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Liu Q, Radchenko M, Špinka M. Disentangling developmental effects of play aspects in rat rough-and-tumble play. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240037. [PMID: 38808945 PMCID: PMC11285777 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal play encompasses a variety of aspects, with kinematic and social aspects being particularly prevalent in mammalian play behaviour. While the developmental effects of play have been increasingly documented in recent decades, understanding the specific contributions of different play aspects remains crucial to understand the function and evolutionary benefit of animal play. In our study, developing male rats were exposed to rough-and-tumble play selectively reduced in either the kinematic or the social aspect. We then assessed the developmental effects of reduced play on their appraisal of standardized human-rat play ('tickling') by examining their emission of 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Using a deep learning framework, we efficiently classified five subtypes of these USVs across six behavioural states. Our results revealed that rats lacking the kinematic aspect in play emitted fewer USVs during tactile contacts by human and generally produced fewer USVs of positive valence compared with control rats. Rats lacking the social aspect did not differ from the control and the kinematically reduced group. These results indicate aspects of play have different developmental effects, underscoring the need for researchers to further disentangle how each aspect affects animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanxiao Liu
- Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Mariia Radchenko
- Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Marek Špinka
- Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czechia
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2
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Achterberg EJM, Biemans B, Vanderschuren LJMJ. Neurexin1α knockout in rats causes aberrant social behaviour: relevance for autism and schizophrenia. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024:10.1007/s00213-024-06559-z. [PMID: 38418646 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06559-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Genetic and environmental factors cause neuropsychiatric disorders through complex interactions that are far from understood. Loss-of-function mutations in synaptic proteins like neurexin1α have been linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia (SCZ), both characterised by problems in social behaviour. Childhood social play behaviour is thought to facilitate social development, and lack of social play may precipitate or exacerbate ASD and SCZ. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that an environmental insult acts on top of genetic vulnerability to precipitate psychiatric-like phenotypes. To that aim, social behaviour in neurexin1α knockout rats was assessed, with or without deprivation of juvenile social play. We also tested drugs prescribed in ASD or SCZ to assess the relevance of this dual-hit model for these disorders. RESULTS Neurexin1α knockout rats showed an aberrant social phenotype, with high amounts of social play, increased motivation to play, age-inappropriate sexual mounting, and an increase in general activity. Play deprivation subtly altered later social behaviour, but did not affect the phenotype of neurexin1α knockout rats. Risperidone and methylphenidate decreased play behaviour in both wild-type and knockout rats. Amphetamine-induced hyperactivity was exaggerated in neurexin1α knockout rats. CONCLUSION Deletion of the neurexin1α gene in rats causes exaggerated social play, which is not modified by social play deprivation. This phenotype therefore resembles disinhibited behaviour rather than the social withdrawal seen in ASD and SCZ. The neurexin1α knockout rat could be a model for inappropriate or disinhibited social behaviour seen in childhood mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Marijke Achterberg
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Barbara Biemans
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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3
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Ham JR, Szabo M, Annor-Bediako J, Stark RA, Iwaniuk AN, Pellis SM. Quality not quantity: Deficient juvenile play experiences lead to altered medial prefrontal cortex neurons and sociocognitive skill deficits. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22456. [PMID: 38388195 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Reduced play experience over the juvenile period leads to adults with impoverished social skills and to anatomical and physiological aberrations of the neurons found in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Even rearing rats from high-playing strains with low-playing strains show these developmental consequences. In the present study, we evaluated whether low-playing rats benefit from being reared with higher playing peers. To test this, we reared male Fischer 344 rats (F344), typically thought to be a low-playing strain, with a Long-Evans (LE) peer, a relatively high-playing strain. As juveniles, F344 rats reared with LE rats experienced less play and lower quality play compared to those reared with another F344. As adults, the F344 rats reared with LE partners exhibited poorer social skills and the pyramidal neurons of their mPFC had larger dendritic arbors than F344 rats reared with same-strain peers. These findings show that being reared with a more playful partner does not improve developmental outcomes of F344 rats, rather the discordance in the play styles of F344 and LE rats leads to poorer outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson R Ham
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Madeline Szabo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Rachel A Stark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Andrew N Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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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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5
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Stark RA, Brinkman B, Gibb RL, Iwaniuk AN, Pellis SM. Atypical play experiences in the juvenile period has an impact on the development of the medial prefrontal cortex in both male and female rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 439:114222. [PMID: 36427590 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In rats reared without play, or with limited access to play during the juvenile period, the dendrites of pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) exhibit more branching than rats reared with more typical levels of play. This suggests that play is critical for pruning the dendritic arbor of these neurons. However, the rearing paradigms typically used to limit play involve physical separation from a peer or sharing a cage with an adult, causing stress that may disrupt pruning. To limit this potentially confounding source of stress, we used an alternative approach in this study: pairing playful Long Evans rats (LE) with low playing Fischer 344 (F344) rats throughout the juvenile period. We then examined the morphology of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons, predicting that pruning should be reduced. LE rats reared with another LE rat had significantly greater pruning of mPFC pyramidal neurons compared to LE rats reared with a F344 partner. Furthermore, in previous studies, only one sex or the other was used, whereas in the present rearing paradigm, both sexes were tested, showing that play influences neuronal pruning in both. The neurons of the play deficient LE rats not only occupied more space, as determined by convex hull analyses, but the dendrites were also longer than in rats with more typical play experiences. Unlike studies using more stressful rearing paradigms, the present effects were limited to the apical dendritic projections, suggesting that the previously reported effects on the basilar dendrites may have resulted from developmental disruptions caused by stress. If correct, the present findings indicate that play experienced over the juvenile period affects how mPFC neurons develop and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Stark
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
| | - B Brinkman
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - R L Gibb
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - S M Pellis
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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6
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Pellis SM, Pellis VC, Ham JR, Stark RA. Play fighting and the development of the social brain: The rat's tale. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 145:105037. [PMID: 36621585 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The benefits gained by young animals engaging in play fighting have been a subject of conjecture for over a hundred years. Progress in understanding the behavioral development of play fighting and the underlying neurobiology of laboratory rats has produced a coherent model that sheds light on this matter. Depriving rats of typical peer-peer play experience during the juvenile period leads to adults with socio-cognitive deficiencies and these are correlated with physiological and anatomical changes to the neurons of the prefrontal cortex, especially the medial prefrontal cortex. Detailed analysis of juvenile peer play has shown that using the abilities needed to ensure that play fighting is reciprocal is critical for attaining these benefits. Therefore, unlike that which was posited by many earlier hypotheses, play fighting does not train specific motor actions, but rather, improves a skill set that can be applied in many different social and non-social contexts. There are still gaps in the rat model that need to be understood, but the model is well-enough developed to provide a framework for broader comparative studies of mammals from diverse lineages that engage in play fighting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada.
