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Hart EN, Palme R, Greenblatt N, Takeshita RSC. Hormonal changes in northern white-cheeked gibbons (Nomascus leucogenys) after the death of a group member. Primates 2024; 65:365-371. [PMID: 39023722 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-024-01145-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
The small apes, gibbons and siamangs, are monogamous species with their social groups comprising of both parents and their offspring. Therefore, the loss of a member may elicit a stress response in the remaining members due to their strong bonds. Glucocorticoids (GCs) have been useful indicators of stress, but distinguishing between acute versus chronic stress may be limited when measuring these hormones alone. The adrenal hormone dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS), a GC antagonist, has been implicated in the regulation of the stress response. Thus, the concomitant measurement of these hormones can help examine whether an event, such as the loss of a group member, elicited a stress response. In this brief report, we discuss the hormonal response of two zoo-housed northern white-cheeked gibbons (Nomascus leucogenys) (1 adolescent male and his mother) after the death of the adult male of the group. Baseline fecal samples were collected opportunistically from these two individuals 5 months prior, and 3 months following the death of their group member. A total of 25 samples were quantified for fecal GC metabolites (FGCMs) and DHEAS by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to calculate the FGCMs:DHEAS ratio. Our results indicate an increase in FGCMs and FGCMs:DHEAS for the adolescent male, but not the adult female, following the death. Our findings suggest that the integration of FGCMs and DHEAS measurements can provide valuable information to interpret individual stress levels to the sudden change in the group's social structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilee N Hart
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, USA
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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2
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Sinha R. Stress and substance use disorders: risk, relapse, and treatment outcomes. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e172883. [PMID: 39145454 PMCID: PMC11324296 DOI: 10.1172/jci172883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Stress has long been associated with substance misuse and substance use disorders (SUDs). The past two decades have seen a surge in research aimed at understanding the underlying mechanisms driving this association. This Review introduces a multilevel "adaptive stress response" framework, encompassing a stress baseline, acute reaction, and recovery with return-to-homeostasis phase that occurs at varying response times and across domains of analysis. It also discusses evidence showing the disruption of this adaptive stress response in the context of chronic and repeated stressors, trauma, adverse social and drug-related environments, as well as with acute and chronic drug misuse and with drug withdrawal and abstinence sequelae. Subjective, cognitive, peripheral, and neurobiological disruptions in the adaptive stress response phases and their link to inflexible, maladaptive coping; increased craving; relapse risk; and maintenance of drug intake are also presented. Finally, the prevention and treatment implications of targeting this "stress pathophysiology of addiction" are discussed, along with specific aspects that may be targeted in intervention development to rescue stress-related alterations in drug motivation and to improve SUD treatment outcomes.
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3
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Stranks J, Heistermann M, Sangmaneedet S, Schülke O, Ostner J. The dynamics of sociality and glucocorticoids in wild male Assamese macaques. Horm Behav 2024; 164:105604. [PMID: 39013354 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
For males of gregarious species, dominance status and the strength of affiliative relationships can have major fitness consequences. Social dynamics also impose costs by affecting glucocorticoids, mediators of homeostasis and indicators of the physiological response to challenges and within-group competition. We investigated the relationships between dominance, social bonds, seasonal challenges, and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGC) measures in wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) at Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, combining behavioural data with 4129 samples from 62 adult males over 15 years. Our previous work on this population suggested that increased competition during the mating season was associated with elevated fGC levels and that, unusually for male primates, lower rank position correlated with higher fGC levels. With a much larger dataset and dynamic measures of sociality, we re-examined these relationships and additionally tested the potentially fGC-attenuating effect of social support. Contrary to our previous study, yet consistent with the majority of work on male primates, dominance rank had a positive relationship with fGC levels, as high status correlated with elevated glucocorticoid measures. fGC levels were increased at the onset of the mating season. We demonstrated an fGC-reducing effect of supportive relationships in males and showed that dynamics in affiliation can correlate with dynamics in physiological responses. Our results suggest that in a system with intermediate contest potential, high dominance status can impose physiological costs on males that may potentially be moderated by social relationships. We highlight the need to consider the dynamics of sociality and competition that influence hormonal processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Stranks
- Behavioral Ecology Department, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany; Primate Social Evolution Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Somboon Sangmaneedet
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Behavioral Ecology Department, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany; Primate Social Evolution Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Julia Ostner
- Behavioral Ecology Department, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany; Primate Social Evolution Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
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4
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Campbell CR, Manser M, Shiratori M, Williams K, Barreiro L, Clutton-Brock T, Tung J. A female-biased gene expression signature of dominance in cooperatively breeding meerkats. Mol Ecol 2024:e17467. [PMID: 39021304 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Dominance is a primary determinant of social dynamics and resource access in social animals. Recent studies show that dominance is also reflected in the gene regulatory profiles of peripheral immune cells. However, the strength and direction of this relationship differs across the species and sex combinations investigated, potentially due to variation in the predictors and energetic consequences of dominance status. Here, we investigated the association between social status and gene expression in the blood of wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta; n = 113 individuals), including in response to lipopolysaccharide, Gardiquimod (an agonist of TLR7, which detects single-stranded RNA in vivo) and glucocorticoid stimulation. Meerkats are cooperatively breeding social carnivores in which breeding females physically outcompete other females to suppress reproduction, resulting in high reproductive skew. They therefore present an opportunity to disentangle the effects of social dominance from those of sex per se. We identify a sex-specific signature of dominance, including 1045 differentially expressed genes in females but none in males. Dominant females exhibit elevated activity in innate immune pathways and a larger fold-change response to LPS challenge. Based on these results and a preliminary comparison to other mammals, we speculate that the gene regulatory signature of social status in the immune system depends on the determinants and energetic costs of social dominance, such that it is most pronounced in hierarchies where physical competition is important and reproductive skew is large. Such a pattern has the potential to mediate life history trade-offs between investment in reproduction versus somatic maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ryan Campbell
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marta Manser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Mari Shiratori
- Section of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Kelly Williams
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Luis Barreiro
- Section of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Tim Clutton-Brock
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Large Animal Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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5
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Rystrom TL, Richter SH, Sachser N, Kaiser S. Social niche shapes social behavior and cortisol concentrations during adolescence in female guinea pigs. Horm Behav 2024; 162:105539. [PMID: 38608380 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Individualized social niches arise in social groups, resulting in divergent social behavior profiles among group members. During sensitive life phases, the individualized social niche can profoundly impact the development of social behavior and associated phenotypes such as hormone (e.g. cortisol) concentrations. Focusing on adolescence, we investigated the relationship between the individualized social niche, social behavior, and cortisol concentrations (baseline and responsiveness) in female guinea pigs. Females were pair-housed in early adolescence (initial social pair formation), and a social niche transition was induced after six weeks by replacing the partner with either a larger or smaller female. Regarding social behavior, dominance status was associated with aggression in both the initial social pairs and after the social niche transition, and the results suggest that aggression was rapidly and completely reshaped after the social niche transition. Meanwhile, submissive behavior was rapidly reshaped after the social niche transition, but this was incomplete. The dominance status attained in the initial social pair affected the extent of submissive behavior after the social niche transition, and this effect was still detected three weeks after the social niche transition. Regarding cortisol concentrations, higher baseline cortisol concentrations were measured in dominant females in the initial social pairs. After the social niche transition, cortisol responsiveness significantly increased for the females paired with a larger, older female relative to those paired with a smaller, younger female. These findings demonstrate that the social niche during adolescence plays a significant role in shaping behavior and hormone concentrations in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor L Rystrom
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
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6
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Veloso-Frías J, Soto-Gamboa M, Mastromonaco G, Acosta-Jamett G. Seasonal Hair Glucocorticoid Fluctuations in Wild Mice ( Phyllotis darwini) within a Semi-Arid Landscape in North-Central Chile. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1260. [PMID: 38731264 PMCID: PMC11083726 DOI: 10.3390/ani14091260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Mammals in drylands face environmental challenges exacerbated by climate change. Currently, human activity significantly impacts these environments, and its effects on the energy demands experienced by individuals have not yet been determined. Energy demand in organisms is managed through elevations in glucocorticoid levels, which also vary with developmental and health states. Here, we assessed how anthropization, individual characteristics, and seasonality influence hair glucocorticoid concentration in the Darwin's leaf-eared mouse (Phyllotis darwini) inhabiting two areas with contrasting anthropogenic intervention in a semi-arid ecosystem of northern Chile. Hair samples were collected (n = 199) to quantify hair corticosterone concentration (HCC) using enzyme immunoassays; additionally, sex, body condition, and ectoparasite load were recorded. There were no differences in HCC between anthropized areas and areas protected from human disturbance; however, higher concentrations were recorded in females, and seasonal fluctuations were experienced by males. The results indicate that animals inhabiting semi-arid ecosystems are differentially stressed depending on their sex. Additionally, sex and season have a greater impact on corticosterone concentration than anthropogenic perturbation, possibly including temporal factors, precipitation, and primary production. The influence of sex and seasonality on HCC in P. darwini make it necessary to include these variables in future stress assessments of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseline Veloso-Frías
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Austral University of Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile;
| | - Mauricio Soto-Gamboa
