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John SR, Tiwari R, Goussha Y, Amar R, Bizer A, Netser S, Wagner S. Simultaneous recording of ultrasonic vocalizations and sniffing from socially interacting individual rats using a miniature microphone. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2023; 3:100638. [PMID: 37939710 PMCID: PMC10694494 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Vocalizations are pivotal in mammalian communication, especially in humans. Rodents accordingly rely on ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) that reflect their internal state as a primary channel during social interactions. However, attributing vocalizations to specific individuals remains challenging, impeding internal state assessment. Rats emit 50-kHz USVs to indicate positive states and intensify sniffing during alertness and social interactions. Here, we present a method involving a miniature microphone attached to the rat nasal cavity that allows to capture both male and female individual rat vocalizations and sniffing patterns during social interactions. We found that while the emission of 50-kHz USVs increases during close interactions, these signals lack specific behavioral associations. Moreover, a previously unreported low-frequency vocalization type marking rat social interactions was uncovered. Finally, different dynamics of sniffing and vocalization activities point to distinct underlying internal states. Thus, our method facilitates the exploration of internal states concurrent with social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanah Rachel John
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Rishika Tiwari
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Yizhaq Goussha
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Rotem Amar
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Alex Bizer
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Shai Netser
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel.
| | - Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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Bogdan R, Kayumova R, Schwarting RKW, Wöhr M, Kisko TM. Wildtype peers rescue social play and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization deficits in juvenile female Cacna1c heterozygous rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1190272. [PMID: 37600756 PMCID: PMC10435996 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1190272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Healthy brain development depends on early social practices and experiences. The risk gene CACNA1C is implicated in numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, in which key characteristics include deficits in social functioning and communication. Recently, we reported sex-dependent impairments in social behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) in juvenile heterozygous Cacna1c+/- (HET) rats. Specifically, HET females displayed increases in rough-and-tumble play that eliminated the typically observed sex difference between male and female rats. Interestingly, female wild-type Cacna1c+/+ (WT) pairs also showed a similar increase in social play when housed with HET females, suggesting their behavior may be influenced by HET cage mates. This indicates that the genetic makeup of the social environment related to Cacna1c can influence social play, yet systematic studies are lacking. Methods In the present study, we housed juvenile females in MIXED- or SAME-genotype cages and tested them in a social play paradigm with a same- and opposite-genotype partner. Results The results show that the early social environment and the genotype of the play partner influence social play and 50-kHz USV emission. Experience with a WT play partner appears necessary for HET females to show comparable levels of play and 50-kHz USV emission. Same-genotype HET pairs played less and emitted fewer 50-kHz USV than same-genotype WT or opposite-genotype pairs; however, we found that the decrease in social play and 50-kHz USV in HET pairs can be rescued by playing with a WT partner. The effect was particularly prominent when the first play partner was WT, as we found it increased play and 50-kHz USV emission in all subsequent interactions with ensuing partners. Conclusion These findings suggest that the genetic makeup related to the social environment and/or social peers influences social play in Cacna1c+/- haploinsufficient rats. Specifically, our results show that WT peers can rescue behavior and communication alterations in Cacna1c female rats. Our findings have important implications because they show that the genetic makeup of the social environment can divulge phenotypic changes in genetic rat models of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Bogdan
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Rukhshona Kayumova
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Rainer K. W. Schwarting
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Centre for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Centre for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Social and Affective Neuroscience Research Group, Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Theresa M. Kisko
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Centre for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Social and Affective Neuroscience Research Group, Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Hackett J, Nadkarni V, Singh RS, Carthy CL, Antigua S, Hall BS, Rajadhyaksha AM. Repeat investigation during social preference behavior is suppressed in male mice with prefrontal cortex cacna1c (Ca v1.2)-deficiency through the dysregulation of neural dynamics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.24.546368. [PMID: 37425963 PMCID: PMC10326975 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.24.546368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in social behavior are observed in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders and several lines of evidence have demonstrated that dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a central role in social deficits. We have previously shown that loss of neuropsychiatric risk gene Cacna1c that codes for the Cav1.2 isoform of L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) in the PFC result in impaired sociability as tested using the three-chamber social approach test. In this study we aimed to further characterize the nature of the social deficit associated with a reduction in PFC Cav1.2 channels (Cav1.2PFCKO mice) by testing male mice in a range of social and nonsocial tests while examining PFC neural activity using in vivo GCaMP6s fiber photometry. We found that during the first investigation of the social and non-social stimulus in the three-chamber