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Abstract
Conceptual parallels between physiological and behavioral forms of resistance to parasites have led to the development of terminology like "the behavioral immune system" to refer to behaviors that combat parasites. I extend this metaphor by applying findings from research on physiological resistance to generate predictions for the ecology and evolution of behavioral resistance (here, synonymous with avoidance). In certain cases, behavioral resistance may follow similar evolutionary dynamics to physiological resistance. However, more research on the nature of the costs of behavioral resistance is needed, including how parasite transmission mode may be a key determinant of these costs. In addition, "acquiring" behavioral resistance may require specific mechanisms separate from classical forms of conditioning, due to constraints on timing of host learning processes and parasite incubation periods. Given existing literature, behavioral resistance to infectious disease seems more likely to be innate than acquired within the lifetime of an individual, raising new questions about how individual experience could shape anti-parasite behaviors. This review provides a framework for using existing literature on physiological resistance to generate predictions for behavioral resistance, and highlights several important directions for future research based on this comparison.
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Kavaliers M, Bishnoi IR, Ossenkopp KP, Choleris E. Differential effects of progesterone on social recognition and the avoidance of pathogen threat by female mice. Horm Behav 2021; 127:104873. [PMID: 33069752 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Although pathogen threat affects social and sexual responses across species, relatively little is known about the underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms. Progesterone has been speculated to be involved in the mediation of pathogen disgust in women, though with mixed experimental support. Here we considered the effects of acute progesterone on the disgust-like avoidance responses of female mice to pathogen threat. Estrous female mice discriminated and avoided the urinary and associated odors of males subclinically infected with the murine nematode parasite, Heligmosomoides polygyrus. These avoidance responses were not significantly affected by pre-treatment with progesterone. Likewise, brief (1 min) exposure to the odors of infected males attenuated the subsequent responses of females to the odors of the normally preferred unfamiliar males and enhanced their preferences for familiar males. Neither progesterone nor allopregnanolone, a central neurosteroid metabolite of progesterone, had any significant effects on the avoidance of unfamiliar males elicited by pre-exposure to a parasitized male. Progesterone and allopregnanolone, did, however, significantly attenuate the typical preferences of estrous females for unfamiliar uninfected males, suggestive of effects on social recognition. These findings with mice indicate that progesterone may have minimal effects on the responses to specific parasite threat and the expression of pathogen disgust but may influence more general social recognition and preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.
| | - Indra R Bishnoi
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
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3
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Kavaliers M, Ossenkopp KP, Choleris E. Pathogens, odors, and disgust in rodents. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:281-293. [PMID: 33031813 PMCID: PMC7536123 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
All animals are under the constant threat of attack by parasites. The mere presence of parasite threat can alter behavior before infection takes place. These effects involve pathogen disgust, an evolutionarily conserved affective/emotional system that functions to detect cues associated with parasites and infection and facilitate avoidance behaviors. Animals gauge the infection status of conspecific and the salience of the threat they represent on the basis of various sensory cues. Odors in particular are a major source of social information about conspecifics and the infection threat they present. Here we briefly consider the origins, expression, and regulation of the fundamental features of odor mediated pathogen disgust in rodents. We briefly review aspects of: (1) the expression of affective states and emotions and in particular, disgust, in rodents; (2) olfactory mediated recognition and avoidance of potentially infected conspecifics and the impact of pathogen disgust and its' fundamental features on behavior; (3) pathogen disgust associated trade-offs; (4) the neurobiological mechanisms, and in particular the roles of the nonapeptide, oxytocin, and steroidal hormones, in the expression of pathogen disgust and the regulation of avoidance behaviors and concomitant trade-offs. Understanding the roles of pathogen disgust in rodents can provide insights into the regulation and expression of responses to pathogens and infection in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
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4
