Adult neurogenesis and the microbiota-gut-brain axis in farm animals: underestimated and understudied parameters for improving welfare in livestock farming.

Welfare in commercial livestock farming is becoming increasingly important in current agriculture research. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding about the neuronal mechanisms that underlie well-being on an individual level. Neuroplasticity in the hippocampus, the subventricular zone (SVZ), the olfactory bulb (OB) and the hypothalamus may be essential regulatory components in the context of farm animal behaviour and welfare that may be altered by providing environmental enrichment (EE).

Changes in salivary oxytocin in response to biologically-relevant events in farm animals: method optimization and usefulness as a biomarker.

Although best known for its established role in mediating parturition and lactation, the highly-conserved neuropeptide hormone oxytocin also mediates a range of social and stress-buffering processes across mammalian species. Measurements of peripheral oxytocin in plasma have long been considered the gold standard, but there is increasing interest in developing methods to detect oxytocin non-invasively in saliva. Here we present an analytical and biological validation of a novel method to measure salivary oxytocin (sOXT) in an under-studied research group: farm animals.

Early-life maternal deprivation affects the mother-offspring relationship in domestic pigs, as well as the neuroendocrine development and coping behavior of piglets.

Early-life adversity may have programming effects on the psychological and physiological development of offspring. Domestic pigs () are an excellent model species for studying these effects because of their many physiological similarities to humans. Piglets from 10 sows were subjected to daily 2-h maternal deprivation on postnatal days (PND) 2-15 alone (DA) or in a group of littermates (DG).

Salivary Cortisol, but Not Oxytocin, Varies With Social Challenges in Domestic Pigs: Implications for Measuring Emotions.

Animals respond to inherently rewarding or punishing stimuli with changes in core affective states, which can be investigated with the aid of appropriate biomarkers. In this study we evaluate salivary cortisol (sCORT) and salivary oxytocin (sOXT) concentrations under baseline conditions and in response to two negatively- and two positively-valenced social challenges in 75 young pigs (), housed and tested in eight social groups. We predicted that: (1) Relative to baseline, weaning and brief social isolation would be associated with increases in sCORT, due to psychosocial stress, and reductions in sOXT, due to a lack of opportunities for social support; and (2) Opportunities for social play, and reunions with group members after a separation would be associated with weaker sCORT responses, and increases in sOXT concentrations compared to baseline and to negative social challenges.

Contributions to a Discussion of as a Capable Swimmer and Deep-Water Predator.

The new findings on swim tail strongly suggest that was a specialized deep-water predator. However, the tail must be seen in the context of the propelled body. The comparison of the flow characteristics of with geometrically similar animals and their swimming abilities under water must take their Reynolds numbers into account and provide a common context for the properties of ' tail and dorsal sail.

Multi-Transcript Level Profiling Revealed Distinct mRNA, miRNA, and tRNA-Derived Fragment Bio-Signatures for Coping Behavior Linked Haplotypes in HPA Axis and Limbic System.

The molecular basis of porcine coping behavior (CB) relies on a sophisticated interplay of genetic and epigenetic features. Deep sequencing technologies allowed the identification of a plethora of new regulatory small non-coding RNA (sncRNA). We characterized mRNA and sncRNA profiles of central parts of the physiological stress response system including amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus and adrenal gland using systems biology for integration.

To stress or not to stress: Brain-behavior-immune interaction may weaken or promote the immune response to SARS-CoV-2.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to strongly affect people with health disadvantages, creating a heavy burden on medical systems and societies worldwide. Research is growing rapidly and recently revealed that stress-related factors such as socio-economic status, may also play a pivotal role. However, stress research investigating the underlying psychoneuroimmune interactions is missing.

[Can Stress Interact with SARS-CoV-2? A Narrative Review with a Focus on Stress-Reducing Interventions that may Improve Defence against COVID-19].

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is on the rise and causes many concerns and fears in the population as well as among medical care givers. This raises the question as to how psychosocial stress associated with the pandemic can be managed, and also if certain forms of stress can contribute to an increase in infections and critical illnesses.

Methods: Against the background of the current state of research on stress and the immune response, we provide a narrative review of studies addressing the question as to how stress can influence the immune defence against viral diseases.

Time-Dependent Effects of Acute Handling on the Brain Monoamine System of the Salmonid .

The immediate stress response involves the activation of the monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems including serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline in particular areas of the fish brain. We chose maraena whitefish as a stress-sensitive salmonid species to investigate the influence of acute and chronic handling on the neurochemistry of monoamines in the brain. Plasma cortisol was quantified to assess the activation of the stress axis.

Early-Life Maternal Deprivation Predicts Stronger Sickness Behaviour and Reduced Immune Responses to Acute Endotoxaemia in a Pig Model.

Early-life adversity may have programming effects on neuroendocrine and immune adaptation mechanisms in humans and socially living animals. Using a pig model, we investigated the effect of daily 2-h maternal and littermate deprivation from postnatal days 2-15, either alone (DA) or in a group of littermates (DG) on the neuroendocrine, immunological and behavioural responses of piglets challenged with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on day 42. LPS increased plasma concentrations of cortisol, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) and induced typical signs of sickness in all piglets.

Early response of salmonid head-kidney cells to stress hormones and toll-like receptor ligands.

The functional spectrum of the teleostean head kidney covers haematopoietic, immune and endocrine signalling pathways with physiological effects that are likely to conflict if activated at the same time. An in vivo experiment on the salmonid fish maraena whitefish (Coregonus maraena) revealed that the head kidney shows a remarkably strong response after injection of Aeromonas salmonicida within 48 h. In order to investigate the potential influence of endocrine signalling on the initiation of immune responses, we established a primary culture of head-kidney cells of maraena whitefish.

