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Norscia I, Hecker M, Aldama BG, Santos SB, Cordoni G. Play contagion in African elephants: The closest, the better. Behav Processes 2024; 221:105092. [PMID: 39209084 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Behavioural contagion is an automatic process through which a behaviour performed by an individual (trigger) is reproduced by an observer (responder) without necessarily replicating the exact motor sequence. It has been linked to inter-individual synchronisation and possibly emotional contagion. Play can convey emotions and enhance social bonding, although its contagiousness is understudied. To verify social play contagion presence and modulating factors, we gathered audio-video data on social play, distance and affiliation on a group of savannah African elephants (15 individuals) at Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabarceno (Cantabria, Spain). Social play was contagious as it was more likely started by uninvolved elephants (within 3-min) in Post-Play Condition (PP) - after that other elephants had started playing - than in Matched-control Condition (MC; no previous play). Social play contagion mostly occurred within 30 m - probably due to elephants' limited visual acuity - and it was highest between individuals that affiliated the most, with the distance-affiliation interaction having no effect. The most prominent individuals in the social play network were also the most influential in the play contagion network (Eigenvector-centrality measure). Play contagion was socially modulated, thus suggesting it may extend from motor replication to the replication of the underlying affective state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy.
| | - Martin Hecker
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy
| | | | | | - Giada Cordoni
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy.
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Raymond JS, Rehn S, James MH, Everett NA, Bowen MT. Sex differences in the social motivation of rats: Insights from social operant conditioning, behavioural economics, and video tracking. Biol Sex Differ 2024; 15:57. [PMID: 39030614 PMCID: PMC11264584 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00612-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social behaviour plays a key role in mental health and wellbeing, and developing greater understanding of mechanisms underlying social interaction-particularly social motivation-holds substantial transdiagnostic impact. Common rodent behavioural assays used to assess social behaviour are limited in their assessment of social motivation, whereas the social operant conditioning model can provide unique and valuable insights into social motivation. Further characterisation of common experimental parameters that may influence social motivation within the social operant model, as well as complementary methodological and analytical approaches, are warranted. METHODS This study investigated the effects of biological sex, housing condition, and time-of-day, on social motivation using the social operant model. This involved training rats to lever press (FR1) for 60-s access to a social reward (same-sex conspecific stimulus). Subjects were male and female Wistar rats, housed under individual or paired conditions, and sessions were conducted either in the mid-late light phase (ZT6-10) or early-mid dark phase (ZT13-17). A behavioural economics approach was implemented to measure social demand and the influence of stimulus partner sex (same- vs. opposite-sex stimulus) on social operant responding. Additionally, video tracking analyses were conducted to assess the degree of convergence between social appetitive and consummatory behaviours. RESULTS Biological sex, housing conditions, the interaction between sex and housing, and stimulus partner sex potently influenced social motivation, whereas time-of-day did not. Behavioural economics demonstrated that sex, housing, and their interaction influence both the hedonic set-point and elasticity of social demand. Video analysis of social interaction during social operant sessions revealed that social appetitive and consummatory behaviours are not necessarily convergent, and indicate potential social satiety. Lastly, oestrus phase of female experimental and stimulus rats did not impact social motivation within the model. CONCLUSIONS Social isolation-dependent sex differences exist in social motivation for rats, as assessed by social operant conditioning. The social operant model represents an optimal preclinical assay that comprehensively evaluates social motivation and offers a platform for future investigations of neurobiological mechanisms underlying sex differences in social motivation. These findings highlight the importance of continued consideration and inclusion of sex as a biological variable in future social operant conditioning studies. Humans are social creatures-our everyday interactions with others and the support this provides play a key role in our wellbeing. For those experiencing mental health conditions, people's motivation to engage with others can wane, which can lead them to withdraw from those who support them. Therefore, to develop better treatment strategies for these conditions, we need to gain a deeper understanding of social motivation. Studying social behaviour in animals can facilitate this investigation of social motivation as it allows for a causal understanding of underlying neurobiology that is not possible in human experiments. An optimal way to study social motivation in animals is using the social operant conditioning model, where rats learn to press a lever that opens a door and allows them to interact with another rat for a short time. This study characterised the social operant model by testing whether sex, housing conditions, time-of-day, and the sex of the stimulus partner influence rats' motivation to seek interaction with another rat. We found that female rats were more socially motivated than males, and that rats living alone were more motivated than those living with another rat; interestingly, this effect of housing affected females more than males. Regardless of sex, rats were more motivated to interact with a rat of the opposite sex. These findings provide insights into sex differences in social motivation in rats and new insights into the social operant model which will help guide future research into social motivation and other mental health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel S Raymond
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, 2050, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Simone Rehn
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Morgan H James
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Nicholas A Everett
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, 2050, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael T Bowen
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, 2050, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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da Cunha Nones DC, Novais CO, Rojas VCT, de Paula Franco P, da Silva Estevam E, Silva MS, Giusti-Paiva A, Dos Anjos-Garcia T, Vilela FC. Litter reduction-induced obesity promotes early depressive-like behavior and elevated prefrontal cortex GFAP expression in male offspring. Behav Brain Res 2024; 461:114839. [PMID: 38154508 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
AIMS The present study was developed to investigate how litter reduction-induced obesity promotes early depressive-related behaviors in rodent offspring. MAIN METHODS We employed a standardized litter size reduction protocol, dividing litters into groups: normal litters (NL), consisting of six males and six females pups and small litters (SL), comprising two males and two females pups. Maternal behavior was monitored during the initial week of lactation. Subsequently, we assessed the pups for weight gain, locomotor activity, social play behavior, and performance in forced swimming test. We further evaluated the weights of retroperitoneal and perigonadal fat tissues, along with the expression of glial fibrillary acidic pprotein (GFAP) in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of the offspring. KEY FINDINGS Our results indicated that litter size reduction led to an increased the maternal behavior. In contrast, offspring from the SL group displayed greater weight gain and increased, retroperitoneal and perigonadal fat. Both male and female rodents in the SL group exhibited decreased social play behavior, and male offspring spent more time immobile during the forced swimming test, suggesting a depressive-like phenotype. Notably, we observed an increase in the GFAP expression in the prefrontal cortex of male rodents, with a trend toward increased expression in the hippocampus. SIGNIFICANCE Obesity may facilitate the development of early depressive-like behaviors, potentially associated with elevated GFAP expression in the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Débora Cristina da Cunha Nones
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biociências Aplicadas à Saúde (PPGB), Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Cíntia Onofra Novais
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Multicêntrico em Ciências Fisiológicas (PPGMCF), Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Viviana Carolina Trujillo Rojas
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Multicêntrico em Ciências Fisiológicas (PPGMCF), Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Priscila de Paula Franco
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Multicêntrico em Ciências Fisiológicas (PPGMCF), Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Elisa da Silva Estevam
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mariana Santos Silva
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Giusti-Paiva
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Tayllon Dos Anjos-Garcia
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Multicêntrico em Ciências Fisiológicas (PPGMCF), Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Fabiana Cardoso Vilela
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biociências Aplicadas à Saúde (PPGB), Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Centro de Inovação e Ensaios Pré-Clínicos (CIEnP), Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
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Ferrara NC, Che A, Briones B, Padilla-Coreano N, Lovett-Barron M, Opendak M. Neural Circuit Transitions Supporting Developmentally Specific Social Behavior. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7456-7462. [PMID: 37940586 PMCID: PMC10634550 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1377-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmentally appropriate social behavior is critical for survival across the lifespan. To support this flexible behavior, the brain must rapidly perform numerous computations taking into account sensation, memory, motor-control, and many other systems. Further complicating this process, individuals must perform distinct social behaviors adapted to the unique demands of each developmental stage; indeed, the social behaviors of the newborn would not be appropriate in adulthood and vice versa. However, our understanding of the neural circuit transitions supporting these behavioral transitions has been limited. Recent advances in neural circuit dissection tools, as well as adaptation of these tools for use at early time points, has helped uncover several novel mechanisms supporting developmentally appropriate social behavior. This review, and associated Minisymposium, bring together social neuroscience research across numerous model organisms and ages. Together, this work highlights developmentally regulated neural mechanisms and functional transitions in the roles of the sensory cortex, prefrontal cortex, amygdala, habenula, and the thalamus to support social interaction from infancy to adulthood. These studies underscore the need for synthesis across varied model organisms and across ages to advance our understanding of flexible social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C Ferrara
- Discipline of Physiology and Biophysics, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
| | - Alicia Che
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
| | - Brandy Briones
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Nancy Padilla-Coreano
- Evelyn F. & William McKnight Brain Institute and Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
| | - Matthew Lovett-Barron
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Maya Opendak
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
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Achterberg EJM, Burke CJ, Pellis SM. When the individual comes into play: The role of self and the partner in the dyadic play fighting of rats. Behav Processes 2023; 212:104933. [PMID: 37643663 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Social play in rats is rewarding and important for the development of brain and social skills. There are differences in the amount of play behavior displayed among individuals, with earlier studies suggesting that, despite variation across trials, individual differences tend to be consistent. In the present study, juvenile Lister-hooded rats were paired with a different, unfamiliar same-sex partner on three days and based on the amount of play each individual initiated, it was characterized as a high, medium or low player. Using this categorization, we explored three features related to individual differences. First, we show that by increasing the number of test days from two, as was done in a previous study (Lesscher et al., 2021), to three, characterization was effectively improved. Secondly, while the earlier study only used males, the present study showed that both sexes exhibit a similar pattern of individual differences in the degree of playfulness. Even though low players consistently initiated less play than medium and high players, all rats varied in how much play they initiated from one trial to the next. Thirdly, we assessed two potential mechanisms by which the playfulness of one rat can modify the level of playfulness of the other rat (i.e., emotional contagion vs homeostasis). Analyses of individuals' contribution to the play of dyads suggest that rats consistently adjust their play behavior depending on the behavior displayed by the partner. Since this adjustment can be positive or negative, our data support a homeostatic mechanism, whereby individuals increase or decrease the amount of play they initiate, which results in the experience of an overall stable pattern of play across trials. Future research will investigate the neural bases for individual differences in play and how rats maintain a preferred level of play.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J M Achterberg