| | - Vivien C Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
| | - Jackson R Ham
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
| | - Rachel A Stark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
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Bijlsma A, Omrani A, Spoelder M, Verharen JPH, Bauer L, Cornelis C, de Zwart B, van Dorland R, Vanderschuren LJMJ, Wierenga CJ. Social Play Behavior Is Critical for the Development of Prefrontal Inhibitory Synapses and Cognitive Flexibility in Rats. J Neurosci 2022; 42:8716-8728. [PMID: 36253083 PMCID: PMC9671579 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0524-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory driven activity during early life is critical for setting up the proper connectivity of the sensory cortices. We ask here whether social play behavior, a particular form of social interaction that is highly abundant during postweaning development, is equally important for setting up connections in the developing prefrontal cortex (PFC). Young male rats were deprived from social play with peers during the period in life when social play behavior normally peaks [postnatal day 21-42] (SPD rats), followed by resocialization until adulthood. We recorded synaptic currents in layer 5 cells in slices from medial PFC of adult SPD and control rats and observed that inhibitory synaptic currents were reduced in SPD slices, while excitatory synaptic currents were unaffected. This was associated with a decrease in perisomatic inhibitory synapses from parvalbumin-positive GABAergic cells. In parallel experiments, adult SPD rats achieved more reversals in a probabilistic reversal learning (PRL) task, which depends on the integrity of the PFC, by using a more simplified cognitive strategy than controls. Interestingly, we observed that one daily hour of play during SPD partially rescued the behavioral performance in the PRL, but did not prevent the decrease in PFC inhibitory synaptic inputs. Our data demonstrate the importance of unrestricted social play for the development of inhibitory synapses in the PFC and cognitive skills in adulthood and show that specific synaptic alterations in the PFC can result in a complex behavioral outcome.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study addressed the question whether social play behavior in juvenile rats contributes to functional development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We found that rats that had been deprived from juvenile social play (social play deprivation - SPD) showed a reduction in inhibitory synapses in the PFC and a simplified strategy to solve a complex behavioral task in adulthood. Providing one daily hour of play during SPD partially rescued the cognitive skills in these rats, but did not prevent the reduction in PFC inhibitory synapses. Our results demonstrate a key role for unrestricted juvenile social play in PFC development and emphasize the complex relation between PFC circuit connectivity and cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ate Bijlsma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Azar Omrani
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marcia Spoelder
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen P H Verharen
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lisa Bauer
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Cosette Cornelis
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Beleke de Zwart
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - René van Dorland
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Corette J Wierenga
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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8
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Takahashi A. The role of social isolation stress in escalated aggression in rodent models. Neurosci Res 2022:S0168-0102(22)00212-7. [PMID: 35917930 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Anti-social behavior and violence are major public health concerns. Globally, violence contributes to more than 1.6 million deaths each year. Previous studies have reported that social rejection or neglect exacerbates aggression. In rodent models, social isolation stress is used to demonstrate the adverse effects of social deprivation on physiological, endocrinological, immunological, and behavioral parameters, including aggressive behavior. This review summarizes recent rodent studies on the effect of social isolation stress during different developmental periods on aggressive behavior and the underlying neural mechanisms. Social isolation during adulthood affects the levels of neurosteroids and neuropeptides and increases aggressive behavior. These changes are ethologically relevant for the adaptation to changes in local environmental conditions in the natural habitats. Chronic deprivation of social interaction after weaning, especially during the juvenile to adolescent periods, leads to the disruption of the development of appropriate social behavior and the maladaptive escalation of aggressive behavior. The understanding of neurobiological mechanisms underlying social isolation-induced escalated aggression will aid in the development of therapeutic interventions for escalated aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aki Takahashi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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9
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Sailer LL, Patel PP, Park AH, Moon J, Hanadari-Levy A, Ophir AG. Synergistic consequences of early-life social isolation and chronic stress impact coping and neural mechanisms underlying male prairie vole susceptibility and resilience. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:931549. [PMID: 35957922 PMCID: PMC9358287 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.931549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress can be challenging, lead to maladaptive coping strategies, and cause negative mental and physical health outcomes. Early-life adversity exposes developing young to physical or psychological experiences that risks surpassing their capacity to effectively cope, thereby impacting their lifetime physical and mental wellbeing. Sensitivity to stressful events, like social isolation, has the potential to magnify stress-coping. Chronic stress through social defeat is an established paradigm that models adverse early-life experiences and can trigger enduring alterations in behavioral and neural phenotypes. To assess the degree to which stress resilience and sensitivity stemming from early-life chronic stress impact sociability, we exposed male prairie voles to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) during adolescence. We simultaneously exposed subjects to either social isolation (CSDS+Isol) or group housing (CSDS+Soc) during this crucial time of development. On PND41, all subjects underwent a social approach test to examine the immediate impact of isolation, CSDS, or their combined effects on sociability. Unlike the CSDS+Isol group which primarily displayed social avoidance, the CSDS+Soc group was split by individuals exhibiting susceptible or resilient stress phenotypes. Notably, the Control+Soc and CSDS+Soc animals and their cage-mates significantly gained body weight between PND31 and PND40, whereas the Control+Isol and CSDS+Isol animals did not. These results suggest that the effects of early-life stress may be mitigated by having access to social support. Vasopressin, oxytocin, and opioids and their receptors (avpr1a, oxtr, oprk1, oprm1, and oprd1) are known to modulate social and stress-coping behaviors in the lateral septum (LS). Therefore, we did an mRNA expression analysis with RT-qPCR of the avpr1a, oxtr, oprk1, oprm1, and oprd1 genes to show that isolation and CSDS, or their collective influence, can potentially differentially bias sensitivity of the LS to early-life stressors. Collectively, our study supports the impact and dimensionality of early-life adversity because the type (isolation vs. CSDS), duration (acute vs. chronic), and combination (isolation + CSDS) of stressors can dynamically alter behavioral and neural outcomes.
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Haller J. Aggression, Aggression-Related Psychopathologies and Their Models. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:936105. [PMID: 35860723 PMCID: PMC9289268 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.936105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural mechanisms of aggression and violence are often studied in the laboratory by means of animal models. A multitude of such models were developed over the last decades, which, however, were rarely if ever compared systematically from a psychopathological perspective. By overviewing the main models, I show here that the classical ones exploited the natural tendency of animals to defend their territory, to fight for social rank, to defend themselves from imminent dangers and to defend their pups. All these forms of aggression are functional and adaptive; consequently, not necessarily appropriate for modeling non-natural states, e.g., aggression-related psychopathologies. A number of more psychopathology-oriented models were also developed over the last two decades, which were based on the etiological factors of aggression-related mental disorders. When animals were exposed to such factors, their aggressiveness suffered durable changes, which were deviant in the meaning that they broke the evolutionarily conserved rules that minimize the dangers associated with aggression. Changes in aggression were associated with a series of dysfunctions that affected other domains of functioning, like with aggression-related disorders where aggression is just one of the symptoms. The comparative overview of such models suggests that while the approach still suffers from a series of deficits, they hold the important potential of extending our knowledge on aggression control over the pathological domain of this behavior.
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Baracz SJ, Robinson KJ, Wright AL, Turner AJ, McGregor IS, Cornish JL, Everett NA. Oxytocin as an adolescent treatment for methamphetamine addiction after early life stress in male and female rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1561-1573. [PMID: 35581382 PMCID: PMC9206013 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01336-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) is associated with perturbed neural development and augmented vulnerability to mental health disorders, including addiction. How ELS changes the brain to increase addiction risk is poorly understood, and there are no therapies which target this ELS-induced vulnerability. ELS disrupts the oxytocin system, which can modulate addiction susceptibility, suggesting that targeting the oxytocin system may be therapeutic in this ELS-addiction comorbidity. Therefore, we determined whether adolescent oxytocin treatment after ELS could: (1) reduce vulnerability to anxiety, social deficits, and methamphetamine-taking and reinstatement; and (2) restore hypothalamic oxytocin and corticotropin-releasing factor expressing neurons and peripheral oxytocin and corticosterone levels. Long Evans pups underwent maternal separation (MS) for either 15 min or 360 min on postnatal days (PND) 1-21. During adolescence (PNDs 28-42), rats received a daily injection of either oxytocin or saline. In Experiment 1, adult rats were assessed using the elevated plus-maze, social interaction procedure, and methamphetamine self-administration procedure, including extinction, and cue-, methamphetamine- and yohimbine-induced reinstatement. In Experiment 2, plasma for enzyme immunoassays and brain tissue for immunofluorescence were collected from adult rats after acute stress exposure. Adolescent oxytocin treatment ameliorated ELS-induced anxiety and reduced methamphetamine- and yohimbine-induced reinstatement in both sexes, and suppressed methamphetamine intake and facilitated extinction in males only. Additionally, adolescent oxytocin treatment after ELS restored oxytocin-immunoreactive cells and stress-induced oxytocin levels in males, and attenuated stress-induced corticosterone levels in both sexes. Adolescent oxytocin treatment reverses some of the ELS effects on later-life psychopathology and vulnerability to addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Baracz
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia.
