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Mazzamuto MV, Morandini M, Lampman W, Wauters LA, Preatoni D, Koprowski JL, Martinoli A. Use of infrared thermography to detect reactions to stressful events: does animal personality matter? Integr Zool 2024; 19:224-239. [PMID: 37248795 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12735] [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] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The study of the relationship between animal stress and personality for free-ranging animals is limited and provides contrasting results. The perception of stressors by an individual may vary due to its personality, and certain personality traits may help individuals to better cope with them. Using non-invasive infrared thermography (IRT), we investigated the link between physiological and behavioral components expressed during an acute stress event by free-ranging Fremont's squirrels (Tamiasciurus fremonti). We expected that, during the acute stress event of being approached by the researcher, individuals that showed a fast pace-of-life syndrome (bolder, more active, and less social/more aggressive) based on an arena test would exhibit stronger sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system reactivity showing a more intense stress-induced hyperthermia (high core body temperature and low peripheral temperature) than individuals with a slow pace of life (shy, less active, and more social). We successfully employed IRT technology to images of Fremont's squirrels with identification of the individuals' body parts (eye, nose, ear, hind foot). However, we found no support for our hypothesis. Squirrels' body surface temperatures told us more about a squirrel's external environment and less about the thermal state of the body in that environment following a stressful event. Further studies need to assess how to make IRT effective and efficient in the field and improve its performance in studying the relationships between physiology and personality in wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, College of Agriculture and Life Science, University of Arizona, Arizona, USA
- Unità di Analisi e Gestione delle Risorse Ambientali, Dipartimento di Scienze Teoriche e Applicate, Guido Tosi Research Group, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Marina Morandini
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, College of Agriculture and Life Science, University of Arizona, Arizona, USA
| | - William Lampman
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, College of Agriculture and Life Science, University of Arizona, Arizona, USA
| | - Lucas Armand Wauters
- Unità di Analisi e Gestione delle Risorse Ambientali, Dipartimento di Scienze Teoriche e Applicate, Guido Tosi Research Group, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Damiano Preatoni
- Unità di Analisi e Gestione delle Risorse Ambientali, Dipartimento di Scienze Teoriche e Applicate, Guido Tosi Research Group, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - John Lad Koprowski
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, College of Agriculture and Life Science, University of Arizona, Arizona, USA
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Wyoming, USA
| | - Adriano Martinoli
- Unità di Analisi e Gestione delle Risorse Ambientali, Dipartimento di Scienze Teoriche e Applicate, Guido Tosi Research Group, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Varese, Italy
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Bhattacharjee D, Guðjónsdóttir AR, Chova PE, Middelburg E, Jäckels J, de Groot NG, Wallner B, Massen JJ, Pflüger LS. Behavioral, physiological, and genetic drivers of coping in a non-human primate. iScience 2024; 27:108890. [PMID: 38318385 PMCID: PMC10838955 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108890] [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: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals experience stressful situations, from predation to social conflicts, but mostly deal with them successfully. This adaptive mechanism, coping, reduces the adverse effects of stressors, and its failure may result in reduced fitness. Substantial inter-individual variation in coping is observed, yet little is known about how behavioral, physiological and genetic drivers regulate coping holistically and contribute to such variations. We assessed behavioral coping styles (n=30), emotional arousal (n=12), and personalities (n=32) of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and also investigated the association of coping with a valine/methionine polymorphism encoded by a critical human stress regulatory gene, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) (n=26). Personality and the human equivalent COMT Val/Met polymorphism were associated with "nonaggression-based" and "aggression-based" coping styles. Compared to nonaggression-based, aggression-based copers maintained higher average facial temperatures, indicating potentially lower emotional arousal, as measured using infrared thermography. These findings demonstrate a complex interplay of various proximate mechanisms governing coping in a non-human primate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debottam Bhattacharjee
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, 31 To Yuen Street, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, 31 To Yuen Street, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Aníta Rut Guðjónsdóttir
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Paula Escriche Chova
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Esmee Middelburg
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jana Jäckels
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Natasja G. de Groot
- Department of Comparative Genetics & Refinement, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, 2288 GJ Rijswijk, the Netherlands
| | - Bernard Wallner
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach 16, 9570 Ossiach, Austria
| | - Jorg J.M. Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach 16, 9570 Ossiach, Austria
| | - Lena S. Pflüger
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach 16, 9570 Ossiach, Austria
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Wongsaengchan C, McCafferty DJ, Lennox K, Nager RG, McKeegan DEF. Non-invasive assessment of positive affective state using infra-red thermography in rats. Anim Welf 2023; 32:e66. [PMID: 38510988 PMCID: PMC10951672 DOI: 10.1017/awf.2023.87] [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: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
With recent increased focus on positive welfare in animal welfare science, there is demand for objective positive welfare indicators. It is unclear whether changes in body surface temperature can be used to non-invasively identify and quantify positive states in mammals. We recorded continuous measurements of tail surface temperature using infra-red thermography (IRT) and concurrent behavioural observations in male and female Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus). If tail surface temperature can differentiate between positive and negative experiences, we expect a qualitatively different response compared to negative experiences. Three groups of rats were presented with increasing magnitudes of food rewards (neutral/none, one and three rewards). The rats were placed in an arena to which they were habituated and filmed for 30 s before and 30 min after exposure to different rewards. Tail temperature initially decreased from the pre-reward baseline and subsequently returned towards baseline temperature. The overall pattern of the change was the same as for rats subjected to negative stimuli in previous studies. Nevertheless, dynamic changes in tail temperature, specifically the rate of recovery and the behavioural response (exploration), differed between neutral and rewarded rats but failed to distinguish reward magnitude. Sex differences were found in both thermal and behavioural responses, unrelated to reward magnitudes. Female rats exhibited a greater initial response with a slower recovery than male rats, emphasising the value of using of both sexes in animal welfare research. This study improves our understanding of the effects of positive emotions induced by food reward on peripheral body temperature and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanakarn Wongsaengchan
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, GlasgowG12 8QQ, UK
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Dominic J McCafferty
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, GlasgowG12 8QQ, UK
| | - Katie Lennox
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, GlasgowG12 8QQ, UK
| | - Ruedi G Nager
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, GlasgowG12 8QQ, UK
| | - Dorothy EF McKeegan
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, GlasgowG12 8QQ, UK
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Domínguez-Oliva A, Hernández-Ávalos I, Olmos-Hernández A, Villegas-Juache J, Verduzco-Mendoza A, Mota-Rojas D. Thermal Response of Laboratory Rats ( Rattus norvegicus) during the Application of Six Methods of Euthanasia Assessed by Infrared Thermography. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2820. [PMID: 37760220 PMCID: PMC10526081 DOI: 10.3390/ani13182820] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Refinement is one of the principles aiming to promote welfare in research animals. The techniques used during an experimental protocol, including euthanasia selection, must prevent and minimize suffering. Although the current euthanasia methods applied to laboratory rodents are accepted, the controversial findings regarding the potential stress/distress they can cause is a field of research. The objective was to assess the thermal response of Wistar rats during various euthanasia methods using infrared thermography (IRT) to determine the method that prevents or diminishes the stress response and prolonged suffering. Pentobarbital (G1), CO2 (G2), decapitation (G3), isoflurane (G4), ketamine + xylazine (G5), and ketamine + CO2 (G6) were evaluated at five evaluation times with IRT to identify changes in the surface temperature of four anatomical regions: ocular (T°ocu), auricular (T°ear), interscapular (T°dor), and caudal (T°tai). Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in G2 and G4, registering temperature increases from the administration of the drug to the cessation of respiratory rate and heart rate. Particularly, isoflurane showed a marked thermal response in T°ocu, T°ear, T°dor, and T°tai, suggesting that, in general, inhalant euthanasia methods induce stress in rats and that isoflurane might potentially cause distress, an effect that must be considered when deciding humane euthanasia methods in laboratory rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Domínguez-Oliva
- Master in Science Program “Maestría en Ciencias Agropecuarias”, Xochimilco Campus, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
- Neurophysiology of Pain, Behavior and Assessment of Welfare in Domestic Animals, DPAA, Xochimilco Campus, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico
| | - Ismael Hernández-Ávalos
- Clinical Pharmacology and Veterinary Anesthesia, Biological Sciences Department, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuautitlán Izcalli 54714, Mexico
| | - Adriana Olmos-Hernández
