1
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Brown RE. Measuring the replicability of our own research. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 406:110111. [PMID: 38521128 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2024.110111] [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: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
In the study of transgenic mouse models of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, we use batteries of tests to measure deficits in behaviour and from the results of these tests, we make inferences about the mental states of the mice that we interpret as deficits in "learning", "memory", "anxiety", "depression", etc. This paper discusses the problems of determining whether a particular transgenic mouse is a valid mouse model of disease X, the problem of background strains, and the question of whether our behavioural tests are measuring what we say they are. The problem of the reliability of results is then discussed: are they replicable between labs and can we replicate our results in our own lab? This involves the study of intra- and inter- experimenter reliability. The variables that influence replicability and the importance of conducting a complete behavioural phenotype: sensory, motor, cognitive and social emotional behaviour are discussed. Then the thorny question of failure to replicate is examined: Is it a curse or a blessing? Finally, the role of failure in research and what it tells us about our research paradigms is examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard E Brown
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada.
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2
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Hankenson FC. The Elephant in the Room: Recognition and Documentation of Personnel Practices That Confound Reproducibility. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE : JAALAS 2024; 63:232-237. [PMID: 38503489 PMCID: PMC11193430 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-24-000002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The ability to apply findings from animal studies efficiently and effectively is predicated on an understanding of biology and pathobiology, how that biology relates to the human systems being modeled, and how the studies are conducted and reported. This overview discusses various factors in research within the animal environment (referred to as extrinsic factors) that the NIH now expects to be documented to foster replicability in science and expand interpretations of study outcomes. Specifically, an important extrinsic factor in research with animals is that of individual personnel who perform handling practices, participate in research interactions, and share an overall presence in the housing facility with animals, all of which can confound reproducibility efforts in biomedical science. An improved understanding of the influences and behaviors of animal research personnel on animal responses is critical with regard to research results and the interpretation of data collected from animal models of biomedical disease.
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Key Words
- acd wg: nih advisory committee to the director working group
- faseb, federation of american societies for experimental biology
- ilar, institute for laboratory animal research (note ilar is now part of the board on animal health sciences, conservation, and research (bahscr))
- nasem, national academies of science, engineering, and medicine
- nc3rs, national center for the replacement, refinement, and reduction of animals in research
- nih, national institutes of health
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Affiliation(s)
- F Claire Hankenson
- University Laboratory Animal Resources and Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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3
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Chen X, Gan Y, Au NPB, Ma CHE. Current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1345811. [PMID: 38660386 PMCID: PMC11039947 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1345811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is the most common off-target adverse effects caused by various chemotherapeutic agents, such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, vincristine and bortezomib. CIPN is characterized by a substantial loss of primary afferent sensory axonal fibers leading to sensory disturbances in patients. An estimated of 19-85% of patients developed CIPN during the course of chemotherapy. The lack of preventive measures and limited treatment options often require a dose reduction or even early termination of life-saving chemotherapy, impacting treatment efficacy and patient survival. In this Review, we summarized the current understanding on the pathogenesis of CIPN. One prominent change induced by chemotherapeutic agents involves the disruption of neuronal cytoskeletal architecture and axonal transport dynamics largely influenced by the interference of microtubule stability in peripheral neurons. Due to an ineffective blood-nerve barrier in our peripheral nervous system, exposure to some chemotherapeutic agents causes mitochondrial swelling in peripheral nerves, which lead to the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore and cytochrome c release resulting in degeneration of primary afferent sensory fibers. The exacerbated nociceptive signaling and pain transmission in CIPN patients is often linked the increased neuronal excitability largely due to the elevated expression of various ion channels in the dorsal root ganglion neurons. Another important contributing factor of CIPN is the neuroinflammation caused by an increased infiltration of immune cells and production of inflammatory cytokines. In the central nervous system, chemotherapeutic agents also induce neuronal hyperexcitability in the spinal dorsal horn and anterior cingulate cortex leading to the development of central sensitization that causes CIPN. Emerging evidence suggests that the change in the composition and diversity of gut microbiota (dysbiosis) could have direct impact on the development and progression of CIPN. Collectively, all these aspects contribute to the pathogenesis of CIPN. Recent advances in RNA-sequencing offer solid platform for in silico drug screening which enable the identification of novel therapeutic agents or repurpose existing drugs to alleviate CIPN, holding immense promises for enhancing the quality of life for cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy and improve their overall treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yumeng Gan
- Department of Neuroscience, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ngan Pan Bennett Au
- Department of Neuroscience, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Chi Him Eddie Ma
- Department of Neuroscience, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
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4
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Anand P, Kaur A, Singh S. Fucoxanthin mitigates valproic acid-induced autistic behavior through modulation of the AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 967:176335. [PMID: 38331341 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176335] [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: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of fucoxanthin, a natural compound found in seaweed, on various aspects of autism using a rat model induced by valproic acid (VPA). Pregnant rats were administered VPA (600 mg/kg) on gestational day 12.5, and male pups were orally administered fucoxanthin at 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg beginning on post-natal day (PND) 23-43. Behavioral assessments were conducted on PND 45-53, and on PND 54, the animals were sacrificed for further biochemical analyses (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), nitric oxide (NO)) via UV spectroscopy. Inflammatory markers (IL-17, TNF-α, and IL-1β) were also analyzed by sandwich ELISA, and the molecular parameters were evaluated through ELISA. The results revealed that, compared with VPA, fucoxanthin improved behavior and neuronal morphology. Specifically, fucoxanthin administration was found to enhance spatial memory, reduce pain sensitivity, and improve social interaction, locomotor activity, balance, and motor coordination. Fucoxanthin also exhibited anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, as indicated by the restoration of SOD and GSH levels and reduced inflammatory cytokine levels. Molecular analyses revealed that fucoxanthin restored the levels of GSK-3β and AKT. Furthermore, fucoxanthin regulates neurotransmitters, which are related to increasing GABA and reducing glutamate levels in the cortex and cerebellum. The therapeutic effects were dose-dependent, with higher doses (200 mg/kg) showing greater efficacy than lower doses (100 mg/kg) in improving behavioral, biochemical, neurotransmitter, and molecular parameters. Fucoxanthin is a potential treatment for autism, but further research, including clinical trials, is necessary to determine its effectiveness in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyush Anand
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, 142001, Punjab, India
| | - Arshbir Kaur
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, 142001, Punjab, India
| | - Shamsher Singh
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, 142001, Punjab, India.
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Liu X, Gutierrez AG, Vega A, Willms JO, Driskill J, Panthagani P, Sanchez J, Aguilera M, Backus B, Bailoo JD, Bergeson SE. The horizontal ladder test (HLT) protocol: a novel, optimized, and reliable means of assessing motor coordination in Sus scrofa domesticus. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1357363. [PMID: 38510830 PMCID: PMC10951394 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1357363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Pigs can be an important model for preclinical biological research, including neurological diseases such as Alcohol Use Disorder. Such research often involves longitudinal assessment of changes in motor coordination as the disease or disorder progresses. Current motor coordination tests in pigs are derived from behavioral assessments in rodents and lack critical aspects of face and construct validity. While such tests may permit for the comparison of experimental results to rodents, a lack of validation studies of such tests in the pig itself may preclude the drawing of meaningful conclusions. To address this knowledge gap, an apparatus modeled after a horizontally placed ladder and where the height of the rungs could be adjusted was developed. The protocol that was employed within the apparatus mimicked the walk and turn test of the human standardized field sobriety test. Here, five Sinclair miniature pigs were trained to cross the horizontally placed ladder, starting at a rung height of six inches and decreasing to three inches in one-inch increments. It was demonstrated that pigs can reliably learn to cross the ladder, with few errors, under baseline/unimpaired conditions. These animals were then involved in a voluntary consumption of ethanol study where animals were longitudinally evaluated for motor coordination changes at baseline, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% ethanol concentrations subsequently to consuming ethanol. Consistent with our predictions, relative to baseline performance, motor incoordination increased as voluntary consumption of escalating concentrations of ethanol increased. Together these data highlight that the horizontal ladder test (HLT) test protocol is a novel, optimized and reliable test for evaluating motor coordination as well as changes in motor coordination in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Ana G. Gutierrez
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Arlette Vega
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Joshua O. Willms
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Jackson Driskill
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Praneetha Panthagani
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Jordan Sanchez
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Monica Aguilera
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Brittany Backus
- Department of Animal and Food Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Jeremy D. Bailoo
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Susan E. Bergeson
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
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6
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Buatois A, Siddiqi Z, Naim S, Marawi T, Gerlai R. A simple semi-automated home-tank method and procedure to explore classical associative learning in adult zebrafish. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:736-749. [PMID: 36814006 PMCID: PMC10830691 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02076-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The zebrafish is a laboratory species that gained increasing popularity the last decade in a variety of subfields of biology, including toxicology, ecology, medicine, and the neurosciences. An important phenotype often measured in these fields is behaviour. Consequently, numerous new behavioural apparati and paradigms have been developed for the zebrafish, including methods for the analysis of learning and memory in adult zebrafish. Perhaps the biggest obstacle in these methods is that zebrafish is particularly sensitive to human handling. To overcome this confound, automated learning paradigms have been developed with varying success. In this manuscript, we present a semi-automated home tank-based learning/memory test paradigm utilizing visual cues, and show that it is capable of quantifying classical associative learning performance in zebrafish. We demonstrate that in this task, zebrafish successfully acquire the association between coloured-light and food reward. The hardware and software components of the task are easy and cheap to obtain and simple to assemble and set up. The procedures of the paradigm allow the test fish to remain completely undisturbed by the experimenter for several days in their home (test) tank, eliminating human handling or human interference induced stress. We demonstrate that the development of cheap and simple automated home-tank-based learning paradigms for the zebrafish is feasible. We argue that such tasks will allow us to better characterize numerous cognitive and mnemonic features of the zebrafish, including elemental as well as configural learning and memory, which will, in turn, also enhance our ability to study neurobiological mechanisms underlying learning and memory using this model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Buatois
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Rm CCT4004, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Neurochemistry and Psychiatry, University of Gothenburg, Su Sahlgrenska, 41345, Göteborg, Sweden.
| | - Zahra Siddiqi
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Rm CCT4004, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Sadia Naim
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Rm CCT4004, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Tulip Marawi
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Rm CCT4004, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Robert Gerlai
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Rm CCT4004, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada.
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G5, Canada.