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia.
- Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Katherine J Robinson
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Amanda L Wright
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Anita J Turner
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Iain S McGregor
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Lambert Initiative of Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Jennifer L Cornish
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
- Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Nicholas A Everett
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia
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12
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Kinley BL, Kyne RF, Lawton-Stone TS, Walker DM, Paul MJ. Long-term consequences of peri-adolescent social isolation on social preference, anxiety-like behaviour, and vasopressin neural circuitry of male and female rats. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:7790-7804. [PMID: 34750934 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15520] [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] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Social isolation during the juvenile and adolescent stages (peri-adolescent social isolation) can have long-term consequences for behavioural and neural development. Most of this research, however, has relied on data from males, and very few studies have included both sexes. The present study investigated the impact of peri-adolescent social isolation on social preference, anxiety-like behaviour, and vasopressin neural circuitry of male and female Long Evans rats. Rats were either housed alone for 3 weeks beginning at weaning (Isolated) or in groups (Group-housed). In adulthood, rats were tested in social preference, open field, marble burying, and light/dark box tests, and brains were processed for vasopressin immunohistochemistry. Isolated males exhibited a lower social preference score and spent more time in the light zone of the light/dark box than their group-housed counterparts. Isolated and Group-housed females did not differ in these measures. Peri-adolescent social isolation did not alter vasopressin fibre density in target areas known to influence social and anxiety-like behaviours (the lateral septum or lateral habenula), but increased fibre density in an output pathway of the circadian pacemaker (projections to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus); an effect detected across both sexes. A previously unreported sex difference was also detected for vasopressin fibre density in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (females > males). These findings demonstrate long-term consequences of peri-adolescent social isolation on social preference, anxiety-like behaviour, and the circadian vasopressin pathway and suggest that socio-affective development of males is more vulnerable to social stressors during the juvenile and adolescent stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L Kinley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Robert F Kyne
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA.,Neuroscience Program, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | | | - Deena M Walker
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Matthew J Paul
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA.,Neuroscience Program, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Stark RA, Pellis SM. Using the 'stranger test' to assess social competency in adult female Long Evans rats reared with a Fischer 344 partner. Behav Processes 2021; 192:104492. [PMID: 34478804 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Rats reared with limited access to a play partner during the juvenile period develop into adults with impairments in various cognitive, emotional, and social skills. The present study assesses the consequences of play deprivation on adult social skills in female Long Evans (LE) rats that were reared with a low-playing Fischer 344 rat over the juvenile period. As adults, their social skills were assessed using the stranger paradigm, by pairing the deprived LE rats with a novel LE partner in a neutral arena. While the deprived rat engages its partner in play there were alterations in key aspects of play, such as reduced pinning and a longer latency to begin playing, that suggest there are impairments in the social ability of the deprived rat. Most notable were the changes in the behaviour of the typically reared partner, a reduction in the amount of play it initiated and fewer actions that produced reciprocal and prolonged interactions. The changes in the behaviour of the normally reared partner suggest that it detected subtle changes in the play deprived LE rats. These findings support the hypothesis that peer-peer play experiences during the juvenile period are important for the development of socio-cognitive skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Stark
- University of Lethbridge, 4401 Univerisity Drive W, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- University of Lethbridge, 4401 Univerisity Drive W, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada
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14
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Takahashi A. Social Stress and Aggression in Murine Models. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 54:181-208. [PMID: 34432257 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Throughout life, animals engage in a variety of social interactions ranging from the affiliative mother-offspring interaction and juvenile play to aggressive conflict. Deprivation of the appropriate social interaction during early development is stressful and disrupts the development of appropriate social behaviors and emotional responses later in life. Additionally, agonistic encounters can induce stress responses in both dominant and subordinate individuals. This review focuses on the social stress that escalates aggressive behavior of animals and discusses the known neurobiological and physiological mechanisms underlying the link between social stress and aggression. Social instigation, a brief exposure to a rival without physical contact, induces aggressive arousal in dominant animals and escalates aggressive behaviors in the following agonistic encounter. Furthermore, the experience of winning an aggressive encounter is known to be as rewarding as addictive drugs, and the experience of repeatedly winning induces addiction-like behavioral and neurobiological changes and leads to abnormal aggressive behaviors. Social isolation stress in early development from neonatal to juvenile and adolescent periods also affects aggressive behavior, but these effects largely depend on the strain, sex, and species as well as the stage of development in which isolation stress is experienced. In conclusion, understanding neurobiological mechanisms underlying the link between social stress and aggression will provide an important insight for the development of more effective and tolerable treatments for maladaptive aggression in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aki Takahashi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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15
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Kaplan G. Play behaviour, not tool using, relates to brain mass in a sample of birds. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20437. [PMID: 33235248 PMCID: PMC7687885 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76572-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Play behaviour and tool using in birds, two well-delineated and amply researched behaviours, have generally been associated with cognitive abilities. In this study, these behaviours were related to relative brain mass in a sample of Australian native birds. Despite suggestive research results so far between cognition and tool using, this study found no significant difference in relative brain mass or in lifespan between tool-using birds and non-tool users. By contrast, in play behaviour, subdivided into social players and non-social players, the results showed statistically very clear differences in relative brain mass between social, non-social and non-players. Social play was associated with both the largest brain mass to body mass ratios and with the longest lifespans. The results show that play behaviour is a crucial variable associated with brain enlargement, not tool using. Since many of the tool using species tested so far also play, this study suggests that false conclusions can be drawn about the connection between tool using and cognitive ability when the silent variable (play behaviour) is not taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela Kaplan
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
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16
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Social isolation in rats: Effects on animal welfare and molecular markers for neuroplasticity. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240439. [PMID: 33108362 PMCID: PMC7591026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress compromises brain development and can contribute to the development of mental illnesses. A common animal model used to study different facets of psychiatric disorders is social isolation from early life on. In rats, this isolation can induce long-lasting alterations in molecular expression and in behavior. Since social isolation models severe psychiatric symptoms, it is to be expected that it affects the overall wellbeing of the animals. As also promoted by the 3Rs principle, though, it is pivotal to decrease the burden of laboratory animals by limiting the number of subjects (reduce, replace) and by improving the animals’ wellbeing (refine). The aim of this study was therefore to test possible refinement strategies such as resocialization and mere adult social isolation. We examined whether the alternatives still triggered the necessary phenotype while minimizing the stress load on the animals. Interestingly, we did not find reduced wellbeing-associated burrowing performance in isolated rats. The hyperactive phenotype seen in socially isolated animals was observed for rats undergoing the adult-only isolation, but resocializing ameliorated the locomotor abnormality. Isolation strongly affected markers of neuroplasticity in the prefrontal cortex independent of timing: mRNA levels of Arc, Bdnf and the pool of Bdnf transcripts with the 3’ long UTR were reduced in all groups. Bdnf splice variant IV expression was reduced in lifelong-isolated animals. Some of these deficits normalized after resocialization; likewise, exon VI Bdnf mRNA levels were reduced only in animals persistently isolated. Conversely, social deprivation did not affect the expression of Gad67 and Pvb, two GABAergic markers, whereas changes occurred in the expression of dopamine d1 and d2 receptors. As adult isolation was sufficient to trigger the hyperactive phenotype and impaired neuroplasticity in the prefrontal cortex, it could be a candidate for a refinement strategy for certain research questions. To fully grade the severity of post-weaning social isolation and the alternatives, adult isolation and resocialization, a more profound and multimodal assessment approach is necessary.
