1
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Socrates AJ, Mullins N, Gur RC, Gur RE, Stahl E, O'Reilly PF, Reichenberg A, Jones H, Zammit S, Velthorst E. Polygenic risk of social isolation behavior and its influence on psychopathology and personality. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02617-2. [PMID: 38811692 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02617-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Social isolation has been linked to a range of psychiatric issues, but the behavioral component that drives it is not well understood. Here, a genome-wide associations study (GWAS) was carried out to identify genetic variants that contribute specifically to social isolation behavior (SIB) in up to 449,609 participants from the UK Biobank. 17 loci were identified at genome-wide significance, contributing to a 4% SNP-based heritability estimate. Using the SIB GWAS, polygenic risk scores (PRS) were derived in ALSPAC, an independent, developmental cohort, and used to test for association with self-reported friendship scores, comprising items related to friendship quality and quantity, at age 12 and 18 to determine whether genetic predisposition manifests during childhood development. At age 18, friendship scores were associated with the SIB PRS, demonstrating that the genetic factors can predict related social traits in late adolescence. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) score correlation using the SIB GWAS demonstrated genetic correlations with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, major depressive disorder (MDD), educational attainment, extraversion, and loneliness. However, no evidence of causality was found using a conservative Mendelian randomization approach between SIB and any of the traits in either direction. Genomic Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) revealed a common factor contributing to SIB, neuroticism, loneliness, MDD, and ASD, weakly correlated with a second common factor that contributes to psychiatric and psychotic traits. Our results show that SIB contributes a small heritable component, which is associated genetically with other social traits such as friendship as well as psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Socrates
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl., New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Niamh Mullins
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl., New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl., New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl., New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Ruben C Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine and the Lifespan Brain Institute, Penn Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Raquel E Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine and the Lifespan Brain Institute, Penn Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Eli Stahl
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl., New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Regeneron Genetics Centre, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Paul F O'Reilly
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl., New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Abraham Reichenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl., New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Hannah Jones
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2PR, UK
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2PR, UK
| | - Stanley Zammit
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2PR, UK
- Centre for Academic Mental Health, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2PR, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Eva Velthorst
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl., New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Research, Mental Health Organization "GGZ Noord-Holland-Noord,", Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands
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2
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Patterson SK, Petersen RM, Brent LJN, Snyder-Mackler N, Lea AJ, Higham JP. Natural Animal Populations as Model Systems for Understanding Early Life Adversity Effects on Aging. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:681-692. [PMID: 37279895 PMCID: PMC10503476 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Adverse experiences in early life are associated with aging-related disease risk and mortality across many species. In humans, confounding factors, as well as the difficulty of directly measuring experiences and outcomes from birth till death, make it challenging to identify how early life adversity impacts aging and health. These challenges can be mitigated, in part, through the study of non-human animals, which are exposed to parallel forms of adversity and can age similarly to humans. Furthermore, studying the links between early life adversity and aging in natural populations of non-human animals provides an excellent opportunity to better understand the social and ecological pressures that shaped the evolution of early life sensitivities. Here, we highlight ongoing and future research directions that we believe will most effectively contribute to our understanding of the evolution of early life sensitivities and their repercussions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam K Patterson
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York City, 10003, USA
| | - Rachel M Petersen
- Department of Biological Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232, USA
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, United Kingdom
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85281, USA
| | - Amanda J Lea
- Department of Biological Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37232, USA
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Study, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York City, 10003, USA
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3
