1
|
Moran KM, Delville Y. A hamster model for stress-induced weight gain. Horm Behav 2024; 160:105488. [PMID: 38306877 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
This review addresses the translational relevance of animal models of stress and their effects on body weight. In humans, stress, whether chronic or acute, has often been associated with increased food intake and weight gain. In view of the current obesity epidemic, this phenomenon is especially relevant. Such observations contrast with reports with commonly used laboratory animals, especially rats and mice. In these species, it is common to find individuals gaining less weight under stress, even with potent social stressors. However, there are laboratory species that present increased appetite and weight gain under stress, such as golden hamsters. Furthermore, these animals also include metabolic and behavioral similarities with humans, including hoarding behavior which is also enhanced under stress. Consequently, we propose that our comparative perspective provides useful insights for future research on the development of obesity in humans as a consequence of chronic stress exposure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Moran
- Psychology Department, The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
| | - Yvon Delville
- Psychology Department, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Association between social factors and gastrointestinal parasite product excretion in a group of non-cooperatively breeding carrion crows. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-02967-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
3
|
Wascher CA, Canestrari D, Baglione V. Affiliative social relationships and coccidian oocyst excretion in a cooperatively breeding bird species. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
|
4
|
Social context modulates digestive efficiency in greylag geese (Anser anser). Sci Rep 2018; 8:16498. [PMID: 30405171 PMCID: PMC6220252 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34337-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In group-living animals, social context is known to modulate physiology, behaviour and reproductive output as well as foraging and nutritional strategies. Here we investigate the digestive efficiency of 38 individuals belonging to different social categories of a semi-feral and individually marked flock of greylag geese (Anser anser). During 9 consecutive days in winter 2017, when the ground was fully covered with snow (i.e. no grass or other natural forage available) and the accessible food was standardized, 184 individual droppings were collected and analysed to estimate the apparent digestibility of organic matter (ADOM). Lignin was used as an indigestible internal marker in the food and droppings. The digestive efficiency was higher in pairs with offspring as compared to pairs without offspring or unpaired birds. Furthermore, individuals with high ADOM were more likely to breed successfully in the following season than those with low ADOM. Our findings demonstrate that social status modulates digestive efficiency, probably via a chain of physiological mechanisms including a dampened stress response in individuals enjoying stable social relationships with and social support by their family members (i.e. their own pair-partner and offspring). Our findings underline the importance of the social network in modulating physiology, such as digestive efficiency, and ultimately reproductive success.
Collapse
|
5
|
Cuervo PF, Beldomenico PM, Sánchez A, Pietrobon E, Valdez SR, Racca AL. Chronic exposure to environmental stressors enhances production of natural and specific antibodies in rats. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2018; 329:536-546. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Fernando Cuervo
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral/Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Esperanza Argentina
| | - Pablo Martín Beldomenico
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral/Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Esperanza Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Esperanza Argentina
| | - Amorina Sánchez
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Esperanza Argentina
| | - Elisa Pietrobon
- Laboratorio de Reproducción y Lactancia, Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Mendoza Argentina
| | - Susana Ruth Valdez
- Laboratorio de Reproducción y Lactancia, Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Mendoza Argentina
| | - Andrea Laura Racca
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral/Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Esperanza Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Esperanza Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Defeat stress in rodents: From behavior to molecules. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 59:111-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Revised: 10/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
|
7
|
McCormick GL, Shea K, Langkilde T. How do duration, frequency, and intensity of exogenous CORT elevation affect immune outcomes of stress? Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015. [PMID: 26209864 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Stress is typically characterized as "acute" (lasting from minutes to hours) or "chronic" (lasting from days to months). These terms are of limited use as they are inconsistently used and only encompass one aspect of the stressor (duration). Short and long duration stress are generally thought to produce specific outcomes (e.g. acute stress enhances while chronic stress suppresses immune function). We propose that aspects of stress other than duration, such as frequency and intensity, are important in determining its outcome. We experimentally manipulated duration, frequency, and intensity of application of exogenous corticosterone, CORT, in Sceloporus undulatus (Eastern fence lizards) and measured the immune outcomes. Our findings reveal that immune outcomes of stress are not easily predicted from the average amount or duration of CORT elevation, but that intensity plays an important role. Although three of our treatments received the same average amount of CORT, they produced different effects on immune outcomes (hemagglutination). As predicted by the literature, short-duration exposure to low-dose CORT enhanced hemagglutination; however, short-duration exposure to high-dose CORT suppressed hemagglutination, suggesting that stressor intensity affects immune outcomes of stress. While both are traditionally termed "acute" based on duration, these treatments produced different immune outcomes. Long-duration ("chronic") exposure to CORT did not produce the expected suppression of hemagglutination. Frequency of CORT application did not alter immune outcomes at low intensities. These results highlight the need to quantify more than just the duration of a stressor if we are to understand and manage the ecological consequences of stress. Specifically, we should consider stressor frequency and intensity, as well as duration, for a more complete characterization and understanding of stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gail L McCormick