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17
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Turner SP, Weller JE, Camerlink I, Arnott G, Choi T, Doeschl-Wilson A, Farish M, Foister S. Play fighting social networks do not predict injuries from later aggression. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15486. [PMID: 32968159 PMCID: PMC7511329 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72477-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Early play fighting mimics later aggression in many species, and may, therefore, be expected to reduce costs from later aggressive interactions. Using social network analysis (SNA) the effect of a central play fighting network position on later skin lesions from aggression was assessed in domestic pigs. Piglets (n = 263) were kept in litter groups or socialised pre-weaning with another litter to enhance play fighting experience. Play fighting was recorded for 1.5 h per day over 6 days pre-weaning. Play fighting network centrality was quantified using measures of individual network position and entire network structure (degree, eigenvector, betweenness, clustering coefficient). Skin lesions from aggression were counted after a dyadic contest and at 24 h and 3 weeks following group mixing. Pigs with play fighting interactions with many partners experienced fewer lesions from the dyadic contest (in-degree, p = 0.01) and tended to received fewer lesions 3 weeks after group mixing (degree, p = 0.088) but no other play fighting centrality measures affected the number of lesions at any point. The benefits of play fighting were therefore limited to specific aggressive social contexts. The tendency of socialised piglets to play fight with non-littermates did not affect subsequent lesions. We advocate the use of SNA over approaches that only consider dyadic interactions to further our understanding of the influence of early social group interactions on later life experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon P Turner
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
- Agri-Epicentre, Edinburgh Technopole, Penicuik, EH26 0BA, UK.
| | - Jennifer E Weller
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Irene Camerlink
- Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzebiec, Magdalenka, Poland
| | - Gareth Arnott
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Taegyu Choi
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | - Andrea Doeschl-Wilson
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | - Marianne Farish
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Simone Foister
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
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18
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Ryan AM, Berman RF, Bauman MD. Bridging the species gap in translational research for neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 165:106950. [PMID: 30347236 PMCID: PMC6474835 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence and societal impact of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) continue to increase despite years of research in both patient populations and animal models. There remains an urgent need for translational efforts between clinical and preclinical research to (i) identify and evaluate putative causes of NDD, (ii) determine their underlying neurobiological mechanisms, (iii) develop and test novel therapeutic approaches, and (iv) translate basic research into safe and effective clinical practices. Given the complexity behind potential causes and behaviors affected by NDDs, modeling these uniquely human brain disorders in animals will require that we capitalize on unique advantages of a diverse array of species. While much NDD research has been conducted in more traditional animal models such as the mouse, ultimately, we may benefit from creating animal models with species that have a more sophisticated social behavior repertoire such as the rat (Rattus norvegicus) or species that more closely related to humans, such as the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). Here, we highlight the rat and rhesus macaque models for their role in previous psychological research discoveries, current efforts to understand the neurobiology of NDDs, and focus on the convergence of behavior outcome measures that parallel features of human NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Ryan
- The UC Davis MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - R F Berman
- The UC Davis MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, United States; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - M D Bauman
- The UC Davis MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, United States.
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19
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Kyle SC, Burghardt GM, Cooper MA. Development of social play in hamsters: Sex differences and their possible functions. Brain Res 2019; 1712:217-223. [PMID: 30768930 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In several rodent species social play appears to be necessary for proper deployment of species-specific patterns of aggressive and reproductive behavior. Specifically, in male Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), play has been linked to the development of adult aggression. We quantified several types of social play behavior in same-sex peer groups of Syrian hamsters three times per week for three consecutive weeks after weaning, which included postnatal days 22-42 (PD22 to PD42). Male hamsters increased playful contact during PD36-PD42, whereas females showed peak playful contact during PD29-PD35. These findings suggest that the motivation for social play increases during mid-adolescence in males, but dissipates in females. To investigate the effects of social play deprivation, one hamster per litter remained pair-housed with its mother forthree weeks after weaning its littermates. In adulthood, both play-deprived and play-exposed animals received acute social defeat stress followed by social interaction testing. Play deprivation led to increased defeat-induced social avoidance in both males and females. In males, play deprivation increased fighting back during social defeat stress, whereas in females it reduced aggressive behavior during conditioned defeat testing. We suggest that social play deprivation disrupts neural circuits regulating aggression in a sex-specific manner, perhaps related to sex differences in territorial defense, but has similar effects on neural circuits regulating stress responsivity. Overall, these findings suggest that juvenile social play functions to promote coping with stress and appropriate social behavior in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Kyle
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Gordon M Burghardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Mathew A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
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20
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Opioid modulation of social play reward in juvenile rats. Neuropharmacology 2018; 159:107332. [PMID: 30218673 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Social play behaviour is a vigorous form of social interaction abundant during the juvenile and adolescent phases of life in many mammalian species, including rats and humans. Social play is thought to be important for social, emotional and cognitive development. Being a rewarding activity, the expression of social play depends on its pleasurable and motivational properties. Since opioids have been widely implicated in reward processes, in the present study we investigated the role of opioids in the pleasurable and motivational properties of social play behaviour in rats. To assess social play motivation, an operant conditioning setup was used in which rats responded for social play under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. Treatment with the opioid receptor agonist morphine reduced responding for social play at the highest dose tested, likely due to its rate-limiting effects. Morphine treatment increased the expression of social play behaviour during reinforced periods. The acquisition of social play-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in a subeffective conditioning protocol was enhanced by treatment with morphine. Morphine treatment alone also induced CPP. In contrast, antagonizing opioid receptors with naloxone reduced responding for social play, the expression of social play and blocked the development of social play-induced CPP. These data implicate opioid neurotransmission in both the pleasurable and the motivational aspects of social play behaviour in rats. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'The neuropharmacology of social behavior: from bench to bedside'.