- Institute of Environmental and Evolutionary Sciences, Austral University of Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile;
| | | | - Gerardo Acosta-Jamett
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Austral University of Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile;
- Center for Surveillance and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (CSEID), Austral University of Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
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7
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Kirkland JM, Edgar EL, Patel I, Feustel P, Belin S, Kopec AM. Synaptic pruning during adolescence shapes adult social behavior in both males and females. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22473. [PMID: 38433422 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Evolutionarily conserved, peer-directed social behaviors are essential to participate in many aspects of human society. These behaviors directly impact psychological, physiological, and behavioral maturation. Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved period during which reward-related behaviors, including social behaviors, develop via developmental plasticity in the mesolimbic dopaminergic "reward" circuitry of the brain. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is an intermediate reward relay center that develops during adolescence and mediates both social behaviors and dopaminergic signaling. In several developing brain regions, synaptic pruning mediated by microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, is important for normal behavioral development. We previously demonstrated that during adolescence, in rats, microglial synaptic pruning shapes the development of NAc and social play behavior in males and females. In this report, we hypothesize that interrupting microglial pruning in NAc during adolescence will have persistent effects on male and female social behavior in adulthood. We found that inhibiting microglial pruning in the NAc during adolescence had different effects on social behavior in males and females. In males, inhibiting pruning increased familiar exploration and increased nonsocial contact. In females, inhibiting pruning did not change familiar exploration behavior but increased active social interaction. This leads us to infer that naturally occurring NAc pruning serves to reduce social behaviors toward a familiar conspecific in both males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Kirkland
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Erin L Edgar
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Ishan Patel
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Paul Feustel
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Sophie Belin
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Ashley M Kopec
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
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8
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Gonzalez SJ, Sherer AJ, Hernández‐Pacheco R. Differential effects of early life adversity on male and female rhesus macaque lifespan. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10689. [PMID: 37937273 PMCID: PMC10626128 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life adversity predicts shorter adult lifespan in several animal taxa. Yet, work on long-lived primate populations suggests the evolution of mechanisms that contribute to resiliency and long lives despite early life insults. Here, we tested associations between individual and cumulative early life adversity and lifespan on rhesus macaques at the Cayo Santiago Biological Field Station using 50 years of demographic data. We performed sex-specific survival analyses at different life stages to contrast short-term effects of adversity (i.e., infant survival) with long-term effects (i.e., adult survival). Female infants showed vulnerability to multiple adversities at birth, but affected females who survived to adulthood experienced a reduced risk later in life. In contrast, male infants showed vulnerability to a lower number of adversities at birth, but those who survived to adulthood were negatively affected by both early life individual and cumulative adversity. Our study shows profound immediate effects of insults on female infant cohorts and suggests that affected female adults are more robust. In contrast, adult males who experienced harsh conditions early in life showed an increased mortality risk at older ages as expected from hypotheses within the life course perspective. Our analysis suggests sex-specific selection pressures on life histories and highlights the need for studies addressing the effects of early life adversity across multiple life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J. Gonzalez
- Department of Biological SciencesCalifornia State UniversityLong BeachCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Anthony J. Sherer
- Department of Biological SciencesCalifornia State UniversityLong BeachCaliforniaUSA
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9
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Battivelli D, Vernochet C, Conabady E, Nguyen C, Zayed A, Lebel A, Meirsman AC, Messaoudene S, Fieggen A, Dreux G, Rigoni D, Le Borgne T, Marti F, Contesse T, Barik J, Tassin JP, Faure P, Parnaudeau S, Tronche F. Dopamine Neuron Activity and Stress Signaling as Links Between Social Hierarchy and Psychopathology Vulnerability. Biol Psychiatry 2023:S0006-3223(23)01600-1. [PMID: 37804900 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.08.029] [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: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social status in humans, generally reflected by socioeconomic status, has been associated, when constrained, with heightened vulnerability to pathologies including psychiatric diseases. Social hierarchy in mice translates into individual and interdependent behavioral strategies of animals within a group. The rules leading to the emergence of a social organization are elusive, and detangling the contribution of social status from other factors, whether environmental or genetic, to normal and pathological behaviors remains challenging. METHODS We investigated the mechanisms shaping the emergence of a social hierarchy in isogenic C57BL/6 mice raised in groups of 4 using conditional mutant mouse models and chemogenetic manipulation of dopamine midbrain neuronal activity. We further studied the evolution of behavioral traits and the vulnerability to psychopathological-like phenotypes according to the social status of the animals. RESULTS Higher sociability predetermined higher social hierarchy in the colony. Upon hierarchy establishment, higher-ranked mice showed increased anxiety and better cognitive abilities in a working memory task. Strikingly, the higher-ranked mice displayed a reduced activity of dopaminergic neurons within the ventral tegmental area, paired with a decreased behavioral response to cocaine and a decreased vulnerability to depressive-like behaviors following repeated social defeats. The pharmacogenetic inhibition of this neuronal population and the genetic inactivation of glucocorticoid receptor signaling in dopamine-sensing brain areas that resulted in decreased dopaminergic activity promoted accession to higher social ranks. CONCLUSIONS Dopamine activity and its modulation by the stress response shapes social organization in mice, potentially linking interindividual and social status differences in vulnerability to psychopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorian Battivelli
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Vernochet
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Estelle Conabady
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Claire Nguyen
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; Neurophysiology and Behavior group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Abdallah Zayed
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Ashley Lebel
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Aura Carole Meirsman
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Sarah Messaoudene
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Fieggen
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Gautier Dreux
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Daiana Rigoni
- Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France; Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire and Cellulaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7275, Valbonne, France
| | - Tinaïg Le Borgne
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; Neurophysiology and Behavior group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Fabio Marti
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; Neurophysiology and Behavior group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Contesse
- Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France; Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire and Cellulaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7275, Valbonne, France
| | - Jacques Barik
- Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France; Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire and Cellulaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7275, Valbonne, France
| | - Jean-Pol Tassin
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Philippe Faure
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; Neurophysiology and Behavior group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Parnaudeau
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
| | - François Tronche
- Gene Regulation and Adaptive Behaviors group, Department of Neuroscience Paris Seine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8246, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1130, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
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10
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Hernández-Pacheco R, Steiner UK, Rosati AG, Tuljapurkar S. Advancing methods for the biodemography of aging within social contexts. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105400. [PMID: 37739326 PMCID: PMC10591901 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Several social dimensions including social integration, status, early-life adversity, and their interactions across the life course can predict health, reproduction, and mortality in humans. Accordingly, the social environment plays a fundamental role in the emergence of phenotypes driving the evolution of aging. Recent work placing human social gradients on a biological continuum with other species provides a useful evolutionary context for aging questions, but there is still a need for a unified evolutionary framework linking health and aging within social contexts. Here, we summarize current challenges to understand the role of the social environment in human life courses. Next, we review recent advances in comparative biodemography and propose a biodemographic perspective to address socially driven health phenotype distributions and their evolutionary consequences using a nonhuman primate population. This new comparative approach uses evolutionary demography to address the joint dynamics of populations, social dimensions, phenotypes, and life history parameters. The long-term goal is to advance our understanding of the link between individual social environments, population-level outcomes, and the evolution of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raisa Hernández-Pacheco
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 N Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840-0004, USA.
| | - Ulrich K Steiner
- Freie Universität Berlin, Biological Institute, Königin-Luise Str. 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexandra G Rosati
- Departments of Psychology and Anthropology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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11
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Freiler MK, Smith GT. Neuroendocrine mechanisms contributing to the coevolution of sociality and communication. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 70:101077. [PMID: 37217079 PMCID: PMC10527162 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Communication is inherently social, so signaling systems should evolve with social systems. The 'social complexity hypothesis' posits that social complexity necessitates communicative complexity and is generally supported in vocalizing mammals. This hypothesis, however, has seldom been tested outside the acoustic modality, and comparisons across studies are confounded by varying definitions of complexity. Moreover, proximate mechanisms underlying coevolution of sociality and communication remain largely unexamined. In this review, we argue that to uncover how sociality and communication coevolve, we need to examine variation in the neuroendocrine mechanisms that coregulate social behavior and signal production and perception. Specifically, we focus on steroid hormones, monoamines, and nonapeptides, which modulate both social behavior and sensorimotor circuits and are likely targets of selection during social evolution. Lastly, we highlight weakly electric fishes as an ideal system in which to comparatively address the proximate mechanisms underlying relationships between social and signal diversity in a novel modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan K Freiler
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States.