- Behavioural Neuroscience Division, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - C J Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada; Department of Pharmacology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - S M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
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Powell SB, Swerdlow NR. The Relevance of Animal Models of Social Isolation and Social Motivation for Understanding Schizophrenia: Review and Future Directions. Schizophr Bull 2023; 49:1112-1126. [PMID: 37527471 PMCID: PMC10483472 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESES Social dysfunction in schizophrenia includes symptoms of withdrawal and deficits in social skills, social cognition, and social motivation. Based on the course of illness, with social withdrawal occurring prior to psychosis onset, it is likely that the severity of social withdrawal/isolation contributes to schizophrenia neuropathology. STUDY DESIGN We review the current literature on social isolation in rodent models and provide a conceptual framework for its relationship to social withdrawal and neural circuit dysfunction in schizophrenia. We next review preclinical tasks of social behavior used in schizophrenia-relevant models and discuss strengths and limitations of existing approaches. Lastly, we consider new effort-based tasks of social motivation and their potential for translational studies in schizophrenia. STUDY RESULTS Social isolation rearing in rats produces profound differences in behavior, pharmacologic sensitivity, and neurochemistry compared to socially reared rats. Rodent models relevant to schizophrenia exhibit deficits in social behavior as measured by social interaction and social preference tests. Newer tasks of effort-based social motivation are being developed in rodents to better model social motivation deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders. CONCLUSIONS While experimenter-imposed social isolation provides a viable experimental model for understanding some biological mechanisms linking social dysfunction to clinical and neural pathology in schizophrenia, it bypasses critical antecedents to social isolation in schizophrenia, notably deficits in social reward and social motivation. Recent efforts at modeling social motivation using effort-based tasks in rodents have the potential to quantify these antecedents, identify models (eg, developmental, genetic) that produce deficits, and advance pharmacological treatments for social motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan B Powell
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Veterans Affairs VISN22 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Neal R Swerdlow
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Veterans Affairs VISN22 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Bogdan R, Kayumova R, Schwarting RKW, Wöhr M, Kisko TM. Wildtype peers rescue social play and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization deficits in juvenile female Cacna1c heterozygous rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1190272. [PMID: 37600756 PMCID: PMC10435996 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1190272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Healthy brain development depends on early social practices and experiences. The risk gene CACNA1C is implicated in numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, in which key characteristics include deficits in social functioning and communication. Recently, we reported sex-dependent impairments in social behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) in juvenile heterozygous Cacna1c+/- (HET) rats. Specifically, HET females displayed increases in rough-and-tumble play that eliminated the typically observed sex difference between male and female rats. Interestingly, female wild-type Cacna1c+/+ (WT) pairs also showed a similar increase in social play when housed with HET females, suggesting their behavior may be influenced by HET cage mates. This indicates that the genetic makeup of the social environment related to Cacna1c can influence social play, yet systematic studies are lacking. Methods In the present study, we housed juvenile females in MIXED- or SAME-genotype cages and tested them in a social play paradigm with a same- and opposite-genotype partner. Results The results show that the early social environment and the genotype of the play partner influence social play and 50-kHz USV emission. Experience with a WT play partner appears necessary for HET females to show comparable levels of play and 50-kHz USV emission. Same-genotype HET pairs played less and emitted fewer 50-kHz USV than same-genotype WT or opposite-genotype pairs; however, we found that the decrease in social play and 50-kHz USV in HET pairs can be rescued by playing with a WT partner. The effect was particularly prominent when the first play partner was WT, as we found it increased play and 50-kHz USV emission in all subsequent interactions with ensuing partners. Conclusion These findings suggest that the genetic makeup related to the social environment and/or social peers influences social play in Cacna1c+/- haploinsufficient rats. Specifically, our results show that WT peers can rescue behavior and communication alterations in Cacna1c female rats. Our findings have important implications because they show that the genetic makeup of the social environment can divulge phenotypic changes in genetic rat models of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Bogdan
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Rukhshona Kayumova
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Rainer K. W. Schwarting
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Centre for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Centre for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Social and Affective Neuroscience Research Group, Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Theresa M. Kisko
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Centre for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Social and Affective Neuroscience Research Group, Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Ferrara NC, Trask S, Padival M, Rosenkranz JA. Maturation of a cortical-amygdala circuit limits sociability in male rats. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8391-8404. [PMID: 37032624 PMCID: PMC10321102 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad124] [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] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Prefrontal cortical maturation coincides with adolescent transitions in social engagement, suggesting that it influences social development. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is important for social interaction, including ACC outputs to the basolateral amygdala (BLA). However, little is known about ACC-BLA sensitivity to the social environment and if this changes during maturation. Here, we used brief (2-hour) isolation to test the immediate impact of changing the social environment on the ACC-BLA circuit and subsequent shifts in social behavior of adolescent and adult rats. We found that optogenetic inhibition of the ACC during brief isolation reduced isolation-driven facilitation of social interaction across ages. Isolation increased activity of ACC-BLA neurons across ages, but altered the influence of ACC on BLA activity in an age-dependent manner. Isolation reduced the inhibitory impact of ACC stimulation on BLA neurons in a frequency-dependent manner in adults, but uniformly suppressed ACC-driven BLA activity in adolescents. This work identifies isolation-driven alterations in an ACC-BLA circuit, and the ACC itself as an essential region sensitive to social environment and regulates its impact on social behavior in both adults and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C Ferrara
- Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
| | - Sydney Trask
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 3rd Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States
| | - Mallika Padival
- Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
| | - Jeremy Amiel Rosenkranz
- Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
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Cortés-Patiño DM, Neira VM, Ballesteros-Acosta H, Bustos-Rangel A, Lamprea MR. Interaction of Nicotine and Social reward in group-reared male adolescent rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 447:114432. [PMID: 37054992 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114432] [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: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Adolescents exhibit great sensitivity to nicotine and social interaction; accordingly, when both stimuli are presented together, they interact to enhance the incentive value of the context in which they occur. Noteworthy, most studies assessing the interaction between nicotine and social reward have used isolated-reared rats. Adolescent isolation is an adverse condition that impacts brain development and behavior, so it is not known if the interaction also occurs in rats without social deprivation. The present study used a conditioned place preference model (CPP) to examine the interaction between nicotine and social reward in group-reared male adolescent rats. At weaning, Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups: vehicle, vehicle and a social partner, nicotine (0.1mg/Kg s.c.), and nicotine and a social partner. Conditioning trials occurred on eight consecutive days followed by a test session in which the preference change was assessed. Besides the establishment of CPP, we examined the effects of nicotine on (1) social behaviors during CPP trials and (2) tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and oxytocin (OT) as markers of changes in the neuronal mechanisms for reward and social affiliation. Similar to previous results, the joint presentation of nicotine and social reward induced CPP, whereas either nicotine or social interaction presented alone did not. This finding coincided with an increase in TH levels observed after nicotine administration only in socially conditioned rats. The interaction between nicotine and social reward is not related to the effects of nicotine on social investigation or social play.
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Loh MK, Stickling C, Schrank S, Hanshaw M, Ritger AC, Dilosa N, Finlay J, Ferrara NC, Rosenkranz JA. Liposaccharide-induced sustained mild inflammation fragments social behavior and alters basolateral amygdala activity. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:647-671. [PMID: 36645464 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06308-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Conditions with sustained low-grade inflammation have high comorbidity with depression and anxiety and are associated with social withdrawal. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical for affective and social behaviors and is sensitive to inflammatory challenges. Large systemic doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) initiate peripheral inflammation, increase BLA neuronal activity, and disrupt social and affective measures in rodents. However, LPS doses commonly used in behavioral studies are high enough to evoke sickness syndrome, which can confound interpretation of amygdala-associated behaviors. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS The objectives of this study were to find a LPS dose that triggers mild peripheral inflammation but not observable sickness syndrome in adult male rats, to test the effects of sustained mild inflammation on BLA and social behaviors. To accomplish this, we administered single doses of LPS (0-100 μg/kg, intraperitoneally) and measured open field behavior, or repeated LPS (5 μg/kg, 3 consecutive days), and measured BLA neuronal firing, social interaction, and elevated plus maze behavior. RESULTS Repeated low-dose LPS decreased BLA neuron firing rate but increased the total number of active BLA neurons. Repeated low-dose LPS also caused early disengagement during social bouts and less anogenital investigation and an overall pattern of heightened social caution associated with reduced gain of social familiarity over the course of a social session. CONCLUSIONS These results provide evidence for parallel shifts in social interaction and amygdala activity caused by prolonged mild inflammation. This effect of inflammation may contribute to social symptoms associated with comorbid depression and chronic inflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxine K Loh
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, IL, 60064, North Chicago, USA.,Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Courtney Stickling
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sean Schrank
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, IL, 60064, North Chicago, USA.,Discipline of Neuroscience, Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, IL, North Chicago, USA
| | - Madison Hanshaw
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, IL, 60064, North Chicago, USA.,Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alexandra C Ritger
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, IL, 60064, North Chicago, USA.,Discipline of Neuroscience, Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, IL, North Chicago, USA
| | - Naijila Dilosa
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Joshua Finlay
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nicole C Ferrara
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, IL, 60064, North Chicago, USA.,Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - J Amiel Rosenkranz
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, IL, 60064, North Chicago, USA. .,Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA.