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7
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Ueno H, Takahashi Y, Mori S, Murakami S, Wani K, Matsumoto Y, Okamoto M, Ishihara T. Mice Recognise Mice in Neighbouring Rearing Cages and Change Their Social Behaviour. Behav Neurol 2024; 2024:9215607. [PMID: 38264671 PMCID: PMC10805542 DOI: 10.1155/2024/9215607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Mice are social animals that change their behaviour primarily in response to visual, olfactory, and auditory information from conspecifics. Rearing conditions such as cage size and colour are important factors influencing mouse behaviour. In recent years, transparent plastic cages have become standard breeding cages. The advantage of using a transparent cage is that the experimenter can observe the mouse from outside the cage without touching the cage. However, mice may recognise the environment outside the cage and change their behaviour. We speculated that mice housed in transparent cages might recognise mice in neighbouring cages. We used only male mice in this experiment. C57BL/6 mice were kept in transparent rearing cages with open lids, and the cage positions were maintained for 3 weeks. Subsequently, we examined how mice behaved toward cagemate mice, mice from neighbouring cages, and mice from distant cages. We compared the level of interest in mice using a social preference test. Similar to previous reports, subject mice showed a high degree of interest in unfamiliar mice from distant cages. By contrast, subject mice reacted to mice from neighbouring cages as familiar mice, similar to cagemate mice. This suggests that mice housed in transparent cages with open lids perceive the external environment and identify mice in neighbouring cages. Researchers should pay attention to the environment outside the mouse cage, especially for the social preference test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Ueno
- Department of Medical Technology, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Okayama 701-0193, Japan
| | - Yu Takahashi
- Department of Psychiatry, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki 701-0192, Japan
| | - Sachiko Mori
- Department of Psychiatry, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki 701-0192, Japan
| | - Shinji Murakami
- Department of Psychiatry, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki 701-0192, Japan
| | - Kenta Wani
- Department of Psychiatry, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki 701-0192, Japan
| | - Yosuke Matsumoto
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Motoi Okamoto
- Department of Medical Technology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Takeshi Ishihara
- Department of Psychiatry, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki 701-0192, Japan
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8
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von Kortzfleisch VT, Richter SH. Systematic heterogenization revisited: Increasing variation in animal experiments to improve reproducibility? J Neurosci Methods 2024; 401:109992. [PMID: 37884081 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109992] [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: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Life sciences are currently facing a reproducibility crisis. Originally, the crisis was born out of single alarming failures to reproduce findings at different times and locations. Nowadays, systematic studies indicate that the prevalence of irreproducible research does in fact exceed 50%. Viewed from a rather cynical perspective, Fett's law of the lab "Never replicate a successful experiment" has thus taken on a completely new meaning. In this respect, animal research has come under particular scrutiny, as the stakes are high in terms of both research ethics and societal impact. To counteract this, it is essential to identify sources of poor reproducibility as well as to iron out these failures. We here review the current debate, briefly discuss potential reasons, and summarize steps that have already been undertaken to improve reproducibility in animal research. By the example of classical behavioural phenotyping studies, we particularly highlight the role strict standardization plays in exacerbating the crisis, and review the concept of systematic heterogenization as an alternative strategy to deal with variation in animal studies. Briefly, we argue that systematic variation rather than strict homogenization of experimental conditions benefits the robustness of research findings, and hence their reproducibility. To this end, we will present concrete examples for systematically heterogenized experiments and provide a practical guide on how to apply systematic heterogenization in experimental practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestraße 13, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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Spontarelli K, Young VC, Sweazey R, Padro A, Lee J, Bueso T, Hernandez RM, Kim J, Katz A, Rossignol F, Turner C, Wilczewski CM, Maxwell GL, Holmgren M, Bailoo JD, Yano ST, Artigas P. ATP1A1-linked diseases require a malfunctioning protein product from one allele. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2024; 1871:119572. [PMID: 37659504 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Heterozygous germline variants in ATP1A1, the gene encoding the α1 subunit of the Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA), have been linked to diseases including primary hyperaldosteronism and the peripheral neuropathy Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). ATP1A1 variants that cause CMT induce loss-of-function of NKA. This heterodimeric (αβ) enzyme hydrolyzes ATP to establish transmembrane electrochemical gradients of Na+ and K+ that are essential for electrical signaling and cell survival. Of the 4 catalytic subunit isoforms, α1 is ubiquitously expressed and is the predominant paralog in peripheral axons. Human population sequencing datasets indicate strong negative selection against both missense and protein-null ATP1A1 variants. To test whether haploinsufficiency generated by heterozygous protein-null alleles are sufficient to cause disease, we tested the neuromuscular characteristics of heterozygous Atp1a1+/- knockout mice and their wildtype littermates, while also evaluating if exercise increased CMT penetrance. We found that Atp1a1+/- mice were phenotypically normal up to 18 months of age. Consistent with the observations in mice, we report clinical phenotyping of a healthy adult human who lacks any clinical features of known ATP1A1-related diseases despite carrying a plasma-membrane protein-null early truncation variant, p.Y148*. Taken together, these results suggest that a malfunctioning gene product is required for disease induction by ATP1A1 variants and that if any pathology is associated with protein-null variants, they may display low penetrance or high age of onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerri Spontarelli
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Victoria C Young
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Ryan Sweazey
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Alexandria Padro
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Jeannie Lee
- Department of Neurology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Tulio Bueso
- Department of Neurology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Roberto M Hernandez
- Department of Neurology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Jongyeol Kim
- Department of Neurology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Alexander Katz
- NIH Reverse Phenotyping Core, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Francis Rossignol
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Clesson Turner
- NIH Reverse Phenotyping Core, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Caralynn M Wilczewski
- NIH Reverse Phenotyping Core, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - George L Maxwell
- Women's Health Integrated Research Center, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - Miguel Holmgren
- Molecular Neurophysiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jeremy D Bailoo
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
| | - Sho T Yano
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Molecular Neurophysiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Current address: Section of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Pablo Artigas
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
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10
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Ueno H, Takahashi Y, Murakami S, Wani K, Matsumoto Y, Okamoto M, Ishihara T. Effects of home-cage elevation on behavioral tests in mice. Brain Behav 2023; 14:e3269. [PMID: 38064177 PMCID: PMC10897499 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research reproducibility is a common problem in preclinical behavioral science. Mice are an important animal model for studying human behavioral disorders. Experimenters, processing methods, and rearing environments are the main causes of data variability in behavioral neuroscience. It is likely that mice adapt their behavior according to the environment outside the breeding cage. We speculated that mice housed on elevated shelves and mice housed on low shelves might have differently altered anxiety-like behavior toward heights. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate potential behavioral changes in mice raised at different heights for 3 weeks. Changes in behavior were examined using various experimental tests. RESULTS Mice housed on elevated shelves showed reduced anxiety-like behavior in a light/dark traffic test compared with mice housed on low shelves. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of activity, exploratory behavior, muscle strength, or depression-like behavior. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that different cage heights and corresponding light exposure may alter the anxiety-like behavior of mice in response to brightness. Researchers need to carefully control the cage height and light intensity experienced by the mice to produce reproducible test results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Ueno
- Department of Medical TechnologyKawasaki University of Medical WelfareOkayamaJapan
| | - Yu Takahashi
- Department of PsychiatryKawasaki Medical SchoolKurashikiJapan
| | - Shinji Murakami
- Department of PsychiatryKawasaki Medical SchoolKurashikiJapan
| | - Kenta Wani
- Department of PsychiatryKawasaki Medical SchoolKurashikiJapan
| | - Yosuke Matsumoto
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of MedicineDentistry and Pharmaceutical SciencesOkayama UniversityOkayamaJapan
| | - Motoi Okamoto
- Department of Medical Technology, Graduate School of Health SciencesOkayama UniversityOkayamaJapan
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11
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Borrelli KN, Wingfield KK, Yao EJ, Zamorano CA, Sena KD, Beierle JA, Roos MA, Zhang H, Wachman EM, Bryant CD. Decreased myelin-related gene expression in the nucleus accumbens during spontaneous neonatal opioid withdrawal in the absence of long-term behavioral effects in adult outbred CFW mice. Neuropharmacology 2023; 240:109732. [PMID: 37774943 PMCID: PMC10598517 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109732] [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: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal opioid exposure is a major health concern in the United States, with the incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) escalating in recent years. NOWS occurs upon cessation of in utero opioid exposure and is characterized by increased irritability, disrupted sleep patterns, high-pitched crying, and dysregulated feeding. The main pharmacological strategy for alleviating symptoms is treatment with replacement opioids. The neural mechanisms mediating NOWS and the long-term neurobehavioral effects are poorly understood. We used a third trimester-approximate model in which neonatal outbred pups (Carworth Farms White; CFW) were administered once-daily morphine (15 mg/kg, s.c.) from postnatal day (P) day 1 through P14 and were then assessed for behavioral and transcriptomic adaptations within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) on P15. We also investigated the long-term effects of perinatal morphine exposure on adult learning and reward sensitivity. We observed significant weight deficits, spontaneous thermal hyperalgesia, and altered ultrasonic vocalization (USV) profiles following repeated morphine and during spontaneous withdrawal. Transcriptome analysis of NAc from opioid-withdrawn P15 neonates via bulk mRNA sequencing identified an enrichment profile consistent with downregulation of myelin-associated transcripts. Despite the neonatal behavioral and molecular effects, there were no significant long-term effects of perinatal morphine exposure on adult spatial memory function in the Barnes Maze, emotional learning in fear conditioning, or in baseline or methamphetamine-potentiated reward sensitivity as measured via intracranial self-stimulation. Thus, the once daily third trimester-approximate exposure regimen, while inducing NOWS model traits and significant transcriptomic effects in neonates, had no significant long-term effects on adult behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyn N Borrelli
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Av, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; T32 Biomolecular Pharmacology PhD Program, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, USA; Boston University's Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-317, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Kelly K Wingfield
- T32 Biomolecular Pharmacology PhD Program, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, USA; Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606, Boston, MA, 02118, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Av, 140 The Fenway Building, X138, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Emily J Yao
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606, Boston, MA, 02118, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Av, 140 The Fenway Building, X138, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Catalina A Zamorano
- Boston University's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Av, 5th floor, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Katherine D Sena
- Boston University's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Av, 5th floor, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jacob A Beierle
- T32 Biomolecular Pharmacology PhD Program, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, USA; Boston University's Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-317, Boston, MA, 02118, USA; Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606, Boston, MA, 02118, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Av, 140 The Fenway Building, X138, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Michelle A Roos
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606, Boston, MA, 02118, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Av, 140 The Fenway Building, X138, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Huiping Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Elisha M Wachman
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, 1 Boston Medical Center Pl, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Camron D Bryant
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606, Boston, MA, 02118, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Av, 140 The Fenway Building, X138, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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12
