Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors Research Articles

Social isolation intensifies adgrl3.1-related externalizing and internalizing behaviors in zebrafish

Externalizing disorders (EDs) are characterized by outward-directed behaviors such as aggression and hyperactivity. They are influenced by gene-environment interactions, yet our understanding of the genetic predispositions and environmental contexts that give rise to them is incomplete. Additionally, people with EDs often exhibit comorbid internalizing symptoms, which can complicate the clinical presentation and treatment strategies. Following on from our previous studies, we examined genes x environment interaction as a risk factor for EDs by looking at internalizing and externalizing behaviors after social isolation. Specifically, we subjected adgrl3.1 knockout zebrafish — characterized by hyperactivity and impulsivity — to a 2-week social isolation protocol. We subsequently assessed the impact on anxiety-like behavior, abnormal repetitive behaviors, working memory, and social interactions. Genotype-specific additive effects emerged, with socially isolated adgrl3.1 knockout fish exhibiting intensified comorbid phenotypes, including increased anxiety, abnormal repetitive behaviors, reduced working memory, and altered shoaling, when compared to WT fish. The findings demonstrate that genetic predispositions interact with environmental stressors, such as social isolation, to exacerbate both externalizing and internalizing symptoms. This underlines the necessity for comprehensive diagnostic and intervention strategies.

Decreases in the number of microglia and neural circuit dysfunction elicited by developmental exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides in mice.

Neonicotinoids are insecticides widely used in the world. Although neonicotinoids are believed to be toxic only to insects, their developmental neurotoxicity in mammals is a concern. Therefore, we examined the effects of developmental exposure to neonicotinoids on immune system in the brain and post-developmental behaviors in this study. Imidacloprid or clothianidin was orally administered to dams at a dosage of 0.1 mg/kg/day from embryonic day 11 to postnatal day 21. Imidacloprid decreased sociability, and both imidacloprid and clothianidin decreased locomotor activity and induced anxiety, depression and abnormal repetitive behaviors after the developmental period. There was no change in the number of neurons in the hippocampus of mice exposed to imidacloprid. However, the number and activity of microglia during development were significantly decreased by imidacloprid exposure. Imidacloprid also induced neural circuit dysfunction in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus during the early postnatal period. Exposure to imidacloprid suppressed the expression of csf1r during development. Collectively, these results suggest that developmental exposure to imidacloprid decreases the number and activity of microglia, which can cause neural circuit dysfunction and abnormal behaviors after the developmental period. Care must be taken to avoid exposure to neonicotinoids, especially during development.

Case study: Visual barriers reduce pacing in captive tigers.

Captive large felines are prone to abnormal repetitive behaviors like pacing, which are associated with welfare issues. Visual contact without the opportunity to engage in appropriate behavior is known to increase pacing. To better understand the relationship between pacing and conspecific visual contact, we investigated this effect by conducting a barrier experiment on a male-female pair of Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) in Rotterdam Zoo, the Netherlands. The tigers were exposed to four consecutive housing treatments: (i) housed in the same enclosure (baseline), (ii) housed in separate enclosures with visual contact, (iii) housed in separate enclosures without visual contact, and (iv) housed in the same enclosure after the separation. We used focal and scan sampling to measure pacing and recorded the number of visitors. Moreover, we applied scan sampling to measure activity. Overall, our results indicate that the tigers paced significantly more when housed in separate enclosures with conspecific visual contact. Moreover, our results suggest that limiting visual contact between neighboring tigers can mitigate pacing. Implementing these findings in tiger husbandry and enclosure design has the potential to improve animal welfare zoo populations of large felines.

Do housing-induced changes in brain activity cause stereotypic behaviours in laboratory mice?