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Amoroso CR, Antonovics J. Evolution of behavioural resistance in host-pathogen systems. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200508. [PMID: 32933405 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioural resistance to parasites is widespread in animals, yet little is known about the evolutionary dynamics that have shaped these strategies. We show that theory developed for the evolution of physiological parasite resistance can only be applied to behavioural resistance under limited circumstances. We find that accounting explicitly for the behavioural processes, including the detectability of infected individuals, leads to novel dynamics that are strongly dependent on the nature of the costs and benefits of social interactions. As with physiological resistance, evolutionary dynamics of behavioural resistance can also lead to mixed strategies that balance these costs and benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline R Amoroso
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22902 USA
| | - Janis Antonovics
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22902 USA
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Kochevalina MY, Trunov VG, Morozova OV, Kogun GA, Rodionova EI. Change in Urine Odor of Mice in the Dynamics of Formation of a Transplanted Hepatocarcinoma H33 Tumor. BIOL BULL+ 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359020050052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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6
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Kavaliers M, Colwell DD, Wah DTO, Bishnoi IR, Ossenkopp KP, Choleris E. Conspecific infection threat rapidly biases the social responses of female mice: Involvement of oxytocin. Horm Behav 2019; 113:67-75. [PMID: 31047886 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Pathogen threat affects social preferences and responses across species. Here we examined the effects of social context and the infection status of conspecific females and males on the social and mate responses of female mice. The responses of female mice to males were rapidly affected by the presence of infected female conspecifics and infected males. In mice odor cues drive appetitive and aversive social and mate responses. Brief (1 min) exposure to the fresh urinary odors of females infected with the murine nematode parasite, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, attenuated the responses of other uninfected females to the odors of naturally preferred unfamiliar males and enhanced their preferences for familiar males. Likewise exposure to the odors of a male either infected with H. polygyrus or treated with the bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide, reduced the responses of females to the odors of unfamiliar males. In addition, females displayed an avoidance of, and discrimination against, male mice whose odors had been associated with that of an infected female ("guilt by association") and a preference for the odors associated with an uninfected female ("mate copying"). These shifts in preferences for female associated male odors were attenuated in a dose-related manner by pre-treatment with the oxytocin receptor antagonist, L-368,899. These findings show that social information associated with the infection status of conspecifics can rapidly bias the mate preferences of female mice in an oxytocin receptor dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.
| | | | - Deanne T O Wah
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Indra R Bishnoi
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
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7
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Kavaliers M, Ossenkopp KP, Choleris E. Social neuroscience of disgust. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 18:e12508. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario Canada
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program; University of Guelph; Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program; University of Guelph; Guelph Ontario Canada
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Tph2-/- female mice restore socio-sexual recognition through upregulating ERα and OTR genes in the amygdala. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193395. [PMID: 29470551 PMCID: PMC5823409 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The central 5-hydroxytryptamine system impairs sociosexual behaviors and olfaction preferences in sexually naive mice. However, it remains unknown whether reproductive experiences impart an effect on the sexual olfactory preferences of female mice lacking central serotonin. Here, we aimed at examining such effects and the underlying mechanisms using Tph2 knockout female mice. Sexually naive Tph2−/− female mice failed to recognize olfactory cues regarding sex, genetic relatedness, and social hierarchy despite exhibiting normal olfactory discrimination. However, reproduction-experienced Tph2−/− female mice recovered sexual olfactory preferences, as did sexually naive Tph2+/+ females. Meanwhile, both the estrogen receptor α and oxytocin receptor in the amygdala of reproduction-experienced Tph2−/− females presented upregulated expression at the mRNA level and an upward tendency at the protein level vs. sexually naive Tph2−/− females. Intracerebroventricular administration of a combination of estrogen receptor α and oxytocin receptor agonists, but not either agent alone, could restore the sexual olfactory preferences of sexually naive Tph2−/− female mice to some degree. We speculate that estrogen receptor α and oxytocin receptor activation in the amygdala after reproductive experiences restores sexual olfactory recognition in Tph2−/− female mice.
