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Casarrubea M, Aiello S, Crescimanno G, Cassar D, Busuttil Z, Faulisi F, Iacono A, Di Giovanni G. Sex-dependent behavioral effects of chronic nicotine during adolescence evaluated in young adult rats tested in Hole-Board. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 133:111034. [PMID: 38795824 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.111034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
As one of the leading causes of death and serious illnesses, tobacco smoking remains a significant issue in modern societies. Many individuals smoke during adolescence, a trend that has been exacerbated by the prevalence of vaping among young people. In this context, studying the behavioral effects induced by nicotine administration in male and female rats, during the adolescent period, assumes great importance because it can help to better understand the dynamics underlying tobacco use in the two sexes. For this purpose, we employed 4 groups of rats, 2 male and 2 female groups, chronically treated with saline or nicotine 3 mg/kg i.p. for 30 days, spanning from postnatal day 30 to postnatal day 60. Utilizing quantitative analyses and T-pattern detection and analysis, our findings revealed a complex and multifaceted behavioral reorganization in adolescent rats subjected to chronic nicotine administration. Specifically, we observed an increase of anxiety in males and a reduction in females. The distinctive structural changes, induced by chronic nicotine in both sexes, have significant implications, from a translational perspective, for studies on nicotine dependence disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Stefania Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Daniel Cassar
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Zachary Busuttil
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Fabiana Faulisi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonio Iacono
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; School of Biosciences, Neuroscience Division, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro, Italy
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Riemersma IW, Ike KGO, Sollie T, Meijer EL, Havekes R, Kas MJH. Suppression of Cofilin function in the somatosensory cortex alters social contact behavior in the BTBR mouse inbred line. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae136. [PMID: 38602737 PMCID: PMC11008688 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae136] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Sensory differences are a core feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and are predictive of other ASD core symptoms such as social difficulties. However, the neurobiological substrate underlying the functional relationship between sensory and social functioning is poorly understood. Here, we examined whether misregulation of structural plasticity in the somatosensory cortex modulates aberrant social functioning in BTBR mice, a mouse model for autism spectrum disorder-like phenotypes. By locally expressing a dominant-negative form of Cofilin (CofilinS3D; a key regulator of synaptic structure) in the somatosensory cortex, we tested whether somatosensory suppression of Cofilin activity alters social functioning in BTBR mice. Somatosensory Cofilin suppression altered social contact and nest-hide behavior of BTBR mice in a social colony, assessed for seven consecutive days. Subsequent behavioral testing revealed that altered social functioning is related to altered tactile sensory perception; CofilinS3D-treated BTBR mice showed a time-dependent difference in the sensory bedding preference task. These findings show that Cofilin suppression in the somatosensory cortex alters social functioning in BTBR mice and that this is associated with tactile sensory processing, a critical indicator of somatosensory functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris W Riemersma
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Neurobiology, University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin G O Ike
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Neurobiology, University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Sollie
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Neurobiology, University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Elroy L Meijer
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Neurobiology, University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Robbert Havekes
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Neurobiology, University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martien J H Kas
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Neurobiology, University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Casarrubea M, Di Giovanni G, Aiello S, Crescimanno G. The hole-board apparatus in the study of anxiety. Physiol Behav 2023; 271:114346. [PMID: 37690695 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders pose a significant challenge in contemporary society, and their impact in terms of social and economic burden is overwhelming. Behavioral research conducted on animal subjects is crucial for comprehending these disorders and, from a translational standpoint, for introducing innovative therapeutic approaches. In this context, the Hole-Board apparatus has emerged as a widely utilized test for studying anxiety-related behaviors in rodents. Although a substantial body of literature underscores the utility and reliability of the Hole-Board in anxiety research, recent decades have witnessed a range of studies that have led to uncertainties and misinterpretations regarding the validity of this behavioral assay. The objective of this review is twofold: firstly, to underscore the utility and reliability of the Hole-Board assay, and concurrently, to examine the underlying factors contributing to potential misconceptions surrounding its utilization in the study of anxiety and anxiety-related behaviors. We will present results from both conventional quantitative analyses and multivariate approaches, while referencing a comprehensive collection of studies conducted using the Hole-Board.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioural Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Corso Tukory n.129, Palermo 90134, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; Neuroscience Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Stefania Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioural Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Corso Tukory n.129, Palermo 90134, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioural Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Corso Tukory n.129, Palermo 90134, Italy
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Casarrubea M, Leca JB, Gunst N, Jonsson GK, Portell M, Di Giovanni G, Aiello S, Crescimanno G. Structural analyses in the study of behavior: From rodents to non-human primates. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1033561. [PMID: 36467208 PMCID: PMC9716108 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1033561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The term "structure" indicates a set of components that, in relation to each other, shape an organic complex. Such a complex takes on essential connotations of functionally unitary entity resulting from the mutual relationships of its constituent elements. In a broader sense, we can use the word "structure" to define the set of relationships among the elements of an emergent system that is not determined by the mere algebraic sum of these elements, but by the interdependence relationships of these components from which the function of the entire structure itself derives. The behavior of an integrated living being can be described in structural terms via an ethogram, defined as an itemized list of behavioral units. Akin to an architectural structure, a behavioral structure arises from the reciprocal relationships that the individual units of behavior establish. Like an architectural structure, the function of the resulting behaving complex emerges from the relationships of the parts. Hence, studying behavior in its wholeness necessitates not only the identification of its constitutive units in their autarchic individuality, but also, and importantly, some understanding of their relationships. This paper aimed to critically review different methods to study behavior in structural terms. First, we emphasized the utilization of T-pattern analysis, i.e., one of the most effective and reliable tools to provide structural information on behavior. Second, we discussed the application of other methodological approaches that are based on the analysis of transition matrices, such as hierarchical clustering, stochastic analyses, and adjusted residuals. Unlike T-pattern analysis, these methods allow researchers to explore behavioral structure beyond its temporal characteristics and through other relational constraints. After an overview of how these methods are used in the study of animal behavior, from rodents to non-human primates, we discussed the specificities, advantages and challenges of each approach. This paper could represent a useful background for all scientists who intend to study behavior both quantitatively and structurally, that is in terms of the reciprocal relationships that the various units of a given behavioral repertoire normally weave together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Jean-Baptiste Leca
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- School of Natural and Engineering Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
| | - Noëlle Gunst
