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Casarrubea M, Leca JB, Gunst N, Aiello S, Crescimanno G. Behavioral mirroring in Wistar rats investigated through temporal pattern analysis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:20877. [PMID: 39242741 PMCID: PMC11379692 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-71428-w] [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: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of social interactions lies at the core of several disciplines such as psychiatry, psychology and ethology, just to name a few. In this context, understanding the temporal patterns underlying interactive behaviors is of crucial importance. Here, we employed T-pattern detection and analysis to study social interactions in ten pairs of Wistar rats tested in an Open-Field environment. We found four different categories of interactive behaviors. One of them was of particular interest to us because it consisted of behavioral events that, taken individually, should not underlie an interaction of any kind; however, they were included in T-patterns, which is suggestive of a dyadic temporal coordination in the behavioral expression of two individuals. Within this category, we described for the first time a new subcategory of apparent interaction patterns characterized by events that one of the two rats repeats only if previously produced by the partner (i.e., behavioral mirroring). These findings are discussed in functional terms for rodents and in light of our current understanding of social interactions in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Jean-Baptiste Leca
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- School of Natural and Engineering Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
| | - Noëlle Gunst
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Stefania Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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2
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Casarrubea M, Di Giovanni G, Aiello S, Crescimanno G. The hole-board apparatus in the study of anxiety. Physiol Behav 2023; 271:114346. [PMID: 37690695 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114346] [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: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders pose a significant challenge in contemporary society, and their impact in terms of social and economic burden is overwhelming. Behavioral research conducted on animal subjects is crucial for comprehending these disorders and, from a translational standpoint, for introducing innovative therapeutic approaches. In this context, the Hole-Board apparatus has emerged as a widely utilized test for studying anxiety-related behaviors in rodents. Although a substantial body of literature underscores the utility and reliability of the Hole-Board in anxiety research, recent decades have witnessed a range of studies that have led to uncertainties and misinterpretations regarding the validity of this behavioral assay. The objective of this review is twofold: firstly, to underscore the utility and reliability of the Hole-Board assay, and concurrently, to examine the underlying factors contributing to potential misconceptions surrounding its utilization in the study of anxiety and anxiety-related behaviors. We will present results from both conventional quantitative analyses and multivariate approaches, while referencing a comprehensive collection of studies conducted using the Hole-Board.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioural Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Corso Tukory n.129, Palermo 90134, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; Neuroscience Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Stefania Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioural Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Corso Tukory n.129, Palermo 90134, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioural Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", University of Palermo, Corso Tukory n.129, Palermo 90134, Italy
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3
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Harder HJ, Searles CT, Vogt ME, Murphy AZ. Perinatal opioid exposure leads to decreased social play in adolescent male and female rats: Potential role of oxytocin signaling in brain regions associated with social reward. Horm Behav 2023; 153:105384. [PMID: 37295323 PMCID: PMC10330883 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105384] [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: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, the number of infants exposed to opioids in utero has quadrupled in the United States, with some states reporting rates as high as 55 infants per 1000 births. Clinical studies report that children previously exposed to opioids during gestation show significant deficits in social behavior, including an inability to form friendships or other social relationships. To date, the neural mechanisms whereby developmental opioid exposure disrupts social behavior remain unknown. Using a novel paradigm of perinatal opioid administration, we tested the hypothesis that chronic opioid exposure during critical developmental periods would disrupt juvenile play. As oxytocin is a major regulator of sociability, the impact of perinatal morphine exposure on oxytocin peptide expression was also examined. Juvenile play was assessed in vehicle- or morphine-exposed male and female rats at P25, P35, and P45. Classical features of juvenile play were measured, including time spent engaged in social play, time not in contact, number of pins, and number of nape attacks. We report that morphine-exposed males and females spend less time engaged in play behavior than control males and females, with a corresponding increase in time spent alone. Morphine-exposed males and females also initiated fewer pins and nape attacks. Together, these data suggest that male and female rats exposed to morphine during critical developmental periods are less motivated to participate in social play, potentially due to alterations in oxytocin-mediated reward signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J Harder
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America
| | - Christopher T Searles
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America
| | - Meghan E Vogt
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America
| | - Anne Z Murphy
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America.
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4
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Harder HJ, Searles CT, Vogt ME, Murphy AZ. Perinatal Opioid Exposure Leads to Decreased Social Play in Adolescent Male and Female Rats: Potential Role of Oxytocin Signaling in Brain Regions Associated with Social Reward. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.10.532122. [PMID: 36945450 PMCID: PMC10028981 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.10.532122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, the number of infants exposed to opioids in utero has quadrupled in the United States, with some states reporting rates as high as 55 infants per 1000 births. Clinical studies report that children previously exposed to opioids during gestation show significant deficits in social behavior, including an inability to form friendships or other social relationships. To date, the neural mechanisms whereby developmental opioid exposure disrupts social behavior remain unknown. Using a novel paradigm of perinatal opioid administration, we tested the hypothesis that chronic opioid exposure during critical developmental periods would disrupt juvenile play. As oxytocin is a major regulator of sociability, the impact of perinatal morphine exposure on oxytocin peptide and receptor expression was also examined. Juvenile play was assessed in vehicle- or morphine-exposed male and female rats at P25, P35, and P45. Classical features of juvenile play were measured, including time spent engaged in social play, time not in contact, number of pins, and number of nape attacks. We report that morphine-exposed females spend less time engaged in play behavior than control males and females, with a corresponding increase in time spent alone. Morphine-exposed females also initiated fewer pins and nape attacks. Oxytocin receptor binding was reduced in morphine-exposed females in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region critical for social reward. Together, these data suggest that females exposed to morphine during critical developmental periods are less motivated to participate in social play, potentially due to alterations in oxytocin-mediated reward signaling.
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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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6
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Combined space stressors induce independent behavioral deficits predicted by early peripheral blood monocytes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1749. [PMID: 36720960 PMCID: PMC9889764 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28508-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Interplanetary space travel poses many hazards to the human body. To protect astronaut health and performance on critical missions, there is first a need to understand the effects of deep space hazards, including ionizing radiation, confinement, and altered gravity. Previous studies of rodents exposed to a single such stressor document significant deficits, but our study is the first to investigate possible cumulative and synergistic impacts of simultaneous ionizing radiation, confinement, and altered gravity on behavior and cognition. Our cohort was divided between 6-month-old female and male mice in group, social isolation, or hindlimb unloading housing, exposed to 0 or 50 cGy of 5 ion simplified simulated galactic cosmic radiation (GCRsim). We report interactions and independent effects of GCRsim exposure and housing conditions on behavioral and cognitive performance. Exposure to GCRsim drove changes in immune cell populations in peripheral blood collected early after irradiation, while housing conditions drove changes in blood collected at a later point. Female mice were largely resilient to deficits observed in male mice. Finally, we used principal component analysis to represent total deficits as principal component scores, which were predicted by general linear models using GCR exposure, housing condition, and early blood biomarkers.