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Kimball BA, Opiekun M, Yamazaki K, Beauchamp GK. Immunization alters body odor. Physiol Behav 2014; 128:80-5. [PMID: 24524972 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 01/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Infections have been shown to alter body odor. Because immune activation accompanies both infection and immunization, we tested the hypothesis that classical immunization might similarly result in the alteration of body odors detectable by trained biosensor mice. Using a Y-maze, we trained biosensor mice to distinguish between urine odors from rabies-vaccinated (RV) and unvaccinated control mice. RV-trained mice generalized this training to mice immunized with the equine West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine compared with urine of corresponding controls. These results suggest that there are similarities between body odors of mice immunized with these two vaccines. This conclusion was reinforced when mice could not be trained to directly discriminate between urine odors of RV- versus WNV-treated mice. Next, we trained biosensor mice to discriminate the urine odors of mice treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; a general elicitor of innate immunological responses) from the urine of control mice. These LPS-trained biosensors could distinguish between the odors of LPS-treated mouse urine and RV-treated mouse urine. Finally, biosensor mice trained to distinguish between the odors of RV-treated mouse urine and control mouse urine did not generalize this training to discriminate between the odors of LPS-treated mouse urine and control mouse urine. From these experiments, we conclude that: (1) immunization alters urine odor in similar ways for RV and WNV immunizations; and (2) immune activation with LPS also alters urine odor but in ways different from those of RV and WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce A Kimball
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Maryanne Opiekun
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Kunio Yamazaki
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Gary K Beauchamp
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Kimball BA, Yamazaki K, Kohler D, Bowen RA, Muth JP, Opiekun M, Beauchamp GK. Avian influenza infection alters fecal odor in mallards. PLoS One 2013; 8:e75411. [PMID: 24146753 PMCID: PMC3797728 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 08/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in body odor are known to be a consequence of many diseases. Much of the published work on disease-related and body odor changes has involved parasites and certain cancers. Much less studied have been viral diseases, possibly due to an absence of good animal model systems. Here we studied possible alteration of fecal odors in animals infected with avian influenza viruses (AIV). In a behavioral study, inbred C57BL/6 mice were trained in a standard Y-maze to discriminate odors emanating from feces collected from mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) infected with low-pathogenic avian influenza virus compared to fecal odors from non-infected controls. Mice could discriminate odors from non-infected compared to infected individual ducks on the basis of fecal odors when feces from post-infection periods were paired with feces from pre-infection periods. Prompted by this indication of odor change, fecal samples were subjected to dynamic headspace and solvent extraction analyses employing gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify chemical markers indicative of AIV infection. Chemical analyses indicated that AIV infection was associated with a marked increase of acetoin (3-hydroxy-2-butanone) in feces. These experiments demonstrate that information regarding viral infection exists via volatile metabolites present in feces. Further, they suggest that odor changes following virus infection could play a role in regulating behavior of conspecifics exposed to infected individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce A. Kimball
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Kunio Yamazaki
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Dennis Kohler
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Richard A. Bowen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jack P. Muth
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Maryanne Opiekun
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Gary K. Beauchamp
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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11
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Social condition and oxytocin neuron number in the hypothalamus of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber). Neuroscience 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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12
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Martinez-Padilla J, Vergara P, Mougeot F, Redpath SM. Parasitized mates increase infection risk for partners. Am Nat 2012; 179:811-20. [PMID: 22617268 DOI: 10.1086/665664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Individuals can gain fitness benefits and costs through their mates. However, studies on sexual selection have tended to focus on genetic benefits. A potentially widespread cost of pairing with a parasitized mate is that doing so will increase an individual's parasite abundance. Such a cost has been overlooked in systems in which parasites are indirectly transmitted. We manipulated the abundance of the nematode parasite Trichostrongylus tenuis, an indirectly transmitted parasite, within pairs of wild red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus in spring. Parasite levels were correlated within pairs before the experiment. We removed parasites from males, females, or both members of the pair and evaluated individual parasite uptake over the subsequent breeding period. At the end of the breeding season, an individual's parasite abundance was greater when its mate had not been initially purged of parasites. This cost appeared to be greater for males. We discuss the implications of our results in relation to the costs that parasites may have on sexual selection processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus Martinez-Padilla
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
