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Feng E, Yang X, Zhao K, Li Y, Zhu H, Wang Z, Zhang Z. Gut microbiota is associated with spatial memory and seed-hoarding behavior of South China field mice ( Apodemus draco). Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1236359. [PMID: 37771706 PMCID: PMC10525317 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1236359] [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: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Scatter-hoarding animals store food in multiple locations within their home range and rely on spatial memory for subsequent localization and retrieval. The relationship between memory and scatter-hoarding behavior has been widely demonstrated, but the association of gut microbiota with spatial memory and seed-hoarding behavior of animals remains unclear. Methods In this study, by using enclosure behavior tests, memory tests including an object location test (OLT) and a novel object recognition test (NORT), and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiment, we evaluated the role of gut microbiota in affecting the memory and seed-hoarding behavior of rodents. According to their scatter-hoarding intensity, South China field mice (Apodemus draco) were divided into scatter-hoarding group (SG) and non-scatter-hoarding group (NG). Results We found that the SG performed better than the NG in the NORT. FMT from SG donor mice altered the NG recipient mice's gut microbiota structure. Further tests demonstrated FMT from SG donor mice increased memory of NG recipient mice in laboratory tests and seed larder hoarding intensity of NG recipient mice in enclosures. Conclusion Our results suggest gut microbiota could modulate the memory and seed-hoarding behavior of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enping Feng
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei Province, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xifu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kunming Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hanyi Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenshan Wang
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei Province, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Yao W, Liu W, Deng K, Wang Z, Wang DH, Zhang XY. GnRH expression and cell proliferation are associated with seasonal breeding and food hoarding in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Horm Behav 2019; 112:42-53. [PMID: 30922890 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal brain plasticity contributes to a variety of physiological and behavioral processes. We hypothesized that variations in GnRH expression and cell proliferation facilitated seasonal breeding and food hoarding. Here, we reported seasonal changes in sexual and social behavior, GnRH expression and brain cell proliferation, and the role of photoperiod in inducing seasonal breeding and brain plasticity in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). The gerbils captured in April and July had more mature sexual development, higher exploratory behavior, and preferred novelty much more than those captured in September. Male gerbils captured in April and July had consistently higher GnRH expression than those captured in September. GnRH expression was also found to be suppressed by food-induced hoarding behavior in the breeding season. Both subadult and adult gerbils from April and July had higher cell proliferation in SVZ, hypothalamus and amygdala compared to those in September. However, adult gerbils captured in September preferred familiar objects, and no seasonal differences were found in cell proliferation in hippocampal dentate gyrus among the three seasons. The laboratory study showed that photoperiod alone did not alter reproductive traits, behavior, cell proliferation or cell survival in the detected brain regions. These findings suggest that the structural variations in GnRH expression in hypothalamus and cell proliferation in hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus are associated with seasonal breeding and food hoarding in gerbils. It gives a new insight into the proximate physiological and neural basis for these seasonal life-history traits of breeding and food hoarding in small mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Institute of Health Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ke Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zuoxin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270, USA
| | - De-Hua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Xue-Ying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Feldman M, Ferrandiz-Rovira M, Espelta JM, Muñoz A. Evidence of high individual variability in seed management by scatter-hoarding rodents: does ‘personality’ matter? Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Wang M, Zhang D, Wang Z, Yi X. Improved spatial memory promotes scatter hoarding by Siberian chipmunks. J Mammal 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Dongyuan Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, China
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5
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Cabirol A, Cope AJ, Barron AB, Devaud JM. Relationship between brain plasticity, learning and foraging performance in honey bees. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196749. [PMID: 29709023 PMCID: PMC5927457 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain structure and learning capacities both vary with experience, but the mechanistic link between them is unclear. Here, we investigated whether experience-dependent variability in learning performance can be explained by neuroplasticity in foraging honey bees. The mushroom bodies (MBs) are a brain center necessary for ambiguous olfactory learning tasks such as reversal learning. Using radio frequency identification technology, we assessed the effects of natural variation in foraging activity, and the age when first foraging, on both performance in reversal learning and on synaptic connectivity in the MBs. We found that reversal learning performance improved at foraging onset and could decline with greater foraging experience. If bees started foraging before the normal age, as a result of a stress applied to the colony, the decline in learning performance with foraging experience was more severe. Analyses of brain structure in the same bees showed that the total number of synaptic boutons at the MB input decreased when bees started foraging, and then increased with greater foraging intensity. At foraging onset MB structure is therefore optimized for bees to update learned information, but optimization of MB connectivity deteriorates with foraging effort. In a computational model of the MBs sparser coding of information at the MB input improved reversal learning performance. We propose, therefore, a plausible mechanistic relationship between experience, neuroplasticity, and cognitive performance in a natural and ecological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Cabirol
