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Liao S, Tan S, Jiang M, Wen J, Liu J, Cao J, Li M, Zhao Z. Temperature determines the shift of thermal neutral zone and influences thermogenic capacity in striped hamsters. Integr Zool 2023; 18:353-371. [PMID: 36056589 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The thermoneutral zone (TNZ) reflects the adaptation of mammals to their natural habitat. However, it remains unclear how TNZ shifts in response to variations in ambient temperature. To test the hypothesis that ambient temperature plays a key role in determining TNZ variations between seasons, we measured metabolic rate, body temperature, and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity of several visceral organs in striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) either acclimated to semi-natural conditions over a year, or subjected to a gradual decrease in mean temperature from 30 ± 1°C to -15 ± 1°C. The TNZ range in striped hamsters differed seasonally, with a wider TNZ and a lower lower-critical temperature in winter compared to summer. The hamsters showed a considerable leftward shift of lower-critical temperature from 30°C to 20°C after the ambient temperature of acclimation from 30°C down to -15°C, whereas the upper-critical temperature of TNZ remained fixed at 32.5°C. The resting metabolic rate in thermoneutral zone (RMRt), nonshivering thermogenesis (NST), and COX activity of brown adipose tissue, liver, skeletal muscle, brain, and kidneys, increased significantly in hamsters acclimated at lower ambient temperatures. Following acute exposure to 5°C and -15°C, hamsters acclimated to 32.5°C had significantly lower maximal NST and lower serum thyroid tri-iodothyronine (T3 ) levels compared to those kept at 23°C. These findings suggest that acclimation to the upper-critical temperature of TNZ impairs the hamsters' thermogenic capacity to cope with extreme cold temperature. Reduced ambient temperature was mainly responsible for the leftward shift of TNZ in striped hamsters, which reflects the adaptation to cold environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Liao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Song Tan
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Meizhi Jiang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jing Wen
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jinsong Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jing Cao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ming Li
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Zhijun Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
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2
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Liao SS, Liu W, Cao J, Zhao ZJ. Territory aggression and energy budget in food-restricted striped hamsters. Physiol Behav 2022; 254:113897. [PMID: 35788009 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Food resource availability is one of the most important factors affecting interindividual competition in a variety of animal species. However, the energy budget and territory aggression strategy of small mammals during periods of food restriction remain uncertain. In this study, metabolic rate, body temperature, territory aggression behavior, and fat deposit were measured in male striped hamster (Cricetulus barabensis) restricted by 20% of ad libitum food intake with or without supplementary methimazole. Serum thyroid hormone (tri-iodothyronine, T3 and thyroxine, T4), and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity in liver, brown adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle, were also measured. Attack latency, total attack times and duration, and the interval duration between attacks of resident hamsters were not significantly changed during food restriction, which was not significantly affected by supplementary methimazole. Metabolic rate and body temperature was significantly increased in food-restricted hamsters following introduction of an intruder, which was not completely blocked by supplementary methimazole. Serum T3 and T4 levels and BAT COX activity were not significantly changed following aggression, and were significantly decreased by supplementary methimazole. These findings suggest that striped hamsters increase energy expenditure for territory aggression during food restriction, and consequently lead to excessive energy depletion. Territory aggression behavior may decrease the capacity to cope with food shortage, which may be independent of thyroid hormone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sha-Sha Liao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Wei Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jing Cao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
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3
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Huo DL, Bao MH, Cao J, Zhao ZJ. The nonshivering thermogenesis of brown adipose tissue and fat mobilization of striped hamsters exposed to cycles of cold and warm temperatures. THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2022.2025931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- D.-L. Huo
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - M.-H. Bao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - J. Cao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Z.-J. Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management for Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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4
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Deng GM, Yu JX, Xu JQ, Bao YF, Chen Q, Cao J, Zhao ZJ. Exposure to artificial wind increases energy intake and reproductive performance of female Swiss mice ( Mus musculus) in hot temperatures. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb231415. [PMID: 32665446 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.231415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