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21
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Kentrop J, Smid CR, Achterberg EJM, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Joëls M, van der Veen R. Effects of Maternal Deprivation and Complex Housing on Rat Social Behavior in Adolescence and Adulthood. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:193. [PMID: 30254573 PMCID: PMC6141926 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life context and stressful experiences are known to increase the risk of developing psychiatric disorders later in life, including disorders with deficits in the social domain. Our study aimed to investigate the influence of early life environment on social behavior in a well-controlled animal model. To this end we tested the effects of maternal deprivation (MD) on rat social play behavior in adolescence and social interaction in adulthood. Additionally, we provided a stimulating environment during adolescence (complex housing) as a potential intervention to diminish the effects of early life stress. Male and female Wistar rats were deprived from their mother for 24 h on postnatal day 3 (PND 3) or were left undisturbed. Complex housing started 5 days after weaning and consisted of housing 10 same-sex conspecifics in large, two-floor MarlauTM cages until the end of the study. Social play behavior in adolescence was tested under different conditions (3 h vs. 24 h social isolation prior to testing). Maternally deprived males – but not females – showed a longer latency to play and a decreased total amount of social play behavior, after a 24 h isolation period. In adulthood, social discrimination was impaired in deprived male and female rats in the three-chamber social approach task. Complex housing did not moderate the effects of MD, but in itself induced a strong behavioral phenotype. Both complex housed males and females hardly displayed any play behavior after a 3 h isolation period. However, after 24 h of isolation, these animals showed shorter latencies to engage in social play behavior. Only complex housed males truly showed more social play behavior here, while showing less social interest in adulthood. We conclude that MD has mild negative effects on social behavior in adolescence and adulthood, which are not counteracted by complex housing. Complex housing induces a specific phenotype associated with rapid habituation; a lack of social play after short isolation periods, while increasing play behavior after a prolonged period of isolation in adolescence, and less social interest, paired with intact social discrimination in adulthood. In both early life settings, males seem to be more influenced by the early life environment compared to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiska Kentrop
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Claire R Smid
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - E J M Achterberg
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.,Primary Care Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Marian Joëls
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Rixt van der Veen
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
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22
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Walker SE, Papilloud A, Huzard D, Sandi C. The link between aberrant hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity during development and the emergence of aggression—Animal studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 91:138-152. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 10/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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23
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Cenni
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB); University of Exeter; Exeter UK
- Department of Psychology; University of Lethbridge; Lethbridge AB Canada
| | - Tim W. Fawcett
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB); University of Exeter; Exeter UK
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24
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Attack and Defense During Play Fighting Appear to be Motivationally Independent Behaviors in Muroid Rodents. PSYCHOLOGICAL RECORD 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/bf03395104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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25
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Marks KA, Vizconde DL, Gibson ES, Rodriguez JR, Nunes S. Play behavior and responses to novel situations in juvenile ground squirrels. J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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26
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27
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Ku KM, Weir RK, Silverman JL, Berman RF, Bauman MD. Behavioral Phenotyping of Juvenile Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley Rats: Implications for Preclinical Models of Autism Spectrum Disorders. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158150. [PMID: 27351457 PMCID: PMC4924796 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The laboratory rat is emerging as an attractive preclinical animal model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), allowing investigators to explore genetic, environmental and pharmacological manipulations in a species exhibiting complex, reciprocal social behavior. The present study was carried out to compare two commonly used strains of laboratory rats, Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Long-Evans (LE), between the ages of postnatal day (PND) 26-56 using high-throughput behavioral phenotyping tools commonly used in mouse models of ASD that we have adapted for use in rats. We detected few differences between young SD and LE strains on standard assays of exploration, sensorimotor gating, anxiety, repetitive behaviors, and learning. Both SD and LE strains also demonstrated sociability in the 3-chamber social approach test as indexed by spending more time in the social chamber with a constrained age/strain/sex matched novel partner than in an identical chamber without a partner. Pronounced differences between the two strains were, however, detected when the rats were allowed to freely interact with a novel partner in the social dyad paradigm. The SD rats in this particular testing paradigm engaged in play more frequently and for longer durations than the LE rats at both juvenile and young adult developmental time points. Results from this study that are particularly relevant for developing preclinical ASD models in rats are threefold: (i) commonly utilized strains exhibit unique patterns of social interactions, including strain-specific play behaviors, (ii) the testing environment may profoundly influence the expression of strain-specific social behavior and (iii) simple, automated measures of sociability may not capture the complexities of rat social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. Ku
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Ruth K. Weir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Jill L. Silverman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
- The MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Robert F. Berman
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Melissa D. Bauman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
- The MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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28
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Social Isolation During Postweaning Development Causes Hypoactivity of Neurons in the Medial Nucleus of the Male Rat Amygdala. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:1929-40. [PMID: 26677945 PMCID: PMC4869062 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Revised: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Children exposed to neglect or social deprivation are at heightened risk for psychiatric disorders and abnormal social patterns as adults. There is also evidence that prepubertal neglect in children causes abnormal metabolic activity in several brain regions, including the amygdala area. The medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeA) is a key region for performance of social behaviors and still undergoes maturation during the periadolescent period. As such, the normal development of this region may be disrupted by social deprivation. In rodents, postweaning social isolation causes a range of deficits in sexual and agonistic behaviors that normally rely on the posterior MeA (MeAp). However, little is known about the effects of social isolation on the function of MeA neurons. In this study, we tested whether postweaning social isolation caused abnormal activity of MeA neurons. We found that postweaning social isolation caused a decrease of in vivo firing activity of MeAp neurons, and reduced drive from excitatory afferents. In vitro electrophysiological studies found that postweaning social isolation caused a presynaptic impairment of excitatory input to the dorsal MeAp, but a progressive postsynaptic reduction of membrane excitability in the ventral MeAp. These results demonstrate discrete, subnucleus-specific effects of social deprivation on the physiology of MeAp neurons. This pathophysiology may contribute to the disruption of social behavior after developmental social deprivation, and may be a novel target to facilitate the treatment of social disorders.
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29
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Achterberg EJM, van Swieten MMH, Driel NV, Trezza V, Vanderschuren LJMJ. Dissociating the role of endocannabinoids in the pleasurable and motivational properties of social play behaviour in rats. Pharmacol Res 2016; 110:151-158. [PMID: 27154553 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2016.04.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Social play behaviour is a vigorous form of social interaction, abundant during the juvenile and adolescent phases of life in many mammalian species, including humans. Social play is highly rewarding and it is important for social and cognitive development. Being a rewarding activity, social play can be dissociated in its pleasurable and motivational components. We have previously shown that endocannabinoids modulate the expression of social play behaviour in rats. In the present study, we investigated whether endocannabinoids modulate the motivational and pleasurable properties of social play behaviour, using operant and place conditioning paradigms, respectively. Treatment with the anandamide hydrolysis inhibitor URB597 did not affect operant responding or social play-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) when administered at a dose (0.1mg/kg) known to increase the expression of social play behaviour, while it modestly reduced operant responding at a higher dose (0.2mg/kg). The cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptor antagonist rimonabant reduced operant responding when administered at a dose (1mg/kg) known to decrease the expression of social play behaviour, although this effect may be secondary to concurrent drug-induced stereotypic behaviours (i.e., grooming and scratching). These data demonstrate that enhancing endocannabinoid levels does not differentially affect the motivational and pleasurable aspects of social play behaviour, whereas CB1 receptor blockade reduces the motivational aspects of social play behaviour, possibly due to response competition. Thus, endocannabinoids likely drive the expression of social play behaviour as a whole, without differentially affecting its motivational or pleasurable properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Marijke Achterberg
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Netherlands
| | - Maaike M H van Swieten
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Netherlands
| | - Nina V Driel
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Netherlands
| | - Viviana Trezza
- Department of Science, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Netherlands.
