Guanfacine, an α ₂adrenoceptor agonist, has been used to successfully treat self-injurious behavior in nonhuman primates, including macaques () and baboons (). It does so by facilitating a correction to the dopaminergic system that mediates a reduction in impulsivity and reactivity. Given this, we assessed the potential efficacy of guanfacine to treat socially directed agonistic behavior in primates with an apparent reactive behavioral phenotype. We present data from 2 pigtail macaques (): an intact adult male housed in a breeding group, and an experimentally naive adult female living in a research setting with her social partner. Baseline behavioral assessments suggested that both macaques showed extreme responses to external stressors that triggered them to aggress social partners often leading to wounding that required veterinary intervention. Both animals were tracked during the course of 1 y. Once treated regularly with guanfacine, both animals showed significant reduction in their agonistic behavior and the rate at which they wounded other animals. Indeed, in the year since the female has been treated with guanfacine she has never wounded her cagemate. By collecting regular and detailed behavioral observations on the male in the breeding colony, we were able to identify triggers for his aggression and to track the behavioral changes evidenced after guanfacine treatment. These data supported our hypothesis that his aggression reflected extreme reactivity to external stressors, rather than general anxiety. Importantly, we saw only a limited and short-lived reduction in the male's affiliative behavioral rates, and thus guanfacine had no sedative effect, but did successfully reduce his reactivity and resultant agonism and wounding.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.30802/AALAS-CM-24-000001 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
The apelin receptor (APJR) emerges as a promising drug target for cardiovascular health and muscle regeneration. While prior research unveiled the structural versatility of APJR in coupling to Gi proteins as a monomer or dimer, the dynamic regulation within the APJR dimer during activation remains poorly understood. In this study, we present the structures of the APJR dimer and monomer complexed with its endogenous ligand apelin-13.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurobiol Dis
December 2024
Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Germany. Electronic address:
DYT-THAP1 dystonia is a monogenetic form of dystonia, a movement disorder characterized by the involuntary co-contraction of agonistic and antagonistic muscles. The disease is caused by mutations in the THAP1 gene, although the precise mechanisms by which these mutations contribute to the pathophysiology of dystonia remain unclear. The incomplete penetrance of DYT-THAP1 dystonia, estimated at 40 to 60 %, suggests that an environmental trigger may be required for the manifestation of the disease in genetically predisposed individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain Behav
December 2024
Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Purpose: Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are extracellular matrix proteoglycans surrounding neurons and glia. It has been suggested that PNNs are involved in the pathophysiology of multiple CNS illnesses, including stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorders.
Method: Before examining the putative role of PNNs in stress-related responses, we described for the first time the anatomical distribution in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), an excellent model organism for studying social stress and circadian rhythms.
J Anim Sci Technol
November 2024
School of Animal Life Convergence Science, Hankyong National University, Ansung 17579, Korea.
The experiment was carried out to examine the growth, behaviour, and welfare response of weaning pigs to environmental enrichment from d 1 to d 28 after weaning. A total of 240 weaning pigs with average initial body weight (BW) 6.56 ± 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysiology (Bethesda)
December 2024
Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil.
The predatory imminence continuum (PIC) of antipredator defensive behavior has been a helpful strategy for modeling anxiety and fear-related disorders in nonclinical research. The PIC is divided into three different sequential stages that reflect defensive behavioral strategy in response to predatory imminence. However, the PIC was experimentally addressed using a series of shock-based fear conditioning experiments rather than predatory threats.
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