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Gudberg K. Jonsson
- Human Behavior Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Mariona Portell
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Stefania Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Molenhuis RT, Hutten L, Kas MJH. Histamine H3 receptor antagonism modulates autism-like hyperactivity but not repetitive behaviors in BTBR T+Itpr3tf/J inbred mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2021; 212:173304. [PMID: 34856309 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurodevelopmental conditions defined by behavioral deficits in social communication and interactions, mental inflexibility and repetitive behaviors. Converging evidence from observational and preclinical studies suggest that excessive repetitive behaviors in people with ASD may be due to elevated histaminergic H3 receptor signaling in the striatum. We hypothesized that systemic administration of pharmacological histamine H3 receptor antagonists would attenuate the expression of repetitive behaviors in the BTBR T+Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mouse inbred strain, an established mouse model presenting autism-like repetitive behaviors and novelty-induced hyperactivity. We further aimed to investigate whether agonism of the histamine H3 receptor would be sufficient to induce repetitive behaviors in the C57BL/6J control mouse strain. METHODS Different doses of H3 receptor agonists (i.e., (R)-α-methylhistamine and immethridine) and H3 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists (i.e., ciproxifan and pitolisant) were administered via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection in male mice to characterize the acute effects of these compounds on ASD-related behavioral readouts. RESULTS The highly selective H3 receptor agonist immethridine significantly increased the time spent in stereotypic patterns in C57BL/6J mice, but this effect appeared to be driven by general sedative properties of the compound. High doses of pitolisant significantly decreased locomotor hyperactivity in novel environments in BTBR mice, without significant effects on repetitive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Based on our findings, we conclude that acute H3 receptor manipulation mainly affected general motor activity levels in novel environments. Small changes in stereotyped behaviors were observed but appeared to be driven by altered general activity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remco T Molenhuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Lianda Hutten
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Martien J H Kas
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Grieco F, Bernstein BJ, Biemans B, Bikovski L, Burnett CJ, Cushman JD, van Dam EA, Fry SA, Richmond-Hacham B, Homberg JR, Kas MJH, Kessels HW, Koopmans B, Krashes MJ, Krishnan V, Logan S, Loos M, McCann KE, Parduzi Q, Pick CG, Prevot TD, Riedel G, Robinson L, Sadighi M, Smit AB, Sonntag W, Roelofs RF, Tegelenbosch RAJ, Noldus LPJJ. Measuring Behavior in the Home Cage: Study Design, Applications, Challenges, and Perspectives. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:735387. [PMID: 34630052 PMCID: PMC8498589 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.735387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The reproducibility crisis (or replication crisis) in biomedical research is a particularly existential and under-addressed issue in the field of behavioral neuroscience, where, in spite of efforts to standardize testing and assay protocols, several known and unknown sources of confounding environmental factors add to variance. Human interference is a major contributor to variability both within and across laboratories, as well as novelty-induced anxiety. Attempts to reduce human interference and to measure more "natural" behaviors in subjects has led to the development of automated home-cage monitoring systems. These systems enable prolonged and longitudinal recordings, and provide large continuous measures of spontaneous behavior that can be analyzed across multiple time scales. In this review, a diverse team of neuroscientists and product developers share their experiences using such an automated monitoring system that combines Noldus PhenoTyper® home-cages and the video-based tracking software, EthoVision® XT, to extract digital biomarkers of motor, emotional, social and cognitive behavior. After presenting our working definition of a "home-cage", we compare home-cage testing with more conventional out-of-cage tests (e.g., the open field) and outline the various advantages of the former, including opportunities for within-subject analyses and assessments of circadian and ultradian activity. Next, we address technical issues pertaining to the acquisition of behavioral data, such as the fine-tuning of the tracking software and the potential for integration with biotelemetry and optogenetics. Finally, we provide guidance on which behavioral measures to emphasize, how to filter, segment, and analyze behavior, and how to use analysis scripts. We summarize how the PhenoTyper has applications to study neuropharmacology as well as animal models of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric illness. Looking forward, we examine current challenges and the impact of new developments. Examples include the automated recognition of specific behaviors, unambiguous tracking of individuals in a social context, the development of more animal-centered measures of behavior and ways of dealing with large datasets. Together, we advocate that by embracing standardized home-cage monitoring platforms like the PhenoTyper, we are poised to directly assess issues pertaining to reproducibility, and more importantly, measure features of rodent behavior under more ethologically relevant scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Briana J Bernstein
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
| | | | - Lior Bikovski
- Myers Neuro-Behavioral Core Facility, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- School of Behavioral Sciences, Netanya Academic College, Netanya, Israel
| | - C Joseph Burnett
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jesse D Cushman
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
| | | | - Sydney A Fry
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
| | - Bar Richmond-Hacham
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Judith R Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Martien J H Kas
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Helmut W Kessels
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Michael J Krashes
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Vaishnav Krishnan
- Laboratory of Epilepsy and Emotional Behavior, Baylor Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Sreemathi Logan
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Allied Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Maarten Loos
- Sylics (Synaptologics BV), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Katharine E McCann
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
| | | | - Chaim G Pick
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Chair and Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Thomas D Prevot
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gernot Riedel
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Lianne Robinson
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Mina Sadighi
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - August B Smit
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - William Sonntag
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Center for Geroscience, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | | | | | - Lucas P J J Noldus
- Noldus Information Technology BV, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Department of Biophysics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Effects of Different Anxiety Levels on the Behavioral Patternings Investigated through T-pattern Analysis in Wistar Rats Tested in the Hole-Board Apparatus. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060714. [PMID: 34072001 PMCID: PMC8226990 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The Hole-Board is an ethologically based tool for investigating the anxiety-related behavior of rats following manipulation of the central anxiety level. The present paper aims to assess behavioral patterning following pharmacological manipulation of emotional assets in Wistar rats tested in this experimental apparatus. For this purpose, the behavior of three groups of rats injected with saline, diazepam or FG7142 was evaluated using conventional quantitative and multivariate T-pattern analyses. The results demonstrate that quantitative analyses of individual components of the behavior, disjointed from the comprehensive behavioral structure, are of narrow utility in the understanding of the subject’s emotional condition. Among the components of the behavioral repertoire in rodents tested in the Hole-Board, Edge-Sniff and Head-Dip represent the most significant ones to rate anxiety level. They are characterized by a strong bivariate relationship and are also firmly part of the behavioral architecture, as revealed by the T-pattern analysis (TPA), a multivariate technique able to detect significant relationships among behavioral events over time. Edge-Sniff → Head-Dip sequences, in particular, are greatly influenced by the level of anxiety: barely detectable in control animals, they completely disappear in subjects with a reduced level of anxiety and are present in almost 25% of the total of T-patterns detected in subjects whose anxiety level increased.
