scholarly journals The adaptive shaping of social behavioural phenotypes during adolescence

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 20180536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Sachser ◽  
Michael B. Hennessy ◽  
Sylvia Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Maternal Behaviour ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Behavioural Phenotype ◽  
Shaping Process ◽  
Behavioural Phenotypes ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
High Degree

Developmental behavioural plasticity is a process by which organisms can alter development of their behavioural phenotype to be better adapted to the environment encountered later in life. This ‘shaping’ process depends on the presence of reliable cues by which predictions can be made. It is now established that cues detected by the mother can be used (primarily via hormones prenatally and maternal behaviour in the early postnatal stage) to shape the behavioural phenotype of her offspring. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that adolescence is another period in which conditions are well-suited for such shaping to occur. We review here how mammalian social behaviour may be shaped in adolescence. We identify limited extant examples, briefly discuss underlying mechanisms, and provide evidence that observed changes are indeed adaptive. We contend that while plasticity diminishes with age, the shaping of the behavioural phenotype in adolescence offers several advantages, including that adolescence is closer to the onset of mating than are earlier phases of life; that unlike earlier phases, information is obtained directly from the environment rather than mediated by the mother; and unlike later in adulthood, there is substantial underlying neural plasticity associated with development to support behavioural change. We also consider conditions that favour the occurrence of social behaviour plasticity during adolescence, including a high degree of sociality and a prolonged developmental period and the implication of these conditions for the occurrence of sex differences in the shaping process.

scholarly journals Dynamic modulation of sociality and aggression: an examination of plasticity within endocrine and neuroendocrine systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1727) ◽  
pp. 20160243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey M. Kelly ◽  
Maren N. Vitousek
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Functional Capabilities ◽  
Rapid Responses ◽  
Neuroendocrine Mechanisms ◽  
Behavioural Phenotypes ◽  
Neuroendocrine Systems

Endocrine and neuroendocrine systems are key mediators of behavioural plasticity and allow for the ability to shift social behaviour across dynamic contexts. These systems operate across timescales, modulating both rapid responses to environmental changes and developmental plasticity in behavioural phenotypes. Thus, not only do endocrine systems mediate behavioural plasticity, but also the systems themselves exhibit plasticity in functional capabilities. This flexibility at both the mechanistic and behavioural levels can be crucial for reproduction and survival. Here, we discuss how plasticity in nonapeptide and steroid actions may influence the expression of, and allow rapid shifts between, sociality and aggression—behavioural shifts that can be particularly important for social interactions. Recent findings of overlap in the mechanisms that modulate social and aggressive behaviour suggest the potential for a mechanistic continuum between these behaviours. We briefly discuss the potential for a sociality–aggression continuum and novel techniques that will enable probing of the functional connectivity of social behaviours. From an evolutionary perspective, we suggest that plasticity in endocrine and neuroendocrine mechanisms of behaviour may be important targets of selection, and discuss the conditions under which we would predict selection to have resulted in differences in endocrine plasticity across species that differ in social organization. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals’.

scholarly journals Maternal temperature exposure impairs emotional and cognitive responses and triggers dysregulation of neurodevelopment genes in fish

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violaine Colson ◽  
Morgane Cousture ◽  
Danielle Damasceno ◽  
Claudiane Valotaire ◽  
Thaovi Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Maternal Exposure ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Cognitive Responses ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Maternal Mrna ◽  
Behavioural Phenotypes ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Temperature Exposure

Fish are sensitive to temperature, but the intergenerational consequences of maternal exposure to high temperature on offspring behavioural plasticity and underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that a thermal maternal stress induces impaired emotional and cognitive responses in offspring rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Thermal stress in mothers triggered the inhibition of locomotor fear-related responses upon exposure to a novel environment and decreased spatial learning abilities in progeny. Impaired behavioural phenotypes were associated with the dysregulation of several genes known to play major roles in neurodevelopment, including auts2 (autism susceptibility candidate 2), a key gene for neurodevelopment, more specifically neuronal migration and neurite extension, and critical for the acquisition of neurocognitive function. In addition, our analysis revealed the dysregulation of another neurodevelopment gene (dpysl5) as well as genes associated with human cognitive disorders (arv1, plp2). We observed major differences in maternal mRNA abundance in the eggs following maternal exposure to high temperature indicating that some of the observed intergenerational effects are mediated by maternally-inherited mRNAs accumulated in the egg. Together, our observations shed new light on the intergenerational determinism of fish behaviour and associated underlying mechanisms. They also stress the importance of maternal history on fish behavioural plasticity.

