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Zuluaga MJ, Agrati D, Athaíde V, Ferreira A, Uriarte N. Fear response of rat pups to a non-aversive social stimulus: Evidence for the involvement of memory processes. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22417. [PMID: 37860902 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Learning processes in rats during early development are importantly mediated by the mother, which represents the primary source of environmental information. This study aimed to determine whether aversive early experiences can induce the expression of pups' fear responses toward a non-aversive stimulus as a consequence of a memory process. First, we determined pups' fear responses toward an anesthetized female after being exposed to this stimulus or an empty cage together with their mothers from Postnatal Day (PNDs) 1 to 4. Second, we evaluated if the administration of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX; 0.2 mg/kg, subcutaneously (sc).) disrupted the reconsolidation processes and abolished the fear response on PND 9. Only female pups previously exposed to the female intruder expressed fear responses toward an anesthetized female on PND 8. CHX administration to female pups immediately after exposure to an anesthetized female on PND 8 suppressed fear responses on PND 9, indicating that the fear expression was the result of a memory process, probably mediated by the mother. These findings demonstrated that early experiences can shape responses to social stimuli in a sex-dependent manner and emphasize the critical role of the mother in influencing fear learning in a social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- María José Zuluaga
- Biofisicoquímica, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Centro Universitario Regional Litoral Norte-Sede Salto, Universidad de la República, Salto, Uruguay
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Daniella Agrati
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Vanessa Athaíde
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Annabel Ferreira
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Natalia Uriarte
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Schwarting RKW. Behavioral analysis in laboratory rats: Challenges and usefulness of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105260. [PMID: 37268181 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Many rodent species emit and detect vocalizations in the ultrasonic range. Rats use three classes of ultrasonic vocalizations depending on developmental stage, experience and the behavioral situation. Calls from one class emitted by juvenile and adult rats, the so-called 50-kHz calls, are typical for appetitive and social situations. This review provides a brief historical account on the introduction of 50-kHz calls in behavioral research followed by a survey of their scientific applications focusing on the last five years, where 50-kHz publications reached a climax. Then, specific methodological challenges will be addressed, like how to measure and report 50-kHz USV, the problem of assignment of acoustic signals to a specific sender in a social situation, and individual variability in call propensity. Finally, the intricacy of interpreting 50-kHz results will be discussed focusing on the most prevalent ones, namely as communicative signals and/or readouts of the sender's emotional status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer K W Schwarting
- Experimental and Biological Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstrasse 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (MCMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Strasse 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany.
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Möhrle D, Yuen M, Zheng A, Haddad FL, Allman BL, Schmid S. Characterizing maternal isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations in a gene-environment interaction rat model for autism. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2023:e12841. [PMID: 36751016 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Deficits in social communication and language development belong to the earliest diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorders. Of the many risk factors for autism spectrum disorder, the contactin-associated protein-like 2 gene, CNTNAP2, is thought to be important for language development. The present study used a rat model to investigate the potential compounding effects of autism spectrum disorder risk gene mutation and environmental challenges, including breeding conditions or maternal immune activation during pregnancy, on early vocal communication in the offspring. Maternal isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations from Cntnap2 wildtype and knockout rats at selected postnatal days were analyzed for their acoustic, temporal and syntax characteristics. Cntnap2 knockout pups from heterozygous breeding showed normal numbers and largely similar temporal structures of ultrasonic vocalizations to wildtype controls, whereas both parameters were affected in homozygously bred knockouts. Homozygous breeding further exacerbated altered pitch and transitioning between call types found in Cntnap2 knockout pups from heterozygous breeding. In contrast, the effect of maternal immune activation on the offspring's vocal communication was confined to call type syntax, but left ultrasonic vocalization acoustic and temporal organization intact. Our results support the "double-hit hypothesis" of autism spectrum disorder risk gene-environment interactions and emphasize that complex features of vocal communication are a useful tool for identifying early autistic-like features in rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorit Möhrle
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Megan Yuen
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alice Zheng
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Faraj L Haddad
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brian L Allman
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Susanne Schmid
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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Bienboire-Frosini C, Marcet-Rius M, Orihuela A, Domínguez-Oliva A, Mora-Medina P, Olmos-Hernández A, Casas-Alvarado A, Mota-Rojas D. Mother-Young Bonding: Neurobiological Aspects and Maternal Biochemical Signaling in Altricial Domesticated Mammals. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13030532. [PMID: 36766424 PMCID: PMC9913798 DOI: 10.3390/ani13030532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Mother-young bonding is a type of early learning where the female and their newborn recognize each other through a series of neurobiological mechanisms and neurotransmitters that establish a behavioral preference for filial individuals. This process is essential to promote their welfare by providing maternal care, particularly in altricial species, animals that require extended parental care due to their limited neurodevelopment at birth. Olfactory, auditory, tactile, and visual stimuli trigger the neural integration of multimodal sensory and conditioned affective associations in mammals. This review aims to discuss the neurobiological aspects of bonding processes in altricial mammals, with a focus on the brain structures and neurotransmitters involved and how these influence the signaling during the first days of the life of newborns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Bienboire-Frosini
- Department of Molecular Biology and Chemical Communication, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology (IRSEA), 84400 Apt, France
| | - Míriam Marcet-Rius
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare Department, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology (IRSEA), 84400 Apt, France
| | - Agustín Orihuela
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca 62209, Mexico
| | - Adriana Domínguez-Oliva
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
| | - Patricia Mora-Medina
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM), Cuautitlán Izcalli 54740, Mexico
| | - Adriana Olmos-Hernández
- Division of Biotechnology—Bioterio and Experimental Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra (INR-LGII), Tlalpan, Mexico City 14389, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Casas-Alvarado