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Social Interactions in the Clinic and the Cage: Toward a More Valid Mouse Model of Autism. ANIMAL MODELS OF BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60761-883-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Shelley DN, Choleris E, Kavaliers M, Pfaff DW. Mechanisms underlying sexual and affiliative behaviors of mice: relation to generalized CNS arousal. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2010; 1:260-70. [PMID: 18985112 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsl032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2006] [Accepted: 09/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The field of social neuroscience has grown dramatically in recent years and certain social responses have become amenable to mechanistic investigations. Toward that end, there has been remarkable progress in determining mechanisms for a simple sexual behavior, lordosis behavior. This work has proven that specific hormone-dependent biochemical reactions in specific parts of the mammalian brain regulate a biologically important behavior. On one hand, this sex behavior depends on underlying mechanisms of CNS arousal. On the other hand, it serves as a prototypical social behavior. The same sex hormones and the genes that encode their receptors as are involved in lordosis, also affect social recognition. Here we review evidence for a micronet of genes promoting social recognition in mice and discuss their biological roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah N Shelley
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA
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15
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Choleris E, Clipperton-Allen AE, Phan A, Kavaliers M. Neuroendocrinology of social information processing in rats and mice. Front Neuroendocrinol 2009; 30:442-459. [PMID: 19442683 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2008] [Revised: 05/05/2009] [Accepted: 05/06/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
We reviewed oxytocin (OT), arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and gonadal hormone involvement in various modes of social information processing in mice and rats. Gonadal hormones regulate OT and AVP mediation of social recognition and social learning. Estrogens foster OT-mediated social recognition and the recognition and avoidance of parasitized conspecifics via estrogen receptor (ER) alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta. Testosterone and its metabolites, including estrogens, regulate social recognition in males predominantly via the AVP V1a receptor. Both OT and AVP are involved in the social transmission of food preferences and ERalpha has inhibitory, while ERbeta has enhancing, roles. OT also enhances mate copying by females. ERalpha mediates the sexual, and ERbeta the recognition, aspects of the risk-taking enhancing effects of females on males. Thus, androgens and estrogens control social information processing by regulating OT and AVP. This control is finely tuned for different forms of social information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
| | | | - Anna Phan
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C2
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Bímová B, Albrecht T, Macholán M, Piálek J. Signalling components of the house mouse mate recognition system. Behav Processes 2008; 80:20-7. [PMID: 18790024 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2008.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2008] [Revised: 08/14/2008] [Accepted: 08/15/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Subspecies-specific mate recognition may represent significant barrier to gene flow between diverged genomes potentially leading to speciation. In the house mouse, assortative mating involves the coevolution of several signals and receptors. We compared signalling ability of bedding material, faeces, urine, saliva, salivary androgen binding proteins (ABP) and combinations of urine with saliva and urine with ABP in mate choice in two wild-derived inbred strains (one of Mus musculus musculus and one of Mus musculus domesticus origin). We observed high levels of variation in assortative preferences between the two strains and sexes. The strongest preferences were observed in M. m. musculus-derived individuals in tests where urine was present either alone or as part of a composite signal target. M. m. domesticus-derived mice displayed strain-specific preferences for faeces. Saliva was the least preferred stimulus in both strains and sexes. No effect of two-compound cues was detected. We conclude that there is divergence across both the stimulus and preference parts of the recognition system for both house mouse strains. Of the tested stimuli, those that have the capacity to carry a signal for extended periods under natural conditions (such as urine and faeces) seem to be the most important substances in strain-specific recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Bímová
- Department of Population Biology, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-675 02 Konesin, Studenec 122, Czech Republic.
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Choleris E, Little SR, Mong JA, Puram SV, Langer R, Pfaff DW. Microparticle-based delivery of oxytocin receptor antisense DNA in the medial amygdala blocks social recognition in female mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:4670-5. [PMID: 17360582 PMCID: PMC1838659 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0700670104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2006] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Social recognition constitutes the basis of social life. In male mice and rats, social recognition is known to be governed by the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) through its action on OT receptors (OTRs) in the medial amygdala. In female rats and mice, which have sociosexual behaviors controlling substantial investment in reproduction, an important role for OT in sociosexual behaviors has also been shown. However, the site in the female brain for OT action on social recognition is still unknown. Here we used a customized, controlled release system of biodegradable polymeric microparticles to deliver, in the medial amygdala of female mice, "locked nucleic acid" antisense (AS) oligonucleotides with sequences specific for the mRNA of the OTR gene. We found that single bilateral intraamygdala injections of OTR AS locked nucleic acid oligonucleotides several days before behavioral testing reduced social recognition. Thus, we showed that gene expression for OTR specifically in the amygdala is required for normal social recognition in female mice. Importantly, during the same experiment, we performed a detailed ethological analysis of mouse behavior revealing that OTR AS-treated mice underwent an initial increase in ambivalent risk-assessment behavior. Other behaviors were not affected, thus revealing specific roles for amygdala OTR in female social recognition potentially mediated by anxiety in a social context. Understanding the functional genomics of OT and OTR in social recognition should help elucidate the neurobiological bases of human disorders of social behavior (e.g., autism).