| | - G Troy Smith
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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12
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Turner SE, Fedigan LM, Joyce MM, Matthews HD, Moriarity RJ, Nobuhara H, Nobuhara T, Stewart BM, Shimizu K. Mothers of disabled infants had higher cortisol levels in a free-ranging group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Am J Primatol 2023:e23500. [PMID: 37189289 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are hormones released in response to stressors and can provide insight into an organism's physiological well-being. Experiencing chronic challenges to homeostasis is associated with significant deviations from baseline fecal GCs (fGCs) in many species, providing a noninvasive biomarker for assessing stress. In the group of free-ranging Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) at the Awajishima Monkey Center in Japan, ~17% have congenital limb malformations. We collected 646 fecal samples from 27 females over three consecutive birth seasons (May-August) and analyzed them using enzyme immunoassay to extract fGCs. We explored the relationship between fGC levels and individual (physical impairment and reproductive status), social (dominance rank and availability of kin for social support), and ecological variables (exposure to potential predators, rainfall, and wild fruit availability). A disabled infant was associated significantly with higher fGC in the mother; however, physical impairment in adult females was not significantly related to fGC levels. Females with higher dominance rank had significantly lower fGC levels than lower ranking females. Other factors did not relate significantly to fGC. These results suggest that providing care that meets the support needs of disabled infants poses a physiological challenge for mothers and suggests that physically impaired adults are able to effectively compensate for their disabilities with behavioral plasticity. Once an individual with congenital limb malformations survives infancy through their mother's care, physical impairment does not appear to influence fGC values, while social variables like dominance rank significantly influenced cortisol values in free-ranging female Japanese macaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Turner
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Linda M Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Megan M Joyce
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - H Damon Matthews
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Robert J Moriarity
- School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Brogan M Stewart
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Keiko Shimizu
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science, Okayama, Japan
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13
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Kirkland JM, Edgar EL, Patel I, Kopec AM. Impaired microglia-mediated synaptic pruning in the nucleus accumbens during adolescence results in persistent dysregulation of familiar, but not novel social interactions in sex-specific ways. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.02.539115. [PMID: 37205324 PMCID: PMC10187149 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.02.539115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionarily conserved, peer-directed social behaviors are essential to participate in many aspects of human society. These behaviors directly impact psychological, physiological, and behavioral maturation. Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved period during which reward-related behaviors, including social behaviors, develop via developmental plasticity in the mesolimbic dopaminergic 'reward' circuitry of the brain. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is an intermediate reward relay center that develops during adolescence and mediates both social behaviors and dopaminergic signaling. In several developing brain regions, synaptic pruning mediated by microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, is important for normal behavioral development. In rats, we previously demonstrated that microglial synaptic pruning also mediates NAc and social development during sex-specific adolescent periods and via sex-specific synaptic pruning targets. In this report, we demonstrate that interrupting microglial pruning in NAc during adolescence persistently dysregulates social behavior towards a familiar, but not novel social partner in both sexes, via sex-specific behavioral expression. This leads us to infer that naturally occurring NAc pruning serves to reduce social behaviors primarily directed toward a familiar conspecific in both sexes, but in sex-specific ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M. Kirkland
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College
| | - Erin L. Edgar
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College
| | - Ishan Patel
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College
| | - Ashley M. Kopec
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College
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14
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Coutinho P, Barnett A, Cavalcanti C, MarinhoValença Y, Bezerra B. Observation of Masturbation After Visual Sexual Stimuli From Conspecifics in a Captive Male Bearded Capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus). ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:1333-1337. [PMID: 36422729 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02475-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Masturbation is part of the natural behavioral repertoire of primates, with visual sexual stimuli known to trigger this behavior. Here, we report masturbation events triggered by visual sexual stimulus (VSS) in the South American primate Sapajus libidinosus. We observed a multi-male multi-female captive colony of 17 bearded capuchins between January and October 2014. Over this period, we registered 11 copulation events, 68 attempt copulations, and five masturbation events. The same low-ranking male (named Fu) performed all masturbation events. Fu directly looked at other individuals engaged in sexual displays while he masturbated in three events. The masturbation events associated with VSS lasted up to 2 min and 40 s. Our observations show that VSS can trigger masturbation in capuchin monkeys. The low hierarchy rank of the male, and the consequent lack of mating opportunities in the multi-male multi-female recently formed group in captivity, may have prompted the masturbation events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Coutinho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av Prof Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Adrian Barnett
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av Prof Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Cynthia Cavalcanti
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Yuri MarinhoValença
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av Prof Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | - Bruna Bezerra
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamento e Conservação, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av Prof Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil.
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15
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Castell N, Guerrero-Martin SM, Rubin LH, Shirk EN, Brockhurst JK, Lyons CE, Najarro KM, Queen SE, Carlson BW, Adams RJ, Morrell CN, Gama L, Graham DR, Zink C, Mankowski JL, Clements JE, Metcalf Pate KA. Effect of Single Housing on Innate Immune Activation in Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Pigtail Macaques ( Macaca nemestrina ) as a Model of Psychosocial Stress in Acute HIV Infection. Psychosom Med 2022; 84:966-975. [PMID: 36162063 PMCID: PMC9553260 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of macaques recapitulates many aspects of HIV pathogenesis and is similarly affected by both genetic and environmental factors. Psychosocial stress is associated with immune system dysregulation and worse clinical outcomes in people with HIV. This study assessed the impact of single housing, as a model of psychosocial stress, on innate immune responses of pigtailed macaques ( Macaca nemestrina ) during acute SIV infection. METHODS A retrospective analysis of acute SIV infection of 2- to si6-year-old male pigtailed macaques was performed to compare the innate immune responses of socially ( n = 41) and singly ( n = 35) housed animals. Measures included absolute monocyte count and subsets, and in a subset ( n ≤ 18) platelet counts and activation data. RESULTS SIV infection resulted in the expected innate immune parameter changes with a modulating effect from housing condition. Monocyte number increased after infection for both groups, driven by classical monocytes (CD14 + CD16 - ), with a greater increase in socially housed animals (227%, p < .001, by day 14 compared with preinoculation time points). Platelet numbers recovered more quickly in the socially housed animals. Platelet activation (P-selectin) increased by 65% ( p = .004) and major histocompatibility complex class I surface expression by 40% ( p = .009) from preinoculation only in socially housed animals, whereas no change in these measures occurred in singly housed animals. CONCLUSIONS Chronic psychosocial stress produced by single housing may play an immunomodulatory role in the innate immune response to acute retroviral infection. Dysregulated innate immunity could be one of the pathways by which psychosocial stress contributes to immune suppression and increased disease severity in people with HIV.
