Social isolation of goats: significance of visual contact with conspecifics on behavioral and physiological responses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Govind Kannan ◽  
Zaira M Estrada-Reyes ◽  
Phaneendra Batchu ◽  
Brou Kouakou ◽  
Thomas H Terrill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Median Frequency ◽  
Visual Contact ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
Rank Score

Abstract Social isolation can increase distress in goats, particularly when they cannot maintain visual contact with conspecifics. This experiment was conducted to determine the behavioral and physiological responses in goats during isolation with or without visual contact with conspecifics. Male Spanish goats (uncastrated, 8-mo old, average weight 29.4 ± 0.59 kg) were randomly assigned to a control (CO) group with no isolation or to one of four isolation treatment (TRT) pens (1.5 × 1.5 m) with: (1) open grill panels but with no visual contact with conspecifics (IO), (2) covered grill to prevent visual contact (IC), (3) open grill with visual contact (IV), or (3) covered grill with a 30 × 30 cm window to allow visual contact (IW) for 90 min of social isolation (n = 12 goats/TRT). Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, and 90 min (Time) from isolated and control goats. The experiment was repeated one week later using the same animals, with each goat being subjected to the same isolation treatment the second time to study the effect of prior exposure to isolation. Friedman’s Two-Way ANOVA by Ranks Test in SAS showed that the median frequency of vocalization (rank score) in goats was high in IO group, low in IV and IW groups, and intermediate in IC group (P < 0.01). Vocalization rank score was also higher (P < 0.01) during the first 30 min of isolation in goats. Median frequency of visual contact was higher in the IW group than in the IV group (P < 0.01). Frequency of climbing behavior was high in IC and IO groups, low in IV group, and intermediate in IW group (P < 0.01). Repeated Measures Analysis using GLM procedures in SAS revealed that plasma cortisol and glucose concentrations tended (P < 0.1) to be the highest in IO group than in CO, IC, IV, and IW groups. Cortisol levels were also higher (Time; P < 0.05) at 0 and 90 min compared to 30 and 60 min. Norepinephrine concentrations decreased (P < 0.05) with Time, and plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels were affected by TRT × Time interaction (P < 0.01). Overall, epinephrine, norepinephrine, glucose, and NEFA concentrations were lower (P < 0.01) and cortisol concentrations and lymphocyte counts higher (P < 0.01) when goats were exposed to isolation the second time. The results showed that goats with no visual contact with conspecifics during social isolation had greater physiological stress responses and spent more time vocalizing or trying to escape the pen, which may indicate distress.

scholarly journals Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscle Response to a Public Speech Preparation Stressor

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 1525-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah B. Helou ◽  
Clark A. Rosen ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Katherine Verdolini Abbott
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Laryngeal Muscle ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Tibialis Muscle ◽  
Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscle ◽  
Control Activation

Purpose Research suggests that abnormal levels of intrinsic laryngeal muscle (ILM) contraction is a potential causal factor in stress-induced voice disorders. This study seeks to characterize the ILM stress response in a cohort of vocally healthy women. Method The authors used an unblinded, nonrandomized, repeated-measures design. Forty vocally healthy female adults were subjected to a stressful speech preparation task. Measurements of heart rate, blood pressure, trapezius muscle (positive control) activation, and tibialis muscle (negative control) activation were obtained from 37 participants before and during stressor exposure, in a nonvoice and nonspeaking task paradigm, to confirm physiological stress response compared to baseline. Fine wire electromyography of the ILMs (posterior cricoarytenoid, thyroarytenoid/lateral cricoarytenoid muscle complex, and cricothyroid) was performed simultaneously so that the activity of these muscles could be measured prior to and during stressor exposure. Results The protocol successfully elicited the typical and expected physiological stress responses. Findings supported the hypothesis that, in some individuals, the ILMs significantly increase in activity during stress reactions compared to baseline, as do the control muscles. Conclusions This study characterizes ILM responses to psychological stress in vocally healthy participants. Some of the female adults in this study appeared to be “laryngeal stress responders,” as evidenced by increased activity of the ILMs during a silent (i.e., nonvocal, nonspeech) speech preparation task that they considered to be stressful.

scholarly journals Human protection drives the emergence of a new coping style in animals

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. e3001186
Author(s):  
Bastien Sadoul ◽  
Daniel T. Blumstein ◽  
Sébastien Alfonso ◽  
Benjamin Geffroy
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Environmental Threats

