropriate behaviour within a dominance hierarchy. First, we discuss how the brain responds to social status signals. Then, we discuss social approach and avoidance learning mechanisms that we propose could drive rank-appropriate behaviour. Lastly, we discuss how the brain represents memories of individuals (social memory) and how this may support the maintenance of unique individual relationships within a social group. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine F. Dwortz
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - James P. Curley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Kay M. Tye
- Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Nancy Padilla-Coreano
- Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FN 32611, USA
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156
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Trigo S, Silva PA, Cardoso GC, Soares MC. A test of context and sex-dependent dopaminergic effects on the behavior of a gregarious bird, the common waxbill Estrilda astrild. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274524. [PMID: 35202471 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243861] [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: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The Dopaminergic (DAergic) system has well known influences on behavioral and cognitive functions. Previous work with common waxbills (Estrilda astrild) reported context-specific DAergic effects that could have been due to social environment. Manipulating the dopamine D2-like receptor family (D2R) pathways had opposed effects on behavior depending on whether waxbills were tested alone or in a small cage with a mirror as social stimulus. Since waxbills are highly gregarious, it was hypothesized that being alone or perceiving to have a companion might explain this context-dependence. To test context-dependent DAergic effects, we compared behavioral effects of D2R manipulation in waxbills in the same familiar environment, but either alone or with a familiar, same-sex companion. We found that D2R agonism decreased movement and feeding, similarly to previous results when testing waxbills alone. However, contrary to the hypothesis of dependence on social context, we found that the behavioral effects of the D2R agonist were unchanged when waxbills were tested with a companion. The context-dependence reported earlier might thus be due to other factors, such as the stress of being in a novel environment (small cage) or with an unfamiliar social stimulus (mirror image). In tests with a companion, we also found a sex-specific social effect of D2R manipulation: D2R blocking tended to decrease aggression in males but to increase in females. Together with past work, our results suggest that DAergic effects on behavior involve different types of context- or sex-dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Trigo
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Paulo A Silva
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo C Cardoso
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Marta C Soares
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
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157
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Scaia MF, Akinrinade I, Petri G, Oliveira RF. Sex Differences in Aggression Are Paralleled by Differential Activation of the Brain Social Decision-Making Network in Zebrafish. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:784835. [PMID: 35250500 PMCID: PMC8890505 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.784835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Although aggression is more prevalent in males, females also express aggressive behaviors and in specific ecological contexts females can be more aggressive than males. The aim of this work is to assess sex differences in aggression and to characterize the patterns of neuronal activation of the social-decision making network (SDMN) in response to intra-sexual aggression in both male and female zebrafish. Adult fish were exposed to social interaction with a same-sex opponent and all behavioral displays, latency, and time of resolution were quantified. After conflict resolution, brains were sampled and sex differences on functional connectivity throughout the SDMN were assessed by immunofluorescence of the neuronal activation marker pS6. Results suggest that both sexes share a similar level of motivation for aggression, but female encounters show shorter conflict resolution and a preferential use of antiparallel displays instead of overt aggression, showing a reduction of putative maladaptive effects. Although there are no sex differences in the neuronal activation in any individual brain area from the SDMN, agonistic interactions increased neuronal activity in most brain areas in both sexes. Functional connectivity was assessed using bootstrapped adjacency matrices that capture the co-activation of the SDMN nodes. Male winners increased the overall excitation and showed no changes in inhibition across the SDMN, whereas female winners and both male and female losers showed a decrease in both excitation and inhibition of the SDMN in comparison to non-interacting control fish. Moreover, network centrality analysis revealed both shared hubs, as well as sex-specific hubs, between the sexes for each social condition in the SDMN. In summary, a distinct neural activation pattern associated with social experience during fights was found for each sex, suggesting a sex-specific differential activation of the social brain as a consequence of social experience. Overall, our study adds insights into sex differences in agonistic behavior and on the neuronal architecture of intrasexual aggression in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Florencia Scaia
- Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada—CONICET, Ciudad Auntónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ibukun Akinrinade
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Giovanni Petri
- ISI Foundation and ISI Global Science Foundation, Torino, Italy
| | - Rui F. Oliveira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- ISPA– Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Lisbon, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Rui F. Oliveira
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158
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Involvement of the neural social behaviour network during social information acquisition in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Learn Behav 2022; 50:189-200. [PMID: 35167055 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00511-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Female zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata will copy the novel foraging choice of males. The degree to which they do so, however, can vary considerably. Among-individual differences in social learning and their underlying neural pathways have received relatively little attention and remain poorly understood. Here, then, we allowed female zebra finches to observe live-streamed male demonstrators feeding from one of two novel-coloured feeders (social information acquisition phase). After this social information acquisition phase, we tested from which feeder the females preferred to feed to determine whether they copied the feeder choice of the male demonstrator (social learning test phase). We then examined the brains of these females for immediate early gene activity (c-fos) in the neural social behaviour network for the time during which they were observing the male feeding. Of the 12 regions and sub-regions in the brain examined we found only one weak correlation: greater copying was associated with lower activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, BSTmv. Future work should perhaps focus on neural activity that occurs during the stage in which there is evidence that animals have copied a demonstrator (i.e., social learning test phase in the current experiment) rather than during the period in which those animals observe that demonstrator (i.e., social information acquisition phase in the current experiment). What is clear is that the considerable emphasis on examining the behavioural component of social learning has not yet been accompanied by neural analyses.
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159
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Lacalli T. An evolutionary perspective on chordate brain organization and function: insights from amphioxus, and the problem of sentience. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200520. [PMID: 34957845 PMCID: PMC8710876 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The similarities between amphioxus and vertebrate brains, in their regional subdivision, cell types and circuitry, make the former a useful benchmark for understanding the evolutionary innovations that shaped the latter. Locomotory control systems were already well developed in basal chordates, with the ventral neuropile of the dien-mesencephalon serving to set levels of activity and initiate locomotory actions. A chief deficit in amphioxus is the absence of complex vertebrate-type sense organs. Hence, much of vertebrate story is one of progressive improvement both to these and to sensory experience more broadly. This has two aspects: (i) anatomical and neurocircuitry innovations in the organs of special sense and the brain centres that process and store their output, and (ii) the emergence of primary consciousness, i.e. sentience. With respect to the latter, a bottom up, evolutionary perspective has a different focus from a top down human-centric one. At issue: the obstacles to the emergence of sentience in the first instance, the sequence of addition of new contents to evolving consciousness, and the homology relationship between them. A further question, and a subject for future investigation, is how subjective experience is optimized for each sensory modality. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thurston Lacalli
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8 W-3N5
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160
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Ogawa S, Parhar IS. Role of Habenula in Social and Reproductive Behaviors in Fish: Comparison With Mammals. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:818782. [PMID: 35221943 PMCID: PMC8867168 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.818782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Social behaviors such as mating, parenting, fighting, and avoiding are essential functions as a communication tool in social animals, and are critical for the survival of individuals and species. Social behaviors are controlled by a complex circuitry that comprises several key social brain regions, which is called the social behavior network (SBN). The SBN further integrates social information with external and internal factors to select appropriate behavioral responses to social circumstances, called social decision-making. The social decision-making network (SDMN) and SBN are structurally, neurochemically and functionally conserved in vertebrates. The social decision-making process is also closely influenced by emotional assessment. The habenula has recently been recognized as a crucial center for emotion-associated adaptation behaviors. Here we review the potential role of the habenula in social function with a special emphasis on fish studies. Further, based on evolutional, molecular, morphological, and behavioral perspectives, we discuss the crucial role of the habenula in the vertebrate SDMN.