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Zhou T, Cheah CCH, Chin EWM, Chen J, Farm HJ, Goh ELK, Chiam KH. ContrastivePose: A contrastive learning approach for self-supervised feature engineering for pose estimation and behavorial classification of interacting animals. Comput Biol Med 2023; 165:107416. [PMID: 37660568 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, supervised machine learning models trained on videos of animals with pose estimation data and behavior labels have been used for automated behavior classification. Applications include, for example, automated detection of neurological diseases in animal models. However, we identify two potential problems of such supervised learning approach. First, such models require a large amount of labeled data but the labeling of behaviors frame by frame is a laborious manual process that is not easily scalable. Second, such methods rely on handcrafted features obtained from pose estimation data that are usually designed empirically. In this paper, we propose to overcome these two problems using contrastive learning for self-supervised feature engineering on pose estimation data. Our approach allows the use of unlabeled videos to learn feature representations and reduce the need for handcrafting of higher-level features from pose positions. We show that this approach to feature representation can achieve better classification performance compared to handcrafted features alone, and that the performance improvement is due to contrastive learning on unlabeled data rather than the neural network architecture. The method has the potential to reduce the bottleneck of scarce labeled videos for training and improve performance of supervised behavioral classification models for the study of interaction behaviors in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Calvin Chee Hoe Cheah
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Faculty, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Eunice Wei Mun Chin
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Faculty, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Jie Chen
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Hui Jia Farm
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, Singapore; Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Eyleen Lay Keow Goh
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Faculty, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Keng Hwee Chiam
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, Singapore; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
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13
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Lang B, Kahnau P, Hohlbaum K, Mieske P, Andresen NP, Boon MN, Thöne-Reineke C, Lewejohann L, Diederich K. Challenges and advanced concepts for the assessment of learning and memory function in mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1230082. [PMID: 37809039 PMCID: PMC10551171 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1230082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the formation and retrieval of memories are still an active area of research and discussion. Manifold models have been proposed and refined over the years, with most assuming a dichotomy between memory processes involving non-conscious and conscious mechanisms. Despite our incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms, tests of memory and learning count among the most performed behavioral experiments. Here, we will discuss available protocols for testing learning and memory using the example of the most prevalent animal species in research, the laboratory mouse. A wide range of protocols has been developed in mice to test, e.g., object recognition, spatial learning, procedural memory, sequential problem solving, operant- and fear conditioning, and social recognition. Those assays are carried out with individual subjects in apparatuses such as arenas and mazes, which allow for a high degree of standardization across laboratories and straightforward data interpretation but are not without caveats and limitations. In animal research, there is growing concern about the translatability of study results and animal welfare, leading to novel approaches beyond established protocols. Here, we present some of the more recent developments and more advanced concepts in learning and memory testing, such as multi-step sequential lockboxes, assays involving groups of animals, as well as home cage-based assays supported by automated tracking solutions; and weight their potential and limitations against those of established paradigms. Shifting the focus of learning tests from the classical experimental chamber to settings which are more natural for rodents comes with a new set of challenges for behavioral researchers, but also offers the opportunity to understand memory formation and retrieval in a more conclusive way than has been attainable with conventional test protocols. We predict and embrace an increase in studies relying on methods involving a higher degree of automatization, more naturalistic- and home cage-based experimental setting as well as more integrated learning tasks in the future. We are confident these trends are suited to alleviate the burden on animal subjects and improve study designs in memory research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Lang
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pia Kahnau
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Hohlbaum
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Mieske
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Niek P. Andresen
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus N. Boon
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Modeling of Cognitive Processes, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
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14
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Suckow MA, Tirado-Muñiz N. Seasonal Variation of Laboratory Animals as a Consideration for Research Reproducibility. Comp Med 2023; 73:255-259. [PMID: 37550067 PMCID: PMC10702282 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-cm-23-000033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Laboratory rodents are generally maintained under standardized conditions in order to control the effects of extrinsic factors on research. However, despite attempts to standardize conditions, variability can nonetheless confound efforts directed toward research reproducibility. Here we explore some of the existing literature on the potential impact of seasonal variability as an extrinsic factor that can potentially impact research results. We discuss the influence of seasonal changes in association with an internal clock mechanism that might account for such variation, noting that the mechanisms and interactions of seasonal and internal time-keeping remain largely undetermined. Finally, we speculate that seasonal changes experienced by personnel who handle animals may influence the animals in ways that result in physiologic and behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Suckow
- Office of the Attending Veterinarian; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky;,
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15
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Borrelli KN, Wingfield KK, Yao EJ, Zamorano CA, Sena KD, Beierle JA, Roos MA, Zhang H, Wachman EM, Bryant CD. Decreased myelin-related gene expression in the nucleus accumbens during spontaneous neonatal opioid withdrawal in the absence of long-term behavioral effects in adult outbred CFW mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.04.552033. [PMID: 37609129 PMCID: PMC10441327 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.04.552033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal opioid exposure is a major health concern in the United States, with the incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) escalating in recent years. NOWS occurs upon cessation of in utero opioid exposure and is characterized by increased irritability, disrupted sleep patterns, high-pitched crying, and dysregulated feeding. The main pharmacological strategy for alleviating symptoms is treatment with replacement opioids. The neural mechanisms mediating NOWS and the long-term neurobehavioral effects are poorly understood. We used a third trimester-approximate model in which neonatal outbred pups (Carworth Farms White; CFW) were administered once-daily morphine (15 mg/kg, s.c.) from postnatal day (P) day 1 through P14 and were then assessed for behavioral and transcriptomic adaptations within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) on P15. We also investigated the long-term effects of perinatal morphine exposure on adult learning and reward sensitivity. We observed significant weight deficits, spontaneous thermal hyperalgesia, and altered ultrasonic vocalization (USV) profiles following repeated morphine and during spontaneous withdrawal. Transcriptome analysis of NAc from opioid-withdrawn P15 neonates via bulk mRNA sequencing identified an enrichment profile consistent with downregulation of myelin-associated transcripts. Despite the neonatal behavioral and molecular effects, there were no significant long-term effects of perinatal morphine exposure on adult spatial memory function in the Barnes Maze, emotional learning in fear conditioning, or in baseline or methamphetamine-potentiated reward sensitivity as measured via intracranial self-stimulation. Thus, the once daily third trimester-approximate exposure regimen, while inducing NOWS model traits and significant transcriptomic effects in neonates, had no significant long-term effects on adult behaviors. HIGHLIGHTS We replicated some NOWS model traits via 1x-daily morphine (P1-P14).We found a downregulation of myelination genes in nucleus accumbens on P15.There were no effects on learning/memory or reward sensitivity in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyn N. Borrelli
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606B, Boston, MA 02118
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Av, Boston, MA 02215
- Boston University’s Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-317, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Kelly K. Wingfield
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606B, Boston, MA 02118
- T32 Biomolecular Pharmacology PhD Program, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
| | - Emily J. Yao
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606B, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Catalina A. Zamorano
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606B, Boston, MA 02118
- Boston University’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Av, 5 floor, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Katherine D. Sena
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606B, Boston, MA 02118
- Boston University’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Av, 5 floor, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Jacob A. Beierle
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606B, Boston, MA 02118
- T32 Biomolecular Pharmacology PhD Program, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
- Boston University’s Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-317, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Michelle A. Roos
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606B, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Huiping Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., Boston, MA 02118
| | - Elisha M. Wachman
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, 1 Boston Medical Center Pl, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Camron D. Bryant
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., L-606B, Boston, MA 02118
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., Boston, MA 02118
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16
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Harding CF, Liao D, Persaud R, DeStefano RA, Page KG, Stalbow LL, Roa T, Ford JC, Goman KD, Pytte CL. Differential effects of exposure to toxic or nontoxic mold spores on brain inflammation and Morris water maze performance. Behav Brain Res 2023; 442:114294. [PMID: 36638914 PMCID: PMC10460635 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114294] [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: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
People who live or work in moldy buildings often complain of "brain fog" that interferes with cognitive performance. Until recently, there was no published research on the effects of controlled exposure to mold stimuli on cognitive function or an obvious mechanism of action, fueling controversy over these claims. The constellation of health problems reported by mold-exposed individuals (respiratory issues, fatigue, pain, anxiety, depression, and cognitive deficits) correspond to those caused by innate immune activation following exposure to bacterial or viral stimuli. To determine if mold-induced innate immune activation might cause cognitive issues, we quantified the effects of both toxic and nontoxic mold on brain immune activation and spatial memory in the Morris water maze. We intranasally administered either 1) intact, toxic Stachybotrys chartarum spores; 2) ethanol-extracted, nontoxic Stachybotrys chartarum spores; or 3) control saline vehicle to mice. Inhalation of nontoxic spores caused significant deficits in the test of long-term memory of platform location, while not affecting short-term memory. Inhalation of toxic spores increased motivation to reach the platform. Interestingly, in both groups of mold-exposed males, numbers of interleukin-1β-immunoreactive cells in many areas of the hippocampus significantly correlated with latency to find the platform, path length, and swimming speed during training, but not during testing for long-term memory. These data add to our prior evidence that mold inhalation can interfere with cognitive processing in different ways depending on the task, and that brain inflammation is significantly correlated with changes in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl F Harding
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - David Liao
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Macaulay Honors College, CUNY, 35 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023, USA
| | - Ramona Persaud
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Macaulay Honors College, CUNY, 35 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023, USA; Chemistry Department, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Richard A DeStefano
- Macaulay Honors College, CUNY, 35 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023, USA; Chemistry Department, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kimberly G Page
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Lauren L Stalbow
- Macaulay Honors College, CUNY, 35 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023, USA; Psychology Department, Queens College, CUNY, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing 11367, NY, USA
| | - Tina Roa
- Biological Sciences, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jordan C Ford
- Biological Sciences, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ksenia D Goman
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Carolyn L Pytte
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; Psychology Department, Queens College, CUNY, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing 11367, NY, USA
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17
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Spontarelli K, Young VC, Sweazey R, Padro A, Lee J, Bueso T, Hernandez RM, Kim J, Katz A, Rossignol F, Turner C, Wilczewski CM, Maxwell GL, Holmgren M, Bailoo JD, Yano ST, Artigas P. ATP1A1 -linked diseases require a malfunctioning protein product from one allele. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.05.531165. [PMID: 37090550 PMCID: PMC10120656 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.05.531165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Heterozygous germline variants in ATP1A1 , the gene encoding the α1 subunit of the Na + /K + -ATPase (NKA), have been linked to diseases including primary hyperaldosteronism and the peripheral neuropathy Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). ATP1A1 variants that cause CMT induce loss-of-function of NKA. This heterodimeric (αβ) enzyme hydrolyzes ATP to establish transmembrane electrochemical gradients of Na + and K + that are essential for electrical signaling and cell survival. Of the 4 catalytic subunit isoforms, α1 is ubiquitously expressed and is the predominant paralog in peripheral axons. Human population sequencing datasets indicate strong negative selection against both missense and protein-null ATP1A1 variants. To test whether haploinsufficiency generated by heterozygous protein-null alleles are sufficient to cause disease, we tested the neuromuscular characteristics of heterozygous Atp1a1 +/- knockout mice and their wildtype littermates, while also evaluating if exercise increased CMT penetrance. We found that Atp1a1 +/- mice were phenotypically normal up to 18 months of age. Consistent with the observations in mice, we report clinical phenotyping of a healthy adult human who lacks any clinical features of known ATP1A1 -related diseases despite carrying a protein-null early truncation variant, p.Y148*. Taken together, these results suggest that a malfunctioning gene product is required for disease induction by ATP1A1 variants and that if any pathology is associated with protein-null variants, they may display low penetrance or high age of onset.
