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PubMed2006

Interspecies hormonal interactions between man and the domestic dog (Canis familiaris).

To date, hormonal influence in interspecies interaction has not been examined. In a study of a dog agility competition among human/dog teams, men's pre-competition basal testosterone (T) levels were positively related to changes in dogs' cortisol levels from pre- to post-competition, but only among losing teams. Furthermore, pre-competition basal T in men on losing teams predicted more than half of the variance in dogs' cortisol change. This relationship was mediated through men's punitive and affiliative behaviors towards their dogs immediately after competition. Men's T change was also a significant predictor of dogs' change in cortisol such that men who experienced greater decreases in T after a loss were associated with dogs that experienced greater increases in cortisol. In winning teams, men's pre-competition T and T changes were unrelated to dogs' cortisol changes. These results are discussed in light of T as a proxy for dominance motivation as well as T's relation to stress across the species boundary.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Manipulations of the AVT system shift social status and related courtship and aggressive behavior in the bluehead wrasse.

Arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homologoue arginine vasopressin (AVP) influence male sexual and aggressive behaviors in many species. We tested the effects of AVT and an AVP-V(1a) receptor antagonist on the display of alternative male tactics in a tropical coral reef fish, the bluehead wrasse Thalassoma bifasciatum. We gave AVT injections to territorial and nonterritorial males of the large and colorful phenotype (terminal phase) and an AVP-V(1a) receptor antagonist, Manning compound, to territorial males in the field. AVT increased courtship independent of status, while its effects on territoriality and aggression were dependent upon male status. In territorial males, AVT increased courtship and tended to decrease the number of chases toward initial phase individuals. In nonterritorial males, AVT increased courtship, chases toward initial phase individuals, and territorial behavior while decreasing feeding. These are all behaviors rarely seen in nonterritorial males, so AVT made these males act like territorial TP males. The AVP-V(1a) receptor antagonist had opposite effects. It decreased courtship and territorial defense, making these males act more like nonterritorial males. Manipulations of the AVT system shifted males within a single phenotype from the nonterritorial social status to the territorial social status and vice versa. Since the entire suite of behaviors related to territoriality was affected by AVT system manipulations, our results suggest that the AVT system may play a key role in motivation of behaviors related to mating.

Aggression↗
PubMed2006

Stress and the suppression of subordinate reproduction in cooperatively breeding meerkats.

In many animal societies, dominant individuals monopolize reproduction, but the tactics they employ to achieve this are poorly understood. One possibility is that aggressive dominants render their subordinates infertile by inducing chronic physiological "stress." However, this hypothesis has been discarded largely for cooperatively breeding species, where reproductive monopolies are often extreme. Here we provide strong support for the stress-related suppression hypothesis in a cooperative mammal, the meerkat (Suricata suricatta). When pregnant, dominant females subject some subordinate females to escalating aggression, culminating in temporary evictions from the group. While evicted, subordinate females suffer chronic elevation of their glucocorticoid adrenal hormone levels, reproductive down-regulation (reduced pituitary sensitivity to gonadotropin-releasing hormone), reduced conception rates, and increased abortion rates. Rather than constantly harassing all subordinate females, dominants only become aggressive when pregnant themselves (when subordinate reproduction would otherwise conflict with their own) and target those females with whom reproductive conflict is most likely (older, pregnant, and more distantly related females). Our findings suggest that dominant female meerkats employ stressful evictions to suppress reproduction among their probable competitors, when attempting to breed themselves. Given the lack of evidence for stress-related suppression in other cooperative breeders to date, it is clear that social stress alone cannot account for the reproductive failure of subordinates across such societies. However, our findings raise the possibility that, in some cooperative breeders at least, dominants may employ stress-related suppression as a backup mechanism to guard against lapses in reproductive restraint by their subordinates.

Aggression↗
PubMed1986

Mesial prefrontal cortical lesions and timidity in rats. III. Behavior in a semi-natural environment.