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Casarrubea M, Leca JB, Gunst N, Jonsson GK, Portell M, Di Giovanni G, Aiello S, Crescimanno G. Structural analyses in the study of behavior: From rodents to non-human primates. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1033561. [PMID: 36467208 PMCID: PMC9716108 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1033561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The term "structure" indicates a set of components that, in relation to each other, shape an organic complex. Such a complex takes on essential connotations of functionally unitary entity resulting from the mutual relationships of its constituent elements. In a broader sense, we can use the word "structure" to define the set of relationships among the elements of an emergent system that is not determined by the mere algebraic sum of these elements, but by the interdependence relationships of these components from which the function of the entire structure itself derives. The behavior of an integrated living being can be described in structural terms via an ethogram, defined as an itemized list of behavioral units. Akin to an architectural structure, a behavioral structure arises from the reciprocal relationships that the individual units of behavior establish. Like an architectural structure, the function of the resulting behaving complex emerges from the relationships of the parts. Hence, studying behavior in its wholeness necessitates not only the identification of its constitutive units in their autarchic individuality, but also, and importantly, some understanding of their relationships. This paper aimed to critically review different methods to study behavior in structural terms. First, we emphasized the utilization of T-pattern analysis, i.e., one of the most effective and reliable tools to provide structural information on behavior. Second, we discussed the application of other methodological approaches that are based on the analysis of transition matrices, such as hierarchical clustering, stochastic analyses, and adjusted residuals. Unlike T-pattern analysis, these methods allow researchers to explore behavioral structure beyond its temporal characteristics and through other relational constraints. After an overview of how these methods are used in the study of animal behavior, from rodents to non-human primates, we discussed the specificities, advantages and challenges of each approach. This paper could represent a useful background for all scientists who intend to study behavior both quantitatively and structurally, that is in terms of the reciprocal relationships that the various units of a given behavioral repertoire normally weave together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Jean-Baptiste Leca
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- School of Natural and Engineering Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
| | - Noëlle Gunst
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Gudberg K. Jonsson
- Human Behavior Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Mariona Portell
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Stefania Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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8
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Kinley BL, Kyne RF, Lawton-Stone TS, Walker DM, Paul MJ. Long-term consequences of peri-adolescent social isolation on social preference, anxiety-like behaviour, and vasopressin neural circuitry of male and female rats. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:7790-7804. [PMID: 34750934 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Social isolation during the juvenile and adolescent stages (peri-adolescent social isolation) can have long-term consequences for behavioural and neural development. Most of this research, however, has relied on data from males, and very few studies have included both sexes. The present study investigated the impact of peri-adolescent social isolation on social preference, anxiety-like behaviour, and vasopressin neural circuitry of male and female Long Evans rats. Rats were either housed alone for 3 weeks beginning at weaning (Isolated) or in groups (Group-housed). In adulthood, rats were tested in social preference, open field, marble burying, and light/dark box tests, and brains were processed for vasopressin immunohistochemistry. Isolated males exhibited a lower social preference score and spent more time in the light zone of the light/dark box than their group-housed counterparts. Isolated and Group-housed females did not differ in these measures. Peri-adolescent social isolation did not alter vasopressin fibre density in target areas known to influence social and anxiety-like behaviours (the lateral septum or lateral habenula), but increased fibre density in an output pathway of the circadian pacemaker (projections to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus); an effect detected across both sexes. A previously unreported sex difference was also detected for vasopressin fibre density in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (females > males). These findings demonstrate long-term consequences of peri-adolescent social isolation on social preference, anxiety-like behaviour, and the circadian vasopressin pathway and suggest that socio-affective development of males is more vulnerable to social stressors during the juvenile and adolescent stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L Kinley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Robert F Kyne
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA.,Neuroscience Program, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | | | - Deena M Walker
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Matthew J Paul
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA.,Neuroscience Program, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Brugnatelli V, Facco E, Zanette G. Lifestyle Interventions Improving Cannabinoid Tone During COVID-19 Lockdowns May Enhance Compliance With Preventive Regulations and Decrease Psychophysical Health Complications. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:565633. [PMID: 34335317 PMCID: PMC8322115 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.565633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies investigating the psychosomatic effects of social isolation in animals have shown that one of the physiologic system that gets disrupted by this environment-affective change is the Endocannabinoid System. As the levels of endocannabinoids change in limbic areas and prefrontal cortex during stressful times, so is the subject more prone to fearful and negative thoughts and aggressive behavior. The interplay of social isolation on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and cannabinoid tone triggers a vicious cycle which further impairs the natural body's homeostatic neuroendocrine levels and provokes a series of risk factors for developing health complications. In this paper, we explore the psychosomatic impact of prolonged quarantine in healthy individuals, and propose management and coping strategies that may improve endocannabinoid tone, such as integration of probiotics, cannabidiol, meditation, and physical exercise interventions with the aim of supporting interpersonal, individual, and professional adherence with COVID-19 emergency public measures whilst minimizing their psycho-physical impact.
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10
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Maseroli E, Santangelo A, Lara-Fontes B, Quintana GR, Mac Cionnaith CE, Casarrubea M, Ricca V, Maggi M, Vignozzi L, Pfaus JG. The non-aromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) facilitates sexual behavior in ovariectomized female rats primed with estradiol. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 115:104606. [PMID: 32087523 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
It is still unclear whether Testosterone (T) increases sexual desire through a stimulation of the androgen receptor in relevant brain regions or through its conversion to estrogens. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms of T facilitation of female sexual desire by assessing the effect of a non-aromatizable androgen (Dihydrotestosterone, DHT) in a validated animal model. Ovariectomized (OVX) Long-Evans rats were treated with oil (O) + O, 10 mcg Estradiol Benzoate (EB) + O, 10 mcg EB + 500 mcg Progesterone (P), O + 500 mcg DHT or 10 mcg EB + 500 mcg DHT (n = 12 per group). EB was administered 48 h, while P and DHT 4 h, prior to 4 sexual behavioral testing sessions in bisected unilevel pacing chambers. Appetitive behaviors (the frequencies of hops/darts and solicitations) were considered as the main outcome measure. Sexual receptivity indexes [lordosis magnitude, expressed as lordosis rating (LR), and lordosis quotient (LQ)], rejection responses, as well as mounts, intromissions and ejaculations received from the male were also coded. The probability of transition among sexual behaviors was evaluated by Transition Matrices; T-Pattern analysis was performed to detect hidden repeated temporal behavioral sequences. Preliminary analyses found no statistically significant differences between the O + O and EB + O groups, therefore we excluded the EB + O group from further analyses. Rats treated with EB + DHT displayed significantly more appetitive behaviors compared to negative controls (O + O and O + DHT), whereas no difference was observed between EB + DHT rats and positive controls (EB + P); noteworthy, a higher number of appetitive behaviors was observed in the O + DHT group compared to the O + O group. Furthermore, rats treated with EB + DHT showed significantly higher receptivity measures (LR and LQ) and received more mounts, intromissions and ejaculations compared to negative controls (O + O and O + DHT), to levels equivalent to EB + P. No differences were detected in female-male mounts or rejection responses among the 4 groups. Under a qualitative perspective, full solicitation was found exclusively in T-patterns of the EB + DHT group, which was also the only one to display T-patterns of higher order encompassing appetitive behaviors-only events. In conclusion, the administration of DHT in EB-primed OVX Long-Evans rats enhances sexual behavior measures. Specifically, DHT seems to stimulate sequences of appetitive behaviors separated from copulative/reproductive measures. Our data support an independent role of androgens in the facilitation of female sexual desire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Maseroli
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, Florence 50139, Italy; Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Andrea Santangelo
- Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences. University of Florence, Italy; Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.). Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Corso Tukory 129, Palermo 90134, Italy
| | - Beatriz Lara-Fontes
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada; Centro De Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER 91193, Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Renato Quintana
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Conall E Mac Cionnaith
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Maurizio Casarrubea
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.). Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Corso Tukory 129, Palermo 90134, Italy
| | - Valdo Ricca
- Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences. University of Florence, Italy
| | - Mario Maggi
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, Florence 50139, Italy; I.N.B.B., Biostructures and Biosystems National Institute, Viale Delle Medaglie d'Oro 305, Rome 00136, Italy
| | - Linda Vignozzi
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, Florence 50139, Italy; I.N.B.B., Biostructures and Biosystems National Institute, Viale Delle Medaglie d'Oro 305, Rome 00136, Italy.