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18
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Kraeuter AK. The use of integrated behavioural z-scoring in behavioural neuroscience - A perspective article. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 384:109751. [PMID: 36435327 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Complex pathophysiology in psychiatric disorders results in difficulties interpreting pre-clinical data. Guilloux et al. (2011b), proposed an integrated behavioural z-scoring procedure to improve the predictive validity of animal models by converging evidence similarly used to diagnose mental health conditions in humans. Here, I set out to give a brief review of the current methodology and literature using integrated behavioural z-scoring. Secondly, I will discuss the benefits and downfalls of integrated behavioural z-scoring and its potential future applications. Integrated behavioural z-scoring is a methodology used most frequently within animal models of depression and anxiety. Here, I am suggesting broadening the application of integrated behavioural z-scoring beyond the field of depression and anxiety to a three-step methodology to obtain disease-specific behavioural z-scores (i.e Schizophrenia index, Alzheimer's disease index) to aid translatability and interpretation of data. Lastly, I suggest integrating not only behaviour but also biological variables to create converging psychological and physiological evidence to sustain face and construct validity, while improving predict validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Katrin Kraeuter
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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19
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Löscher W, Stafstrom CE. Epilepsy and its neurobehavioral comorbidities: Insights gained from animal models. Epilepsia 2023; 64:54-91. [PMID: 36197310 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
It is well established that epilepsy is associated with numerous neurobehavioral comorbidities, with a bidirectional relationship; people with epilepsy have an increased incidence of depression, anxiety, learning and memory difficulties, and numerous other psychosocial challenges, and the occurrence of epilepsy is higher in individuals with those comorbidities. Although the cause-and-effect relationship is uncertain, a fuller understanding of the mechanisms of comorbidities within the epilepsies could lead to improved therapeutics. Here, we review recent data on epilepsy and its neurobehavioral comorbidities, discussing mainly rodent models, which have been studied most extensively, and emphasize that clinically relevant information can be gained from preclinical models. Furthermore, we explore the numerous potential factors that may confound the interpretation of emerging data from animal models, such as the specific seizure induction method (e.g., chemical, electrical, traumatic, genetic), the role of species and strain, environmental factors (e.g., laboratory environment, handling, epigenetics), and the behavioral assays that are chosen to evaluate the various aspects of neural behavior and cognition. Overall, the interplay between epilepsy and its neurobehavioral comorbidities is undoubtedly multifactorial, involving brain structural changes, network-level differences, molecular signaling abnormalities, and other factors. Animal models are well poised to help dissect the shared pathophysiological mechanisms, neurological sequelae, and biomarkers of epilepsy and its comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Löscher
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany
| | - Carl E Stafstrom
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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20
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Lelos MJ. Investigating cell therapies in animal models of Parkinson's and Huntington's disease: Current challenges and considerations. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 166:159-189. [PMID: 36424091 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2022.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Cell therapeutics have entered into an exciting era, with first-in-person clinical trials underway for Parkinson's disease and novel cell therapies in development for other neurodegenerative diseases. In the hope of ensuring successful translation of these novel cell products to the clinic, a significant amount of preclinical work continues to be undertaken. Rodent models of neural transplantation are required to thoroughly assess the survival, safety and efficacy of novel therapeutics. It is critical to produce robust and reliable preclinical data, in order to increase the likelihood of clinical success. As a result, significant effort has been driven into generating ever more relevant model systems, from genetically modified disease models to mice with humanized immune systems. Despite this, several challenges remain in the quest to assess human cells in the rodent brain long-term. Here, with a focus on models of Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, we discuss key considerations for choosing an appropriate rodent model for neural transplantation. We also consider the challenges associated with long-term survival and assessment of functional efficacy in these models, as well as the need to consider the clinical relevance of the model. While the choice of model will be dependent on the scientific question, by considering the caveats associated with each model, we identify opportunities to optimize the preclinical assessment and generate reliable data on our novel cell therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariah J Lelos
- Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
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21
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Khodaei S, Wang DS, Ariza A, Syed RM, Orser BA. The Impact of Inflammation and General Anesthesia on Memory and Executive Function in Mice. Anesth Analg 2022; 136:999-1011. [PMID: 36469752 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0000000000006221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PNDs) are complex, multifactorial conditions that are associated with poor long-term outcomes. Inflammation and exposure to general anesthetic drugs are likely contributing factors; however, the relative impact of each factor alone versus the combination of these factors remains poorly understood. The goal of this study was to compare the relative impact of inflammation, general anesthesia, and the combination of both factors on memory and executive function. METHODS To induce neuroinflammation at the time of exposure to an anesthetic drug, adult male mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or vehicle. One day later, they were anesthetized with etomidate (or vehicle). Levels of proinflammatory cytokines were measured in the hippocampus and cortex 24 hours after LPS treatment. Recognition memory and executive function were assessed starting 24 hours after anesthesia using the novel object recognition assay and the puzzle box, respectively. Data are expressed as mean (or median) differences (95% confidence interval). RESULTS LPS induced neuroinflammation, as indicated by elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (LPS versus control, hippocampus: 3.49 pg/mg [2.06-4.92], P < .001; cortex: 2.60 pg/mg [0.83-4.40], P = .010) and tumor necrosis factor-α (hippocampus: 3.50 pg/mg [0.83-11.82], P = .002; cortex: 2.38 pg/mg [0.44-4.31], P = .021). Recognition memory was impaired in mice treated with LPS, as evinced by a lack of preference for the novel object (novel versus familiar: 1.03 seconds [-1.25 to 3.30], P = .689), but not in mice treated with etomidate alone (novel versus familiar: 2.38 seconds [0.15-4.60], P = .031). Mice cotreated with both LPS and etomidate also exhibited memory deficits (novel versus familiar: 1.40 seconds [-0.83 to 3.62], P = .383). In the puzzle box, mice treated with either LPS or etomidate alone showed no deficits. However, the combination of LPS and etomidate caused deficits in problem-solving tasks (door open task: -0.21 seconds [-0.40 to -0.01], P = .037; plug task: -0.30 seconds [-0.50 to -0.10], P < .001; log values versus control), indicating impaired executive function. CONCLUSIONS Impairments in recognition memory were driven by inflammation. Deficits in executive function were only observed in mice cotreated with LPS and etomidate. Thus, an interplay between inflammation and etomidate anesthesia led to cognitive deficits that were not observed with either factor alone. These findings suggest that inflammation and anesthetic drugs may interact synergistically, or their combination may unmask covert or latent deficits induced by each factor alone, leading to PNDs.
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22
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The prevention of home-cage grid climbing affects muscle strength in mice. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15263. [PMID: 36088409 PMCID: PMC9464241 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19713-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractExperimenters and treatment methods are the major contributors to data variability in behavioral neuroscience. However, home cage characteristics are likely associated with data variability. Mice housed in breeding cages spontaneously exhibit behavioral patterns such as biting into the wire grid and climbing on the grid lid. We aimed to clarify the effect of covering the stainless steel wire grid lid in commonly used home cage with Plexiglas to prevent climbing on muscle strength in mice. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of climbing prevention on activity and anxiety-like behavior, and the impact of climbing prevention during the postnatal development period and adulthood on muscle strength. Muscle strength, anxiety-like behavior, and locomotor activity were assessed by a battery of tests (wire hang, suspension, grip strength, rotarod, elevated-plus maze, and open field tests). Mice prevented from climbing the wire grid during postnatal development displayed lower muscle strength than those able to climb. Moreover, mice prevented from climbing for 3 weeks following maturity had weakened muscles. The muscle strength was decreased with 3 weeks of climbing prevention in even 1-year-old mice. In summary, the stainless steel wire grid in the home cage contributed to the development and maintenance of muscle strength in mice.
