Adaptation Of Laboratory Reared Monkeys To Environments

实验室饲养的猴子对环境的适应

• 批准号: 6822776
• 负责人: STEPHEN J. SUOMI
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 至
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6822776
• 关键词: Macaca mulatta; adrenocorticotropic hormone; behavioral /social science research tag; cognition; environmental adaptation; ethology; field study; hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis; neuropsychology; psychological adaptation; psychoneuroimmunology; psychophysiology; social behavior; species difference

This project investigates how rhesus monkeys and other nonhuman primate species born and raised under different laboratory conditions adapt to placement into environments that contain specific physical and social features of the monkey's natural habitat. Adaptation is assessed by examining behavioral repertoires and by monitoring a variety of physiological systems in these subjects, yielding broad-based indices of relative physical and psychological well-being. The responses of subjects to experimental manipulation of selected features of their respective environments are also assessed in similar fashion. Whenever possible, field data are collected for appropriate comparisons. An additional focus is on investigating the cognitive, behavioral, and social processes involved in adaptation to new settings or circumstances. In this program of research adaptation is assessed by examining behavioral repertoires and by monitoring a variety of physiological systems in monkeys throughout the lifespan, yielding broad-based indices of relative physical and psychological well-being. The responses of subjects to experimental manipulations of selected features of their respective environments are also assessed in similar fashion. Whenever possible, field data are collected for appropriate comparisons. An additional focus is on investigating the cognitive, behavioral, and social processes involved in adaptation to new settings and circumstances. This past year we completed the data collection for a study in which some nursery-reared rhesus monkey infants ("masters") were given operant control over access to highly desirable food treats, whereas other nursery reared infants ("yoked controls") received the same treats in the absence of any control. Preliminary analyses of behavioral data collected both in the infants' home cages and in a novel environment indicated that the "master" subjects engaged in more exploratory and less anxious-like behavior, and had lower levels of HPA activity, than their yoked control counterparts. Additional analyses of CSF monoamine metabolite concentrations are currently underway. A second study completed this past year examined the effects of increasing the amount of physical handling of nursery-reared rhesus monkey infants by LCE nursery staff on behavioral development, HPA activity, and CSF monoamine metabolite concentrations. One group of nursery-reared infants received an "extra" 32 minutes of handling over that typically experienced by rhesus monkey infants reared in the LCE neonatal nursery throughout their first 139 days of life. The infants receiving the extra physical handling consistently exhibited significantly lower levels of ACTH when tested under standardized conditions, beginning at 30 days of age and continuing beyond the period of extra handling, relative not only to their nursery-reared counterparts receiving standard nursery care but also compared with same-age infants reared by their biological mothers. Analyses of the behavioral and CSF monoamine metabolite data are currently underway. Two new methodologies were developed and pilot-tested this past year in the LCE nursery. The first involved the development of an apparatus named the Saliva Procurement Integrative Tool (SPIT) for repeated noninvasive collection of saliva samples from several nursery-reared rhesus monkey infants. The device is constructed of inexpensive, readily available materials, and it allows investigators to sample multiple infants simultaneously without being present during the actual saliva collection. The second methodology utilized small accelerometers housed inside wristwatch-sized cases placed within modified commercially available small nylon pet harnesses carried on the backs of nursery-reared infants housed both individually and in small social groups. These accelerometers were then used to monitor the physical activity every 15 minutes in each infant over several 96-hour periods throughout development. Data from an initial study monitoring the activity levels of differentially reared infants during their fourth and fifth months of life are currently under analysis. Another study explored the relationship between adrenocortical reactivity and object manipulation style measured in infant, juvenile, and adult capuchin monkeys and object manipulation style and proficiency in a tool-using task assessed 4 years later. Individual differences in object manipulation style among monkeys of all ages were predictive of individual differences in both object manipulation style and successful tool use later in life. Among infants and juveniles, manipulation and success in both the initial and subsequent tool-using tests were negatively correlated with plasma cortisol concentrations; among adults there were no significant correlations between tool-using scores and cortisol reactivity. Finally, this past year we published the results of a study examining continuity and change in patterns of adrenocortical functioning throughout the juvenile years in rhesus monkeys reared in 3 different physical and social environments for their first 7 months of life but thereafter placed together and subsequently maintained in large peer groups until puberty. Monkeys from all 3 rearing conditions (mother-peer, surrogate-peer, and peer-only) exhibited significant increases in plasma cortisol over their first 5 months but then showed steady declines from 1 to 3 years of age; females consistently had higher concentrations than males at all ages. Plasma cortisol levels of surrogate-peer reared subjects were lower than were those of their mother-peer reared counterparts (with peer-only reared subjects intermediate) during the first month of life but not at later ages. Juvenile cortisol levels were significantly correlated with infant levels in all samples collected after two weeks of age, indicating long-term developmental stability of individual differences. Saliva samples were collected from a subset of these subjects at 1, 2, and 3 years. Analysis of salivary cortisol concentrations from this subgroup revealed a significant age-related decline, as well as lower levels for surrogate-peer reared monkeys at each age, but no significant sex differences at any age. Comparison of salivary and plasma cortisol values obtained from the same subjects yielded a highly significant positive correlation.

