Autistic People's Experience of Empathy and the Autistic Empathy Deficit Narrative.

Background: There is a dominant discourse, both in clinical texts and throughout the academic literature, that autistic people lack empathy; however, over the past decade, both clinicians and academics have increasingly rejected deficit-based descriptions of autism in favor of more nuanced explanations of the experience of autistic individuals in a social world.

Methods: This study asked 76 autistic individuals about their own experience of empathy and the oft-cited empathy deficit. Data were thematically analyzed and revealed a wide array of empathic self-concepts among respondents.

The moderating effects of mindfulness facets on psychological distress and emotional eating behaviour.

Background: Emotional eating is an impulsive mood-regulation strategy that often follows psychological distress. Mindfulness is associated with less impulsive behaviour. Mindful eating involves a considered awareness of hunger and satiety, and conscious, non-automatic, food choices.

Monkeys (Sapajus apella and Macaca tonkeana) and great apes (Gorilla gorilla, Pongo abelii, Pan paniscus, and Pan troglodytes) play for the highest bid.

Many studies investigate the decisions made by animals by focusing on their attitudes toward risk, that is, risk-seeking, risk neutrality, or risk aversion. However, little attention has been paid to the extent to which individuals understand the different odds of outcomes. In a previous gambling task involving 18 different lotteries (Pelé, Broihanne, Thierry, Call, & Dufour, 2014), nonhuman primates used probabilities of gains and losses to make their decision.

Habenular CB1 Receptors Control the Expression of Aversive Memories.

Expression of aversive memories is key for survival, but the underlying brain mechanisms are not fully understood. Medial habenular (MHb) axons corelease glutamate and acetylcholine onto target postsynaptic interpeduncular (IPN) neurons, but their role in aversive memories has not been addressed so far. We found that cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1R), key regulators of aversive responses, are present at presynaptic terminals of MHb neurons in the IPN.

Modes of transmission of Simian T-lymphotropic Virus Type 1 in semi-captive mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx).

Non-human primates (NHPs) often live in inaccessible areas, have cryptic behaviors, and are difficult to follow in the wild. Here, we present a study on the spread of the simian T-lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (STLV-1), the simian counterpart of the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in a semi-captive mandrill colony. This study combines 28 years of longitudinal monitoring, including behavioral data, with a dynamic mathematical model and Bayesian inference.

Quantifying transmission by stage of infection in the field: the example of SIV-1 and STLV-1 infecting mandrills.

The early stage of viral infection is often followed by an important increase of viral load and is generally considered to be the most at risk for pathogen transmission. Most methods quantifying the relative importance of the different stages of infection were developed for studies aimed at measuring HIV transmission in Humans. However, they cannot be transposed to animal populations in which less information is available.

Dose-finding studies, MCP-Mod, model selection, and model averaging: Two applications in the real world.

Background: Phase II clinical trials are important milestones to determine whether a dose-effect exists and to decide on future doses to use in confirmatory studies. To take into account the overall shape of the dose-response curve, modeling the relationship by linear or non-linear models is preferable to the classical pair-wise comparisons of the effect of each dose versus the placebo or the comparator. The multiple comparisons and modeling approach has been developed within the last 10 years to address this important question in the clinical development of drugs.

The endocannabinoid system controls food intake via olfactory processes.

Hunger arouses sensory perception, eventually leading to an increase in food intake, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We found that cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptors promote food intake in fasted mice by increasing odor detection. CB1 receptors were abundantly expressed on axon terminals of centrifugal cortical glutamatergic neurons that project to inhibitory granule cells of the main olfactory bulb (MOB).

Social structure of a semi-free ranging group of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx): a social network analysis.

The difficulty involved in following mandrills in the wild means that very little is known about social structure in this species. Most studies initially considered mandrill groups to be an aggregation of one-male/multifemale units, with males occupying central positions in a structure similar to those observed in the majority of baboon species. However, a recent study hypothesized that mandrills form stable groups with only two or three permanent males, and that females occupy more central positions than males within these groups.

Social conformity and autism spectrum disorder: a child-friendly take on a classic study.

Perhaps surprisingly, given the importance of conformity as a theoretical construct in social psychology and the profound implications autism has for social function, little research has been done on whether autism is associated with the propensity to conform to a social majority. This study is a modern, child-friendly implementation of the classic Asch conformity studies. The performance of 15 children with autism was compared to that of 15 typically developing children on a line judgement task.

Molecular typing of PPRV strains detected during an outbreak in sheep and goats in south-eastern Gabon in 2011.

Background: Peste des petits ruminanats (PPR) is an economically important viral disease affecting goats and sheep. Four genetically distinct lineages of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) have been identified. In Gabon, the virus has not so far been detected.

Human-associated Staphylococcus aureus strains within great ape populations in Central Africa (Gabon).

The risk of serious infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus is well-known. However, most studies regarding the distribution of (clinically relevant) S. aureus among humans and animals took place in the western hemisphere and only limited data are available from (Central) Africa.

Maternal effects and the endocrine regulation of mandrill growth.

Maternal effects can influence offspring growth and development, and thus fitness. However, the physiological factors mediating these effects in nonhuman primates are not well understood. We investigated the impact of maternal effects on variation in three important components of the endocrine regulation of growth in male and female mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), from birth to 9 years of age.

Natural simian immunodeficiency virus transmission in mandrills: a family affair?