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161
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Umatani C, Yoshida N, Yamamoto E, Akazome Y, Mori Y, Kanda S, Okubo K, Oka Y. Co-existing Neuropeptide FF and Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone 3 Coordinately Modulate Male Sexual Behavior. Endocrinology 2022; 163:6486464. [PMID: 34962983 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqab261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Animals properly perform sexual behaviors by using multiple sensory cues. However, neural mechanisms integrating multiple sensory cues and regulating motivation for sexual behaviors remain unclear. Here, we focused on peptidergic neurons, terminal nerve gonadotropin-releasing hormone (TN-GnRH) neurons, which receive inputs from various sensory systems and co-express neuropeptide FF (NPFF) in addition to GnRH. Our behavioral analyses using knockout medaka of GnRH (gnrh3) and/or NPFF (npff) demonstrated that some sexual behavioral repertoires were delayed, not disrupted, in gnrh3 and npff single knockout males, while the double knockout appeared to alleviate the significant defects that were observed in single knockouts. We also found anatomical evidence to show that both neuropeptides modulate the sexual behavior-controlling brain areas. Furthermore, we demonstrated that NPFF activates neurons in the preoptic area via indirect pathway, which is considered to induce the increase in motivation for male sexual behaviors. Considering these results, we propose a novel mechanism by which co-existing peptides of the TN-GnRH neurons, NPFF, and GnRH3 coordinately modulate certain neuronal circuit for the control of behavioral motivation. Our results may go a long way toward understanding the functional significance of peptidergic neuromodulation in response to sensory information from the external environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chie Umatani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nagisa Yoshida
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Eri Yamamoto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuhisa Akazome
- Department of Anatomy, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yasutaka Mori
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinji Kanda
- Laboratory of Physiology, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kataaki Okubo
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Oka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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162
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Munley KM, Dutta S, Jasnow AM, Demas GE. Adrenal MT 1 melatonin receptor expression is linked with seasonal variation in social behavior in male Siberian hamsters. Horm Behav 2022; 138:105099. [PMID: 34920297 PMCID: PMC8847318 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Many animals exhibit pronounced changes in physiology and behavior on a seasonal basis, and these adaptations have evolved to promote survival and reproductive success. While the neuroendocrine pathways mediating seasonal reproduction are well-studied, far less is known about the mechanisms underlying seasonal changes in social behavior, particularly outside of the context of the breeding season. Our previous work suggests that seasonal changes in melatonin secretion are important in regulating aggression in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus); it is unclear, however, how melatonin acts via its receptors to modulate seasonal variation in social behavior. In this study, we infused a MT1 melatonin receptor-expressing (MT1) or control (CON) lentivirus into the adrenal glands of male Siberian hamsters. We then housed hamsters in long-day (LD) or short-day (SD) photoperiods, administered timed melatonin or control injections, and quantified aggressive and non-aggressive social behaviors (e.g., investigation, self-grooming) following 10 weeks of treatment. LD hamsters infused with the MT1 lentivirus had significantly higher adrenal mt1 expression than LD CON hamsters, as determined via quantitative PCR. While melatonin administration was necessary to induce SD-like reductions in body and relative reproductive mass, only LD hamsters infused with the MT1 lentivirus displayed SD-like changes in social behavior, including increased aggression and decreased investigation and grooming. In addition, SD CON and LD hamsters infused with the MT1 lentivirus exhibited similar relationships between adrenal mt1 expression and aggressive behavior. Together, our findings suggest a role for adrenal MT1 receptor signaling in regulating behavior, but not energetics or reproduction in seasonally breeding species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Munley
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Sohini Dutta
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Aaron M Jasnow
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, USA
| | - Gregory E Demas
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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163
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164
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Ghahramani ZN, Perelmuter JT, Varughese J, Kyaw P, Palmer WC, Sisneros JA, Forlano PM. Activation of noradrenergic locus coeruleus and social behavior network nuclei varies with duration of male midshipman advertisement calls. Behav Brain Res 2022; 423:113745. [PMID: 35033611 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Vocal courtship is vital to the reproductive success of many vertebrates and is therefore a highly-motivated behavioral state. Catecholamines have been shown to play an essential role in the expression and maintenance of motivated vocal behavior, such as the coordination of vocal-motor output in songbirds. However, it is not well-understood if this relationship applies to anamniote vocal species. Using the plainfin midshipman fish model, we tested whether specific catecholaminergic (i.e., dopaminergic and noradrenergic) nuclei and nodes of the social behavior network (SBN) are differentially activated in vocally courting (humming) versus non-humming males. Herein, we demonstrate that tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH-ir) neuron number in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) and induction of cFos (an immediate early gene product and proxy for neural activation) in the preoptic area differentiated humming from non-humming males. Furthermore, we found relationships between activation of the LC and SBN nuclei with the total amount of time that males spent humming, further reinforcing a role for these specific brain regions in the production of motivated reproductive-related vocalizations. Finally, we found that patterns of functional connectivity between catecholaminergic nuclei and nodes of the SBN differed between humming and non-humming males, supporting the notion that adaptive behaviors (such as the expression of advertisement hums) emerge from the interactions between various catecholaminergic nuclei and the SBN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary N Ghahramani
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA, USA; Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Doctoral Subprograms in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior,.
| | - Jonathan T Perelmuter
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Neuroscience, and Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joshua Varughese
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Phoo Kyaw
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | | | - Joseph A Sisneros
- Departments of Biology and Psychology,; University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Virginia Bloedel Hearing Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Paul M Forlano
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Doctoral Subprograms in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior,; Neuroscience, and Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA; Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
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165
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Abbot P. Defense in Social Insects: Diversity, Division of Labor, and Evolution. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 67:407-436. [PMID: 34995089 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-082521-072638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
All social insects defend their colony from predators, parasites, and pathogens. In Oster and Wilson's classic work, they posed one of the key paradoxes about defense in social insects: Given the universal necessity of defense, why then is there so much diversity in mechanisms? Ecological factors undoubtedly are important: Predation and usurpation have imposed strong selection on eusocial insects, and active defense by colonies is a ubiquitous feature of all social insects. The description of diverse insect groups with castes of sterile workers whose main duty is defense has broadened the purview of social evolution in insects, in particular with respect to caste and behavior. Defense is one of the central axes along which we can begin to organize and understand sociality in insects. With the establishment of social insect models such as the honey bee, new discoveries are emerging regarding the endocrine, neural, and gene regulatory mechanisms underlying defense in social insects. The mechanisms underlying morphological and behavioral defense traits may be shared across diverse groups, providing opportunities for identifying both conserved and novel mechanisms at work. Emerging themes highlight the context dependency of and interaction between factors that regulate defense in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Abbot
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA;
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166
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Zhao X, Zhu S, Cao Y, Cheng P, Lin Y, Sun Z, Jiang W, Du Y. Abnormalities of Gray Matter Volume and Its Correlation with Clinical Symptoms in Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2022; 18:717-730. [PMID: 35401002 PMCID: PMC8983641 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s349247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have indicated abnormal gray matter volume (GMV) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, there is little consistency across the findings within these studies, partly due to small sample size and great heterogeneity among participants between studies. Additionally, few studies have explored the correlation between clinical symptoms and GMV abnormalities in individuals with ASD. Here, the current study examined GMV alterations in whole brain and their correlations with clinical symptoms in a relatively large and homogeneous sample of participants with ASD matched typically developing (TD) controls. METHODS Forty-eight adolescents with high-functioning ASD and 29 group-matched TD controls underwent structural magnetic resonance images. Voxel-based morphometry was applied to investigate regional GMV alterations. The participants with ASD were examined for the severity of clinical symptoms with Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). The relationship between GMV abnormalities and clinical symptoms was explored in ASD group using voxel-wise correlation analysis within brain regions that showed significant GMV alterations in individuals with ASD compared with TD controls. RESULTS We found increased GMV in multiple brain regions, including the inferior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, occipital pole, anterior cingulate, cerebellum anterior lobe, cerebellum posterior lobe, and midbrain, as well as decreased GMV in cerebellum posterior lobe in individuals with ASD. The correlation analysis showed the GMV in the left fusiform was negatively associated with the scores of sensory factor, and the GMV in the right cerebellum anterior lobe was positively associated with the scores of social self-help factor. CONCLUSION Our results indicated that widespread GMV abnormalities of brain regions occurred in individuals with ASD, suggesting a potential neural basis for the pathogenesis and symptomatology of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxin Zhao
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuyi Zhu
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Cao
- Suzhou Guangji Hospital, Suzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Peipei Cheng
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuxiong Lin
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhixin Sun
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenqing Jiang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yasong Du
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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167
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Forero SA, Ophir AG. Multi-Level Effects Driving Cognitive and Behavioral Variability among Prairie Voles: Insights into Reproductive Decision-Making from Biological Levels of Organization. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2022; 97:225-240. [PMID: 35051922 PMCID: PMC9256755 DOI: 10.1159/000522109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral phenotypes play an active role in maximizing fitness and shaping the evolutionary trajectory of species by offsetting the ecological and social environmental factors individuals experience. How these phenotypes evolve and how they are expressed is still a major question in ethology today. In recent years, an increased focus on the mechanisms that regulate the interactions between an individual and its environment has offered novel insights into the expression of alternative phenotypes. In this review, we explore the proximate mechanisms driving the expression of alternative reproductive phenotypes in the male prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) as one example of how the interaction of an individual's social context and internal milieu has the potential to alter behavior, cognition, and reproductive decision-making. Ultimately, integrating the physiological and psychological mechanisms of behavior advances understanding into how variation in behavior arises. We take a "levels of biological organization" approach, with prime focus placed on the level of the organism to discuss how cognitive processes emerge as traits, and how they can be studied as important mechanisms driving the expression of behavior.