- Division of Biotechnology—Bioterio and Experimental Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra (INR-LGII), Mexico City 14389, Mexico
| | - Juan Villegas-Juache
- Bioterio and Experimental Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
| | - Antonio Verduzco-Mendoza
- Division of Biotechnology—Bioterio and Experimental Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra (INR-LGII), Mexico City 14389, Mexico
| | - Daniel Mota-Rojas
- Neurophysiology of Pain, Behavior and Assessment of Welfare in Domestic Animals, DPAA, Xochimilco Campus, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico
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Lucienne M, Gerlini R, Rathkolb B, Calzada-Wack J, Forny P, Wueest S, Kaech A, Traversi F, Forny M, Bürer C, Aguilar-Pimentel A, Irmler M, Beckers J, Sauer S, Kölker S, Dewulf JP, Bommer GT, Hoces D, Gailus-Durner V, Fuchs H, Rozman J, Froese DS, Baumgartner MR, de Angelis MH. Insights into energy balance dysregulation from a mouse model of methylmalonic aciduria. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:2717-2734. [PMID: 37369025 PMCID: PMC10460489 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Inherited disorders of mitochondrial metabolism, including isolated methylmalonic aciduria, present unique challenges to energetic homeostasis by disrupting energy-producing pathways. To better understand global responses to energy shortage, we investigated a hemizygous mouse model of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (Mmut)-type methylmalonic aciduria. We found Mmut mutant mice to have reduced appetite, energy expenditure and body mass compared with littermate controls, along with a relative reduction in lean mass but increase in fat mass. Brown adipose tissue showed a process of whitening, in line with lower body surface temperature and lesser ability to cope with cold challenge. Mutant mice had dysregulated plasma glucose, delayed glucose clearance and a lesser ability to regulate energy sources when switching from the fed to fasted state, while liver investigations indicated metabolite accumulation and altered expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and Fgf21-controlled pathways. Together, these shed light on the mechanisms and adaptations behind energy imbalance in methylmalonic aciduria and provide insight into metabolic responses to chronic energy shortage, which may have important implications for disease understanding and patient management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Lucienne
- Division of Metabolism and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
- radiz – Rare Disease Initiative Zurich, Clinical Research Priority Program for Rare Diseases, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Raffaele Gerlini
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Birgit Rathkolb
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Julia Calzada-Wack
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Patrick Forny
- Division of Metabolism and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Wueest
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology and Children’s Research Center, University Children's Hospital, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andres Kaech
- Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Florian Traversi
- Division of Metabolism and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Merima Forny
- Division of Metabolism and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Céline Bürer
- Division of Metabolism and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Antonio Aguilar-Pimentel
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Martin Irmler
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Johannes Beckers
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Sven Sauer
- Division of Pediatric Neurology and Metabolic Medicine, Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Kölker
- Division of Pediatric Neurology and Metabolic Medicine, Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joseph P Dewulf
- Department of Biochemistry, de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology (WELBIO), Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Guido T Bommer
- Department of Biochemistry, de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology (WELBIO), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel Hoces
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, D-HEST, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Valerie Gailus-Durner
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Helmut Fuchs
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Jan Rozman
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - D Sean Froese
- Division of Metabolism and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
- radiz – Rare Disease Initiative Zurich, Clinical Research Priority Program for Rare Diseases, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias R Baumgartner
- Division of Metabolism and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
- radiz – Rare Disease Initiative Zurich, Clinical Research Priority Program for Rare Diseases, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Hrabě de Angelis
- Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Chair of Experimental Genetics, School of Life Science Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
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Wongsaengchan C, McCafferty DJ, Evans NP, McKeegan DEF, Nager RG. Body surface temperature of rats reveals both magnitude and sex differences in the acute stress response. Physiol Behav 2023; 264:114138. [PMID: 36871696 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114138] [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: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how biological markers of stress relate to stressor magnitude is much needed and can be used in welfare assessment. Changes in body surface temperature can be measured using infrared thermography (IRT) as a marker of a physiological response to acute stress. While an avian study has shown that changes in body surface temperature can reflect the intensity of acute stress, little is known about surface temperature responses to stressors of different magnitudes and its sex-specificity in mammals, and how they correlate with hormonal and behavioural responses. We used IRT to collect continuous surface temperature measurements of tail and eye of adult male and female rats (Rattus norvegicus), for 30 minutes after exposure to one of three stressors (small cage, encircling handling or rodent restraint cone) for one minute, and cross-validated the thermal response with plasma corticosterone (CORT) and behavioural assessment. To obtain individual baseline temperatures and thermal responses to stress, rats were imaged in a test arena (to which they were habituated) for 30 seconds before and 30 minutes after being exposed to the stressor. In response to the three stressors, tail temperature initially decreased and then recovered to, or overshot the baseline temperature. Tail temperature dynamics differed between stressors; being restrained in the small cage was associated with the smallest drop in temperature, in male rats, and the fastest thermal recovery, in both sexes. Increases in eye temperature only distinguished between stressors early in the response and only in females. The post stressor increase in eye temperature was greater in the right eye of males and the left eye of females. In both sexes encircling may have been associated with the fastest increase in CORT. These results were in line with observed behavioural changes, with greater movement in rats exposed to the small cage and higher immobility after encircling. The female tail and eye temperature, as well as the CORT concentrations did not return to pre-stressor levels in the observation period, in conjunction with the greater occurrence of escape-related behaviours in female rats. These results suggest that female rats are more vulnerable to acute restraint stress compared to male rats and emphasise the importance of using both sexes in future investigations of stressor magnitude. This study demonstrates that acute stress induced changes in mammalian surface temperature measured with IRT relate to the magnitude of restraint stress, indicate sex differences and correlate with hormonal and behavioural responses. Thus, IRT has the potential to become a non-invasive method of continuous welfare assessment in unrestrained mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanakarn Wongsaengchan
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, United Kingdom
| | - Dominic J McCafferty
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment, Rowardennan, G63 0AW, United Kingdom
| | - Neil P Evans
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Jarrett Building, Glasgow, G61 1QH, United Kingdom
| | - Dorothy E F McKeegan
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Jarrett Building, Glasgow, G61 1QH, United Kingdom
| | - Ruedi G Nager
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
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Delacoux M, Guenther A. Stressfulness of the design influences consistency of cognitive measures and their correlation with animal personality traits in wild mice (Mus musculus). Anim Cogn 2023; 26:997-1009. [PMID: 36737560 PMCID: PMC10066096 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01748-3] [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: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Individual variation in cognition is being increasingly recognized as an important evolutionary force but contradictory results so far hamper a general understanding of consistency and association with other behaviors. Partly, this might be caused by external factors imposed by the design. Stress, for example, is known to influence cognition, with mild stress improving learning abilities, while strong or chronic stress impairs them. Also, there might be intraspecific variation in how stressful a given situation is perceived. We investigated two personality traits (stress coping and voluntary exploration), spatial learning with two mazes, and problem-solving in low- and high-stress tests with a group of 30 female wild mice (Mus musculus domesticus). For each test, perceived stress was assessed by measuring body temperature change with infrared thermography, a new non-invasive method that measures skin temperature as a proxy of changes in the sympathetic system activity. While spatial learning and problem-solving were found to be repeatable traits in mice in earlier studies, none of the learning measures were significantly repeatable between the two stress conditions in our study, indicating that the stress level impacts learning. We found correlations between learning and personality traits; however, they differed between the two stress conditions and between the cognitive tasks, suggesting that different mechanisms underlie these processes. These findings could explain some of the contradictory findings in the literature and argue for very careful design of cognitive test setups to draw evolutionary implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Delacoux
- Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306, Plön, Germany. .,Department for Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464, Constance, Germany. .,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464, Constance, Germany.