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30
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Tessier VP, Normandin L, Ensink K, Fonagy P. Fact or fiction? A longitudinal study of play and the development of reflective functioning. Bull Menninger Clin 2016; 80:60-79. [DOI: 10.1521/bumc.2016.80.1.60] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Seffer D, Rippberger H, Schwarting RKW, Wöhr M. Pro-social 50-kHz ultrasonic communication in rats: post-weaning but not post-adolescent social isolation leads to social impairments-phenotypic rescue by re-socialization. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:102. [PMID: 25983681 PMCID: PMC4416445 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Rats are highly social animals and social play during adolescence has an important role for social development, hence post-weaning social isolation is widely used to study the adverse effects of juvenile social deprivation and to induce behavioral phenotypes relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders, like schizophrenia. Communication is an important component of the rat's social behavior repertoire, with ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) serving as situation-dependent affective signals. High-frequency 50-kHz USV occur in appetitive situations and induce approach behavior, supporting the notion that they serve as social contact calls; however, post-weaning isolation effects on the behavioral changes displayed by the receiver in response to USV have yet to be studied. We therefore investigated the impact of post-weaning isolation on socio-affective information processing as assessed by means of our established 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm. We showed that post-weaning social isolation specifically affected the behavioral response to playback of pro-social 50-kHz but not alarm 22-kHz USV. While group-housed rats showed the expected preference, i.e., approach, toward 50-kHz USV, the response was even stronger in short-term isolated rats (i.e., 1 day), possibly due to a higher level of social motivation. In contrast, no approach was observed in long-term isolated rats (i.e., 4 weeks). Importantly, deficits in approach were reversed by peer-mediated re-socialization and could not be observed after post-adolescent social isolation, indicating a critical period for social development during adolescence. Together, these results highlight the importance of social experience for affiliative behavior, suggesting a critical involvement of play behavior on socio-affective information processing in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Seffer
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg Marburg, Germany
| | - Henrike Rippberger
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg Marburg, Germany
| | - Rainer K W Schwarting
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg Marburg, Germany
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg Marburg, Germany
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Sagheddu C, Muntoni AL, Pistis M, Melis M. Endocannabinoid Signaling in Motivation, Reward, and Addiction. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 125:257-302. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Achterberg EM, Trezza V, Siviy SM, Schrama L, Schoffelmeer AN, Vanderschuren LJ. Amphetamine and cocaine suppress social play behavior in rats through distinct mechanisms. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:1503-15. [PMID: 24057815 PMCID: PMC3962711 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3272-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Social play behavior is a characteristic form of social behavior displayed by juvenile and adolescent mammals. This social play behavior is highly rewarding and of major importance for social and cognitive development. Social play is known to be modulated by neurotransmitter systems involved in reward and motivation. Interestingly, psychostimulant drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, profoundly suppress social play, but the neural mechanisms underlying these effects remain to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE In this study, we investigated the pharmacological underpinnings of amphetamine- and cocaine-induced suppression of social play behavior in rats. RESULTS The play-suppressant effects of amphetamine were antagonized by the alpha-2 adrenoreceptor antagonist RX821002 but not by the dopamine receptor antagonist alpha-flupenthixol. Remarkably, the effects of cocaine on social play were not antagonized by alpha-2 noradrenergic, dopaminergic, or serotonergic receptor antagonists, administered either alone or in combination. The effects of a subeffective dose of cocaine were enhanced by a combination of subeffective doses of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine, the dopamine reuptake inhibitor GBR12909, and the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine. CONCLUSIONS Amphetamine, like methylphenidate, exerts its play-suppressant effect through alpha-2 noradrenergic receptors. On the other hand, cocaine reduces social play by simultaneous increases in dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin neurotransmission. In conclusion, psychostimulant drugs with different pharmacological profiles suppress social play behavior through distinct mechanisms. These data contribute to our understanding of the neural mechanisms of social behavior during an important developmental period, and of the deleterious effects of psychostimulant exposure thereon.
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Affiliation(s)
- E.J. Marijke Achterberg
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Viviana Trezza
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Sciences, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University “Roma Tre”, Rome, Italy
- Corresponding authors: Louk J.M.J. Vanderschuren, PhD, Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands, tel: +31-30-2535239; fax: +31-30-2537997, . Viviana Trezza, PhD, Department of Sciences, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University ‘Roma Tre’, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy, tel: +39-0657336343,
| | - Stephen M. Siviy
- Gettysburg College, Department of Psychology, Gettysburg, United States
| | - Laurens Schrama
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anton N.M. Schoffelmeer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Louk J.M.J. Vanderschuren
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Corresponding authors: Louk J.M.J. Vanderschuren, PhD, Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands, tel: +31-30-2535239; fax: +31-30-2537997, . Viviana Trezza, PhD, Department of Sciences, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University ‘Roma Tre’, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy, tel: +39-0657336343,
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Disrupted social development enhances the motivation for cocaine in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:1695-704. [PMID: 24311358 PMCID: PMC3969396 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3362-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/12/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Early social experiences are of major importance for behavioural development. In particular, social play behaviour during post-weaning development is thought to facilitate the attainment of social, emotional and cognitive capacities. Conversely, social insults during development can cause long-lasting behavioural impairments and increase the vulnerability for psychiatric disorders, such as drug addiction. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate whether a lack of social experiences during the juvenile and early adolescent stage, when social play behaviour is highly abundant, alters cocaine self-administration in rats. METHODS Rats were socially isolated from postnatal days 21 to 42 followed by re-socialization until adulthood. Cocaine self-administration was then assessed under a fixed ratio and progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. Next, cue, cocaine and stress-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking was determined following extinction of self-administration. RESULTS Early social isolation resulted in an enhanced acquisition of self-administration of a low dose (0.083 mg/infusion) of cocaine, but the sensitivity to cocaine reinforcement, assessed using a dose-response analysis, was not altered in isolated rats. Moreover, isolated rats displayed an increased motivation for cocaine under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. Extinction and reinstatement of cocaine seeking was not affected by early social isolation. CONCLUSIONS Early social isolation causes a long-lasting increase in the motivation to self-administer cocaine. Thus, aberrations in post-weaning social development, such as the absence of social play, enhance the vulnerability for drug addiction later in life.
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Play fighting versus serious fighting in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.3758/bf03337336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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van Kerkhof LWM, Damsteegt R, Trezza V, Voorn P, Vanderschuren LJMJ. Functional integrity of the habenula is necessary for social play behaviour in rats. Eur J Neurosci 2013; 38:3465-75. [PMID: 24103016 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
During post-weaning development, a marked increase in peer-peer interactions is observed in mammals, including humans, which is signified by the abundance of social play behaviour. Social play is highly rewarding, and known to be modulated through monoaminergic neurotransmission. Recently, the habenula has received widespread attention because of its role in the regulation of monoaminergic neurotransmission as well as in a variety of emotional and cognitive functions. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the involvement of the habenula in social play behaviour. Using the neuronal activity maker c-fos, we showed that the habenula was activated after 24 h of social isolation in adolescent rats, and that a subsequent social play interaction reduced c-fos activity in the medial part of the lateral habenula. This suggested that habenula activity modulated the aversive properties of social isolation, which was alleviated by the positive effects of social play. Furthermore, after functional inactivation of the habenula, using a mixture of the GABA receptor agonists baclofen and muscimol, social play behaviour was markedly reduced, whereby responsiveness to play solicitation was more sensitive to habenula inactivation than play solicitation itself. Together, our data indicate an important role for the habenula in the processing of positive (i.e., social play behaviour) and negative (i.e., social isolation) social information in adolescent rats. Altered habenula function might therefore be related to the social impairments in childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders such as autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and early-onset schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda W M van Kerkhof
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Tulogdi A, Tóth M, Barsvári B, Biró L, Mikics E, Haller J. Effects of resocialization on post-weaning social isolation-induced abnormal aggression and social deficits in rats. Dev Psychobiol 2012; 56:49-57. [PMID: 23168609 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
As previously shown, rats isolated from weaning develop abnormal social and aggressive behavior characterized by biting attacks targeting vulnerable body parts of opponents, reduced attack signaling, and increased defensive behavior despite increased attack counts. Here we studied whether this form of violent aggression could be reversed by resocialization in adulthood. During the first weak of resocialization, isolation-reared rats showed multiple social deficits including increased defensiveness and decreased huddling during sleep. Deficits were markedly attenuated in the second and third weeks. Despite improved social functioning in groups, isolated rats readily showed abnormal features of aggression in a resident-intruder test performed after the 3-week-long resocialization. Thus, post-weaning social isolation-induced deficits in prosocial behavior were eliminated by resocialization during adulthood, but abnormal aggression was resilient to this treatment. Findings are compared to those obtained in humans who suffered early social maltreatment, and who also show social deficits and dysfunctional aggression in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aron Tulogdi
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, H-1450 Budapest, P.O. Box 67, Budapest, Hungary
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38
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A Guide to the Literature on Aggressive Behavior. Aggress Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/ab.2480150410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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39
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The neural background of hyper-emotional aggression induced by post-weaning social isolation. Behav Brain Res 2012; 233:120-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2012] [Revised: 04/11/2012] [Accepted: 04/17/2012] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Post-weaning social isolation of female rats, anxiety-related behavior, and serotonergic systems. Brain Res 2012; 1443:1-17. [PMID: 22297173 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2011] [Revised: 01/03/2012] [Accepted: 01/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Our previous studies have shown that post-weaning social isolation of male rats leads to sensitization of serotonergic systems and increases in anxiety-like behavior in adulthood. Although studies in humans suggest that females have an increased sensitivity to stress and risk for the development of neuropsychiatric illnesses, most studies involving laboratory rats have focused on males while females have been insufficiently studied. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of post-weaning social isolation on subsequent responses of an anxiety-related dorsal raphe nucleus (DR)-basolateral amygdala system to pharmacological challenge with the anxiogenic drug, N-methyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxamide (FG-7142; a partial inverse agonist at the benzodiazepine allosteric site on the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) receptor). Juvenile female rats were reared in isolation or in groups of three for a 3-week period from weaning to mid-adolescence, after which all rats were group-reared for an additional 2 weeks. We then used dual immunohistochemical staining for c-Fos and tryptophan hydroxylase in the DR or single immunohistochemical staining for c-Fos in the basolateral amygdala. Isolation-reared rats, but not group-reared rats, injected with FG-7142 had increased c-Fos expression within the basolateral amygdala and in serotonergic neurons in the dorsal, ventrolateral, caudal and interfascicular parts of the DR relative to appropriate vehicle-injected control groups. These data suggest that post-weaning social isolation of female rats sensitizes a DR-basolateral amygdala system to stress-related stimuli, which may lead to an increased sensitivity to stress- and anxiety-related responses in adulthood.