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23
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Faraji J, Ambeskovic M, Sauter N, Toly J, Whitten K, Lopes NA, Olson DM, Metz GAS. Sex-specific stress and biobehavioral responses to human experimenters in rats. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:965500. [PMID: 35937894 PMCID: PMC9354940 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.965500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Important factors influencing the outcome of animal experiments in preclinical research are often overlooked. In the current study, the reaction of female and male rats toward the biological sex of a human experimenter was investigated in terms of anxiety-like behaviors and physiological stress responses, as measured by infrared (IR) thermography, circulating corticosterone (CORT) and oxytocin levels. Female rats displayed consistently exacerbated anxiety-related behaviors along with elevated body surface temperature during repeated exposure to male experimenters. Experimental stress further intensified thermal responses to a male experimenter, especially in female rats. The behavioral responses to a male experimenter in females were associated with higher circulating CORT and lower oxytocin levels. Similar responses were induced by a T-shirt worn by a human male. The findings suggest that psychophysiological responses of female rats to a male experimenter are influenced by both visual and olfactory cues. The results emphasize the need to not only consider sex differences in experimental animals, but also standardize and report the experimenter’s biological sex to avoid ambiguity in the generation and interpretation of results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamshid Faraji
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- *Correspondence: Jamshid Faraji,
| | - Mirela Ambeskovic
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Nevyn Sauter
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Jaxson Toly
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Kera Whitten
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Nayara Antunes Lopes
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - David M. Olson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Gerlinde A. S. Metz
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Southern Alberta Genome Sciences Centre, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- Gerlinde A. S. Metz,
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24
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Jimenez Chavez CL, Van Doren E, Matalon J, Ogele N, Kharwa A, Madory L, Kazerani I, Herbert J, Torres-Gonzalez J, Rivera E, Szumlinski KK. Alcohol-Drinking Under Limited-Access Procedures During Mature Adulthood Accelerates the Onset of Cognitive Impairment in Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:732375. [PMID: 35685271 PMCID: PMC9171112 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.732375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A history of heavy drinking increases vulnerability to, and the severity of, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias, with alcohol use disorder identified as the strongest modifiable risk factor for early-onset dementia. Heavy drinking has increased markedly in women over the past 10 years, particularly in mature adult women during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This is concerning as women are more sensitive to many alcohol-related disease states, including AD and related dementias. Herein, we conducted two studies to determine if a 1-month period of binge drinking during mature adulthood (i.e., 5–9 months of age) impairs spatial and working memory to a greater extent in female vs. male C57BL/6J (B6J) mice. The anxiogenic and cognitive-impairing effects of binge drinking were also compared between mature adult and old B6J mice (18 months of age) in a third study. Throughout, females consumed more alcohol than males, indicating that a sex difference in binge drinking persists into old age. Despite the sex difference in intake, we detected no consistent sex difference in our measures of alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety during a behavioral test battery. Although mature adult females exhibited more cognitive deficits than males, the precise outcome exhibiting a female-selective effect varied across studies. Old mice drank lower amounts of alcohol than mature adult mice, yet their blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) were within error of the 80 mg/dl criterion for binge drinking, indicative of an age-related slowing of alcohol metabolism. As expected, 18-month-old controls exhibited more signs of cognitive impairment than their 6-month-old counterparts, and binge drinking history impaired the Morris water maze performance of mice of both ages. In contrast, binge drinking history impaired the radial arm maze performance of 6-month-old mice only, and the extent of the impairment was comparable to the behavior exhibited by the older mice. We conclude from our studies that: (1) both biological sex and the age of drinking onset are subject factors that impact voluntary alcohol consumption by mice into old age; (2) binge drinking during later life elicits a negative affective state that is relatively sex-independent; (3) binge drinking during both mature adulthood and old age impairs spatial learning and memory; (4) binge drinking during mature adulthood accelerates deficits in working memory; and (5) mature adult females tend to exhibit more alcohol-induced cognitive impairments than males. If relevant to humans, these findings suggest that binge-like drinking by older adult men and women induces a negative affective state and cognitive decline, but that mature adult women, in particular, may be more sensitive to both the immediate and persistent cognitive-impairing effects of heavy drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Leonardo Jimenez Chavez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Eliyana Van Doren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jacob Matalon
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Nneoma Ogele
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Aadithya Kharwa
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Lauren Madory
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Ida Kazerani
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jessica Herbert
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jose Torres-Gonzalez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Emely Rivera
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Karen K. Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Karen K. Szumlinski
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25
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Do multiple experimenters improve the reproducibility of animal studies? PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001564. [PMID: 35511779 PMCID: PMC9070896 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The credibility of scientific research has been seriously questioned by the widely claimed “reproducibility crisis”. In light of this crisis, there is a growing awareness that the rigorous standardisation of experimental conditions may contribute to poor reproducibility of animal studies. Instead, systematic heterogenisation has been proposed as a tool to enhance reproducibility, but a real-life test across multiple independent laboratories is still pending. The aim of this study was therefore to test whether heterogenisation of experimental conditions by using multiple experimenters improves the reproducibility of research findings compared to standardised conditions with only one experimenter. To this end, we replicated the same animal experiment in 3 independent laboratories, each employing both a heterogenised and a standardised design. Whereas in the standardised design, all animals were tested by a single experimenter; in the heterogenised design, 3 different experimenters were involved in testing the animals. In contrast to our expectation, the inclusion of multiple experimenters in the heterogenised design did not improve the reproducibility of the results across the 3 laboratories. Interestingly, however, a variance component analysis indicated that the variation introduced by the different experimenters was not as high as the variation introduced by the laboratories, probably explaining why this heterogenisation strategy did not bring the anticipated success. Even more interestingly, for the majority of outcome measures, the remaining residual variation was identified as an important source of variance accounting for 41% (CI95 [34%, 49%]) to 72% (CI95 [58%, 88%]) of the observed total variance. Despite some uncertainty surrounding the estimated numbers, these findings argue for systematically including biological variation rather than eliminating it in animal studies and call for future research on effective improvement strategies. An experimenter heterogenisation was not sufficient to prevent idiosyncratic results in a multi-laboratory setting. Astonishingly, neither the experimenter nor the laboratory accounted for the main portion of the observed variation, but a high amount of residual variation in fact remained unexplained despite strict standardisation regimes.
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26
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Ratner MH, Farb DH. Probing the Neural Circuitry Targets of Neurotoxicants In Vivo Through High Density Silicon Probe Brain Implants. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2022; 4:836427. [PMID: 35548683 PMCID: PMC9081674 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2022.836427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Adverse effects of drugs on the human nervous system are rarely possible to anticipate based on preclinical neurotoxicity data, thus propagating the centuries long single most important obstacle to drug discovery and development for disorders of the nervous system. An emerging body of evidence indicates that in vivo electrophysiology using chronically implanted high-density electrodes (ciHDE) in freely moving animals is a rigorous method with enhanced potential for use in translational research. In particular, the structure and function of the hippocampal trisynaptic circuit (HTC) is conserved from rodents to primates, including Homo sapiens, suggesting that the effects of therapeutic agents and other potential neurologically active agents, whether beneficial or adverse, are likely to translate across species when interrogated using a conserved neural circuitry platform. This review explores science advances in the rapidly moving field of in vivo ciHDE in animal models of learning and memory. For this reason we focus on the HTC, where substantial research has investigated neural circuitry level responses and specific behaviors that reflect memory permitting a test of the ground truth validity of the findings. Examples of changes in neural network activity induced by endogenous neurotoxicants associated with neurodegenerative diseases, as well as exogenous therapeutics, drugs, and neurotoxicants are presented. Several illustrative examples of relevant findings that involve longer range neural circuitry outside of the HTC are discussed. Lastly, the limitations of in vivo ciHDE as applied to preclinical neurotoxicology are discussed with a view toward leveraging circuitry level actions to enhance our ability to project the specificity of in vitro target engagement with the desired psychopharmacological or neurological outcome. At the same time, the goal of reducing or eliminating significant neurotoxic adverse events in human is the desired endpoint. We believe that this approach will lead to enhanced discovery of high value neuroactive therapeutics that target neural circuitry domains as their primary mechanism of action, thus enhancing their ultimate contribution toward discovery of precision therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia H. Ratner
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Marcia H. Ratner,
| | - David H. Farb
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
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27
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Calapai A, Cabrera-Moreno J, Moser T, Jeschke M. Flexible auditory training, psychophysics, and enrichment of common marmosets with an automated, touchscreen-based system. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1648. [PMID: 35347139 PMCID: PMC8960775 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29185-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Devising new and more efficient protocols to analyze the phenotypes of non-human primates, as well as their complex nervous systems, is rapidly becoming of paramount importance. This is because with genome-editing techniques, recently adopted to non-human primates, new animal models for fundamental and translational research have been established. One aspect in particular, namely cognitive hearing, has been difficult to assess compared to visual cognition. To address this, we devised autonomous, standardized, and unsupervised training and testing of auditory capabilities of common marmosets with a cage-based standalone, wireless system. All marmosets tested voluntarily operated the device on a daily basis and went from naïve to experienced at their own pace and with ease. Through a series of experiments, here we show, that animals autonomously learn to associate sounds with images; to flexibly discriminate sounds, and to detect sounds of varying loudness. The developed platform and training principles combine in-cage training of common marmosets for cognitive and psychoacoustic assessment with an enriched environment that does not rely on dietary restriction or social separation, in compliance with the 3Rs principle.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Calapai
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Cognitive Hearing in Primates (CHiP) Group, Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition", Göttingen, Germany
| | - J Cabrera-Moreno
- Cognitive Hearing in Primates (CHiP) Group, Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences, University of Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - T Moser
- Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences, University of Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- Auditory Neuroscience Group and Synaptic Nanophysiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells" (MBExC), University of Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - M Jeschke
- Cognitive Hearing in Primates (CHiP) Group, Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.
- Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.
- Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition", Göttingen, Germany.