| | - James G Pfaus
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada; Centro De Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER 91193, Mexico
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11
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Wilkin MM, Menard JL. Social housing ameliorates the enduring effects of intermittent physical stress during mid-adolescence. Physiol Behav 2020; 214:112750. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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12
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Lee W, Fu J, Bouwman N, Farago P, Curley JP. Temporal microstructure of dyadic social behavior during relationship formation in mice. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0220596. [PMID: 31821344 PMCID: PMC6903754 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Socially competent animals must learn to modify their behavior in response to their social partner in a contextually appropriate manner. Dominant-subordinate relationships are a particularly salient social context for mice. Here we observe and analyze the microstructure of social and non-social behaviors as 21 pairs of outbred CD-1 male mice (Mus Musculus) establish dominant-subordinate relationships during daily 20-minute interactions for five consecutive days in a neutral environment. Firstly, using a Kleinberg burst detection algorithm, we demonstrate aggressive and subordinate interactions occur in bursting patterns followed by quiescent periods rather than being uniformly distributed across social interactions. Secondly, we identify three phases of dominant-subordinate relationship development (pre-, middle-, and post-resolution) by utilizing two statistical methods to identify stability in aggressive and subordinate behavior across these bursts. Thirdly, using First Order Markov Chains we find that dominant and subordinate mice show distinct behavioral transitions, especially between tail rattling and other aggressive/subordinate behaviors. Further, dominant animals engaged in more digging and allogrooming behavior and were more likely to transition from sniffing their partner's body to head, whereas subordinates were more likely to transition from head sniffing to side-by-side contact. Lastly, we utilized a novel method (Forward Spike Time Tiling Coefficient) to assess how individuals respond to the behaviors of their partner. We found that subordinates decrease their tail rattling and aggressive behavior in response to aggressive but not subordinate behavior exhibited by dominants and that tail rattling in particular may function to deescalate aggressive behavior in pairs. Our findings demonstrate that CD-1 male mice rapidly establish dominance relationships and modify their social and non-social behaviors according to their current social status. The methods that we detail also provide useful tools for other researchers wishing to evaluate the temporal dynamics of rodent social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won Lee
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Jiayi Fu
- Department of Statistics Graduate Program, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Statistics Master’s Program, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Neal Bouwman
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Pam Farago
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - James P. Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States of America
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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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14
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Arakawa H. Ethological approach to social isolation effects in behavioral studies of laboratory rodents. Behav Brain Res 2018; 341:98-108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Revised: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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15
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Langenhof MR, Komdeur J. Why and how the early-life environment affects development of coping behaviours. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018; 72:34. [PMID: 29449757 PMCID: PMC5805793 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2452-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the ways in which individuals cope with threats, respond to challenges, make use of opportunities and mediate the harmful effects of their surroundings is important for predicting their ability to function in a rapidly changing world. Perhaps one of the most essential drivers of coping behaviour of adults is the environment experienced during their early-life development. Although the study of coping, defined as behaviours displayed in response to environmental challenges, has a long and rich research history in biology, recent literature has repeatedly pointed out that the processes through which coping behaviours develop in individuals are still largely unknown. In this review, we make a move towards integrating ultimate and proximate lines of coping behaviour research. After broadly defining coping behaviours (1), we review why, from an evolutionary perspective, the development of coping has become tightly linked to the early-life environment (2), which relevant developmental processes are most important in creating coping behaviours adjusted to the early-life environment (3), which influences have been shown to impact those developmental processes (4) and what the adaptive significance of intergenerational transmission of coping behaviours is, in the context of behavioural adaptations to a fast changing world (5). Important concepts such as effects of parents, habitat, nutrition, social group and stress are discussed using examples from empirical studies on mammals, fish, birds and other animals. In the discussion, we address important problems that arise when studying the development of coping behaviours and suggest solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Rohaa Langenhof
- Behavioural Physiology and Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural Physiology and Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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16
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Smith SG, Northcutt KV. Perinatal hypothyroidism increases play behaviors in juvenile rats. Horm Behav 2018; 98:1-7. [PMID: 29174305 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Thyroid hormones play an instrumental role in the development of the central nervous system. During early development, the fetus is dependent on maternal thyroid hormone production due to the dysfunction of its own thyroid gland. Thus, maternal thyroid dysfunction has been shown to elicit significant abnormalities in neural development, neurochemistry, and behavior in offspring. Previous reports have suggested that human maternal hypothyroidism may increase the chances of having children with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, very few studies have evaluated social behaviors in animal models of perinatal hypothyroidism. To evaluate the possibility that hypothyroidism during development influences the expression one of the most commonly observed non-reproductive social behaviors, juvenile play, we used the validated rat model of perinatal hypothyroidism by methimazole administration (MMI; 0.025% in drinking water) from GD12-PD23. Control animals had regular drinking water. During adolescence (PD33-35), we tested subjects for juvenile play behavior by introducing them to a same-sex, unfamiliar (since weaning) littermate for 30min. Play behaviors and other behaviors (sleep, social contact, locomotion) were then scored. MMI-treated subjects played more than twice as much as control animals, and the increase in some behaviors was particularly dramatic in males. Locomotor and other affiliative social behaviors were unaffected. These data suggest that perinatal hypothyroidism may alter the organization of the neural networks regulating play behaviors, but not other social behaviors. Moreover, this implicates perinatal hypothyroidism as a potential etiological factor in the development of neurobehavioral disorders, particularly those characterized by heightened social interactions and impulsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer G Smith
- Department of Biology, Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207, United States
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17
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Casarrubea M, Faulisi F, Cudia A, Cancemi D, Cardaci M, Magnusson MS, Crescimanno G. Discovery of recurring behavioural sequences in Wistar rat social activity: Possible support to studies on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Neurosci Lett 2017; 653:58-63. [PMID: 28527716 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
This study was undertaken to investigate whether, in rat interactive activities, recurring sequences of behavioural events might be identified and how and to what extent each component of the pair is involved. To this aim, the multivariate temporal-pattern (t-pattern) analysis was applied to the social interactions of 9 pairs of male Wistar rats tested in open field. Interactive activities were classified into intra- and inter-subjects. Quantitative evaluations showed that intra-subject behavioural elements represented 62.37% and inter-subject ones 37.63% of the comprehensive behaviour. T-pattern analysis revealed the presence of 221 different t-patterns organized in four different categories: containing exclusively inter-subject elements; containing both inter- and intra-subject elements; consisting of rat 1 and rat 2 intra-subject elements and, finally, consisting of intra-subject elements carried out by one of the two subjects. Results show that the activity of two interacting Wistar rats is structured on the basis of several recurring temporal sequences. Moreover, social interactions appear to be expressed also by t-patterns where the behavioural elements are carried out by animals seemingly not interacting. A support of t-pattern analysis to studies on Autism Spectrum Disorders is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Casarrubea
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Technologies of Knowledge Interdepartmental Center (C.I.T.C.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - F Faulisi