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306, Plön, Germany
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Effects of early social separation on the behaviour of kittens of the domestic cat. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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9
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Going Deeper than Tracking: A Survey of Computer-Vision Based Recognition of Animal Pain and Emotions. Int J Comput Vis 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11263-022-01716-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAdvances in animal motion tracking and pose recognition have been a game changer in the study of animal behavior. Recently, an increasing number of works go ‘deeper’ than tracking, and address automated recognition of animals’ internal states such as emotions and pain with the aim of improving animal welfare, making this a timely moment for a systematization of the field. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of computer vision-based research on recognition of pain and emotional states in animals, addressing both facial and bodily behavior analysis. We summarize the efforts that have been presented so far within this topic—classifying them across different dimensions, highlight challenges and research gaps, and provide best practice recommendations for advancing the field, and some future directions for research.
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Harshaw C, Warner AG. Interleukin-1β-induced inflammation and acetaminophen during infancy: Distinct and interactive effects on social-emotional and repetitive behavior in C57BL/6J mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2022; 220:173463. [PMID: 36100070 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Acetaminophen (APAP) exposure early in life has been associated with increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in epidemiological studies. In rodent models, early-life APAP has similarly been shown to produce long-term changes in brain and behavior, including altered activity levels and social behavior. Most rodent studies to date have, nevertheless, attempted to model early-life APAP without considering that most APAP exposure occurs in a context of immune activation and/or fever. To mimic the repeated infections common during infancy, we employed the cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) to induce immune activation three times during early postnatal development (i.e., day 5, 8, and 11). On these days, C57BL/6J pups were administered either IL-1β (0.2 μg/kg) or saline vehicle followed, after 45 min, by either APAP (103.9 mg/kg) or vehicle. Mice were subsequently administered a battery of tests of social-emotional and repetitive behavior. A number of distinct long-term effects of IL-1β and APAP treatments were found, including sex-specific shifts in repetitive behavior and emotional hyperthermia following early-life IL-1β and increased social caution in males following early-life APAP. We also observed significant interaction between IL-1β and APAP: as adults, 'two-hit' IL-1β + APAP females displayed greater anxiety-related thigmotaxis across a number of tests, including an open field. 'Two hit' males, in turn, showed elevated levels of avoidance of an unfamiliar social partner during a social interaction test. Our results highlight that IL-1β-induced inflammation and APAP have both distinct effects and significant interactions during early life, with enduring sex-specific effects on phenotypes relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Harshaw
- Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States of America.
| | - Anna G Warner
- Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
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Neuwirth LS, Verrengia MT, Harikinish-Murrary ZI, Orens JE, Lopez OE. Under or Absent Reporting of Light Stimuli in Testing of Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Rodents: The Need for Standardization. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:912146. [PMID: 36061362 PMCID: PMC9428565 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.912146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral neuroscience tests such as the Light/Dark Test, the Open Field Test, the Elevated Plus Maze Test, and the Three Chamber Social Interaction Test have become both essential and widely used behavioral tests for transgenic and pre-clinical models for drug screening and testing. However, as fast as the field has evolved and the contemporaneous involvement of technology, little assessment of the literature has been done to ensure that these behavioral neuroscience tests that are crucial to pre-clinical testing have well-controlled ethological motivation by the use of lighting (i.e., Lux). In the present review paper, N = 420 manuscripts were examined from 2015 to 2019 as a sample set (i.e., n = ~20–22 publications per year) and it was found that only a meager n = 50 publications (i.e., 11.9% of the publications sampled) met the criteria for proper anxiogenic and anxiolytic Lux reported. These findings illustrate a serious concern that behavioral neuroscience papers are not being vetted properly at the journal review level and are being released into the literature and public domain making it difficult to assess the quality of the science being reported. This creates a real need for standardizing the use of Lux in all publications on behavioral neuroscience techniques within the field to ensure that contributions are meaningful, avoid unnecessary duplication, and ultimately would serve to create a more efficient process within the pre-clinical screening/testing for drugs that serve as anxiolytic compounds that would prove more useful than what prior decades of work have produced. It is suggested that improving the standardization of the use and reporting of Lux in behavioral neuroscience tests and the standardization of peer-review processes overseeing the proper documentation of these methodological approaches in manuscripts could serve to advance pre-clinical testing for effective anxiolytic drugs. This report serves to highlight this concern and proposes strategies to proactively remedy them as the field moves forward for decades to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz S. Neuwirth
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Lorenz S. Neuwirth
| | - Michael T. Verrengia
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Zachary I. Harikinish-Murrary
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Jessica E. Orens
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Oscar E. Lopez
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
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12
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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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13
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Dumont C, Li G, Castel J, Luquet S, Gangarossa G. Hindbrain catecholaminergic inputs to the paraventricular thalamus scale feeding and metabolic efficiency in stress-related contexts. J Physiol 2022; 600:2877-2895. [PMID: 35648134 DOI: 10.1113/jp282996] [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: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulation of food intake and energy balance relies on the dynamic integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive signals monitoring nutritional, metabolic, cognitive, and emotional states. The paraventricular thalamus (PVT) is a central hub that, by integrating sensory, metabolic, and emotional states, may contribute to the regulation of feeding and homeostatic/allostatic processes. However, the underlying PVT circuits still remain elusive. Here, we aimed at unravelling the role of catecholaminergic (CA) inputs to the PVT in scaling feeding and metabolic efficiency. First, using region-specific retrograde disruption of CA projections, we show that PVT CA inputs mainly arise from the hindbrain, notably the locus coeruleus (LC) and the nucleus tractus solitarius. Second, taking advantage of integrative calorimetric measurements of metabolic efficiency, we reveal that CA inputs to the PVT scale adaptive feeding and metabolic responses in environmental, behavioural, physiological, and metabolic stress-like contexts. Third, we show that hindbrainTH →PVT inputs contribute to modulating the activity of PVT as well as lateral and dorsomedial hypothalamic neurons. In conclusion, the present study, by assessing the key role of CA inputs to the PVT in scaling homeostatic/allostatic regulations of feeding patterns, reveals the integrative and converging hindbrainTH →PVT paths that contribute to whole-body metabolic adaptations in stress-like contexts. KEY POINTS: The paraventricular thalamus (PVT) is known to receive projections from the hindbrain. Here, we confirm and further extend current knowledge on the existence of hindbrainTH →PVT catecholaminergic inputs, notably from the locus coeruleus and the nucleus tractus solitarius, with the nucleus tractus solitarius representing the main source. Disruption of hindbrainTH →PVT inputs contributes to the modulation of PVT neuron activity. HindbrainTH →PVT inputs scale feeding strategies in environmental, behavioural, physiological, and metabolic stress-like contexts. HindbrainTH →PVT inputs participate in regulating metabolic efficiency and nutrient partitioning in stress-like contexts. HindbrainTH →PVT inputs, directly and/or indirectly, contribute to modulating the downstream activity of lateral and dorsomedial hypothalamic neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarisse Dumont