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16
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Does behaviour predict weight gain during adulthood in captive group-living rhesus macaques? Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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17
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Rangel BS, Moreira RG, Rider MJ, Sulikowski JA, Gallagher AJ, Heithaus MR, Cooke SJ, Kaufman L, Hammerschlag N. Physiological state predicts space use of sharks at a tourism provisioning site. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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18
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Dantzer B, Newman AEM. Expanding the frame around social dynamics and glucocorticoids: From hierarchies within the nest to competitive interactions among species. Horm Behav 2022; 144:105204. [PMID: 35689971 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The effect of the social environment on individual state or condition has largely focused on glucocorticoid levels (GCs). As metabolic hormones whose production can be influenced by nutritional, physical, or psychosocial stressors, GCs are a valuable (though singular) measure that may reflect the degree of "stress" experienced by an individual. Most work to date has focused on how social rank influences GCs in group-living species or how predation risk influences GCs in prey. This work has been revealing, but a more comprehensive assessment of the social environment is needed to fully understand how different features of the social environment influence GCs in both group living and non-group living species and across life history stages. Just as there can be intense within-group competition among adult conspecifics, it bears appreciating there can also be competition among siblings from the same brood, among adult conspecifics that do not live in groups, or among heterospecifics. In these situations, dominance hierarchies typically emerge, albeit, do dominants or subordinate individuals or species have higher GCs? We examine the degree of support for hypotheses derived from group-living species about whether differential GCs between dominants and subordinates reflect the "stress of subordination" or "costs of dominance" in these other social contexts. By doing so, we aim to test the generality of these two hypotheses and propose new research directions to broaden the lens that focuses on social hierarchies and GCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Amy E M Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada
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19
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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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20
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Taborsky B, Kuijper B, Fawcett TW, English S, Leimar O, McNamara JM, Ruuskanen S. An evolutionary perspective on stress responses, damage and repair. Horm Behav 2022; 142:105180. [PMID: 35569424 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Variation in stress responses has been investigated in relation to environmental factors, species ecology, life history and fitness. Moreover, mechanistic studies have unravelled molecular mechanisms of how acute and chronic stress responses cause physiological impacts ('damage'), and how this damage can be repaired. However, it is not yet understood how the fitness effects of damage and repair influence stress response evolution. Here we study the evolution of hormone levels as a function of stressor occurrence, damage and the efficiency of repair. We hypothesise that the evolution of stress responses depends on the fitness consequences of damage and the ability to repair that damage. To obtain some general insights, we model a simplified scenario in which an organism repeatedly encounters a stressor with a certain frequency and predictability (temporal autocorrelation). The organism can defend itself by mounting a stress response (elevated hormone level), but this causes damage that takes time to repair. We identify optimal strategies in this scenario and then investigate how those strategies respond to acute and chronic exposures to the stressor. We find that for higher repair rates, baseline and peak hormone levels are higher. This typically means that the organism experiences higher levels of damage, which it can afford because that damage is repaired more quickly, but for very high repair rates the damage does not build up. With increasing predictability of the stressor, stress responses are sustained for longer, because the animal expects the stressor to persist, and thus damage builds up. This can result in very high (and potentially fatal) levels of damage when organisms are exposed to chronic stressors to which they are not evolutionarily adapted. Overall, our results highlight that at least three factors need to be considered jointly to advance our understanding of how stress physiology has evolved: (i) temporal dynamics of stressor occurrence; (ii) relative mortality risk imposed by the stressor itself versus damage caused by the stress response; and (iii) the efficiency of repair mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology Division, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Bram Kuijper
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, UK; Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Tim W Fawcett
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB), University of Exeter, UK
| | - Sinead English
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
| | - Olof Leimar
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | | | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
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21
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Preliminary Findings on How Different Management Systems and Social Interactions Influence Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites in White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12070897. [PMID: 35405888 PMCID: PMC8997130 DOI: 10.3390/ani12070897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In recent years, interest in improving the welfare of wild species in captivity has grown. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of different social environments and management systems on the cortisol secretion of fourteen white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) living under different conditions by using use noninvasive methods. The fecal glucocorticoid metabolite secretion was found to be affected by both management systems and social interactions. Additionally, sex is another factor that seems to influence. This research provides a deeper understanding of glucocorticoid production in white rhinoceroses, but more studies are needed to fully understand its influence on reproductive biology. Abstract White rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) are the most social and gregarious species of all rhinoceroses known worldwide. One of the most critical effects of elevated glucocorticoid concentrations, especially in threatened species, is its relation to chronic stress, which could potentially lead to immunosuppression and reduced reproductive activity. Our aim is to determine how different social environments and management systems might be influencing the secretion of fecal glucocorticoids in white rhinoceroses. We have analyzed the concentration of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in 658 fecal samples from 14 white rhinoceroses, seven free-ranging rhinos, and seven rhinos from two different managed captive populations. HPLC techniques were used to determine the main glucocorticoid metabolite found in this species, and a competitive EIA was used to establish fecal 5α-pregnan-3 3β, 11β, 21-triol-20-oneglucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) levels. Our results reveal that management systems and social interactions had an influence on fGCM levels, suggesting that the more restrictive the management and social conditions are, the higher the glucocorticoid concentrations that are found. Additionally, sex was also found to influence fGCM levels, as in females, fGCM concentrations were higher than in males. We conclude that the analysis of glucocorticoids in relation to other factors is a powerful tool to assess adrenocortical response in white rhinoceros in order to broaden the knowledge of their reproductive biology and improve the management of the species.
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22
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Simons ND, Michopoulos V, Wilson M, Barreiro LB, Tung J. Agonism and grooming behaviour explain social status effects on physiology and gene regulation in rhesus macaques. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210132. [PMID: 35000435 PMCID: PMC8743879 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in social status predicts molecular, physiological and life-history outcomes across a broad range of species, including our own. Experimental studies indicate that some of these relationships persist even when the physical environment is held constant. Here, we draw on datasets from one such study-experimental manipulation of dominance rank in captive female rhesus macaques-to investigate how social status shapes the lived experience of these animals to alter gene regulation, glucocorticoid physiology and mitochondrial DNA phenotypes. We focus specifically on dominance rank-associated dimensions of the social environment, including both competitive and affiliative interactions. Our results show that simple summaries of rank-associated behavioural interactions are often better predictors of molecular and physiological outcomes than dominance rank itself. However, while measures of immune function are best explained by agonism rates, glucocorticoid-related phenotypes tend to be more closely linked to affiliative behaviour. We conclude that dominance rank serves as a useful summary for investigating social environmental effects on downstream outcomes. Nevertheless, the behavioural interactions that define an individual's daily experiences reveal the proximate drivers of social status-related differences and are especially relevant for understanding why individuals who share the same social status sometimes appear physiologically distinct. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah D. Simons
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Mark Wilson
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Luis B. Barreiro
- Genetics Section, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Committee on Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago IL 60637, USA
- Committee on Immunology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada M5G 1M1
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23
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Milewski TM, Lee W, Champagne FA, Curley JP. Behavioural and physiological plasticity in social hierarchies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200443. [PMID: 35000436 PMCID: PMC8743892 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals occupying dominant and subordinate positions in social hierarchies exhibit divergent behaviours, physiology and neural functioning. Dominant animals express higher levels of dominance behaviours such as aggression, territorial defence and mate-guarding. Dominants also signal their status via auditory, visual or chemical cues. Moreover, dominant animals typically increase reproductive behaviours and show enhanced spatial and social cognition as well as elevated arousal. These biobehavioural changes increase energetic demands that are met via shifting both energy intake and metabolism and are supported by coordinated changes in physiological systems including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes as well as altered gene expression and sensitivity of neural circuits that regulate these behaviours. Conversely, subordinate animals inhibit dominance and often reproductive behaviours and exhibit physiological changes adapted to socially stressful contexts. Phenotypic changes in both dominant and subordinate individuals may be beneficial in the short-term but lead to long-term challenges to health. Further, rapid changes in social ranks occur as dominant animals socially ascend or descend and are associated with dynamic modulations in the brain and periphery. In this paper, we provide a broad overview of how behavioural and phenotypic changes associated with social dominance and subordination are expressed in neural and physiological plasticity. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. M. Milewski
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - W. Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - F. A. Champagne
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - J. P. Curley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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24
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Anderson JA, Lea AJ, Voyles TN, Akinyi MY, Nyakundi R, Ochola L, Omondi M, Nyundo F, Zhang Y, Campos FA, Alberts SC, Archie EA, Tung J. Distinct gene regulatory signatures of dominance rank and social bond strength in wild baboons. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200441. [PMID: 35000452 PMCID: PMC8743882 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The social environment is a major determinant of morbidity, mortality and Darwinian fitness in social animals. Recent studies have begun to uncover the molecular processes associated with these relationships, but the degree to which they vary across different dimensions of the social environment remains unclear. Here, we draw on a long-term field study of wild baboons to compare the signatures of affiliative and competitive aspects of the social environment in white blood cell gene regulation, under both immune-stimulated and non-stimulated conditions. We find that the effects of dominance rank on gene expression are directionally opposite in males versus females, such that high-ranking males resemble low-ranking females, and vice versa. Among females, rank and social bond strength are both reflected in the activity of cellular metabolism and proliferation genes. However, while we observe pronounced rank-related differences in baseline immune gene activity, only bond strength predicts the fold-change response to immune (lipopolysaccharide) stimulation. Together, our results indicate that the directionality and magnitude of social effects on gene regulation depend on the aspect of the social environment under study. This heterogeneity may help explain why social environmental effects on health and longevity can also vary between measures. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A. Anderson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Amanda J. Lea
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Carl Icahn Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Tawni N. Voyles
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Mercy Y. Akinyi
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Ruth Nyakundi
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Lucy Ochola
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Martin Omondi
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Fred Nyundo
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Fernando A. Campos
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada M5G 1M1
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25
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Greenberg D, Snyder KP, Filazzola A, Mastromonaco GF, Schoof VAM. Hormonal correlates of male dominance rank, age, and genital colouration in vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 316:113948. [PMID: 34826430 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Primates are the most colourful members of the Mammalian clade. In vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), males are characterized by their red penis and blue scrotum. Such colour signals are often used in conspecific communication, and thus could be used to convey signaller condition. We quantified scrotal and penile colour characteristics using digital photographs between May-June 2016 from males in two neighboring groups along the shores of Lake Nabugabo, Uganda. We examined the relationship between fecal hormones, male dominance rank, age (adult vs. immature), and colour. Adult males were higher ranking than immatures, but there were no rank or age differences in fecal hormone levels. Glucocorticoids and androgens were positively correlated in immature, but not adult males. All scrotal characteristics were predicted by age, with adult males having more teal (i.e., less blue, more green) and more luminant scrota. Within adult males, those with higher androgens levels had more saturated blue scrotal colouration and higher-ranking males were more luminant. Penile colouration was also associated with age and rank. High-ranking males had a more saturated red penis, and adult male penile colour was more luminant and bluer than in immature males. Our findings are consistent with previous reports that scrotal colouration advertises sexual or reproductive maturity (i.e., age), but we also find that within adult males, colour also advertises dominance rank and may be mediated by androgen levels. Penile colouration also appears to signal information about male age and dominance rank but does not appear to be mediated by hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Greenberg
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - K P Snyder
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - A Filazzola
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - G F Mastromonaco
- Reproductive Sciences Unit, Toronto Zoo, 361A Old Finch Avenue, Toronto, ON M1B 5K7, Canada
| | - V A M Schoof
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada; Bilingual Biology Program, Department of Multidisciplinary Studies, Glendon College, York University, 2275 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON M4N 3M6, Canada.