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11
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Pellis SM, Pellis VC, Ham JR, Stark RA. Play fighting and the development of the social brain: The rat's tale. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 145:105037. [PMID: 36621585 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The benefits gained by young animals engaging in play fighting have been a subject of conjecture for over a hundred years. Progress in understanding the behavioral development of play fighting and the underlying neurobiology of laboratory rats has produced a coherent model that sheds light on this matter. Depriving rats of typical peer-peer play experience during the juvenile period leads to adults with socio-cognitive deficiencies and these are correlated with physiological and anatomical changes to the neurons of the prefrontal cortex, especially the medial prefrontal cortex. Detailed analysis of juvenile peer play has shown that using the abilities needed to ensure that play fighting is reciprocal is critical for attaining these benefits. Therefore, unlike that which was posited by many earlier hypotheses, play fighting does not train specific motor actions, but rather, improves a skill set that can be applied in many different social and non-social contexts. There are still gaps in the rat model that need to be understood, but the model is well-enough developed to provide a framework for broader comparative studies of mammals from diverse lineages that engage in play fighting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada.
| | - Vivien C Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
| | - Jackson R Ham
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
| | - Rachel A Stark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
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12
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Kaufmann LV, Brecht M, Ishiyama S. Tickle contagion in the rat somatosensory cortex. iScience 2022; 25:105718. [PMID: 36578320 PMCID: PMC9791364 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular mechanisms of emotional contagion are unknown. We investigated tickle contagion and the underlying neuronal representations in playful rats. We recorded trunk somatosensory cortex activity of observer rats while they received tickling and audiovisual playback of tickling footage and while they witnessed tickling of demonstrator rats. Observers vocalized and showed "Freudensprünge" ("joy jumps") during witnessing live tickling, while they showed little behavioral responses to playbacks. Deep layers in the trunk somatosensory neurons showed a larger correlation between direct and witnessed tickling responses compared to superficial layers. Trunk somatosensory neurons discharged upon emission of own and demonstrator's vocalizations and might drive contagious "laughter". We conclude that trunk somatosensory cortex might represent ticklishness contagion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena V. Kaufmann
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Haus 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Brecht
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Haus 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany,NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Shimpei Ishiyama
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Haus 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany,Institut für Pathophysiologie, Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany,Corresponding author
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13
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Henning JSL, Fernandez EJ, Nielsen T, Hazel S. Play and welfare in domestic cats: Current knowledge and future directions. Anim Welf 2022. [DOI: 10.7120/09627286.31.4.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Play and welfare have long been linked within animal research literature, with play considered as both a potential indicator and promoter of welfare. An indicator due to observations that play is exhibited most frequently in times when an animal's fitness is not under threat and when
immediate needs such as food, water and adequate space are met. And a promoter, because of observations that animals who play more also have better welfare outcomes. However, limited research has been undertaken to investigate this link, especially in companion animals. The domestic cat (
Felis catus) is one of the most popular companion animals in the world, yet little is known about the impact of play behaviour on cat welfare. We review the current literature on play and welfare in cats. This includes examining the role of cat play in mitigating negative welfare outcomes,
such as reducing problem behaviours, one of the leading reasons for guardian dissatisfaction and cat relinquishment to shelters. Play is also discussed as a potential tool to provide environmental enrichment and to improve cat-human relationships. Future areas for research are suggested. We
find that further research is needed that uses a multifaceted approach to assess how quantity, type and quality of play impact subsequent cat behaviour and welfare. Future research could also assess cat play needs and preferences as well as investigate the role of play in mitigating threats
to cat welfare such as reducing problem behaviour and improving human-cat relationships. If play is an indicator and promoter of welfare, studies into the impact of play may offer an accessible approach for monitoring and improving domestic cat welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- JSL Henning
- University of Adelaide, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, South Australia, Australia
| | - EJ Fernandez
- University of Adelaide, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, South Australia, Australia
| | - T Nielsen
- University of Adelaide, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, South Australia, Australia
| | - S Hazel
- University of Adelaide, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, South Australia, Australia
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14
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Padilla-Coreano N, Tye KM, Zelikowsky M. Dynamic influences on the neural encoding of social valence. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:535-550. [PMID: 35831442 PMCID: PMC9997616 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00609-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Social signals can serve as potent emotional triggers with powerful impacts on processes from cognition to valence processing. How are social signals dynamically and flexibly associated with positive or negative valence? How do our past social experiences and present social standing shape our motivation to seek or avoid social contact? We discuss a model in which social attributes, social history, social memory, social rank and social isolation can flexibly influence valence assignment to social stimuli, termed here as 'social valence'. We emphasize how the brain encodes each of these four factors and highlight the neural circuits and mechanisms that play a part in the perception of social attributes, social memory and social rank, as well as how these factors affect valence systems associated with social stimuli. We highlight the impact of social isolation, dissecting the neural and behavioural mechanisms that mediate the effects of acute versus prolonged periods of social isolation. Importantly, we discuss conceptual models that may account for the potential shift in valence of social stimuli from positive to negative as the period of isolation extends in time. Collectively, this Review identifies factors that control the formation and attribution of social valence - integrating diverse areas of research and emphasizing their unique contributions to the categorization of social stimuli as positive or negative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Padilla-Coreano
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kay M Tye
- HHMI-Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Moriel Zelikowsky
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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15
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Wenig K, Pacher L, Bugnyar T. Testing the contagious nature of allopreening: bystander ravens are affected by conspecifics' affiliative interactions. Anim Behav 2022; 184:71-80. [PMID: 39072224 PMCID: PMC7616304 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Emotional contagion refers to the mechanism of aligning with conspecifics' emotional states and is thought to be highly beneficial in social group living. While emotional contagion is well studied in humans, most studies in nonhuman animals fail to clearly distinguish between behavioural and emotional contagion. Furthermore, evidence for positive emotional contagion in nonhuman animals is almost entirely restricted to the context of play. In the present study, we aimed at adding observational evidence of contagion in a positive context, while separating aspects of behavioural and emotional contagion. In a group of nonbreeder common ravens, Corvus corax, we investigated whether witnessing conspecifics in positive social interaction, namely allopreening, would influence a bystander's behavioural and, possibly, emotional state. We recorded behavioural expressions of bystanders in postpreening observation phases and compared them to those in matched-control observation phases. We found effects of witnessing others' allopreening on the bystanders' subsequent affiliative interactions but not on their self-directed behaviours (e.g. autopreening) or agonistic interactions. Specifically, bystanders were more likely to engage in allopreening themselves in the postpreening observation phase than in the matched-control observation phase, which could be explained via behavioural and emotional contagion; however, bystanders also showed elevated levels of nonpreening affiliative interactions and spent more time close to conspecifics after observing others allopreening, which hints towards a more general effect on the bystanders' emotional states. Whether these nonpreening affiliative interactions are indeed an indication of emotional contagion needs to be tested in further studies that measure, and manipulate, emotional states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Wenig
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Lisa Pacher
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Bad Vöslau, Austria
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16
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Developmental Shifts in Amygdala Activity during a High Social Drive State. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9308-9325. [PMID: 34611026 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1414-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Amygdala abnormalities characterize several psychiatric disorders with prominent social deficits and often emerge during adolescence. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) bidirectionally modulates social behavior and has increased sensitivity during adolescence. We tested how an environmentally-driven social state is regulated by the BLA in adults and adolescent male rats. We found that a high social drive state caused by brief social isolation increases age-specific social behaviors and increased BLA neuronal activity. Chemogenetic inactivation of BLA decreased the effect of high social drive on social engagement. High social drive preferentially enhanced BLA activity during social engagement; however, the effect of social opportunity on BLA activity was greater during adolescence. While this identifies a substrate underlying age differences in social drive, we then determined that high social drive increased BLA NMDA GluN2B expression and sensitivity to antagonism increased with age. Further, the effect of a high social drive state on BLA activity during social engagement was diminished by GluN2B blockade in an age-dependent manner. These results demonstrate the necessity of the BLA for environmentally driven social behavior, its sensitivity to social opportunity, and uncover a maturing role for BLA and its GluN2B receptors in social engagement.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Social engagement during adolescence is a key component of healthy development. Social drive provides the impetus for social engagement and abnormalities underlie social symptoms of depression and anxiety. While adolescence is characterized by transitions in social drive and social environment sensitivity, little is known about the neural basis for these changes. We found that amygdala activity is uniquely sensitive to social environment during adolescence compared with adulthood, and is required for expression of heightened social drive. In addition, the neural substrates shift toward NMDA dependence in adulthood. These results are the first to demonstrate a unique neural signature of higher social drive and begin to uncover the underlying factors that heighten social engagement during adolescence.