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Casarrubea M. Possible Contribution of T-pattern Detection and Analysis to the Study of the Behavioral Correlates of Afferent Inhibition. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E818. [PMID: 33158104 PMCID: PMC7694199 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A pivotal tenet in modern behavioral sciences is that the study of behavior, in its most intimate structure, necessarily deals with time and, for this reason, behavioral dynamics are not intuitively perceivable and/or detectable (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1970). In reality, the possibility to describe a given behavior in terms of its structural/temporal features makes available new and detailed information otherwise unavailable. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the possible application of T-pattern detection and analysis, i.e., a multivariate approach specifically developed to describe the temporal structure of behavior, to the study of an important and still scantly investigated issue, namely the detection of behavioral correlates of the neurophysiological phenomenon known as afferent inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy
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9
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Casarrubea M, Faulisi F, Raso G, Aiello S, Crescimanno G. Early alterations of the behavioural structure of mice affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy and tested in open-field. Behav Brain Res 2020; 386:112609. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Effects of chronic nicotine on the temporal structure of anxiety-related behavior in rats tested in hole-board. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 96:109731. [PMID: 31394140 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to assess the behavioral effects of chronic treatments of different doses of nicotine by using both quantitative and multivariate T-pattern analysis (TPA), which can reveal hidden behavioral structures, in Sprague-Dawley rats tested in the hole-board apparatus. To this purpose, nicotine ditartrate was administered at the doses of 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg i.p., three times per day, for 14 consecutive days. As to quantitative evaluations, we observed significant reductions in the mean durations and mean frequencies of walking, climbing, immobile-sniffing and rearing in comparison to control. A significant reduction of edge-sniff and head-dip mean frequencies was also detected for all the doses tested. TPA revealed an increase in the number and the mean length of different T-patterns induced by the three doses of nicotine. On the other hand, a significant reduction of the mean occurrences of T-patterns was revealed. Overall, our results obtained by using both quantitative and T-pattern analyses indicate that chronic nicotine induces an anxiety condition characterized by a behavioral re-organization orbiting around the two main components of hole exploration, that is, head-dip and edge-sniff. A better understanding of the link between nicotine and anxiety might help to find new therapies for smoking cessation.
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11
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Aiello S, Crescimanno G, Di Giovanni G, Casarrubea M. T-patterns in the study of movement and behavioral disorders. Physiol Behav 2019; 215:112790. [PMID: 31870941 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Aim of the present review is to offer an outline of the application of T-pattern analysis (TPA) in the study of neurological disorders characterized by anomalies of movement and, more in general, of behavior. TPA is a multivariate technique to detect real time patterns of behavior on the basis of statistically significant constraints among the events in sequence. TPA is particularly suitable to analyse the structure of behavior. The application of TPA to study movement and behavioral disorders is able to offer, with a high level of detail, hidden characteristics of behavior otherwise impossible to detect. For its intrinsic features, TPA is completely different not only from quantitative evaluations of behavior such as assessments of frequencies, durations, percent distributions etc. of individual behavioral components, but also from the largest extent of multivariate approaches based, for instance, on the analysis of transition matrices. Various applications of TPA in the study of behavior in human patients and in animal models of neurological disorders are discussed. TPA is a suitable tool to study the movement and behavioral disorders. This review represents a useful background for researchers, therapists, physicians etc. who intend to use this technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratotry of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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Effects of Substantia Nigra pars compacta lesion on the behavioral sequencing in the 6-OHDA model of Parkinson’s disease. Behav Brain Res 2019; 362:28-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2018] [Revised: 12/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Molenhuis RT, Bruining H, Brandt MJV, van Soldt PE, Abu-Toamih Atamni HJ, Burbach JPH, Iraqi FA, Mott RF, Kas MJH. Modeling the quantitative nature of neurodevelopmental disorders using Collaborative Cross mice. Mol Autism 2018; 9:63. [PMID: 30559955 PMCID: PMC6293525 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-018-0252-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Animal models for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) generally rely on a single genetic mutation on a fixed genetic background. Recent human genetic studies however indicate that a clinical diagnosis with ASDAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is almost always associated with multiple genetic fore- and background changes. The translational value of animal model studies would be greatly enhanced if genetic insults could be studied in a more quantitative framework across genetic backgrounds. Methods We used the Collaborative Cross (CC), a novel mouse genetic reference population, to investigate the quantitative genetic architecture of mouse behavioral phenotypes commonly used in animal models for NDD. Results Classical tests of social recognition and grooming phenotypes appeared insufficient for quantitative studies due to genetic dilution and limited heritability. In contrast, digging, locomotor activity, and stereotyped exploratory patterns were characterized by continuous distribution across our CC sample and also mapped to quantitative trait loci containing genes associated with corresponding phenotypes in human populations. Conclusions These findings show that the CC can move animal model studies beyond comparative single gene-single background designs, and point out which type of behavioral phenotypes are most suitable to quantify the effect of developmental etiologies across multiple genetic backgrounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remco T. Molenhuis
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hilgo Bruining
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Myrna J. V. Brandt
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Petra E. van Soldt
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hanifa J. Abu-Toamih Atamni
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - J. Peter H. Burbach
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Fuad A. Iraqi
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Richard F. Mott
- Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Martien J. H. Kas
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Dalton HA, Wood BJ, Widowski TM, Guerin MT, Torrey S. Comparing the behavioural organization of head pecking, severe feather pecking, and gentle feather pecking in domestic turkeys. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2018.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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15
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Casarrubea M, Magnusson MS, Anguera MT, Jonsson GK, Castañer M, Santangelo A, Palacino M, Aiello S, Faulisi F, Raso G, Puigarnau S, Camerino O, Di Giovanni G, Crescimanno G. T-pattern detection and analysis for the discovery of hidden features of behaviour. J Neurosci Methods 2018; 310:24-32. [PMID: 29935197 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The behaviour of all living beings consists of hidden patterns in time; consequently, its nature and its underlying dynamics are intrinsically difficult to be perceived and detected by the unaided observer. METHOD Such a scientific challenge calls for improved means of detection, data handling and analysis. By using a powerful and versatile technique known as T-pattern detection and analysis (TPA) it is possible to unveil hidden relationships among the behavioural events in time. RESULTS TPA is demonstrated to be a solid and versatile tool to study the deep structure of behaviour in different experimental contexts, both in human and non human subjects. CONCLUSION This review deepens and extends contents recently published by adding new concepts and examples concerning the applications of TPA in the study of behaviour both in human and non-human subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Italy.