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France
| | - Guangping Li
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France
| | - Julien Castel
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France
| | - Serge Luquet
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France
| | - Giuseppe Gangarossa
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France
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14
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Huang L, Xiao D, Sun H, Qu Y, Su X. Behavioral tests for evaluating the characteristics of brain diseases in rodent models: Optimal choices for improved outcomes (Review). Mol Med Rep 2022; 25:183. [PMID: 35348193 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2022.12699] [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: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral assessment is the dominant approach for evaluating whether animal models of brain diseases can successfully mimic the clinical characteristics of diseases. At present, most research regarding brain diseases involves the use of rodent models. While studies have reported numerous methods of behavioral assessments in rodent models of brain diseases, each with different principles, procedures, and assessment criteria, only few reviews have focused on characterizing and differentiating these methods based on applications for which they are most appropriate. Therefore, in the present review, the representative behavioral tests in rodent models of brain diseases were compared and differentiated, aiming to provide convenience for researchers in selecting the optimal methods for their studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyi Huang
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Dongqiong Xiao
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Hao Sun
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Yi Qu
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Xiaojuan Su
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
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15
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Blenkuš U, Gerós AF, Carpinteiro C, Aguiar PDC, Olsson IAS, Franco NH. Non-Invasive Assessment of Mild Stress-Induced Hyperthermia by Infrared Thermography in Laboratory Mice. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:177. [PMID: 35049799 PMCID: PMC8773026 DOI: 10.3390/ani12020177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH) is a physiological response to acute stressors in mammals, shown as an increase in core body temperature, with redirection of blood flow from the periphery to vital organs. Typical temperature assessment methods for rodents are invasive and can themselves elicit SIH, affecting the readout. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a promising non-invasive alternative, if shown to accurately identify and quantify SIH. We used in-house developed software ThermoLabAnimal 2.0 to automatically detect and segment different body regions, to assess mean body (Tbody) and mean tail (Ttail) surface temperatures by IRT, along with temperature (Tsc) assessed by reading of subcutaneously implanted PIT-tags, during handling-induced stress of pair-housed C57BL/6J and BALB/cByJ mice of both sexes (N = 68). SIH was assessed during 10 days of daily handling (DH) performed twice per day, weekly voluntary interaction tests (VIT) and an elevated plus maze (EPM) at the end. To assess the discrimination value of IRT, we compared SIH between tail-picked and tunnel-handled animals, and between mice receiving an anxiolytic drug or vehicle prior to the EPM. During a 30 to 60 second stress exposure, Tsc and Tbody increased significantly (p < 0.001), while Ttail (p < 0.01) decreased. We did not find handling-related differences. Within each cage, mice tested last consistently showed significantly higher (p < 0.001) Tsc and Tbody and lower (p < 0.001) Ttail than mice tested first, possibly due to higher anticipatory stress in the latter. Diazepam-treated mice showed lower Tbody and Tsc, consistent with reduced anxiety. In conclusion, our results suggest that IRT can identify and quantify stress in mice, either as a stand-alone parameter or complementary to other methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urša Blenkuš
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Easter Bush Campus, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK;
- Laboratory Animal Science, i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Ana Filipa Gerós
- Neuroengineering and Computational Neuroscience Group, i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (A.F.G.); (C.C.); (P.d.C.A.)
- FEUP—Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Cristiana Carpinteiro
- Neuroengineering and Computational Neuroscience Group, i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (A.F.G.); (C.C.); (P.d.C.A.)
| | - Paulo de Castro Aguiar
- Neuroengineering and Computational Neuroscience Group, i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (A.F.G.); (C.C.); (P.d.C.A.)
| | - I. Anna S. Olsson
- Laboratory Animal Science, i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Nuno Henrique Franco
- Laboratory Animal Science, i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
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16
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Lima PM, Reis TO, Wanner SP, Chianca-Jr DA, Menezes RC. The role of peripheral transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channels in stress-induced hyperthermia in rats subjected to an anxiogenic environment. J Therm Biol 2022; 106:103191. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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17
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Verduzco-Mendoza A, Bueno-Nava A, Wang D, Martínez-Burnes J, Olmos-Hernández A, Casas A, Domínguez A, Mota-Rojas D. Experimental Applications and Factors Involved in Validating Thermal Windows Using Infrared Thermography to Assess the Health and Thermostability of Laboratory Animals. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:3448. [PMID: 34944225 PMCID: PMC8698170 DOI: 10.3390/ani11123448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Evaluating laboratory animals' health and thermostability are fundamental components of all experimental designs. Alterations in either one of these parameters have been shown to trigger physiological changes that can compromise the welfare of the species and the replicability and robustness of the results obtained. Due to the nature and complexity of evaluating and managing the species involved in research protocols, non-invasive tools such as infrared thermography (IRT) have been adopted to quantify these parameters without altering them or inducing stress responses in the animals. IRT technology makes it possible to quantify changes in surface temperatures that are derived from alterations in blood flow that can result from inflammatory, stressful, or pathological processes; changes can be measured in diverse regions, called thermal windows, according to their specific characteristics. The principal body regions that were employed for this purpose in laboratory animals were the orbital zone (regio orbitalis), auricular pavilion (regio auricularis), tail (cauda), and the interscapular area (regio scapularis). However, depending on the species and certain external factors, the sensitivity and specificity of these windows are still subject to controversy due to contradictory results published in the available literature. For these reasons, the objectives of the present review are to discuss the neurophysiological mechanisms involved in vasomotor responses and thermogenesis via BAT in laboratory animals and to evaluate the scientific usefulness of IRT and the thermal windows that are currently used in research involving laboratory animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Verduzco-Mendoza
- PhD Program in Biological and Health Sciences [Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud], Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City 04960, Mexico;
| | - Antonio Bueno-Nava
- División of Neurosciences, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, (INR-LGII), Mexico City 14389, Mexico;
| | - Dehua Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China;
| | - Julio Martínez-Burnes
- Animal Health Group, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Victoria City 87000, Mexico;
| | - Adriana Olmos-Hernández
- Division of Biotechnology—Bioterio and Experimental Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra (INR-LGII), Mexico City 14389, Mexico;
| | - Alejandro Casas
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Xochimilco Campus, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico; (A.C.); (A.D.)
| | - Adriana Domínguez
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Xochimilco Campus, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico; (A.C.); (A.D.)
| | - Daniel Mota-Rojas
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Xochimilco Campus, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico; (A.C.); (A.D.)