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17
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Stark RA, Pellis SM. Using the 'stranger test' to assess social competency in adult female Long Evans rats reared with a Fischer 344 partner. Behav Processes 2021; 192:104492. [PMID: 34478804 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Rats reared with limited access to a play partner during the juvenile period develop into adults with impairments in various cognitive, emotional, and social skills. The present study assesses the consequences of play deprivation on adult social skills in female Long Evans (LE) rats that were reared with a low-playing Fischer 344 rat over the juvenile period. As adults, their social skills were assessed using the stranger paradigm, by pairing the deprived LE rats with a novel LE partner in a neutral arena. While the deprived rat engages its partner in play there were alterations in key aspects of play, such as reduced pinning and a longer latency to begin playing, that suggest there are impairments in the social ability of the deprived rat. Most notable were the changes in the behaviour of the typically reared partner, a reduction in the amount of play it initiated and fewer actions that produced reciprocal and prolonged interactions. The changes in the behaviour of the normally reared partner suggest that it detected subtle changes in the play deprived LE rats. These findings support the hypothesis that peer-peer play experiences during the juvenile period are important for the development of socio-cognitive skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Stark
- University of Lethbridge, 4401 Univerisity Drive W, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- University of Lethbridge, 4401 Univerisity Drive W, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada
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18
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Wenig K, Boucherie PH, Bugnyar T. Early evidence for emotional play contagion in juvenile ravens. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:717-729. [PMID: 33420859 PMCID: PMC8238721 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01466-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Perceiving, evaluating and reacting towards conspecifics' emotional states are important challenges of social group living. Emotional contagion describes an alignment of emotional states between individuals and is widely believed to be based on behavioral synchronization, i.e., behavioral contagion. As basic empathy-like processes, the occurrence of both forms of contagion seems to underlie early ontogenetic trajectories in humans and non-human species. In the present study, we assessed play as a context for studying the development of emotional contagion and its interlink with behavioral contagion in ten juvenile common ravens. Ravens are exceptional players that engage in all three forms of play: object, locomotion and social play. To assess potential ontogenetic patterns of both behavioral and emotional contagion, we tested juvenile ravens at two different periods of early development, at three- and six-month post-hatching. We elicited object play in one or several ravens (demonstrators) in a standardized experimental environment, using a playground setup. At both test ages, we found evidence for emotional contagion as observer ravens showed an increase of locomotion and social play after we provided the demonstrator(s) with the playground setup, but no significant changes in the amount of object play. Hence, observers did not copy motor patterns from demonstrator(s) but engaged in other forms of play. Our findings speak for a transfer of a general mood state in the context of play in ravens as young as 3 months and against behavioral mimicry as a precondition for emotional contagion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Wenig
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 2540 Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 2540 Bad Vöslau, Austria
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19
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Regulatory Role of Orexin in the Antistress Effect of "Press Tack Needle" Acupuncture Treatment. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9050503. [PMID: 33925438 PMCID: PMC8146164 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9050503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this research was to investigate the antistress effect of press tack needle (PTN) acupuncture treatment using rats with social isolation stress (SIS). Rats were divided into non-stress group (Grouped+sham), stress group (SIS+sham), and PTN-treated SIS group (SIS+PTN). Rats in the SIS+PTN and SIS+sham groups were housed alone for eight days. For the SIS+PTN group, a PTN (length, 0.3 or 1.2 mm) was fixed on the GV20 acupoint on day 7. We measured stress behavior based on the time the rats showed aggressive behavior and the levels of plasma corticosterone and orexin A on day 8. In addition, the orexin-1 receptor or orexin-2 receptor antagonist was administered to rats that were exposed to SIS. The duration of aggressive behavior was significantly prolonged in the SIS+sham group, and the prolonged duration was inhibited in the SIS+PTN (1.2 mm) group. The levels of plasma corticosterone and orexin A were significantly increased in the SIS+sham group; however, these increases were inhibited in the SIS+PTN group. The aggressive behavior was significantly reduced after the orexin-2 receptor antagonist was administered. These findings suggest that PTN treatment at GV20 may have an antistress effect, and the control of orexin is a mechanism underlying this phenomenon.
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20
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Maturation of amygdala inputs regulate shifts in social and fear behaviors: A substrate for developmental effects of stress. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:11-25. [PMID: 33581221 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Stress can negatively impact brain function and behaviors across the lifespan. However, stressors during adolescence have particularly harmful effects on brain maturation, and on fear and social behaviors that extend beyond adolescence. Throughout development, social behaviors are refined and the ability to suppress fear increases, both of which are dependent on amygdala activity. We review rodent literature focusing on developmental changes in social and fear behaviors, cortico-amygdala circuits underlying these changes, and how this circuitry is altered by stress. We first describe changes in fear and social behaviors from adolescence to adulthood and parallel developmental changes in cortico-amygdala circuitry. We propose a framework in which maturation of cortical inputs to the amygdala promote changes in social drive and fear regulation, and the particularly damaging effects of stress during adolescence may occur through lasting changes in this circuit. This framework may explain why anxiety and social pathologies commonly co-occur, adolescents are especially vulnerable to stressors impacting social and fear behaviors, and predisposed towards psychiatric disorders related to abnormal cortico-amygdala circuits.
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21
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Reyna NC, Madden JT, Thiel KJ, Pentkowski NS. Methamphetamine and social rewards interact to produce enhanced conditioned place preference in male adolescent rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 201:173091. [PMID: 33333133 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.173091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Elucidating the influence of social context on drug reward is critical for understanding substance use disorders. Adolescents demonstrate enhanced sensitivity to drug and social rewards. However, the extent to which methamphetamine interacts with social reward in adolescents has not been thoroughly examined. Therefore, the present study used the conditioned place preference (CPP) model to examine the relationship between methamphetamine and social rewards in adolescent male rats. Sprague-Dawley rats (PND 30) were randomly assigned to one of the following four conditioning groups: saline alone (SA), methamphetamine alone (MA), saline with a social partner (SS) or methamphetamine with a social partner (MS). Testing occurred in a two-chamber biased apparatus across seven consecutive days using parameters presumed to be sub-threshold for establishing social- and methamphetamine-induced CPP. Similar to previous reports for nicotine and cocaine, the present results indicate that rats receiving methamphetamine with a social partner (i.e., MS) during conditioning demonstrated a significantly greater preference shift compared to all other groups. These findings further highlight the importance of social context in influencing the magnitude of drug reward during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C Reyna
- University of New Mexico, Department of Psychology, 1-University of New Mexico, MSC03-2220, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
| | - John T Madden
- University of New Mexico, Department of Psychology, 1-University of New Mexico, MSC03-2220, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
| | - Kenneth J Thiel
- Madonna University, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, 36600 Schoolcraft Rd, Livonia, MI 48150, USA.
| | - Nathan S Pentkowski
- University of New Mexico, Department of Psychology, 1-University of New Mexico, MSC03-2220, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
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22
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Größbacher V, Lawrence AB, Winckler C, Špinka M. Negative play contagion in calves. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21699. [PMID: 33303902 PMCID: PMC7728765 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78748-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Play is a strong outwardly directed, emotional behaviour and can contagiously spread between individuals. It has been suggested that high-playing animals could 'seed' play in others, spreading positive affective states. Despite the current interest in play contagion there has been no previous attempt to measure the strength of the play contagion effect. The calf (Bos taurus) is ideal for testing the strength of play contagion as play in calves is strongly related to energy intake from milk. We manipulated play in calves through their milk allowances and housed the calves in uniform groups all on the same milk allowance (high = UHigh or low = ULow) or in mixed groups with calves in the same group receiving either a high (= MHigh) or low (= MLow) milk allowance. We measured locomotor play using accelerometers on two consecutive days when calves were four and eight weeks old, in order to study play contagion over a protracted developmental window. We anticipated that differences in the level of play contagion between treatment groups would result in difference in the play levels observed in the MLow and ULow individuals. Contrary to our expectations we found that spontaneous play was suppressed in the high-milk calves housed in mixed groups (MHigh), in comparison to calves housed with group mates all receiving high-milk (UHigh). These results are the first to quantify a negative play contagion effect, particularly in a situation of long-term contact, and may suggest that negative contagion has a stronger effect on play behaviour than positive contagion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Größbacher
- Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180, Vienna, Austria.
- Recipient of a DOC-Fellowship of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Alistair B Lawrence
- Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3RG, UK
- Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Penicuik, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Christoph Winckler
- Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marek Špinka
- Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Czech University of Life Sciences, 165 00, Prague, Czechia
- Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, 104 01, Prague, Czechia
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23
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Reppucci CJ, Brown LA, Chambers AQ, Veenema AH. Wistar rats and C57BL/6 mice differ in their motivation to seek social interaction versus food in the Social versus Food Preference Test. Physiol Behav 2020; 227:113162. [PMID: 32877644 PMCID: PMC7655716 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Here we characterized the Social versus Food Preference Test, a behavioral paradigm designed to investigate the competition between the choice to seek social interaction versus the choice to seek food. We assessed how this competition was modulated by internal cues (social isolation, food deprivation), external cues (stimulus salience), sex (males, females), age (adolescents, adults), and rodent model (Wistar rats, C57BL/6 mice). We found that changes in stimulus preference in response to the internal and external cue manipulations were similar across cohorts. Specifically, social over food preference scores were reduced by food deprivation and social familiarly in Wistar rats and C57BL/6 mice of both sexes. Interestingly, the degree of food deprivation-induced changes in stimulus investigation patterns were greater in adolescents compared to adults in Wistar rats and C57BL/6 mice. Strikingly, baseline stimulus preference and investigation times varied greatly between rodent models: across manipulations, Wistar rats were generally more social-preferring and C57BL/6 mice were generally more food-preferring. Adolescent Wistar rats spent more time investigating the social and food stimuli than adult Wistar rats, while adolescent and adult C57BL/6 mice investigated the stimuli a similar amount. Social isolation did not alter behavior in the Social versus Food Preference Test. Together, our results indicate that the Social versus Food Preference Test is a flexible behavioral paradigm suitable for future interrogations of the peripheral and central systems that can coordinate the expression of stimulus preference related to multiple motivated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Reppucci
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 766 Service Road, 4016 ISTB, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States.
| | - Leigha A Brown
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 766 Service Road, 4016 ISTB, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Ashley Q Chambers
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 766 Service Road, 4016 ISTB, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Alexa H Veenema
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 766 Service Road, 4016 ISTB, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
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Schiavi S, Melancia F, Carbone E, Buzzelli V, Manduca A, Peinado PJ, Zwergel C, Mai A, Campolongo P, Vanderschuren LJ, Trezza V. Detrimental effects of the 'bath salt' methylenedioxypyrovalerone on social play behavior in male rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:2012-2019. [PMID: 32506112 PMCID: PMC7547114 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0729-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is the most popular synthetic cathinone found in products marketed as 'bath salts', widely abused among teenagers and young adults. Synthetic cathinones have pharmacological effects resembling those of psychostimulants, which are known to disrupt a variety of social behaviors. However, despite the popular use of MDPV by young people in social contexts, information about its effects on social behavior is scarce. To investigate the impact of MDPV on social behavior at young age, and the underlying neurobehavioral mechanisms, we focused on social play behavior. Social play behavior is the most characteristic social behavior displayed by young mammals and it is crucial for neurobehavioral development. Treatment with MDPV reduced social play behavior in both juvenile and young adult male rats, and its play-suppressant effect was subject to tolerance but not sensitization. As the behavioral effects of MDPV have been ascribed to dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission, and given the role of these neurotransmitters in social play, we investigated the involvement of dopamine and noradrenaline in the play-suppressant effects of MDPV. The effects of MDPV on social play were blocked by either the α2 adrenoceptor antagonist RX821002 or the dopamine receptor antagonist flupenthixol, given alone or together at sub-effective doses. In sum, MDPV selectively suppresses the most vigorous social behavior of developing rats through both noradrenergic and dopaminergic mechanisms. This study provides important preclinical evidence of the deleterious effects of MDPV on social behavior, and as such increases our understanding of the neurobehavioral effects of this popular cathinone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Schiavi
- grid.8509.40000000121622106Department of Science, University “Roma Tre”, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Melancia
- grid.8509.40000000121622106Department of Science, University “Roma Tre”, Rome, Italy
| | - Emilia Carbone
- grid.8509.40000000121622106Department of Science, University “Roma Tre”, Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Buzzelli
- grid.8509.40000000121622106Department of Science, University “Roma Tre”, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonia Manduca
- grid.8509.40000000121622106Department of Science, University “Roma Tre”, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Clemens Zwergel
- grid.7841.aDepartment of Drug Chemistry & Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy ,Department of precision medicine, “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Università della Campania, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonello Mai
- grid.7841.aDepartment of Drug Chemistry & Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy ,grid.7841.aIstituto Pasteur—Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Patrizia Campolongo
- grid.7841.aDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy ,grid.417778.a0000 0001 0692 3437Neurobiology of Behavior Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Louk J.M.J. Vanderschuren
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Viviana Trezza
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy.