Effect of immune modulators on in vitro activation and proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from multiparous Holstein cows peripartum.

This in vitro study examined the ability of important immune modulators [β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), cortisol, prolactin, isoproterenol and insulin] to influence the responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from multiparous dairy cows 29 ± 2 days before and 14 ± 3 days after calving. The activation and proliferation of PBMC in response to the mitogen phytohemagglutinin was estimated by the oxygen consumption rate after 24 hr and the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) method after 72 hr respectively. In early lactation, the presence of 2 compared to 0.

Combined detection of AC-electrokinetic effects: Experiments with three-axial chicken red blood cells.

Dielectrophoresis (DEP), electrorotation (ROT), and electro-orientation were used for the dielectric spectroscopy of nucleated three-axial chicken red blood cells (CRBCs). Because the different AC-electrokinetic effects are not mutually independent, their DEP and ROT spectra were combined in ranges separated by the reorientation of the CRBCs in the inhomogeneous linear DEP and circular ROT fields. This behavior can be qualitatively described by a single-shell ellipsoidal model.

Psychosocial Stress and Immunity-What Can We Learn From Pig Studies?

Psychosocial stress may impair immune functions and provoke the development of pathologies. The underlying communication between the brain and the immune system is being studied predominantly in rodents. However, pigs offer several advantages as preclinical models for humans because pigs are more similar to humans than rodents in many anatomical and physiological characteristics.

Interference of stress with the somatotropic axis in pigs - lights on new biomarkers.

The acceptance of animal products is increasingly associated with standardized animal welfare, which relates to appropriate animal husbandry from birth to slaughter. In particular, shipment to the slaughterhouse is considered as a critical process exposing the animals to a number of, in part severe, stressors. New biomarkers may be useful for the assessment of animal welfare.

Deep Brain Stimulation of Hemiparkinsonian Rats with Unipolar and Bipolar Electrodes for up to 6 Weeks: Behavioral Testing of Freely Moving Animals.

Although the clinical use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) is increasing, its basic mechanisms of action are still poorly understood. Platinum/iridium electrodes were inserted into the subthalamic nucleus of rats with unilateral 6-OHDA-induced lesions of the medial forebrain bundle. Six behavioral parameters were compared with respect to their potential to detect DBS effects.

Preferred SLA class I/class II haplotype combinations in German Landrace pigs.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are responsible for the antigen presentation to T lymphocytes. High recombination rates in the MHC genes, as observed in humans, are believed to serve the evolutionary goal to achieve a high genetic diversity, allowing for a broad and efficient immune response. In a cohort of 155 pedigreed German Landrace pigs (65 founders and 90 piglets), we found that MHC genes occur in particular class I and class II haplotype combinations.

Immune privilege as an intrinsic CNS property: astrocytes protect the CNS against T-cell-mediated neuroinflammation.

Astrocytes have many functions in the central nervous system (CNS). They support differentiation and homeostasis of neurons and influence synaptic activity. They are responsible for formation of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and make up the glia limitans.

Tumour necrosis factor receptor deficiency alters anxiety-like behavioural and neuroendocrine stress responses of mice.

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is known to be involved in anxiety and the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. To examine the role of its receptors in neuroendocrine immunomodulation, we studied behaviour, corticosterone production and T-cell activation in mice with a C57BL/6J background and deficient for one or both TNF receptors (TNFR1-/-, TNFR2-/-, and TNFR1+2-/-) compared to wildtype C57BL/6J mice with and without psychological stress. Stress was induced by social disruption (SDR), and anxiety-like behaviour was examined using the elevated plus maze (EPM).

Alterations in anxiety-like behavior following knockout of the uncoupling protein 2 (ucp2) gene in mice.

Aims: Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is a mitochondrial protein that reduces oxidative stress and has a protective function in chronic inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. UCP2 is strongly expressed in areas implicated in the central regulation of stress and anxiety. Therefore, we compared the neuroendocrine regulation of stress responses, immunity and behavior in UCP2-deficient and wildtype C57BL/6J mice under psychological stress.

Optimizing a rodent model of Parkinson's disease for exploring the effects and mechanisms of deep brain stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a treatment for a growing number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, especially for therapy-refractory Parkinson's disease (PD). However, not all of the symptoms of PD are sufficiently improved in all patients, and side effects may occur. Further progress depends on a deeper insight into the mechanisms of action of DBS in the context of disturbed brain circuits.

The mtDNA nt7778 G/T polymorphism affects autoimmune diseases and reproductive performance in the mouse.

Mitochondria are organelles of all nucleated cells, and variations in mtDNA sequence affect a wide spectrum of human diseases. However, animal models for mtDNA-associated diseases are rare, making it challenging to explore mechanisms underlying the contribution of mitochondria. Here, we identify a polymorphism in the mitochondrial genome, G-to-T at position 7778, which results in an aspartic acid-to-tyrosine (D-Y) substitution in the fifth amino acid of the highly conserved N-terminus of ATP synthase 8 (ATP8).

Behavior and stress reactivity in mouse strains with mitochondrial DNA variations.

We studied the behavior and neuroendocrine regulation under social disruption stress of C57BL/6J mice in which mitochondria were substituted by mitochondria from AKR/J or FVB/N strains. C57BL/6J-mt(FVB/N) mice were significantly more anxious in the elevated plus-maze test than C57BL/6J-mt(AKR/J) and C57BL/6J mice at base line. In addition, they showed a reduced corticosterone response and an activation of serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems after repeated challenge, i.