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26
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Keenan K, Fu H, Tung I, Berona J, Krafty RT, Hipwell AE, Stepp SD, Carpio K. Capturing the dynamic nature of stress exposure in the Pittsburgh Girls Study. SSM Popul Health 2021; 16:100983. [PMID: 34950762 PMCID: PMC8671117 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The science of stress exposure and health in humans has been hampered by differences in operational definitions of exposures and approaches to defining timing, leading to results that lack consistency and specificity. In the present study we aim to empirically derive variability in type, timing and chronicity of stress exposure for Black and White females using prospectively collected data in the Pittsburgh Girls Study (PGS). Methods The PGS is an ongoing 20-year longitudinal, community-based study. In this paper we focused on annual caregiver reports of three domains of stress: subsistence (e.g., resource strain, overcrowding); safety (e.g., community violence, inter-adult aggression), and caregiving (e.g., separation, maternal depression) from early childhood through adolescence. Z-scores were used to conduct a finite mixture model-based latent class trajectory analysis. Model fit was compared using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). We examined differences in timing and chronicity of stress exposure between Black and White girls. Results Distinct trajectory groups characterized by differential timing and chronicity of stress exposure were observed across all stress domains. Six trajectories characterized subsistence and safety stress, and five characterized caregiving stress. Variability in initial level, chronicity, and magnitude and timing of change was observed within and across domains of stressors. Race differences also varied across the domains: race differences in timing and chronicity were most pronounced for the subsistence and safety domains, whereas Black and White girls had similar levels of exposure to caregiving stress. Conclusions Substantial variability in timing and chronicity was observed within and across stress domains. Modeling specific domains and dimensions of stress exposure is likely important in testing associations between exposure and health; such specificity may lead to more effective deployment of preventive interventions based on stress exposure. Distinct trajectories in exposure were observed for subsistence, safety, and caregiving stress domains. Race differences in timing and chronicity of exposure were pronounced for subsistence and safety domains. Patterns of exposure (e.g., level, timing) are likely critical for understanding the impact on stress exposure on health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Keenan
- University of Chicago, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Haoyi Fu
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biostatistics, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Irene Tung
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Johnny Berona
- University of Chicago, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Robert T Krafty
- Emory University, Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Alison E Hipwell
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Stephanie D Stepp
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kristen Carpio
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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27
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Beltrão P, Marques CI, Cardoso GC, Gomes ACR. Plumage colour saturation predicts long-term, cross-seasonal social dominance in a mutually ornamented bird. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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28
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Assessing Allostatic Load in Ring-Tailed Lemurs ( Lemur catta). Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113074. [PMID: 34827806 PMCID: PMC8614249 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Responses to stress are unavoidable, adaptive mechanisms in humans and non-human animals. However, in humans, chronic stress has been linked to poor health outcomes and early mortality. Allostatic load, the physiologic dysregulation that occurs when an organism is exposed to chronic stressors, has been used to assess stress in humans; less work has been done using non-human primates. Our aim was to determine the relationship between allostatic load in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) under human care and potentially stressful individual, social, medical and husbandry factors, as well a sex and age. An allostatic load index (ALI) was calculated for 38 lemurs using six biomarkers measured in serum (albumin, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, DNA damage, glucose and prostaglandin E2). Potentially stressful factors were recorded over the lifetime of each lemur using medical and husbandry records. Animals with a higher percentage of time spent indoors, those kept in smaller average group sizes, and those with fewer minor group composition changes had, or tended to have, higher ALI. There was no relationship between ALI and sex or age. Some social and husbandry factors were associated with allostatic load in lemurs, indicating that this index may be a useful tool in assessing and determining factors contributing to stress of lemurs and other animals under human care.
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29
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LeClair KB, Chan KL, Kaster MP, Parise LF, Burnett CJ, Russo SJ. Individual history of winning and hierarchy landscape influence stress susceptibility in mice. eLife 2021; 10:71401. [PMID: 34581271 PMCID: PMC8497051 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Social hierarchy formation is strongly evolutionarily conserved. Across species, rank within social hierarchy has large effects on health and behavior. To investigate the relationship between social rank and stress susceptibility, we exposed ranked male and female mice to social and non-social stressors and manipulated social hierarchy position. We found that rank predicts same sex social stress outcomes: dominance in males and females confers resilience while subordination confers susceptibility. Pre-existing rank does not predict non-social stress outcomes in females and weakly does so in males, but rank emerging under stress conditions reveals social interaction deficits in male and female subordinates. Both history of winning and rank of cage mates affect stress susceptibility in males: rising to the top rank through high mobility confers resilience and mice that lose dominance lose stress resilience, although gaining dominance over a subordinate animal does not confer resilience. Overall, we have demonstrated a relationship between social status and stress susceptibility, particularly when taking into account individual history of winning and the overall hierarchy landscape in male and female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine B LeClair
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, New York, United States.,Graduate School of Biological Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Kenny L Chan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, New York, United States
| | - Manuella P Kaster
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, New York, United States.,Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Lyonna F Parise
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, New York, United States
| | - Charles Joseph Burnett
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, New York, United States
| | - Scott J Russo
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, New York, United States.,Graduate School of Biological Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
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30
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Hou W, Ma H, Xun Y, Zhang X, Cai W, Huang S, He Z, Tai F, Jia R. Sex-Dependent Effects of Chronic Social Defeat on Emotional and Social Behaviors, and Parameters of Oxytocin and Vasopressin Systems in Mandarin Voles ( Microtus mandarinus). Front Neurosci 2021; 15:625116. [PMID: 34045941 PMCID: PMC8144301 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.625116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the regulation of emotional and social behaviors, both oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are sex specific. Although significant sex differences have been reported in the context of behavioral and hormonal responses to social stress, such differences in response to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) and the underlying neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. By investigating monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), CSDS was found to decrease the percentages of time spent in the central area of the open field, in the open arms of the elevated plus maze, as well as in the light area of the light and dark boxes in both male and female voles. CSDS also increased the observed level of social withdrawal in both sex groups. However, CSDS exposure increased the percentages of immobile time in both the tail suspension test and the forced swim test and reduced the locomotor activity in the open field (in females only). Along with these behavioral changes, the oxytocin receptor (OTR) levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) were significantly lower in CSDS-exposed voles of both sexes; however, in males, the levels of OTR in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) were reduced. CSDS-exposed males showed lower levels of V1aR in the NAc than CSDS-exposed females. Furthermore, induced by a single social defeat event, CSDS reduced c-Fos and OT double labeling in the PVN of females but increased c-Fos and AVP double-labeled neurons in the PVN of males exposed to a single social defeat event. Collectively, the present study indicates that OT and AVP systems may play important regulatory roles in the sex differences of behavioral performances in response to CSDS. These findings suggest mandarin voles as a useful animal model for studying sex-specific behavioral performance and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of stress-related mental disorders in preclinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Hou
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Huan Ma
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yufeng Xun
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenqi Cai
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuying Huang
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhixiong He
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Rui Jia
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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31
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Mutwill AM, Schielzeth H, Zimmermann TD, Richter SH, Kaiser S, Sachser N. Individuality meets plasticity: Endocrine phenotypes across male dominance rank acquisition in guinea pigs living in a complex social environment. Horm Behav 2021; 131:104967. [PMID: 33862349 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.104967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The time of dominance rank acquisition is a crucial phase in male life history that often affects reproductive success and hence fitness. Hormones such as testosterone and glucocorticoids can influence as well as be affected by this process. At the same time, hormone concentrations can show large individual variation. The extent to which such variation is repeatable, particularly in dynamic social settings, is a question of current interest. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate how dominance rank and individual differences contribute to variance in hormone concentrations during male rank acquisition in a complex social environment. For this purpose, dominance rank as well as baseline testosterone, baseline cortisol, and cortisol responsiveness after exposure to a novel environment were determined in colony-housed guinea pig males from late adolescence through adulthood. Hormone-dominance relationships and repeatability of hormone measures beyond their relation to rank were assessed. There was a significant positive relationship between baseline testosterone and rank, but this link became weaker with increasing age. Baseline cortisol or cortisol responsiveness, in contrast, were not significantly related to dominance. Notably, all three endocrine parameters were significantly repeatable independent of dominance rank from late adolescence through adulthood. Baseline testosterone and cortisol responsiveness showed a significantly higher repeatability than baseline cortisol. This suggests that testosterone titres and cortisol responsiveness represent stable individual attributes even under complex social conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Mutwill
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany; Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Holger Schielzeth
- Population Ecology Group, Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, Dornburgerstr. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias D Zimmermann
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany; Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany; Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany; Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149 Münster, Germany
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32