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Social learning exploits the available auditory or visual cues. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14117. [PMID: 32839492 PMCID: PMC7445250 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71005-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to acquire a behavior can be facilitated by exposure to a conspecific demonstrator. Such social learning occurs under a range of conditions in nature. Here, we tested the idea that social learning can benefit from any available sensory cue, thereby permitting learning under different natural conditions. The ability of naïve gerbils to learn a sound discrimination task following 5 days of exposure adjacent to a demonstrator gerbil was tested in the presence or absence of visual cues. Naïve gerbils acquired the task significantly faster in either condition, as compared to controls. We also found that exposure to a demonstrator was more potent in facilitating learning, as compared to exposure to the sounds used to perform the discrimination task. Therefore, social learning was found to be flexible and equally efficient in the auditory or visual domains.
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Whittaker AL, Hickman DL. The Impact of Social and Behavioral Factors on Reproducibility in Terrestrial Vertebrate Models. ILAR J 2020; 60:252-269. [PMID: 32720675 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilaa005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of animal models remains critical in preclinical and translational research. The reliability of the animal models and aspects of their validity is likely key to effective translation of findings to medicine. However, despite considerable uniformity in animal models brought about by control of genetics, there remain a number of social as well as innate and acquired behavioral characteristics of laboratory animals that may impact on research outcomes. These include the effects of strain and genetics, age and development, sex, personality and affective states, and social factors largely brought about by housing and husbandry. In addition, aspects of the testing environment may also influence research findings. A number of considerations resulting from the animals' innate and acquired behavioral characteristics as well as their social structures are described. Suggestions for minimizing the impact of these factors on research are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra L Whittaker
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, South Australia, Australia
| | - Debra L Hickman
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
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Prenatal exposure to alcohol impairs social play behavior in adolescent male mice. Neurotoxicology 2020; 79:142-149. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2020.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Bahceci D, Anderson LL, Occelli Hanbury Brown CV, Zhou C, Arnold JC. Adolescent behavioral abnormalities in a Scn1a +/- mouse model of Dravet syndrome. Epilepsy Behav 2020; 103:106842. [PMID: 31870807 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Dravet syndrome is an intractable pediatric epilepsy associated with SCN1A mutations. In addition to having a large seizure burden and a reduced lifespan, patients with Dravet syndrome also exhibit delays in reaching normal developmental milestones in attentional, emotional, and cognitive function. These developmental delays manifest in autistic-like social withdrawal and compulsive behavior. Additionally, cognitive impairments including deficits in sensorimotor processing and memory function are present. Several mouse models utilizing heterozygous deletion of Scn1a (Scn1a+/- mice) have been generated that recapitulate many aspects of Dravet syndrome. Studies in these mouse models of Dravet syndrome have characterized behavioral phenotypes in adult mice. In the present study, we characterized the behavioral phenotype of Scn1a+/- mice generated by targeted deletion of Scn1a exon 1 (Scn1atm1Kea) during adolescence. Identifying behavioral deficits in adolescent mice would more closely model the early onset of attentional, emotional, and cognitive delays observed in patients with Dravet syndrome. The behaviors of adolescent Scn1a+/- and wildtype (WT) mice were compared across several behavioral domains. We assessed motor function (open-field test), sociability and social recognition memory (three-chambered social preference and social interaction tests), memory function (novel object recognition, Barnes maze, fear conditioning paradigm), anxiety-related behavior (elevated plus maze and open-field thigmotaxis), startle reflex and sensorimotor gating (prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI) tests), and repetitive compulsive behavior (marble burying test). Adolescent Scn1a+/- mice exhibited normal locomotor activity, marble burying behavior, sociability, and sensorimotor gating. However, adolescent Scn1a+/- mice displayed increased anxiety-related thigmotactic behavior, atypical fear expression, blunted acoustic startle responses, and impaired social recognition and spatial memory. Our results show that Scn1a+/- mice display various behavioral impairments during adolescence, which provides a foundation for testing early intervention therapies targeting developmental delays modeled in Dravet syndrome mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilara Bahceci
- Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; School of Medical Science and Discipline of Pharmacology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Lyndsey Leigh Anderson
- Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; School of Medical Science and Discipline of Pharmacology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Cassandra Veronica Occelli Hanbury Brown
- Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; School of Medical Science and Discipline of Pharmacology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Cilla Zhou
- Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; School of Medical Science and Discipline of Pharmacology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Jonathon Carl Arnold
- Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; School of Medical Science and Discipline of Pharmacology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
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Ryan AM, Berman RF, Bauman MD. Bridging the species gap in translational research for neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 165:106950. [PMID: 30347236 PMCID: PMC6474835 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence and societal impact of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) continue to increase despite years of research in both patient populations and animal models. There remains an urgent need for translational efforts between clinical and preclinical research to (i) identify and evaluate putative causes of NDD, (ii) determine their underlying neurobiological mechanisms, (iii) develop and test novel therapeutic approaches, and (iv) translate basic research into safe and effective clinical practices. Given the complexity behind potential causes and behaviors affected by NDDs, modeling these uniquely human brain disorders in animals will require that we capitalize on unique advantages of a diverse array of species. While much NDD research has been conducted in more traditional animal models such as the mouse, ultimately, we may benefit from creating animal models with species that have a more sophisticated social behavior repertoire such as the rat (Rattus norvegicus) or species that more closely related to humans, such as the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). Here, we highlight the rat and rhesus macaque models for their role in previous psychological research discoveries, current efforts to understand the neurobiology of NDDs, and focus on the convergence of behavior outcome measures that parallel features of human NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Ryan
- The UC Davis MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - R F Berman
- The UC Davis MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, United States; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - M D Bauman
- The UC Davis MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, United States.
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30
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Lampe JF, Ruchti S, Burman O, Würbel H, Melotti L. Play like me: Similarity in playfulness promotes social play. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224282. [PMID: 31648250 PMCID: PMC6812795 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Social play is associated with the experience of positive emotions in higher vertebrates and may be used as a measure of animal welfare. Altering motivation to play (e.g., through short-term social isolation) can temporarily affect play levels between familiar individuals, a process which may involve emotional contagion. This study investigated how forming groups based on known differences in the personality trait "playfulness" (i.e., the longer-term propensity of an individual to actively play from adolescence to early adulthood) affects social play. Seventy-six adolescent male Lister Hooded rats underwent a Play-in-Pairs test assessing their playfulness, ranked as high (H), intermediate (I) or low (L). At seven weeks of age, rats were resorted into homogenous groups of similar (LLL, III, HHH), or heterogeneous groups of dissimilar (HII, LII) playfulness. Social play was scored in the home cage at Weeks 8, 10, 12 of age. A second Play-in-Pairs test was performed (Week 11) to assess consistency of playfulness. A Social Preference test investigated whether I rats in heterogeneous groups preferred proximity with I, H or L cage mates. It was found that heterogeneous groups played less than homogeneous ones at adolescence (8 weeks of age), while play levels at early adulthood (Weeks 10 and 12) did not differ between groups. Play in the homogeneous groups decreased with age as expected, while it did not change over time in the heterogeneous groups, which did not compensate for the lower play levels shown at adolescence. Play-in-Pairs scores before and after resorting were mildly correlated, indicating some level of consistency over time despite the resorting procedure. In the Social Preference test, subjects did not prefer one playfulness level over another. We conclude that a mismatch in playfulness may negatively affect social play development, and thus the welfare, of rats. Groups made of animals with similar playfulness, even those initially scoring relatively low in this trait, seemed to be more successful in establishing play relationships during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sabrina Ruchti
- Division of Animal Welfare, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Burman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Hanno Würbel
- Division of Animal Welfare, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Luca Melotti
- Division of Animal Welfare, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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31
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Varlinskaya EI, Hosová D, Towner T, Werner DF, Spear LP. Effects of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure during early and late adolescence on anxiety-like behaviors and behavioral flexibility in adulthood. Behav Brain Res 2019; 378:112292. [PMID: 31626849 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Although both humans and laboratory rodents demonstrate cognitive and affective alterations associated with adolescent alcohol exposure, it is still unknown whether the consequences of early initiation of alcohol use differ from those of later binge drinking within the adolescent developmental period. The present study was designed to assess the effects of early and late AIE on (1) anxiety-like behavior under social (modified social interaction test) and non-social test circumstances (modified light/dark box test, elevated plus maze), and (2) behavioral flexibility, indexed via set shifting in males and females. Early-mid adolescent intermittent exposure (early AIE) occurred between postnatal days (P) 25 and 45, whereas late adolescent intermittent exposure (late AIE) was conducted between P45 and P65, with behavioral testing initiated not earlier than 25 days after repeated exposure to ethanol (4.0 g/kg intragastrically, every other day for a total of 11 exposures). Anxiety-like behavior on the EPM was evident in males and females following early AIE, whereas only males demonstrated non-social anxiety on the EPM following late AIE. Social anxiety-like alterations and deficits in behavioral flexibility were evident only in males following early AIE. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrate a particular vulnerability of young adolescent males to long-lasting detrimental effects of repeated ethanol and an insensitivity of older adolescent females to the intermittent ethanol exposure paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena I Varlinskaya
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium (NADIA), Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
| | - Dominika Hosová
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium (NADIA), Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
| | - Trevor Towner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium (NADIA), Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
| | - David F Werner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium (NADIA), Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States.
