scholarly journals Does selection for behavioral and physiological performance traits alter glucocorticoid responsiveness in bank voles?

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (15) ◽  
pp. jeb219865
Author(s):  
Małgorzata M. Lipowska ◽  
Edyta T. Sadowska ◽  
Ulf Bauchinger ◽  
Wolfgang Goymann ◽  
Barbara Bober-Sowa ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTOne of the key elements of an animal's Darwinian fitness is its ability to adequately respond to and cope with challenging situations. Glucocorticoid hormones, such as corticosterone, affect an organism's ability to overcome such challenges. We hypothesized that changes in the glucocorticoid response curve contribute to the evolution of increased performance during challenging conditions, and tested it on bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from a multidirectional artificial selection experiment, which involves lines selected for high aerobic exercise metabolism achieved during swimming (A – Aerobic), predatory behavior towards a cricket (P – Predatory) and ability to maintain body mass on a low-quality herbivorous diet (H – Herbivorous), as well as unselected control lines (C – Control). We elicited a glucocorticoid response either by restraining the animal or by maximum pharmacological stimulation, and measured plasma corticosterone levels at baseline, during the response and during the recovery phase. Response-level corticosterone was higher in females, and recovery from maximal level was faster than that of males. Selection did not affect baseline or stress-induced corticosterone levels, but it decreased the maximum corticosterone level in Aerobic and Predatory lines, reducing the difference between stress-induced and maximum levels. Recovery from restraint-induced corticosterone level tended to be slower in the Herbivorous than in the other lines, an effect that was stronger in females than in males. In conclusion, successful selection for increased performance in challenging conditions was not associated with changes in absolute values of the glucocorticoid response to stress, but can affect other characteristics of the glucocorticoid response curve.

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Klemme ◽  
Hannu Ylönen

The adaptive significance of polyandry is an intensely debated subject in sexual selection. For species with male infanticidal behaviour, it has been hypothesized that polyandry evolved as female counterstrategy to offspring loss: by mating with multiple males, females may conceal paternity and so prevent males from killing putative offspring. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first empirical test of this hypothesis in a combined laboratory and field study, and show that multiple mating seems to reduce the risk of infanticide in female bank voles Myodes glareolus . Our findings thus indicate that females of species with non-resource based mating systems, in which males provide nothing but sperm, but commit infanticide, can gain non-genetic fitness benefits from polyandry.


1981 ◽  
Vol 241 (1) ◽  
pp. R21-R24 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Doell ◽  
M. F. Dallman ◽  
R. B. Clayton ◽  
G. D. Gray ◽  
S. Levine

These experiments were undertaken to investigate the mechanism whereby a precipitous drop in plasma corticosterone concentration is brought about following drinking in rats on a restricted water schedule. No alteration in adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) output was found, nor was catabolism of corticosterone sufficient to account for the drop. It is concluded that corticosterone level is controlled under these conditions by a mechanism independent of ACTH concentration.


Author(s):  
Senthil Murugan Murugaiyan ◽  
Rajesh Bhargavan

AbstractObjectivesAluminium is present in food preparations, antacids and many medications. It causes neurodegeneration thereby resulting in a spectrum of neurological disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and anxiety. Bacopa monnieri (BM) is widely used in ayurvedic medicine to improve memory functions. Its anxiolytic property was investigated in this study by using elevated plus maze (EPM) and plasma corticosterone level.MethodsThirty rats were assigned into five groups. Control group received distilled water, and 0.5% tween 80, AlCl3 group received Aluminium Chloride (AlCl3), Protective groups (BM100 + AlCl3 group and BM200 + AlCl3 group) received AlCl3 and BM at two different doses, and the BM200 group received BM. The EPM experiment was performed at the end of the 4th week of oral administration of BM and AlCl3 followed by the measurement of plasma corticosterone.ResultsOral administration of AlCl3 to rats increases the levels of anxiety as seen in a decrease in the percentage of entries into the open arms of EPM, an increase in grooming frequency and defecation index. However, the rats in the protective groups shown an increase in the percentage of open arm entries and rearing frequency, and decreased grooming frequency and defecation index. AlCl3 alone treated group showed a significant increase in the plasma corticosterone levels compared to the control group. Whereas the protective groups have shown a significant decrease in the plasma corticosterone levels than the AlCl3 alone treated group.ConclusionsHence the BM has potential role in reverting the anxiogenic effect of AlCl3 in the amygdala as it is evident from the plasma corticosterone levels and the EPM parameters of different groups under study.