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Muller MN, Enigk DK, Fox SA, Lucore J, Machanda ZP, Wrangham RW, Emery Thompson M. Aggression, glucocorticoids, and the chronic costs of status competition for wild male chimpanzees. Horm Behav 2021; 130:104965. [PMID: 33676127 PMCID: PMC8043126 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.104965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Across vertebrates, high social status affords preferential access to resources, and is expected to correlate positively with health and longevity. Increasing evidence, however, suggests that although dominant females generally enjoy reduced exposure to physiological and psychosocial stressors, dominant males do not. Here we test the hypothesis that costly mating competition by high-ranking males results in chronic, potentially harmful elevations in glucocorticoid production. We examined urinary glucocorticoids (n = 8029 samples) in a 20-year longitudinal study of wild male chimpanzees (n = 20 adults) in the Kanyawara community of Kibale National Park, Uganda. We tested whether glucocorticoid production was associated with dominance rank in the long term, and with mating competition and dominance instability in the short term. Using mixed models, we found that both male aggression and glucocorticoid excretion increased when the dominance hierarchy was unstable, and when parous females were sexually available. Glucocorticoid excretion was positively associated with male rank in stable and unstable hierarchies, and in mating and non-mating contexts. Glucorticoids increased with both giving and receiving aggression, but giving aggression was the primary mechanism linking elevated glucocorticoids with high rank. Glucocorticoids also increased with age. Together these results show that investment in male-male competition increases cumulative exposure to glucocorticoids, suggesting a long-term tradeoff with health that may constrain the ability to maintain high status across the life course. Our data suggest that the relationship between social rank and glucocorticoid production often differs in males and females owing to sex differences in the operation of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin N Muller
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, United States of America.
| | - Drew K Enigk
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Stephanie A Fox
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Jordan Lucore
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, United States of America
| | - Zarin P Machanda
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, United States of America
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, United States of America
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33
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Davidian E, Wachter B, Heckmann I, Dehnhard M, Hofer H, Höner OP. The interplay between social rank, physiological constraints and investment in courtship in male spotted hyenas. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eve Davidian
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Ilja Heckmann
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Martin Dehnhard
- Department of Reproduction Biology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Heribert Hofer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Oliver P. Höner
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
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34
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Keenan K, Berona J, Hipwell AE, Stepp SD, Romito MT. Validity of the Trier Social Stress Test in studying discrimination stress. Stress 2021; 24:113-119. [PMID: 32160797 PMCID: PMC7541629 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2020.1741545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
To test the validity of a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) for studying stress reactivity in sexual minority women. Two hundred seventy-four female participants (66.4% Black American), half of whom identified as lesbian/gay or bisexual and half as heterosexual, completed the TSST with instructions to describe an experience of discrimination. Cortisol levels and negative emotion scores increased, and heart rate variability decreased in response to the TSST, and the magnitude of these responses varied as a function of sexual orientation and race. Women who discussed sexual orientation as a source of discrimination had greater increases in cortisol and negative mood following the TSST. The modified instructions did not compromise the validity of the TSST. Prompting participants to discuss specific sources of discrimination may be a useful adaptation of the TSST in studying minority stress reactivity. SUMMARY The goal of the present study was to adapt a widely used measure of stress reactivity to study the impact of experiences with discrimination on biological systems involved in regulating the stress response. The modification included asking women to discuss a time when they had been treated unfairly and to describe how they responded to that experience. The magnitude of response to the task varied as a function of sexual orientation and race, and the topics discussed, demonstrating usefulness of the modification for studying the impact of discrimination stress of physical health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Keenan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Johnny Berona
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alison E Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Stephanie D Stepp
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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35
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Franco LO, Carvalho MJ, Costa J, Ferreira PA, Guedes JR, Sousa R, Edfawy M, Seabra CM, Cardoso AL, Peça J. Social subordination induced by early life adversity rewires inhibitory control of the prefrontal cortex via enhanced Npy1r signaling. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1438-1447. [PMID: 32492699 PMCID: PMC7360628 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0727-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Social hierarchies are present in most mammalian species. In nature, hierarchies offer a tradeoff between reduction of in-group fighting between males, at the expense of an asymmetric sharing of resources. Early life experiences and stress are known to influence the rank an individual attains in adulthood, but the associated cellular and synaptic alterations are poorly understood. Using a maternal separation protocol, we show that care-deprived mice display a long-lasting submissive phenotype, increased social recognition, and enhanced explorative behavior. These alterations are consistent with an adaptation that favors exploration rather than confrontation within a group setting. At the neuronal level, these animals display dendritic atrophy and enhanced inhibitory synaptic inputs in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons. To determine what could underlie this synaptic modification, we first assessed global gene expression changes via RNAseq, and next focused on a smaller subset of putatively altered synaptic receptors that could explain the changes in synaptic inhibition. Using different cohorts of maternally deprived mice, we validated a significant increase in the expression of Npy1r, a receptor known to play a role in maternal care, anxiety, foraging, and regulation of group behavior. Using electrophysiological recordings in adult mice while blocking NPY1R signaling, we determined that this receptor plays a key role in enhancing GABAergic currents in mice that experience maternal deprivation. Taken together, our work highlights the potential of regulating NPY1R in social anxiety disorders and the alterations induced in brain circuitry as a consequence of early life stress and adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara O. Franco
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal ,0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cInstitute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal ,0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cPhD Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Mário J. Carvalho
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal ,MIT-Portugal Bioengineering Systems Doctoral Program, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Jéssica Costa
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal ,0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cPhD Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Ferreira
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana R. Guedes
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal ,0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cInstitute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Renato Sousa
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Mohamed Edfawy
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal ,0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cInstitute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Catarina M. Seabra
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal ,0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cInstitute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana L. Cardoso
- 0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cCNC—Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal ,0000 0000 9511 4342grid.8051.cInstitute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João Peça
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. .,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. .,Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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Carrera SC, Sen S, Heistermann M, Lu A, Beehner JC. Low rank and primiparity increase fecal glucocorticoid metabolites across gestation in wild geladas. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 293:113494. [PMID: 32333913 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Integrative behavioral ecology requires accurate and non-invasive measures of hormone mediators for the study of wild animal populations. Biologically sensitive assay systems for the measurement of hormones and their metabolites need to be validated for the species and sample medium (e.g. urine, feces, saliva) of interest. Where more than one assay is available for hormone (metabolite) measurement, antibody selection is useful in identifying the assay that tracks changes in an individuaĺs endocrine activity best, i.e., the most biologically sensitive assay. This is particularly important when measuring how glucocorticoids (GCs) respond to the subtle, additive effects of acute stressors during a predictable metabolic challenge, such as gestation. Here, we validate a group-specific enzyme immunoassay, measuring immunoreactive 11β-hydroxyetiocholanolone, for use in a wild primate, geladas (Theropithecus gelada). This group-specific assay produced values correlated with those from a previously validated double-antibody, corticosterone 125I radioimmunoassay. However, the results with the group-specific assay showed a stronger response to an ACTH challenge and identified greater variation in gelada immunoreactive fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (iGCMs) compared with the corticosterone assay, indicating a higher biological sensitivity for assessing adrenocortical activity. We then used the group-specific assay to: (1) determine the normative pattern of iGCM levels across gelada gestation, and (2) identify the ecological, social, and individual factors that influence GC output for pregnant females. Using a general additive mixed model, we found that higher iGCM levels were associated with low rank (compared to high rank) and first time mothers (compared to multiparous mothers). This study highlights the importance of assay selection and the efficacy of group-specific assays for hormonal research in non-invasively collected samples. Additionally, in geladas, our results identify some of the factors that increase GC output over and above the already-elevated GC concentrations associated with gestation. In the burgeoning field of maternal stress, these factors can be examined to identify the effects that GC elevations may have on offspring development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia C Carrera
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Sharmi Sen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Amy Lu
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Jacinta C Beehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Comparison of the Glucocorticoid Concentrations between Three Species of Lemuridae Kept in a Temporary Housing Facility. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10061013. [PMID: 32532091 PMCID: PMC7341240 DOI: 10.3390/ani10061013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
We compared the glucocorticoid concentrations in response to various types of potential stressors present during standard operation of a temporary housing facility between three species, namely, ring-tailed lemurs, collared brown lemurs and white-headed lemurs. The levels of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) were measured non-invasively on a daily basis during a 30-day period. A total of 510 faecal samples were collected. Concentrations of immunoreactive glucocorticoid hormone metabolites were measured in the obtained extracts by using an enzyme immunoassay. The polyclonal antibodies used in this assay were directed against the metabolite 11-oxo-etiocholanolone I. We found all three monitored lemur species to respond to specific potentially stressful situations by increasing (p < 0.05) the FGM levels within one to two days after the event. Although housed in the same room, differences in response to potentially stressful situations were found in white-headed lemurs compared to ring-tailed lemurs. Increased mean levels of the FGMs were found more frequently in white-headed lemurs than in ring-tailed lemurs. The results suggest that this species may be more sensitive to changes in its surroundings. In general, the levels of the FGMs showed a similar pattern during 30 days of monitoring suggesting that all groups of lemurs responded in a similar manner to the same events. However, we recorded the differences in the absolute values of glucocorticoid concentrations between the monitored species likely due to the differences in sex ratios in the groups and presence of lactating females in the ring-tailed lemurs.