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Siracusa ER, Pereira AS, Brask JB, Negron-Del Valle JE, Phillips D, Platt ML, Higham JP, Snyder-Mackler N, Brent LJN. Ageing in a collective: the impact of ageing individuals on social network structure. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220061. [PMID: 36802789 PMCID: PMC9939263 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Ageing affects many phenotypic traits, but its consequences for social behaviour have only recently become apparent. Social networks emerge from associations between individuals. The changes in sociality that occur as individuals get older are thus likely to impact network structure, yet this remains unstudied. Here we use empirical data from free-ranging rhesus macaques and an agent-based model to test how age-based changes in social behaviour feed up to influence: (i) an individual's level of indirect connectedness in their network and (ii) overall patterns of network structure. Our empirical analyses revealed that female macaques became less indirectly connected as they aged for some, but not for all network measures examined. This suggests that indirect connectivity is affected by ageing, and that ageing animals can remain well integrated in some social contexts. Surprisingly, we did not find evidence for a relationship between age distribution and the structure of female macaque networks. We used an agent-based model to gain further understanding of the link between age-based differences in sociality and global network structure, and under which circumstances global effects may be detectable. Overall, our results suggest a potentially important and underappreciated role of age in the structure and function of animal collectives, which warrants further investigation. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin R. Siracusa
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - André S. Pereira
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
- Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Josefine Bohr Brask
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Daniel Phillips
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Arizona, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Cayo Biobank Research Unit
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
- Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Arizona, AZ 85281, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona, AZ 85281, USA
- School for Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Arizona, AZ 85281, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Arizona, AZ 85281, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona, AZ 85281, USA
- School for Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Arizona, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Lauren J. N. Brent
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
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4
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Johnson KVA, Watson KK, Dunbar RIM, Burnet PWJ. Sociability in a non-captive macaque population is associated with beneficial gut bacteria. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1032495. [PMID: 36439813 PMCID: PMC9691693 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1032495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between social behaviour and the microbiome is known to be reciprocal. Research in wild animal populations, particularly in primate social groups, has revealed the role that social interactions play in microbial transmission, whilst studies in laboratory animals have demonstrated that the gut microbiome can affect multiple aspects of behaviour, including social behaviour. Here we explore behavioural variation in a non-captive animal population with respect to the abundance of specific bacterial genera. Social behaviour based on grooming interactions is assessed in a population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and combined with gut microbiome data. We focus our analyses on microbiome genera previously linked to sociability and autistic behaviours in rodents and humans. We show in this macaque population that some of these genera are also related to an individual's propensity to engage in social interactions. Interestingly, we find that several of the genera positively related to sociability, such as Faecalibacterium, are well known for their beneficial effects on health and their anti-inflammatory properties. In contrast, the genus Streptococcus, which includes pathogenic species, is more abundant in less sociable macaques. Our results indicate that microorganisms whose abundance varies with individual social behaviour also have functional links to host immune status. Overall, these findings highlight the connections between social behaviour, microbiome composition, and health in an animal population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina V.-A. Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Katerina V.-A. Johnson,
| | - Karli K. Watson
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Robin I. M. Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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5
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Genetic, maternal, and environmental influences on sociality in a pedigreed primate population. Heredity (Edinb) 2022; 129:203-214. [PMID: 36056208 PMCID: PMC9519975 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00558-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Various aspects of sociality in mammals (e.g., dyadic connectedness) are linked with measures of biological fitness (e.g., longevity). How within- and between-individual variation in relevant social traits arises in uncontrolled wild populations is challenging to determine but is crucial for understanding constraints on the evolution of sociality. We use an advanced statistical method, known as the 'animal model', which incorporates pedigree information, to look at social, genetic, and environmental influences on sociality in a long-lived wild primate. We leverage a longitudinal database spanning 20 years of observation on individually recognized white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus imitator), with a multi-generational pedigree. We analyze two measures of spatial association, using repeat sampling of 376 individuals (mean: 53.5 months per subject, range: 6-185 months per subject). Conditioned on the effects of age, sex, group size, seasonality, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation phases, we show low to moderate long-term repeatability (across years) of the proportion of time spent social (posterior mode [95% Highest Posterior Density interval]: 0.207 [0.169, 0.265]) and of average number of partners (0.144 [0.113, 0.181]) (latent scale). Most of this long-term repeatability could be explained by modest heritability (h2social: 0.152 [0.094, 0.207]; h2partners: 0.113 [0.076, 0.149]) with small long-term maternal effects (m2social: 0.000 [0.000, 0.045]; m2partners: 0.000 [0.000, 0.041]). Our models capture the majority of variance in our behavioral traits, with much of the variance explained by temporally changing factors, such as group of residence, highlighting potential limits to the evolvability of our trait due to social and environmental constraints.