| | - Linda P Spear
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium (NADIA), Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
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32
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Perkins AE, Varlinskaya EI, Deak T. From adolescence to late aging: A comprehensive review of social behavior, alcohol, and neuroinflammation across the lifespan. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2019; 148:231-303. [PMID: 31733665 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The passage of time dictates the pace at which humans and other organisms age but falls short of providing a complete portrait of how environmental, lifestyle and underlying biological processes contribute to senescence. Two fundamental features of the human experience that change dramatically across the lifespan include social interactions and, for many, patterns of alcohol consumption. Rodent models show great utility for understanding complex interactions among aging, social behavior and alcohol use and abuse, yet little is known about the neural changes in late aging that contribute to the natural decline in social behavior. Here, we posit that aging-related neuroinflammation contributes to the insipid loss of social motivation across the lifespan, an effect that is exacerbated by patterns of repeated alcohol consumption observed in many individuals. We provide a comprehensive review of (i) neural substrates crucial for the expression of social behavior under non-pathological conditions; (ii) unique developmental/lifespan vulnerabilities that may contribute to the divergent effects of low-and high-dose alcohol exposure; and (iii) aging-associated changes in neuroinflammation that may sit at the intersection between social processes and alcohol exposure. In doing so, we provide an overview of correspondence between lifespan/developmental periods between common rodent models and humans, give careful consideration to model systems used to aptly probe social behavior, identify points of coherence between human and animal models, and point toward a multitude of unresolved issues that should be addressed in future studies. Together, the combination of low-dose and high-dose alcohol effects serve to disrupt the normal development and maintenance of social relationships, which are critical for both healthy aging and quality of life across the lifespan. Thus, a more complete understanding of neural systems-including neuroinflammatory processes-which contribute to alcohol-induced changes in social behavior will provide novel opportunities and targets for promoting healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E Perkins
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Elena I Varlinskaya
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Terrence Deak
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States.
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Perkins AE, Varlinskaya EI, Deak T. Impact of housing conditions on social behavior, neuroimmune markers, and oxytocin receptor expression in aged male and female Fischer 344 rats. Exp Gerontol 2019; 123:24-33. [PMID: 31100373 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Aging is associated with a substantial decline in social behavior, whereas positive social interaction can improve overall health in aged individuals. In laboratory rodents, manipulations of the social environment across the lifespan have been shown to affect social behavior. Therefore, we examined the effects of long-term (5-6 weeks) housing conditions (alone, with one adult, or with two adults) on social behavior and the expression of neuroinflammation-related genes as well as oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene expression in brain areas associated with social behavior regulation in aged male and female Fischer (F) 344 rats. Single-housed males and females exhibited increased social investigation, relative to pair-housed rats (one aged and one adult). Triple-housed (one aged and two adults) aged males exhibited lower levels of social investigation, relative to triple-housed aged females. Aged females were more socially active that their male counterparts. Although social housing condition significantly affected social behavior in males, it had no impact on cytokine gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) or medial amygdala (MeA). However, in triple-housed aged females, who exhibited social behavior comparable to their single- and pair-housed counterparts, there was a significant increase in the expression of IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA in the MeA. No changes in cytokine gene expression were observed in the PVN or BNST, indicating that the increased expression of cytokines in the MeA was not a result of a generalized increase in neuroinflammation. Single-housed males and females exhibited elevated OXTR gene expression in the BNST. Taken together, these data indicate that manipulations of the social environment in late aging significantly influenced social interactions with a novel partner and gene expression in social behavior circuits and that these effects are sex-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E Perkins
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States of America
| | - Elena I Varlinskaya
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States of America
| | - Terrence Deak
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States of America.
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34
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Matthews GA, Tye KM. Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1457:5-25. [PMID: 30875095 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Social connections are vital to survival throughout the animal kingdom and are dynamic across the life span. There are debilitating consequences of social isolation and loneliness, and social support is increasingly a primary consideration in health care, disease prevention, and recovery. Considering social connection as an "innate need," it is hypothesized that evolutionarily conserved neural systems underlie the maintenance of social connections: alerting the individual to their absence and coordinating effector mechanisms to restore social contact. This is reminiscent of a homeostatic system designed to maintain social connection. Here, we explore the identity of neural systems regulating "social homeostasis." We review findings from rodent studies evaluating the rapid response to social deficit (in the form of acute social isolation) and propose that parallel, overlapping circuits are engaged to adapt to the vulnerabilities of isolation and restore social connection. By considering the neural systems regulating other homeostatic needs, such as energy and fluid balance, we discuss the potential attributes of social homeostatic circuitry. We reason that uncovering the identity of these circuits/mechanisms will facilitate our understanding of how loneliness perpetuates long-term disease states, which we speculate may result from sustained recruitment of social homeostatic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian A Matthews
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Kay M Tye
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,The Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, La Jolla, California
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Houwing DJ, Staal L, Swart JM, Ramsteijn AS, Wöhr M, de Boer SF, Olivier JDA. Subjecting Dams to Early Life Stress and Perinatal Fluoxetine Treatment Differentially Alters Social Behavior in Young and Adult Rat Offspring. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:229. [PMID: 30914920 PMCID: PMC6423179 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, the putative association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) exposure during pregnancy and the development of social disorders in children has gained increased attention. However, clinical studies struggle with the confounding effects of maternal depression typically co-occurring with antidepressant treatment. Furthermore, preclinical studies using an animal model of maternal depression to study effects of perinatal SSRI exposure on offspring social behavior are limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate effects of perinatal fluoxetine exposure on juvenile and adult social behavior in male and female rat offspring, using an animal model of maternal vulnerability. We exposed heterozygous serotonin transporter (SERT) deficient female rats to early life maternal separation stress, and used this as a model for maternal vulnerability. Control and early life stressed heterozygous serotonin transporter knockout (SERT) dams were treated with the SSRI fluoxetine or vehicle throughout gestation and lactation. Subsequently, both male and female wildtype (SERT+/+) and heterozygous (SERT+/-) rat offspring were tested for pup ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), juvenile social play behavior and adult social interaction. Fluoxetine treatment of the dams resulted in a reduced total USV duration in pups at postnatal day 6, especially in SERT+/+ males. Perinatal fluoxetine exposure lowered social play behavior in male offspring from both control and early life stressed dams. However, in females a fluoxetine-induced reduction in juvenile play behavior was only present in offspring from control dams. Offspring genotype did not affect juvenile play behavior. Despite fluoxetine-induced behavioral effects at juvenile age, fluoxetine reduced male adult social behavior in offspring from control dams only. Effects of fluoxetine on female adult social behavior were virtually absent. Interestingly, early life stress in dams increased adult social exploration in vehicle exposed SERT+/+ female offspring and total social behavior in fluoxetine exposed adult SERT+/- male offspring. Furthermore, SERT+/- males appeared less social during adulthood compared to SERT+/+ males. Overall, the present study shows that chronic blockade of the serotonin transporter by fluoxetine during early development has a considerable impact on pup USVs, juvenile social play behavior in both male and female offspring, and to a lesser extent on male social interaction in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle J. Houwing
- Behavioural Neuroscience Unit, Neurobiology Department, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Laura Staal
- Behavioural Neuroscience Unit, Neurobiology Department, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Judith M. Swart
- Behavioural Neuroscience Unit, Neurobiology Department, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Anouschka S. Ramsteijn
- Behavioural Neuroscience Unit, Neurobiology Department, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Experimental and Biological Psychology Department, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sietse F. de Boer
- Behavioural Neuroscience Unit, Neurobiology Department, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jocelien D. A. Olivier
- Behavioural Neuroscience Unit, Neurobiology Department, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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Holman PJ, Baglot SL, Morgan E, Weinberg J. Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on social competence: Asymmetry in play partner preference among heterogeneous triads of male and female rats. Dev Psychobiol 2019; 61:513-524. [PMID: 30843198 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Social behavior deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are frequently described in terms of impaired social competence, which can be defined as the effectiveness in social interaction and the ability to employ social skills successfully within different interpersonal contexts. Play behavior-which peaks during adolescence-is critical for developing social competence, as well as for motor, cognitive, and emotional development. Studies of play behavior typically utilize protocols where animals interact in dyads. However, less is understood about how the social environment may shape PAE-related social behavior deficits, particularly in more complex social contexts. Here, we assess play partner preference utilizing a novel approach in which adolescent male and female animals interact within same-sex triads comprised of animals from mixed prenatal treatments to determine how play partner identity and social group composition interact to shape behavior. When triads included one PAE animal and two control animals (i.e., control animals had the option to play either with a fellow control or a PAE playmate), we observed play target asymmetry whereby controls preferentially played with fellow controls. Notably, these results were consistent for triads of both males and females, with subtle differences in frequency of initiations versus reciprocations. We found no play target asymmetry, however, when triads included two PAE animals and one control animal or different configurations of control and pair-fed animals. Taken together, play target asymmetry resulting from ineffective social interactions, including a failure to engage with, respond to, and/or solicit play from control play partners appropriately, suggests that PAE negatively impacts the development of social competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker J Holman
- Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Samantha L Baglot
- Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Erin Morgan
- Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Joanne Weinberg
- Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Kondrakiewicz K, Kostecki M, Szadzińska W, Knapska E. Ecological validity of social interaction tests in rats and mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 18:e12525. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kacper Kondrakiewicz
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences; Warsaw Poland
| | - Mateusz Kostecki
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences; Warsaw Poland
| | - Weronika Szadzińska
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences; Warsaw Poland
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences; Warsaw Poland
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Oxytocin and vasopressin modulation of social anxiety following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:3065-3077. [PMID: 30141056 PMCID: PMC6456069 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5003-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure (AIE) produces lasting, sex-specific social anxiety-like alterations in male, but not female rats. Oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (AVP) brain systems play opposite roles in regulating social preference/avoidance, with OXT increasing approach to, and AVP increasing avoidance of social stimuli. OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that social anxiety-like alterations seen in adult males after AIE are associated with a shift in the balance between OXT and AVP toward AVP, effectiveness of pharmacological activation of the OXT system and blockade of endogenous activity at AVP receptors for reversing AIE-induced social anxiety-like alterations was assessed, along with examination of the effects of AIE on OXT, vasopressin V1a, and V1b receptor (OXT-R, V1a-R, and V1b-R) surface expression in the hypothalamus. METHODS Sprague-Dawley male and female rats were given 4 g/kg ethanol (AIE) or water intragastrically every 48 h for a total of 11 exposures during postnatal days (P) 25-45. On P70-72, animals were given a social interaction test following administration of a selective OXT-R agonist WAY-267464, selective V1a-R antagonist SR-49059, or V1b-R antagonist SSR-149415, and hypothalamic tissue was collected. RESULTS Social anxiety-like behavior was induced by AIE in males but not females, and was selectively reversed by the selective OXT-R agonist and V1b-R antagonist, but not V1a-R antagonist. AIE was also found to decrease OXT-R, but increase V1b-R neuronal surface expression relative to water-exposed controls in the hypothalamus of males, but not females. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that AIE induces changes in OXT-R and AVP-R surface expression in the hypothalamus along with social anxiety-like alterations in male rats. These social anxiety-like alterations can be reversed either by activation of the OXT system or by suppression of the AVP system, data that support the hypothesis that social anxiety-like alterations induced by adolescent alcohol exposure in male rats are associated at least in part with an OXT/AVP imbalance.