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18
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Infrared Thermography in the Study of Animals' Emotional Responses: A Critical Review. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11092510. [PMID: 34573476 PMCID: PMC8464846 DOI: 10.3390/ani11092510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Assessing animal welfare has proven to be a challenging task with important consequences for their management. In the last few years, infrared thermography has gained increasing scientific consensus as a method to analyze emotional reactions to different stimuli in different taxa. This review aims to explore particularly the use of infrared thermography in the assessment of animals’ emotions, mainly focusing on pets, laboratory, and husbandry animals. If properly used, this technique has proven to be a noninvasive, reliable method to identify emotional activations. Abstract Whether animals have emotions was historically a long-lasting question but, today, nobody disputes that they do. However, how to assess them and how to guarantee animals their welfare have become important research topics in the last 20 years. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a method to record the electromagnetic radiation emitted by bodies. It can indirectly assess sympathetic and parasympathetic activity via the modification of temperature of different body areas, caused by different phenomena such as stress-induced hyperthermia or variation in blood flow. Compared to other emotional activation assessment methods, IRT has the advantage of being noninvasive, allowing use without the risk of influencing animals’ behavior or physiological responses. This review describes general principles of IRT functioning, as well as its applications in studies regarding emotional reactions of domestic animals, with a brief section dedicated to the experiments on wildlife; it analyzes potentialities and possible flaws, confronting the results obtained in different taxa, and discusses further opportunities for IRT in studies about animal emotions.
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19
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Fernandes RM, Nascimento PC, Martins MK, Aragão WAB, Rivera LFS, Bittencourt LO, Cartágenes SC, Crespo-Lopez ME, do Socorro Ferraz Maia C, Lima RR. Evaluation of Cerebellar Function and Integrity of Adult Rats After Long-Term Exposure to Aluminum at Equivalent Urban Region Consumption Concentrations. Biol Trace Elem Res 2021; 199:1425-1436. [PMID: 32564201 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-020-02244-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
High amounts of aluminum (Al) are found in soil and water. It is highly bioavailable, which makes it an important agent of environmental imbalance. Moreover, Al is considered a neurotoxic agent that is associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, this study investigated the effects of long-term Al chloride (AlCl3) exposure on motor behavior, oxidative biochemistry, and cerebellar tissue parameters. For this, adult Wistar rats were divided into three groups: Al-D1 (8.3 mg kg-1 day-1), Al-D2 (5.2 mg kg-1 day-1), and control (distilled water); all groups were orally exposed for 60 days by intragastric gavage. After the exposure period, animals performed the open field, elevated plus maze, rotarod, and beam walking tests. Then, the blood and cerebellum were collected to evaluate Al levels and biochemical and morphological analyses, respectively. Our results demonstrate that animals exposed to Al doses presented a higher Al level in the blood. In the spontaneous locomotor activity, Al exposure groups had traveled a lower total distance when compared with the control group. There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between exposed and control groups when anxiogenic profile, forced locomotion, fine motor coordination/balance, pro-oxidative parameter, and density Purkinje cells were compared. Thus, aluminum exposure in equivalent doses to human consumption in urban regions did not promote significant changes in the cerebellum or motor parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Monteiro Fernandes
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Street Augusto Corrêa N. 1, Campus do Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-900, Brazil
| | - Priscila Cunha Nascimento
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Street Augusto Corrêa N. 1, Campus do Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-900, Brazil
| | - Maria Karolina Martins
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Street Augusto Corrêa N. 1, Campus do Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-900, Brazil
| | - Walessa Alana Bragança Aragão
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Street Augusto Corrêa N. 1, Campus do Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-900, Brazil
| | - Luis Felipe Sarmiento Rivera
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Street Augusto Corrêa N. 1, Campus do Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-900, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Oliveira Bittencourt
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Street Augusto Corrêa N. 1, Campus do Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-900, Brazil
| | - Sabrina C Cartágenes
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Cristiane do Socorro Ferraz Maia
- Laboratory Pharmacology of Inflammation and Behavior, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Rafael Rodrigues Lima
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Street Augusto Corrêa N. 1, Campus do Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-900, Brazil.
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20
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Manrique LP, Bánszegi O, Hudson R, Szenczi P. Repeatable individual differences in behaviour and physiology in juvenile horses from an early age. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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21
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Peixoto TC, Moura EG, Soares PN, Rodrigues VST, Claudio-Neto S, Oliveira E, Manhães AC, Lisboa PC. Nicotine exposure during lactation causes disruption of hedonic eating behavior and alters dopaminergic system in adult female rats. Appetite 2021; 160:105115. [PMID: 33453337 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Tobacco smoke during gestation is associated with increased consumption of palatable foods by the offspring in humans and rats. Postpartum relapse is observed in lactating women who quit smoking during pregnancy, putting their children at risk of adverse health outcomes caused by secondhand smoke. Nicotine is transferred through milk and alters the dopaminergic reward system of adult male rats, reducing dopamine action in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. Here, we evaluated the long-term effects of nicotine-only exposure during lactation on eating behavior, anxiety, locomotion, dopaminergic system, hypothalamic leptin signaling and nicotinic receptor in the adult female rat progeny. Two days after birth (PN2), Wistar rat dams were separated into control and nicotine (Nic) groups for implantation of osmotic minipumps that released respectively saline or 6 mg/kg nicotine. Lactating dams were kept with 6 pups. After weaning (PN21; nicotine withdrawal), only the female offspring were studied. Euthanasia occurred at PN180. Nic females showed hyperphagia, preference for a high-sucrose diet, increased anxiety-like behavior, lower tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), lower dopamine transporter and higher dopamine receptor (Drd2) in NAc; lower Drd1 in prefrontal cortex and lower TH in dorsal striatum (DS). These animals showed changes that can explain their hyperphagia, such as: lower leptin signaling pathway (Leprb, pJAK2, pSTAT3) and Chrna7 expression in hypothalamus. Neonatal nicotine exposure affects the brain reward system of the female progeny differently from males, mainly decreasing dopamine production in NAc and DS. Therefore, Nic females are more susceptible to develop food addiction and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- T C Peixoto
- Laboratory of Endocrine Physiology, RJ, Brazil
| | - E G Moura
- Laboratory of Endocrine Physiology, RJ, Brazil
| | - P N Soares
- Laboratory of Endocrine Physiology, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - S Claudio-Neto
- Neurophysiology Laboratory, Biology Institute, State University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - E Oliveira
- Laboratory of Endocrine Physiology, RJ, Brazil
| | - A C Manhães
- Neurophysiology Laboratory, Biology Institute, State University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - P C Lisboa
- Laboratory of Endocrine Physiology, RJ, Brazil.
