Evolutionary conserved neural signature of early life stress affects animal social competence

Por Nyman, Cecilia, S. Fischer, N. Aubin-Horth, B. Taborsky

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 285(20172344):1-9 31-ene.-2018. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2344


" In vertebrates, the early social environment can persistently influence behaviour and social competence later in life. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying variation in animal social competence are largely unknown. In rats, high-quality maternal care causes an upregulation of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors (gr) and reduces offspring stress responsiveness. This identifies gr regulation as a candidate mechanism for maintaining variation in animal social competence. We tested this hypothesis in a highly social cichlid fish, Neolamprologus pulcher, reared with or without caring parents. We find that the molecular pathway translating early social experience into later-life alterations of the stress axis is homologous across vertebrates: fish reared with parents expressed the glucocorticoid receptor gr1 more in the telencephalon. Furthermore, expression levels of the transcription factor egr-1 (early growth response 1) were associated with gr1 expression in the telencephalon and hypothalamus. When blocking glucocorticoid receptors (GR) with an antagonist, mifepristone (RU486), parent-reared individuals showed more socially appropriate, submissive behaviour when intruding on a larger conspecific's territory. Remarkably, mifepristone-treated fish were less attacked by territory owners and had a higher likelihood of territory takeover. Our results indicate that early social-environment effects on stress axis programming are mediated by an evolutionary conserved molecular pathway, which is causally involved in environmentally induced variation of animal social competence "

Clasificación: Comportamiento, Lago Tanganyika.

Idioma: English

Nyman, Cecilia & S. Fischer, N. Aubin-Horth, B. Taborsky. 2018. "Evolutionary conserved neural signature of early life stress affects animal social competence". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 285(20172344):1-9. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2344 (crc08436) (resumen)