ESTABLISHING PREDICTORS OF SIB IN RHESUS MONKEYS

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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. We have previously developed an animal model of SIB in which monkeys with this disorder show a reduced stress response and lower opioid levels compared to controls. SIB is also associated with polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene (5HTTLPR) and the monoamine oxidase A gene promoter (MAOA-LPR). Because we study monkeys only after they have spontaneously developed SIB, we do not know whether these differences are risk factors for or consequences of developing SIB. The purpose of this project is to determine whether there are early markers for the onset of SIB and stereotypic behavior. We are currently conducting a unique, large-scale longitudinal study of a cohort of male monkeys in which we are coordinating our standard behavioral assessments of abnormal behavior, collecting hair and saliva samples for cortisol and other assays, and searching for polymorphic gene variants that are predictive of later SIB or stereotypy development. We are also examining hair cortisol profiles in macaques as a function of housing, early rearing, and species (in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Suomi, NICHD). The determination of biomarkers for these syndromes can then be used for colony screening and the development of new prevention strategies. Elucidation of novel biomarkers of SIB will also have significant implications for our understanding of this disorder in human clinical populations.