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22
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Chouit Z, Djellal D, Haddad S, Hanfer M, Hachemi M, Lakroun Z, Chafaa S, Fetoui H, Kebieche M, Soulimani R. Potentiation of the apoptotic signaling pathway in both the striatum and hippocampus and neurobehavioral impairment in rats exposed chronically to a low-dose of cadmium. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:3307-3317. [PMID: 32915453 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-10755-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal. It accumulates in biological tissues, especially in fish which constitutes a first rank food for humans, particularly in the coastal areas. This study investigates the effect of long-term exposure to low Cd concentration (17 μg/kg/day) in rat striatum and hippocampus. In this study, the neurobehavioral ability changes were assessed by applying cognitive standard testing at the end of the rats' exposure period. In addition, the examination of mitochondrial swelling was performed at the same time of evaluation of its redox status in the brain regions studied through stress parameters (GSH, MDA, GST, and CAT). This study examined also whether this long-term exposure can modify the apoptotic signaling pathway via assessment of apoptotic markers (caspase-8 and 9, Bax, Bcl-2, and Cyt-c) in cell lysates. The results of this study showed changes in neurobehavioral abilities of animals and a stronger mitochondrial swelling associated with a significant decrease in antioxidant systems (GSH, GST, and CAT) and conversely an increase in the lipoperoxidation end product (MDA) in both the striatal and hippocampal mitochondria. In addition, the results revealed a significant increase in pro-apoptotic intracellular components such as caspase-9, Cyt-c, and Bax, and showed also an evident decrease in Bcl-2 levels. In conclusion, our results reported that chronic exposure to Cd produces behavioral and cognitive perturbations, enhances oxidative stress associated with mitochondrial edema and Cyt-c leakage, and, ultimately, potentiates apoptosis signaling pathway in both brain regions in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyneb Chouit
- Laboratory of cellular and molecular biology, University of Mohamed Seddik Ben Yahia, Jijel, Algeria
| | - Dounia Djellal
- Faculty of natural and life sciences, LBMBPC, University of Batna 2, Route de Constantine, 05078, Fesdis, Batna, Algeria
| | - Souhila Haddad
- Faculty of natural and life sciences, University of Abderrahmane Mira, Bejaia, Algeria
| | - Mourad Hanfer
- Faculty of natural and life sciences, LBMBPC, University of Batna 2, Route de Constantine, 05078, Fesdis, Batna, Algeria
| | - Messaoud Hachemi
- Faculty of natural and life sciences, LBMBPC, University of Batna 2, Route de Constantine, 05078, Fesdis, Batna, Algeria
| | - Zhoura Lakroun
- Laboratory of cellular and molecular biology, University of Mohamed Seddik Ben Yahia, Jijel, Algeria
| | - Smail Chafaa
- Faculty of natural and life sciences, LBMBPC, University of Batna 2, Route de Constantine, 05078, Fesdis, Batna, Algeria
| | - Hamadi Fetoui
- Toxicology-Microbiology and Environmental Health Unit (UR11ES70), University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Mohamed Kebieche
- Laboratory of cellular and molecular biology, University of Mohamed Seddik Ben Yahia, Jijel, Algeria.
- Faculty of natural and life sciences, LBMBPC, University of Batna 2, Route de Constantine, 05078, Fesdis, Batna, Algeria.
| | - Rachid Soulimani
- LCOMS/Neurotoxicologie et Bioactivité, Campus Bridoux, Université de Lorraine, 57070, Metz, France
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More exploratory house mice judge an ambiguous situation more negatively. Anim Cogn 2020; 24:53-64. [PMID: 32700167 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01414-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Exploration tendency, one of the most investigated animal personality traits, may be driven by either positive (when seeking interesting information) or negative (to reduce the uncertainty of the environment) affective/emotional profiles. To disentangle the valence of the affective state associated with exploration trait, we applied a judgment bias test to evaluate the animals' responses in an ambiguous situation, allowing an assessment of their affective state or mood. Experiments were carried out in male house mice (Mus musculus) of wild origin. Individual differences in exploration tendency were assessed by repeated open field and novel object tests. To evaluate the animals' judgment bias, we trained the subjects for 8 days in a 3-arm maze to discriminate between two extreme locations (outer arms: either positively reinforced with sugary water or less-positively reinforced with plain water), in terms of a shorter latency to approach the positively reinforced arm. After this learning criterion was reached, we repeatedly tested their responses to an ambiguous location (intermediate arm). The latencies to approach and consume the ambiguous reward were highly repeatable over the 3 days of testing; hence individuals expressed a stable judgment bias. Most importantly, more exploratory animals showed a more negative judgment bias, which supports the hypothesis that a higher exploration tendency was associated with a negative affective state. Further studies should investigate whether exploration in different situations might be due to distinct affective states.
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Faraji J, Metz GAS. Infrared Thermography Reveals Sex-Specific Responses to Stress in Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:79. [PMID: 32523518 PMCID: PMC7261839 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychogenic hyperthermia is a stress-related condition reported mostly in women. Neuroendocrine responses to stress in females differ from those in males, and these differences cannot be explained solely based on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Here, we used infrared (IR) thermographic imaging to record changes in cutaneous temperature following two types of stressful experiences in female and male mice. Mice were exposed to either single-session restraint stress or vertical exploration (rearing) deprivation and were monitored for exploratory activity and IR surface thermal changes. Females displayed higher rearing activity than males during the dark phase of the light cycle. Both sexes showed similar plasma corticosterone (CORT) responses after a challenge with restraint and rearing deprivation. However, only females responded to rearing deprivation with increased cutaneous temperature in the head and back, and a reduced thermal response in the tail. Circulating CORT levels were not correlated with the thermal variations. These findings, for the first time, provide evidence for sex-specific cutaneous thermal responses to short-term stress in mice following transient vertical-activity deprivation that may mimic clinical psychogenic hyperthermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamshid Faraji
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.,Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Gerlinde A S Metz
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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Martínez-Byer S, Urrutia A, Szenczi P, Hudson R, Bánszegi O. Evidence for Individual Differences in Behaviour and for Behavioural Syndromes in Adult Shelter Cats. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10060962. [PMID: 32492877 PMCID: PMC7341514 DOI: 10.3390/ani10060962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary An important activity of modern animal shelters is the development of successful adoption programmes. In this regard, there is a need for reliable tests of individual differences in behaviour to help match the “personality” of potential adoptees with the lifestyle and needs of prospective owners; a companion animal for an elderly person remaining at home requires a different match than a pet for someone who will be away most of the day; a pet kept exclusively indoors in a small apartment requires a different match than an indoor/outdoor pet. In the present study, we repeatedly tested 31 mixed-breed adult cats of both sexes and a wide range of ages in five behavioural tests at a shelter in Mexico City, Mexico. The tests were designed to be easily implemented by shelter staff, and were short and low cost and intended to simulate common situations in a pet cat’s everyday life. We found consistent (stable) individual differences in the cats’ behaviour on all five tests, as well as correlations between their behaviour across tests. This suggests that such tests may contribute to reliably characterizing the “personality” of individual cats and so help increase the rate of successful adoptions. Abstract Consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour have been previously reported in adult shelter cats. In this study, we aimed to assess whether repeatable individual differences in behaviours exhibited by shelter cats in different situations were interrelated, forming behavioural syndromes. We tested 31 adult cats in five different behavioural tests, repeated three times each: a struggle test where an experimenter restrained the cat, a separation/confinement test where the cat spent 2 min in a pet carrier, a mouse test where the cat was presented with a live mouse in a jar, and two tests where the cat reacted to an unfamiliar human who remained either passive or actively approached the cat. Individual differences in behaviour were consistent (repeatable) across repeated trials for each of the tests. We also found associations between some of the behaviours shown in the different tests, several of which appeared to be due to differences in human-oriented behaviours. This study is the first to assess the presence of behavioural syndromes using repeated behavioural tests in different situations common in the daily life of a cat, and which may prove useful in improving the match between prospective owner and cat in shelter adoption programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Martínez-Byer
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio A, 1er Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, CP 04510, Mexico; (S.M.-B.); (A.U.)
| | - Andrea Urrutia
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio A, 1er Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, CP 04510, Mexico; (S.M.-B.); (A.U.)