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, 208 Mueller Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; The Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Katriona Shea
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, 208 Mueller Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, 208 Mueller Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; The Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Scotti MAL, Carlton ED, Demas GE, Grippo AJ. Social isolation disrupts innate immune responses in both male and female prairie voles and enhances agonistic behavior in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Horm Behav 2015; 70:7-13. [PMID: 25639952 PMCID: PMC4409529 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2014] [Revised: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Psychosocial stress, specifically social isolation, is an important risk factor for the development of a variety of psychological and physiological disorders. Changes in immune function have been hypothesized to mediate this relationship. The current study used the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) model of isolation-induced depressive-like behavior to test whether social isolation led to changes in innate immune function. Specifically, we used hemolytic complement (CH50) and bacteria killing assays to assess innate immunity, in paired or singly housed male and female prairie voles. Further, in a second experiment we tested whether females exposed to an additional short-term social stressor, a resident-intruder trial, would show changes in immune function as well as enhanced hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA) activity as indicated by elevated plasma corticosterone levels. Socially isolated animals, regardless of sex, had significantly reduced CH50s and bacteria killing ability. Socially isolated females exposed to a resident-intruder stressor also showed reduced CH50s and bacteria killing ability as well as significant increases in aggressive behavior, however, they did not show elevated circulating corticosterone levels. Collectively, these data will help inform our understanding of the relationship between social isolation and physiological and psychological health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa-Ann L Scotti
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA.
| | | | - Gregory E Demas
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Angela J Grippo
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Social Neuroendocrinology of Status: A Review and Future Directions. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-015-0025-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
|
10
|
Prall SP, Ambu L, Nathan S, Alsisto S, Ramirez D, Muehlenbein MP. Androgens and innate immunity in rehabilitated semi-captive orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) from Malaysian Borneo. Am J Primatol 2015; 77:642-50. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sean P. Prall
- Department of Anthropology; Indiana University; Bloomington Indiana
| | | | | | - Sylvia Alsisto
- Sabah Wildlife Department; Kota Kinabalu; Sabah Malaysia
| | - Diana Ramirez
- Sabah Wildlife Department; Kota Kinabalu; Sabah Malaysia
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Demas GE, Carlton ED. Ecoimmunology for psychoneuroimmunologists: Considering context in neuroendocrine-immune-behavior interactions. Brain Behav Immun 2015; 44:9-16. [PMID: 25218837 PMCID: PMC4275338 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Revised: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/01/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of immunity has become an important area of investigation for researchers in a wide range of areas outside the traditional discipline of immunology. For the last several decades, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) has strived to identify key interactions among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems and behavior. More recently, the field of ecological immunology (ecoimmunology) has been established within the perspectives of ecology and evolutionary biology, sharing with PNI an appreciation of the environmental influences on immune function. The primary goal of ecoimmunology is to understand immune function within a broadly integrative, organismal context, typically from an ultimate, evolutionary perspective. To accomplish this ecoimmunology, like PNI, has become a broadly integrative field of investigation, combining diverse approaches from evolution and ecology to endocrinology and neurobiology. The disciplines of PNI and ecoimmunology, with their unique yet complementary perspectives and methodologies, have much to offer one another. Researchers in both fields, however, remain largely unaware of each other's findings despite attempts at integration. The goal of this review is to share with psychoneuroimmunologists and other mechanistically-oriented researchers some of the core concepts and principles, as well as relevant recent findings, within ecoimmunology with the hope that this information will prove relevant to their own research programs. More broadly, our goal is to attempt to integrate both the proximate and ultimate perspectives offered by PNI and ecoimmunology respectively into a common theoretical framework for understanding neuro-endocrine-immune interactions and behavior in a larger ecological, evolutionary context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory E Demas
- Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Elizabeth D Carlton
- Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Chin EH, Quinn JS, Burness G. Acute stress during ontogeny suppresses innate, but not acquired immunity in a semi-precocial bird (Larus delawarensis). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 193:185-92. [PMID: 23988691 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Revised: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 08/14/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Wild animals often encounter adverse conditions, and in response, activate their hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. To date, work examining the development of the stress response has focused on altricial species, with little work focusing on species with other developmental patterns. Additionally, the effects of acute stress on indices of innate and adaptive immunity have been little studied in birds, particularly during development. We examined the ontogeny of the stress response in the semi-precocial ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis). At hatch, 10, and 20days post-hatching, chicks underwent a standardized handling stress protocol, with blood samples taken within 3min of, and 30min after, initial disturbance. Levels of corticosterone (CORT), natural antibodies (NAb), complement activity, and immunoglobulins (IgY) were assessed in plasma samples. In contrast with altricial species, ring-billed gull chicks had detectible CORT levels at hatch, and were able to mount a stress response. At all ages, acute handling stress depressed NAb levels and complement-mediated lysis, but not IgY levels. IgY levels were higher in two chick broods than three chick broods, suggesting levels are determined in part by resource dependence. Our data provide insight into the development of the stress response and immune function in a colonial waterbird species, in which chicks are mobile shortly post hatch, and subject to aggression and possible injury from nearby adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eunice H Chin
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Brooks KC, Mateo JM. Chronically raised glucocorticoids reduce innate immune function in Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) after an immune challenge. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 193:149-57. [PMID: 23948370 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2013] [Revised: 07/04/2013] [Accepted: 07/31/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis releases glucocorticoids (GCs), or stress hormones, during the vertebrate stress response. GCs can both enhance and suppress the immune system depending on whether the experienced stressor is acute or chronic and what aspect of immune function is measured. More research is needed to fully understand how the immune system reacts to stressors. In this study, we examined the effects of chronically raised GCs on innate immune function in Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi). We measured immune function with a bacteria killing ability (BKA) assay, an integrative and functional assessment of an animal's ability to clear a bacterial infection. All studies to date have examined how acute stressors or repeated social stressors impact BKA. This study is the first to our knowledge to investigate how chronically raised GCs impact BKA both before and after an immune challenge. We noninvasively raised GCs in treatment squirrels for six days and then gave them, and a group of untreated (control) squirrels, an injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to stimulate their innate immune system. Treatment squirrels exhibited lower BKA after, but not before, being challenged with LPS. These results suggest that experiencing chronic stress may not be detrimental to immune functioning until an individual is challenged with an infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine C Brooks
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago, 1025 E. 57th Street, Culver 402, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Rynkiewicz EC, Hawlena H, Durden LA, Hastriter MW, Demas GE, Clay K. Associations between innate immune function and ectoparasites in wild rodent hosts. Parasitol Res 2013; 112:1763-70. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-013-3335-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 01/31/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
15
|
Hopkins WA, Durant SE. Innate immunity and stress physiology of eastern hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) from two stream reaches with differing habitat quality. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2011; 174:107-15. [PMID: 21872597 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2010] [Revised: 08/02/2011] [Accepted: 08/07/2011] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In addition to depriving amphibians of physical habitat requirements (e.g., shelter, moisture, and food), habitat modification may also have subtle effects on the health of amphibians and potentially precipitate interactions with other deleterious factors such as pathogens, contaminants, and invasive species. The current study was designed to evaluate the physiological state of imperiled giant salamanders, the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), experiencing different surrounding land use that influences in-stream habitat quality. When we compared hellbenders from a stream reach with greater anthropogenic disturbance to a more forested site, we found that baseline and stress-induced plasma levels of corticosterone were similar in the two areas, but were very low compared to other amphibians. Males consistently had higher plasma corticosterone levels than females, a finding congruent with the known territorial activities of males early in the breeding season. Innate immune responsiveness (measured as bactericidal ability of blood; BKA) was also similar at the two sites, but juveniles had less robust BKA than adults. We found a positive relationship between restraint time and BKA, suggesting that the bactericidal ability of hellbenders may improve following acute stress. Finally, there was a tendency for hellbenders with skin abnormalities to have higher BKA compared to individuals with normal integument, an observation consistent with patterns observed in other animals actively responding to pathogens. Our study provides foundational physiological information on an imperiled amphibian species and reveals important knowledge gaps that will be important for understanding the ecology, evolution, and conservation of hellbenders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William A Hopkins
- Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|