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Frye BM, Craft S, Latimer CS, Keene CD, Montine TJ, Register TC, Orr ME, Kavanagh K, Macauley SL, Shively CA. Aging-related Alzheimer's disease-like neuropathology and functional decline in captive vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). Am J Primatol 2021; 83:e23260. [PMID: 33818801 PMCID: PMC8626867 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Age-related neurodegeneration characteristic of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) begins in middle age, well before symptoms. Translational models to identify modifiable risk factors are needed to understand etiology and identify therapeutic targets. Here, we outline the evidence supporting the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) as a model of aging-related AD-like neuropathology and associated phenotypes including cognitive function, physical function, glucose handling, intestinal physiology, and CSF, blood, and neuroimaging biomarkers. This review provides the most comprehensive multisystem description of aging in vervets to date. This review synthesizes a large body of evidence that suggests that aging vervets exhibit a coordinated suite of traits consistent with early AD and provide a powerful, naturally occurring model for LOAD. Notably, relationships are identified between AD-like neuropathology and modifiable risk factors. Gaps in knowledge and key limitations are provided to shape future studies to illuminate mechanisms underlying divergent neurocognitive aging trajectories and to develop interventions that increase resilience to aging-associated chronic disease, particularly, LOAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett M. Frye
- Department of Pathology/Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine
| | - Suzanne Craft
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Wake Forest Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
- J. Paul Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine
| | - Caitlin S. Latimer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington-Seattle
| | - C. Dirk Keene
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington-Seattle
| | | | - Thomas C. Register
- Department of Pathology/Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Wake Forest Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
- J. Paul Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine
| | - Miranda E. Orr
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine
| | - Kylie Kavanagh
- Department of Pathology/Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine
| | - Shannon L. Macauley
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Wake Forest Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
| | - Carol A. Shively
- Department of Pathology/Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Wake Forest Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
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Frye BM, Valure PM, Craft S, Baxter MG, Scott C, Wise-Walden S, Bissinger DW, Register HM, Copeland C, Jorgensen MJ, Justice JN, Kritchevsky SB, Register TC, Shively CA. Temporal emergence of age-associated changes in cognitive and physical function in vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). GeroScience 2021; 43:1303-1315. [PMID: 33611720 PMCID: PMC8190425 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-021-00338-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Dual declines in gait speed and cognitive performance are associated with increased risk of developing dementia. Characterizing the patterns of such impairments therefore is paramount to distinguishing healthy from pathological aging. Nonhuman primates such as vervet/African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) are important models of human neurocognitive aging, yet the trajectory of dual decline has not been characterized. We therefore (1) assessed whether cognitive and physical performance (i.e., gait speed) are lower in older aged animals; (2) explored the relationship between performance in a novel task of executive function (Wake Forest Maze Task-WFMT) and a well-established assessment of working memory (delayed response task-DR task); and (3) examined the association between baseline gait speed with executive function and working memory at 1-year follow-up. We found (1) physical and cognitive declines with age; (2) strong agreement between performance in the novel WFMT and DR task; and (3) that slow gait is associated with poor cognitive performance in both domains. Our results suggest that older aged vervets exhibit a coordinated suite of traits consistent with human aging and that slow gait may be a biomarker of cognitive decline. This integrative approach provides evidence that gait speed and cognitive function differ across the lifespan in female vervet monkeys, which advances them as a model that could be used to dissect relationships between trajectories of dual decline over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett M Frye
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
- Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention, Department of Internal Medicine - Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Payton M Valure
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
| | - Suzanne Craft
- Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention, Department of Internal Medicine - Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, USA
- Wake Forest Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Mark G Baxter
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, IW, New York, USA
| | - Christie Scott
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
| | - Shanna Wise-Walden
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
| | - David W Bissinger
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
| | - Hannah M Register
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
| | - Carson Copeland
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
| | - Matthew J Jorgensen
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
| | - Jamie N Justice
- Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention, Department of Internal Medicine - Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Stephen B Kritchevsky
- Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention, Department of Internal Medicine - Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Thomas C Register
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA
- Wake Forest Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Carol A Shively
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1040, USA.
- Wake Forest Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Winston-Salem, USA.