Abnormal repetitive stereotypic behaviours (SBs) (e.g. pacing, body-rocking) are common in animals with poor welfare (e.g. socially isolated/in barren housing). But how (or even whether) poor housing alters animals’ brains to induce SBs remains uncertain. To date, there is little evidence for environmental effects on the brain that also correlate with individual SB performance. Using female mice from two strains (SB-prone DBA/2s; SB-resistant C57/BL/6s), displaying two forms of SB (route-tracing; bar-mouthing), we investigated how housing (conventional laboratory conditions vs. well-resourced ‘enriched’ cages) affects long-term neuronal activity as assessed via cytochrome oxidase histochemistry in 13 regions of interest (across cortex, striatum, basal ganglia and thalamus). Conventional housing reduced activity in the cortex and striatum. However, DBA mice had no cortical or striatal differences from C57 mice (just greater basal ganglia output activity, independent of housing). Neural correlates for individual levels of bar-mouthing (positive correlations in the substantia nigra and thalamus) were also independent of housing; while route-tracing levels had no clear neural correlates at all. Thus conventional laboratory housing can suppress cortico-striatal activity, but such changes are unrelated to SB (since not mirrored by congruent individual and strain differences). Furthermore, the neural correlates of SB at individual and strain levels seem to reflect underlying predispositions, not housing-mediated changes. To aid further work, hypothesis-generating model fit analyses highlighted this unexplained housing effect, and also suggested several regions of interest across cortex, striatum, thalamus and substantia nigra for future investigation (ideally with improved power to reduce risks of Type II error).

Abnormal patterns of sleep and waking behaviors are accompanied by neocortical oscillation disturbances in an Ank3 mouse model of epilepsy-bipolar disorder comorbidity

ANK3 is a leading bipolar disorder (BD) candidate gene in humans and provides a unique opportunity for studying epilepsy-BD comorbidity. Previous studies showed that deletion of Ank3-1b, a BD-associated variant of Ank3 in mice leads to increased firing threshold and diminished action potential dynamic range of parvalbumin (PV) interneurons and absence epilepsy, thus providing a biological mechanism linking epilepsy and BD. To explore the behavioral overlap of these disorders, we characterized behavioral patterns of Ank3-1b KO mice during overnight home-cage activity and examined network activity during these behaviors using paired video and EEG recordings. Since PV interneurons contribute to the generation of high-frequency gamma oscillations, we anticipated changes in the power of neocortical EEG signals in the gamma frequency range (> 25 Hz) during behavioral states related to human BD symptoms, including abnormal sleep, hyperactivity, and repetitive behaviors. Ank3-1b KO mice exhibited an overall increase in slow gamma (~25-45 Hz) power compared to controls, and slow gamma power correlated with seizure phenotype severity across behaviors. During sleep, increased slow gamma power correlated with decreased time spent in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. Seizures were more common during REM sleep compared to non-REM (NREM) sleep. We also found that Ank3-1b KO mice were hyperactive and exhibited a repetitive behavior phenotype that co-occurred with increased slow gamma power. Our results identify a novel EEG biomarker associating Ank3 genetic variation with BD and epilepsy and suggest modulation of gamma oscillations as a potential therapeutic target.

The Exposure to Lead (Pb) Exacerbates Immunological Abnormalities in BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J Mice through the Regulation of Signaling Pathways Relevant to T Cells.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental illness characterized by abnormal social interactions, communication difficulties, and repetitive and limited behaviors or interests. The BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mice have been used extensively to research the ASD-like phenotype. Lead (Pb) is a hazardous chemical linked to organ damage in the human body. It is regarded as one of the most common metal exposure sources and has been connected to the development of neurological abnormalities. We used flow cytometry to investigate the molecular mechanism behind the effect of Pb exposure on subsets of CD4+ T cells in the spleen expressing IFN-γ, T-bet, STAT1, STAT4, IL-9, IRF4, IL-22, AhR, IL-10, and Foxp3. Furthermore, using RT-PCR, we studied the effect of Pb on the expression of numerous genes in brain tissue, including IFN-γ, T-bet, STAT1, STAT4, IL-9, IRF4, IL-22, AhR, IL-10, and Foxp3. Pb exposure increased the population of CD4+IFN-γ+, CD4+T-bet+, CD4+STAT1+, CD4+STAT4+, CD4+IL-9+, CD4+IRF4+, CD4+IL-22+, and CD4+AhR+ cells in BTBR mice. In contrast, CD4+IL-10+ and CD4+Foxp3+ cells were downregulated in the spleen cells of Pb-exposed BTBR mice compared to those treated with vehicle. Furthermore, Pb exposure led to a significant increase in IFN-γ, T-bet, STAT1, STAT4, IL-9, IRF4, IL-22, and AhR mRNA expression in BTBR mice. In contrast, IL-10 and Foxp3 mRNA expression was significantly lower in those treated with the vehicle. Our data suggest that Pb exposure exacerbates immunological dysfunctions associated with ASD. These data imply that Pb exposure may increase the risk of ASD.

Contrafreeloading Indicating the Behavioural Need to Forage in Healthy and Feather Damaging Grey Parrots.