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Abstract
Sports have received little attention from evolutionary biologists. I argue that sport began as a way for men to develop the skills needed in primitive hunting and warfare, then developed to act primarily as a lek where athletes display and male spectators evaluate the qualities of potential allies and rivals. This hypothesis predicts that (1) the most popular modern male sports require the skills needed for success in male-male physical competition and primitive hunting and warfare; (2) champion male athletes obtain high status and thereby reproductive opportunities in ways that parallel those gained by successful primitive hunters and warriors; (3) men pay closer attention than do women to male sports so they can evaluate potential allies and rivals; and (4) male sports became culturally more important when opportunities to evaluate potential allies and rivals declined as both the survival importance of hunting and the proportion of men who experience combat decreased. The characteristics of primitive and modern sports are more consistent with these predictions than those generated by intersexual sexual selection theories of sport.
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Jahng JW, Yoo SB, Ryu V, Lee J. Hyperphagia and depression‐like behavior by adolescence social isolation in female rats. Int J Dev Neurosci 2011; 30:47-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2011.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2011] [Revised: 10/11/2011] [Accepted: 10/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Won Jahng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryDental Research InstituteSeoul National University School of DentistrySeoul110‐768Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Bae Yoo
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryDental Research InstituteSeoul National University School of DentistrySeoul110‐768Republic of Korea
| | - Vitaly Ryu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryDental Research InstituteSeoul National University School of DentistrySeoul110‐768Republic of Korea
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Veterinary and Comparative AnatomyPharmacology and Physiology, Washington State UniversityPullmanWAUnited States
| | - Jong‐Ho Lee
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryDental Research InstituteSeoul National University School of DentistrySeoul110‐768Republic of Korea
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Trezza V, Campolongo P, Vanderschuren LJMJ. Evaluating the rewarding nature of social interactions in laboratory animals. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2011; 1:444-58. [PMID: 22436566 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2011.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2011] [Revised: 05/17/2011] [Accepted: 05/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Positive social interactions are essential for emotional well-being, healthy development, establishment and maintenance of adequate social structures and reproductive success of humans and animals. Here, we review the studies that have investigated whether forms of social interaction that occur in different phases of the lifespan of animals, i.e., maternal behavior, social play and sexual interaction are rewarding in rodents and non-human primates. We show that these three forms of social interaction can be used as incentive for place conditioning, lever pressing and maze learning, three setups that have been extensively used to study the rewarding properties of food and drugs of abuse and their neural underpinnings. The experience of positive social interactions during key developmental ages has profound and long-lasting effects on brain function and behavior in emotional, motivational and cognitive domains. For instance, pup interaction is more rewarding than cocaine for early postpartum dams and rats deprived of the opportunity to play during adolescence show social and cognitive impairments at adulthood. Furthermore, sexual behavior is only overtly rewarding when animals can control the rate at which the sexual interaction occurs. Last, we discuss how animal models contributed to our understanding of social reward mechanisms and its psychological components throughout development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Trezza
- Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Toth M, Mikics E, Tulogdi A, Aliczki M, Haller J. Post-weaning social isolation induces abnormal forms of aggression in conjunction with increased glucocorticoid and autonomic stress responses. Horm Behav 2011; 60:28-36. [PMID: 21316368 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2010] [Revised: 01/14/2011] [Accepted: 02/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We showed earlier that social isolation from weaning (a paradigm frequently used to model social neglect in children) induces abnormal forms of attack in rats, and assumed that these are associated with hyperarousal. To investigate this hypothesis, we deprived rats of social contacts from weaning and studied their behavior, glucocorticoid and autonomic stress responses in the resident-intruder paradigm at the age of 82 days. Social isolation resulted in abnormal attack patterns characterized by attacks on vulnerable targets, deficient social communication and increased defensive behaviors (defensive upright, flight, freezing). During aggressive encounters, socially deprived rats rapidly switched from one behavior to another, i.e. showed an increased number of behavioral transitions as compared to controls. We tentatively term this behavioral feature "behavioral fragmentation" and considered it a form of behavioral arousal. Basal levels of plasma corticosterone regularly assessed by radioimmunoassay between 27 and 78 days of age were not affected. In contrast, aggression-induced glucocorticoid responses were approximately doubled by socially isolation. Diurnal oscillations in heart rate assessed by in vivo biotelemetry were not affected by social isolation. In contrast, the aggression-induced increase in heart rate was higher in socially isolated than in socially housed rats. Thus, post-weaning social isolation induced abnormal forms of aggression that developed on the background of increased behavioral, endocrine and autonomic arousal. We suggest that this paradigm may be used to model aggression-related psychopathologies associated with hyperarousal, particularly those that are triggered by adverse rearing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mate Toth
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
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45
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Critical period exists in the effects of isolation rearing on sensorimotor gating function but not locomotor activity in rat. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2011; 35:1068-73. [PMID: 21396422 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2011.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2010] [Revised: 01/28/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Isolation-reared (IR) rats exhibit various cognitive and behavioral abnormalities in adulthood of which locomotor hyperactivity and impaired prepulse inhibition (PPI) of an acoustic startle reflex are the two cardinal characteristics. Using an amended social deprivation-resocialization paradigm, the present study examined the role of the developmental specificity of the effects of IR and its interaction with the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801. Locomotor activity and PPI were measured in three groups of adult rats: social control, IR throughout life, and IR for the first two weeks after weaning followed by social housing. MK-801 was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) 30 min prior to testing at doses of 0, 0.02, 0.1, and 0.2 mg/kg. The results revealed that locomotor activity increased only in rats in the IR throughout life group but not in the other two groups. The impairment of PPI was seen in rats in the IR for the first two weeks and the IR throughout life groups. Furthermore, the effect of MK-801 on PPI was bidirectional in rats of the IR for the first two weeks and IR throughout life groups but not in the social control group. These results suggest that the IR-induced behavioral effects are developed distinctively in terms of the critical period hypothesis, which strengthens the developmental hypothesis of schizophrenic-like dysfunctions.