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168
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Ogawa S, Parhar IS. Functions of habenula in reproduction and socio-reproductive behaviours. Front Neuroendocrinol 2022; 64:100964. [PMID: 34793817 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Habenula is an evolutionarily conserved structure in the brain of vertebrates. Recent reports have drawn attention to the habenula as a processing centre for emotional decision-making and its role in psychiatric disorders. Emotional decision-making process is also known to be closely associated with reproductive conditions. The habenula receives innervations from reproductive centres within the brain and signals from key reproductive neuroendocrine regulators such as gonadal sex steroids, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and kisspeptin. In this review, based on morphological, biochemical, physiological, and pharmacological evidence we discuss an emerging role of the habenula in reproduction. Further, we discuss the modulatory role of reproductive endocrine factors in the habenula and their association with socio-reproductive behaviours such as mating, anxiety and aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Ogawa
- Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ishwar S Parhar
- Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.
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169
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The form, function, and evolutionary significance of neural aromatization. Front Neuroendocrinol 2022; 64:100967. [PMID: 34808232 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Songbirds have emerged as exceptional research subjects for helping us appreciate and understand estrogen synthesis and function in brain. In the context of recognizing the vertebrate-wide importance of brain aromatase expression, in this review we highlight where we believe studies of songbirds have provided clarification and conceptual insight. We follow by focusing on more recent studies of aromatase and neuroestrogen function in the hippocampus and the pallial auditory processing region NCM of songbirds. With perspectives drawn from this body of work, we speculate that the evolution of enhanced neural estrogen signaling, including in the mediation of social behaviors, may have given songbirds the resilience to radiate into one of the most successful vertebrate groups on the planet.
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170
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Romano D, Stefanini C. Robot-Fish Interaction Helps to Trigger Social Buffering in Neon Tetras: The Potential Role of Social Robotics in Treating Anxiety. Int J Soc Robot 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12369-021-00829-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe emerging field of social robotics comprises several multidisciplinary applications. Anxiety and stress therapies can greatly benefit by socio-emotional support provided by robots, although the intervention of social robots as effective treatment needs to be fully understood. Herein, Paracheirodon innesi, a social fish species, was used to interact with a robotic fish to understand intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms causing anxiety, and how social robots can be effectively used as anxiety treatments. In the first experiment we tested the effects of a conspecific-mimicking robot on the fish tendency to swim in the bottom when transferred in a new tank. Here, P. innesi spent a significantly longer time in the upper section of the test tank when the robotic fish was present, clearly indicating a reduction of their state of anxiety due to social stimuli. The second experiment was based on a modification of the dark/light preference test, since many teleost fish are scototactic, preferring dark environments. However, when the robotic fish was placed in the white half of the test tank, P. innesi individuals swam longer in this section otherwise aversive. Social support provided by the robotic fish in both experiments produced a better recovery from anxiety due to social buffering, a phenomenon regulated by specific neural mechanisms. This study provides new insights on the evolution and mechanisms of social buffering to reduce anxiety, as well as on the use of social robots as an alternative to traditional approaches in treating anxiety symptoms.
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171
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Verney C, Gressens P, Vitalis T. [Anatomy and physiology of traumatic stress]. Med Sci (Paris) 2021; 37:1002-1010. [PMID: 34851276 DOI: 10.1051/medsci/2021165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Facing a more or less intrusive stress, some individuals can cope as they are more resilient, while others get traumatized and further develop a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Individuals are not equal facing traumatic stress for genetic/epigenetic or personal reasons. This review analyzes from animal models to human, the neurobiological changes detected when the stress switch from adaptable in everyday life to pathological leading to PTSD. Fear memories lead to the disruption of the anatomy/morphology of emotional-memory networks centered on the amygaloïd complex and hippocampal hub associated with the homeostatic unbalance of the body-brain exchanges of molecules such as hormones, neuromodulators or peptides. Persistent fear memories are hardly handled by the frontal ability for decision making towards action. But these fear memories can be revisited by different therapies recruiting cerebral plasticity and resilience. Current understanding of PTSD allowed to develop a series of efficient treatments associating precise medicine to diverse body-mind therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Verney
- Université de Paris, NeuroDiderot, Paris, France - Inserm UMR 1141, Hôpital Robert-Debré, 48 boulevard Sérurier, 75019 Paris, France - Association, Ensemble pour l'éducation de la petite enfance, 37 allée du Forum, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Pierre Gressens
- Université de Paris, NeuroDiderot, Paris, France - Inserm UMR 1141, Hôpital Robert-Debré, 48 boulevard Sérurier, 75019 Paris, France
| | - Tania Vitalis
- Université de Paris, NeuroDiderot, Paris, France - Inserm UMR 1141, Hôpital Robert-Debré, 48 boulevard Sérurier, 75019 Paris, France
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172
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Weitekamp CA, Hofmann HA. Human Population Density and Reproductive Health: A Changing World Needs Endocrinology. Endocrinology 2021; 162:bqab198. [PMID: 34525211 PMCID: PMC8549112 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqab198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea A. Weitekamp
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC
| | - Hans A. Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas
at Austin, Austin, TX
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at
Austin, Austin, TX
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173
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Basolateral and central amygdala orchestrate how we learn whom to trust. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1329. [PMID: 34824373 PMCID: PMC8617284 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02815-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation and mutual trust are essential in our society, yet not everybody is trustworthy. In this fMRI study, 62 healthy volunteers performed a repeated trust game, placing trust in a trustworthy or an untrustworthy player. We found that the central amygdala was active during trust behavior planning while the basolateral amygdala was active during outcome evaluation. When planning the trust behavior, central and basolateral amygdala activation was stronger for the untrustworthy player compared to the trustworthy player but only in participants who actually learned to differentiate the trustworthiness of the players. Independent of learning success, nucleus accumbens encoded whether trust was reciprocated. This suggests that learning whom to trust is not related to reward processing in the nucleus accumbens, but rather to engagement of the amygdala. Our study overcomes major empirical gaps between animal models and human neuroimaging and shows how different subnuclei of the amygdala and connected areas orchestrate learning to form different subjective trustworthiness beliefs about others and guide trust choice behavior.