Wild animals face novel environmental threats from human activities that may occur along a gradient of interactions with humans. Recent work has shown that merely living close to humans has major implications for a variety of antipredator traits and physiological responses. Here, we hypothesize that when human presence protects prey from their genuine predators (as sometimes seen in urban areas and at some tourist sites), this predator shield, followed by a process of habituation to humans, decouples commonly associated traits related to coping styles, which results in a new range of phenotypes. Such individuals are characterized by low aggressiveness and physiological stress responses, but have enhanced behavioral plasticity, boldness, and cognitive abilities. We refer to these individuals as “preactive,” because their physiological and behavioral coping style falls outside the classical proactive/reactive coping styles. While there is some support for this new coping style, formal multivariate studies are required to investigate behavioral and physiological responses to anthropogenic activities.

scholarly journals PSIV-17 Muscular Tension as a Marker of Stress in Horses

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 285-286
Author(s):  
Ellen M Rankins ◽  
Helio C Manso ◽  
Karyn Malinowski ◽  
Kenneth H McKeever
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Median Frequency ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Emg Signal ◽  
Muscular Tension ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
The Right

Abstract Effects of social isolation, sham clipping, and novel object exposure on muscular and behavioral responses were investigated in horses. Humans increase muscular tension under psychologically or physically demanding situations and thus, similar conditions were expected to alter stress responses in horses. Eight mature Standardbreds (4 mares, 4 geldings) were exposed to 3 min of social isolation (ISO), sham clipping (CLIP), novel object (NOV), and control (CON) conditions in a replicated 4×4 Latin Square experimental design with 10 min washout periods. Surface electromyography (EMG) and stress-related behaviors were recorded continuously. Median frequency (MF) and average rectified value (ARV) of the EMG signal were calculated for the first, middle, and final 10 sec of each period. EMG data were log transformed prior to analysis with a mixed model, repeated measures ANOVA. Behavior data were analyzed using a negative binomial distribution mixed model ANOVA. Significantly different means were separated using Tukey’s method. More stress-related behaviors (P < 0.05) were observed during ISO (3.25 ± 0.26, LSM ± SE) than CON (1.46 ± 0.29) or CLIP (1.50 ± 0.36). ISO tended (P = 0.054) to produce more stress-related behaviors than NOV (2.31 ± 0.28). CLIP and ISO produced higher (P < 0.05) ARV than CON or NOV in the left and right masseter. CLIP elicited the highest (P < 0.05) MF in the left and right masseter with ISO resulting in lower (P < 0.05) MF than CON. ARV was higher (P < 0.05) in the left cervical trapezius during ISO as compared to all other conditions and in the right as compared to CON and CLIP. In the right cervical trapezius, ISO elicited higher (P < 0.05) MF than CON. Increased stress-related behaviors indicate a stress response was induced. Elevated muscular activity suggests muscular tension can be used in assessing stress.

scholarly journals Affective and Physiological Responses During Acute Pain in Virtual Reality: The Effect of First-Person Versus Third-Person Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Collin Turbyne ◽  
Pelle de Koning ◽  
Dirk Smit ◽  
Damiaan Denys
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
First Person ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Third Person Perspective

Background: Virtual reality (VR) has been previously shown as a means to mitigate acute pain. The critical parameters involved in the clinical efficacy of mitigating acute pain from different perspectives remains unknown. This study attempted to further deconstruct the critical parameters involved in mitigating acute pain by investigating whether affective and physiological responses to painful stimuli differed between a first and a third person perspective in virtual reality.Methods: Two conditions were compared in a repeated-measures within subject study design for 17 healthy participants: First person perspective (i.e., where participants experienced their bodies from an anatomical and egocentric perspective) and third person perspective (i.e., where participants experienced their bodies from an anatomical perspective from across the room). The participants received noxious electrical stimulation at pseudorandom intervals and anatomical locations during both conditions. Physiological stress responses were measured by means of electrocardiography (ECG) and impedance cardiography (ICG). Subjective scores measuring tension, pain, anger, and fear were reported after every block sequence.Results: There were no significant differences in physiological stress responses between conditions. However, the participants reported significantly higher tension during the third person condition.Conclusion: Relative to a third person perspective, there are no distinct physiological benefits to inducing a first person perspective to mitigate physiological stress responses to acute pain in healthy individuals. However, there may be additional clinical benefits for doing so in specific clinical populations that have shown to benefit from relaxation techniques. Further research is needed in order to refine the clinical utility of different perspectives during virtual reality immersions that serve to act as a non-pharmacological analgesic during acute pain.

