Together again but no need to play: Dissociating effects of isolation and separation on social interaction in female rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Play behavior has been extensively studied across species, but its direct role in social relationships remains unclear. Here we use an "isolation versus separation" protocol to identify behaviors associated with relationship renewal in adolescent female rats. Members of a dyad that had been separated for 24 hr, without isolation from other peers, initially increased investigative behaviors relative to nonseparated peers; however, in contrast with social isolation, separation by itself did not increase rough-and-tumble play.

Aging to 24 months increased C57BL/6J mouse social sniffing and hippocampal Neto1 levels, and impaired female spatial learning.

Understanding how natural aging impacts rodent performance in translational behavior tests is critical to teasing apart impairments due to age-related decline from neurodegenerative disorder modeling. Reduced neuropilin and tolloid-like 1 (NETO1), an accessory protein of ionotropic glutamate receptors involved in synaptic plasticity, was associated with Alzheimer's disease, yet aging effects on Neto1 remain unclear. For these reasons, our goal was to characterize how Neto1 expression corresponded with social, repetitive, and spatial learning behaviors and stress response across the C57BL/6J mouse lifespan.

Fins of Fury or Fainéant: Fluoxetine impacts the aggressive behavior of fighting fish (Betta splendens).

While an extensive literature has demonstrated that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant fluoxetine, disrupts aggressive behavior in male Betta splendens the behavioral mechanisms underlying this disruption remain unknown. To elucidate the behavioral mechanism underlying fluoxetine, male fish were acutely exposed to a 10 μmol (0.0034578 μg/L) concentration of fluoxetine for 25 days using an ABA design.

Assessment of autism-relevant behaviors in C57BKS/J leptin receptor deficient mice.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was associated with greater autism risk in epidemiological studies. Disrupted leptin signaling may contribute to their coincidence, as it is found in both disorders. Given this we examined leptin receptor (Lepr) deficient (BKS.