Mood states in animals, exploring individual and external factors that promote resilience

这个发现号研究项目的目的是以奶牛为动物模型，更好地了解动物的情感状态。这是在我之前的三个NSERC发现研究计划期间完成的工作的基础上完成的。在我上一次NSERC Discovery拨款期间，研究生和本科生成功地进行了一系列研究，扩大了我们对牛个性特征个体差异的理解，以及这些信息如何帮助解释当这些动物暴露在包括疾病在内的应激因素下时观察到的大部分差异。当考虑到奶牛时，有无数的应激事件会影响到单个动物的福利，包括它们的情绪状态。因此，为我的下一个NSERC发现提出的研究将是第一次系统地评估：1)情绪变化是否可以从应对压力的快乐驱动行为的减少中推断出来；2)动物在暴露于应激源时受益于社会支持的必要条件；以及3)早期社会经验如何影响动物对未来社会应激源的适应能力。我提出的研究计划将使用在施加压力源(如社交融合、疾病、对食物的社会竞争)前后评估的快乐驱动行为的变化，作为一种手段来加深我们对情绪状态的理解，以及个性和社会等级等个人因素如何有助于动物在压力源下的长期弹性。这项工作将有助于培养四名博士和两名硕士，并为理科学生提供一个开放、协作和包容的环境，在这种环境中，他们感到得到支持，并有勇气学习新事物和在团队中工作，而不考虑他们的背景、性别、种族或其他个人差异。总体而言，这些高素质的人员将努力为社会环境和动物水平因素在奶牛情绪状态和弹性表达方面的个体差异所起的作用提供新的生物学见解。需要侧重于减少与奶牛日常护理和管理相关的压力的科学学术研究，因为许多动物仍然生病，从而危及奶牛场的经济可持续性。承受压力和疾病的动物也受到公众的严重关注；因此，这项研究项目的结果也将有助于畜牧业的社会可持续性。

The aim of this Discovery research program is to better understand affective states in animals using dairy cattle as the animal model. This builds on the work completed during my previous three NSERC Discovery research programs. During my last NSERC Discovery grant, graduate and undergraduate students successfully engaged in a suite of studies that broadened our understanding of individual variation in personality traits in cattle and how this information can help explain much of the variation observed when these animals were exposed to stressors, including illness. When considering dairy cattle, there are a myriad of stressful events that can impact the welfare of the individual animal, including their mood state. Thus, the proposed research for my next NSERC Discovery will be the first systematic assessment of: 1) whether mood changes can be inferred from reduction in pleasure-driven behaviors in response to stressful situations; 2) the conditions necessary for animals to benefit from social support when exposed to a stressor; and 3) how early-life social experiences may affect animals' resilience to future social stressors. My proposed research program will use changes in pleasure driven behaviours assessed before and after the application of a stressors such as social mixing, illness, social competition for food as a means to further our understanding of mood states, and how individual factors such as personality and social hierarchy contribute to the long-term resilience of animals exposed to stressors. This work will contribute to the training of four PhD, two MSc and give BSc students in an environment that is open, collaborative, and inclusive and where they feel supported and have the courage to learn new things and work within a team, regardless of their background, gender, race, or other individual differences. Collectively, these highly qualified personnel will strive to provide new biological insights into the role of the social environment and animal-level factors contributing to individual variability in the expression of mood states and resilience in dairy cattle. Scientific scholarship focused on reducing stress associated with the routine care and management of dairy cattle is needed as many animals still become ill and thus compromise the economic sustainability of the dairy farm. Animals subjected to stress and illness are also of grave concern to the public; thus, the outcomes arising from this research program will also contribute to the social sustainability of animal agriculture.