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - A Cudia
- Dept. of Psychological Sciences, Pedagogy and Formation, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - D Cancemi
- Dept. of Psychological Sciences, Pedagogy and Formation, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - M Cardaci
- Dept. of Psychological Sciences, Pedagogy and Formation, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Technologies of Knowledge Interdepartmental Center (C.I.T.C.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - M S Magnusson
- Human Behavior Laboratory, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - G Crescimanno
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (Bio.Ne.C.), Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Technologies of Knowledge Interdepartmental Center (C.I.T.C.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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18
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Casarrubea M, Faulisi F, Magnusson MS, Crescimanno G. The effects of morphine on the temporal structure of Wistar rat behavioral response to pain in hot-plate. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:2891-900. [PMID: 27235015 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4334-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The largest amount of researches on the hot-plate test was carried out using quantitative assessments. However, the evaluation of the relationships among the different elements that compose the behavioral response to pain requires different approaches. Although previous studies have provided clear information on the behavioral structure of the response, no data are available on its temporal structure. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to investigate the temporal structure of the behavioral response to pain in Wistar rat tested in hot-plate and how this structure was influenced by morphine-induced analgesia. METHODS The behavior of four groups of subjects tested in hot-plate, one administered saline and three with different doses (3, 6, 12 mg/kg) of morphine IP, was analyzed by means of quantitative and t-pattern analyses. The latter is a multivariate technique able to detect the existence of statistically significant temporal relationships among the behavioral events in time. RESULTS A clear-cut influence of morphine on quantitative parameters of the response to the noxious stimulation was observed. T-pattern analysis evidenced profound structural changes of behavior. Twenty-four different t-patterns were identified following saline, whereas a dose-dependent reduction was observed following morphine. Such a reduction was accompanied by a decrease of the total amount of t-patterns detected. CONCLUSIONS Morphine, by reducing the effects of the noxious stimulation, orients animal behavior prevalently toward exploratory t-patterns. In addition, it is suggested that the temporal structure of the response is very quickly organized and adapted to environmental noxious cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section, University of Palermo, Corso Tukory 129, 90134, Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabiana Faulisi
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section, University of Palermo, Corso Tukory 129, 90134, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section, University of Palermo, Corso Tukory 129, 90134, Palermo, Italy.
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Watson DJG, King MV, Gyertyán I, Kiss B, Adham N, Fone KCF. The dopamine D₃-preferring D₂/D₃ dopamine receptor partial agonist, cariprazine, reverses behavioural changes in a rat neurodevelopmental model for schizophrenia. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2016; 26:208-224. [PMID: 26723167 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Revised: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Current antipsychotic medication is largely ineffective against the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. One promising therapeutic development is to design new molecules that balance actions on dopamine D2 and D3 receptors to maximise benefits and limit adverse effects. This study used two rodent paradigms to investigate the action of the dopamine D3-preferring D3/D2 receptor partial agonist cariprazine. In adult male rats, cariprazine (0.03-0.3 mg/kg i.p.), and the atypical antipsychotic aripiprazole (1-3 mg/kg i.p.) caused dose-dependent reversal of a delay-induced impairment in novel object recognition (NOR). Treating neonatal rat pups with phencyclidine (PCP) and subsequent social isolation produced a syndrome of behavioural alterations in adulthood including hyperactivity in a novel arena, deficits in NOR and fear motivated learning and memory, and a reduction and change in pattern of social interaction accompanied by increased ultrasonic vocalisations (USVs). Acute administration of cariprazine (0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg) and aripiprazole (3 mg/kg) to resultant adult rats reduced neonatal PCP-social isolation induced locomotor hyperactivity and reversed NOR deficits. Cariprazine (0.3 mg/kg) caused a limited reversal of the social interaction deficit but neither drug affected the change in USVs or the deficit in fear motivated learning and memory. Results suggest that in the behavioural tests investigated cariprazine is at least as effective as aripiprazole and in some paradigms it showed additional beneficial features further supporting the advantage of combined dopamine D3/D2 receptor targeting. These findings support recent clinical studies demonstrating the efficacy of cariprazine in treatment of negative symptoms and functional impairment in schizophrenia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J G Watson
- School of Life Sciences, Queen׳s Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Madeleine V King
- School of Life Sciences, Queen׳s Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Istvan Gyertyán
- Pharmacological and Safety Research, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői út 19-21, Budapest H-1103 Hungary
| | - Béla Kiss
- Pharmacological and Safety Research, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői út 19-21, Budapest H-1103 Hungary
| | - Nika Adham
- Forest Research Institute, Inc., Harborside Financial Center, Plaza V, Jersey City, NJ 07311, USA
| | - Kevin C F Fone
- School of Life Sciences, Queen׳s Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
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20
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Casarrubea M, Faulisi F, Caternicchia F, Santangelo A, Di Giovanni G, Benigno A, Magnusson MS, Crescimanno G. Temporal patterns of rat behaviour in the central platform of the elevated plus maze. Comparative analysis between male subjects of strains with different basal levels of emotionality. J Neurosci Methods 2015; 268:155-62. [PMID: 26247889 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2015.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We have analyzed the temporal patterns of behaviour of male rats of the Wistar and DA/Han strains on the central platform of the elevated plus maze. The ethogram encompassed 10 behavioural elements. Durations, frequencies and latencies showed quantitative differences as to walking and sniffing activities. Wistar rats displayed significantly lower latency and significantly higher durations and frequencies of walking activities. DA/Han rats showed a significant increase of sniffing duration. In addition, DA/Han rats showed a significantly higher amount of time spent in the central platform. Multivariate T-pattern analysis revealed differences in the temporal organization of behaviour of the two rat strains. DA/Han rats showed (a) higher behavioural complexity and variability and (b) a significantly higher mean number of T-patterns than Wistar rats. Taken together, T-pattern analysis of behaviour in the centre of the elevated plus maze can noticeably improve the detection of subtle features of anxiety related behaviour. We suggest that T-pattern analysis could be used as sensitive tool to test the action of anxiolytic and anxiogenic manipulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Casarrubea
- Dept of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - F Faulisi
- Dept of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - F Caternicchia
- Dept of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - A Santangelo
- Dept of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| | - G Di Giovanni
- Dept of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
| | - A Benigno
- Dept of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - M S Magnusson
- Human Behavior Laboratory, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
| | - G Crescimanno
- Dept of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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Ruvalcaba-Delgadillo Y, Luquín S, Ramos-Zúñiga R, Feria-Velasco A, González-Castañeda RE, Pérez-Vega MI, Jáuregui-Huerta F, García-Estrada J. Early-life exposure to noise reduces mPFC astrocyte numbers and T-maze alternation/discrimination task performance in adult male rats. Noise Health 2015; 17:216-26. [PMID: 26168952 PMCID: PMC4900483 DOI: 10.4103/1463-1741.160703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
In this experiment, we evaluated the long-term effects of noise by assessing both astrocyte changes in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and mPFC-related alternation/discrimination tasks. Twenty-one-day-old male rats were exposed during a period of 15 days to a standardized rats' audiogram-fitted adaptation of a human noisy environment. We measured serum corticosterone (CORT) levels at the end of the exposure and periodically registered body weight gain. In order to evaluate the long-term effects of this exposure, we assessed the rats' performance on the T-maze apparatus 3 months later. Astrocyte numbers and proliferative changes in mPFC were also evaluated at this stage. We found that environmental noise (EN) exposure significantly increased serum CORT levels and negatively affected the body weight gain curve. Accordingly, enduring effects of noise were demonstrated on mPFC. The ability to solve alternation/discrimination tasks was reduced, as well as the number of astroglial cells. We also found reduced cytogenesis among the mPFC areas evaluated. Our results support the idea that early exposure to environmental stressors may have long-lasting consequences affecting complex cognitive processes. These results also suggest that glial changes may become an important element behind the cognitive and morphological alterations accompanying the PFC changes seen in some stress-related pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sonia Luquín