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174
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Mejía-Chávez S, Venebra-Muñoz A, García-García F, Corona-Morales AA, Orozco-Vargas AE. Maternal Separation Modifies the Activity of Social Processing Brain Nuclei Upon Social Novelty Exposure. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:651263. [PMID: 34803620 PMCID: PMC8599987 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.651263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal separation has been shown to disrupt proper brain development and maturation, having profound consequences on the neuroendocrine systems in charge of the stress response, and has been shown to induce behavioral and cognitive abnormalities. At the behavioral level, maternal separation has been shown to increase offensive play-fighting in juvenile individuals and reduce social interest in adulthood. Since most of the studies that have evaluated the consequences of maternal separation on social behavior have focused on behavioral analysis, there is a need for a further understanding of the neuronal mechanisms underlying the changes in social behavior induced by maternal separation. Therefore, the aim of the present research was to assess the long-term effects of maternal separation on social interaction behavior and to assess the activity of several brain regions involved in the processing of social cues and reward upon social novelty exposure, using c-Fos immunohistochemistry as a marker of neuronal activity. Male Wistar rats were subjected to 4 h maternal separation during the neonatal period, 9:00 h-13:00 h from postnatal day 1 to 21, and exposed to social novelty during adulthood. After social novelty exposure, brains were fixed and coronal sections of the medial amygdala, lateral septum (LS), paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex were obtained for c-Fos immunohistochemistry. Maternally separated rats spent less time investigating the novel peer, suggesting that maternal separation reduces social approach motivation. Furthermore, maternal separation reduced the number of c-Fos positive cells of the medial amygdala, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, LS, nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex upon social novelty exposure. These findings suggest that maternal separation can reduce the plastic capacity of several brain nuclei, which constitute a physiological basis for the emergence of behavioral disorders presented later in life reported to be linked to early life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Mejía-Chávez
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Adicción y Plasticidad Cerebral, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Mexico, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Arturo Venebra-Muñoz
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Adicción y Plasticidad Cerebral, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Mexico, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Fabio García-García
- Laboratorio de Biología de Sueño, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
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175
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Triki Z, Fong S, Amcoff M, Kolm N. Artificial mosaic brain evolution of relative telencephalon size improves inhibitory control abilities in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Evolution 2021; 76:128-138. [PMID: 34806770 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Mosaic brain evolution, the change in the size of separate brain regions in response to selection on cognitive performance, is an important idea in the field of cognitive evolution. However, untill now, most of the data on how separate brain regions respond to selection and their cognitive consequences stem from comparative studies. To experimentally investigate the influence of mosaic brain evolution on cognitive ability, we used male guppies artificially selected for large and small telencephalons relative to the rest of the brain. Here, we tested an important aspect of executive cognitive ability using a detour task. We found that males with larger telencephalons outperformed males with smaller telencephalons. Fish with larger telencephalons showed faster improvement in performance during detour training and were more successful in reaching the food reward without touching the transparent barrier (i.e., through correct detouring) during the test phase. Together, our findings provide the first experimental evidence showing that evolutionary enlargement of relative telencephalon size confers cognitive benefits, supporting an important role for mosaic brain evolution during cognitive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zegni Triki
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stephanie Fong
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mirjam Amcoff
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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176
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Yu H, Xiang X, Chen Z, Wang X, Dai J, Wang X, Huang P, Zhao ZD, Shen WL, Li H. Periaqueductal gray neurons encode the sequential motor program in hunting behavior of mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6523. [PMID: 34764279 PMCID: PMC8586038 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26852-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Sequential encoding of motor programs is essential for behavior generation. However, whether it is critical for instinctive behavior is still largely unknown. Mouse hunting behavior typically contains a sequential motor program, including the prey search, chase, attack, and consumption. Here, we reveal that the neuronal activity in the lateral periaqueductal gray (LPAG) follows a sequential pattern and is time-locked to different hunting actions. Optrode recordings and photoinhibition demonstrate that LPAGVgat neurons are required for the prey detection, chase and attack, while LPAGVglut2 neurons are selectively required for the attack. Ablation of inputs that could trigger hunting, including the central amygdala, the lateral hypothalamus, and the zona incerta, interrupts the activity sequence pattern and substantially impairs hunting actions. Therefore, our findings reveal that periaqueductal gray neuronal ensembles encode the sequential hunting motor program, which might provide a framework for decoding complex instinctive behaviors. Hunting behavior typically contains a sequential motor program, including search, chase, attack, and consumption. Here, the authors show that periaqueductal gray neuronal ensembles encode the sequential hunting motor program, which might provide a framework for decoding complex instinctive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Yu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.,College of Basic Medicine, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, 442000, China
| | - Xinkuan Xiang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Zongming Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology and Shanghai Institute of Advanced Immunochemical Studies, Shanghaitech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Xu Wang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Jiaqi Dai
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Xinxin Wang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Pengcheng Huang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Zheng-Dong Zhao
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Wei L Shen
- School of Life Science and Technology and Shanghai Institute of Advanced Immunochemical Studies, Shanghaitech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
| | - Haohong Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. .,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. .,Affiliated Mental Health Centre and Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310013, China. .,The MOE Frontier Research Center of Brain & Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China.
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177
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Fuss T. Mate Choice, Sex Roles and Sexual Cognition: Neuronal Prerequisites Supporting Cognitive Mate Choice. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.749499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Across taxa, mate choice is a highly selective process involving both intra- and intersexual selection processes aiming to pass on one’s genes, making mate choice a pivotal tool of sexual selection. Individuals adapt mate choice behavior dynamically in response to environmental and social changes. These changes are perceived sensorily and integrated on a neuronal level, which ultimately leads to an adequate behavioral response. Along with perception and prior to an appropriate behavioral response, the choosing sex has (1) to recognize and discriminate between the prospective mates and (2) to be able to assess and compare their performance in order to make an informed decision. To do so, cognitive processes allow for the simultaneous processing of multiple information from the (in-) animate environment as well as from a variety of both sexual and social (but non-sexual) conspecific cues. Although many behavioral aspects of cognition on one side and of mate choice displays on the other are well understood, the interplay of neuronal mechanisms governing both determinants, i.e., governing cognitive mate choice have been described only vaguely. This review aimed to throw a spotlight on neuronal prerequisites, networks and processes supporting the interaction between mate choice, sex roles and sexual cognition, hence, supporting cognitive mate choice. How does neuronal activity differ between males and females regarding social cognition? Does sex or the respective sex role within the prevailing mating system mirror at a neuronal level? How does cognitive competence affect mate choice? Conversely, how does mate choice affect the cognitive abilities of both sexes? Benefitting from studies using different neuroanatomical techniques such as neuronal activity markers, differential coexpression or candidate gene analyses, modulatory effects of neurotransmitters and hormones, or imaging techniques such as fMRI, there is ample evidence pointing to a reflection of sex and the respective sex role at the neuronal level, at least in individual brain regions. Moreover, this review aims to summarize evidence for cognitive abilities influencing mate choice and vice versa. At the same time, new questions arise centering the complex relationship between neurobiology, cognition and mate choice, which we will perhaps be able to answer with new experimental techniques.