| | - M S Magnusson
- Human Behavior Laboratory, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - M T Anguera
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - G K Jonsson
- Human Behavior Laboratory, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - M Castañer
- INEFC (National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia) and IRBLLEIDA (Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation), University of Lleida, Spain
| | - A Santangelo
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Italy; Psychiatric Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - M Palacino
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Italy
| | - S Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Italy
| | - F Faulisi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Italy
| | - G Raso
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Italy
| | - S Puigarnau
- INEFC (National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia) and IRBLLEIDA (Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation), University of Lleida, Spain
| | - O Camerino
- INEFC (National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia) and IRBLLEIDA (Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation), University of Lleida, Spain
| | - G Di Giovanni
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - G Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Italy
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Casarrubea M, Faulisi F, Cudia A, Cancemi D, Cardaci M, Magnusson MS, Crescimanno G. Discovery of recurring behavioural sequences in Wistar rat social activity: Possible support to studies on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Neurosci Lett 2017; 653:58-63. [PMID: 28527716 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
This study was undertaken to investigate whether, in rat interactive activities, recurring sequences of behavioural events might be identified and how and to what extent each component of the pair is involved. To this aim, the multivariate temporal-pattern (t-pattern) analysis was applied to the social interactions of 9 pairs of male Wistar rats tested in open field. Interactive activities were classified into intra- and inter-subjects. Quantitative evaluations showed that intra-subject behavioural elements represented 62.37% and inter-subject ones 37.63% of the comprehensive behaviour. T-pattern analysis revealed the presence of 221 different t-patterns organized in four different categories: containing exclusively inter-subject elements; containing both inter- and intra-subject elements; consisting of rat 1 and rat 2 intra-subject elements and, finally, consisting of intra-subject elements carried out by one of the two subjects. Results show that the activity of two interacting Wistar rats is structured on the basis of several recurring temporal sequences. Moreover, social interactions appear to be expressed also by t-patterns where the behavioural elements are carried out by animals seemingly not interacting. A support of t-pattern analysis to studies on Autism Spectrum Disorders is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Casarrubea
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Technologies of Knowledge Interdepartmental Center (C.I.T.C.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - F Faulisi
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - A Cudia
- Dept. of Psychological Sciences, Pedagogy and Formation, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - D Cancemi
- Dept. of Psychological Sciences, Pedagogy and Formation, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - M Cardaci
- Dept. of Psychological Sciences, Pedagogy and Formation, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Technologies of Knowledge Interdepartmental Center (C.I.T.C.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - M S Magnusson
- Human Behavior Laboratory, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - G Crescimanno
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Technologies of Knowledge Interdepartmental Center (C.I.T.C.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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Molenhuis RT, Bruining H, Kas MJ. Modelling Autistic Features in Mice Using Quantitative Genetic Approaches. ADVANCES IN ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY 2017; 224:65-84. [PMID: 28551751 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-52498-6_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Animal studies provide a unique opportunity to study the consequences of genetic variants at the behavioural level. Human studies have identified hundreds of risk genes for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that can lead to understanding on how genetic variation contributes to individual differences in social interaction and stereotyped behaviour in people with ASD. To develop rational therapeutic interventions, systematic animal model studies are needed to understand the relationships between genetic variation, pathogenic processes and the expression of autistic behaviours. Genetic and non-genetic animal model strategies are here reviewed in their propensity to study the underpinnings of behavioural trait variation. We conclude that an integration of reverse and forward genetic approaches may be essential to unravel the neurobiological mechanisms underlying ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remco T Molenhuis
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hilgo Bruining
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Martien J Kas
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Thanos PK, Restif C, O'Rourke JR, Lam CY, Metaxas D. Mouse Social Interaction Test (MoST): a quantitative computer automated analysis of behavior. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2015; 124:3-11. [PMID: 26704381 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-015-1487-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Rodents are the most commonly used preclinical model of human disease assessing the mechanism(s) involved as well as the role of genetics, epigenetics, and pharmacotherapy on this disease as well as identifying vulnerability factors and risk assessment for disease critical in the development of improved treatment strategies. Unfortunately, the majority of rodent preclinical studies utilize single housed approaches where animals are either entirely housed and tested in solitary environments or group housed but tested in solitary environments. This approach, however, ignores the important contribution of social interaction and social behavior. Social interaction in rodents is found to be a major criterion for the ethological validity of rodent species-specific behavioral characteristics (Zurn et al. 2007; Analysis 2011). It is also well established that there is significant and growing number of reports, which illustrates the important role of social environment and social interaction in all diseases, with particularly significance in all neuropsychiatric diseases. Thus, it is imperative that research studies be able to add large-scale evaluations of social interaction and behavior in mice and benefit from automated tracking of behaviors and measurements by removing user bias and by quantifying aspects of behaviors that cannot be assessed by a human observer. Single mouse setups have been used routinely, but cannot be easily extended to multiple-animal studies where social behavior is key, e.g., autism, depression, anxiety, substance and non-substance addictive disorders, aggression, sexual behavior, or parenting. While recent efforts are focusing on multiple-animal tracking alone, a significant limitation remains the lack of insightful measures of social interactions. We present a novel, non-invasive single camera-based automated tracking method described as Mouse Social Test (MoST) and set of measures designed for estimating the interactions of multiple mice at the same time in the same environment interacting freely. Our results show measurement of social interactions and designed to be adaptable and applicable to most existing home cage systems used in research, and provide a greater level of detailed analysis of social behavior than previously possible. The present study describes social behaviors assessed in a home cage environment setup containing six mice that interact freely over long periods of time, and we illustrate how these measures can be interpreted and combined to classify rodent social behaviors. In addition, we illustrate how these measures can be interpreted and combined to classify and analyze comprehensively rodent behaviors involved in several neuropsychiatric diseases as well as provide opportunity for the basic research of rodent behavior previously not possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panayotis K Thanos
- Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Lab, Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
| | - Christophe Restif
- Center for Computational Biomedicine Imaging and Computation, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08904, USA
| | - Joseph R O'Rourke
- Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Lab, Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Chiu Yin Lam
- Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Lab, Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Dimitris Metaxas
- Center for Computational Biomedicine Imaging and Computation, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08904, USA
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Patel TP, Gullotti DM, Hernandez P, O'Brien WT, Capehart BP, Morrison B, Bass C, Eberwine JE, Abel T, Meaney DF. An open-source toolbox for automated phenotyping of mice in behavioral tasks. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:349. [PMID: 25339878 PMCID: PMC4189437 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Classifying behavior patterns in mouse models of neurological, psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders is critical for understanding disease causality and treatment. However, complete characterization of behavior is time-intensive, prone to subjective scoring, and often requires specialized equipment. Although several reports describe automated home-cage monitoring and individual task scoring methods, we report the first open source, comprehensive toolbox for automating the scoring of several common behavior tasks used by the neuroscience community. We show this new toolbox is robust and achieves equal or better consistency when compared to manual scoring methods. We use this toolbox to study the alterations in behavior that occur following blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI), and study if these behavior patterns are altered following genetic deletion of the transcription factor Ets-like kinase 1 (Elk-1). Due to the role of Elk-1 in neuronal survival and proposed role in synaptic plasticity, we hypothesized that Elk-1 deletion would improve some neurobehavioral deficits, while impairing others, following blast exposure. In Elk-1 knockout (KO) animals, deficits in open field, spatial object recognition (SOR) and elevated zero maze performance after blast exposure disappeared, while new significant deficits appeared in spatial and associative memory. These are the first data suggesting a molecular mediator of anxiety deficits following bTBI, and represent the utility of the broad screening tool we developed. More broadly, we envision this open-source toolbox will provide a more consistent and rapid analysis of behavior across many neurological diseases, promoting the rapid discovery of novel pathways mediating disease progression and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tapan P Patel
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David M Gullotti
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Pepe Hernandez
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - W Timothy O'Brien
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Bruce P Capehart
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - Barclay Morrison
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University New York, NY, USA
| | - Cameron Bass
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - James E Eberwine
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David F Meaney
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA ; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
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T-pattern analysis for the study of temporal structure of animal and human behavior: a comprehensive review. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 239:34-46. [PMID: 25280983 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Revised: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A basic tenet in the realm of modern behavioral sciences is that behavior consists of patterns in time. For this reason, investigations of behavior deal with sequences that are not easily perceivable by the unaided observer. This problem calls for improved means of detection, data handling and analysis. This review focuses on the analysis of the temporal structure of behavior carried out by means of a multivariate approach known as T-pattern analysis. Using this technique, recurring sequences of behavioral events, usually hard to detect, can be unveiled and carefully described. T-pattern analysis has been successfully applied in the study of various aspects of human or animal behavior such as behavioral modifications in neuro-psychiatric diseases, route-tracing stereotypy in mice, interaction between human subjects and animal or artificial agents, hormonal-behavioral interactions, patterns of behavior associated with emesis and, in our laboratories, exploration and anxiety-related behaviors in rodents. After describing the theory and concepts of T-pattern analysis, this review will focus on the application of the analysis to the study of the temporal characteristics of behavior in different species from rodents to human beings. This work could represent a useful background for researchers who intend to employ such a refined multivariate approach to the study of behavior.
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Nicol AU, Segonds-Pichon A, Magnusson MS. Complex spike patterns in olfactory bulb neuronal networks. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 239:11-7. [PMID: 25256643 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Revised: 09/13/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND T-pattern analysis is a procedure developed for detecting non-randomly recurring hierarchical and multiordinal real-time sequential patterns (T-patterns). NEW METHOD We have inquired whether such patterns of action potentials (spikes) can be extracted from extracellular activity sampled simultaneously from many neurons across the mitral cell layer of the olfactory bulb (OB). Spikes were sampled from urethane-anaesthetized rats over a 6h recording session, or a period lasting as long as permitted by the physiological condition of the animal. Breathing was recorded to mark peak inhalation and exhalation. RESULTS Complex T-patterns of up to ∼20 elements were identified with functional connections often spanning the full extent of the array. A considerable proportion of these sequences incorporated breathing. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS In contrast to sequence detection by synfire, the incidence of sequences detected in our real data is very much greater than in the same data when randomized either by shuffling, or an alternative procedure preserving the interval structure of each spike train, and so more conservative. Further, when recordings were terminated before completion of the full recording session, the relative pattern detection in real and randomized data was a strong indicator of physiological condition-in recordings leading up to the preparation becoming physiologically unstable, the number of patterns detected in real data approached that in the randomized data. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that such sequences are an important physiological property of the neural system studied, and suggest that they may form a basis for encoding sensory information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alister U Nicol
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, 307 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0JX, UK.