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Choleris
- *Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Steven R. Little
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Jessica A. Mong
- *Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Sidharth V. Puram
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142; and
| | - Robert Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142; and
| | - Donald W. Pfaff
- *Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021
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Hasshoff M, Böhnisch C, Tonn D, Hasert B, Schulenburg H. The role ofCaenorhabditis elegansinsulin‐like signaling in the behavioral avoidance of pathogenicBacillus thuringiensis. FASEB J 2007; 21:1801-12. [PMID: 17314144 DOI: 10.1096/fj.06-6551com] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Pathogens cause damage, and their elimination requires activation of the costly immune response. A highly economic defense strategy should thus be the behavioral avoidance of pathogens, as manifested in humans by all aspects of hygiene or revulsion at pathogen-rich material. Despite its potential importance, behavioral defenses have as yet received only little attention in biomedical research--in stark contrast to the physiological immune system. In the present study, the genetics of such behavioral defenses are elucidated in a simple model organism, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We show for the first time that mutations in the insulin-like receptor (ILR) pathway lead to two distinct behavioral responses against pathogenic strains of the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (BT), including the physical evasion of pathogens and their reduced oral uptake. Since this pathway also contributes to nematode stress resistance, the results surprisingly reveal a genetic link between physiological and behavioral defenses. Considering that many signaling pathways have conserved their functions across evolution, including the ILR pathway, this signaling cascade may represent an interesting candidate regulator for behavioral defenses in more complex organisms, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Hasshoff
- Institute for Animal Evolution and Ecology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany
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19
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Choleris E, Ogawa S, Kavaliers M, Gustafsson JA, Korach KS, Muglia LJ, Pfaff DW. Involvement of estrogen receptor ?, ? and oxytocin in social discrimination: a detailed behavioral analysis with knockout female mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2006; 5:528-39. [PMID: 17010099 DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2006.00203.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Social recognition, processing, and retaining information about conspecific individuals is crucial for the development of normal social relationships. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is necessary for social recognition in male and female mice, with its effects being modulated by estrogens in females. In previous studies, mice whose genes for the estrogen receptor-alpha (alpha-ERKO) and estrogen receptor-beta (beta-ERKO) as well as OTKO were knocked out failed to habituate to a repeatedly presented conspecific and to dishabituate when the familiar mouse is replaced by a novel animal (Choleris et al. 2003, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100, 6192-6197). However, a binary social discrimination assay, where animals are given a simultaneous choice between a familiar and a previously unknown individual, offers a more direct test of social recognition. Here, we used alpha-ERKO, beta-ERKO, and OTKO female mice in the binary social discrimination paradigm. Differently from their wild-type controls, when given a choice, the KO mice showed either reduced (beta-ERKO) or completely impaired (OTKO and alpha-ERKO) social discrimination. Detailed behavioral analyses indicate that all of the KO mice have reduced anxiety-related stretched approaches to the social stimulus with no overall impairment in horizontal and vertical activity, non-social investigation, and various other behaviors such as, self-grooming, digging, and inactivity. Therefore, the OT, ER-alpha, and ER-beta genes are necessary, to different degrees, for social discrimination and, thus, for the modulation of social behavior (e.g. aggression, affiliation).