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178
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Beery AK, Lopez SA, Blandino KL, Lee NS, Bourdon NS. Social selectivity and social motivation in voles. eLife 2021; 10:e72684. [PMID: 34726153 PMCID: PMC8594915 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Selective relationships are fundamental to humans and many other animals, but relationships between mates, family members, or peers may be mediated differently. We examined connections between social reward and social selectivity, aggression, and oxytocin receptor signaling pathways in rodents that naturally form enduring, selective relationships with mates and peers (monogamous prairie voles) or peers (group-living meadow voles). Female prairie and meadow voles worked harder to access familiar versus unfamiliar individuals, regardless of sex, and huddled extensively with familiar subjects. Male prairie voles displayed strongly selective huddling preferences for familiar animals, but only worked harder to repeatedly access females versus males, with no difference in effort by familiarity. This reveals a striking sex difference in pathways underlying social monogamy and demonstrates a fundamental disconnect between motivation and social selectivity in males-a distinction not detected by the partner preference test. Meadow voles exhibited social preferences but low social motivation, consistent with tolerance rather than reward supporting social groups in this species. Natural variation in oxytocin receptor binding predicted individual variation in prosocial and aggressive behaviors. These results provide a basis for understanding species, sex, and individual differences in the mechanisms underlying the role of social reward in social preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annaliese K Beery
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Program in Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith CollegeNorthamptonUnited States
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of MassachusettsAmherst, MAUnited States
| | - Sarah A Lopez
- Program in Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith CollegeNorthamptonUnited States
| | - Katrina L Blandino
- Program in Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith CollegeNorthamptonUnited States
| | - Nicole S Lee
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of MassachusettsAmherst, MAUnited States
| | - Natalie S Bourdon
- Program in Neuroscience, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith CollegeNorthamptonUnited States
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179
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The role of nitric oxide and neuronal nitric oxide synthase in zebrafish (Danio rerio) shoaling. AQUACULTURE AND FISHERIES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aaf.2020.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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180
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Reyes F, Quintana L, Tassino B. Association of androgens and estrogens with agonistic behavior in the annual fish Austrolebias reicherti. Horm Behav 2021; 136:105064. [PMID: 34653914 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Agonistic behavior governs the settlement of conflicts among conspecifics for limiting resources. Sex steroids play a critical role in the regulation of agonistic behavior which in turn may produce modulations in hormone titres. In this study we analyzed the association of androgens and estrogens with agonistic behavior in the annual fish Austrolebias reicherti. This native species inhabits temporary ponds that dry out completely during summer, having one of the shortest lifespans among vertebrates. They are highly sexually dimorphic and have a single breeding season during which they reproduce continuously. Here we measured plasma levels of 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) and 17β-estradiol (E2) in adult males after the resolution of a social conflict and assessed the role of the aromatase conversion of testosterone (T) to E2 in male aggression. Winners had higher levels of 11KT than losers yet; winner 11KT levels did not differ from those of males not exposed to a social challenge. E2 levels did not show differences among winners, losers or control males. However, fights under the aromatase inhibitor Fadrozole were overall less aggressive than control fights. Our results suggest an androgen response to losing a conflict and that the conversion of T to E2 is involved in the regulation of aggressive behavior. Annual fish extreme life history may give new insights on hormone-behavior interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Reyes
- Sección Etología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Laura Quintana
- Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Bettina Tassino
- Sección Etología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay.
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181
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Bales KL, Ardekani CS, Baxter A, Karaskiewicz CL, Kuske JX, Lau AR, Savidge LE, Sayler KR, Witczak LR. What is a pair bond? Horm Behav 2021; 136:105062. [PMID: 34601430 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Pair bonding is a psychological construct that we attempt to operationalize via behavioral and physiological measurements. Yet, pair bonding has been both defined differently in various taxonomic groups as well as used loosely to describe not just a psychological and affective phenomenon, but also a social structure or mating system (either social monogamy or just pair living). In this review, we ask the questions: What has been the historical definition of a pair bond? Has this definition differed across taxonomic groups? What behavioral evidence do we see of pair bonding in these groups? Does this observed evidence alter the definition of pair bonding? Does the observed neurobiology underlying these behaviors affect this definition as well? And finally, what are the upcoming directions in which the study of pair bonding needs to head?
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America; Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, United States of America; California National Primate Research Center, United States of America.
| | - Cory S Ardekani
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America
| | - Alexander Baxter
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America; California National Primate Research Center, United States of America
| | - Chloe L Karaskiewicz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America; California National Primate Research Center, United States of America
| | - Jace X Kuske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America
| | - Allison R Lau
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America; California National Primate Research Center, United States of America
| | - Logan E Savidge
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America; California National Primate Research Center, United States of America
| | - Kristina R Sayler
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, United States of America
| | - Lynea R Witczak
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, United States of America; California National Primate Research Center, United States of America
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182
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Dimitriadou S, Santos EM, Croft DP, van Aerle R, Ramnarine IW, Filby AL, Darden SK. Social partner cooperativeness influences brain oxytocin transcription in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Brain Res 2021; 423:113643. [PMID: 34757109 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
For non-kin cooperation to be maintained, individuals need to respond adaptively to the cooperative behaviour of their social partners. Currently, however, little is known about the biological responses of individuals to experiencing cooperation. Here, we quantify the neuroregulatory response of Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) experiencing cooperation or defection by examining the transcriptional response of the oxytocin gene (oxt; also known as isotocin), which has been implicated in cooperative decision-making. We exposed wild-caught females to social environments where partners either cooperated or defected during predator inspection, or to a control (non-predator inspection) context, and quantified the relative transcription of the oxt gene. We tested an experimental group, originating from a site where individuals are under high predation threat and have previous experience of large aquatic predators (HP), and a control group, where individuals are under low predation threat and naïve to large aquatic predators (LP). LP, but not HP, fish showed different behavioural responses to the behaviour of their social environment, cooperating with cooperative partners and defecting when paired with defecting ones. In HP, but not LP, fish brain mid-section oxt relative transcription varied depending on social partner behaviour. HP fish experiencing cooperation during predator inspection had lower oxt transcription than those experiencing defection. This effect was not present in the control population or in the control context, where the behaviour of social partners did not affect oxt transcription. Our findings provide insight into the neuromodulation underpinning behavioural responses to social experiences, and ultimately to the proximate mechanisms underlying social decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Dimitriadou
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Eduarda M Santos
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; Sustainable Aquaculture Futures, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Darren P Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Ronny van Aerle
- Sustainable Aquaculture Futures, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Cefas Weymouth Laboratory, Weymouth, UK
| | - Indar W Ramnarine
- Department of Life Sciences, University of West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Amy L Filby
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Safi K Darden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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183
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Nunes AR, Gliksberg M, Varela SAM, Teles M, Wircer E, Blechman J, Petri G, Levkowitz G, Oliveira RF. Developmental Effects of Oxytocin Neurons on Social Affiliation and Processing of Social Information. J Neurosci 2021; 41:8742-8760. [PMID: 34470805 PMCID: PMC8528494 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2939-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hormones regulate behavior either through activational effects that facilitate the acute expression of specific behaviors or through organizational effects that shape the development of the nervous system thereby altering adult behavior. Much research has implicated the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) in acute modulation of various aspects of social behaviors across vertebrate species, and OXT signaling is associated with the developmental social deficits observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs); however, little is known about the role of OXT in the neurodevelopment of the social brain. We show that perturbation of OXT neurons during early zebrafish development led to a loss of dopaminergic neurons, associated with visual processing and reward, and blunted the neuronal response to social stimuli in the adult brain. Ultimately, adult fish whose OXT neurons were ablated in early life, displayed altered functional connectivity within social decision-making brain nuclei both in naive state and in response to social stimulus and became less social. We propose that OXT neurons have an organizational role, namely, to shape forebrain neuroarchitecture during development and to acquire an affiliative response toward conspecifics.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Social behavior is developed over the lifetime of an organism and the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) modulates social behaviors across vertebrate species, and is associated with neuro-developmental social deficits such as autism. However, whether OXT plays a role in the developmental maturation of neural systems that are necessary for social behavior remains poorly explored. We show that proper behavioral and neural response to social stimuli depends on a developmental process orchestrated by OXT neurons. Animals whose OXT system is ablated in early life show blunted neuronal and behavioral responses to social stimuli as well as wide ranging disruptions in the functional connectivity of the social brain. We provide a window into the mechanisms underlying OXT-dependent developmental processes that implement adult sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Nunes
- Integrative Behavioural Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Michael Gliksberg
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Susana A M Varela
- Integrative Behavioural Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
- ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa 1149-041, Portugal
| | - Magda Teles
- Integrative Behavioural Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
| | - Einav Wircer
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Janna Blechman
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Giovanni Petri
- Institute for Scientific Interchange (ISI) Foundation and ISI Global Science Foundation, Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Gil Levkowitz
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Rui F Oliveira
- Integrative Behavioural Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
- ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa 1149-041, Portugal
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal
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184
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Gossman KR, Dykstra B, García BH, Swopes AP, Kimbrough A, Smith AS. Pair Bond-Induced Affiliation and Aggression in Male Prairie Voles Elicit Distinct Functional Connectivity in the Social Decision-Making Network. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:748431. [PMID: 34720866 PMCID: PMC8553992 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.748431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex social behaviors are governed by a neural network theorized to be the social decision-making network (SDMN). However, this theoretical network is not tested on functional grounds. Here, we assess the organization of regions in the SDMN using c-Fos, to generate functional connectivity models during specific social interactions in a socially monogamous rodent, the prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Male voles displayed robust selective affiliation toward a female partner, while exhibiting increased threatening, vigilant, and physically aggressive behaviors toward novel males and females. These social interactions increased c-Fos levels in eight of the thirteen brain regions of the SDMN. Each social encounter generated a distinct correlation pattern between individual brain regions. Thus, hierarchical clustering was used to characterize interrelated regions with similar c-Fos activity resulting in discrete network modules. Functional connectivity maps were constructed to emulate the network dynamics resulting from each social encounter. Our partner functional connectivity network presents similarities to the theoretical SDMN model, along with connections in the network that have been implicated in partner-directed affiliation. However, both stranger female and male networks exhibited distinct architecture from one another and the SDMN. Further, the stranger-evoked networks demonstrated connections associated with threat, physical aggression, and other aversive behaviors. Together, this indicates that distinct patterns of functional connectivity in the SDMN can be detected during select social encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle R. Gossman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Benjamin Dykstra
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Byron H. García
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Arielle P. Swopes
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Adam Kimbrough
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Adam S. Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
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185
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de Bournonville MP, de Bournonville C, Vandries LM, Nys G, Fillet M, Ball GF, Balthazart J, Cornil CA. Rapid changes in brain estrogen concentration during male sexual behavior are site and stimulus specific. Sci Rep 2021; 11:20130. [PMID: 34635715 PMCID: PMC8505645 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99497-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Classically, estrogens regulate male sexual behavior through effects initiated in the nucleus. However, neuroestrogens, i.e., estrogens locally produced in the brain, can act within minutes via membrane-initiated events. In male quail, rapid changes in brain aromatase activity occur after exposure to sexual stimuli. We report here that local extracellular estrogen concentrations measured by in vivo microdialysis increase during sexual interactions in a brain site- and stimulus-specific manner. Indeed, estrogen concentrations rose within 10 min of the initiation of sexual interaction with a female in the medial preoptic nucleus only, while visual access to a female led to an increase in estrogen concentrations only in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. These are the fastest fluctuations in local estrogen concentrations ever observed in the vertebrate brain. Their site and stimulus specificity strongly confirm the neuromodulatory function of neuroestrogens on behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Laura M Vandries
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, 15 Avenue Hippocrate, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Gwenaël Nys
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Marianne Fillet
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, 15 Avenue Hippocrate, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Charlotte A Cornil
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, 15 Avenue Hippocrate, 4000, Liège, Belgium.