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
- * E-mail: (AC); (ABB)
| | - Alex J. Cope
- Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew B. Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
- * E-mail: (AC); (ABB)
| | - Jean-Marc Devaud
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
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Zwolak R. How intraspecific variation in seed-dispersing animals matters for plants. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 93:897-913. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89; 61-614 Poznań Poland
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7
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LaDage LD. Factors That Modulate Neurogenesis: A Top-Down Approach. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2016; 87:184-190. [PMID: 27560485 DOI: 10.1159/000446906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Although hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult brain has been conserved across the vertebrate lineage, laboratory studies have primarily examined this phenomenon in rodent models. This approach has been successful in elucidating important factors and mechanisms that can modulate rates of hippocampal neurogenesis, including hormones, environmental complexity, learning and memory, motor stimulation, and stress. However, recent studies have found that neurobiological research on neurogenesis in rodents may not easily translate to, or explain, neurogenesis patterns in nonrodent systems, particularly in species examined in the field. This review examines some of the evolutionary and ecological variables that may also modulate neurogenesis patterns. This 'top-down' and more naturalistic approach, which incorporates ecology and natural history, particularly of nonmodel species, may allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the functional significance of neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara D LaDage
- Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Penn State University Altoona, Altoona, Pa., USA
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Lieberwirth C, Pan Y, Liu Y, Zhang Z, Wang Z. Hippocampal adult neurogenesis: Its regulation and potential role in spatial learning and memory. Brain Res 2016; 1644:127-40. [PMID: 27174001 PMCID: PMC5064285 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Adult neurogenesis, defined here as progenitor cell division generating functionally integrated neurons in the adult brain, occurs within the hippocampus of numerous mammalian species including humans. The present review details various endogenous (e.g., neurotransmitters) and environmental (e.g., physical exercise) factors that have been shown to influence hippocampal adult neurogenesis. In addition, the potential involvement of adult-generated neurons in naturally-occurring spatial learning behavior is discussed by summarizing the literature focusing on traditional animal models (e.g., rats and mice), non-traditional animal models (e.g., tree shrews), as well as natural populations (e.g., chickadees and Siberian chipmunk).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yongliang Pan
- Program in Molecular and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, PR China.
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270, USA
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, PR China
| | - Zuoxin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270, USA
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10
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ZHANG D, LI J, WANG Z, YI X. Visual landmark-directed scatter-hoarding of Siberian chipmunksTamias sibiricus. Integr Zool 2016; 11:175-81. [DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dongyuan ZHANG
- College of Life Sciences; Jiangxi Normal University; Nanchang China
| | - Jia LI
- College of Life Sciences; Jiangxi Normal University; Nanchang China
| | - Zhenyu WANG
- College of Life Sciences; Jiangxi Normal University; Nanchang China
| | - Xianfeng YI
- College of Life Sciences; Jiangxi Normal University; Nanchang China
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11
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Yi X, Wang Z, Zhang H, Zhang Z. Weak olfaction increases seed scatter-hoarding by Siberian chipmunks: implication in shaping plant-animal interactions. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xianfeng Yi
- College of Life Sciences; Jiangxi Normal University; CN-330022 Nanchang China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- College of Life Sciences; Jiangxi Normal University; CN-330022 Nanchang China
| | - Hongmao Zhang
- School of Life Sciences; Central China Normal University; CN-430079 Wuhan China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Inst. of Zoology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; CN-100101 Beijing China
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12
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Burger DK, Gulbrandsen T, Saucier DM, Iwaniuk AN. The effects of season and sex on dentate gyrus size and neurogenesis in a wild rodent, Richardson's ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii). Neuroscience 2014; 272:240-51. [PMID: 24813432 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.04.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Revised: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sex and reproductive status affect hippocampal neurogenesis and dentate gyrus (DG) size in rodents. Relatively few studies, however, address these two effects simultaneously and even fewer studies address this issue in wild populations. Here, we examined seasonal and sex differences in neurogenesis and DG size in a wild, polygynous and social rodent, Richardson's ground squirrel (Uriocitellus richardsonii). Based on the behavioral ecology of this species, we predicted that both neurogenesis and DG size would be sexually dimorphic and the degree of dimorphism would be greatest in the breeding season. Using unbiased stereology and doublecortin (DCX) immunohistochemistry, we found that brain volume, DG size and number of DCX cells varied significantly between breeding and non-breeding seasons, but only brain volume and the number of DCX labeled cells differed between the sexes. Both sex and seasonal differences likely reflect circulating hormone levels, but the extent to which these differences relate to space use in this species is unclear. Based on the degree of seasonal differences in neurogenesis and the DG, we suggest that ground squirrels could be considered model species in which to examine hippocampal plasticity in an ecologically valid context.
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Affiliation(s)
- D K Burger
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - T Gulbrandsen
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - D M Saucier
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada
| | - A N Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
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