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | | | - Alfredo Feria-Velasco
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | | | | | | | - Joaquín García-Estrada
- Department of Neurosciences, CIBO, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Guadalajara, Mexico
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Prenatal administration of lipopolysaccharide induces sex-dependent changes in glutamic acid decarboxylase and parvalbumin in the adult rat brain. Neuroscience 2015; 287:78-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Casarrubea M, Faulisi F, Sorbera F, Crescimanno G. The effects of different basal levels of anxiety on the behavioral shift analyzed in the central platform of the elevated plus maze. Behav Brain Res 2014; 281:55-61. [PMID: 25510198 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the present research was to study the effects of different basal levels of anxiety on the behavioral shift studied in the central platform of the elevated plus maze. To this purpose, quantitative and multivariate analyses, the latter based on transition matrix elaboration, were carried out on Wistar and on DA/Han rats the latter belonging to a strain characterized by different reactivity to anxiogenic stimuli. Wistar rats spent 74.11±5.11 s in the central platform, whereas DA/Han significantly more: 127.08±9.87. Per cent distributions evidenced a clear-cut difference in walking activities (46.25% in Wistar, 28.4% in DA/Han rats) and in the sniffing activities (45.82% in Wistar, 62.54% in DA/Han). Mean frequencies of each behavioral element showed in DA/Han strain a value significantly lower than in Wistar for central-platform entry, open arm-entry and closed-arm entry and a significant higher value for central- platform sniffing, open-arm sniffing and corner-rearing. Moreover, the ratio open-arm entry/open-arm sniffing and closed-arm entry/closed-arm-sniffing showed significant higher values in the Wistar strain. Finally, by means of hierarchical clustering analysis, strong differences between the two strains were observed in the behavioral architecture: a cascade-shaped dendrogram, branching from Walking activities, indicates that Wistar rat behavior is oriented to cross the central platform so to rapidly reach an arm; on the contrary, the dendrogram of DA/Han rats displays a behavior heavily oriented toward the permanence in the central platform. The results show that different basal levels of anxiety provoke significant differences in the behavioral shift studied in the central platform of the elevated plus maze. Such differences, evidenced by means of transition matrices elaboration, might represent the behavioral expression of anxiety-induced modifications of decision making process underlying behavioral shift activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section, Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Fabiana Faulisi
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section, Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Filippina Sorbera
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section, Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Dept. of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section, Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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24
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Calcagnoli F, de Boer SF, Althaus M, den Boer JA, Koolhaas JM. Antiaggressive activity of central oxytocin in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 229:639-51. [PMID: 23624810 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3124-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2012] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE A substantial body of research suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin promotes social affiliative behaviors in a wide range of animals including humans. However, its antiaggressive action has not been unequivocally demonstrated in male laboratory rodents. OBJECTIVE Our primary goal was to examine the putative serenic effect of oxytocin in a feral strain (wild type Groningen, WTG) of rats that generally show a much broader variation and higher levels of intermale aggression than commonly used laboratory strains of rats. METHODS Resident animals were intracerebroventricularly (icv) administered with different doses of synthetic oxytocin and oxytocin receptor antagonist, alone and in combination, in order to manipulate brain oxytocin functioning and to assess their behavioral response to an intruder. RESULTS Our data clearly demonstrate that acute icv administered oxytocin produces dose-dependent and receptor-selective changes in social behavior, reducing aggression and potentiating social exploration. These antiaggressive effects are stronger in the more offensive rats. On the other hand, administration of an oxytocin receptor antagonist tends to increase (nonsignificantly) aggression only in low-medium aggressive animals. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that transiently enhancing brain oxytocin function has potent antiaggressive effects, whereas its attenuation tends to enhance aggressiveness. In addition, a possible inverse relationship between trait aggression and endogenous oxytocinergic signaling is revealed. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of brain oxytocinergic signaling for regulating intermale offensive aggression. This study supports the suggestion that oxytocin receptor agonists could clinically be useful for curbing heightened aggression seen in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders like antisocial personality disorder, autism, and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Calcagnoli
- Department of Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands,
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Camerlink I, Turner S. The pig's nose and its role in dominance relationships and harmful behaviour. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Sciolino NR, Holmes PV. Exercise offers anxiolytic potential: a role for stress and brain noradrenergic-galaninergic mechanisms. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36:1965-84. [PMID: 22771334 PMCID: PMC4815919 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2012] [Revised: 05/01/2012] [Accepted: 06/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Although physical activity reduces anxiety in humans, the neural basis for this response is unclear. Rodent models are essential to understand the mechanisms that underlie the benefits of exercise. However, it is controversial whether exercise exerts anxiolytic-like potential in rodents. Evidence is reviewed to evaluate the effects of wheel running, an experimental mode of exercise in rodents, on behavior in tests of anxiety and on norepinephrine and galanin systems in neural circuits that regulate stress. Stress is proposed to account for mixed behavioral findings in this literature. Indeed, running promotes an adaptive response to stress and alters anxiety-like behaviors in a manner dependent on stress. Running amplifies galanin expression in noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) and suppresses stress-induced activity of the LC and norepinephrine output in LC-target regions. Thus, enhanced galanin-mediated suppression of brain norepinephrine in runners is supported by current literature as a mechanism that may contribute to the stress-protective effects of exercise. These data support the use of rodents to study the emotional and neurobiological consequences of exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natale R. Sciolino
- Neuroscience Program, Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States
| | - Philip V. Holmes
- Neuroscience Program, Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States
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The effects of diazepam on the behavioral structure of the rat's response to pain in the hot-plate test: anxiolysis vs. pain modulation. Neuropharmacology 2012; 63:310-21. [PMID: 22521500 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2011] [Revised: 03/28/2012] [Accepted: 03/31/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate, by means of quantitative and multivariate analyses, the effects of diazepam on the behavioral structure of the rat's response to pain in the hot-plate test as well as whether such changes are associated with drug-induced effects on anxiety and/or nociception. To this purpose, ten groups of male Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with saline, diazepam (0.25, 0.5 and 2 mg/kg), FG-7142 (1, 4 and 8 mg/kg) or morphine (3, 6 and 12 mg/kg). The mean number and mean latency to first appearance were calculated for each behavioral component. In addition, multivariate cluster and adjusted residual analyses based on the elaboration of transition matrices were performed. Three main behavioral categories were identified: exploratory (walking, sniffing), primary noxious-evoked (hind paw licking, front paw licking, shaking/stamping) and escape (climbing, jumping). Although no significant modifications in the latencies of the primary noxious-evoked components were induced by treatment with diazepam or FG-7142, significant effects were provoked by morphine treatment. Multivariate analyses showed that diazepam-induced anxiolysis redirected the rat's behavior toward a more purposeful and effective escape strategy. In contrast, the high level of anxiety induced by FG-7142 caused the behavioral structure to become disorganized and not purposefully oriented. Changes in the organization of behavioral components were observed in morphine-treated animals and mainly consisted of modifications in the primary noxious-evoked and escape components. The findings suggest that the effects of diazepam on the structure of the rat's response to pain in the hot-plate test are more likely attributable to anxiolysis than pain modulation.