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6
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Cooper EB, Brent LJN, Snyder-Mackler N, Singh M, Sengupta A, Khatiwada S, Malaivijitnond S, Qi Hai Z, Higham JP. The natural history of model organisms: the rhesus macaque as a success story of the Anthropocene. eLife 2022; 11:78169. [PMID: 35801697 PMCID: PMC9345599 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Of all the non-human primate species studied by researchers, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is likely the most widely used across biological disciplines. Rhesus macaques have thrived during the Anthropocene and now have the largest natural range of any non-human primate. They are highly social, exhibit marked genetic diversity, and display remarkable niche flexibility (which allows them to live in a range of habitats and survive on a variety of diets). These characteristics mean that rhesus macaques are well-suited for understanding the links between sociality, health and fitness, and also for investigating intra-specific variation, adaptation and other topics in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve B Cooper
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States
| | | | | | - Mewa Singh
- Biopsychology Laboratory, University of Mysore, Mysuru, India
| | | | - Sunil Khatiwada
- Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Garbatka, Poland
| | | | - Zhou Qi Hai
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States
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7
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Testard C, Brent LJN, Andersson J, Chiou KL, Negron-Del Valle JE, DeCasien AR, Acevedo-Ithier A, Stock MK, Antón SC, Gonzalez O, Walker CS, Foxley S, Compo NR, Bauman S, Ruiz-Lambides AV, Martinez MI, Skene JHP, Horvath JE, Unit CBR, Higham JP, Miller KL, Snyder-Mackler N, Montague MJ, Platt ML, Sallet J. Social connections predict brain structure in a multidimensional free-ranging primate society. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl5794. [PMID: 35417242 PMCID: PMC9007502 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl5794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Reproduction and survival in most primate species reflects management of both competitive and cooperative relationships. Here, we investigated the links between neuroanatomy and sociality in free-ranging rhesus macaques. In adults, the number of social partners predicted the volume of the mid-superior temporal sulcus and ventral-dysgranular insula, implicated in social decision-making and empathy, respectively. We found no link between brain structure and other key social variables such as social status or indirect connectedness in adults, nor between maternal social networks or status and dependent infant brain structure. Our findings demonstrate that the size of specific brain structures varies with the number of direct affiliative social connections and suggest that this relationship may arise during development. These results reinforce proposed links between social network size, biological success, and the expansion of specific brain circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Testard
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lauren J. N. Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Kenneth L. Chiou
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Josue E. Negron-Del Valle
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Alex R. DeCasien
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, NYCEP, New York, NY, USA
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, National Institute of Mental Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Michala K. Stock
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Susan C. Antón
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, NYCEP, New York, NY, USA
| | - Olga Gonzalez
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Christopher S. Walker
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Sean Foxley
- Wellcome Integrative Neuroimaging Centre, fMRIB, Oxford, UK
- Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nicole R. Compo
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
- Comparative Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Samuel Bauman
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
| | | | - Melween I. Martinez
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
| | - J. H. Pate Skene
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Julie E. Horvath
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, NYCEP, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Michael J. Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Marketing Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jérôme Sallet
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Integrative Neuroimaging Centre, Oxford, UK
- Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, Inserm, Université Lyon 1, Bron U1208, France
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8
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Effects of early life adversity on maternal effort and glucocorticoids in wild olive baboons. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03056-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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9
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Rivera DS, Lindsay CB, Oliva CA, Bozinovic F, Inestrosa NC. "Live together, die alone": The effect of re-socialization on behavioural performance and social-affective brain-related proteins after a long-term chronic social isolation stress. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 14:100289. [PMID: 33426200 PMCID: PMC7785960 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Loneliness affects group-living mammals triggering a cascade of stress-dependent physiological disorders. Indeed, social isolation stress is a major risk factor for several neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety and depression. Furthermore, social isolation has a negative impact on health and fitness. However, the neurobiological consequences of long-term chronic social isolation stress (LTCSIS) manifested during the adulthood of affected individuals are not fully understood. Our study assessed the impact of LTCSIS and social buffering (re-socialization) on the behavioural performance and social-affective brain-related proteins in diurnal, social, and long-lived Octodon degus (degus). Thereby, anxiety-like and social behaviour, and social recognition memory were assessed in male and female animals subjected to a variety of stress-inducing treatments applied from post-natal and post-weaning until their adulthood. Additionally, we evaluated the relationship among LTCSIS, Oxytocin levels (OXT), and OXT-Ca2+-signalling proteins in the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex. Our findings suggest that LTCSIS induces anxiety like-behaviour and impairs social novelty preference whereas sociability is unaffected. On the other hand, re-socialization can revert both isolation-induced anxiety and social memory impairment. However, OXT and its signalling remained reduced in the abovementioned brain areas, suggesting that the observed changes in OXT-Ca2+ pathway proteins were permanent in male and female degus. Based on these findings, we conclude degus experience social stress differently, suggesting the existence of sex-related mechanisms to cope with specific adaptive challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela S. Rivera
- GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Facultad de Estudios Interdisciplinarios, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carolina B. Lindsay
- Center of Aging and Regeneration UC (CARE-UC), Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carolina A. Oliva
- Center of Aging and Regeneration UC (CARE-UC), Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Bozinovic
- Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nibaldo C. Inestrosa
- Center of Aging and Regeneration UC (CARE-UC), Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Excelencia en Biomedicina de Magallanes (CEBIMA), Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile
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10
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Testard C, Larson SM, Watowich MM, Kaplinsky CH, Bernau A, Faulder M, Marshall HH, Lehmann J, Ruiz-Lambides A, Higham JP, Montague MJ, Snyder-Mackler N, Platt ML, Brent LJN. Rhesus macaques build new social connections after a natural disaster. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2299-2309.e7. [PMID: 33836140 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of weather-related disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and droughts. Understanding resilience and vulnerability to these intense stressors and their aftermath could reveal adaptations to extreme environmental change. In 2017, Puerto Rico suffered its worst natural disaster, Hurricane Maria, which left 3,000 dead and provoked a mental health crisis. Cayo Santiago island, home to a population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), was devastated by the same storm. We compared social networks of two groups of macaques before and after the hurricane and found an increase in affiliative social connections, driven largely by monkeys most socially isolated before Hurricane Maria. Further analysis revealed monkeys invested in building new relationships rather than strengthening existing ones. Social adaptations to environmental instability might predispose rhesus macaques to success in rapidly changing anthropogenic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Testard
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Sam M Larson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Cassandre H Kaplinsky
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary, Social and Interdisciplinary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, Roehampton, UK
| | - Antonia Bernau
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Matthew Faulder
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Harry H Marshall
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Julia Lehmann
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Angelina Ruiz-Lambides
- Carribean Primate Research Center-Cayo Santiago, University of Puerto Rico, Cayo Santiago Island, Puerto Rico
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Michael L Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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11
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Mixture models as a method for comparative sociality: social networks and demographic change in resident killer whales. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03006-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In studies of social behaviour, social bonds are usually inferred from rates of interaction or association. This approach has revealed many important insights into the proximate formation and ultimate function of animal social structures. However, it remains challenging to compare social structure between systems or time-points because extrinsic factors, such as sampling methodology, can also influence the observed rate of association. As a consequence of these methodological challenges, it is difficult to analyse how patterns of social association change with demographic processes, such as the death of key social partners. Here we develop and illustrate the use of binomial mixture models to quantitatively compare patterns of social association between networks. We then use this method to investigate how patterns of social preferences in killer whales respond to demographic change. Resident killer whales are bisexually philopatric, and both sexes stay in close association with their mother in adulthood. We show that mothers and daughters show reduced social association after the birth of the daughter’s first offspring, but not after the birth of an offspring to the mother. We also show that whales whose mother is dead associate more with their opposite sex siblings and with their grandmother than whales whose mother is alive. Our work demonstrates the utility of using mixture models to compare social preferences between networks and between species. We also highlight other potential uses of this method such as to identify strong social bonds in animal populations.
Significance statement
Comparing patters of social associations between systems, or between the same systems at different times, is challenging due to the confounding effects of sampling and methodological differences. Here we present a method to allow social associations to be robustly classified and then compared between networks using binomial mixture models. We illustrate this method by showing how killer whales change their patterns of social association in response to the birth of calves and the death of their mother. We show that after the birth of her calf, females associate less with their mother. We also show that whales’ whose mother is dead associate more with their opposite sex siblings and grandmothers than whales’ whose mother is alive. This clearly demonstrates how this method can be used to examine fine scale temporal processes in animal social systems.
