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Amoroso VG, Zhao A, Vargas I, Park TJ. Naked Mole-Rats Demonstrate Profound Tolerance to Low Oxygen, High Carbon Dioxide, and Chemical Pain. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13050819. [PMID: 36899677 PMCID: PMC10000161 DOI: 10.3390/ani13050819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) are very unusual among subterranean mammals in that they live in large colonies and are extremely social, spending large amounts of time gathered together in underground nests more than a meter below the surface. Many respiring individuals resting in deep, poorly ventilated nests deplete the oxygen supply and increase the concentration of carbon dioxide. Consistent with living in that atmosphere, naked mole-rats tolerate levels of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide that are deadly to most surface-dwelling mammals. Naked mole-rats appear to have evolved a number of remarkable adaptations to be able to thrive in this harsh atmosphere. In order to successfully survive low oxygen atmospheres, they conserve energy utilization by reducing the physiological activity of all organs, manifest by reduced heart rate and brain activity. Amazingly, they resort to the anaerobic metabolism of fructose rather than glucose as a fuel to generate energy when challenged by anoxia. Similarly, high carbon dioxide atmospheres normally cause tissue acidosis, while naked mole-rats have a genetic mutation preventing both acid-induced pain and pulmonary edema. Together, these putative adaptations and the tolerances they provide make the naked mole-rat an important model for studying a host of biomedical challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vince G Amoroso
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Aishi Zhao
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Isabel Vargas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Thomas J Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
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Vice EN, Lagestee S, Browe BM, Deb D, Smith ESJ, Park TJ. Sensory Systems of the African Naked Mole-Rat. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:137-156. [PMID: 34424515 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Naked mole-rats share some sensory characteristics with other subterraneans, including lack of object vision, retention of the ability to entrain their circadian rhythm to light, and poor hearing. On the other hand, a characteristic that may be specialized in the naked mole-rat is their exquisite orienting responses to the touch of even a single body vibrissa. They have about 100 whisker-like body vibrissae on their otherwise furless bodies. They are also insensitive to chemical and inflammatory pain, likely an adaptation to living in an atmosphere that is high in carbon dioxide, a result of many respiring individuals driving carbon dioxide accumulation. Naked mole-rats have the highest population density among subterranean mammals. High levels of carbon dioxide cause tissue acidosis and associated pain. Remarkably, naked mole-rats are completely immune to carbon dioxide-induced pulmonary edema. However, they retain the ability to detect acid as a taste (sour). Finally, their ability to smell and discriminate odors is comparable to that of rats and mice, but their vomeronasal organ, associated with sensing pheromones, is extremely small and shows a complete lack of post-natal growth. In this chapter, we review what is known about the sensory systems of the naked mole-rat with emphasis on how they differ from other mammals, and even other subterraneans. More extensive accounts of the naked mole-rat's auditory and pain systems can be found in other chapters of this book.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N Vice
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Samantha Lagestee
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Brigitte M Browe
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Deblina Deb
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Kids In Motion Pediatric Therapy Services, Highland, MI, USA
| | - Ewan St J Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Thomas J Park
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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The Somatosensory World of the African Naked Mole-Rat. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:197-220. [PMID: 34424517 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is famous for its longevity and unusual physiology. This eusocial species that lives in highly ordered and hierarchical colonies with a single breeding queen, also discovered secrets enabling somewhat pain-free living around 20 million years ago. Unlike most mammals, naked mole-rats do not feel the burn of chili pepper's active ingredient, capsaicin, nor the sting of acid. Indeed, by accumulating mutations in genes encoding proteins that are only now being exploited as targets for new pain therapies (the nerve growth factor receptor TrkA and voltage-gated sodium channel, NaV1.7), this species mastered the art of analgesia before humans evolved. Recently, we have identified pain-insensitivity as a trait shared by several closely related African mole-rat species. In this chapter we will show how African mole-rats have evolved pain insensitivity as well as discussing what the proximate factors may have been that led to the evolution of pain-free traits.
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ANESTHETIC EFFECT OF DEXMEDETOMIDINE-KETAMINEMIDAZOLAM COMBINATION ADMINISTERED INTRAMUSCULARLY TO ZOO-HOUSED NAKED MOLE-RATS ( HETEROCEPHALUS GLABER). J Zoo Wildl Med 2020; 51:59-66. [PMID: 32212547 DOI: 10.1638/2019-0121] [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] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, adult intact male and female (n = 10) naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) were anesthetized using a combination of dexmedetomidine (0.06 mg/kg intramuscularly [IM]), ketamine (20 mg/kg IM), and midazolam (1.0 mg/kg IM). Atipamezole (1.0 mg/kg IM) and flumazenil (0.1 mg/kg IM) were administered 40 min after induction. Induction and recovery times were monitored and recorded. Vital parameters, including heart rate, respiratory rate, and SpO2, and reflexes were monitored every 5 min during the anesthetic period. Anesthetic induction was smooth and rapid. All monitored reflexes were lost within a median time of 60 sec (interquartile range, 15 sec). Heart rate and respiratory rate were significantly decreased from baseline, whereas there was no difference in SpO2 over the anesthetic period. The mean time to recovery was 15 ± 7 min (mean ± SD). One animal was found dead 40 min after apparent recovery, which is suspected to be an anesthetic-related death. Based on these findings, dexmedetomidine-ketamine-midazolam anesthesia is an effective anesthetic protocol in naked mole rats that provides a consistent anesthetic plane but should be used with caution in animals with underlying conditions.