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Early social isolation disrupts latent inhibition and increases dopamine D2 receptor expression in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of adult rats. Brain Res 2012; 1447:38-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.01.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2011] [Revised: 11/15/2011] [Accepted: 01/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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T-pattern analysis of diazepam-induced modifications on the temporal organization of rat behavioral response to anxiety in hole board. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2011; 215:177-89. [PMID: 21181125 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-010-2123-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE By means of t-pattern analysis, it has been observed that the different events, characterizing rat behavior in hole board (HB), present close interrelationships which occur sequentially and with significant constraints on the interval lengths separating them. OBJECTIVES The aim of present research was to study, by means of descriptive and multivariate t-pattern analyses, the effects of the reference anxiolytic drug diazepam (DZP) on temporal structure of a rat's anxiety-related behavior in HB. METHODS Fifty-six male Wistar rats were tested for 10 min in HB. Video files, collected for each animal, were coded by means of a software coder, and event log files, generated for each subject, were analyzed by means of a specific software for temporal pattern analysis (t-pattern analysis). RESULTS Significant diazepam-induced modifications were observed for durations of walking, climbing, edge-sniff, and face grooming. Dose-dependent decreases of t-patterns' total amount, of their mean occurrences and of their mean length for each group were detected. Also, t-patterns' mean occurrences, in terms of different composition, were reduced. Percent distributions showed a significant increase of t-patterns including walking for all administered groups, and significant reductions of t-patterns including climbing, immobile sniffing, and edge-sniff. Front-paw licking and face grooming were reduced at the higher DZP dose. CONCLUSIONS Present study demonstrates, for the first time, that the temporal structure of Wistar rats' behavioral response to anxiety in HB changes following pharmacological manipulation of anxiety condition. Moreover, t-pattern analysis is suggested to represent a useful tool to evaluate and compare different classes of anti-anxiety molecules.
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Isolation rearing alters social behaviors and monoamine neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of adult rats. Brain Res 2011; 1385:175-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2010] [Revised: 02/11/2011] [Accepted: 02/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Colonnello V, Iacobucci P, Anderson MP, Panksepp J. Brief periods of positive peer interactions mitigate the effects of total social isolation in young Octodon degus. Dev Psychobiol 2010; 53:280-90. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.20520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2010] [Accepted: 10/18/2010] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Shoji H, Mizoguchi K. Aging-related changes in the effects of social isolation on social behavior in rats. Physiol Behav 2010; 102:58-62. [PMID: 20937292 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2010] [Revised: 10/03/2010] [Accepted: 10/05/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Aging is generally associated with cognitive dysfunction and alterations in emotional response. Moreover, in social situations, aging decreases social interaction with unfamiliar individuals, suggesting the decline of social cognition/motivation and a high level of anxiety. Although it is known that isolation housing has various effects on subsequent behavior, including social interaction depending on the age at isolation, the effects of isolation on aged subjects have not been examined. In the present study, we investigated the effects of aging and different periods of isolation housing on social interaction in male F344/N rats. Young (3-4months old) and aged (24-25months old) rats were either group-housed or socially isolated for 2 or 4weeks. The rats were tested with age-matched and group-housed unfamiliar males in a social interaction test, and social (e.g. approach/following and sniffing) and non-social behaviors (e.g. self-grooming and ambulation) were recorded. The results indicated that group-housed aged rats showed less approach/following, sniffing, and ambulation than group-housed young rats. Moreover, in young rats, isolation housing gradually increased approach/following and sniffing depending on the isolation period. In contrast, in aged rats, more prolonged isolation (4weeks) attenuated the 2-week isolation-induced increase of sniffing behavior and had no effect on approach/following. The present study suggests that aging decreases social investigation and induces high emotional response to a novel social environment, and that the behaviors can be differentially affected by social isolation depending on the age at isolation and the period of isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirotaka Shoji
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, National Institute for Longevity Sciences, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Morioka, Obu, Aichi, Japan.
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Robinson SA, Loiacono RE, Christopoulos A, Sexton PM, Malone DT. The effect of social isolation on rat brain expression of genes associated with endocannabinoid signaling. Brain Res 2010; 1343:153-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.04.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2010] [Revised: 04/14/2010] [Accepted: 04/14/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Casarrubea M, Sorbera F, Magnusson M, Crescimanno G. Temporal patterns analysis of rat behavior in hole-board. Behav Brain Res 2010; 208:124-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2009] [Revised: 11/06/2009] [Accepted: 11/09/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Kelly SJ, Goodlett CR, Hannigan JH. Animal models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: impact of the social environment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 15:200-8. [PMID: 19731387 DOI: 10.1002/ddrr.69] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Animal models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have been used to demonstrate the specificity of alcohol's teratogenic effects and some of the underlying changes in the central nervous system (CNS) and, more recently, to explore ways to ameliorate the effects of alcohol. The main point of this review is to highlight research findings from the animal literature which point to the impact of the social context or social behavior on the effect(s) of alcohol exposure during development, and also to point to research questions about the social environment and effects of prenatal alcohol exposure that remain to be answered. Alcohol exposure during early development alters maternal responding to the exposed pup in a variety of ways and the alteration in maternal responding could alter later stress responsivity and adult maternal and social behavior of the exposed offspring. Environmental enrichment and voluntary exercise have been shown to ameliorate some of alcohol's impact during development, but the roles of enhanced social interactions in the case of enrichment and of social housing during voluntary exercise need to be more fully delineated. Similarly, the role of social context across the lifespan, such as social housing, social experiences, and contact with siblings, needs further study. Because of findings that alcohol during development alters DNA methylation patterns and that there are alterations in the maternal care of the alcohol-exposed offspring, epigenetic effects and their relationship to social behavior in animal models of FASD are likely to become a fruitful area of research. Because of the simpler social behavior and the short lifespan of rodents, animal models of FASD can be useful in determining how the social context impacts the effects of alcohol exposure during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra J Kelly
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA.