Contrafreeloading (CFL) is a concept that describes the preference of an animal to work for food even when identical food is freely available, and reflects an intrinsic motivation to engage in foraging-related activities. However, altered brain neurochemistry, which can be induced by chronic exposure to a suboptimal living environment, may affect this intrinsic motivation in animals with abnormal repetitive behaviours (ARBs), including parrots with feather damaging behaviour. To determine whether this was the case, we evaluated CFL activity in healthy (n = 11) and feather damaging (n = 10) Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) by offering them a free choice to obtain identical food from a food bowl or from a foraging device. Differences in CFL activity were observed, with feather damaging Grey parrots displaying less CFL (as indicated by shorter foraging times and lower amounts of food consumed from the foraging devices) compared to healthy conspecifics, indicating altered 'motivation' and time allocation, for which the underlying mechanism needs to be clarified further. Nevertheless, despite the variable level, all birds displayed CFL, which, together with a seemingly positive correlation between CFL activity and the plumage condition of the birds, suggests that parrots are intrinsically motivated to forage and highlights the importance of providing foraging opportunities to captive parrots.

Early life access to hay does not affect later life oral behavior in feed-restricted heifers

Dairy cattle are often raised in environments that lack natural feeding opportunities, and they perform abnormal repetitive behaviors (ARBs) as a result. Early life restriction can affect later life behavior. We evaluated whether access to hay in the milk-fed period would affect later life behavior in heifers experiencing short-term feed restriction and whether individuals were consistent in behavioral expression over time. We had 2 competing ideas about how this would unfold. First, being raised with hay, which reduced early life ARBs, could lead to fewer ARBs later in life. Alternatively, heifers that were raised without hay and performed more ARBs in early life might be more prepared for a later feed-restricted environment and thus engage in fewer ARBs than those raised with hay. We studied 24 pair-housed Holstein heifers. As calves, they were fed milk and grain from 0 to 7 wk of age (control) or given additional forage (hay). Tongue rolling, tongue flicking, nonnutritive oral manipulation (NNOM) of pen fixtures, self-grooming, and water drinking were recorded for 12 h (0800-2000 h) during wk 4 and 6 of life using 1-0 sampling at 5-s intervals. At the start of weaning at d 50, all calves were fed a total mixed ration. All calves were fully weaned at d 60 and socially housed by d 65 to 70. After this point, all individuals were raised the same way, according to farm protocol, in groups that included both treatments. At 12.4 ± 0.6 mo of age (mean ± standard deviation), heifers were restricted to 50% of their ad libitum total mixed ration intake for 2 d as part of a short-term feed challenge. Using continuous video recording from 0800 to 2000 h on d 2 of feed restriction, we scored time spent performing oral behaviors: the 5 previously scored while they were calves, along with intersucking, allogrooming, drinking urine, NNOM of rice hull bedding, and NNOM of feed bins. We found that early life access to hay did not affect behavior performed by heifers experiencing short-term feed restriction 1 yr later. Most heifers performed a wide variety of behaviors that appeared abnormal. All heifers performed tongue rolling and NNOM, and at higher levels than when they were calves, while tongue flicks and self-grooming were performed less by heifers. Individual performance of NNOM and tongue rolling were not related across age classes [correlation coefficient (r) = 0.17 and 0.11, respectively], but tongue flicks tended to be correlated (r = 0.37). Intersucking was recorded in 67% of heifers, despite their not being able to suckle a conspecific or dam in early life. Oral behaviors were highly variable across heifers, particularly tongue rolling and intersucking. Outliers, or extreme performance of oral behaviors relative to the rest of the population, were present for many behaviors. Most outliers were expressed by unique heifers that were not extreme in other behaviors. Overall, feeding individually housed, milk-limited calves hay for their first 7 wk did not affect later life performance of oral behaviors. The considerable variability, inconsistency across ages, and excessive performance of some behaviors raises additional questions about how these develop in cattle across life stages and about what we label "abnormal."