Behavior of adult male rats with and without lesions in mesial prefrontal cortex (MFC) was studied in a large (72 m2) semi-natural environment (SNE) equipped with numerous wooden nest boxes. The experiment was conducted in 2 partial replicates, one in summer, one in mid-winter. Subjects were introduced to this environment 11 days after surgery, in groups. In the first replication, control and lesioned rats were subjected to mild food deprivation, beginning two weeks after introduction into the SNE. In the second replication, rats were first restricted to separate areas of the SNE, then later allowed full run of the environment. This procedure was then repeated. Summarizing the findings of both replicates, MFC rats were more likely to be found inside nest boxes than controls, changed nest boxes less often, and were less likely to obtain or hoard food from the daily feeding sessions, or to hoard and use nesting material. MFC rats were lower in social rank than controls, and lost less weight during the initial two weeks in replicate one, perhaps due to their relative inactivity. These differences waned over time when MFC rats were competing only within their group, but not when the brain damaged rats were forced to compete with intact controls. It is concluded that the timidity previously described in studies of MFC rats in a laboratory setting (Holson, Holson and Walker) has ethological validity, in that it is also evident in an SNE. The implications of these findings for an understanding of the evolution and function of prefrontal cortex are briefly discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Social and nonsocial behaviors of adult rhesus monkeys after amygdalectomy in infancy or adulthood.

At 6 yr of age six female rhesus monkeys that had sustained bilateral amygdalectomy in infancy, and five intact controls, were transferred to an observation cage where behaviors were recorded while the monkeys were (a) alone, (b) paired with unfamiliar stimulus animals, and (c) paired with familiar monkeys from the opposite experimental group. The five adult controls then underwent amygdalectomy, and all tests were repeated with the infant- and adult-operated animals. Infant-operated monkeys changed behaviors more rapidly than did intact controls in social and nonsocial situations, and their activity levels were less modified after a 24-hr period in the observation cage. They were subordinate to intact controls but expressed less fear than did controls when briefly placed with an unfamiliar aggressive animal. Adult amygdalectomy produced many changes in behavior, but these aberrations were identical to those observed in like-age monkeys that had been amygdalectomized in infancy. Infant-operated monkeys demonstrated more behavioral deficits at 6 yr than they had earlier in life.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1999

Seasonal specificity of hormonal, behavioral, and coloration responses to within- and between-sex encounters in male lizards (Sceloporus undulatus).

This study reports the gender and seasonal specificity of hormonal, behavioral, and coloration responses displayed by "resident" male lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) exposed to male or female "intruders" during staged encounters in outdoor enclosures. Resident males were engaged in staged encounters with males or females for 1 h per day on 9 consecutive days during the breeding and postbreeding seasons. Male-specific responses occurred during the breeding but not the postbreeding season. These included (1) a transient increase in plasma testosterone (T) that was evident on Day 4 and had subsided by Day 10, (2) behavioral displays of aggression (full shows and chases), and (3) a lightening of dorsal integumental color. Female-specific behavioral responses (nod sets) were displayed in both seasons. Season-specific responses consisted only of a transient increase in plasma corticosterone (B) during the breeding season that was evident on Day 4 and had subsided by Day 10. Pushups were displayed in response to both genders during both seasons, although the frequency of pushups was significantly higher in response to females than to males during the postbreeding season. The coloration of residents did not change in response to male intruders during the postbreeding season or to females during either season. These results define the gender and seasonal specificity of hormonal, behavioral, and coloration responses of resident male S. undulatus in social interactions with conspecifics. Thus, our results clarify the biological significance of these responses in terms of potentially aggressive versus courtship interactions and breeding versus postbreeding contexts.

Aggression↗
PubMed2006

Housing and rank status of male Long-Evans rats modify ethanol's effect on open-field behaviors.