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36
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Multivariate data handling in the study of rat behavior: An integrated approach. Behav Res Methods 2009; 41:772-81. [DOI: 10.3758/brm.41.3.772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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37
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Wedzony K, Fijal K, Mackowiak M, Chocyk A, Zajaczkowski W. Impact of postnatal blockade of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors on rat behavior: A search for a new developmental model of schizophrenia. Neuroscience 2008; 153:1370-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2008] [Revised: 02/11/2008] [Accepted: 03/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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38
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Casarrubea M, Sorbera F, Crescimanno G. Multivariate analysis of the modifications induced by an environmental acoustic cue on rat exploratory behavior. Physiol Behav 2008; 93:687-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2007] [Revised: 11/05/2007] [Accepted: 11/07/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Tsoory M, Guterman A, Richter-Levin G. Exposure to stressors during juvenility disrupts development-related alterations in the PSA-NCAM to NCAM expression ratio: potential relevance for mood and anxiety disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology 2008; 33:378-93. [PMID: 17429411 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Childhood trauma is associated with higher rates of both mood and anxiety disorders in adulthood. The exposure of rats to stressors during juvenility has comparable effects, and was suggested as a model of induced predisposition for these disorders. The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and its polysialylated form PSA-NCAM are critically involved in neural development, activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, and learning processes. We examined the effects of exposure to stressors during juvenility on coping with stressors in adulthood and on NCAM and PSA-NCAM expression within the rat limbic system both soon after the exposure and in adulthood. Exposure to stressors during juvenility reduced novel-setting exploration and impaired two-way shuttle avoidance learning in adulthood. Among naive rats, a development-related decrease of about 50% was evident in the PSA-NCAM to NCAM expression ratio in the basolateral amygdala, in the CA1 and dentate gyrus regions of the hippocampus, and in the entorhinal cortex. In juvenile-stressed rats, we found no such decrease, but rather an increase in the polysialylation of NCAM ( approximately 50%), evident soon after the exposure to juvenile stress and also in adulthood. Our results suggest that exposure to stressors during juvenility alters the maturation of the limbic system, and potentially underlies the predisposition to exhibit stress-related symptoms in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Tsoory
- Department of Psychology, The Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel
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40
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Fernández Campón F. Group foraging in the colonial spider Parawixia bistriata (Araneidae): effect of resource levels and prey size. Anim Behav 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.02.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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41
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Arakawa H. Ontogenetic interaction between social relationships and defensive burying behavior in the rat. Physiol Behav 2007; 90:751-9. [PMID: 17291551 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2006] [Revised: 12/12/2006] [Accepted: 12/22/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The present experiments clarify sexual and social relationship factors related to the development of defensive burying behavior in rats. Rats were raised in isolation, or in a variety of pairs differing in sex, age or familiarity during the juvenile and post-juvenile period. In Experiment 1, decreased burying behavior was found in both male and female rats during the juvenile stage when they were reared in isolation, or with an adult female, or for males reared with a same-age female. In Experiment 2, female rats isolated during the juvenile stage who were reared after the juvenile stage with a same-sex, non-isolated rat, showed as much burying behavior as rats reared with a littermate; this was not found for male rats. When both male and female rats isolated during the juvenile stage were reared with each other after isolation, they maintained reduced burying behavior in adulthood. These sex differences in the effect of different social groupings are likely due to the differences in social relationships during the juvenile and after puberty, when social dominance relationships emerge in male rats. In Experiment 3, the effects of social dominance relationships on burying behavior were investigated in male rats. Subordination increased the freezing tendency as a passive defense, while social tension accompanied with rearing with an adult male produced decreased burying behavior as a proactive defense. These findings suggest that affiliative relationships involving playful contacts activate and maintain burying behavior, but familiarity is not a significant factor, while dominance relationships modulate the patterns of burying behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Arakawa
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Nagoya University, Japan.
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Tsoory M, Cohen H, Richter-Levin G. Juvenile stress induces a predisposition to either anxiety or depressive-like symptoms following stress in adulthood. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2007; 17:245-56. [PMID: 16889944 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2006.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2006] [Revised: 05/30/2006] [Accepted: 06/20/2006] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies indicate that childhood trauma is predominantly associated with later emergence of several stress-related psychopathologies. While most 'early-stress' animal models focus on pre-weaning exposure, we examined the consequences of exposure to stress during the early pre-pubertal period, "juvenile stress", on adulthood stress responses. Following two different juvenile stress protocols, predator scent or short-term variable stress, we examined adulthood stress responses using the elevated plus-maze and startle response or exploration and avoidance learning. Employing Cut-off Behavioral Criteria analyses of clustering symptoms on the rats' altered stress responses discriminated between different patterns of maladaptive behaviors. Exposure to either juvenile stress protocols resulted in lasting alteration of stress responses with the majority of rats exhibiting anxiety-like behaviors, while the remaining third displayed depressive-like behaviors. The results suggest that the presented "Juvenile stress" model may be relevant to the reported predisposition to develop both anxiety and depression following childhood trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Tsoory
- Department of Psychology and The Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905 Haifa, Israel
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Olsson IAS, Westlund K. More than numbers matter: The effect of social factors on behaviour and welfare of laboratory rodents and non-human primates. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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44
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Arakawa H. Age-dependent change in exploratory behavior of male rats following exposure to threat stimulus: Effect of juvenile experience. Dev Psychobiol 2007; 49:522-30. [PMID: 17577238 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The ontogeny of exploratory behavior depending on the intensity of threat in a modified open-field was investigated in male rats aged 40, 65, and 130 days, by comparing with less threatening condition with no shock and more threatening condition where they were exposed to mild electric shock. The number of crossings in a dim peripheral alley was counted as the level of activity. The total duration of stay in the central area was measured as the level of exploration. The number of entries and stretch-attend postures into a bright center square were measured as active exploratory behavior and the risk assessment behavior, respectively. When exposed to mild shock prior to the test, 40-day-old rats decreased these exploratory behaviors, while 65- and 130-day-old rats increased active exploratory behavior (Experiment 1). A lower level of exploratory behavior following a mild shock was found in 65 and 130-day-old rats isolated during the juvenile stage, but not in rats isolated after puberty (Experiment 2). These findings suggest that the direction of changes in exploratory behavior of male rats following an increase in potential danger showed ontogenetic transition, which is mediated by social experiences as juveniles, but not as adults. This transition may be associated with the emergence of active exploratory behavior during the juvenile stage, which is activated by social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Arakawa
- Department of Psychology Graduate School of Letters Nagoya University, Furo-cho Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
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Tsoory MM, Vouimba RM, Akirav I, Kavushansky A, Avital A, Richter-Levin G. Amygdala modulation of memory-related processes in the hippocampus: potential relevance to PTSD. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2007; 167:35-51. [PMID: 18037005 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(07)67003-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A key assumption in the study of stress-induced cognitive and neurobiological modifications is that alterations in hippocampal functioning after stress are due to an excessive activity exerted by the amygdala on the hippocampus. Research so far focused on stress-induced impairment of hippocampal plasticity and memory but an exposure to stress may simultaneously also result in strong emotional memories. In fact, under normal conditions emotionally charged events are better remembered compared with neutral ones. Results indicate that under these conditions there is an increase in activity within the amygdala that may lead to memory of a different quality. Studying the way emotionality activates the amygdala and the functional impact of this activation we found that the amygdala modulates memory-related processes in other brain areas, such as the hippocampus. However, this modulation is complex, involving both enhancing and suppressing effects, depending on the way the amygdala is activated and the hippocampal subregion examined. The current review summarizes our findings and attempts to put them in context with the impact of an exposure to a traumatic experience, in which there is a mixture of a strong memory of some aspects of the experience but impaired memory of other aspects of that experience. Toward that end, we have recently developed an animal model for the induction of predisposition to stress-related disorders, focusing on the consequences of exposure to stressors during juvenility on the ability to cope with stress in adulthood. Exposing juvenile-stressed rats to an additional stressful challenge in adulthood revealed their impairment to cope with stress and resulted in significant elevation of the amygdala. Interestingly, and similar to our electrophysiological findings, differential effects were observed between the impact of the emotional challenge on CA1 and dentate gyrus subregions of the hippocampus. Taken together, the results indicate that long-term alterations within the amygdala contribute to stress-related mnemonic symptoms and suggest that elucidating further these intra-amygdala alterations and their effects on modulating other brain regions is likely to be beneficial for the development of novel approaches to treat stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Tsoory