Increasing foraging times with appetitive and consummatory foraging enrichment in grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)

Foraging enrichment is considered one of the most effective ways to enhance expression of species-typical behaviours and prevent the development of abnormal (repetitive) behaviours in captive animals. However, foraging enrichments for parrots have thus far not been able to approximate natural foraging time budgets nor completely eliminate abnormal behaviours such as feather damaging behaviour. This might be related to the design of currently available foraging enrichments, which generally stimulate a subset of foraging activities rather than foraging behaviour in its entirity. We therefore designed a two-component foraging enrichment that addressed both the appetitive and consummatory phases of foraging. To evaluate whether foraging times would approximate those in the wild (4–8 h/day), we studied the effect of the separate and combined components on foraging behaviour in 12 healthy grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) using a balanced cross-over design. Parrots were provided food by means of the appetitive (APP), consummatory (CONS), and combined (APP+CONS) component(s) of the foraging enrichment, and in a food trough that served as a control (CTRL; no enrichment) for 30 days per test condition. The time spent on foraging was evaluated on days 2, 14 and 30 in all four test conditions using continuous focal sampling. Each of the single components (APP or CONS) increased daily foraging times from 2 to 3 h per day (CTRL: 121 ± 16 min/24 h, APP: 176 ± 31 min/24 h, CONS: 194 ± 26 min/24 h), while the combined enrichment doubled daily foraging times (APP+CONS: 234 ± 42 min/24 h), thereby approaching natural foraging time budgets. Foraging times remained steady over the 30 days, indicating no habituation or change in use of the enrichments throughout this period. These results demonstrate the importance of providing both appetitive and consummatory activities to generate effective foraging opportunities for parrots. Such a bottom-up approach could be beneficial for other (parrot) species as well.

Role of SHANK3 in concentrated ambient PM2. 5 exposure induced autism-like phenotype

Perinatal air pollution plays an important role in the development of autism. However, research on the pathogenic mechanism remains limited. In this study, the model of systemic inhalation of concentrated approximately 8-fold the level (mean concentration was 224 μg/m3) reported in ambient outdoor air of PM2.5 (particulate matters that are 2.5 μm or less in diameter)in early-postnatal male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was established. Through a series of autism-related behavioral tests, it was identified that young rats (postnatal day 1-day21, named PND1-PND21) exposed to PM2.5 exhibited typical autistic phenotypes, such as impaired language communication, abnormal repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, and impaired social skills. Moreover, synaptic abnormalities have been found in the brain tissues of young rats exposed to PM2.5. In terms of the molecular mechanism, we found that the levels of SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains 3 (SHANK3) expression and key molecular proteins in the downstream signaling pathways were decreased in the brain tissues of the exposed rats. Finally, at the epigenetic level, SHANK3 methylation levels were increased in young rats exposed to PM2.5. In conclusion, the study revealed that PM2.5 exposure might induce the early postnatal autism through the SHANK3 signaling pathway by affecting the SHANK3 methylation levels and reducing the SHANK3 expression levels. The study could provide new ideas for autism etiology and a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of autism in children.

Nutritional Wellness in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Preschool age is a time when children experience erratic appetite and fluctuations in growth and development. Typically developing preschoolers have picky eating habits leading to varied nutrient deficiencies. Dietary inadequacies are further compromised in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to abnormal sensory sensitivity, social deficits, and repetitive behaviors of interests. To promote health and wellness in this population, school psychologists and educators in collaboration with registered dietitian nutritionists who are the food and nutrition experts need to identify avenues to promote healthy eating for this pediatric population. This article focuses on nutritional needs and considerations of preschoolers with emphasis on those with ASD, the role of school-based interventions, and practical tips for school psychologists and educators in the promotion of nutritional wellness in preschoolers with ASD.

Incidence of compulsive behavior (stereotypies/abnormal repetitive behaviors) in populations of sport and race horses in Hungary