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186
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Bravo-Tobar ID, Fernández P, Sáez JC, Dagnino-Subiabre A. Long-term effects of stress resilience: Hippocampal neuroinflammation and behavioral approach in male rats. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:2493-2510. [PMID: 34184764 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Resilience to stress is the ability to quickly adapt to adversity. There is evidence that exposure to prolonged stress triggers neuroinflammation what produces individual differences in stress vulnerability. However, the relationship between stress resilience, neuroinflammation, and depressive-like behaviors remains unknown. The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term effects of social defeat stress (SDS) on neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and depressive-like behaviors. Male rats were subjected to the SDS paradigm. Social interaction was analyzed 1 and 2 weeks after ending the SDS to determine which animals were susceptible or resilient to stress. Neuroinflammation markers glial fibrillary acidic protein, ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1, and elevated membrane permeability in astrocytes and microglia, as well as depressive-like behaviors in the sucrose preference test and forced swim test were evaluated in all rats. One week after SDS, resilient rats increased their sucrose preference, and time spent in the floating behavior decreased in the forced swim test compared to susceptible rats. Surprisingly, resilient rats became susceptible to stress, and presented neuroinflammation 2 weeks after SDS. These findings suggest that SDS-induced hippocampal neuroinflammation persists in post-stress stages, regardless of whether rats were initially resilient or not. Our study opens a new approach to understanding the neurobiology of stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván D Bravo-Tobar
- Instituto de Neurociencia, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Paola Fernández
- Instituto de Neurociencia, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Juan C Sáez
- Instituto de Neurociencia, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Alexies Dagnino-Subiabre
- Laboratory of Stress Neurobiology, Centre for Integrative Neurobiology and Pathophysiology, Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
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187
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Iwashita M, Yoshizawa M. Social-like responses are inducible in asocial Mexican cavefish despite the exhibition of strong repetitive behavior. eLife 2021; 10:72463. [PMID: 34542411 PMCID: PMC8500712 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Social behavior is a hallmark of complex animal systems; however, some species appear to have secondarily lost this social ability. In these non-social species, whether social abilities are permanently lost or suppressed is unclear. The blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus is known to be asocial. Here, we reveal that cavefish exhibited social-like interactions in familiar environments but suppressed these interactions in stress-associated unfamiliar environments. Furthermore, the level of suppression in sociality was positively correlated with that of stereotypic repetitive behavior, as seen in mammals. Treatment with a human antipsychotic drug targeting the dopaminergic system induced social-like interactions in cavefish, even in unfamiliar environments, while reducing repetitive behavior. Overall, these results suggest that the antagonistic association between repetitive and social-like behaviors is deeply shared from teleosts through mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motoko Iwashita
- School of Life Sciences, the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, United States
| | - Masato Yoshizawa
- School of Life Sciences, the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, United States
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188
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Tolås I, Kalananthan T, Gomes AS, Lai F, Norland S, Murashita K, Rønnestad I. Regional Expression of npy mRNA Paralogs in the Brain of Atlantic Salmon ( Salmo salar, L.) and Response to Fasting. Front Physiol 2021; 12:720639. [PMID: 34512390 PMCID: PMC8427667 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.720639] [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: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is known as a potent orexigenic signal in vertebrates, but its role in Atlantic salmon has not yet been fully established. In this study, we identified three npy paralogs, named npya1, npya2, and npyb, in the Atlantic salmon genome. In silico analysis revealed that these genes are well conserved across the vertebrate’s lineage and the mature peptide sequences shared at least 77% of identity with the human homolog. We analyzed mRNA expression of npy paralogs in eight brain regions of Atlantic salmon post-smolt, and the effect of 4 days of fasting on the npy expression level. Results show that npya1 was the most abundant paralog, and was predominantly expressed in the telencephalon, followed by the midbrain and olfactory bulb. npya2 mRNA was highly abundant in hypothalamus and midbrain, while npyb was found to be highest expressed in the telencephalon, with low mRNA expression levels detected in all the other brain regions. 4 days of fasting resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) decrease of npya1 mRNA expression in the olfactory bulb, increased npya2 mRNA expression in the midbrain and decreased npyb mRNA expression in the pituitary. In the hypothalamus, the vertebrate appetite center, expression of the npy paralogs was not significantly affected by feeding status. However, we observed a trend of increased npya2 mRNA expression (p = 0.099) following 4 days of fasting. Altogether, our findings provide a solid basis for further research on appetite and energy metabolism in Atlantic salmon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingvill Tolås
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Ana S Gomes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Floriana Lai
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Sissel Norland
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Koji Murashita
- Physiological Function Division, Aquaculture Research Department, Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Tamaki, Japan
| | - Ivar Rønnestad
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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189
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Sakata JT, Catalano I, Woolley SC. Mechanisms, development, and comparative perspectives on experience-dependent plasticity in social behavior. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2021; 337:35-49. [PMID: 34516724 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Revealing the mechanisms underlying experience-dependent plasticity is a hallmark of behavioral neuroscience. While the study of social behavior has focused primarily on the neuroendocrine and neural control of social behaviors, the plasticity of these innate behaviors has received relatively less attention. Here, we review studies on mating-dependent changes to social behavior and neural circuitry across mammals, birds, and reptiles. We provide an overview of species similarities and differences in the effects of mating experiences on motivational and performative aspects of sexual behaviors, on sensory processing and preferences, and on the experience-dependent consolidation of sexual behavior. We also discuss recent insights into the neural mechanisms of and developmental influences on mating-dependent changes and outline promising approaches to investigate evolutionary parallels and divergences in experience-dependent plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon T Sakata
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Isabella Catalano
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sarah C Woolley
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
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190
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Oliveira RF, Bshary R. Expanding the concept of social behavior to interspecific interactions. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rui F. Oliveira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência Oeiras Portugal
- ISPA – Instituto Universitário Lisboa Portugal
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme Lisboa Portugal
| | - Redouan Bshary
- Institute of Biology University of Neuchâtel Neuchâtel Switzerland
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191
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Brandão ML, Dorigão-Guimarães F, Bolognesi MC, Gauy ACDS, Pereira AVS, Vian L, Carvalho TB, Gonçalves-de-Freitas E. Understanding behaviour to improve the welfare of an ornamental fish. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2021; 99:726-739. [PMID: 34076258 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Some common practices in aquaculture, ornamental trade and fish facilities may disturb the behavioural repertoire of fish and its natural adaptive value, reducing welfare and impairing fish production. Hence, it is necessary to understand fish behaviour, as well as the factors affecting it, to improve the quality of fish's life under artificial environment. Here, we reviewed the behaviour of the angelfish Pterophyllum scalare, an Amazonian cichlid used worldwide both as an ornamental fish and as a fish model in scientific research. We characterized social, reproductive and feeding behaviour, as well as the amazing cognitive ability of the angelfish. In addition, we reviewed the effects of environmental enrichment and suggested some important variables that need to be considered for rearing P. scalare. In this review, we show for the first time a synthesis on behaviour and a best practice overview to improve the welfare of angelfish as a target species. Nonetheless, most topics reviewed fit a broader set of fish species, particularly ornamental ones. This synthesis can therefore open a path for further behavioural research applied to the welfare of angelfish and bring insights to other fish species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Lombardi Brandão
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Felipe Dorigão-Guimarães
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcela Cesar Bolognesi
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Centro de Aquicultura da Universidade Estadual Paulista, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Dos Santos Gauy
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Centro de Aquicultura da Universidade Estadual Paulista, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - André Vitor Salinas Pereira
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lethicia Vian
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Eliane Gonçalves-de-Freitas
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Centro de Aquicultura da Universidade Estadual Paulista, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
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192