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Browe BM, Vice EN, Park TJ. Naked Mole‐Rats: Blind, Naked, and Feeling No Pain. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 303:77-88. [PMID: 30365235 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte M. Browe
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Chicago, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience 840 West Taylor St, Chicago Illinois
| | - Emily N. Vice
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Chicago, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience 840 West Taylor St, Chicago Illinois
| | - Thomas J. Park
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Chicago, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience 840 West Taylor St, Chicago Illinois
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A comparative analysis of infraorbital foramen size in Paleogene euarchontans. J Hum Evol 2017; 105:57-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Seki F, Hikishima K, Nambu S, Okanoya K, Okano HJ, Sasaki E, Miura K, Okano H. Multidimensional MRI-CT atlas of the naked mole-rat brain (Heterocephalus glaber). Front Neuroanat 2013; 7:45. [PMID: 24391551 PMCID: PMC3868886 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2013.00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 11/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Naked mole-rats have a variety of distinctive features such as the organization of a hierarchical society (known as eusociality), extraordinary longevity, and cancer resistance; thus, it would be worthwhile investigating these animals in detail. One important task is the preparation of a brain atlas database that provide comprehensive information containing multidimensional data with various image contrasts, which can be achievable using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Advanced MRI techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which generates high contrast images of fiber structures, can characterize unique morphological properties in addition to conventional MRI. To obtain high spatial resolution images, MR histology, DTI, and X-ray computed tomography were performed on the fixed adult brain. Skull and brain structures were segmented as well as reconstructed in stereotaxic coordinates. Data were also acquired for the neonatal brain to allow developmental changes to be observed. Moreover, in vivo imaging of naked mole-rats was established as an evaluation tool of live animals. The data obtained comprised three-dimensional (3D) images with high tissue contrast as well as stereotaxic coordinates. Developmental differences in the visual system were highlighted in particular by DTI. Although it was difficult to delineate optic nerves in the mature adult brain, parts of them could be distinguished in the immature neonatal brain. From observation of cortical thickness, possibility of high somatosensory system development replaced to the visual system was indicated. 3D visualization of brain structures in the atlas as well as the establishment of in vivo imaging would promote neuroimaging researches towards detection of novel characteristics of eusocial naked mole-rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiko Seki
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine Tokyo, Japan ; Central Institute for Experimental Animals Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Keigo Hikishima
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine Tokyo, Japan ; Central Institute for Experimental Animals Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Sanae Nambu
- Laboratory for Symbolic Cognitive Development, RIKEN Brain Science Institute Saitama, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Japan Science and Technology Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology Okanoya Emotional Information Project Saitama, Japan ; Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hirotaka J Okano
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Erika Sasaki
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine Tokyo, Japan ; Central Institute for Experimental Animals Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kyoko Miura
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine Tokyo, Japan ; Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Saitama, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Okano
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine Tokyo, Japan ; Riken Keio University Joint Research Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science Institute Saitama, Japan
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Changes in Otx2 and parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the superior colliculus in the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β knockout mice. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2013; 2013:848265. [PMID: 24319691 PMCID: PMC3844215 DOI: 10.1155/2013/848265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2013] [Accepted: 09/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC), a relay nucleus in the subcortical visual pathways, is implicated in socioemotional behaviors. Homeoprotein Otx2 and β subunit of receptors of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGFR-β) have been suggested to play an important role in development of the visual system and development and maturation of GABAergic neurons. Although PDGFR-β-knockout (KO) mice displayed socio-emotional deficits associated with parvalbumin (PV-)immunoreactive (IR) neurons, their anatomical bases in the SC were unknown. In the present study, Otx2 and PV-immunolabeling in the adult mouse SC were investigated in the PDGFR-β KO mice. Although there were no differences in distribution patterns of Otx2 and PV-IR cells between the wild type and PDGFR-β KO mice, the mean numbers of both of the Otx2- and PV-IR cells were significantly reduced in the PDGFR-β KO mice. Furthermore, average diameters of Otx2- and PV-IR cells were significantly reduced in the PDGFR-β KO mice. These findings suggest that PDGFR-β plays a critical role in the functional development of the SC through its effects on Otx2- and PV-IR cells, provided specific roles of Otx2 protein and PV-IR cells in the development of SC neurons and visual information processing, respectively.