High temperatures and heatwaves are rapidly emerging as an important threat to many aspects of physiology and behavior in females during lactation. The body's capacity to dissipate heat is reduced by high ambient temperatures, increasing the risk of hyperthermia. Exposure to wind, a pervasive environmental factor for most terrestrial animals, is known to increase heat loss, but its effects on the reproductive performance of small mammals remains unclear. In the present study, the effects of wind on the energy budgets, resting metabolic rate and milk energy output (MEO) were measured in lactating Swiss mice at 21 and 32.5°C. Females kept at 32.5°C had a significantly lower resting metabolic rate, food intake and MEO, and lighter offspring, than those kept at 21°C. However, exposure to wind increased the asymptotic food intake of females kept at 32.5°C by 22.5% (P<0.01), their MEO by 20.7% (P<0.05) and their litter mass by 17.6% (P<0.05). The body temperature of females kept at 32.5°C was significantly higher during lactation than that of females kept at 21°C, but this difference was reduced by exposure to wind. These findings suggest that exposure to wind considerably improves reproductive performance, increasing the fitness of small mammals while undergoing hot temperatures during heatwaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Min Deng
- Department of Biology, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jing-Xin Yu
- Department of Biology, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jia-Qi Xu
- Department of Biology, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Yu-Fan Bao
- Department of Biology, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Qian Chen
- Department of Biology, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jing Cao
- Department of Biology, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Zhao
- Department of Biology, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
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5
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Yu JX, Deng GM, Xu JQ, Cao J, Zhao ZJ. The energy budget and fat accumulation in striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) during post-lactation. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2020; 249:110755. [PMID: 32673739 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive adjustments of energy intake and body fat play an important role in allowing animals' to meet the energy demands of thermoregulation during cold conditions and reproduction. Body fat is usually metabolized during lactation, which is one of the most energetically demanding activities of female mammals, however the effect of this on the energy budget and body fat regulation after lactation remains unclear. We compared the energy intake and body fat of female striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) fed either a high-fat or low-fat diet for 21 days after the end of lactation (post-lactation, PL) to those of virgin controls. Serum leptin levels and the expression of hypothalamic orexigenic and anorexigenic neuropeptide genes were also measured and compared. Although lactating females consumed significantly more food, they had significantly lower body fat than virgin controls. The energy intake and body fat levels of the PL females were, however, significantly higher than those of virgin females. This was particularly true for the PL females that were fed high-fat diet. These females had significantly higher serum leptin concentrations, but lower hypothalamic leptin receptor gene expression, than virgin females. Neither orexigenic nor anorexigenic neuropeptide levels in the hypothalamus differed significantly between the PL and virgin females. This suggests that a negative energy balance during lactation drives fat accumulation after lactation. Furthermore, leptin resistance may occur after the end of lactation, causing females to consume more food, and accumulate more fat, than virgin females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Xin Yu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Guang-Min Deng
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jia-Qi Xu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jing Cao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
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6
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Wen J, Chi QS, Wang DH, Zhao ZJ. The responses of metabolic rate and neuropeptides to food deprivation in striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) with different basal metabolic rate. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2020; 333:483-492. [PMID: 32314557 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
High basal metabolic rate (BMR) is related to a powerful metabolic engine even under food shortage, which can lead to high levels of daily energy expenditure and requires more energy for maintenance in small mammals. To test the hypothesis that animals with different BMR levels respond differently to food shortage, we compared the changes in metabolism, morphology, and gene expression in response to food deprivation (FD) in male-striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) with low (L)- or high (H)-BMR levels. After 36 hr of FD, energy expenditure, metabolic rate (MR), mass of body composition, and leptin and agouti-related peptide gene expressions in the white adipose tissues and the hypothalamus, respectively, decreased significantly in hamsters. The energy expenditure of H-BMR hamsters was reduced more than that of L-BMR hamsters after 36 hr of FD. Furthermore, MR was significantly reduced by FD, and that of the H-BMR group decreased more than that of the L-BMR group during the daytime. Therefore, our data suggest that striped hamsters with different BMR display different responses to variations in food availability. During FD, MR in H-BMR hamsters was more flexible than that in L-BMR animals and L-BMR hamsters could not reduce their MR any lower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing-Sheng Chi
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - De-Hua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
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7