RATIONALE: Psychosocial stress is known to alter behavior of rodents. While psychosocial stress may alter the response to some drugs, the response to ethanol (EtOH) has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To examine open-field behaviors of triad- and singly housed rats treated acutely or voluntarily ingesting EtOH. METHOD: Triad-housed rats were categorized as dominant, subdominant, or subordinate based on assessments of offensive and defensive behaviors. Open-field behaviors were monitored during a 10-min test in rats voluntarily ingesting a 6% solution of EtOH for 2 weeks (1), and after an i.p. injection of saline, 0.5 or 1.0 g kg(-1) of EtOH (2). RESULTS: Daily intake of EtOH was highest in subdominant and lowest in dominant rats. Overall, open-field behaviors did not differ between water- and EtOH-consuming triad- or singly housed rats. The 0.5-g kg(-1) dose of EtOH enhanced locomotor activity only in triad-housed rats, center entries primarily in singly housed rats, and head-poke behavior in dominant and singly housed rats. Rearing behavior was not altered by the 0.5-g kg(-1) dose, but in singly housed rats, rearing behavior was depressed by the 1.0-g kg(-1) dose. This larger dose of EtOH had no effect on the other behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: EtOH's effects on open-field behaviors show behavioral specificity and vary with the subject's housing and/or rank status. EtOH's acute anxiolytic-like effect was primarily evident in singly housed rats.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

A theoretical framework for understanding help-seeking processes among survivors of intimate partner violence.

This paper suggests a conceptual framework for understanding the processes of help-seeking among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). A cognitive theory from general literature on help-seeking in "stigmatizing" situations suggests three relevant processes or stages of seeking help in the IPV context: defining the problem, deciding to seek help, and selecting a source of support. Individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors that influence decision-making at each of these stages are discussed and illustrated with case examples.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1975

Theoretical review: a model of hormones and agonistic behavior.

A model of the interaction between endocrine function and agonistic responding was developed that incorporates three specific hypotheses about the relationship between hormones and agonistic behavior: (1) The baseline hormonal state of the organism contributes to the determination of whether, in what way, and how intensely the animal will react when it is exposed to appropriate environmental stimuli. (2) One function of the hormonal responses to environmental stimulation and behavioral experiences is to modify the continuing and future behavior of the individual in the same or similar situations. (3) Another function of these hormonal responses is to modify the individual's stimulus qualities so that other individuals' agonistic reactions to it will be modified. The data on hormones and agonistic behavior were reviewed in the context of this model, and some directions for future research were proposed.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1990

Competition for sucrose-pellets in triads of male Wistar rats: disinhibitory effect of individual housing in poor-performing rats.

Within triads of male Wistar rats, some animals almost completely abstain from competition for palatable sucrose-pellets (so-called poor-performing rats). Individual housing temporarily helped these rats to behave more competitively. Such changes in the poor-performing rats' competition-scores are discussed in relation to previously described, isolation-induced alterations in serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Effect of subchronic and chronic exposure to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) on the aggressive behavior induced by food competition in undernourished dominant and submissive pigeons (Columba livia).

The acute administration of 5-HTP was reported to block in undernourished dominant pigeons the aggressive attacks induced in a submissive partner by food competition. In the present study, undernourished pigeons with previously consolidated dominance were submitted to subchronic and chronic 5-HTP treatment. Adult males (n = 28) were kept at 80% of their body weight by a restricted diet. These were divided in pairs made of a previously ranked dominant subject (total time spent in aggression higher than 200 s/20 min) and a submissive one of similar body weight (time spent in aggression between 90 and 150 s/20 min). The same pairs were exposed to a daily 20 min interaction during each experiment in an observation chamber bearing a central feeder. The time spent in aggressive behavior, feeder control behavior and eating behavior was recorded. Intratest body weight gain was also recorded. In Experiment 1, 8 pairs of pigeons were exposed to a daily trial for 4 successive days (pretreatment-scores). The dominant subjects were then injected subcutaneously, 30 min. before trials, with 7.5 mg/kg 5-HTP from day 5 to day 8 (Treatment scores). The Recovery scores were obtained through a 4-trial post-treatment schedule. In Experiment 2 different pigeons were used. The pretreatment and recovery scores were obtained according to a 16-trial schedule (16 days). Both 4-day (subchronic) and 16-day (chronic) 5-HTP treatments attenuated aggression by the dominant subjects and reduced their intra-test body weight gain but did not decrease dominance for feeder control. The recovery scores of total aggression in subchronic experiments returned to pretreatment scores. In chronic experiments, instead, the recovery scores of aggression remained lower than pretreatment scores, whereas body-weight-gain scores came back to pretreatment values. This suggests that dominant subjects submitted to chronic 5-HTP might have learned to maintain dominance and feeder control in a virtual absence of aggressive behavior.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed2003

Basal ganglia systems in ritualistic social displays: reptiles and humans; function and illness.