Investigation of the relationship between farrowing environment, sex steroid concentrations and maternal aggression in gilts

1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 34-34
Author(s):  
K.A. McLean ◽  
A.B. Lawrence ◽  
J.C. Petherick ◽  
L. Deans ◽  
J. Chirnside ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Steroids ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Sex Steroid ◽  
Maternal Behaviour ◽  
Maternal Aggression ◽  
The Relationship

Maternal oestrogen and progesterone have been shown to be important in the initiation of maternal behaviour (e.g. Shipka and Ford, 1991). It has also been suggested by Csermely and Nicosia (1991) that there is an association between social rank and the performance of maternal behaviour. This study investigated the relationships between social behaviour during pregnancy, levels of sex steroids around parturition and the level of maternal care shown by gilts. Sows and gilts are generally housed in farrowing crates during parturition and lactation. This study also ascertained whether or not the farrowing environment affected sex steroid concentrations.

scholarly journals Noise Induced Hearing Loss and Tinnitus—New Research Developments and Remaining Gaps in Disease Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 732
Author(s):  
Tang-Chuan Wang ◽  
Ta-Yuan Chang ◽  
Richard Tyler ◽  
Ying-Ju Lin ◽  
Wen-Miin Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Disease Assessment ◽  
Noise Induced Hearing Loss ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Adaptive Changes ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
New Research

Long-term noise exposure often results in noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). Tinnitus, the generation of phantom sounds, can also result from noise exposure, although understanding of its underlying mechanisms are limited. Recent studies, however, are shedding light on the neural processes involved in NIHL and tinnitus, leading to potential new and innovative treatments. This review focuses on the assessment of NIHL, available treatments, and development of new pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments based on recent studies of central auditory plasticity and adaptive changes in hearing. We discuss the mechanisms and maladaptive plasticity of NIHL, neuronal aspects of tinnitus triggers, and mechanisms such as tinnitus-associated neural changes at the cochlear nucleus underlying the generation of tinnitus after noise-induced deafferentation. We include observations from recent studies, including our own studies on associated risks and emerging treatments for tinnitus. Increasing knowledge of neural plasticity and adaptive changes in the central auditory system suggest that NIHL is preventable and transient abnormalities may be reversable, although ongoing research in assessment and early detection of hearing difficulties is still urgently needed. Since no treatment can yet reverse noise-related damage completely, preventative strategies and increased awareness of hearing health are essential.

scholarly journals Impairment of cerebellar long-term depression and GABAergic transmission in prion protein deficient mice ectopically expressing PrPLP/Dpl

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasushi Kishimoto ◽  
Moritoshi Hirono ◽  
Ryuichiro Atarashi ◽  
Suehiro Sakaguchi ◽  
Tohru Yoshioka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Prion Protein ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Eyeblink Conditioning ◽  
Electrophysiological Study ◽  
Synaptic Function ◽  
Long Term Depression ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Abstract Prion protein (PrPC) knockout mice, named as the “Ngsk” strain (Ngsk Prnp0/0 mice), show late-onset cerebellar Purkinje cell (PC) degeneration because of ectopic overexpression of PrPC-like protein (PrPLP/Dpl). Our previous study indicated that the mutant mice also exhibited alterations in cerebellum-dependent delay eyeblink conditioning, even at a young age (16 weeks of age) when neurological changes had not occurred. Thus, this electrophysiological study was designed to examine the synaptic function of the cerebellar cortex in juvenile Ngsk Prnp0/0 mice. We showed that Ngsk Prnp0/0 mice exhibited normal paired-pulse facilitation but impaired long-term depression of excitatory synaptic transmission at synapses between parallel fibres and PCs. GABAA-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents recorded from PCs were also weakened in Ngsk Prnp0/0 mice. Furthermore, we confirmed that Ngsk Prnp0/0 mice (7–8-week-old) exhibited abnormalities in delay eyeblink conditioning. Our findings suggest that these alterations in both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission to PCs caused deficits in delay eyeblink conditioning of Ngsk Prnp0/0 mice. Therefore, the Ngsk Prnp0/0 mouse model can contribute to study underlying mechanisms for impairments of synaptic transmission and neural plasticity, and cognitive deficits in the central nervous system.

scholarly journals Transprocessing: a proposed neurobiological mechanism of psychotherapeutic processing

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Novac ◽  
Robert G. Bota
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The Brain

How does the human brain absorb information and turn it into skills of its own in psychotherapy? In an attempt to answer this question, the authors will review the intricacies of processing channels in psychotherapy and propose the term transprocessing (as in transduction and processing combined) for the underlying mechanisms. Through transprocessing the brain processes multimodal memories and creates reparative solutions in the course of psychotherapy. Transprocessing is proposed as a stage-sequenced mechanism of deconstruction of engrained patterns of response. Through psychotherapy, emotional-cognitive reintegration and its consolidation is accomplished. This process is mediated by cellular and neural plasticity changes.

scholarly journals Tinbergen's fourth question, ontogeny: sexual and individual differentiation

2005 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ton Groothuis ◽  
David Crews
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Incubation Temperature ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Behavioural Development ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Behavioural Phenotype ◽  
Leopard Gecko ◽  
Competitive Behaviour ◽  
Individual Differentiation ◽  
Maternal Hormones