| | | | - Magnus S Magnusson
- Human Behaviour Laboratory, University of Iceland, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland
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Casarrubea M, Magnusson MS, Roy V, Arabo A, Sorbera F, Santangelo A, Faulisi F, Crescimanno G. Multivariate temporal pattern analysis applied to the study of rat behavior in the elevated plus maze: methodological and conceptual highlights. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 234:116-26. [PMID: 24932963 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Revised: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Aim of this article is to illustrate the application of a multivariate approach known as t-pattern analysis in the study of rat behavior in elevated plus maze. By means of this multivariate approach, significant relationships among behavioral events in the course of time can be described. Both quantitative and t-pattern analyses were utilized to analyze data obtained from fifteen male Wistar rats following a trial 1-trial 2 protocol. In trial 2, in comparison with the initial exposure, mean occurrences of behavioral elements performed in protected zones of the maze showed a significant increase counterbalanced by a significant decrease of mean occurrences of behavioral elements in unprotected zones. Multivariate t-pattern analysis, in trial 1, revealed the presence of 134 t-patterns of different composition. In trial 2, the temporal structure of behavior become more simple, being present only 32 different t-patterns. Behavioral strings and stripes (i.e. graphical representation of each t-pattern onset) of all t-patterns were presented both for trial 1 and trial 2 as well. Finally, percent distributions in the three zones of the maze show a clear-cut increase of t-patterns in closed arm and a significant reduction in the remaining zones. Results show that previous experience deeply modifies the temporal structure of rat behavior in the elevated plus maze. In addition, this article, by highlighting several conceptual, methodological and illustrative aspects on the utilization of t-pattern analysis, could represent a useful background to employ such a refined approach in the study of rat behavior in elevated plus maze.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Casarrubea
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - M S Magnusson
- Human Behavior Laboratory, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
| | - V Roy
- PSY-NCA, EA4700, Laboratoire de Psychologie et de Neurosciences de la Cognition et de l'Affectivité, Université de Rouen, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.
| | - A Arabo
- PSY-NCA, EA4700, Laboratoire de Psychologie et de Neurosciences de la Cognition et de l'Affectivité, Université de Rouen, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.
| | - F Sorbera
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - A Santangelo
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - F Faulisi
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - G Crescimanno
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BioNeC), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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Reproducibility and relevance of future behavioral sciences should benefit from a cross fertilization of past recommendations and today's technology: "Back to the future". J Neurosci Methods 2014; 234:2-12. [PMID: 24632384 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Revised: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Thanks to the discovery of novel technologies and sophisticated analysis tools we can now 'see' molecules, genes and even patterns of gene expression, which have resulted in major advances in many areas of biology. Recently, similar technologies have been developed for behavioral studies. However, the wide implementation of such technological progress in behavioral research remains behind, as if there are inhibiting factors for accepting and adopting available innovations. The methods of the majority of studies measuring and interpreting behavior of laboratory animals seem to have frozen in time somewhere in the last century. As an example of the so-called classical tests, we will present the history and shortcomings of one of the most frequently used tests, the open field. Similar objections and critical remarks, however, can be made with regard to the elevated plus maze, light-dark box, various other mazes, object recognition tests, etc. Possible solutions and recommendations on how progress in behavioral neuroscience can be achieved and accelerated will be discussed in the second part of this review.
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Casarrubea M, Roy V, Sorbera F, Magnusson M, Santangelo A, Arabo A, Crescimanno G. Significant divergences between the temporal structure of the behavior in Wistar and in the spontaneously more anxious DA/Han strain of rats tested in elevated plus maze. Behav Brain Res 2013; 250:166-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Revised: 05/07/2013] [Accepted: 05/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Meuth P, Gaburro S, Lesting J, Legler A, Herty M, Budde T, Meuth SG, Seidenbecher T, Lutz B, Pape HC. Standardizing the analysis of conditioned fear in rodents: a multidimensional software approach. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2013; 12:583-92. [PMID: 23566274 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2012] [Revised: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Data comparability between different laboratories strongly depends on the individually applied analysis method. This factor is often a critical source of variation in rodent phenotyping and has never been systematically investigated in Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigms. In rodents, fear is typically quantified in terms of freezing duration via manual observation or automated systems. While manual analysis includes biases such as tiredness or inter-personal scoring variability, computer-assisted systems are unable to distinguish between freezing and immobility. Consequently, the novel software called MOVE follows a semi-automatized approach that prefilters video sequences of interest for the final human judgment. Furthermore, MOVE allows integrating additional data sources (e.g. force-sensitive platform, EEG) to reach the most accurate and precise results. MOVE directly supports multi-angle video recordings with webcams or standard laboratory equipment. The integrated manual key logger and internal video player complement this all-in-one software solution. Calculating the interlaboratory variability of manual freezing evaluation revealed significantly different freezing scores in two out of six laboratories. This difference was minimized when all experiments were analyzed with MOVE. Applied to a genetically modified mouse model, MOVE revealed higher fear responses of CB1 deficient mice compared to their wild-type littermates after foreground context fear conditioning. Multi-angle video analysis compared to the single-camera approach reached up to 15% higher accuracy and two fold higher precision. Multidimensional analysis provided by integration of additional data sources further improved the overall result. We conclude that the widespread usage of MOVE could substantially improve the comparability of results from different laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Meuth
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
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Temporal structure of the rat's behavior in elevated plus maze test. Behav Brain Res 2012; 237:290-9. [PMID: 23041180 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.09.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Revised: 09/24/2012] [Accepted: 09/28/2012] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Aim of the research was to evaluate, by means of quantitative and multivariate temporal pattern analyses, the behavior of Wistar rat in elevated plus maze (EPM) test. On the basis of an ethogram encompassing 24 behavioral elements, quantitative results showed that 130.14 ± 8.01 behavioral elements occurred in central platform and in closed arms (protected zones), whereas 88.62 ± 6.04 occurred in open arms (unprotected zones). Percent distribution was characterized by a prevalence of sniffing, walking and vertical exploration. Analysis of minute-by-minute duration evidenced a decrease for time spent in open arms and central platform and an increase for time spent in closed arms. As to multivariate t-pattern analysis, 126 different temporal patterns were detected. Behavioral stripes, summarizing distribution of such t-patterns along time, showed that several t-patterns were not homogeneously distributed along the test observational period: t-patterns encompassing behavioral events occurring prevalently in central platform-open arms were observed during the first minutes, whereas t-patterns structured on the basis of events occurring mainly in central platform-closed arms were detected during the last minutes. Therefore, during the observation in elevated plus maze, rat's behavior undergoes significant rearrangements of its temporal features. Present research demonstrates, for the first time, the existence of complex and significantly timed behavioral sequences in the activity of Wistar rats tested in elevated plus maze. Application of t-pattern analysis can provide useful tools to characterize the behavioral dynamics of anxiety-related rodent behavior and differentiate the effect of various anxioselective substances.