Author(s):  
Sakthivel G ◽  
Deva Karunya M ◽  
Prajisha P ◽  
Keerthipriya Cs ◽  
Ravindran R

 Objective: The present study is designed to investigate the effects of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) on electrophysiological and behavioral alterations in male Wistar albino rats and its ameliorating effect by myricetin-microemulsion (MYR-ME).Materials and Methods: Adult Wistar male albino rats were exposed to CUS for 21 days and treated with MYR-ME (10 mg/kg) for 21 days by oral administration. All the experimental animals were tested for anxiety and cognitive behavior by open-field behavior, light/dark test, eight-arm radial maze, spontaneous alteration T-maze, novel object recognition test, plasma corticosterone level, and electrophysiological activity.Results: The rats which were exposed to CUS showed memory impairment, increased anxiety, decreased novel explorations, deleterious effect on decision-making, increased corticosterone level, increased brain wave frequency and amplitude, and also heart rate. Whereas, CUS with MYR-ME-treated group showed a protective effect against CUS-induced behavioral alterations, electrophysiological activity, and corticosterone levels, which is characterized by the enhancement of cognitive function, decreased anxiety and improved decision-making, novel exploration, decreased corticosterone, and electrophysiological activity.Conclusion: From the present study, it is shown that MYR-ME may act as a potential anxiolytic and nootropic compound against CUS-induced alterations.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (2) ◽  
pp. R400-R404 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Terao ◽  
M. Oikawa ◽  
M. Saito

To examine the effects of brain cytokines on the sympathetic nervous system, norepinephrine (NE) turnover in peripheral organs (spleen, lung, diaphragm, pancreas, heart, liver, kidney, and interscapular brown adipose tissue) was assessed after intraperitoneal or intracerbroventricular administrations of human recombinant interleukin (IL)-1 beta and IL-6 in rats. An intraperitoneal injection of IL-1 (1 microgram/rat) accelerated NE turnover in the spleen, lung, diaphragm, and pancreas without appreciable effects in other organs examined. When IL-1 was injected intracerebroventricularly at much lower doses (1-100 ng/rat), a dose-dependent increase in NE turnover was observed in the spleen, lung, diaphragm, and pancreas. IL-6 did not affect NE turnover in every organ examined, even when it was given at much higher doses, 100 micrograms/rat and 100 ng/rat for intraperitoneal and intracerebroventricular injections, respectively. In contrast to tissue NE turnover, plasma corticosterone level was increased after the administration of IL-6 as well as IL-1, regardless of the site of administration. These results suggest that central IL-1, but not IL-6, increases sympathetic nerve activity in some specific organs, whereas both cytokines are effective for adrenocortical activation. A possible role of the sympathetic nervous system in physiological and immune responses to central IL-1 was discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maciej Grzybek ◽  
Daniela Antolová ◽  
Katarzyna Tołkacz ◽  
Mohammed Alsarraf ◽  
Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTToxoplasma gondii is a significant pathogen affecting humans and animals. We conducted seromonitoring for T. gondii in four sylvatic rodent species in Poland. We report an overall seroprevalence of 5.5% (3.6% for Myodes glareolus and 20% for other vole species). Seroprevalence in bank voles varied significantly between host age and sex.


Parasitology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 135 (8) ◽  
pp. 985-997 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. BEHNKE ◽  
A. BAJER ◽  
P. D. HARRIS ◽  
L. NEWINGTON ◽  
E. PIDGEON ◽  
...  

SUMMARYHelminth infections were studied in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from 3 woodland sites in N.E. Poland in the late summers of 1999 and 2002, to assess the temporal stability of derived statistics describing the regional helminth fauna and component community structure, and spatial influence on the latter. Regional helminth fauna changed dramatically between the two years, primarily due to a fall in the abundance ofSyphacia petrusewiczibut was partially compensated for by an increase inMesocestoides lineatusandCladotaenia globifera. It was dominated by nematodes overall, but more so in 1999 than in 2002 when larval cestodes were more frequent. Most derived parameters for component community structure varied considerably between sites and the two surveys, the hierarchical order for sites not being maintained between surveys. They were susceptible to the disproportionate influence of three relatively rare, unpredictable species with the greatest overall aggregated distribution among hosts. Jaccard's similarity index was less influenced by the rare species, showing greater stability between sites and across years. In conclusion, temporal variation confounded any site-specific characteristics of the summary measures quantified in this study and their usefulness is therefore restricted to the years in which the surveys were conducted.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document