test, both Cav1.2PFCKO male mice and Cav1.2PFCGFP controls spent significantly more time with the social stimulus compared to a non-social object. In contrast, during repeat investigations while Cav1.2PFCWT mice continued to spend more time with the social stimulus, Cav1.2PFCKO mice spent equal amount of time with both social and non-social stimuli. Neural activity recordings paralleled social behavior with increase in PFC population activity in Cav1.2PFCWT mice during first and repeat investigations, which was predictive of social preference behavior. In Cav1.2PFCKO mice, there was an increase in PFC activity during first social investigation but not during repeat investigations. These behavioral and neural differences were not observed during a reciprocal social interaction test nor during a forced alternation novelty test. To evaluate a potential deficit in reward-related processes, we tested mice in a three-chamber test wherein the social stimulus was replaced by food. Behavioral testing revealed that both Cav1.2PFCWT and Cav1.2PFCKO mice showed a preference for food over object with significantly greater preference during repeat investigation. Interestingly, there was no increase in PFC activity when Cav1.2PFCWT or Cav1.2PFCKO first investigated the food however activity significantly increased in Cav1.2PFCWT mice during repeat investigations of the food. This was not observed in Cav1.2PFCKO mice. In summary, a reduction in Cav1.2 channels in the PFC suppresses the development of a sustained social preference in mice that is associated with lack of PFC neuronal population activity that may be related to deficits in social reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Hackett
- Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Viraj Nadkarni
- Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Ronak S. Singh
- Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Camille L. Carthy
- Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Susan Antigua
- Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Baila S. Hall
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY 10065
| | - Anjali M. Rajadhyaksha
- Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY 10065
- Weill Cornell Autism Research Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
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4
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Cooper MA, Grizzell JA, Whitten CJ, Burghardt GM. Comparing the ontogeny, neurobiology, and function of social play in hamsters and rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 147:105102. [PMID: 36804399 PMCID: PMC10023430 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Syrian hamsters show complex social play behavior and provide a valuable animal model for delineating the neurobiological mechanisms and functions of social play. In this review, we compare social play behavior of hamsters and rats and underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Juvenile rats play by competing for opportunities to pin one another and attack their partner's neck. A broad set of cortical, limbic, and striatal regions regulate the display of social play in rats. In hamsters, social play is characterized by attacks to the head in early puberty, which gradually transitions to the flanks in late puberty. The transition from juvenile social play to adult hamster aggression corresponds with engagement of neural ensembles controlling aggression. Play deprivation in rats and hamsters alters dendritic morphology in mPFC neurons and impairs flexible, context-dependent behavior in adulthood, which suggests these animals may have converged on a similar function for social play. Overall, dissecting the neurobiology of social play in hamsters and rats can provide a valuable comparative approach for evaluating the function of social play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
| | - J Alex Grizzell
- Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Conner J Whitten
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Gordon M Burghardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
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Appetitive 50 kHz calls in a pavlovian conditioned approach task in Cacna1c haploinsufficient rats. Physiol Behav 2022; 250:113795. [PMID: 35351494 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113795] [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: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We have previously shown that rats emit high-frequency 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) during sign- and goal-tracking in a common Pavlovian conditioned approach task. Such 50 kHz calls are probably related to positive affect and are associated with meso-limbic dopamine function. In humans, the CACNA1C gene, encoding for the α1C subunit of the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel CaV1.2, is implicated in several mental disorders, including mood disorders associated with altered dopamine signaling. In the present study, we investigated sign- and goal-tracking behavior and the emission of 50 kHz USV in Cacna1c haploinsufficent rats in a task where food pellet delivery is signaled by an appearance of an otherwise inoperable lever. Over the course of this Pavlovian training, these rats not only increased their approach to the reward site, but also their rates of pressing the inoperable lever. During subsequent extinction tests, where reward delivery was omitted, extinction patterns differed between reward site (i.e. magazine entries) and lever, since magazine entries quickly declined whereas behavior towards the lever transiently increased. Based on established criteria to define sign- or goal-tracking individuals, no CACNA1C rat met a sign-tracking criterion, since around 42% of rats tested where goal-trackers and the other 58% fell into an intermediate range. Regarding USV, we found that the CACNA1C rats emitted 50 kHz calls with a clear subject-dependent pattern; also, most of them were of a flat subtype and occurred mainly during initial habituation phases without cues or rewards. Compared, to previously published wildtype controls, Cacna1c haploinsufficent rats displayed reduced numbers of appetitive 50 kHz calls. Moreover, similar to wildtype littermate controls, 50 kHz call emission in Cacna1c haploinsufficent rats was intra-individually stable over training days and was negatively associated with goal-tracking. Together, these findings provide evidence in support of 50 kHz calls as trait marker. The finding that Cacna1c haploinsufficent rats show reductions of 50 kHz calls accompanied with more goal-tracking, is consistent with the assumption of altered dopamine signaling in these rats, a finding which supports their applicability in models of mental disorders.