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3
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Multiple dimensions of social motivation in adult female degus. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250219. [PMID: 33882104 PMCID: PMC8059823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals become more motivated to interact after a period of isolation. This phenomenon may involve general drives, e.g. for social touch or companionship, as well as drives that are specific to particular peers, and which ultimately serve to reestablish relationships between the individuals. Female degus are known to be affiliative with multiple other individuals, including unrelated and unfamiliar conspecifics, offering an opportunity to study social motivation independent from exclusive pair-bonds or overt, same-sex competition. We attempted to disentangle factors driving peer interaction by examining reunion behavior across several social isolation and separation manipulations. High levels of interaction were observed between adult females who had been separated even without isolation, revealing a drive to re-establish relationships with specific peers. The content of separation-only reunions differed from isolation, with the latter involving more early-session interaction, higher levels of allogrooming before rear-sniffing, and a higher ratio of chitter vocalizations. To assess whether post-isolation behavior was related to stress, we examined reunions following a non-social (footshock) stressor. Like isolation, footshock increased early-session interactions, but did not increase allogrooming before rear-sniffing or chittering, as compared with controls. To test whether separation-only reunion behavior shared qualities with relationship formation, we also examined reunions of new (stranger) dyads. Strangers exhibited higher levels of interaction than cagemates, with particularly high levels of late-session rear-sniffing. Like separation-only reunions, strangers showed more non-chitter vocalizations and lower levels of allogrooming before rear-sniffing. Across experiments, an exploratory clustering method was used to identify vocalizations that differed between conditions. This yielded promising leads for future investigation, including a chaff-type syllable that may have been more common during relationship renewal. Overall, results are consistent with the hypothesis that female degu reunions are supported by both general and peer-stimulus specific drives, expressed through the structure of physical and vocal interactions over time.
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Brenhouse HC, Bath KG. Bundling the haystack to find the needle: Challenges and opportunities in modeling risk and resilience following early life stress. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 54:100768. [PMID: 31175880 PMCID: PMC6708473 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Various forms of early life adversity (ELA) have been linked with increased risk for negative health outcomes, including neuropsychiatric disorders. Understanding how the complex interplay between types, timing, duration, and severity of ELA, together with individual differences in genetic, socio-cultural, and physiological differences can mediate risk and resilience has proven difficult in population based studies. Use of animal models provides a powerful toolset to isolate key variables underlying risk for altered neural and behavioral maturational trajectories. However, a lack of clarity regarding the unique features of differing forms of adversity, lab differences in the implementation and reporting of methods, and the ability compare across labs and types of ELA has led to some confusion. Here, we highlight the diversity of approaches available, current challenges, and a possible ways forward to increase clarity and drive more meaningful and fruitful implementation and comparison of these approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather C Brenhouse
- Psychology Department, Northeastern University, 125 Nightingale Hall, Boston, MA 02115, United States.
| | - Kevin G Bath
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer St. Box 1821, Providence, RI 02912, United States
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Cavanaugh J, Mustoe A, French JA. Oxytocin regulates reunion affiliation with a pairmate following social separation in marmosets. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22750. [PMID: 29527695 PMCID: PMC6133767 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
While separation from significant social partners produces a host of neurobiological and behavioral perturbations, including behavioral distress and increased glucocorticoid production, positive social interactions upon reunion are critical for the reestablishment of normative relationship dynamics and the attenuation of the biobehavioral stress response. The hormone oxytocin has critical and pervasive roles in reproductive and behavioral processes across the lifespan, and plays a particularly prominent role in social bonding. In this study, we examined the extent that oxytocin modulates interactions with a pairmate following separation challenges that varied in both social context (isolation; separation) and duration (long; short), in marmosets. We demonstrated that the impact of pharmacological manipulations of the oxytocin system on the expression of affiliation upon reunion depended on both the context and duration of the separation challenge. Specifically, marmosets treated with an oxytocin antagonist spent less time in proximity with their pairmate upon reunion following a long-separation challenge. During the short-separation challenge, marmosets engaged in more social gaze when separated with an opposite-sex stranger, but not when separated with their mate. Furthermore, marmosets that received the most social gaze from opposite-sex strangers spent the most time in proximity with their long-term mate upon reunion. We also showed that marmosets treated with an OT agonist received increased levels of gaze from opposite-sex strangers, but not from their mate. Overall, these results suggest that marmosets are sensitive to the nature of the social interactions during separation, and subsequently alter their expression of affiliation upon reunion with their long-term mate. These findings further implicate oxytocin as a bond-enhancing molecule that regulates the reestablishment of normative levels of affiliation with a mate following separation, and add to the emerging literature that suggests the OT system underlies critical behavioral processes that contribute to the preservation of long-lasting social bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Cavanaugh
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Aaryn Mustoe
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Jeffrey A. French
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
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Carp SB, Taylor JH, Womack SL, French JA. Dopamine Modulation of Reunion Behavior in Short and Long Term Marmoset Pairs. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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Duarte RB, Maior RS, Barros M. Behavioral and cortisol responses of adult marmoset monkeys ( Callithrix penicillata ) to different home-cage social disruption intervals. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Novel approaches to alcohol rehabilitation: Modification of stress-responsive brain regions through environmental enrichment. Neuropharmacology 2018; 145:25-36. [PMID: 29477298 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Relapse remains the most prominent hurdle to successful rehabilitation from alcoholism. The neural mechanisms underlying relapse are complex, but our understanding of the brain regions involved, the anatomical circuitry and the modulation of specific nuclei in the context of stress and cue-induced relapse have improved significantly in recent years. In particular, stress is now recognised as a significant trigger for relapse, adding to the well-established impact of chronic stress to escalate alcohol consumption. It is therefore unsurprising that the stress-responsive regions of the brain have also been implicated in alcohol relapse, such as the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and the hypothalamus. Environmental enrichment is a robust experimental paradigm which provides a non-pharmacological tool to alter stress response and, separately, alcohol-seeking behaviour and symptoms of withdrawal. In this review, we examine and consolidate the preclinical evidence that alcohol seeking behaviour and stress-induced relapse are modulated by environmental enrichment, and these are primarily mediated by modification of neural activity within the key nodes of the addiction circuitry. Finally, we discuss the limited clinical evidence that stress-reducing approaches such as mindfulness could potentially serve as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of alcoholism. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "Neurobiology of Environmental Enrichment".