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
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28
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Silverman JL, Thurm A, Ethridge SB, Soller MM, Petkova SP, Abel T, Bauman MD, Brodkin ES, Harony‐Nicolas H, Wöhr M, Halladay A. Reconsidering animal models used to study autism spectrum disorder: Current state and optimizing future. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12803. [PMID: 35285132 PMCID: PMC9189007 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), are pervasive, often lifelong disorders, lacking evidence-based interventions for core symptoms. With no established biological markers, diagnoses are defined by behavioral criteria. Thus, preclinical in vivo animal models of NDDs must be optimally utilized. For this reason, experts in the field of behavioral neuroscience convened a workshop with the goals of reviewing current behavioral studies, reports, and assessments in rodent models. Goals included: (a) identifying the maximal utility and limitations of behavior in animal models with construct validity; (b) providing recommendations for phenotyping animal models; and (c) guidelines on how in vivo models should be used and reported reliably and rigorously while acknowledging their limitations. We concluded by recommending minimal criteria for reporting in manuscripts going forward. The workshop elucidated a consensus of potential solutions to several problems, including revisiting claims made about animal model links to ASD (and related conditions). Specific conclusions included: mice (or other rodent or preclinical models) are models of the neurodevelopmental insult, not specifically any disorder (e.g., ASD); a model that perfectly recapitulates a disorder such as ASD is untenable; and greater attention needs be given to validation of behavioral testing methods, data analysis, and critical interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill L. Silverman
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of California Davis School of MedicineSacramentoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Audrey Thurm
- Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Phenotyping ServiceNational Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Sarah B. Ethridge
- Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Phenotyping ServiceNational Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Makayla M. Soller
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of California Davis School of MedicineSacramentoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Stela P. Petkova
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of California Davis School of MedicineSacramentoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Neuroscience and PharmacologyIowa Neuroscience Institute, University of IowaIowa CityIowaUSA
| | - Melissa D. Bauman
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of California Davis School of MedicineSacramentoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Edward S. Brodkin
- Department of PsychiatryPerelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Translational Research LaboratoryPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Hala Harony‐Nicolas
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and TreatmentIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Laboratory of Biological PsychologySocial and Affective Neuroscience Research Group, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium,Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium,Faculty of Psychology, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Behavioral NeurosciencePhilipps‐University of MarburgMarburgGermany,Center for Mind, Brain, and BehaviorPhilipps‐University of MarburgMarburgGermany
| | - Alycia Halladay
- Autism Science FoundationUSA,Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyRutgers UniversityPiscatawayNew JerseyUSA
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29
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Nigri M, Åhlgren J, Wolfer DP, Voikar V. Role of Environment and Experimenter in Reproducibility of Behavioral Studies With Laboratory Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:835444. [PMID: 35250504 PMCID: PMC8895324 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.835444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral phenotyping of mice has received a great deal of attention during the past three decades. However, there is still a pressing need to understand the variability caused by environmental and biological factors, human interference, and poorly standardized experimental protocols. The inconsistency of results is often attributed to the inter-individual difference between the experimenters and environmental conditions. The present work aims to dissect the combined influence of the experimenter and the environment on the detection of behavioral traits in two inbred strains most commonly used in behavioral genetics due to their contrasting phenotypes, the C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. To this purpose, the elevated O-maze, the open field with object, the accelerating rotarod and the Barnes maze tests were performed by two experimenters in two diverse laboratory environments. Our findings confirm the well-characterized behavioral differences between these strains in exploratory behavior, motor performance, learning and memory. Moreover, the results demonstrate how the experimenter and the environment influence the behavioral tests with a variable-dependent effect, often with mutually exclusive contributions. In this context, our study highlights how both the experimenter and the environment can have an impact on the strain effect size without altering the direction of the conclusions. Importantly, the general agreement on the results is reached by converging evidence from multiple measures addressing the same trait. In conclusion, the present work elucidates the contribution of both the experimenter and the laboratory environment in the intricate field of reproducibility in mouse behavioral phenotyping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Nigri
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Martina Nigri,
| | - Johanna Åhlgren
- Laboratory Animal Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - David P. Wolfer
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Vootele Voikar
- Laboratory Animal Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Vootele Voikar,
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30
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Sil A, Bespalov A, Dalla C, Ferland-Beckham C, Herremans A, Karantzalos K, Kas MJ, Kokras N, Parnham MJ, Pavlidi P, Pristouris K, Steckler T, Riedel G, Emmerich CH. PEERS - An Open Science "Platform for the Exchange of Experimental Research Standards" in Biomedicine. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:755812. [PMID: 34744655 PMCID: PMC8567102 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.755812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory workflows and preclinical models have become increasingly diverse and complex. Confronted with the dilemma of a multitude of information with ambiguous relevance for their specific experiments, scientists run the risk of overlooking critical factors that can influence the planning, conduct and results of studies and that should have been considered a priori. To address this problem, we developed "PEERS" (Platform for the Exchange of Experimental Research Standards), an open-access online platform that is built to aid scientists in determining which experimental factors and variables are most likely to affect the outcome of a specific test, model or assay and therefore ought to be considered during the design, execution and reporting stages. The PEERS database is categorized into in vivo and in vitro experiments and provides lists of factors derived from scientific literature that have been deemed critical for experimentation. The platform is based on a structured and transparent system for rating the strength of evidence related to each identified factor and its relevance for a specific method/model. In this context, the rating procedure will not solely be limited to the PEERS working group but will also allow for a community-based grading of evidence. We here describe a working prototype using the Open Field paradigm in rodents and present the selection of factors specific to each experimental setup and the rating system. PEERS not only offers users the possibility to search for information to facilitate experimental rigor, but also draws on the engagement of the scientific community to actively expand the information contained within the platform. Collectively, by helping scientists search for specific factors relevant to their experiments, and to share experimental knowledge in a standardized manner, PEERS will serve as a collaborative exchange and analysis tool to enhance data validity and robustness as well as the reproducibility of preclinical research. PEERS offers a vetted, independent tool by which to judge the quality of information available on a certain test or model, identifies knowledge gaps and provides guidance on the key methodological considerations that should be prioritized to ensure that preclinical research is conducted to the highest standards and best practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annesha Sil
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | | | - Christina Dalla
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | | | - Martien J. Kas
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Nikolaos Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Michael J. Parnham
- EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals, Seltjanarnes, Iceland, and Pharmacology Consultant, Bad Soden, Germany
| | - Pavlina Pavlidi
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Gernot Riedel
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
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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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Farrar BG, Ostojić L, Clayton NS. The hidden side of animal cognition research: Scientists' attitudes toward bias, replicability and scientific practice. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256607. [PMID: 34464406 PMCID: PMC8407565 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal cognition research aims to understand animal minds by using a diverse range of methods across an equally diverse range of species. Throughout its history, the field has sought to mitigate various biases that occur when studying animal minds, from experimenter effects to anthropomorphism. Recently, there has also been a focus on how common scientific practices might affect the reliability and validity of published research. Usually, these issues are discussed in the literature by a small group of scholars with a specific interest in the topics. This study aimed to survey a wider range of animal cognition researchers to ask about their attitudes towards classic and contemporary issues facing the field. Two-hundred and ten active animal cognition researchers completed our survey, and provided answers on questions relating to bias, replicability, statistics, publication, and belief in animal cognition. Collectively, researchers were wary of bias in the research field, but less so in their own work. Over 70% of researchers endorsed Morgan’s canon as a useful principle but many caveated this in their free-text responses. Researchers self-reported that most of their studies had been published, however they often reported that studies went unpublished because they had negative or inconclusive results, or results that questioned “preferred” theories. Researchers rarely reported having performed questionable research practices themselves—however they thought that other researchers sometimes (52.7% of responses) or often (27.9% of responses) perform them. Researchers near unanimously agreed that replication studies are important but too infrequently performed in animal cognition research, 73.0% of respondents suggested areas of animal cognition research could experience a ‘replication crisis’ if replication studies were performed. Consistently, participants’ free-text responses provided a nuanced picture of the challenges animal cognition research faces, which are available as part of an open dataset. However, many researchers appeared concerned with how to interpret negative results, publication bias, theoretical bias and reliability in areas of animal cognition research. Collectively, these data provide a candid overview of barriers to progress in animal cognition and can inform debates on how individual researchers, as well as organizations and journals, can facilitate robust scientific research in animal cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin G. Farrar
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Ljerka Ostojić
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Rijeka, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Nicola S. Clayton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Borrelli KN, Yao EJ, Yen WW, Phadke RA, Ruan QT, Chen MM, Kelliher JC, Langan CR, Scotellaro JL, Babbs RK, Beierle JC, Logan RW, Johnson WE, Wachman EM, Cruz-Martín A, Bryant CD. Sex Differences in Behavioral and Brainstem Transcriptomic Neuroadaptations following Neonatal Opioid Exposure in Outbred Mice. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0143-21.2021. [PMID: 34479978 PMCID: PMC8454922 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0143-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The opioid epidemic led to an increase in the number of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) cases in infants born to opioid-dependent mothers. Hallmark features of NOWS include weight loss, severe irritability, respiratory problems, and sleep fragmentation. Mouse models provide an opportunity to identify brain mechanisms that contribute to NOWS. Neonatal outbred Swiss Webster Cartworth Farms White (CFW) mice were administered morphine (15 mg/kg, s.c.) twice daily from postnatal day 1 (P1) to P14, an approximation of the third trimester of human gestation. Female and male mice underwent behavioral testing on P7 and P14 to determine the impact of opioid exposure on anxiety and pain sensitivity. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and daily body weights were also recorded. Brainstems containing pons and medulla were collected during morphine withdrawal on P14 for RNA sequencing. Morphine induced weight loss from P2 to P14, which persisted during adolescence (P21) and adulthood (P50). USVs markedly increased at P7 in females, emerging earlier than males. On P7 and P14, both morphine-exposed female and male mice displayed hyperalgesia on the hot plate and tail-flick assays, with females showing greater hyperalgesia than males. Morphine-exposed mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior in the open-field arena on P21. Transcriptome analysis of the brainstem, an area implicated in opioid withdrawal and NOWS, identified pathways enriched for noradrenergic signaling in females and males. We also found sex-specific pathways related to mitochondrial function and neurodevelopment in females and circadian entrainment in males. Sex-specific transcriptomic neuroadaptations implicate unique neurobiological mechanisms underlying NOWS-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyn N Borrelli
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- NIGMS Training Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Emily J Yao
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - William W Yen
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Rhushikesh A Phadke
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
- Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry (MCBB), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Qiu T Ruan
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- NIGMS Training Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Melanie M Chen
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Julia C Kelliher
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Carly R Langan
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Julia L Scotellaro
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Richard K Babbs
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Jacob C Beierle
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- NIGMS Training Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Ryan W Logan
- Laboratory of Sleep, Rhythms, and Addiction, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
- Center for Systems Neurogenetics of Addiction, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
| | - William Evan Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Computational Biomedicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Elisha M Wachman
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Alberto Cruz-Martín
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Camron D Bryant
- Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