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Transgenerational Effects of Prenatal Endocrine Disruption on Reproductive and Sociosexual Behaviors in Sprague Dawley Male and Female Rats. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10020047. [PMID: 35202233 PMCID: PMC8875130 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10020047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) lead to endocrine and neurobehavioral changes, particularly due to developmental exposures during gestation and early life. Moreover, intergenerational and transgenerational phenotypic changes may be induced by germline exposure (F2) and epigenetic germline transmission (F3) generation, respectively. Here, we assessed reproductive and sociosexual behavioral outcomes of prenatal Aroclor 1221 (A1221), a lightly chlorinated mix of PCBs known to have weakly estrogenic mechanisms of action; estradiol benzoate (EB), a positive control; or vehicle (3% DMSO in sesame oil) in F1-, F2-, and F3-generation male and female rats. Treatment with EDCs was given on embryonic day (E) 16 and 18, and F1 offspring monitored for development and adult behavior. F2 offspring were generated by breeding with untreated rats, phenotyping of F2s was performed in adulthood, and the F3 generation were similarly produced and phenotyped. Although no effects of treatment were found on F1 or F3 development and physiology, in the F2 generation, body weight in males and uterine weight in females were increased by A1221. Mating behavior results in F1 and F2 generations showed that F1 A1221 females had a longer latency to lordosis. In males, the F2 generation showed decreased mount frequency in the EB group. In the F3 generation, numbers of ultrasonic vocalizations were decreased by EB in males, and by EB and A1221 when the sexes were combined. Finally, partner preference tests in the F3 generation revealed that naïve females preferred F3-EB over untreated males, and that naïve males preferred untreated over F3-EB or F3-A1221 males. As a whole, these results show that each generation has a unique, sex-specific behavioral phenotype due to direct or ancestral EDC exposure.
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7
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Pellis SM, Pellis VC, Burke CJ, Stark RA, Ham JR, Euston DR, Achterberg EJM. Measuring Play Fighting in Rats: A Multilayered Approach. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e337. [PMID: 35030300 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Rough-and-tumble play or play fighting is an important experience in the juvenile period of many species of mammals, as it facilitates the development of social skills, and for some species, play fighting is retained into adulthood as a tool for assessing and managing social relationships. Laboratory rats have been a model species for studying the neurobiology of play fighting and its key developmental and social functions. However, play fighting interactions are complex, involving competition and cooperation; therefore, no single measure to quantify this behavior is able to capture all its facets. Therefore, in this paper, we present a multilayered framework for scoring all the relevant facets of play that can be affected by experimental manipulations and the logic of how to match what is measured with the question being asked. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - V C Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - C J Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - R A Stark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - J R Ham
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - D R Euston
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - E J M Achterberg
- Division Behavioural Neuroscience, Unit Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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8
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Puścian A, Bryksa A, Kondrakiewicz L, Kostecki M, Winiarski M, Knapska E. Ability to share emotions of others as a foundation of social learning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:23-36. [PMID: 34838526 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The natural habitats of most species are far from static, forcing animals to adapt to continuously changing conditions. Perhaps the most efficient strategy addressing this challenge consists of obtaining and acting upon pertinent information from others through social learning. We discuss how animals transfer information via social channels and what are the benefits of such exchanges, playing out on different levels, from theperception of socially delivered information to emotional sharing, manifesting themselves across different taxa of increasing biological complexity. We also discuss how social learning is influenced by different factors including pertinence of information for survival, the complexity of the environment, sex, genetic relatedness, and most notably, the relationship between interacting partners. The results appear to form a consistent picture once we shift our focus from emotional contagion as a prerequisite for empathy onto the role of shared emotions in providing vital information about the environment. From this point of view, we can propose approaches that are the most promising for further investigation of complex social phenomena, including learning from others.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Puścian
- Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - A Bryksa
- Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - L Kondrakiewicz
- Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Kostecki
- Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Winiarski
- Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - E Knapska
- Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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Scott KJ, Tashakori-Sabzevar F, Bilkey DK. Maternal immune activation alters the sequential structure of ultrasonic communications in male rats. Brain Behav Immun Health 2021; 16:100304. [PMID: 34589796 PMCID: PMC8474666 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) is a risk factor for schizophrenia and many of the symptoms and neurodevelopmental changes associated with this disorder have been modelled in the rodent. While several previous studies have reported that rodent ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are affected by MIA, no previous study has examined whether MIA affects the way that individual USVs occur over time to produce vocalisation sequences. The sequential aspect of this behaviour may be particularly important because changes in sequencing mechanisms have been proposed as a core deficit in schizophrenia. The present research generates MIA with POLY I:C administered to pregnant Sprague-Dawley rat dams at GD15. Male pairs of MIA adult offspring or pairs of their saline controls were placed into a two-chamber apparatus where they were separated from each other by a perforated plexiglass barrier. USVs were recorded for a period of 10 min and automated detection and call review were used to classify short call types in the nominal 50 kHz band of social affiliative calls. Our data show that the duration of these 50-kHz USVs is longer in MIA rat pairs and the time between calls is shorter. Furthermore, the transition probability between call pairs was different in the MIA animals compared to the control group, indicating alterations in sequential behaviour. These results provide the first evidence that USV call sequencing is altered by the MIA intervention and suggest that further investigations of these temporally extended aspects of USV production are likely to reveal useful information about the mechanisms that underlie sequence generation. This is particularly important given previous research suggesting that sequencing deficits may have a significant impact on both behaviour and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David K. Bilkey
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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10
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Lawson KA, Flores AY, Hokenson RE, Ruiz CM, Mahler SV. Nucleus Accumbens Chemogenetic Inhibition Suppresses Amphetamine-Induced Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Male and Female Rats. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1255. [PMID: 34679320 PMCID: PMC8534195 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101255] [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: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult rats emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) related to their affective states, potentially providing information about their subjective experiences during behavioral neuroscience experiments. If so, USVs might provide an important link between invasive animal preclinical studies and human studies in which subjective states can be readily queried. Here, we induced USVs in male and female Long Evans rats using acute amphetamine (2 mg/kg), and asked how reversibly inhibiting nucleus accumbens neurons using designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) impacts USV production. We analyzed USV characteristics using "Deepsqueak" software, and manually categorized detected calls into four previously defined subtypes. We found that systemic administration of the DREADD agonist clozapine-n-oxide, relative to vehicle in the same rats, suppressed the number of frequency-modulated and trill-containing USVs without impacting high frequency, unmodulated (flat) USVs, nor the small number of low-frequency USVs observed. Using chemogenetics, these results thus confirm that nucleus accumbens neurons are essential for production of amphetamine-induced frequency-modulated USVs. They also support the premise of further investigating the characteristics and subcategories of these calls as a window into the subjective effects of neural manipulations, with potential future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Stephen V. Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine. 1203 McGaugh Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; (K.A.L.); (A.Y.F.); (R.E.H.); (C.M.R.)