- Department of Psychology and the Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Dudink S, Simonse H, Marks I, de Jonge FH, Spruijt BM. Announcing the arrival of enrichment increases play behaviour and reduces weaning-stress-induced behaviours of piglets directly after weaning. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2005.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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47
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The effects of individual housing on mice and rats: a review. Anim Welf 2006. [DOI: 10.1017/s0962728600030669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
AbstractIsolating an animal refers to the situation where the animal is physically fully demarcated from conspecifics without physical, visual, olfactory and auditory contact. Animals housed in separate cages in the same room are, although deprived of physical and visual contact, still in olfactory and auditory contact, and thus not totally isolated. During the fifties and sixties several studies claimed to show physiological and behavioural differences between individually and group housed rats and mice. The so-called ‘Isolation Syndrome’ characterised by changes in corticosterone levels, metabolism, growth, and behaviour was introduced, rather as a model for psychoneurosis than through any concern for animal welfare. Today, it is often stated as common knowledge in laboratory animal science textbooks that individual housing as well as isolation of rats and mice has an effect on physiology and behaviour. It is, however, unclear whether this effect actually impairs animal welfare.The aim of this paper is to analyse studies on individual housing of mice and rats to evaluate whether there is documented proof that individual housing affects welfare, and, alternatively whether it is possible to house these animals individually without negative impact on welfare, eg by providing special housing improvements.A range of studies have shown that individual housing or isolation has effects on corticosterone, the open field behaviour, barbiturate sleeping time and the metabolism of different pharmaceuticals in the animals. However, this review of 37 studies in rats and 17 studies in mice showed divergence in test results difficult to explain, as many studies lacked basal information about the study, eg information on genetic strains and housing conditions, such as bedding, enrichment and cage sizes. Furthermore, test and control groups most frequently differed in cage sizes and stocking densities, and behavioural tests differed in ways which may very well explain the differences in results. Overall, there seemed to be an effect of individual housing, although it may be small, and it seems reasonable to assume that, through making small changes in the procedures and housing environments, the effects can be minimised or even eliminated. More well-controlled and standardised studies are needed to give more specific answers to the questions this issue poses.
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Le Pen G, Gourevitch R, Hazane F, Hoareau C, Jay TM, Krebs MO. Peri-pubertal maturation after developmental disturbance: a model for psychosis onset in the rat. Neuroscience 2006; 143:395-405. [PMID: 16973297 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2006] [Revised: 06/30/2006] [Accepted: 08/01/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is thought to be associated with abnormalities during neurodevelopment although those disturbances usually remain silent until puberty; suggesting that postnatal brain maturation precipitates the emergence of psychosis. In an attempt to model neurodevelopmental defects in the rat, brain cellular proliferation was briefly interrupted with methylazoxymethanol (MAM) during late gestation at embryonic day 17 (E17). The litters were explored at pre- and post-puberty and compared with E17 saline-injected rats. We measured spontaneous and provoked locomotion, working memory test, social interaction, and prepulse inhibition (PPI). As compared with the saline-exposed rats, the E17 MAM-exposed rats exhibited spontaneous hyperactivity that emerged only after puberty. At adulthood, they also exhibited hypersensitivity to the locomotor activating effects of a mild stress and a glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist (MK-801), as well as PPI deficits whereas before puberty no perturbations were observed. In addition, spatial working memory did not undergo the normal peri-pubertal maturation seen in the sham rats. Social interaction deficits were observed in MAM rats, at both pre- and post-puberty. Our study further confirms that transient prenatal disruption of neurogenesis by MAM at E17 is a valid behavioral model for schizophrenia as it is able to reproduce some fundamental features of schizophrenia with respect to both phenomenology and temporal pattern of the onset of symptoms and deficits.
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MESH Headings
- Age Factors
- Analysis of Variance
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Behavior, Animal/physiology
- Brain/drug effects
- Brain/growth & development
- Disease Models, Animal
- Dizocilpine Maleate/pharmacology
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Drug Interactions
- Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/pharmacology
- Female
- Inhibition, Psychological
- Interpersonal Relations
- Maze Learning/drug effects
- Maze Learning/physiology
- Methylazoxymethanol Acetate/analogs & derivatives
- Motor Activity/drug effects
- Motor Activity/physiology
- Pregnancy
- Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
- Psychotic Disorders/etiology
- Psychotic Disorders/physiopathology
- Rats
- Recognition, Psychology/drug effects
- Recognition, Psychology/physiology
- Reflex, Startle/drug effects
- Reflex, Startle/physiology
- Time Factors
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Affiliation(s)
- G Le Pen
- INSERM, U796, Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders, University Paris Descartes, Sainte-Anne Hospital, Centre Paul Broca, Paris F-75014 France.
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49
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Vieira ML, Garcia MP, Rau DDW, Prado AB. Effects of different opportunities for social interaction on the play fighting behavior in male and female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Dev Psychobiol 2006; 47:345-53. [PMID: 16284966 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
After social isolation, animals play significantly more than nonisolated animals. However, it is not always possible to affirm that the effect of the social isolation is due to the lack of play. Experimentally, selective privation has been used, such as allowing the animals to play during periods of the day. In the present study, two experiments were carried out to verify the possible differences in the play fighting behavior of golden hamsters that were allowed to have different daily periods of social interaction (10 min, 1 hr, or 2 hr). Through the statistical analysis, it was shown that males play more than females and that periods of up to 2 hr daily for interaction are insufficient to avoid the short-term effects of isolation. It is concluded that a period of daily social interaction greater than 2 hr is needed to offset the effects of social isolation in golden hamsters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Luís Vieira
- Departamento de Psicologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Campus Universitário, Trindade Florianópolis (SC), Brazil.
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50
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Arakawa H. Interaction between isolation rearing and social development on exploratory behavior in male rats. Behav Processes 2005; 70:223-34. [PMID: 16102906 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2005.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2005] [Revised: 07/10/2005] [Accepted: 07/10/2005] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The effect of isolation on exploratory behavior has been shown to differ depending on the developmental stages of male rats. However, there has been little systematic comparison of the frequencies and the patterns of exploratory behavior across the developmental stages. The present study assessed the frequencies of exploration using the emergence test and exploratory patterns in the open-field test in three developmental stages of male rats: juvenile, post-puberty, and adult. A lower propensity for exploration was observed in rats isolated during the juvenile stage, as assessed by increased latency and decreased duration of exploratory behaviors compared to pair-reared rats, and this tendency was maintained in adulthood. Altered patterns of exploratory behavior were demonstrated both in rats isolated in adulthood, who showed an increased active pattern, and those pair-reared following puberty, who shifted to a more passive pattern. However, rats isolated during the juvenile stage did not change their exploratory patterns following puberty. These results suggest that the changes in the exploratory pattern, which can be observed in adulthood, are associated with the emergence of adult-like dominance relationships. Juvenile-isolated rats did not show these changes following puberty, suggesting the importance of social interaction as juveniles for the ontogenetic emergence of behavioral flexibility implicated in the regulation of exploratory patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Arakawa
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
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