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van der Goot MH, Kooij M, Stolte S, Baars A, Arndt SS, van Lith HA. Incorporating inter-individual variability in experimental design improves the quality of results of animal experiments. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255521. [PMID: 34351958 PMCID: PMC8341614 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Inter-individual variability in quantitative traits is believed to potentially inflate the quality of results in animal experimentation. Yet, to our knowledge this effect has not been empirically tested. Here we test whether inter-individual variability in emotional response within mouse inbred strains affects the outcome of a pharmacological experiment. Three mouse inbred strains (BALB/c, C57BL/6 and 129S2) were behaviorally characterized through repeated exposure to a mild aversive stimulus (modified Hole Board, five consecutive trials). A multivariate clustering procedure yielded two multidimensional response types which were displayed by individuals of all three strains. We show that systematic incorporation of these individual response types in the design of a pharmacological experiment produces different results from an experimental pool in which this variation was not accounted for. To our knowledge, this is the first study that empirically confirms that inter-individual variability affects the interpretation of behavioral phenotypes and may obscure experimental results in a pharmacological experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marloes H. van der Goot
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marieke Kooij
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Suzanne Stolte
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Annemarie Baars
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Saskia S. Arndt
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Hein A. van Lith
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Nelson RJ, Bumgarner JR, Walker WH, DeVries AC. Time-of-day as a critical biological variable. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:740-746. [PMID: 34052279 PMCID: PMC8504485 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Time-of-day is a crucial, yet often overlooked, biological variable in biomedical research. We examined the top 25 most cited papers in several domains of behavioral neuroscience to determine whether time-of-day information was reported. The majority of studies report behavioral testing conducted during the day, which does not coincide with the optimal time to perform the testing from an functional perspective of the animals being tested. The majority of animal models used in biomedical research are nocturnal rodents; thus, testing during the light phase (i.e. animals' rest period) may alter the results and introduce variability across studies. Time-of-day is rarely considered in analyses or reported in publications; the majority of publications fail to include temporal details when describing their experimental methods, and those few that report testing during the dark rarely report whether measures are in place to protect from exposure to extraneous light. We propose that failing to account for time-of-day may compromise replication of findings across behavioral studies and reduce their value when extrapolating results to diurnal humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randy J Nelson
- Department of Neuroscience, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA; West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
| | - Jacob R Bumgarner
- Department of Neuroscience, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - William H Walker
- Department of Neuroscience, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA; West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - A Courtney DeVries
- Department of Neuroscience, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA; WVU Cancer Institute, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA; West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
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van der Goot MH, Keijsper M, Baars A, Drost L, Hendriks J, Kirchhoff S, Lozeman-van T Klooster JG, van Lith HA, Arndt SS. Inter-individual variability in habituation of anxiety-related responses within three mouse inbred strains. Physiol Behav 2021; 239:113503. [PMID: 34153326 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Inter-individual variability in behavioral and physiological response has become a well-established phenomenon in animal models of anxiety and other disorders. Such variability is even demonstrated within mouse inbred strains. A recent study showed that adaptive and non-adaptive anxiety phenotypes (measured as habituation and/or sensitization of anxiety responses) may differ within cohorts of 129 mice. This variability was expressed across both anxiety- and activity-related behavioral dimensions. These findings were based however on re-analysis of previously published data. The present study therefore aimed to empirically validate these findings in 129 mice. In addition, we assessed such inter-individuality in two other strains: BALB/c and C57BL/6. Males of three mouse inbred strains (BALB/c, C57BL/6 and 129S2) were behaviorally characterized through repeated exposure to a mild aversive stimulus (modified Hole Board, 4 consecutive trials). Behavioral observations were supplemented with assessment of circulating corticosterone levels. Clustering the individual response trajectories of behavioral and endocrine responses yielded two multidimensional response types of different adaptive value. Interestingly, these response types were displayed by individuals of all three strains. The response types differed significantly on anxiety and activity related behavioral dimensions but not on corticosterone concentrations. This study empirically confirms that adaptive capacities may differ within 129 cohorts. In addition, it extends this inter-individual variability in behavioral profiles to BALB/c and C57BL/6. Whether these two sub-types constitute differential anxiety phenotypes may differ per strain and requires further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marloes H van der Goot
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Melissa Keijsper
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Annemarie Baars
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lisa Drost
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Judith Hendriks
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Susanne Kirchhoff
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - José G Lozeman-van T Klooster
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Hein A van Lith
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Saskia S Arndt
- Section Animals in Science and Society, Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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37
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Mah KM, Torres-Espín A, Hallworth BW, Bixby JL, Lemmon VP, Fouad K, Fenrich KK. Automation of training and testing motor and related tasks in pre-clinical behavioural and rehabilitative neuroscience. Exp Neurol 2021; 340:113647. [PMID: 33600814 PMCID: PMC10443427 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2021.113647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Testing and training animals in motor and related tasks is a cornerstone of pre-clinical behavioural and rehabilitative neuroscience. Yet manually testing and training animals in these tasks is time consuming and analyses are often subjective. Consequently, there have been many recent advances in automating both the administration and analyses of animal behavioural training and testing. This review is an in-depth appraisal of the history of, and recent developments in, the automation of animal behavioural assays used in neuroscience. We describe the use of common locomotor and non-locomotor tasks used for motor training and testing before and after nervous system injury. This includes a discussion of how these tasks help us to understand the underlying mechanisms of neurological repair and the utility of some tasks for the delivery of rehabilitative training to enhance recovery. We propose two general approaches to automation: automating the physical administration of behavioural tasks (i.e., devices used to facilitate task training, rehabilitative training, and motor testing) and leveraging the use of machine learning in behaviour analysis to generate large volumes of unbiased and comprehensive data. The advantages and disadvantages of automating various motor tasks as well as the limitations of machine learning analyses are examined. In closing, we provide a critical appraisal of the current state of automation in animal behavioural neuroscience and a prospective on some of the advances in machine learning we believe will dramatically enhance the usefulness of these approaches for behavioural neuroscientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kar Men Mah
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Abel Torres-Espín
- Brain and Spinal Injury Center, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ben W Hallworth
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - John L Bixby
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Department of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Vance P Lemmon
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Karim Fouad
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Keith K Fenrich
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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Farrar BG, Voudouris K, Clayton NS. Replications, Comparisons, Sampling and the Problem of Representativeness in Animal Cognition Research. ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND COGNITION 2021; 8:273-295. [PMID: 34046521 PMCID: PMC7610843 DOI: 10.26451/abc.08.02.14.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal cognition research often involves small and idiosyncratic samples. This can constrain the generalizability and replicability of a study's results and prevent meaningful comparisons between samples. However, there is little consensus about what makes a strong replication or comparison in animal research. We apply a resampling definition of replication to answer these questions in Part 1 of this article, and, in Part 2, we focus on the problem of representativeness in animal research. Through a case study and a simulation study, we highlight how and when representativeness may be an issue in animal behavior and cognition research and show how the representativeness problems can be viewed through the lenses of, i) replicability, ii) generalizability and external validity, iii) pseudoreplication and, iv) theory testing. Next, we discuss when and how researchers can improve their ability to learn from small sample research through, i) increasing heterogeneity in experimental design, ii) increasing homogeneity in experimental design, and, iii) statistically modeling variation. Finally, we describe how the strongest solutions will vary depending on the goals and resources of individual research programs and discuss some barriers towards implementing them.
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Saré RM, Lemons A, Smith CB. Behavior Testing in Rodents: Highlighting Potential Confounds Affecting Variability and Reproducibility. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11040522. [PMID: 33924037 PMCID: PMC8073298 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodent models of brain disorders including neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative diseases are essential for increasing our understanding of underlying pathology and for preclinical testing of potential treatments. Some of the most important outcome measures in such studies are behavioral. Unfortunately, reports from different labs are often conflicting, and preclinical studies in rodent models are not often corroborated in human trials. There are many well-established tests for assessing various behavioral readouts, but subtle aspects can influence measurements. Features such as housing conditions, conditions of testing, and the sex and strain of the animals can all have effects on tests of behavior. In the conduct of behavior testing, it is important to keep these features in mind to ensure the reliability and reproducibility of results. In this review, we highlight factors that we and others have encountered that can influence behavioral measures. Our goal is to increase awareness of factors that can affect behavior in rodents and to emphasize the need for detailed reporting of methods.
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40
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Geuther BQ, Peer A, He H, Sabnis G, Philip VM, Kumar V. Action detection using a neural network elucidates the genetics of mouse grooming behavior. eLife 2021; 10:e63207. [PMID: 33729153 PMCID: PMC8043749 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Automated detection of complex animal behaviors remains a challenging problem in neuroscience, particularly for behaviors that consist of disparate sequential motions. Grooming is a prototypical stereotyped behavior that is often used as an endophenotype in psychiatric genetics. Here, we used mouse grooming behavior as an example and developed a general purpose neural network architecture capable of dynamic action detection at human observer-level performance and operating across dozens of mouse strains with high visual diversity. We provide insights into the amount of human annotated training data that are needed to achieve such performance. We surveyed grooming behavior in the open field in 2457 mice across 62 strains, determined its heritable components, conducted GWAS to outline its genetic architecture, and performed PheWAS to link human psychiatric traits through shared underlying genetics. Our general machine learning solution that automatically classifies complex behaviors in large datasets will facilitate systematic studies of behavioral mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Asaf Peer
- The Jackson LaboratoryBar HarborUnited States
| | - Hao He
- The Jackson LaboratoryBar HarborUnited States
| | | | | | - Vivek Kumar
- The Jackson LaboratoryBar HarborUnited States
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41
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Brown T, McElroy T, Simmons P, Walters H, Ntagwabira F, Wang J, Byrum SD, Allen AR. Cognitive impairment resulting from treatment with docetaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. Brain Res 2021; 1760:147397. [PMID: 33705788 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women and it is estimated that about 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers. While advancements in treating breast cancer have led to an average 5-year survival rate of 90%, many survivors experience cognitive impairments as a result of chemotherapy treatment. Doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and docetaxel (TAC) are commonly administered as breast cancer treatments; however, there are few studies that have tested the cognitive effects of TAC. In the current study, 12-week-old female C57BL/6 mice received 4 weekly intraperitoneal injections of either saline or a combination therapy of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by 4 weekly docetaxel injections. Four weeks after the last injection, mice were tested for hippocampus-dependent cognitive performance in the Y-maze and the Morris water maze. During Y-maze testing, mice exposed to TAC exhibited impairment. During the water maze assessment, all animals were able to locate the visible and hidden platform locations. However, mice that received the TAC presented with a significant impairment in spatial memory retention on the probe trial days. TAC treatment significantly decreases the dendritic complexity of arborization in the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus. In addition, comparative proteomic analysis revealed downregulation of proteins within key metabolic and signaling pathways associated with cognitive dysfunction, such as oxidative phosphorylation, ephrin signaling, and calcium signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taurean Brown
- Division of Radiation Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Neurobiology & Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States
| | - Taylor McElroy
- Division of Radiation Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Neurobiology & Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States
| | - Pilar Simmons
- Division of Radiation Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States
| | - Huddoy Walters
- Division of Radiation Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States
| | - Fabio Ntagwabira
- Division of Radiation Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Neurobiology & Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States
| | - Jing Wang
- Division of Radiation Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States
| | - Stephanie D Byrum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, AR 72202, United States
| | - Antiño R Allen
- Division of Radiation Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States; Neurobiology & Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States.