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Eslinger PJ, Anders S, Ballarini T, Boutros S, Krach S, Mayer AV, Moll J, Newton TL, Schroeter ML, de Oliveira-Souza R, Raber J, Sullivan GB, Swain JE, Lowe L, Zahn R. The neuroscience of social feelings: mechanisms of adaptive social functioning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:592-620. [PMID: 34089764 PMCID: PMC8388127 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Social feelings have conceptual and empirical connections with affect and emotion. In this review, we discuss how they relate to cognition, emotion, behavior and well-being. We examine the functional neuroanatomy and neurobiology of social feelings and their role in adaptive social functioning. Existing neuroscience literature is reviewed to identify concepts, methods and challenges that might be addressed by social feelings research. Specific topic areas highlight the influence and modulation of social feelings on interpersonal affiliation, parent-child attachments, moral sentiments, interpersonal stressors, and emotional communication. Brain regions involved in social feelings were confirmed by meta-analysis using the Neurosynth platform for large-scale, automated synthesis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Words that relate specifically to social feelings were identfied as potential research variables. Topical inquiries into social media behaviors, loneliness, trauma, and social sensitivity, especially with recent physical distancing for guarding public and personal health, underscored the increasing importance of social feelings for affective and second person neuroscience research with implications for brain development, physical and mental health, and lifelong adaptive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Eslinger
- Departments of Neurology, Neural & Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, and Radiology, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
| | - Silke Anders
- Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Tommaso Ballarini
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sydney Boutros
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sören Krach
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Translational Psychiatry Unit, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Annalina V Mayer
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Translational Psychiatry Unit, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jorge Moll
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Tamara L Newton
- University of Louisville, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Matthias L Schroeter
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), BR Hospital Universitario, Universidade do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jacob Raber
- Departments of Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurology, and Radiation Medicine, Division of Neuroscience, ONPRC, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Gavin B Sullivan
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK
| | - James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Psychology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - Roland Zahn
- Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
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193
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Yamashita J, Nishiike Y, Fleming T, Kayo D, Okubo K. Estrogen mediates sex differences in preoptic neuropeptide and pituitary hormone production in medaka. Commun Biol 2021; 4:948. [PMID: 34373576 PMCID: PMC8352984 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02476-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The preoptic area (POA) is one of the most evolutionarily conserved regions of the vertebrate brain and contains subsets of neuropeptide-expressing neurons. Here we found in the teleost medaka that two neuropeptides belonging to the secretin family, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (Pacap) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (Vip), exhibit opposite patterns of sexually dimorphic expression in the same population of POA neurons that project to the anterior pituitary: Pacap is male-biased, whereas Vip is female-biased. Estrogen secreted by the ovary in adulthood was found to attenuate Pacap expression and, conversely, stimulate Vip expression in the female POA, thereby establishing and maintaining their opposite sexual dimorphism. Pituitary organ culture experiments demonstrated that both Pacap and Vip can markedly alter the expression of various anterior pituitary hormones. Collectively, these findings show that males and females use alternative preoptic neuropeptides to regulate anterior pituitary hormones as a result of their different estrogen milieu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junpei Yamashita
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuji Nishiike
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Thomas Fleming
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daichi Kayo
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kataaki Okubo
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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194
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Stoeger AS, Baotic A, Heilmann G. Vocal Creativity in Elephant Sound Production. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:750. [PMID: 34439982 PMCID: PMC8389636 DOI: 10.3390/biology10080750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
How do elephants achieve their enormous vocal flexibility when communicating, imitating or creating idiosyncratic sounds? The mechanisms that underpin this trait combine motoric abilities with vocal learning processes. We demonstrate the unusual production techniques used by five African savanna elephants to create idiosyncratic sounds, which they learn to produce on cue by positive reinforcement training. The elephants generate these sounds by applying nasal tissue vibration via an ingressive airflow at the trunk tip, or by contracting defined superficial muscles at the trunk base. While the production mechanisms of the individuals performing the same sound categories are similar, they do vary in fine-tuning, revealing that each individual has its own specific sound-producing strategy. This plasticity reflects the creative and cognitive abilities associated with 'vocal' learning processes. The fact that these sounds were reinforced and cue-stimulated suggests that social feedback and positive reinforcement can facilitate vocal creativity and vocal learning behavior in elephants. Revealing the mechanism and the capacity for vocal learning and sound creativity is fundamental to understanding the eloquence within the elephants' communication system. This also helps to understand the evolution of human language and of open-ended vocal systems, which build upon similar cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela S. Stoeger
- Mammal Communication Lab, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Anton Baotic
- Mammal Communication Lab, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria;
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195
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Antunes DF, Teles MC, Zuelling M, Friesen CN, Oliveira RF, Aubin‐Horth N, Taborsky B. Early social deprivation shapes neuronal programming of the social decision-making network in a cooperatively breeding fish. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:4118-4132. [PMID: 34133783 PMCID: PMC8457231 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The early social environment an animal experiences may have pervasive effects on its behaviour. The social decision-making network (SDMN), consisting of interconnected brain nuclei from the forebrain and midbrain, is involved in the regulation of behaviours during social interactions. In species with advanced sociality such as cooperative breeders, offspring are exposed to a large number and a great diversity of social interactions every day of their early life. This diverse social environment may have life-long consequences on the development of several neurophysiological systems within the SDMN, although these effects are largely unknown. We studied these life-long effects in a cooperatively breeding fish, Neolamprologus pulcher, focusing on the expression of genes involved in the monoaminergic and stress response systems in the SDMN. N. pulcher fry were raised until an age of 2 months either with their parents, subordinate helpers and same-clutch siblings (+F), or with same-clutch siblings only (-F). Analysis of the expression of glucocorticoid receptor, mineralocorticoid receptor, corticotropin releasing factor, dopamine receptors 1 and 2, serotonin transporter and DNA methyltransferase 1 genes showed that early social experiences altered the neurogenomic profile of the preoptic area. Moreover, the dopamine receptor 1 gene was up-regulated in the preoptic area of -F fish compared to +F fish. -F fish also showed up-regulation of GR1 expression in the dorsal medial telencephalon (functional equivalent to the basolateral amygdala), and in the dorsolateral telencephalon (functional equivalent to the hippocampus). Our results suggest that early social environment has life-long effects on the development of several neurophysiological systems within the SDMN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo F. Antunes
- Division of Behavioural EcologyInstitute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernHinterkappelenSwitzerland
| | - Magda C. Teles
- Instituto Gulbenkian de CiênciaOeirasPortugal
- ISPA‐Instituto UniversitárioLisbonPortugal
| | - Matthew Zuelling
- Division of Evolutionary EcologyInstitute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernHinterkappelenSwitzerland
| | - Caitlin N. Friesen
- Department of Integrative BiologyThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTXUSA
| | - Rui F. Oliveira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de CiênciaOeirasPortugal
- ISPA‐Instituto UniversitárioLisbonPortugal
- Champalimaud ResearchLisbonPortugal
| | - Nadia Aubin‐Horth
- Département de Biologie et Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS)Université LavalQuébecQCCanada
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural EcologyInstitute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernHinterkappelenSwitzerland
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196
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Lopes PC, de Bruijn R. Neurotranscriptomic changes associated with chick-directed parental care in adult non-reproductive Japanese quail. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15481. [PMID: 34326416 PMCID: PMC8322411 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94927-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For many species, parental care critically affects offspring survival. But what drives animals to display parental behaviours towards young? In mammals, pregnancy-induced physiological transformations seem key in preparing the neural circuits that lead towards attraction (and reduced-aggression) to young. Beyond mammalian maternal behaviour, knowledge of the neural mechanisms that underlie young-directed parental care is severely lacking. We took advantage of a domesticated bird species, the Japanese quail, for which parental behaviour towards chicks can be induced in virgin non-reproductive adults through a sensitization procedure, a process that is not effective in all animals. We used the variation in parental responses to study neural transcriptomic changes associated with the sensitization procedure itself and with the outcome of the procedure (i.e., presence of parental behaviours). We found differences in gene expression in the hypothalamus and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, but not the nucleus taeniae. Two genes identified are of particular interest. One is neurotensin, previously only demonstrated to be causally associated with maternal care in mammals. The other one is urocortin 3, causally demonstrated to affect young-directed neglect and aggression in mammals. Because our studies were conducted in animals that were reproductively quiescent, our results reflect core neural changes that may be associated with avian young-directed care independently of extensive hormonal stimulation. Our work opens new avenues of research into understanding the neural basis of parental care in non-placental species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia C Lopes
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA.