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Tkaczynski PJ, Mielke A, Samuni L, Preis A, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Long-term repeatability in social behaviour suggests stable social phenotypes in wild chimpanzees. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:200454. [PMID: 32968512 PMCID: PMC7481694 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Consistent individual differences in social phenotypes have been observed in many animal species. Changes in demographics, dominance hierarchies or ecological factors, such as food availability or disease prevalence, are expected to influence decision-making processes regarding social interactions. Therefore, it should be expected that individuals show flexibility rather than stability in social behaviour over time to maximize the fitness benefits of social living. Understanding the processes that create and maintain social phenotypes requires data encompassing a range of socioecological settings and variation in intrinsic state or life-history stage or strategy. Using observational data spanning up to 19 years for some individuals, we demonstrate that multiple types of social behaviour are repeatable over the long term in wild chimpanzees, a long-lived species with complex fission-fusion societies. We controlled for temporal, ecological and demographic changes, limiting pseudo-repeatability. We conclude that chimpanzees living in natural ecological settings have relatively stable long-term social phenotypes over years that may be independent of life-history or reproductive strategies. Our results add to the growing body of the literature suggesting consistent individual differences in social tendencies are more likely the rule rather than the exception in group-living animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J. Tkaczynski
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexander Mielke
- School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Liran Samuni
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Anna Preis
- Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Roman M. Wittig
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
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Pereira AS, Rebelo ID, Casanova C, Lee PC, Louca V. The multidimensionality of female mandrill sociality-A dynamic multiplex network approach. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230942. [PMID: 32282851 PMCID: PMC7153875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure and dynamics of primate social groups are shaped by the social relationships of its members. These relationships are based on different types of interactions and vary in relation to the identity of the interactants and over time. Social network analysis tools represent a powerful and comprehensive method to characterise social interactions and recent methodological advances now allow the study of the multidimensionality of sociality via multilayer networks that incorporate multiple types of interactions. Here, we use a multidimensional network approach to investigate the multidimensionality of sociality of females in a captive group of mandrills. We constructed two multiplex networks based on agonistic, proximity and grooming interactions of 6-7 mature females to analyse the multidimensionality of relationships within two independent observation periods; and three multiplex networks (one for each interaction type) to examine how relationships changed between periods. Within each period, different individuals were the most central in each layer and at the multiplex level, and different layers (i.e., interaction types) contributed non-redundant information to the multilayer structure. Across periods, relationships based on the same interaction type also contained non-redundant information. These results indicate that female mandrills engage in multidimensional and dynamic relationships, suggesting that in order to represent the full complexity of relationships, networks need to be constructed from more than a single type of interaction and across time. Our results provide evidence for the potential value of the multilayer network approach to characterise the multidimensionality of primate sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- André S. Pereira
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Inês D. Rebelo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Catarina Casanova
- Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CAPP, Centro de Administracão e Políticas Públicas, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Phyllis C. Lee
- Psychology Division, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
| | - Vasilis Louca
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
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Sosa S, Sueur C, Puga‐Gonzalez I. Network measures in animal social network analysis: Their strengths, limits, interpretations and uses. Methods Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Sosa
- Université de StrasbourgCNRSIPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Université de StrasbourgCNRSIPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- Institut Universitaire de France Paris France
| | - Ivan Puga‐Gonzalez
- Institute for Global Development and Planning University of Agder Kristiansand Norway
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Abstract
John Cacioppo has compared loneliness to hunger or thirst in that it signals that one needs to act and repair what is lacking. This paper reviews Cacioppo's and others' contributions to our understanding of neural mechanisms underlying social motivation in humans and in other social species. We focus particularly on the dopaminergic reward system and try to integrate evidence from animal models and human research. In rodents, objective social isolation leads to increased social motivation, mediated by the brains' mesolimbic dopamine system. In humans, social rejection can lead to either increased or decreased social motivation, and is associated with activity in the insular cortex; while chronic loneliness is typically associated with decreased social motivation but has been associated with altered dopaminergic responses in the striatum. This mixed pattern of cross-species similarities and differences may arise from the substantially different methods used to study unmet social needs across species, and suggests the need for more direct and deliberate cross-species comparative research in this critically important domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Tomova
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kay Tye
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca Saxe
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Bailey NW, Moore AJ. Evolutionary Consequences of Social Isolation. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:595-607. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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