EMORY CONTE CENTER FOR THE NEUROSCIENCE OF MENTAL DISORDERS: PRIMATE CORE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Emory Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders - Primate Core. The major goal of this work has been to produce and characterize a non-human primate epigenetic early life stress model in rhesus monkeys. The purpose is to provide, maintain and characterize phenotypes of monkeys with an early developmental stress. We have investigated the short-term and long-term effects of repeated maternal separation on emotional behavior and HPA axis function of the animals. We previously reported that repeated maternal separations sensitized the infants' HPA axis responses to stress, particularly in females and infants with the short allele of the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (rh5-HTTLPR). As juveniles, maternally-separated subjects exhibited enhanced startle reactivity, flattened cortisol diurnal rhythms and alterations in pituitary-adrenal function detected with CRF and ACTH pharmacological challenges. Progress this year included the continued collection of data for longitudinal analyses of: a) HPA and HPT axes function at later ages (juvenile-adolescence), detecting sensitized cortisol responses to stress after habituation paradigms; b) CSF levels of monoamine metabolites and CRF; c) Physical growth and metabolism: every 6 months we are collecting measures of height (crown-rump, crown-heel length), body weight, BMI, bone maturity (rated from radiographs), as well as plasma samples for measures of growth hormone, leptin, ghrelin, etc; d) Sleep and activity: using activity-based sleep monitoring (actigraphy); e) Social behavior; and f) Serotonergic function.