| | - Robert de Bruijn
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
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197
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Traniello IM, Robinson GE. Neural and Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Embedding of Social Interactions. Annu Rev Neurosci 2021; 44:109-128. [PMID: 34236891 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-092820-012959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Animals operate in complex environments, and salient social information is encoded in the nervous system and then processed to initiate adaptive behavior. This encoding involves biological embedding, the process by which social experience affects the brain to influence future behavior. Biological embedding is an important conceptual framework for understanding social decision-making in the brain, as it encompasses multiple levels of organization that regulate how information is encoded and used to modify behavior. The framework we emphasize here is that social stimuli provoke short-term changes in neural activity that lead to changes in gene expression on longer timescales. This process, simplified-neurons are for today and genes are for tomorrow-enables the assessment of the valence of a social interaction, an appropriate and rapid response, and subsequent modification of neural circuitry to change future behavioral inclinations in anticipation of environmental changes. We review recent research on the neural and molecular basis of biological embedding in the context of social interactions, with a special focus on the honeybee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M Traniello
- Neuroscience Program and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Neuroscience Program and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA; .,Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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198
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Kabelik D, Julien AR, Ramirez D, O'Connell LA. Social boldness correlates with brain gene expression in male green anoles. Horm Behav 2021; 133:105007. [PMID: 34102460 PMCID: PMC8277760 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Within populations, some individuals tend to exhibit a bold or shy social behavior phenotype relative to the mean. The neural underpinnings of these differing phenotypes - also described as syndromes, personalities, and coping styles - is an area of ongoing investigation. Although a social decision-making network has been described across vertebrate taxa, most studies examining activity within this network do so in relation to exhibited differences in behavioral expression. Our study instead focuses on constitutive gene expression in bold and shy individuals by isolating baseline gene expression profiles that influence social boldness predisposition, rather than those reflecting the results of social interaction and behavioral execution. We performed this study on male green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis), an established model organism for behavioral research, which provides a crucial comparison group to investigations of birds and mammals. After identifying subjects as bold or shy through repeated reproductive and agonistic behavior testing, we used RNA sequencing to compare gene expression profiles between these groups within various forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain regions. The ventromedial hypothalamus had the largest group differences in gene expression, with bold males having increased expression of neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter receptor and calcium channel genes compared to shy males. Conversely, shy males express more integrin alpha-10 in the majority of examined regions. There were no significant group differences in physiology or hormone levels. Our results highlight the ventromedial hypothalamus as an important center of behavioral differences across individuals and provide novel candidates for investigations into the regulation of individual variation in social behavior phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kabelik
- Department of Biology & Program in Neuroscience, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA.
| | - Allison R Julien
- Department of Biology & Program in Neuroscience, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
| | - Dave Ramirez
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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199
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Breach MR, Dye CN, Joshi A, Platko S, Gilfarb RA, Krug AR, Franceschelli DV, Galan A, Dodson CM, Lenz KM. Maternal allergic inflammation in rats impacts the offspring perinatal neuroimmune milieu and the development of social play, locomotor behavior, and cognitive flexibility. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 95:269-286. [PMID: 33798637 PMCID: PMC8187275 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal systemic inflammation increases risk for neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, ADHD, and schizophrenia in offspring. Notably, these disorders are male-biased. Studies have implicated immune system dysfunction in the etiology of these disorders, and rodent models of maternal immune activation provide useful tools to examine mechanisms of sex-dependent effects on brain development, immunity, and behavior. Here, we employed an allergen-induced model of maternal inflammation in rats to characterize levels of mast cells and microglia in the perinatal period in male and female offspring, as well as social, emotional, and cognitive behaviors throughout the lifespan. Adult female rats were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA), bred, and challenged intranasally on gestational day 15 of pregnancy with OVA or saline. Allergic inflammation upregulated microglia in the fetal brain, increased mast cell number in the hippocampus on the day of birth, and conferred region-, time- and sex- specific changes in microglia measures. Additionally, offspring of OVA-exposed mothers subsequently exhibited abnormal social behavior, hyperlocomotion, and reduced cognitive flexibility. These data demonstrate the long-term effects of maternal allergic challenge on offspring development and provide a basis for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders linked to maternal systemic inflammation in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela R. Breach
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA,Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Courtney N. Dye
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA,Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Aarohi Joshi
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Steven Platko
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Rachel A. Gilfarb
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA,Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Annemarie R. Krug
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Anabel Galan
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Claire M. Dodson
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kathryn M. Lenz
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA,Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA,Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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200
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Pandolfi M, Scaia MF, Fernandez MP. Sexual Dimorphism in Aggression: Sex-Specific Fighting Strategies Across Species. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:659615. [PMID: 34262439 PMCID: PMC8273308 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.659615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggressive behavior is thought to have evolved as a strategy for gaining access to resources such as territory, food, and potential mates. Across species, secondary sexual characteristics such as competitive aggression and territoriality are considered male-specific behaviors. However, although female–female aggression is often a behavior that is displayed almost exclusively to protect the offspring, multiple examples of female–female competitive aggression have been reported in both invertebrate and vertebrate species. Moreover, cases of intersexual aggression have been observed in a variety of species. Genetically tractable model systems such as mice, zebrafish, and fruit flies have proven extremely valuable for studying the underlying neuronal circuitry and the genetic architecture of aggressive behavior under laboratory conditions. However, most studies lack ethological or ecological perspectives and the behavioral patterns available are limited. The goal of this review is to discuss each of these forms of aggression, male intrasexual aggression, intersexual aggression and female intrasexual aggression in the context of the most common genetic animal models and discuss examples of these behaviors in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matias Pandolfi
- Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Florencia Scaia
- Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Paz Fernandez
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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