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42
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von Ziegler L, Sturman O, Bohacek J. Big behavior: challenges and opportunities in a new era of deep behavior profiling. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:33-44. [PMID: 32599604 PMCID: PMC7688651 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0751-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The assessment of rodent behavior forms a cornerstone of preclinical assessment in neuroscience research. Nonetheless, the true and almost limitless potential of behavioral analysis has been inaccessible to scientists until very recently. Now, in the age of machine vision and deep learning, it is possible to extract and quantify almost infinite numbers of behavioral variables, to break behaviors down into subcategories and even into small behavioral units, syllables or motifs. However, the rapidly growing field of behavioral neuroethology is experiencing birthing pains. The community has not yet consolidated its methods, and new algorithms transfer poorly between labs. Benchmarking experiments as well as the large, well-annotated behavior datasets required are missing. Meanwhile, big data problems have started arising and we currently lack platforms for sharing large datasets-akin to sequencing repositories in genomics. Additionally, the average behavioral research lab does not have access to the latest tools to extract and analyze behavior, as their implementation requires advanced computational skills. Even so, the field is brimming with excitement and boundless opportunity. This review aims to highlight the potential of recent developments in the field of behavioral analysis, whilst trying to guide a consensus on practical issues concerning data collection and data sharing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas von Ziegler
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Sturman
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Bohacek
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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43
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Voikar V, Gaburro S. Three Pillars of Automated Home-Cage Phenotyping of Mice: Novel Findings, Refinement, and Reproducibility Based on Literature and Experience. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:575434. [PMID: 33192366 PMCID: PMC7662686 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.575434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal models of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders require extensive behavioral phenotyping. Currently, this presents several caveats and the most important are: (i) rodents are nocturnal animals, but mostly tested during the light period; (ii) the conventional behavioral experiments take into consideration only a snapshot of a rich behavioral repertoire; and (iii) environmental factors, as well as experimenter influence, are often underestimated. Consequently, serious concerns have been expressed regarding the reproducibility of research findings on the one hand, and appropriate welfare of the animals (based on the principle of 3Rs-reduce, refine and replace) on the other hand. To address these problems and improve behavioral phenotyping in general, several solutions have been proposed and developed. Undisturbed, 24/7 home-cage monitoring (HCM) is gaining increased attention and popularity as demonstrating the potential to substitute or complement the conventional phenotyping methods by providing valuable data for identifying the behavioral patterns that may have been missed otherwise. In this review, we will briefly describe the different technologies used for HCM systems. Thereafter, based on our experience, we will focus on two systems, IntelliCage (NewBehavior AG and TSE-systems) and Digital Ventilated Cage (DVC®, Tecniplast)-how they have been developed and applied during recent years. Additionally, we will touch upon the importance of the environmental/experimenter artifacts and propose alternative suggestions for performing phenotyping experiments based on the published evidence. We will discuss how the integration of telemetry systems for deriving certain physiological parameters can help to complement the description of the animal model to offer better translation to human studies. Ultimately, we will discuss how such HCM data can be statistically interpreted and analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vootele Voikar
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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44
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Lieggi C, Kalueff AV, Lawrence C, Collymore C. The Influence of Behavioral, Social, and Environmental Factors on Reproducibility and Replicability in Aquatic Animal Models. ILAR J 2020; 60:270-288. [PMID: 32400880 PMCID: PMC7743897 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilz019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The publication of reproducible, replicable, and translatable data in studies utilizing animal models is a scientific, practical, and ethical necessity. This requires careful planning and execution of experiments and accurate reporting of results. Recognition that numerous developmental, environmental, and test-related factors can affect experimental outcomes is essential for a quality study design. Factors commonly considered when designing studies utilizing aquatic animal species include strain, sex, or age of the animal; water quality; temperature; and acoustic and light conditions. However, in the aquatic environment, it is equally important to consider normal species behavior, group dynamics, stocking density, and environmental complexity, including tank design and structural enrichment. Here, we will outline normal species and social behavior of 2 commonly used aquatic species: zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Xenopus (X. laevis and X. tropicalis). We also provide examples as to how these behaviors and the complexity of the tank environment can influence research results and provide general recommendations to assist with improvement of reproducibility and replicability, particularly as it pertains to behavior and environmental complexity, when utilizing these popular aquatic models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Lieggi
- Center of Comparative Medicine and Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York
| | - Allan V Kalueff
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, and Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
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45
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von Kortzfleisch VT, Karp NA, Palme R, Kaiser S, Sachser N, Richter SH. Improving reproducibility in animal research by splitting the study population into several 'mini-experiments'. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16579. [PMID: 33024165 PMCID: PMC7538440 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73503-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In light of the hotly discussed 'reproducibility crisis', a rethinking of current methodologies appears essential. Implementing multi-laboratory designs has been shown to enhance the external validity and hence the reproducibility of findings from animal research. We here aimed at proposing a new experimental strategy that transfers this logic into a single-laboratory setting. We systematically introduced heterogeneity into our study population by splitting an experiment into several 'mini-experiments' spread over different time points a few weeks apart. We hypothesised to observe improved reproducibility in such a 'mini-experiment' design in comparison to a conventionally standardised design, according to which all animals are tested at one specific point in time. By comparing both designs across independent replicates, we could indeed show that the use of such a 'mini-experiment' design improved the reproducibility and accurate detection of exemplary treatment effects (behavioural and physiological differences between four mouse strains) in about half of all investigated strain comparisons. Thus, we successfully implemented and empirically validated an easy-to-handle strategy to tackle poor reproducibility in single-laboratory studies. Since other experiments within different life science disciplines share the main characteristics with the investigation reported here, these studies are likely to also benefit from this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Tabea von Kortzfleisch
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestraße 13, Münster, Germany.
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Natasha A Karp
- Data Sciences and Quantitative Biology, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestraße 13, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestraße 13, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestraße 13, Münster, Germany.
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
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46
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Sturman O, von Ziegler L, Schläppi C, Akyol F, Privitera M, Slominski D, Grimm C, Thieren L, Zerbi V, Grewe B, Bohacek J. Deep learning-based behavioral analysis reaches human accuracy and is capable of outperforming commercial solutions. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1942-1952. [PMID: 32711402 PMCID: PMC7608249 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0776-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
To study brain function, preclinical research heavily relies on animal monitoring and the subsequent analyses of behavior. Commercial platforms have enabled semi high-throughput behavioral analyses by automating animal tracking, yet they poorly recognize ethologically relevant behaviors and lack the flexibility to be employed in variable testing environments. Critical advances based on deep-learning and machine vision over the last couple of years now enable markerless tracking of individual body parts of freely moving rodents with high precision. Here, we compare the performance of commercially available platforms (EthoVision XT14, Noldus; TSE Multi-Conditioning System, TSE Systems) to cross-verified human annotation. We provide a set of videos-carefully annotated by several human raters-of three widely used behavioral tests (open field test, elevated plus maze, forced swim test). Using these data, we then deployed the pose estimation software DeepLabCut to extract skeletal mouse representations. Using simple post-analyses, we were able to track animals based on their skeletal representation in a range of classic behavioral tests at similar or greater accuracy than commercial behavioral tracking systems. We then developed supervised machine learning classifiers that integrate the skeletal representation with the manual annotations. This new combined approach allows us to score ethologically relevant behaviors with similar accuracy to humans, the current gold standard, while outperforming commercial solutions. Finally, we show that the resulting machine learning approach eliminates variation both within and between human annotators. In summary, our approach helps to improve the quality and accuracy of behavioral data, while outperforming commercial systems at a fraction of the cost.
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Grants
- ETH Zurich, ETH Project Grant ETH-20 19-1, the SNSF Grant CRSII5-173721, Swiss Data Science Center C17-18, Neuroscience Center Zurich Project Grants Oxford/McGill/Zurich Partnership.
- ETH Zurich, ETH Project Grant ETH-20 19-1, the SNSF Grant 310030_172889/1, Forschungskredit of the University of Zurich FK-15-035, Vontobel-Foundation, Novartis Foundation for Medical Biological Research, EMDO-Foundation, Olga Mayenfisch Foundation, Betty and David Koetser Foundation for Brain Research, Neuroscience Center Zurich Project Grants Oxford/McGill/Zurich Partnership
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Sturman
- Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas von Ziegler
- Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christa Schläppi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Furkan Akyol
- Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mattia Privitera
- Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daria Slominski
- Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christina Grimm
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neural Control of Movement Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laetitia Thieren
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Experimental Imaging and Neuroenergetics, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Valerio Zerbi
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neural Control of Movement Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Grewe
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Bohacek
- Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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47
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Cross-site Reproducibility of Social Deficits in Group-housed BTBR Mice Using Automated Longitudinal Behavioural Monitoring. Neuroscience 2020; 445:95-108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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48
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De Agrò M. SPiDbox: design and validation of an open-source "Skinner-box" system for the study of jumping spiders. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 346:108925. [PMID: 32896539 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Skinner-box systems are fundamental in behavioural research. They are objective, reliable and can be used to carry out procedures otherwise impossible with manual methodologies. Recently, jumping spiders have caught the interest of scientists for their remarkable cognitive abilities. However, inquiries on their learning abilities are still few, since we lacked a proper methodology capable of overcoming the inherent difficulties that this family poses when carrying out a conditioning protocol. NEW METHOD In this paper, a new, automated, open-source Skinner-box, intended for the study of jumping spiders is presented. The system is 3d printable, cheap, fully open-source; is controlled with a Raspberry Pi Zero by a Python script. Since spiders are too lightweight to activate large physical object, the SPiDbox employs photo-sensors. RESULTS To validate the methodology, 30 Phidippus regius underwent a training procedure for a simple discrimination task to validate the effectiveness of the system. The spiders managed to learn the task, establishing the effectiveness of the SPiDbox. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS This automated training appears to be more reliable and effective than traditional methodologies. Moreover, its highly scalable, as many SPiDboxes could be used in parallel. CONCLUSIONS The SPiDbox appears to be an effective system to train jumping spiders, opening up the possibility to study learning in increasingly more complex tasks, possibly extending our understanding of jumping spiders' cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo De Agrò
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Italy; Esapolis' Living Insects Museum, Padua, Italy.
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49
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Baker KL, Izydorczak M, Jackson R, Verhagen JV. An automated sensitive approach for measuring whole gut transit time. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2020; 32:e13894. [PMID: 32468651 PMCID: PMC9361480 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.13894] [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: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Commonly used methods to measure whole gut transit time in rodents have yet to combine high sensitivity, objectivity, and automation. We have developed a novel method using oral gavage of non-toxic fluorescent dye particles and their detection by fluorescence imaging to enable unbiased automated detection of gut transit time simultaneously in 8 cages. METHODS Naïve mice (n = 20) were gavaged with a non-caloric viscous suspension of 4.4% fluorescent dye in 3 groups on 2 occasions. Each group was imaged in 8 cages at 5-minute intervals using blue LEDs for illumination and a Sony full-frame mirrorless camera with a green band-pass emission filter. Custom MATLAB code counted the number of fluorescent boli per cage post hoc and provided graphical and spreadsheet output. Boli counts across a wide range of parameters were compared to blind assessments by an experimenter. RESULTS Fluorescent boli were detected with high sensitivity, while unstained boli were readily rejected. All cages showed no fluorescent boli for the first ~20 frames (100 minutes), after which many cages gradually show a rise to 1-6 fluorescent boli. The mean time to first fluorescent bolus in each session was 264 ± 141 and 223 ± 81 minutes post-gavage, with no within subject consistency. There was high correlation between automated scores and that of experimenter (r = .95 ± .02), being robust to parameter changes. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES This novel approach provides a reliable, automatic, and low-cost method of measuring gastrointestinal transit time in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keeley L. Baker
- The John B. Pierce Laboratory, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Ruaidhri Jackson
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Justus V. Verhagen
- The John B. Pierce Laboratory, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.,Corresponding author: Justus Verhagen, The J. B. Pierce Laboratory, 290 Congress Avenue, New Haven, CT 06519,
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50
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Whittaker AL, Hickman DL. The Impact of Social and Behavioral Factors on Reproducibility in Terrestrial Vertebrate Models. ILAR J 2020; 60:252-269. [PMID: 32720675 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilaa005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of animal models remains critical in preclinical and translational research. The reliability of the animal models and aspects of their validity is likely key to effective translation of findings to medicine. However, despite considerable uniformity in animal models brought about by control of genetics, there remain a number of social as well as innate and acquired behavioral characteristics of laboratory animals that may impact on research outcomes. These include the effects of strain and genetics, age and development, sex, personality and affective states, and social factors largely brought about by housing and husbandry. In addition, aspects of the testing environment may also influence research findings. A number of considerations resulting from the animals' innate and acquired behavioral characteristics as well as their social structures are described. Suggestions for minimizing the impact of these factors on research are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra L Whittaker
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, South Australia, Australia
| | - Debra L Hickman
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
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