The main objectives of this survey were to identify correlations between housing arrangements and prevalence of abnormal repetitive behaviors (ARBs) in equine society. Data were collected by an email questionnaire from 60 participants (stables, owners, equine experts) between 2018 and 2020 in Hungary to determine the prevalence of ARBs associated with housing conditions in the equine population. The questionnaire documented information about location, number of horses present, type of horse, and management systems (pasture, corral, stable). The resultant inventory of compulsive behaviors covered 486 Thoroughbreds managed by 20 gallop trainers, 265 Trotting horses managed by 13 trotting trainers, and 1895 horses of other breeds, totaling of 2646 equine individuals (5.29% of the total equine population in Hungary today). The survey delivered identified 29 different types of compulsive behaviors within a total of 217 cases of stereotypic behavior. Of the 29 different of compulsive behavior, 8 types of stereotypic/ARBs were associated with feeding management. Based on survey data, 90% of Thoroughbreds spent their time in a combination of a stable and corral, and 10% of them had an access to pasture. For the Trotting population, 93% trotting horses lived in the combination of a stable and corral, and 7% of them had an access to a pasture. For other horse breeds, 19% lived exclusively in a pasture without a stable or corral, 48% spent their life in a combination of a stable, pasture and corral, 11% shuttled between a stable and pasture, 15 % were housed in a stable and corral, and 7% commuted between a pasture and corral. The Pearson-correlation method revealed a positive correlation between prevalence of ARBs and use of a stable (0.261), as well as a corral (0.286). The prevalence of ARBs correlated negatively with the use of pasture (-0.099). Thoroughbreds exhibited the highest level of prevalence of compulsive behaviors with 75 cases recorded and 34.56% of Thoroughbreds affected. Trotting horses followed with 60 cases, affecting 27.65% of the population. There were 35 cases among the miscellaneous breeds (16.13% of their population). Arabian breeds had 15 cases reported with a prevalence of 6.91%. There were 11 cases in Huculs, for a prevalence of 5.07%, and Gidrán and Hungarian warmblood breeds both had 6 cases with a prevalence of 2.76%. The Furioso-north star breed had 5 cases with a prevalence of 2.30% and the Lipizzaner had 4 cases with a prevalence of 1.84%. Compulsive behaviors and problematic activities associated with feeding occurred in 117 cases are responsible of 53.90% of total of stereotypic behaviors reported. Other compulsive behaviors were spread across 100 cases, comprising 46.10% of the ARBs reported. ARBs of intonation and pawing when feeding are the most common in prevalence (24.88%), followed by weaving (7.38%), wall-kicking (5.99%), prancing and crib-biting (5.07%) and stall-walking (4.61%). The ratios of stress-sensitivity of the population (SSP) and stress-sensitivity of the breed (SSB) can be calculated given these data. The most common equine ARBs are associated with management systems. By introducing pasture, the occurrence of ARBs can be significantly decreased. In the light of the results, the components of professional care for equids can be redefined.

Providing long hay in a novel pipe feeder or a bucket reduces abnormal oral behaviors in milk-fed dairy calves

Many milk-fed dairy calves are not provided forage. In these settings, calves often perform abnormal repetitive behaviors (ARBs), including tongue rolling and nonnutritive oral manipulation (NNOM), which, based on their form, seem similar to movements used when processing feed. Feeding hay, typically presented as a short chop (≤5 cm) in a bucket, reduces ARBs. Our objective was to evaluate whether altering the presentation method of long hay (∼19 cm), by providing it in a bucket or a novel polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe feeder, could reduce ARBs. Holstein heifer calves were housed individually on sand and fed ad libitum starter grain and limited milk replacer (5.7-8.4 L/d step-up) via a bottle (Control, n = 9) or given access to mountaingrass hay in a bucket (Bucket, n = 9) or in a PVC pipe feeder (Pipe, n = 9). The 56 × 10.2 cm (length × diameter) PVC pipe feeder had 4 openings that were 6.35 cm wide, which required the calf to insert her tongue into the pipe and curl her tongue to extract hay. Treatments were applied from birth through 50 d of age, when step-down weaning began and TMR was provided to all calves. Calves were fully weaned at d 60. At wk 4 and 6, oral behaviors (eating, ruminating, drinking water, sucking milk, self-grooming, NNOM, tongue rolling, tongue flicking, and panting) were recorded by direct observation for 24 h using 1-0 sampling during 5-s intervals. Feeding long hay, regardless of presentation method, increased overall DMI, grain intake, and ADG compared with Control calves. Hay provision also increased rumination (25 vs. 15% of 24-h observations in Control) and eating time (5.5 vs. 2% in Control). Abnormal behaviors were seen in all calves. Hay provision reduced some of these, including NNOM (5 vs. 9% in Control). There was no difference in NNOM between calves fed hay in a pipe or bucket, even though Bucket calves consumed more hay (178 vs. 129 g/d in wk 6) and tended to spend more observations eating hay than Pipe calves (4.5 vs. 3%). Hay provision did not affect other behaviors: drinking water (0.5%), grooming (3%), or tongue flicking (3%). We also found evidence of other abnormal oral behaviors that have received less attention. Calves showed signs of polydipsia, and displayed excessive grooming, the latter indicated by overall duration, number of bouts per day, and duration of individual bouts (up to 25 min). Tongue rolling was expressed at low levels (up to 0.4% of intervals) but by 85% of calves. Feeding hay, both in a bucket and using novel methods, was not enough to counteract the welfare challenges associated with individual housing and limited ability to suck milk (<1% of time). Provision of long hay, regardless of presentation method, promotes rumination, improves performance (higher grain intake and ADG) and reduces at least some, but not all, of the considerable abnormal oral behaviors these calves performed.