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Varlinskaya EI, Spear LP, Diaz MR. Stress alters social behavior and sensitivity to pharmacological activation of kappa opioid receptors in an age-specific manner in Sprague Dawley rats. Neurobiol Stress 2018; 9:124-132. [PMID: 30450378 PMCID: PMC6234253 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (DYN/KOR) system has been identified as a primary target of stress due to behavioral effects, such as dysphoria, aversion, and anxiety-like alterations that result from activation of this system. Numerous adaptations in the DYN/KOR system have also been identified in response to stress. However, whereas most studies examining the function of the DYN/KOR system have been conducted in adult rodents, there is growing evidence suggesting that this system is ontogenetically regulated. Likewise, the outcome of exposure to stress also differs across ontogeny. Based on these developmental similarities, the objective of this study was to systematically test effects of a selective KOR agonist, U-62066, on various aspects of social behavior across ontogeny in non-stressed male and female rats as well as in males and females with a prior history of repeated exposure to restraint (90 min/day, 5 exposures). We found that the social consequences of repeated restraint differed as a function of age: juvenile stress produced substantial increases in play fighting, whereas adolescent and adult stress resulted in decreases in social investigation and social preference. The KOR agonist U-62066 dose-dependently reduced social behaviors in non-stressed adults, producing social avoidance at the highest dose tested, while younger animals displayed reduced sensitivity to this socially suppressing effect of U-62066. Interestingly, in stressed animals, the socially suppressing effects of the KOR agonist were blunted at all ages, with juveniles and adolescents exhibiting increased social preference in response to certain doses of U-62066. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that the DYN/KOR system changes with age and differentially responds and adapts to stress across development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena I Varlinskaya
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY13902, United States
| | - Linda Patia Spear
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY13902, United States
| | - Marvin R Diaz
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY13902, United States
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Effect of repeated juvenile exposure to Δ9‑tetrahydrocannabinol on anxiety-related behavior and social interactions in adolescent rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2018; 69:11-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2018.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Perkins AE, Vore AS, Lovelock D, Varlinskaya E, Deak T. Late aging alters behavioral sensitivity to ethanol in a sex-specific manner in Fischer 344 rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 175:1-9. [PMID: 30171932 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Responsiveness to ethanol (EtOH) differs as a function of age. Adolescent rodents are less sensitive than adults to the sedative effects of EtOH, whereas they show enhanced sensitivity to EtOH-induced social facilitation. Late aging is associated with a natural decline in social behavior and aging-related peculiarities in sensitivity to EtOH have been largely unexplored. Whether there are sex differences in the behavioral response to EtOH during late aging remains unknown. Thus, behavioral responses to EtOH in male and female Fischer (F) 344 rats aged 4-5 months (adult) and 19-20 months (aging) were examined. First, the effects of saline and EtOH (0.5 and 0.75 g/kg) on social interaction were assessed. Social investigation and contact behavior were lower in aging animals and higher in females. Interestingly, in aged females, social contact behavior was increased following a 0.5 g/kg EtOH dose, whereas the same dose suppressed social contact in aged males. Behavioral sensitivity to the sedative effects of 3.0 and 3.5 g/kg EtOH was assessed with the loss of righting reflex (LORR) test. Although latency to LORR did not differ as a function of age or sex, aged rats showed significantly greater LORR duration and significantly lower blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) at regaining of the righting reflex relative to adults. In addition, females had a lower LORR duration, regardless of age; no sex differences were evident in BECs at awakening. In a second experiment, blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) over time were assessed following 0.75, 1.5, and 3.0 g/kg EtOH in 3-, 12-, and 18-month-old male and female F344 rats. Aged rats had higher peak BECs following 3.0 g/kg EtOH, whereas few age or sex differences were apparent at lower doses. Taken together, these data indicate that late aging is associated with altered sensitivity to the social facilitating effects and sedative effects of EtOH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E Perkins
- Developmental Exposure to Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States of America
| | - Andrew S Vore
- Developmental Exposure to Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States of America
| | - Dennis Lovelock
- Developmental Exposure to Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States of America
| | - Elena Varlinskaya
- Developmental Exposure to Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States of America
| | - Terrence Deak
- Developmental Exposure to Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States of America.
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Negative consequences of early-life adversity on substance use as mediated by corticotropin-releasing factor modulation of serotonin activity. Neurobiol Stress 2018; 9:29-39. [PMID: 30151419 PMCID: PMC6108067 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-life adversity is associated with increased risk for substance abuse in later life, with women more likely to report past and current stress as a mediating factor in their substance use and relapse as compared to men. Preclinical models of neonatal and peri-adolescent (early through late adolescence) stress all support a direct relationship between experiences of early-life adversity and adult substance-related behaviors, and provide valuable information regarding the underlying neurobiology. This review will provide an overview of these animal models and how these paradigms alter drug and alcohol consumption and/or seeking in male and female adults. An introduction to the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and serotonin systems, their development and their interactions at the level of the dorsal raphe will be provided, illustrating how this particular stress system is sexually dimorphic, and is well positioned to be affected by stressors early in development and throughout maturation. A model for CRF-serotonin interactions in the dorsal raphe and how these influence dopaminergic activity within the nucleus accumbens and subsequent reward-associated behaviors will be provided, and alterations to the activity of this system following early-life adversity will be identified. Overall, converging findings suggest that early-life adversity has long-term effects on the functioning of the CRF-serotonin system, highlighting a potentially important and targetable mediator linking stress to addiction. Future work should focus on identifying the exact mechanisms that promote long-term changes to the expression and activity of CRF receptors in the dorsal raphe. Moreover, it is important to clarify whether similar neurobiological mechanisms exist for males and females, given the sexual dimorphism both in CRF receptors and serotonin indices in the dorsal raphe and in the behavioral outcomes of early-life adversity. Early life stress increases risk for substance abuse in adulthood. Stress and drugs increase CRF which alters serotonin release in the brain. CRF2 receptor expression in the dorsal raphe is altered by early life stress. Resultant changes to serotonin output facilitates dopamine in the accumbens. CRF2-sertotonin-dopamine interactions may link early life stress with substance abuse.