该项目研究了在不同实验室条件下出生和长大的恒河猴和其他非人类灵长类动物如何适应包含猴子自然栖息地特定物理和社会特征的环境。通过检查这些受试者的行为能力和监测各种生理系统来评估适应能力，从而产生相对身体和心理健康的广泛指数。受试者对其各自环境的选定特征的实验操作的反应也以类似的方式进行评估。只要有可能，就会收集现场数据以进行适当的比较。另一个重点是调查适应新环境或环境所涉及的认知、行为和社会过程。在这个研究项目中，通过检查行为能力和监测猴子整个生命周期的各种生理系统来评估适应性，从而产生相对身体和心理健康的广泛指数。受试者对其各自环境的选定特征的实验操作的反应也以类似的方式进行评估。只要有可能，就会收集现场数据以进行适当的比较。另一个重点是调查适应新环境和环境所涉及的认知、行为和社会过程。 去年，我们完成了一项研究的数据收集，其中一些托儿所饲养的恒河猴婴儿（“主人”）被给予了对获得非常理想的食物的操作控制，而其他托儿所饲养的婴儿（“轭对照”）在没有任何控制的情况下接受了相同的食物。对在婴儿的家庭笼子和新环境中收集的行为数据进行的初步分析表明，与被束缚的对照对象相比，“主人”受试者的行为更具探索性和更少的焦虑行为，并且 HPA 活性水平较低。目前正在进行脑脊液单胺代谢物浓度的额外分析。去年完成的第二项研究考察了 LCE 保育人员增加对保育恒河猴婴儿的物理处理量对行为发育、HPA 活性和脑脊液单胺代谢物浓度的影响。一组在托儿所饲养的婴儿在生命的前 139 天中接受了“额外”32 分钟的抚摸，这比 LCE 新生儿托儿所饲养的恒河猴婴儿通常经历的时间要长。在标准条件下进行测试时，接受额外物理处理的婴儿始终表现出显着较低的 ACTH 水平，从 30 天龄开始一直持续到额外处理期结束，不仅相对于接受标准托儿所护理的婴儿，而且还与亲生母亲抚养的同龄婴儿相比。目前正在进行行为和脑脊液单胺代谢数据的分析。去年，LCE 苗圃开发了两种新方法并进行了试点测试。第一个涉及开发一种名为唾液采集综合工具（SPIT）的设备，用于从几只保育的恒河猴婴儿身上重复无创地收集唾液样本。该装置由廉价、容易获得的材料制成，它允许研究人员同时对多个婴儿进行采样，而无需在实际唾液采集过程中在场。第二种方法利用装在手表大小的盒子里的小型加速度计，这些盒子装在经过改良的市售小型尼龙宠物背带中，背带放在单独或小社会群体中饲养的婴儿背上。然后，这些加速计被用来监测每个婴儿在整个发育过程中的几个 96 小时期间每 15 分钟的身体活动。目前正在分析一项初步研究的数据，该研究监测了差异饲养的婴儿在第四个月和第五个月的活动水平。另一项研究探讨了在婴儿、青少年和成年卷尾猴中测量的肾上腺皮质反应性和物体操纵风格之间的关系，以及四年后评估的物体操纵风格和工具使用任务熟练程度之间的关系。所有年龄段的猴子在物体操作风格上的个体差异可以预测在以后的生活中物体操作风格和成功工具使用方面的个体差异。在婴儿和青少年中，初次和随后的工具使用测试中的操作和成功与血浆皮质醇浓度呈负相关。在成年人中，工具使用得分与皮质醇反应性之间没有显着相关性。 最后，去年我们发表了一项研究结果，该研究检查了恒河猴在整个青少年时期肾上腺皮质功能模式的连续性和变化，这些恒河猴在生命的前 7 个月内被饲养在 3 种不同的物理和社会环境中，但随后被放在一起并随后维持在较大的同龄群体中，直到青春期。所有 3 种饲养条件（母猴、代孕猴和纯猴）的猴子在出生后的前 5 个月内血浆皮质醇均显着增加，但从 1 岁到 3 岁时则出现稳定下降；在所有年龄段，女性的浓度始终高于男性。在出生后的第一个月，由替代同伴抚养的受试者的血浆皮质醇水平低于由母亲同伴抚养的受试者（仅由同伴抚养的受试者处于中间水平），但在以后的年龄则不然。在两周后收集的所有样本中，青少年皮质醇水平与婴儿水平显着相关，表明个体差异的长期发育稳定性。唾液样本是在 1、2 和 3 岁时从这些受试者的子集中收集的。对这个亚组的唾液皮质醇浓度的分析显示，与年龄相关的显着下降，以及代理同伴饲养的猴子在每个年龄段的水平较低，但在任何年龄都没有显着的性别差异。从同一受试者获得的唾液和血浆皮质醇值的比较产生了高度显着的正相关。