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
| | - Daniel Mota-Rojas
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
- Correspondence:
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Wilkin-Krug LCM, Macaskill AC, Ellenbroek BA. Preweaning environmental enrichment alters neonatal ultrasonic vocalisations in a rat model for prenatal infections. Behav Pharmacol 2022; 33:402-417. [PMID: 35947067 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Maternal infections are a well-known risk factor for neurodevelopmental defects. Such defects are associated with a range of symptoms, and environmental enrichment (EE) could be a promising approach to rehabilitate these. We used the well-established prenatal poly I:C (polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid) model in rats to examine the effects of preweaning EE on rat pups' ultrasonic vocalisations (USVs) when separated from their mothers. USVs are one of the earliest indicators of a pup's functional level and, thus, well-suited as a marker of neurodevelopmental abnormalities. METHODS We used a two-by-two factorial design in which pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats received either saline or the viral mimic poly I:C, and one group of pups was exposed to preweaning enrichment. We measured maternal separation-induced USVs both before postnatal day (PND) 7 and after preweaning enrichment on PND 14. RESULTS Poly I:C significantly reduced the number of USVs on PND 7. EE interacted with the poly I:C treatment in that poly I:C pups in the enrichment group called more, whereas saline pups in the enriched environment called less on PND 14 than the respective controls. CONCLUSION We showed that the effects of maternal poly I:C on the offspring's USVs could be reduced by early EE. If replicated, it could open novel and safe avenues for treating children of mothers who were exposed to infections during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda C M Wilkin-Krug
- School of Psychology, Victoria University Wellington.,Behavioural Neurogenetics Group, Victoria University Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | | | - Bart A Ellenbroek
- School of Psychology, Victoria University Wellington.,Behavioural Neurogenetics Group, Victoria University Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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Qi Y. Effects of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) on ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by rat pups during isolation. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2022; 93:107118. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2022.107118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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Granata LE, Valentine A, Hirsch JL, Brenhouse HC. Infant ultrasonic vocalizations predict adolescent social behavior in rats: Effects of early life adversity. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22260. [PMID: 35312059 PMCID: PMC9340574 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Early life adversity (ELA) increases risk for psychopathologies that often manifest during adolescence and involve disrupted social functioning. ELA affects development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which plays a role in social behavior. PFC oxytocin and vasopressin are important regulators of, first, mother-infant attachment, and, later, social behavior, and are implicated in psychiatric disorders. Here, we tested whether infant social communication is predictive of PFC development and adolescent social behavior. We used the limited bedding (LB) ELA model in rats during postnatal days (P)2-14, and measured isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) at P10 to characterize differences in an early social response. Rats were tested for dyadic social interaction in adolescence (P34). Adolescent oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) and arginine-vasopressin receptor 1a mRNA were measured in the PFC. Relationships between infant USVs, adolescent behavior, and gene expression were assessed. LB-reared rats exhibited fewer USVs at P10. While social behaviors were not robustly affected by rearing, fewer total and complex-type infant USVs predicted fewer interactions in adolescence. LB increased Oxtr in both sexes but Oxtr was not directly predicted by USVs. Findings support the use of USVs as indicators of differential early life experience in rodents, toward further characterization of early factors associated with vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jason L. Hirsch
- Department of Psychology Northeastern University Boston MA USA
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Brudzynski SM. Biological Functions of Rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations, Arousal Mechanisms, and Call Initiation. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11050605. [PMID: 34065107 PMCID: PMC8150717 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
This review summarizes all reported and suspected functions of ultrasonic vocalizations in infant and adult rats. The review leads to the conclusion that all types of ultrasonic vocalizations subserving all functions are vocal expressions of emotional arousal initiated by the activity of the reticular core of the brainstem. The emotional arousal is dichotomic in nature and is initiated by two opposite-in-function ascending reticular systems that are separate from the cognitive reticular activating system. The mesolimbic cholinergic system initiates the aversive state of anxiety with concomitant emission of 22 kHz calls, while the mesolimbic dopaminergic system initiates the appetitive state of hedonia with concomitant emission of 50 kHz vocalizations. These two mutually exclusive arousal systems prepare the animal for two different behavioral outcomes. The transition from broadband infant isolation calls to the well-structured adult types of vocalizations is explained, and the social importance of adult rat vocal communication is emphasized. The association of 22 kHz and 50 kHz vocalizations with aversive and appetitive states, respectively, was utilized in numerous quantitatively measured preclinical models of physiological, psychological, neurological, neuropsychiatric, and neurodevelopmental investigations. The present review should help in understanding and the interpretation of these models in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan M Brudzynski
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
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Lenell C, Broadfoot CK, Schaen-Heacock NE, Ciucci MR. Biological and Acoustic Sex Differences in Rat Ultrasonic Vocalization. Brain Sci 2021; 11:459. [PMID: 33916537 PMCID: PMC8067311 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The rat model is a useful tool for understanding peripheral and central mechanisms of laryngeal biology. Rats produce ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) that have communicative intent and are altered by experimental conditions such as social environment, stress, diet, drugs, age, and neurological diseases, validating the rat model's utility for studying communication and related deficits. Sex differences are apparent in both the rat larynx and USV acoustics and are differentially affected by experimental conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this review paper is to highlight the known sex differences in rat USV production, acoustics, and laryngeal biology detailed in the literature across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Lenell
- Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (C.L.); (C.K.B.); (N.E.S.-H.)
- Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, New York, NY 10001, USA
| | - Courtney K. Broadfoot
- Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (C.L.); (C.K.B.); (N.E.S.-H.)
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Nicole E. Schaen-Heacock
- Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (C.L.); (C.K.B.); (N.E.S.-H.)
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Michelle R. Ciucci
- Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (C.L.); (C.K.B.); (N.E.S.-H.)
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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