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Cui J, Lei B, Newman C, Ji S, Su H, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW, Zhou Y. Functional adaptation rather than ecogeographical rules determine body-size metrics along a thermal cline with elevation in the Chinese pygmy dormouse (Typhlomys cinereus). J Therm Biol 2020; 88:102510. [PMID: 32125991 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is crucial for how organisms respond to variation in their environment, affecting their diversity and distribution, especially in the light of rapid environmental change. Ecogeographical rules predict an association between specific adaptive morphological and physiological traits with cooler conditions due to higher latitude, elevation, or climate change. Such ecogeographical effects are often most evident in ancient species due to continuous selective adaptation occurring over long periods of time. Here, we use the suitably ancient Chinese pygmy dormouse (Typhlomys cinereus) to test whether body-size, appendage length and heart size vary in accordance with Bergmann's, Allen's and Hesse's rule, respectively. Based on a sample of 67 adult individuals (female, n = 29; male n = 38) trapped at 37 sites transcending an elevational range from 414 to 1757 m, we tested for trait concordance with Bergmann's rule (body mass, length and SMI), Allen's rule (length of tail, foot, ear, snout), and Hesse's rule (wet and dry heart mass). Effects of elevation (and thus temperature lapse rate; calculated as 0.61 °C per 100 m) on body size, appendage length and heart size, were tested by fitting Standardized Major Axis (SMA) models. We observed substantial heterogeneity in morphometric traits allowing for the detection of ecogeographical clines. However, none conformed with Bergmann's, Allen's (except ear size), or Hesse's rule. However, our results indicate some support for Geist's rule of net primary productivity. We conclude that pervasive functional life-history adaptations in this blind, arboreal, echolocating ancient species exceeded selection for morphological energy efficiency constraints, with the notable exception of reduced ear pinnae size at colder, elevated sites. This is an important consideration for predicting how species, and populations in general, may adapt to human induced rapid environmental change, contrary to expectations of warming driving selection for smaller body-size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jifa Cui
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical, China Three Gorges University, No. 8, Daxue Road, Yichang, Hubei Province, 443002, China; State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Boyu Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Shengnan Ji
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Regional Ecological Processes and Functions Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Huawei Su
- State-owned Longmenhe Forest Farm, Xingshan, Yichang, Hubei Province, China
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Youbing Zhou
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical, China Three Gorges University, No. 8, Daxue Road, Yichang, Hubei Province, 443002, China; State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China.
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8
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Bao MH, Chen LB, Hambly C, Speakman JR, Zhao ZJ. Exposure to hot temperatures during lactation stunted offspring growth and decreased the future reproductive performance of female offspring. J Exp Biol 2020:jeb.223560. [PMID: 34005557 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.223560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Among the important aspects of climate change, exposure to high temperatures (heat waves) is rapidly emerging as an important issue, in particular for female mammals during lactation. High temperatures adversely impact ability to dissipate heat, which has negative effects on reproductive output. The cumulative effects on growth of F1 offspring after weaning and future reproductive performance of offspring remain uncertain. In this study, the F1 mice that weaned from mothers lactating at 21°C and 32.5°C were housed at 21°C from day 19 till 56 of age; during which food intake and body mass were measured. The F1 adult females that had been weaned at the two temperatures were bred and then both exposed to 32.5°C during lactation. Energy intake, milk output and litter size and mass were determined. The F1 adults weaned at 32.5°C consumed less food and had lower body mass than their counterparts weaned at 21°C. Several visceral organs or reproductive tissues were significantly lower in mass in F1 weaned at 32.5°C than at 21°C. The exposure to 32.5°C significantly decreased energy intake, milk output and litter mass in F1 adult females during lactation. The F1 adult females weaned at 32.5°C produced less milk and raised lighter pups than those previously weaned at 21°C. The data suggest that transient exposure to hot temperature during lactation has long-lasting impacts on the offspring, including stunted growth and decreases in future reproductive performance when adult. This indicates that the offspring of females previously experiencing hot temperatures have a significant fitness disadvantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Huan Bao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Li-Bing Chen
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Catherine Hambly
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - John R Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei Chen Xi Lu, Chaoyang, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center of Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Jun Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
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9
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Effects of thyroid hormones and cold acclimation on the energy metabolism of the striped hamster (Cricetulus barabensis). J Comp Physiol B 2019; 189:153-165. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-018-1197-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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10
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Kabbaj M, Wang Z. Neurobiology of motivated behaviors. Integr Zool 2018; 13:613-615. [PMID: 30251389 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Kabbaj
- Professor of Biomedical Sciences & Neuroscience Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Zuoxin Wang
- Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
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