AbstractBased on Tinbergen's view of the study of behavioural development we describe some recent advances and their importance in this field. We argue that the study of behavioural development should combine both proximate and ultimate approaches, and can help to understand how early subtle environmental factors shape consistent individual variation both between and within sexes. This is illustrated by reviewing the profound effects of incubation temperature on the development of brain and social behaviour in the leopard gecko, a species with temperature-dependent sex determination, and the effects of early exposure to steroid hormones on social behaviour in rodents and especially birds. Both are maternal effects: incubation temperature can be partly determined by the nest site where the mother deposited her eggs, while in both oviparous and viviparous vertebrates maternal hormones reach and influence the embryo. In the gecko, incubation temperature affects sexual and aggressive behaviour, growth, the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, as well as the size, connectivity and metabolic capacity of certain brain areas. In this way not only is the gonad type determined, but so too is the morphological, physiological, neural, and behavioural phenotype established that explains much of within-sex variation. In rodents, maternal hormones affect similar aspects. In avian species, maternal hormones, deposited in the eggs, vary systematically between and within clutches and have both short- and long-lasting effects on competitive behaviour. Evidence suggests that mothers adaptively adjust hormone allocation to the environmental context. In addition, we discuss some effects of postnatal experience on behavioural development in geckos, mice and bird species. Our results also illustrate how the study of animal models other than rodents can help in understanding important developmental processes.

scholarly journals The Maternal Brain: An Organ with Peripartal Plasticity

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Maria Hillerer ◽  
Volker Rudolf Jacobs ◽  
Thorsten Fischer ◽  
Ludwig Aigner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Synaptic Plasticity ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Tight Control ◽  
Maternal Brain ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
And Behavior

The time of pregnancy, birth, and lactation, is characterized by numerous specific alterations in several systems of the maternal body. Peripartum-associated changes in physiology and behavior, as well as their underlying molecular mechanisms, have been the focus of research since decades, but are still far from being entirely understood. Also, there is growing evidence that pregnancy and lactation are associated with a variety of alterations in neural plasticity, including adult neurogenesis, functional and structural synaptic plasticity, and dendritic remodeling in different brain regions. All of the mentioned changes are not only believed to be a prerequisite for the proper fetal and neonatal development, but moreover to be crucial for the physiological and mental health of the mother. The underlying mechanisms apparently need to be under tight control, since in cases of dysregulation, a certain percentage of women develop disorders like preeclampsia or postpartum mood and anxiety disorders during the course of pregnancy and lactation. This review describes common peripartum adaptations in physiology and behavior. Moreover, it concentrates on different forms of peripartum-associated plasticity including changes in neurogenesis and their possible underlying molecular mechanisms. Finally, consequences of malfunction in those systems are discussed.

Spatial dynamics of a migratory wolf population in winter, south-central Ontario (1990-1995)

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 1740-1750 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Joy Cook ◽  
D Ryan Norris ◽  
John B Theberge
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
South Central ◽  
The Social ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Provincial Park ◽  
Very High ◽  
Neighbour Analysis

We examined the spatial distribution and movements of migratory wolves (Canis lupus lycaon) to a deer yard located adjacent to Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, during 5 winters from 1990 to 1995. Wolves from eastern and central Algonquin Provincial Park followed the annual migration of deer to yards located 13 km outside of the Park boundary. Spatial distributions were determined through mapping of telemetry locations and nearest neighbour analysis. We defined three spacing systems: consistent/high fidelity, clustered/moderate fidelity, and transitional/low fidelity. We found inconsistencies among packs in their adherence to these systems. Data indicate that areas of use changed quickly and tolerance levels among wolves in the deer yard were very high; alien wolves were recorded 163 times in close spatial and (or) temporal proximity. The social behaviour exhibited by this migratory population of wolves has never been recorded in a forested wolf-deer ecosystem. Factors that may contribute to this behavioural plasticity include food abundance, a high degree of genetic relatedness among wolf packs, and high rates of human-caused mortality.

scholarly journals A simple and effective F0 knockout method for rapid screening of behaviour and other complex phenotypes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Kroll ◽  
Gareth T Powell ◽  
Marcus Ghosh ◽  
Paride Antinucci ◽  
Timothy J Hearn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Genetic Screens ◽  
Behavioural Phenotype ◽  
Larval Zebrafish ◽  
Complex Phenotypes ◽  
Human Genes ◽  
Behavioural Phenotypes ◽  
Mutant Phenotypes ◽  
Genetic Contributions

ABSTRACTHundreds of human genes are associated with neurological diseases, but translation into tractable biological mechanisms is lagging. Larval zebrafish are an attractive model to investigate genetic contributions to neurological diseases. However, current CRISPR-Cas9 methods are difficult to apply to large genetic screens studying behavioural phenotypes. To facilitate rapid genetic screening, we developed a simple sequencing-free tool to validate gRNAs and a highly effective CRISPR-Cas9 method capable of converting >90% of injected embryos directly into F0 biallelic knockouts. We demonstrate that F0 knockouts reliably recapitulate complex mutant phenotypes, such as altered molecular rhythms of the circadian clock, escape responses to irritants, and multi-parameter day-night locomotor behaviours. The technique is sufficiently robust to knockout multiple genes in the same animal, for example to create the transparent triple knockout crystal fish for imaging. Our F0 knockout method cuts the experimental time from gene to behavioural phenotype in zebrafish from months to one week.

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