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27
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Zarringhalam K, Ka M, Kook YH, Terranova JI, Suh Y, King OD, Um M. An open system for automatic home-cage behavioral analysis and its application to male and female mouse models of Huntington's disease. Behav Brain Res 2012; 229:216-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2011] [Revised: 01/01/2012] [Accepted: 01/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Cahill H, Rattner A, Nathans J. Preclinical assessment of CNS drug action using eye movements in mice. J Clin Invest 2011; 121:3528-41. [PMID: 21821912 DOI: 10.1172/jci45557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2010] [Accepted: 06/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The drug development process for CNS indications is hampered by a paucity of preclinical tests that accurately predict drug efficacy in humans. Here, we show that a wide variety of CNS-active drugs induce characteristic alterations in visual stimulus-induced and/or spontaneous eye movements in mice. Active compounds included sedatives and antipsychotic, antidepressant, and antiseizure drugs as well as drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, morphine, and phencyclidine. The use of quantitative eye-movement analysis was demonstrated by comparing it with the commonly used rotarod test of motor coordination and by using eye movements to monitor pharmacokinetics, blood-brain barrier penetration, drug-receptor interactions, heavy metal toxicity, pharmacologic treatment in a model of schizophrenia, and degenerative CNS disease. We conclude that eye-movement analysis could complement existing animal tests to improve preclinical drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh Cahill
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
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Horn CC, Henry S, Meyers K, Magnusson MS. Behavioral patterns associated with chemotherapy-induced emesis: a potential signature for nausea in musk shrews. Front Neurosci 2011; 5:88. [PMID: 21808604 PMCID: PMC3139242 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2011.00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2011] [Accepted: 06/25/2011] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms in patients with many diseases, including cancer and its treatments. Although the neurological basis of vomiting is reasonably well known, an understanding of the physiology of nausea is lacking. The primary barrier to mechanistic research on the nausea system is the lack of an animal model. Indeed investigating the effects of anti-nausea drugs in pre-clinical models is difficult because the primary readout is often emesis. It is known that animals show a behavioral profile of sickness, associated with reduced feeding and movement, and possibly these general measures are signs of nausea. Studies attempting to relate the occurrence of additional behaviors to emesis have produced mixed results. Here we applied a statistical method, temporal pattern (t-pattern) analysis, to determine patterns of behavior associated with emesis. Musk shrews were injected with the chemotherapy agent cisplatin (a gold standard in emesis research) to induce acute (<24 h) and delayed (>24 h) emesis. Emesis and other behaviors were coded and tracked from video files. T-pattern analysis revealed hundreds of non-random patterns of behavior associated with emesis, including sniffing, changes in body contraction, and locomotion. There was little evidence that locomotion was inhibited by the occurrence of emesis. Eating, drinking, and other larger body movements including rearing, grooming, and body rotation, were significantly less common in emesis-related behavioral patterns in real versus randomized data. These results lend preliminary evidence for the expression of emesis-related behavioral patterns, including reduced ingestive behavior, grooming, and exploratory behaviors. In summary, this statistical approach to behavioral analysis in a pre-clinical emesis research model could be used to assess the more global effects and limitations of drugs used to control nausea and its potential correlates, including reduced feeding and activity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles C Horn
- Biobehavioral Medicine in Oncology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Therapeutic-like properties of a dopamine uptake inhibitor in animal models of amphetamine addiction. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2011; 14:655-65. [PMID: 20735880 DOI: 10.1017/s1461145710000969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
N-substituted benztropine (BZT) analogs are molecules that display high affinity for the dopamine transporter (DAT), therapeutic-like effects in animal models of cocaine abuse, and psychopharmacological characteristics consistent with those of a substitute medication for cocaine addiction. Since amphetamine (Amph) and cocaine share mechanisms of action at the DAT, we evaluated the effectiveness of a BZT analog in animal models of Amph addiction. We tested in mice and rats the effects of the BZT derivative, 3α-[bis(4-fluorophenyl)methoxy]-tropane (AHN-1055), on Amph-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), locomotor activity, sensitization, self-administration and ΔFosB accumulation in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The results showed that AHN-1055 did not produce rewarding, stimulant, or sensitized locomotor effects in mice when administered alone but it readily blocked the rewarding, stimulant, and sensitizing effects of repeated Amph exposure. Furthermore, in mice undergoing conditioning in the CPP paradigm, the BZT analog prevented the accumulation of ΔFosB protein induced in the NAc shell region by Amph treatment. Notably, treatment with AHN-1055 dose-dependently reduced Amph self-administration in rats with a steady history of voluntary Amph intake. These results provide a straightforward demonstration that a BZT derivative with binding affinity for DAT exhibits high efficacy in animal models of Amph abuse, suggesting that the novel generation of BZT analogs could have wider therapeutic applications in stimulant-spectrum disorders than those previously recognized.