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Natarajan D, Caramaschi D. Animal violence demystified. Front Behav Neurosci 2010; 4:9. [PMID: 20407576 PMCID: PMC2854525 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2010.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2009] [Accepted: 02/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Violence has been observed in humans and animals alike, indicating its evolutionary/biological significance. However, violence in animals has often been confounded with functional forms of aggressive behavior. Currently, violence in animals is identified primarily as either a quantitative behavior (an escalated, pathological and abnormal form of aggression characterized primarily by short attack latencies, and prolonged and frequent harm-oriented conflict behaviors) or a qualitative one (characterized by attack bites aimed at vulnerable parts of the opponent's body and context independent attacks regardless of the environment or the sex and type of the opponent). Identification of an operational definition for violence thus not only helps in understanding its potential differences from adaptive forms of aggression but also in the selection of appropriate animal models for both. We address this issue theoretically by drawing parallels from research on aggression and appeasement in humans and other animals. We also provide empirical evidences for violence in mice selected for high aggression by comparing our findings with other currently available potentially violent rodent models. The following violence-specific features namely (1) Display of low levels of pre-escalatory/ritualistic behaviors. (2) Immediate and escalated offense durations with low withdrawal rates despite the opponent's submissive supine and crouching/defeat postures. (3) Context independent indiscriminate attacks aimed at familiar/unfamiliar females, anaesthetized males and opponents and in neutral environments. (4) Orientation of attack-bites toward vulnerable body parts of the opponent resulting in severe wounding. (5) Low prefrontal serotonin (5-HT) levels upon repeated aggression. (6) Low basal heart rates and hyporesponsive hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis were identified uniquely in the short attack latency (SAL) mice suggesting a qualitative difference between violence and adaptive aggression in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepa Natarajan
- Department of Behavioral Physiology, Biological Center, University of GroningenHaren, Netherlands
| | - Doretta Caramaschi
- Groupe de Recherche sur I'Inadaptation Psychosociale chez l'Enfant, Université de MontréalMontréal, QC, Canada
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Klein ZA, Padow VA, Romeo RD. The effects of stress on play and home cage behaviors in adolescent male rats. Dev Psychobiol 2010; 52:62-70. [PMID: 19937741 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
One prominent feature of adolescence is the high frequency of social behaviors, such as play. Engaging in these behaviors appears necessary for proper socio-emotional development as social isolation during adolescence typically leads to behavioral dysfunctions in adulthood. The present experiments examined the effects of stress on social and nonsocial behaviors in group housed adolescent male rats. We found that acute restraint stress led to a complete inhibition of play (e.g., nape contacts and pins) and reduced social investigations in pre- (28 days), mid- (35 days), and late-adolescent (42 and 49 days) animals. A follow-up study, however, found that restraint-induced suppression of play and social investigations was transient such that experimental animals engage in these behaviors at levels similar to those of controls 1 hr after termination of the stressor. We also found that exposure to repeated restraint stress throughout adolescence led to a decrease in social investigations, while leaving play largely unaffected. Interestingly, in all of the experiments, nonsocial behaviors (e.g., eating, drinking, grooming) were unaffected by restraint, suggesting these effects of stress are specific to social behaviors. Together, these data indicate that both acute and repeated stress significantly affect social behaviors during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe A Klein
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
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Fattore L, Melis M, Fadda P, Pistis M, Fratta W. The endocannabinoid system and nondrug rewarding behaviours. Exp Neurol 2010; 224:23-36. [PMID: 20353776 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2010.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Rewarding behaviours such as sexual activity, eating, nursing, parenting, social interactions, and play activity are conserved strongly in evolution, and they are essential for development and survival. All of these behaviours are enjoyable and represent pleasant experiences with a high reward value. Remarkably, rewarding behaviours activate the same brain circuits that mediate the positive reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse and of other forms of addiction, such as gambling and food addiction. Given the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in a variety of physiological functions of the nervous system, it is not surprising that it takes part in the complex machinery that regulates gratification and perception of pleasure. In this review, we focus first on the role of the endocannabinoid system in the modulation of neural activity and synaptic functions in brain regions that are involved in natural and nonnatural rewards (namely, the ventral tegmental area, striatum, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex). Then, we examine the role of the endocannabinoid system in modulating behaviours that directly or indirectly activate these brain reward pathways. More specifically, current knowledge of the effects of the pharmacological manipulation of the endocannabinoid system on natural (eating, sexual behaviour, parenting, and social play) and pathological (gambling) rewarding behaviours is summarised and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Fattore
- CNR Neuroscience Institute - Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Italy
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Prosocial effects of nicotine and ethanol in adolescent rats through partially dissociable neurobehavioral mechanisms. Neuropsychopharmacology 2009; 34:2560-73. [PMID: 19657330 PMCID: PMC2774531 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.85] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The widespread use of tobacco and alcohol among adolescents might be related to the ability of nicotine and ethanol to facilitate social interactions. To investigate the neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying the prosocial effects of nicotine and ethanol, we focused on social play behavior, the most characteristic social activity in adolescent rats. Social play behavior is rewarding, and it is modulated through opioid, cannabinoid and dopaminergic neurotransmission, which are also involved in the reinforcing properties of nicotine and ethanol. We found that nicotine and ethanol increased social play, without affecting locomotion or social exploration. Their effects depended on the level of social activity of the partner, and were comparable in familiar and unfamiliar environments. At doses that increased social play, nicotine and ethanol had no anxiolytic effects in the elevated plus-maze. By contrast, the prototypical anxiolytic drug diazepam reduced social play at doses that reduced anxiety. The effects of nicotine on social play were blocked by the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone, the CB(1) cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR141716A, and the dopamine receptor antagonist alpha-flupenthixol. The effects of ethanol were blocked by SR141716A and alpha-flupenthixol, but not by naloxone. Combined administration of subeffective doses of nicotine and ethanol only modestly enhanced social play. These results show that the facilitatory effects of nicotine and ethanol on social play are behaviorally specific and mediated through neurotransmitter systems involved in positive emotions and motivation, through partially dissociable mechanisms. Furthermore, the stimulating effects of nicotine and ethanol on social play behavior are independent of their anxiolytic-like properties.
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Lukkes JL, Watt MJ, Lowry CA, Forster GL. Consequences of post-weaning social isolation on anxiety behavior and related neural circuits in rodents. Front Behav Neurosci 2009; 3:18. [PMID: 19738931 PMCID: PMC2737489 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.018.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2009] [Accepted: 08/05/2009] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to adverse experiences in early-life is implicated in the later vulnerability to development of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and affective disorders in humans. Adverse early-life experiences likely impart their long-term consequences on mental health by disrupting the normal development of neural systems involved in stress responses, emotional behavior and emotional states. Neural systems utilizing the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) are implicated in mediating emotive behaviors, and dysfunction of these neurochemical systems is associated with mood/anxiety disorders. These neural systems continue maturing until early or mid-adolescence in humans, thus alterations to their development are likely to contribute to the long-term consequences of adverse early-life experiences. A large body of literature suggests that post-weaning isolation rearing of rodents models the behavioral consequences of adverse early-life experiences in humans. Overall, the majority findings suggest that post-weaning social isolation that encompasses pre-adolescence produces long-lasting alterations to anxiety behavior, while measures of monoaminergic activity in various limbic regions during social isolation suggest alterations to dopamine and serotonin systems. The goal of this review is to evaluate and integrate findings from post-weaning social isolation studies specifically related to altered fear and anxiety behaviors and associated changes in neuroendocrine function and the activity of monoaminergic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi L Lukkes
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, CO, USA
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