Complex, situation-specific territorial maintenance routines are similar across living terrestrial vertebrates (=amniotes). Decades ago, Paul MacLean et al., at the Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behavior of the National Institute of Mental Health, postulated that these are evolutionarily conserved behaviors whose expression is mediated by the similarly conserved amniote basal ganglia and related brain systems (BG systems). Therefore, they undertook studies in nonhuman primates and in small social lizards (the common green anole, Anolis carolinensis) to examine this idea. MacLean et al. also postulated that when BG systems misfunction in humans, behavioral abnormalities result, some of them under the rubric of psychiatric illnesses. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was singled out as one likely candidate. In the last dozen years, functional brain imaging studies of OCD patients have validated the contention that this is, in fact, a condition involving dysfunctioning BG systems. Inspired by the MacLean group's original investigations, my colleagues and I have now applied related functional imaging techniques in naturalistic experiments using Anolis to better understand BG systems' roles in the mediation of complex behavioral routines in healthy amniotes. Here, I will review this functional imaging work in primates (man, and a little in monkey) and in lizards. I believe the literature not only supports MacLean et al.'s contentions about BG systems and behavior in general, but also validates Paul MacLean's life-long contention that human behavioral medicine can profit from a broad comparative approach.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Suicide pacts: a review.

Suicide pacts, though occurring infrequently, are neglected occurrences. They have features distinguishing them from single suicides which can be seen as residing in the characteristics of the pact relationship. Dyadic, family and collective suicides are reviewed and found to have several common features, including exclusivity and isolation, the threat of dissolution of the relationship, and the presence of a powerful initiator.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed2003

The tree shrews: adjuncts and alternatives to primates as models for biomedical research.

The tree shrews are non-rodent, primate-like, small animals. There is increasing interest in using them to establish animal models for medical and biological research. This review focuses on the use of the tree shrews in in vivo studies on viral hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), myopia, and psychosocial stress. Because of the susceptibility of the tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) and their hepatocytes to infection with human hepatitis B virus (HBV) in vivo and in vitro, these animals have been used to establish human hepatitis virus-induced hepatitis and human HBV- and aflatoxin B1-associated HCC models. As these animals are phylogenetically close to primates in evolution and have a well-developed visual system and color vision in some species, they have been utilized to establish myopia models. Because dramatic behavioral, physiological, and neuroendocrine changes in subordinate male tree shrews are similar to those observed in depressed human patients, the tree shrews have been successfully employed to experimentally study psychosocial stress. However, the tree shrews holds significant promise as research models and great use could be made of these animals in biomedical research.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The dynamic relations among interpersonal behaviors: a test of complementarity and anticomplementarity.

On the basis of the positions of behaviors relative to one another in the interpersonal circle, the principles of complementarity and anticomplementarity specify how people's behaviors influence one another in interpersonal interactions. Pairs of undergraduate women (1 subject, N = 80, and 1 confederate) collaborated for 16 min to create and agree on stories for two pictures. Confederates performed scripted roles that emphasized one of eight interpersonal behaviors. Behaviors were coded into eight categories, and the relative effect of each confederate behavior on each subject behavior was determined. Using the geometric properties of the interpersonal circle, vectors were calculated that identified the relative impact of each confederate stimulus behavior on the overall pattern of subject responses. Results were consistent with the dynamic relations among interpersonal behaviors that complementarity and anticomplementarity propose and demonstrated that how a person behaves toward another systematically and profoundly affects how the other behaves toward the person.

Adolescent↗