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T-pattern analysis of diazepam-induced modifications on the temporal organization of rat behavioral response to anxiety in hole board. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2011; 215:177-89. [PMID: 21181125 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-010-2123-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE By means of t-pattern analysis, it has been observed that the different events, characterizing rat behavior in hole board (HB), present close interrelationships which occur sequentially and with significant constraints on the interval lengths separating them. OBJECTIVES The aim of present research was to study, by means of descriptive and multivariate t-pattern analyses, the effects of the reference anxiolytic drug diazepam (DZP) on temporal structure of a rat's anxiety-related behavior in HB. METHODS Fifty-six male Wistar rats were tested for 10 min in HB. Video files, collected for each animal, were coded by means of a software coder, and event log files, generated for each subject, were analyzed by means of a specific software for temporal pattern analysis (t-pattern analysis). RESULTS Significant diazepam-induced modifications were observed for durations of walking, climbing, edge-sniff, and face grooming. Dose-dependent decreases of t-patterns' total amount, of their mean occurrences and of their mean length for each group were detected. Also, t-patterns' mean occurrences, in terms of different composition, were reduced. Percent distributions showed a significant increase of t-patterns including walking for all administered groups, and significant reductions of t-patterns including climbing, immobile sniffing, and edge-sniff. Front-paw licking and face grooming were reduced at the higher DZP dose. CONCLUSIONS Present study demonstrates, for the first time, that the temporal structure of Wistar rats' behavioral response to anxiety in HB changes following pharmacological manipulation of anxiety condition. Moreover, t-pattern analysis is suggested to represent a useful tool to evaluate and compare different classes of anti-anxiety molecules.
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Wedl M, Bauer B, Gracey D, Grabmayer C, Spielauer E, Day J, Kotrschal K. Factors influencing the temporal patterns of dyadic behaviours and interactions between domestic cats and their owners. Behav Processes 2011; 86:58-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2010.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2010] [Revised: 08/26/2010] [Accepted: 09/03/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Casarrubea M, Sorbera F, Magnusson M, Crescimanno G. Temporal patterns analysis of rat behavior in hole-board. Behav Brain Res 2010; 208:124-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2009] [Revised: 11/06/2009] [Accepted: 11/09/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Asher L, Collins LM, Ortiz-Pelaez A, Drewe JA, Nicol CJ, Pfeiffer DU. Recent advances in the analysis of behavioural organization and interpretation as indicators of animal welfare. J R Soc Interface 2009; 6:1103-19. [PMID: 19740922 PMCID: PMC2817160 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2009.0221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2009] [Accepted: 08/05/2009] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
While the incorporation of mathematical and engineering methods has greatly advanced in other areas of the life sciences, they have been under-utilized in the field of animal welfare. Exceptions are beginning to emerge and share a common motivation to quantify 'hidden' aspects in the structure of the behaviour of an individual, or group of animals. Such analyses have the potential to quantify behavioural markers of pain and stress and quantify abnormal behaviour objectively. This review seeks to explore the scope of such analytical methods as behavioural indicators of welfare. We outline four classes of analyses that can be used to quantify aspects of behavioural organization. The underlying principles, possible applications and limitations are described for: fractal analysis, temporal methods, social network analysis, and agent-based modelling and simulation. We hope to encourage further application of analyses of behavioural organization by highlighting potential applications in the assessment of animal welfare, and increasing awareness of the scope for the development of new mathematical methods in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Asher
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK.
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Brilot BO, Asher L, Feenders G, Bateson M. Quantification of abnormal repetitive behaviour in captive European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Behav Processes 2009; 82:256-64. [PMID: 19622388 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2009.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2009] [Revised: 07/10/2009] [Accepted: 07/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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The dopamine uptake inhibitor 3 alpha-[bis(4'-fluorophenyl)metoxy]-tropane reduces cocaine-induced early-gene expression, locomotor activity, and conditioned reward. Neuropsychopharmacology 2009; 34:2497-507. [PMID: 19606084 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.78] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Benztropine (BZT) analogs, a family of high-affinity dopamine transporter ligands, are molecules that exhibit pharmacological and behavioral characteristics predictive of significant therapeutic potential in cocaine addiction. Here, we examined in mice the effects of 3 alpha-[bis(4'-fluorophenyl)metoxy]-tropane (AHN-1055) on motor activity, conditioned place preference (CPP) and c-Fos expression in the striatum. AHN-1055 produced mild attenuation of spontaneous locomotor activity at a low dose (1 mg/kg) and weak stimulation at a higher dose (10 mg/kg). In parallel, the BZT analog significantly increased c-Fos expression in the dorsolateral caudoputamen at the high dose, whereas producing marginal decreases at low and moderate doses (1, 3 mg/kg) in both dorsal and ventral striatum. Interaction assays showed that cocaine's ability to stimulate locomotor activity was decreased by AHN-1055 treatment, but not by treatment with D-amphetamine. Such reduced ability did not result from an increase in stereotyped behavior. Another dopamine uptake inhibitor, nomifensine, decreased cocaine-induced locomotor activity but evoked by itself intense motor stereotypies. Remarkably, the BZT analog dose-dependently blocked cocaine-induced CPP without producing CPP when given alone, and blocked in conditioned mice cocaine-stimulated early-gene activation in the nucleus accumbens and dorsomedial striatum. These observations provide evidence that AHN-1055 does not behave as a classical psychomotor stimulant and that some of its properties, including attenuation of cocaine-induced striatal c-Fos expression, locomotor stimulation, and CPP, support its candidacy, and that of structurally related molecules, as possible pharmacotherapies in cocaine addiction.
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Multivariate data handling in the study of rat behavior: An integrated approach. Behav Res Methods 2009; 41:772-81. [DOI: 10.3758/brm.41.3.772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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38
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A robust automated system elucidates mouse home cage behavioral structure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:20575-82. [PMID: 19106295 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0809053106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Patterns of behavior exhibited by mice in their home cages reflect the function and interaction of numerous behavioral and physiological systems. Detailed assessment of these patterns thus has the potential to provide a powerful tool for understanding basic aspects of behavioral regulation and their perturbation by disease processes. However, the capacity to identify and examine these patterns in terms of their discrete levels of organization across diverse behaviors has been difficult to achieve and automate. Here, we describe an automated approach for the quantitative characterization of fundamental behavioral elements and their patterns in the freely behaving mouse. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by identifying unique features of home cage behavioral structure and changes in distinct levels of behavioral organization in mice with single gene mutations altering energy balance. The robust, automated, reproducible quantification of mouse home cage behavioral structure detailed here should have wide applicability for the study of mammalian physiology, behavior, and disease.
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