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11
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Tryon SC, Sakamoto IM, Kellis DM, Kaigler KF, Wilson MA. Individual Differences in Conditioned Fear and Extinction in Female Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:740313. [PMID: 34489657 PMCID: PMC8418198 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.740313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The inability to extinguish a traumatic memory is a key aspect of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD affects 10–20% of individuals who experience a trauma, women are particularly susceptible to developing the disorder. Despite this notable female vulnerability, few studies have investigated this particular resistance to fear extinction observed in females. Similar to humans, rodent models of Pavlovian fear learning and extinction show a wide range of individual differences in fear learning and extinction, although female rodents are considerably understudied. Therefore, the present study examined individual differences in fear responses, including freezing behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), of female Long–Evans rats during acquisition of fear conditioning and cued fear extinction. Similar to prior studies in males, female rats displayed individual variation in freezing during cued fear extinction and were divided into extinction competent (EC) and extinction resistant (ER) phenotypes. Differences in freezing between ER and EC females were accompanied by shifts in rearing during extinction, but no darting was seen in any trial. Freezing behavior during fear learning did not differ between the EC and ER females. Vocalizations emitted in the 22 and 50 kHz ranges during fear learning and extinction were also examined. Unlike vocalizations seen in previous studies in males, very few 22 kHz distress vocalizations were emitted by female rats during fear acquisition and extinction, with no difference between ER and EC groups. Interestingly, all female rats produced significant levels of 50 kHz USVs, and EC females emitted significantly more 50 kHz USVs than ER rats. This difference in 50 kHz USVs was most apparent during initial exposure to the testing environment. These results suggest that like males, female rodents show individual differences in both freezing and USVs during fear extinction, although females appear to vocalize more in the 50 kHz range, especially during initial periods of exposure to the testing environment, and emit very few of the 22 kHz distress calls that are typically observed in males during fear learning or extinction paradigms. Overall, these findings show that female rodents display fear behavior repertoires divergent from males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Tryon
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Iris M Sakamoto
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Devin M Kellis
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Kris F Kaigler
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Marlene A Wilson
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States.,Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC, United States
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12
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Burke CJ, Markovina M, Pellis SM, Euston DR. Rat 50 kHz Trill Calls Are Tied to the Expectation of Social Interaction. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11091142. [PMID: 34573164 PMCID: PMC8468548 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11091142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats emit a variety of calls in the 40–80 kHz range (50 kHz calls). While these calls are generally associated with positive affect, it is unclear whether certain calls might be used selectively in certain contexts. To examine this, we looked at ultrasonic calls in 30–40 day old male rats during the expectation of either play or food, both of which are reinforcing. Behavior and vocalizations were recorded while rats were in a test chamber awaiting the arrival of a play partner or food over seven days of testing. Control groups were included for the non-specific effects of food deprivation and social isolation. Play reward led to an increase in 50 kHz vocalizations, generally, with specific increases in trill and “trill with jump” calls not seen in other groups. Expectation of food reward did not lead to a significant increase in vocalizations of any type, perhaps due to the young age of our study group. Further, rats that were food deprived for the food expectation study showed markedly lower calls overall and had a different profile of call types compared to rats that were socially isolated. Taken together, the results suggest that trill-associated calls may be used selectively when rats are socially isolated and/or expecting a social encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace J. Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada; (C.J.B.); (S.M.P.)
| | - Mariya Markovina
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
| | - Sergio M. Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada; (C.J.B.); (S.M.P.)
| | - David R. Euston
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada; (C.J.B.); (S.M.P.)
- Correspondence:
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Wöhr M, Kisko TM, Schwarting RK. Social Behavior and Ultrasonic Vocalizations in a Genetic Rat Model Haploinsufficient for the Cross-Disorder Risk Gene Cacna1c. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060724. [PMID: 34072335 PMCID: PMC8229447 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060724] [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: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The top-ranked cross-disorder risk gene CACNA1C is strongly associated with multiple neuropsychiatric dysfunctions. In a recent series of studies, we applied a genomically informed approach and contributed extensively to the behavioral characterization of a genetic rat model haploinsufficient for the cross-disorder risk gene Cacna1c. Because deficits in processing social signals are associated with reduced social functioning as commonly seen in neuropsychiatric disorders, we focused on socio-affective communication through 22-kHz and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV). Specifically, we applied a reciprocal approach for studying socio-affective communication in sender and receiver by including rough-and-tumble play and playback of 22-kHz and 50-kHz USV. Here, we review the findings obtained in this recent series of studies and link them to the key features of 50-kHz USV emission during rough-and-tumble play and social approach behavior evoked by playback of 22-kHz and 50-kHz USV. We conclude that Cacna1c haploinsufficiency in rats leads to robust deficits in socio-affective communication through 22-kHz and 50-kHz USV and associated alterations in social behavior, such as rough-and-tumble play behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Wöhr
- Social and Affective Neuroscience Research Group, Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Philipps-University of Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany; (T.M.K.); (R.K.W.S.)
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32-16-19-45-57
| | - Theresa M. Kisko
- Faculty of Psychology, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Philipps-University of Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany; (T.M.K.); (R.K.W.S.)
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Rainer K.W. Schwarting
- Faculty of Psychology, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Philipps-University of Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany; (T.M.K.); (R.K.W.S.)
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
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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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