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, A.P. 70228, CP 04510, Mexico;
| | - Péter Szenczi
- CONACYT—Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Unidad Psicopatología y Desarrollo, Calz. México-Xochimilco 101, CP 14370, Mexico
- Correspondence: (P.S.); (O.B.); Tel.: + 52-56-22-38-28 (P.S.); + 52-56-22-38-28 (O.B.)
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, A.P. 70228, CP 04510, Mexico;
| | - Oxána Bánszegi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, A.P. 70228, CP 04510, Mexico;
- Correspondence: (P.S.); (O.B.); Tel.: + 52-56-22-38-28 (P.S.); + 52-56-22-38-28 (O.B.)
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Duparcq M, Jean O, Verjat A, Jaravel L, Jacquet D, Robles Guerrero F, Féron C, Rödel HG. Differences between fast and slow explorers in short-term tail temperature responses to handling in a rodent of wild origin. Behav Brain Res 2019; 376:112194. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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27
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Mazza V, Dammhahn M, Eccard JA, Palme R, Zaccaroni M, Jacob J. Coping with style: individual differences in responses to environmental variation. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2760-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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28
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Jerem P, Jenni-Eiermann S, McKeegan D, McCafferty DJ, Nager RG. Eye region surface temperature dynamics during acute stress relate to baseline glucocorticoids independently of environmental conditions. Physiol Behav 2019; 210:112627. [PMID: 31348931 PMCID: PMC6739691 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Reactions to acute stressors are critical for survival. Yet, the challenges of assessing underlying physiological processes in the field limit our understanding of how variation in the acute stress response relates to fitness in free-living animals. Glucocorticoid secretion during acute stress can be measured from blood plasma concentrations, but each blood sample can only provide information for one point in time. Also, the number of samples that can be extracted from an individual in the field is usually limited to avoid compromising welfare. This restricts capacity for repeated assessment, and therefore temporal resolution of findings within- and between-acute stress responses - both of which are important for determining links between acute stress and fitness. Acute stress induces additional body surface temperature changes that can be measured non-invasively, and at high frequencies using thermal imaging, offering opportunities to overcome these limitations. But, this method's usefulness in the field depends on the extent that environmental conditions affect the body surface temperature response, which remains poorly understood. We assessed the relative importance of individual physiology (baseline glucocorticoid concentrations) and environmental conditions (air temperature and relative humidity) in determining the eye region surface temperature (Teye) response to acute stress, in wild blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) during trapping, handling and blood sampling. When controlling for between-individual baseline variation, Teye initially dropped rapidly below, and then recovered above baseline, before declining more slowly until the end of the test, 160 s after trap closure. One measure of the amplitude of this response - the size of the initial drop in Teye - was dependent on environmental conditions, but not baseline corticosterone. Whereas, two properties defining response dynamics - the timing of the initial drop, and the slope of the subsequent recovery - were related to baseline corticosterone concentrations, independently of environmental conditions. This suggests inferring the acute stress response using thermal imaging of Teye will be practical under fluctuating environmental conditions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Jerem
- Department of Evolution, Behaviour and Environment, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK.
| | | | - Dorothy McKeegan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Dominic J McCafferty
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Ruedi G Nager
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Ede T, Lecorps B, von Keyserlingk MAG, Weary DM. Symposium review: Scientific assessment of affective states in dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 2019; 102:10677-10694. [PMID: 31477285 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2019-16325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Affective states, which refer to feelings or emotions, are a key component of animal welfare, but these are also difficult to assess. Drawing upon a body of theoretical and applied work, we critically review the scientific literature on the assessment of affective states in animals, drawing examples where possible from research on dairy cattle, and highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of scientific methods used to assess affective states in animals. We adopt the "valence/arousal" framework, describing affect as a 2-dimensional space (with valence referring to whether an experience is positive or negative, and arousal referring to the intensity of the experience). We conclude that spontaneous physiological and behavioral responses typically reflect arousal, whereas learned responses can be valuable when investigating valence. We also conclude that the assessment of affective states can be furthered using mood assessments and that the use of drug treatments with known emotional effects in humans can be helpful in the assessment of specific affective states in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Ede
- Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z6
| | - Benjamin Lecorps
- Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z6
| | - Marina A G von Keyserlingk
- Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z6
| | - Daniel M Weary
- Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z6.
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30
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Franco NH, Gerós A, Oliveira L, Olsson IAS, Aguiar P. ThermoLabAnimal – A high-throughput analysis software for non-invasive thermal assessment of laboratory mice. Physiol Behav 2019; 207:113-121. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Amelioration of obsessive-compulsive disorder in three mouse models treated with one epigenetic drug: unraveling the underlying mechanism. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8741. [PMID: 31217515 PMCID: PMC6584622 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45325-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Mental health disorders are manifested in families, yet cannot be fully explained by classical Mendelian genetics. Changes in gene expression via epigenetics present a plausible mechanism. Anxiety often leads to avoidant behaviors which upon repetition may become habitual, maladaptive and resistant to extinction as observed in obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD). Psychophysical models of OCD propose that anxiety (amygdala) and habits (dorsolateral striatum, DLS) may be causally linked. The amygdala activates spiny projection neurons in the DLS. Repetitive amygdala terminal stimulation in the DLS elicits long term OCD-like behavior in mice associated with circuitry changes and gene methylation-mediated decrease in the activity of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). Treatment of OCD-like grooming behavior in Slitrk5, SAPAP3, and laser-stimulated mice with one dose of RG108 (DNA methyltransferase inhibitor), lead to marked symptom improvement lasting for at least one week as well as complete reversal of anomalous changes in circuitry and PP1 gene methylation.
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Kowalski GJ, Grimm V, Herde A, Guenther A, Eccard JA. Does Animal Personality Affect Movement in Habitat Corridors? Experiments with Common Voles ( Microtus arvalis) using Different Corridor Widths. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9060291. [PMID: 31146468 PMCID: PMC6616401 DOI: 10.3390/ani9060291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary An animal’s personality may affect how they move and what risks they take while they are moving within a landscape. Understanding the movement constraints of wildlife is of increasing importance in fragmented landscapes. We investigated how rodents of opposing personality types moved through two experimental corridors of differing widths. We tracked the voles with automated radio telemetry and quantified the effects of personality on movement. While personality measures did not predict movement patterns, voles in the narrow corridor system entered the corridor faster and spent less time in the corridor than those in the wide corridor. Thus, it may be impossible to detect differences in the risk-taking behavior of small rodents based on personality types if their perceived predation risk is too high. Regarding corridors, our results suggest that the widely held principle that wider is better may not hold true if the fast exchange between populations individuals is the designated function of the corridor. Abstract Animal personality may affect an animal’s mobility in a given landscape, influencing its propensity to take risks in an unknown environment. We investigated the mobility of translocated common voles in two corridor systems 60 m in length and differing in width (1 m and 3 m). Voles were behaviorally phenotyped in repeated open field and barrier tests. Observed behavioral traits were highly repeatable and described by a continuous personality score. Subsequently, animals were tracked via an automated very high frequency (VHF) telemetry radio tracking system to monitor their movement patterns in the corridor system. Although personality did not explain movement patterns, corridor width determined the amount of time spent in the habitat corridor. Voles in the narrow corridor system entered the corridor faster and spent less time in the corridor than animals in the wide corridor. Thus, landscape features seem to affect movement patterns more strongly than personality. Meanwhile, site characteristics, such as corridor width, could prove to be highly important when designing corridors for conservation, with narrow corridors facilitating faster movement through landscapes than wider corridors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Joanna Kowalski
- Animal Ecology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany.