Understanding how pathogens spread and persist in the ecosystem is critical for deciphering the epidemiology of diseases of significance for global health and the fundamental mechanisms involved in the evolution of virulence and host resistance. Combining long-term behavioural and epidemiological data collected in a naturally infected mandrill population and a Bayesian framework, the present study investigated unknown aspects of the eco-epidemiology of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the recent ancestor of HIV. Results show that, in contrast to what is expected from aggressive and sexual transmission (i.

Bimodal control of fear-coping strategies by CB₁ cannabinoid receptors.

To maximize their chances of survival, animals need to rapidly and efficiently respond to aversive situations. These responses can be classified as active or passive and depend on the specific nature of threats, but also on individual fear coping styles. In this study, we show that the control of excitatory and inhibitory brain neurons by type-1 cannabinoid (CB₁) receptors is a key determinant of fear coping strategies in mice.

Clinical biochemistry and hematology of the elusive sun-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus solatus) in Gabon: inaugural data from the only semifree ranging colony in the world.

Clinical blood biochemistry and hematology are valuable tools to evaluate health and welfare in many animal species. In order to document the general biology of one of the most poorly known nonhuman primate species, and contribute to its conservation, the clinical blood biochemistry and hematology of the sun-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus solatus Harrisson) was investigated in its range of endemicity in Gabon. Data derived from 26 years of clinical monitoring of the only semicaptive colony of this species in the world, housed at CIRMF (Franceville, Gabon), were analyzed in order to establish reference values of age-sex classes.

Developmental regulation of CB1-mediated spike-time dependent depression at immature mossy fiber-CA3 synapses.

Early in postnatal life, mossy fibres (MF), the axons of granule cells in the dentate gyrus, release GABA which is depolarizing and excitatory. Synaptic currents undergo spike-time dependent long-term depression (STD-LTD) regardless of the temporal order of stimulation (pre versus post and viceversa). Here we show that at P3 but not at P21, STD-LTD, induced by negative pairing, is mediated by endocannabinoids mobilized from the postsynaptic cell during spiking-induced membrane depolarization.

Hormonal responses to extreme fasting in subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) pups.

Surviving prolonged fasting implies closely regulated alterations in fuel provisioning to meet metabolic requirements, while preserving homeostasis. Little is known, however, of the endocrine regulations governing such metabolic adaptations in naturally fasting free-ranging animals. The hormonal responses to natural prolonged fasting and how they correlate to the metabolic adaptations observed, were investigated in subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) pups, which, because of the intermittent pattern of maternal attendance, repeatedly endure exceptionally long fasting episodes throughout their development (1-3 mo).

African monkeys are infected by Plasmodium falciparum nonhuman primate-specific strains.

Recent molecular exploration of the Plasmodium species circulating in great apes in Africa has revealed the existence of a large and previously unknown diversity of Plasmodium. For instance, gorillas were found to be infected by parasites closely related to Plasmodium falciparum, suggesting that the human malignant malaria agent may have arisen after a transfer from gorillas. Although this scenario is likely in light of the data collected in great apes, it remained to be ascertained whether P.

Full-length genome sequence of a simian immunodeficiency virus from a wild-captured sun-tailed monkey in Gabon provides evidence for a species-specific monophyletic SIVsun lineage.

Since the first characterization of SIVsun (L14 strain) from a sun-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus solatus) in Gabon in 1999, no further information exists about the evolutionary history and geographic distribution of this lentivirus. Here, we report the full-length molecular characterization of a second SIVsun virus (SIVsunK08) naturally infecting a wild-caught sun-tailed monkey. The SIVsunK08 strain was most closely related to SIVsunL14 and clustered with members of the SIVmnd-1/SIVlhoest group.

Physiological response to extreme fasting in subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) pups: metabolic rates, energy reserve utilization, and water fluxes.

Surviving prolonged fasting requires various metabolic adaptations, such as energy and protein sparing, notably when animals are simultaneously engaged in energy-demanding processes such as growth. Due to the intermittent pattern of maternal attendance, subantarctic fur seal pups have to repeatedly endure exceptionally long fasting episodes throughout the 10-mo rearing period while preparing for nutritional independence. Their metabolic responses to natural prolonged fasting (33.

Glutamatergic cerebellar granule neurons synthesize and secrete reelin in vitro.

In the postnatal forebrain, the extracellular matrix protein reelin is expressed and secreted by subsets of GABAergic neurons, whereas in the cerebellum reelin is detected in glutamatergic cells of the granule cell layer. Thus, various regions of the postnatal brain present different patterns of reelin expression, whose significance remains unknown. We combined immunocytochemical and pharmacological approaches to characterize the phenotypic and temporal profiles of reelin expression in dissociated cultures of cerebellar granule neurons.

Reelin secreted by GABAergic neurons regulates glutamate receptor homeostasis.

Background: Reelin is a large secreted protein of the extracellular matrix that has been proposed to participate to the etiology of schizophrenia. During development, reelin is crucial for the correct cytoarchitecture of laminated brain structures and is produced by a subset of neurons named Cajal-Retzius. After birth, most of these cells degenerate and reelin expression persists in postnatal and adult brain.

Optimal time-of-day and consolidation of learning in younger and older adults.

The current study investigated the relationship between intraindividual variability and associative learning in younger and older adults. The authors hypothesized that higher levels of intraindividual variability would be associated with a reduction in the benefits of practice during learning, and that nonoptimal testing times would magnify these effects. Results indicated that older adults showed an increase in reaction time (RT) standard deviation (SD) relative to mean RT in the evening.