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Galvão-Coelho NL, Galvão ACDM, da Silva FS, de Sousa MBC. Common Marmosets: A Potential Translational Animal Model of Juvenile Depression. Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:175. [PMID: 28983260 PMCID: PMC5613153 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depression is a psychiatric disorder with high prevalence in the general population, with increasing expression in adolescence, about 14% in young people. Frequently, it presents as a chronic condition, showing no remission even after several pharmacological treatments and persisting in adult life. Therefore, distinct protocols and animal models have been developed to increase the understanding of this disease or search for new therapies. To this end, this study investigated the effects of chronic social isolation and the potential antidepressant action of nortriptyline in juvenile Callithrix jacchus males and females by monitoring fecal cortisol, body weight, and behavioral parameters and searching for biomarkers and a protocol for inducing depression. The purpose was to validate this species and protocol as a translational model of juvenile depression, addressing all domain criteria of validation: etiologic, face, functional, predictive, inter-relational, evolutionary, and population. In both sexes and both protocols (IDS and DPT), we observed a significant reduction in cortisol levels in the last phase of social isolation, concomitant with increases in autogrooming, stereotyped and anxiety behaviors, and the presence of anhedonia. The alterations induced by chronic social isolation are characteristic of the depressive state in non-human primates and/or in humans, and were reversed in large part by treatment with an antidepressant drug (nortriptyline). Therefore, these results indicate C. jacchus as a potential translational model of juvenile depression by addressing all criteria of validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Leite Galvão-Coelho
- Laboratory of Hormone Measurement, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology in Translational Medicine Natal, Natal, Brazil
| | - Ana Cecília de Menezes Galvão
- Laboratory of Hormone Measurement, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Flávia Santos da Silva
- Laboratory of Hormone Measurement, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Maria Bernardete Cordeiro de Sousa
- Laboratory of Hormone Measurement, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
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Al Aïn S, Perry RE, Nuñez B, Kayser K, Hochman C, Brehman E, LaComb M, Wilson DA, Sullivan RM. Neurobehavioral assessment of maternal odor in developing rat pups: implications for social buffering. Soc Neurosci 2017; 12:32-49. [PMID: 26934130 PMCID: PMC5033694 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1159605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Social support can attenuate the behavioral and stress hormone response to threat, a phenomenon called social buffering. The mother's social buffering of the infant is one of the more robust examples; yet we understand little about the neurobiology. Using a rodent model, we explore the neurobiology of social buffering by assessing neural processing of the maternal odor, a major cue controlling social buffering in rat pups. We used pups before (postnatal day (PN) 7) and after (PN14, PN23) the functional emergence of social buffering. Pups were injected with 14C 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and presented with the maternal odor, a control preferred odor incapable of social buffering (acetophenone), or no odor. Brains were removed, processed for autoradiography and brain areas identified as important in adult social buffering were assessed, including the amygdala basolateral complex (Basolateral Amygdala [BLA]), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Results suggest dramatic changes in the processing of maternal odor. PN7 pups show mPFC and ACC activation, although PN14 pups showed no activation of the mPFC, ACC, or BLA. All brain areas assessed were recruited by PN23. Additional analysis suggests substantial changes in functional connectivity across development. Together, these results imply complex nonlinear transitions in the neurobiology of social buffering in early life that may provide insight into the changing role of the mother in supporting social buffering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syrina Al Aïn
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rosemarie E. Perry
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Sackler Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bestina Nuñez
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
| | - Kassandra Kayser
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
| | - Chase Hochman
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth Brehman
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Miranda LaComb
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Donald A. Wilson
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Regina M. Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Kohn JN, Snyder-Mackler N, Barreiro LB, Johnson ZP, Tung J, Wilson ME. Dominance rank causally affects personality and glucocorticoid regulation in female rhesus macaques. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 74:179-188. [PMID: 27639059 PMCID: PMC5494262 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Low social status is frequently associated with heightened exposure to social stressors and altered glucocorticoid regulation by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Additionally, personality differences can affect how individuals behave in response to social conditions, and thus may aggravate or protect against the effects of low status on HPA function. Disentangling the relative importance of personality from the effects of the social environment on the HPA axis has been challenging, since social status can predict aspects of behavior, and both can remain stable across the lifespan. To do so here, we studied an animal model of social status and social behavior, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). We performed two sequential experimental manipulations of dominance rank (i.e., social status) in 45 adult females, allowing us to characterize personality and glucocorticoid