- Ecological Research Station Gülpe, University of Potsdam, 14715 Havelaue, Germany.
| | - Volker Grimm
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam, Am Mühlenberg 3, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Antje Herde
- Department of Animal Behaviour , Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Plön, Germany.
| | - Jana A Eccard
- Animal Ecology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany.
- Ecological Research Station Gülpe, University of Potsdam, 14715 Havelaue, Germany.
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Edwards KL, Edes AN, Brown JL. Stress, Well-Being and Reproductive Success. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1200:91-162. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23633-5_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Lecorps B, Rödel HG, Féron C. Short-term thermal responses after exposure to predator odor (TMT) in the house mouse. Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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35
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Altered Schaedler flora mice: A defined microbiota animal model to study the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Behav Brain Res 2019; 356:221-226. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Dairy calves' personality traits predict social proximity and response to an emotional challenge. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16350. [PMID: 30397225 PMCID: PMC6218496 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34281-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The assessment of individual traits requires that tests are reliable (i.e. consistency over time) and externally valid, meaning that they predict future responses in similar contexts (i.e. convergent validity) but do not predict responses to unrelated situations (i.e. discriminant validity). The aim of this study was to determine if dairy calf personality traits (Fearfulness, Sociability and Pessimism), derived from behaviours expressed in standardized tests, predict individuals’ responses in related situations. The first experiment tested if the trait ‘Sociability’ was related to the expression of social behaviour in the home-pen, with calves assigned individual proximity scores (based on proximity to other calves) while they were in their home-pen at approximately 113 and 118 d of age. The second experiment aimed at exploring whether traits ‘Fearfulness’ and ‘Pessimism’ were related to the calves’ emotional response to transportation. All calves were subjected to two 10-min transportation challenges done on two consecutive days. Emotional response was assessed using the maximum eye temperature (measured using infrared thermography) and the number of vocalizations emitted. Social proximity scores (Experiment 1), vocalizations emitted and maximum eye temperature after loading (Experiment 2) were consistent over time. In addition, the results showed good convergent validity with calves scoring higher in Sociability also having higher proximity scores in the home-pen, and animals scoring higher in Fearfulness and Pessimism showing a more intense emotional response to transportation. The results also showed good discriminant validity, as neither Fearfulness nor Pessimism were associated with the expression of social behaviours (Experiment 1) and Sociability was not associated with the animal’s emotional response to transportation (Experiment 2). We conclude that the methodology used to measure personality traits shows good reliability and external validity.
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Gjendal K, Franco NH, Ottesen JL, Sørensen DB, Olsson IAS. Eye, body or tail? Thermography as a measure of stress in mice. Physiol Behav 2018; 196:135-143. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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38
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Leffa DT, Castro Panzenhagen A, Luiz Rovaris D, Henrique Dotto Bau C, Rohde LA, Horacio Grevet E, Pires GN. Behavioural effects of methylphenidate in the spontaneously hypertensive rat model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. BMJ OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 2:e000001. [PMID: 35047675 PMCID: PMC8715948 DOI: 10.1136/bmjos-2018-000001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent condition related to several negative outcomes, and its pathophysiology is still poorly understood. The spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) are the most commonly used animal model of ADHD. How ever, its validity, and especially its predictive validity, has been questioned. Therefore, the current protocol discloses the background, aims and methods of a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the behavioural effects of methylphenidate (MPH), the most commonly prescribed treatment for ADHD, in the SHR. SEARCH STRATEGY Studies will be identified through a literature search using three different electronic databases: Medline, Embase and Web of Science. There will be no language restrictions. All s tudies that administered MPH to SHR and evaluated locomotion, attention, impulsivity or memory will be included. SCREENING AND ANNOTATION Studies will be prescreened based on title and abstract, and a full-text review will be performed if necessary. Screening will be performed by two authors, and any disagreement will be discussed with a third author. DATA MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING Data extraction will be performed by two independent authors according to a standardised form. Studies will be grouped according to the behavioural outcomes reported, and a meta-analysis will be performed for each group. The influence of predefined covariates on the effects of MPH will be evaluated using meta-regression and sensitivity analyses. Data will be reported following PRISMA guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Teixeira Leffa
- Post-Graduate Program in Medicine: Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Laboratory of Pain Pharmacology and Neuromodulation: Preclinical Studies - Pharmacology Department, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Alana Castro Panzenhagen
- Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- ADHD Outpatient Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Diego Luiz Rovaris
- Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- ADHD Outpatient Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Claiton Henrique Dotto Bau
- Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- ADHD Outpatient Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Luis Augusto Rohde
- ADHD Outpatient Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eugenio Horacio Grevet
- ADHD Outpatient Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Natan Pires
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil
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Lalonde R, Strazielle C. Neuroanatomical pathways underlying the effects of hypothalamo-hypophysial-adrenal hormones on exploratory activity. Rev Neurosci 2018; 28:617-648. [PMID: 28609296 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2016-0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
When injected via the intracerebroventricular route, corticosterone-releasing hormone (CRH) reduced exploration in the elevated plus-maze, the center region of the open-field, and the large chamber in the defensive withdrawal test. The anxiogenic action of CRH in the elevated plus-maze also occurred when infused in the basolateral amygdala, ventral hippocampus, lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens, periaqueductal grey, and medial frontal cortex. The anxiogenic action of CRH in the defensive withdrawal test was reproduced when injected in the locus coeruleus, while the amygdala, hippocampus, lateral septum, nucleus accumbens, and lateral globus pallidus contribute to center zone exploration in the open-field. In addition to elevated plus-maze and open-field tests, the amygdala appears as a target region for CRH-mediated anxiety in the elevated T-maze. Thus, the amygdala is the principal brain region identified with these three tests, and further research must identify the neural circuits underlying this form of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine Strazielle
- , Laboratoire 'Stress, Immunité, Pathogènes' EA 7300 and Service de Microscopie Electronique, Faculté de Médecine
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Bodden C, Siestrup S, Palme R, Kaiser S, Sachser N, Richter SH. Evidence-based severity assessment: Impact of repeated versus single open-field testing on welfare in C57BL/6J mice. Behav Brain Res 2018; 336:261-268. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Hudson R, Chacha J, Bánszegi O, Szenczi P, Rödel HG. Highly stable individual differences in the emission of separation calls during early development in the domestic cat. Dev Psychobiol 2017; 59:367-374. [PMID: 28323347 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 12/26/2016] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Study of the development of individuality is often hampered by rapidly changing behavioral repertoires and the need for minimally intrusive tests. We individually tested 33 kittens from eight litters of the domestic cat in an arena for 3 min once a week for the first 3 postnatal weeks, recording the number of separation calls and the duration of locomotor activity. Kittens showed consistent and stable individual differences on both measures across and within trials. Stable individual differences in the emission of separation calls across trials emerged already within the first 10 s of testing, and in locomotor activity within the first 30 s. Furthermore, individual kittens' emission of separation calls, but not their locomotor activity, was highly stable within trials. We conclude that separation calls provide an efficient, minimally intrusive and reliable measure of individual differences in behavior during development in the cat, and possibly in other species emitting such calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jimena Chacha
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Oxána Bánszegi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Péter Szenczi
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Heiko G Rödel
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimental et Comparée EA4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
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