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Snyder-Mackler N, Burger JR, Gaydosh L, Belsky DW, Noppert GA, Campos FA, Bartolomucci A, Yang YC, Aiello AE, O'Rand A, Harris KM, Shively CA, Alberts SC, Tung J. Social determinants of health and survival in humans and other animals. Science 2020; 368:eaax9553. [PMID: 32439765 PMCID: PMC7398600 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax9553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 296] [Impact Index Per Article: 74.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The social environment, both in early life and adulthood, is one of the strongest predictors of morbidity and mortality risk in humans. Evidence from long-term studies of other social mammals indicates that this relationship is similar across many species. In addition, experimental studies show that social interactions can causally alter animal physiology, disease risk, and life span itself. These findings highlight the importance of the social environment to health and mortality as well as Darwinian fitness-outcomes of interest to social scientists and biologists alike. They thus emphasize the utility of cross-species analysis for understanding the predictors of, and mechanisms underlying, social gradients in health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Joseph Robert Burger
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Institute of the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Lauren Gaydosh
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Daniel W Belsky
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Grace A Noppert
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Fernando A Campos
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Alessandro Bartolomucci
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Yang Claire Yang
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Allison E Aiello
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Angela O'Rand
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kathleen Mullan Harris
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carol A Shively
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Comparative Medicine Section, Department of Pathology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Jenny Tung
- Social and Biological Determinants of Health Working Group, NC, USA.
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
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Stocker M, Loretto MC, Sterck EHM, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. Cooperation with closely bonded individuals reduces cortisol levels in long-tailed macaques. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191056. [PMID: 32537186 PMCID: PMC7277283 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Many animal species cooperate with conspecifics in various social contexts. While ultimate causes of cooperation are being studied extensively, its proximate causes, particularly endocrine mechanisms, have received comparatively little attention. Here, we present a study investigating the link between the hormone cortisol, cooperation and social bonds in long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). We tested 14 macaques in a dyadic cooperation task (loose-string paradigm), each with two partners of different social bond strength and measured their salivary cortisol before and after the task. We found no strong link between the macaques' cortisol level before the task and subsequent cooperative success. By contrast, we did find that the act of cooperating in itself led to a subsequent decrease in cortisol levels, but only when cooperating with closely bonded individuals. Two control conditions showed that this effect was not due to the mere presence of such an individual or the pulling task itself. Consequently, our study shows an intricate way in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is involved in cooperation. Future studies should reveal whether and how our findings are driven by the anxiolytic effect of oxytocin, which has been associated with social bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Stocker
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias-Claudio Loretto
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Elisabeth H. M. Sterck
- Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands
- Animal Ecology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Animal Ecology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Individual differences in glucocorticoid regulation: Does it relate to disease risk and resilience? Front Neuroendocrinol 2020; 56:100803. [PMID: 31697962 PMCID: PMC7189329 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid (GC) signaling varies among individuals, and this variation may relate to individual differences in health outcomes. To determine if and which aspects of signaling (basal, circadian, integrative, or reactivity) are associated with specific health outcomes, we reviewed recent studies that relate GCs to health outcomes. We identified papers through PubMed and reviewed 100 original research articles related to mental health, cardiovascular health, cancer, diabetes, obesity, pulmonary health, sleep, and fitness. Many studies reported elevated GC secretion associated with worse health, but this was only particularly true for integrative GC measures. On the other hand, accentuated cortisol awakening response and a steeper circadian rhythm were both associated with positive health outcomes. Overall, relationships between GC secretion and health outcomes were relatively weak. This systematic review of relationships between GC metrics and health outcomes highlights the importance of careful consideration when selecting methods to measure GC regulation in health research.
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Vitousek MN, Johnson MA, Downs CJ, Miller ET, Martin LB, Francis CD, Donald JW, Fuxjager MJ, Goymann W, Hau M, Husak JF, Kircher BK, Knapp R, Schoenle LA, Williams TD. Macroevolutionary Patterning in Glucocorticoids Suggests Different Selective Pressures Shape Baseline and Stress-Induced Levels. Am Nat 2019; 193:866-880. [DOI: 10.1086/703112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Schillaci MA, Lintlop J, Sumra M, Pizarro M, Jones-Engel L. Hair cortisol and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) from Gibraltar. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2019; 33:831-838. [PMID: 30741464 PMCID: PMC8055468 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.8413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Prolonged exposure to the stress hormone cortisol can precipitate a catabolic state in animals resulting in a negative nitrogen balance and increased excreted nitrogen, possibly affecting stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in animal tissues. Here we test the hypothesis that stress, as measured by hair cortisol, is a significant contributor to variation in δ15 N and δ13 C values in hair. The results of the present study have important implications for the use of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios measured in animal and human tissues to make inferences regarding feeding ecology and diet. METHODS Samples containing roughly 10-20 hairs (approx. 4-6 cm long) were collected from 49 free ranging macaque monkeys (Macaca sylvanus) in Gibraltar. Hair samples were analyzed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes by continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. Cortisol extracted from matched hair samples was measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Cortisol and stable isotope ratios were compared statistically using nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests, as well as Spearman correlation. RESULTS Correlation analysis revealed that although hair δ15 N and δ13 C values were significantly correlated with each other, neither was correlated with cortisol concentrations. Cortisol concentrations were not correlated with age-adjusted body mass index. Age category was correlated with δ13 C values but not with δ15 N values. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study suggest that the cumulative stress experienced by these macaques under typical social and environmental conditions is not a significant contributor to variation in δ15 N and δ13 C values, nor does it have a significant effect on relative body mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Schillaci
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Jessica Lintlop
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Monika Sumra
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Mark Pizarro
- Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic, Rosio Bay, Gibraltar, GX11 1|AA, Gibraltar
| | - Lisa Jones-Engel
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Box 353100, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
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Schoenle LA, Zimmer C, Vitousek MN. Understanding Context Dependence in Glucocorticoid-Fitness Relationships: The Role of the Nature of the Challenge, the Intensity and Frequency of Stressors, and Life History. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 58:777-789. [PMID: 29889246 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been well-established that there is variation in the strength and direction of the relationship between circulating glucocorticoids (GCs) and fitness. When studies demonstrate such variation or the direction of the GC-fitness relationship is unexpected, the results are often attributed to context-dependency. However, descriptors of context can be vague (e.g., "environmental context") and few studies explicitly test how the optimal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to stressors varies across specific contexts. Although existing hypotheses create a strong foundation for understanding GC-fitness relationships, many do not provide explicit predictions of how, when, and why the relationships will change. Here, we discuss three broad factors which we expect to shape the relationships between HPA axis activity and fitness metrics: (1) whether the HPA axis-mediated response matches the challenge, (2) the intensity and frequency of challenges, and (3) life history. We also make predictions for how these factors might affect GC-fitness relationships and discuss ways to test these predictions. Observational studies, experimental manipulations of context, and large-scale cross-species comparisons will be critical to understanding the observed variation in GC-fitness relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Schoenle
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.,Department of Biology, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY 13323, USA
| | - Cedric Zimmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Maren N Vitousek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.,Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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King KC, Caven AJ, Leung KG, Ranglack DH, Arcilla N. High society: behavioral patterns as a feedback loop to social structure in Plains bison (Bison bison bison). MAMMAL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-019-00416-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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45