scholarly journals Cumulative Risk and Physiological Stress Responses in African American Adolescents

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Kliewer ◽  
Jo Lynne W. Robins
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
African American ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Cumulative Risk ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sociodemographic Risk

Objective: To investigate associations between components of cumulative risk (CR) and physiological stress responses in African American adolescents and evaluate emotion regulation as a mediator and sex as a moderator of these associations. Methods: Cortisol and salivary alpha amylase (sAA) were collected in adolescents ( N = 205; 55% female; 12.1 ± 1.6 years at baseline) as part of a longitudinal study of stress and adjustment in families. CR was assessed at baseline and emotion regulation was assessed at baseline and 2 years later at Wave 3 (W3) using caregiver and adolescent reports. Cortisol and sAA responses to the social competence interview were assessed at W3. Results: Repeated-measures analyses of variance predicting cortisol and controlling for time of day, adolescent age, medication usage, and pubertal status revealed significant interactions of time with both psychosocial and sociodemographic risk. In both analyses, youths with higher levels of risk showed a steeper decline in cortisol than youths with lower levels of risk. In parallel analyses predicting sAA, time interacted with psychosocial but not with sociodemographic risk. There were no interactions with sex in any of the analyses. Although CR was associated with changes in emotion regulation, there was no evidence that these changes accounted for the observed CR–stress response associations. Conclusions: These findings illustrate the potential importance of disentangling CR and suggest that additional work is needed to help explicate why and how CR is associated with specific physiological responses to stress.

scholarly journals Genetically Different Isolates of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Rhizophagus irregularis Induce Differential Responses to Stress in Cassava

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Peña ◽  
Chanz Robbins ◽  
Joaquim Cruz Corella ◽  
Moses Thuita ◽  
Cargele Masso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Drought Stress ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Field Conditions

Water scarcity negatively impacts global crop yields and climate change is expected to greatly increase the severity of future droughts. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can potentially mitigate the effects of water stress in plants. Cassava is a crop that feeds approximately 800 million people daily. Genetically different isolates of the AMF R. irregularis as well as their clonal progeny have both been shown to greatly alter cassava growth in field conditions. Given that cassava experiences seasonal drought in many of the regions in which it is cultivated, we evaluated whether intraspecific variation in R. irregularis differentially alters physiological responses of cassava to water stress. In a first experiment, conducted in field conditions in Western Kenya, cassava was inoculated with two genetically different R. irregularis isolates and their clonal progeny. All cassava plants exhibited physiological signs of stress during the dry period, but the largest differences occurred among plants inoculated with clonal progeny of each of the two parental fungal isolates. Because drought had not been experimentally manipulated in the field, we conducted a second experiment in the greenhouse where cassava was inoculated with two genetically different R. irregularis isolates and subjected to drought, followed by re-watering, to allow recovery. Physiological stress responses of cassava to drought differed significantly between plants inoculated with the two different fungi. However, plants that experienced higher drought stress also recovered at a faster rate following re-watering. We conclude that intraspecific genetic variability in AMF significantly influences cassava physiological responses during water stress. This highlights the potential of using naturally existing variation in AMF to improve cassava tolerance undergoing water stress. However, the fact that clonal progeny of an AMF isolate can differentially affect how cassava copes with natural drought stress in field conditions, highlights the necessity to understand additional factors, beyond genetic variation, which can account for such large differences in cassava responses to drought.