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Affiliation(s)
- E Choleris
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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Kavaliers M, Choleris E, Ågmo A, Braun WJ, Colwell DD, Muglia LJ, Ogawa S, Pfaff DW. Inadvertent social information and the avoidance of parasitized male mice: a role for oxytocin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:4293-8. [PMID: 16537524 PMCID: PMC1449686 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0600410103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Social information can be acquired either directly or indirectly from cues inadvertently produced by individuals with similar interests and requirements ("inadvertent social information," ISI). These inadvertent cues provide "public information" that other individuals can use to guide their behavior. We show here that female mice use olfactory ISI to determine their choice of, and responses to, males and that the use of this ISI involves the gene for oxytocin (OT). Female mice (OT wild type and CF-1 strain) displayed a significant interest in, and choice of, the odors of uninfected males of varying sexual status that were associated with the odors of an another estrous female. This recognition of, and choices for, specific, individual male odors was evident 24 h later. Female mice also distinguished between males subclinically infected with the gastrointestinal nematode parasite, Heligimosomoides polygyrus, and nonparasitized males, displaying aversive responses (analgesia, increased corticosterone) to, and avoidance of, the odors of infected males. The presence of the odors of another estrous female with that of the infected male, which are indicative of potential mate interests, attenuated these aversive responses and resulted in a choice for the odors of infected male. OT gene-deficient (knockout) females were impaired in their use of this ISI to modulate their responses to either uninfected males of differing sexual states or infected males. These findings suggest that OT genes are necessary for the processing of inadvertent social information and likely the integration of both direct and indirect social information.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Anders Ågmo
- Department of Psychology, University of Trømso, 9037 Trømso, Norway
| | - W. John Braun
- Statistical and Actuarial Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada N6A 5C2
| | | | - Louis J. Muglia
- **Department of Pediatrics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130; and
| | - Sonoko Ogawa
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021
| | - Donald W. Pfaff
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021
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Kavaliers M, Choleris E, Pfaff DW. Genes, odours and the recognition of parasitized individuals by rodents. Trends Parasitol 2005; 21:423-9. [PMID: 16043413 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2005.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2005] [Revised: 06/01/2005] [Accepted: 07/11/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Social recognition, whereby animals identify and recognize other individual conspecifics, is a crucial prerequisite for a wide range of social behaviours. There are relationships among social odours (chemical signals), parasite recognition and avoidance that are associated with hormonal, neural and genomic mechanisms in rodents. Rodents use social odours to: (i) distinguish between infected and uninfected individuals; (ii) recognize specific infected individuals; and (iii) avoid and display aversive responses to infected individuals. There are genomic correlates of this parasite recognition and avoidance in which genes expressing the neuropeptide oxytocin have roles. In this article, we provide a framework ("micronet") by which the genetic, hormonal and neural interactions associated with social behaviours and recognition and avoidance of parasitized individuals can be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, Social Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C2.
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Kavaliers M, Choleris E, Pfaff DW. Recognition and avoidance of the odors of parasitized conspecifics and predators: differential genomic correlates. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2005; 29:1347-59. [PMID: 16055189 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2005.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2004] [Revised: 03/30/2005] [Accepted: 04/01/2005] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In many species of animals chemical stimuli are an important source of information about the threats and dangers present in the social and non-social world. Olfactory cues play a fundamental role in modulating social recognition and interactions in a wide variety of mammals. Rodents, in particular, utilize chemical signals, to recognize and avoid conspecifics infected with parasites and other pathogens. Animals also respond to, and utilize, predator odor related information to assess and minimize their risk of predation. In this review, we briefly focus on the relations between odors, parasite recognition and avoidance and consider some of the associated hormonal, neural and genomic mechanisms. We describe how both male and female rodents distinguish between infected and uninfected males on the basis of odors, displaying aversive response to, and avoidance of, the urine odors of infected individuals. We further describe how the recognition and avoidance of the odors of infected individuals involves genes for the neuropeptide, oxytocin, (OT), and estrogenic mechanisms. We show that mice with deletions of the oxytocin gene (OT knockout mice (OTKO)) and mice whose genes for estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha or ER-beta [ER knockout mice (ERKO), alphaERKO and betaERKO] have been disrupted are specifically impaired in their recognition, avoidance, and memory of the odors of infected individuals. We contrast this with the recognition and display of aversive responses to predator (cat) odor that are insensitive to these genetic manipulations. These findings reveal some of the mechanisms associated with the olfactory mediated recognition of parasitized individuals and predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada.
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