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Key Words
- 5-HIAA, 5–Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid
- BNST, Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis
- CRF, Corticotropin-Releasing Factor
- CRF-BP, Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Binding Protein
- CeA, Central Nucleus of the Amygdala
- Corticotropin-releasing factor
- Dorsal raphe nucleus
- Drug reward
- Early-life stress
- LC, Locus Coeruleus
- MDMA, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
- NAc, Nucleus Accumbens
- NMDA, N-methyl-d-aspartate
- PND, Postnatal Day
- Serotonin
- Sex differences
- TPH2, Tryptophan Hydroxylase 2
- VTA, Ventral Tegmental Area
- dRN, Dorsal Raphe Nucleus
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Ehlers CL, Sanchez-Alavez M, Wills D. Effect of gabapentin on sleep and delta and theta EEG power in adult rats exposed to chronic intermittent ethanol vapor and protracted withdrawal during adolescence. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:1783-1791. [PMID: 29589069 PMCID: PMC5949268 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4888-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Adolescents and young adults with alcohol problems may also have sleep difficulties. However, whether these sleep problems are a result of a history of drinking or arise due to other comorbid disorders is difficult to disentangle in human studies. Additionally, the mechanisms underlying adolescent alcohol-induced sleep disturbances and potential targets for therapy also remain under-investigated. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated that the anticonvulsant and analgesic drug gabapentin may have therapeutic value in normalizing sleep quality in adult recovering alcoholics, yet its potential for the treatment of adolescent sleep disturbances has not been investigated. OBJECTIVES This study sought to evaluate the effects of a history of 5 weeks of chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure, administered during adolescence (AIE), on EEG sleep, in young adult rats (n = 29). The ability of two doses of gabapentin (30, 120 mg/kg) to modify sleep and slow wave activity were also investigated in these young adult rats exposed to alcohol vapor during adolescence. RESULTS Adolescent vapor exposure in the rat was found to result in deficits in delta (1-4 Hz) and theta (4-8 Hz) power during slow wave sleep. Administration of gabapentin caused a "normalization" of the delta power deficits but did not affect theta power. CONCLUSIONS This report suggests that the potential mechanisms and therapeutic targets for sleep disturbance associated with adolescent alcohol exposure can be studied in preclinical models and that gabapentin may show partial efficacy in ameliorating these sleep deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy L Ehlers
- Department of Neurosciences, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, SP30-1501, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
| | - Manuel Sanchez-Alavez
- Department of Neurosciences, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, SP30-1501, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Derek Wills
- Department of Neurosciences, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, SP30-1501, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
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Mooney SM, Varlinskaya EI. Enhanced sensitivity to socially facilitating and anxiolytic effects of ethanol in adolescent Sprague Dawley rats following acute prenatal ethanol exposure. Alcohol 2018; 69:25-32. [PMID: 29571047 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that deficits in social functioning and social anxiety are associated with adolescent alcohol use. Our previous research has shown that acute exposure to a high dose of ethanol on gestational day (G) 12 produces social alterations in adolescent Sprague Dawley rats. The present study assessed whether these social alterations can affect sensitivity to acute ethanol challenge during adolescence. Pregnant females were exposed intraperitoneally (i.p.) to ethanol (2.5 g/kg followed by 1.25 g/kg in 2 h) or saline on G12, and their male and female offspring were tested on postnatal day (P) 42. Rats were challenged i.p. with one of four ethanol doses (0, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 g/kg), and their social behavior was assessed in a modified social interaction test. Social alterations associated with prenatal ethanol exposure and indexed via decreases of social investigation, social preference, and play fighting were evident in males and females challenged with the 0 g/kg ethanol dose. Acute ethanol increased social investigation, social preference, and play fighting in animals prenatally exposed to ethanol. In contrast, rats prenatally exposed to saline, showing no social facilitation, demonstrated significant ethanol-induced (0.75 and 1.0 g/kg) decreases in social behavior. Given that late adolescents demonstrating social alterations induced by prenatal ethanol exposure become sensitive to the socially anxiolytic as well as socially facilitating effects of acute ethanol, it is possible that the attractiveness of ethanol to these adolescents may be based on its ability to alleviate anxiety under social circumstances and facilitate interactions with peers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra M Mooney
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States
| | - Elena I Varlinskaya
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, United States; Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton, NY 13902, United States.
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Templer VL, Wise TB, Dayaw KIT, Dayaw JNT. Nonsocially housed rats (Ratus norvegicus) seek social interactions and social novelty more than socially housed counterparts. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 132:240-252. [PMID: 29683686 DOI: 10.1037/com0000112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Sociability is the act or quality of social interaction and can be quantified by determining the number and duration of interactions with conspecifics. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which sustained social contact, as achieved by constant social living conditions, influenced social behavior. Beginning in juvenility, 19 male Long-Evans rats were housed in enriched environments, with half living socially in a large group and half living individually. After several months in these housing conditions, rats were tested on a sociality test and a social novelty preference test. Nonsocially housed rats exhibited more social behavior than socially housed rats. In the sociality test, nonsocially housed rats engaged with an unfamiliar rat more than socially housed rats. Similarly, in the social novelty test, nonsocially housed rats visited a novel stranger more than the now-familiar rat (from the sociality test) as compared with the socially housed rats. It is unlikely that general anxiety factors can account for between-groups social effects, as there were no group differences in behavior on the elevated zero maze and open field test. Furthermore, socially and nonsocially housed rats were matched in spontaneous object exploration and novelty preference in a novel object recognition test, eliminating the possibility that general exploratory behavior or novelty preference accounted for group differences in the sociability tasks. These results suggest that lack of social interaction in nonsocially housed rats may be more powerful for social motivation than the consistent opportunity for social contact afforded by social living conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Bator E, Latusz J, Głowacka U, Radaszkiewicz A, Mudlaff K, Maćkowiak M. Adolescent Social Isolation Affects Schizophrenia-Like Behavior in the MAM-E17 Model of Schizophrenia. Neurotox Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12640-018-9888-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Smith CJW, Wilkins KB, Li S, Tulimieri MT, Veenema AH. Nucleus accumbens mu opioid receptors regulate context-specific social preferences in the juvenile rat. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 89:59-68. [PMID: 29331800 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The μ opioid receptor (MOR) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is involved in assigning pleasurable, or hedonic value to rewarding stimuli. Importantly, the hedonic value of a given rewarding stimulus likely depends on an individual's current motivational state. Here, we examined the involvement of MORs in the motivation to interact with a novel or a familiar (cage mate) conspecific in juvenile rats. First, we demonstrated that the selective MOR antagonist CTAP administered into the NAc reduces social novelty preference of juvenile males, by decreasing the interaction time with the novel conspecific and increasing the interaction time with the cage mate. Next, we found that a 3-h separation period from the cage mate reduces social novelty preference in both juvenile males and females, which was primarily driven by an increase in interaction time with the cage mate. Last, we showed that MOR agonism (intracerebroventricularly or in the NAc) restored social novelty preference in juvenile males that did not show social novelty preference following social isolation. Taken together, these data support a model in which endogenous MOR activation in the NAc facilitates the relative hedonic value of novel over familiar social stimuli. Our results may implicate the MOR in neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by altered social motivation, such as major depression and autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline J W Smith
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
| | - Kevin B Wilkins
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Sara Li
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Maxwell T Tulimieri
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Alexa H Veenema
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
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Himmler BT, Mychasiuk R, Nakahashi A, Himmler SM, Pellis SM, Kolb B. Juvenile social experience and differential age-related changes in the dendritic morphologies of subareas of the prefrontal cortex in rats. Synapse 2017; 72. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.22022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brett T. Himmler
- Department of Neuroscience; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis Minnesota
| | - Richelle Mychasiuk
- Department of Psychology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute; University of Calgary; Calgary Alberta Canada
| | - Ayuno Nakahashi
- Department of Neuroscience; University of Lethbridge; Lethbridge Alberta Canada
| | | | - Sergio M. Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience; University of Lethbridge; Lethbridge Alberta Canada
| | - Bryan Kolb
- Department of Neuroscience; University of Lethbridge; Lethbridge Alberta Canada
- Child Brain Development program, Canadian Institutes for Advanced Research; Toronto Ontario, Canada
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Hamasato EK, Lovelock D, Palermo-Neto J, Deak T. Assessment of social behavior directed toward sick partners and its relation to central cytokine expression in rats. Physiol Behav 2017; 182:128-136. [PMID: 29031549 PMCID: PMC5672824 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Acute illness not only reduces the expression of social behavior by sick rodents, but can also lead to avoidance responses when detected by healthy, would-be social partners. When healthy animals interact with a sick partner, an intriguing question arises: does exposure to a sick conspecific elicit an anticipatory immune response that would facilitate defense against future infection? To address this question, healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (N=64) were given a brief social interaction (30min) with a partner that was either sick (250μg/kg injection with lipopolysaccharide [LPS] 3h prior to test) or healthy (sterile saline injection). During this exposure, social behavior directed toward the healthy or sick conspecific was measured. Additionally, the impact of housing condition was assessed, with rats group- or isolate-housed. Immediately after social interaction, brains were harvested for cytokine assessments within socially-relevant brain structures (olfactory bulb, amygdala, hippocampus and PVN). As expected, behavioral results demonstrated that (i) there was a robust suppression of social interaction directed against sick conspecifics; and (ii) isolate-housing generally increased social behavior. Furthermore, examination of central cytokine expression in healthy experimental subjects revealed a modest increase in TNF-α in rats that interacted with a sick social partner, but only in the olfactory bulb. Among the LPS-injected partners, expected increases in IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α expression were observed across all brain sites. Moreover, IL-1β and IL-6 expression was exacerbated in LPS-injected partners that interacted with isolate-housed experimental subjects. Together, these data replicate and extend our prior work showing that healthy rats avoid sick conspecifics, and provide preliminary evidence for an anticipatory cytokine response when rats are exposed to a sick partner. These data also provide new evidence to suggest that recent housing history potently modulates cytokine responses evoked by LPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Kenji Hamasato
- Neuroimmunomodulation Research Group, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil; Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
| | - Dennis Lovelock
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
| | - João Palermo-Neto
- Neuroimmunomodulation Research Group, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Terrence Deak
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States.
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Perkins AE, Woodruff ER, Chun LE, Spencer RL, Varlinskaya E, Deak T. Analysis of c-Fos induction in response to social interaction in male and female Fisher 344 rats. Brain Res 2017; 1672:113-121. [PMID: 28764933 PMCID: PMC5592796 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in the expression of social behavior are typically apparent in adolescent and adult rats. While the neurobiology underlying juvenile social play behavior has been well characterized, less is known about discrete brain regions involved in adult responsiveness to a same sex peer. Furthermore, whether adult males and females differ in their responsiveness to a social interaction in terms of neuronal activation indexed via immediate early gene (IEG) expression remains to be determined. Thus, the present study was designed to identify key sites relevant to the processing of sensory stimuli (generally) or social stimuli (specifically) after brief exposure to a same-sex social partner by assessing IEG expression. Four-month-old male and female Fisher (F) 344 rats (N=38; n=5-8/group) were either left undisturbed in their home cage as controls (HCC), exposed to a testing context alone for 30min (CXT), or were placed in the context for 20min and then allowed to socially interact (SI) with a sex-matched conspecific for 10min. Females demonstrated greater levels of social behavior, relative to males. Analysis of c-Fos induction revealed that females exhibited greater c-Fos expression in the prefrontal cortex, regardless of condition. In many brain regions, induction was similar in the CXT and SI groups. However, in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), females exhibited greater c-Fos induction in response to the social interaction relative to their male counterparts, indicating a sex difference in responsivity to social stimuli. Taken together, these data suggest that the BNST is a sexually dimorphic region in terms of activation in response to social stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E Perkins
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
| | - Elizabeth R Woodruff
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, United States
| | - Lauren E Chun
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, United States
| | - Robert L Spencer
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, United States
| | - Elena Varlinskaya
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
| | - Terrence Deak
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States.
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