Physiological responses of freeze-tolerant and -intolerant frogs: clues to evolution of anuran freeze tolerance

1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (4) ◽  
pp. R721-R725 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Costanzo ◽  
R. E. Lee ◽  
P. H. Lortz
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Rana Sylvatica ◽  
Freeze Tolerance ◽  
Leopard Frog ◽  
In Vitro Tests ◽  
Body Tissues ◽  
Freeze Tolerant

Freeze tolerance in the wood frog, Rana sylvatica, is promoted by multiple, integrated physiological responses to ice forming within body tissues. By analyzing the freezing responses of the sympatric, but freeze intolerant, leopard frog (R. pipiens), we sought clues to the evolution of anuran freeze tolerance. Physiological responses critical to R. sylvatica's freeze tolerance, such as the synthesis and distribution of the cryoprotectant glucose, protective dehydration of organs, and deferred cardiac failure, were present, but comparatively less pronounced, in R. pipiens. Both species were innately tolerant of hyperglycemia. Glucose supplements did not enhance the freezing viability of R. pipiens, although in vitro tests of cryoprotectant efficacy revealed that glucose and glycerol provided comparable protection to erythrocytes of both species. We conclude that the evolution of freeze tolerance in R. sylvatica is not only promoted by its desiccation tolerance and the fortuitous biophysical consequences of freezing (e.g., exothermic induction of cardioacceleration and moderation of cooling rate) but also involves a progressive enhancement of fundamental physiological stress responses.

scholarly journals A longitudinal study of perceived stress and cortisol responses in an undergraduate student population from India

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252579
Author(s):  
Anuradha Batabyal ◽  
Anindita Bhattacharya ◽  
Maria Thaker ◽  
Shomen Mukherjee
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Distress Scale

Young adults entering college experience immense shifts in personal and professional environments. Such a potentially stressful event may trigger multiple psychological and physiological effects. In a repeated-measures longitudinal survey (N = 6 time-points) of first year cohort of residential undergraduate students in India, this study evaluates multiple psychological parameters: PSS14 (Perceived Stress Scale), K10 (distress scale) and positive mood measures, along with salivary cortisol levels. We find that compared to women, men showed significantly lower levels of salivary cortisol and also a decrease in perceived stress (PSS14) and distress (K10) with time. By contrast, women reported similar perceived stress and distress levels over time but had higher cortisol levels at the end of the academic year. Academic stress was reported by the students to be the most important stressor. This study highlights notable gender-/sex-differences in psychological and physiological stress responses and adds a valuable longitudinal dataset from the Indian undergraduate student cohort which is lacking in literature.

Emotions and health: The impact of emotions, emotions regulation, music, and acculturation on health

2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Bongard ◽  
Volker Hodapp ◽  
Sonja Rohrmann
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Anger Expression ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Cardiovascular Stress ◽  
Expression Behavior ◽  
Cardio Vascular ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Our unit investigates the relationship of emotional processes (experience, expression, and coping), their physiological correlates and possible health outcomes. We study domain specific anger expression behavior and associated cardio-vascular loads and found e.g. that particularly an open anger expression at work is associated with greater blood pressure. Furthermore, we demonstrated that women may be predisposed for the development of certain mental disorders because of their higher disgust sensitivity. We also pointed out that the suppression of negative emotions leads to increased physiological stress responses which results in a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases. We could show that relaxation as well as music activity like singing in a choir causes increases in the local immune parameter immunoglobuline A. Finally, we are investigating connections between migrants’ strategy of acculturation and health and found e.g. elevated cardiovascular stress responses in migrants when they where highly adapted to the German culture.

Validating Four Standard Scales in Spiritually Practicing and Nonpracticing Samples Using Propensity Score Matching

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niko Kohls ◽  
Harald Walach
Keyword(s):  
Propensity Score ◽  
Propensity Score Matching ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Propensity Scores ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Brief Symptom Inventory ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
Social Support Scale ◽  
Lower Test

Validation studies of standard scales in the particular sample that one is studying are essential for accurate conclusions. We investigated the differences in answering patterns of the Brief-Symptom-Inventory (BSI), Transpersonal Trust Scale (TPV), Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC), and a Social Support Scale (F-SoZu) for a matched sample of spiritually practicing (SP) and nonpracticing (NSP) individuals at two measurement points (t1, t2). Applying a sample matching procedure based on propensity scores, we selected two sociodemographically balanced subsamples of N = 120 out of a total sample of N = 431. Employing repeated measures ANOVAs, we found an intersample difference in means only for TPV and an intrasample difference for F-SoZu. Additionally, a group × time interaction effect was found for TPV. While Cronbach’s α was acceptable and comparable for both samples, a significantly lower test-rest-reliability for the BSI was found in the SP sample (rSP = .62; rNSP = .78). Thus, when researching the effects of spiritual practice, one should not only look at differences in means but also consider time stability. We recommend propensity score matching as an alternative for randomization in variables that defy experimental manipulation such as spirituality.

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