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Pitti A, Kuniyoshi Y, Quoy M, Gaussier P. Modeling the minimal newborn's intersubjective mind: the visuotopic-somatotopic alignment hypothesis in the superior colliculus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69474. [PMID: 23922718 PMCID: PMC3724856 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The question whether newborns possess inborn social skills is a long debate in developmental psychology. Fetal behavioral and anatomical observations show evidences for the control of eye movements and facial behaviors during the third trimester of pregnancy whereas specific sub-cortical areas, like the superior colliculus (SC) and the striatum appear to be functionally mature to support these behaviors. These observations suggest that the newborn is potentially mature for developing minimal social skills. In this manuscript, we propose that the mechanism of sensory alignment observed in SC is particularly important for enabling the social skills observed at birth such as facial preference and facial mimicry. In a computational simulation of the maturing superior colliculus connected to a simulated facial tissue of a fetus, we model how the incoming tactile information is used to direct visual attention toward faces. We suggest that the unisensory superficial visual layer (eye-centered) and the deep somatopic layer (face-centered) in SC are combined into an intermediate layer for visuo-tactile integration and that multimodal alignment in this third layer allows newborns to have a sensitivity to configuration of eyes and mouth. We show that the visual and tactile maps align through a Hebbian learning stage and and strengthen their synaptic links from each other into the intermediate layer. It results that the global network produces some emergent properties such as sensitivity toward the spatial configuration of face-like patterns and the detection of eyes and mouth movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Pitti
- Department of Compter Sciences, ETIS Laboratory, UMR CNRS 8051, the University of Cergy-Pontoise, ENSEA, Cergy-Pontoise, France.
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Abstract
Naked mole rats are mouse-sized rodents that have become an important animal model in biomedical research. They play a unique mammalian role in behavioral and ecophysiological research of life underground. This chapter studies the general physiology, anatomy of organ systems, husbandry, and uses in research of the naked mole rats. Naked mole rats belong to the order Rodentia in that they have two incisor teeth on the upper and lower arcade that continuously grow. The skin is loose, wrinkled, and brownish pink in color. The body is for the most part absent of hairs with the exception of tactile hairs that are regularly arranged throughout the body and which are particularly prominent around the face and to a lesser extent on the tail. They are typically housed at 28–30°C, and at 50–60% relative humidity. Because naked mole rats are social and have cooperative behaviors, the study of their conduct has more applicability to people. The chapter describes the models of experimental research on the naked mole rat such as the model of reproductive suppression, model of somatosensory processing, model of bone elongation, and model of aging.
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Morona R, López JM, González A. Localization of Calbindin-D28k and Calretinin in the Brain of Dermophis Mexicanus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) and Its Bearing on the Interpretation of Newly Recognized Neuroanatomical Regions. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2011; 77:231-69. [DOI: 10.1159/000329521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2011] [Accepted: 05/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Leopard frog priorities in choosing between prey at different locations. Behav Processes 2010; 86:138-42. [PMID: 21087658 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2010.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2010] [Revised: 11/01/2010] [Accepted: 11/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Frogs are able to respond to a prey stimulus throughout their 360° ground-level visual field as well as in the superior visual field. We compared the likelihood of frogs choosing between a more nasally located, ground-level prey versus a more temporally located ground-level prey, when the prey at the nasal location is further away from the frog. Two crickets were presented simultaneously at 9 pairs of angles that included both crickets in the binocular visual field, both crickets in the monocular visual field, or one cricket in the binocular field and one in the monocular field. Frogs chose the more nasally located prey at least 71% of the time when the more temporal prey was in the monocular field; and 64% of the time when both prey were in the binocular field. Frogs tended to choose the more nasally located prey, even though it takes the frog longer to reach the prey. In addition, when given a choice between a prey located at ground level versus a prey located in the superior field, frogs tend to choose the prey at ground-level. These results suggest that there is a neural mechanism that biases frogs' responses to prey stimuli.
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Kalamatianos T, Faulkes CG, Oosthuizen MK, Poorun R, Bennett NC, Coen CW. Telencephalic binding sites for oxytocin and social organization: A comparative study of eusocial naked mole-rats and solitary cape mole-rats. J Comp Neurol 2010; 518:1792-813. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.22302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Catania KC, Henry EC. Touching on somatosensory specializations in mammals. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2006; 16:467-73. [PMID: 16837185 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2006.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2006] [Revised: 06/20/2006] [Accepted: 06/30/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Specialized species often reveal general principles of brain organization and provide systems for analysis of sensory function. Subterranean species dependent on touch have particularly large somatosensory areas with modular cortical representations of sensory surfaces. Some species have added cortical areas to processing networks, have developed tactile foveas and have superior colliculi primarily devoted to somatosensation rather than vision. Recent studies reveal surprisingly large cortical representations of oral structures in primates and mole-rats. Cortical modules represent a range of different sensory surfaces in rodents, star-nosed moles and primates, indicating that similar developmental mechanisms operate in diverse species. Finally, manipulation of patterning genes in mice suggests evolutionary mechanisms for producing the specialized corticies of subterranean species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth C Catania
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
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