regulation (based on sensitivity to the exogenous glucocorticoid dexamethasone) in each individual while she occupied two different dominance ranks. We identified two behavioral characteristics, termed 'social approachability' and 'boldness,' which were highly social status-dependent. Social approachability and a third dimension, anxiousness, were also associated with cortisol dynamics in low status females, suggesting that behavioral tendencies may sensitize individuals to the effects of low status on HPA axis function. Finally, we found that improvements in dominance rank increased dexamethasone-induced acute cortisol suppression and glucocorticoid negative feedback. Our findings indicate that social status causally affects both behavioral tendencies and glucocorticoid regulation, and that some behavioral tendencies also independently affect cortisol levels, beyond the effects of rank. Together, they highlight the importance of considering personality and social status together when investigating their effects on HPA axis function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan N Kohn
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA; Duke Center for Aging, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Luis B Barreiro
- Department of Pediatrics, Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Zachary P Johnson
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA; Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA; Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya; Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Mark E Wilson
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
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de Menezes Galvão AC, Ferreira RG, de Sousa MBC, Galvão-Coelho NL. Physiological and behavioral responses to routine procedures in captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Primates 2016; 57:421-31. [PMID: 26946459 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-016-0526-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The effect of routine captive procedures on the welfare of species used as experimental models in biomedical research is of great interest, since stress may alter the generalization and interpretation of results. This study investigated behavioral and endocrine (fecal cortisol) reactivity patterns in common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) adult males (N = 10) and females (N = 9) subjected to three types of routine procedures in captivity: (1) moving to a same-sized cage (P1), to a smaller cage (P2), and (2) first-time pair formation (P3). Sexually dimorphic cortisol responses were detected in animals submitted to a physical environmental stressor (cage change). Females showed an increased response throughout P1, in relation to baseline (BP) cortisol, and a trend during P2. Males increased cortisol only during P2. On the other hand, males and females showed a similar endocrine response when management involved social challenge (pair formation), with both sexes increasing cortisol levels, but females exhibited a more intense and longer-lasting cortisol increase. Males and females exhibited similar behavioral responses to cage change, except for autogrooming, with males decreasing this behavior in P1. Only females demonstrated a significantly higher increase in piloerection frequency than that of males during the pair formation phase. These endocrine and behavioral changes must be taken into account when interpreting research data that involve these types of procedures. Further studies on the impacts of routine colony management are required to devise and include protocols in official husbandry guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cecília de Menezes Galvão
- Department of Physiology, Psychobiology Graduation Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Caixa Postal, 1511, Natal, RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Renata Gonçalves Ferreira
- Department of Physiology, Psychobiology Graduation Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Caixa Postal, 1511, Natal, RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Maria Bernardete Cordeiro de Sousa
- Department of Physiology, Psychobiology Graduation Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Caixa Postal, 1511, Natal, RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Nicole Leite Galvão-Coelho
- Department of Physiology, Psychobiology Graduation Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Caixa Postal, 1511, Natal, RN, 59078-970, Brazil.
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Nahallage CA, Leca JB, Huffman MA. Stone handling, an object play behaviour in macaques: welfare and neurological health implications of a bio-culturally driven tradition. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Object play in primates is viewed as generally having no immediate functional purpose, limited for the most part to immature individuals. At the proximate level, the occurrence of object play in immatures is regarded as being intrinsically self-rewarding, with the ultimate function of supporting motoneuronal development and the acquisition of skills necessary to prepare them for survival as adults. Stone handling (SH), a solitary object play behaviour occurs, and has been studied, in multiple free-ranging and captive troops of provisioned Japanese macaques, as well as rhesus and long-tailed macaques for over 35 years now. A review of our combined findings from these observations reveal that infants acquire SH in the first 3-4 months of life and exhibit increasingly more complex and varied behavioural patterns with age. The longitudinal data shows that many individuals maintain this activity throughout life, practicing it under relaxed ecological and social conditions. The ultimate function may be bimodal, promoting motor development in young and neural maintenance and regeneration in adult and aging individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charmalie A.D. Nahallage
- aDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Jean-Baptiste Leca
- bDepartment of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive W, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1K 6T5
| | - Michael A. Huffman
- cDepartment of Ecology and Social Behavior, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484, Japan
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