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Edwards KL, Edes AN, Brown JL. Stress, Well-Being and Reproductive Success. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1200:91-162. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23633-5_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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46
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Kutsukake N, Teramoto M, Honma S, Mori Y, Ikeda K, Yamamoto R, Ishida T, Hasegawa T. The presence of females induces elevated cortisol levels in an alpha male: Experimental evidence in chimpanzees. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:327-336. [PMID: 30222182 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In group-living primates, it has been reported that the alpha male exhibits high concentrations of cortisol and testosterone in the context of mating competition. We investigated how the presence of females affected salivary cortisol and testosterone levels in males from a small captive group of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Specifically, we assessed whether the presence of females resulted in a rapid increase in salivary cortisol and testosterone levels in the alpha male. MATERIALS AND METHODS We compared the social behavior and salivary hormone concentrations of four males before and after the presentation of receptive females. Three times a day, we collected saliva samples, a useful matrix for investigating short-term hormonal changes, and measured cortisol and testosterone concentration by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). RESULTS The frequency of inter-male aggression increased in the presence of females, indicating intense competition among males. Salivary cortisol levels increased in all males in the presence of females; however, the increase was significantly more pronounced in the alpha male. We found a complex three-way interaction among the presence of females, sampling timings, and male dominance rank in the analysis of salivary testosterone. Contrary to our prediction, a post hoc analysis revealed that salivary testosterone levels decreased after female introduction and that the alpha male did not show a higher level of salivary testosterone. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides experimental evidence suggesting that the presence of females plays a significant role in the rank-related variation in the cortisol levels in male chimpanzees. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate the usefulness of salivary hormones for detecting short-term physiological changes in studies of socioendocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuyuki Kutsukake
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Sokendai, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Migaku Teramoto
- Kumamoto Sanctuary, Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | | | - Yusuke Mori
- Kumamoto Sanctuary, Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Koki Ikeda
- Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rain Yamamoto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takafumi Ishida
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Hasegawa
- Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Hannibal DL, Cassidy LC, Vandeleest J, Semple S, Barnard A, Chun K, Winkler S, McCowan B. Intermittent pair-housing, pair relationship qualities, and HPA activity in adult female rhesus macaques. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22762. [PMID: 29722048 PMCID: PMC8765352 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Laboratory rhesus macaques are often housed in pairs and may be temporarily or permanently separated for research, health, or management reasons. While both long-term social separations and introductions can stimulate a stress response that impacts inflammation and immune function, the effects of short-term overnight separations and whether qualities of the pair relationship mediate these effects are unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of overnight separations on the urinary cortisol concentration of 20 differentially paired adult female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at the California National Primate Research Center. These females were initially kept in either continuous (no overnight separation) or intermittent (with overnight separation) pair-housing and then switched to the alternate pair-housing condition part way through the study. Each study subject was observed for 5 weeks, during which we collected measures of affiliative, aggressive, anxious, abnormal, and activity-state behaviors in both pair-housing conditions. Additionally, up to three urine samples were collected from each subject per week and assayed for urinary free cortisol and creatinine. Lastly, the behavioral observer scored each pair on four relationship quality attributes ("Anxious," "Tense," "Well-meshed," and "Friendly") using a seven-point scale. Data were analyzed using a generalized linear model with gamma distribution and an information theoretic approach to determine the best model set. An interaction between the intermittent pairing condition and tense pair adjective rating was in the top three models of the best model set. Dominance and rates of affiliation were also important for explaining urinary cortisol variation. Our results suggest that to prevent significant changes in HPA-axis activation in rhesus macaque females, which could have unintended effects on research outcomes, pairs with "Tense" relationships and overnight separations preventing tactile contact should be avoided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy L Hannibal
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Lauren C Cassidy
- Welfare and Cognition Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jessica Vandeleest
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Stuart Semple
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary, Social and Interdisciplinary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
| | - Allison Barnard
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Katie Chun
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Sasha Winkler
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Brenda McCowan
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California Davis, Davis, California
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Taff CC, Schoenle LA, Vitousek MN. The repeatability of glucocorticoids: A review and meta-analysis. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 260:136-145. [PMID: 29355531 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are highly conserved hormones that mediate a suite of responses to changing conditions in vertebrates. Recent work has focused on understanding how selection operates on glucocorticoid secretion in natural populations. Because heritability is rarely estimated and difficult to measure in the wild, many studies report within-individual repeatability as an estimate of stable between individual differences in glucocorticoid secretion. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on estimates of within-individual glucocorticoid repeatability to elucidate general patterns of repeatability, and to test for relationships between covariates and estimates of repeatability. To this end, we collected 203 estimates of within-individual glucocorticoid repeatability drawn from 71 separate studies and 55 species. Overall, we found moderate levels of repeatability (0.29). We also found that repeatability varied by sample type. Long-term measures (e.g., fecal and feather samples) and acute stress-induced plasma glucocorticoids had higher repeatability (long-term: 0.44, stress-induced: 0.38), than baseline glucocorticoid levels (0.18). Repeatability also decreased with increasing time between repeated sampling events. Despite significant overall repeatability, there was substantial heterogeneity in estimates from different studies, suggesting that repeatability of glucocorticoid secretion varies substantially across systems and conditions. We discuss the implications of our results for understanding selection on glucocorticoid traits and suggest that continuing work should focus on evaluating the repeatability of within-individual glucocorticoid reaction norms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conor C Taff
- Lab of Ornithology and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, United States.
| | | | - Maren N Vitousek
- Lab of Ornithology and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, United States
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Milich KM, Georgiev AV, Petersen RM, Emery Thompson M, Maestripieri D. Alpha male status and availability of conceptive females are associated with high glucocorticoid concentrations in high-ranking male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) during the mating season. Horm Behav 2018; 97:5-13. [PMID: 28954215 PMCID: PMC6180231 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between male mating opportunities, stress, and glucocorticoid concentrations is complicated by the fact that physiological stress and glucocorticoid concentrations can be influenced by dominance rank, group size, and the stability of the male dominance hierarchy, along with ecological factors. We studied the three highest-ranking males in nine different social groups within the same free-ranging population of rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, during the mating season, to examine variation in glucocorticoid concentrations in relation to number of females that conceived each month, alpha status, number of adult males in a group, and male rank hierarchy stability. We found that glucocorticoid concentrations were highest in the early mating season period when more females conceived in each group and declined linearly as the mating season progressed and the number of conceptive females decreased. Alpha males had significantly higher mean monthly glucocorticoid concentrations than other high-ranking males throughout the study period. Male age, number of adult males in a group, and hierarchy stability were not significantly associated with glucocorticoid concentrations. Our findings suggest that alpha males may experience significantly higher levels of physiological stress than their immediate subordinates and that this stress coincides with the period of the mating season when most conceptions occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista M Milich
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, USA; Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, USA.
| | - Alexander V Georgiev
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, USA; School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, UK
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Fardi S, Sauther ML, Cuozzo FP, Jacky IAY, Bernstein RM. The effect of extreme weather events on hair cortisol and body weight in a wild ring-tailed lemur population (Lemur catta) in southwestern Madagascar. Am J Primatol 2017; 80. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Fardi
- Department of Anthropology; University of Colorado; Boulder Colorado
| | | | - Frank P. Cuozzo
- Lajuma Research Centre; Louis Trichardt (Mahkado) South Africa
| | - Ibrahim A. Y. Jacky
- Laboratoire de Biologie Animale et Ecologie Terrestre; Faculté des Sciences; Université de Toliara; Toliara Madagascar
| | - Robin M. Bernstein
- Department of Anthropology; University of Colorado; Boulder Colorado
- Health and Society Program; Institute of Behavioral Science; University of Colorado; Boulder Colorado
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