Exposure to soiled bedding reduces abnormal repetitive behaviors in mice.

Hygiene management protocols in laboratory mouse husbandries worldwide most commonly employ soiled bedding-exposed sentinel mice to monitor the occurrence of infections in mouse colonies. Using this approach, sentinel mice repeatedly receive a mixture of used bedding, supplied by a variety of cages of a defined hygienic unit for a period of several months. Hereby, microorganisms shed in the used bedding can infect the sentinel animals and can be detected in subsequent health monitoring procedures. However, murine excrements carry more than only microorganisms. Mouse feces and urine also contain a multitude of olfactory molecules, which the animals use to code information about social status and context. However, if and how the persistent and repeated experience with these odor cues affects the behavior of sentinel mice, has not yet been explored. To address this question, we conducted a longitudinal study for neurochemical output parameters related to an organism's responsiveness to challenging conditions, and for the exploratory assessment of a panel of home cage behaviors in soiled bedding and control female C57BL/6J mice. We found that the number of mice showing abnormal repetitive behaviors, including barbering and bar mouthing, was lower in the soiled bedding group. While neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios and fecal corticosterone metabolites did not differ between groups, the within-group variance of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio was reduced in the soiled bedding group. These results show that the occurrence of abnormal repetitive behaviors is lower in sentinel than in control mice and suggest a beneficial effect of soiled bedding on the welfare of laboratory mice and on outcome variability.

Associations between Laser Light Pointer Play and Repetitive Behaviors in Companion Cats: Does Participant Recruitment Method Matter?

ABSTRACT One common form of play between companion cat guardians and cats involves the use of laser light pointers (LLPs). Although viewed by many as an enjoyable shared interaction, experts have suggested that it may increase the risk of compulsive behaviors. Our earlier study recruited participants through social media to examine the relationship between LLPs and potential abnormal repetitive behaviors (pARBs). Because of possible biases in this form of recruitment, this study was conducted utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk. A total of 468 responses (54.5% female, 44.0% male, 1.5% nonbinary) were analyzed. Significant associations between the frequency of LLPs and the occurrence of spins or tail chases, chasing lights or shadows, staring “obsessively” at lights or reflections, and fixating on a specific toy were found. Additional associations for these pARBs included declaw status, cat age, and number of cats in the household. Despite differences in recruitment method, the primary conclusions of the two studies were the same: guardians frequently using LLPs with their cats reported significantly more pARBs. These results suggest that LLPs may be associated with compulsive behaviors in cats.

Aggressiveness, ADHD-like behaviour, and environment influence repetitive behaviour in dogs

Repetitive behaviour ranges from variants of normal repetitive behaviours to abnormal repetitive behaviours. The domestic dog spontaneously performs different repetitive behaviours, which can be severe and impair the quality of life and the dog-owner relationship. We collected comprehensive behavioural questionnaire data from almost 4500 Finnish pet dogs and studied the effect of several demographic, environmental, and behavioural factors on canine repetitive behaviour with logistic regression. We replicated findings from previous studies by revealing comorbidity between repetitive behaviour and behavioural factors aggressiveness, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and inattention. We also found a novel association between repetitive behaviour and the owner’s dog experience. In addition, we showed that repetitive behaviour is more common in dogs that live without conspecifics, dogs that were given a low amount of exercise, dogs that lived in larger families, young dogs and elderly dogs, and neutered dogs. Finally, we identified breed differences in repetitive behaviour, suggesting that some breeds are more vulnerable to repetitive behaviour and indicate a genetic susceptibility. As abnormal repetitive behaviour can considerably worsen the well-being of dogs and impair the dog-owner relationship, a better understanding of the environmental, lifestyle, and molecular factors affecting canine repetitive behaviour can benefit both dogs and humans.

Epothilone D Modulates Autism-like Behaviors in the BTBR Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by impaired social communication, abnormal repetitive behaviors and restricted interests and/or sensory behaviors. It has been widely accepted that ASD involves a complex interplay of both genetic and environmental risk factors. Existing medications are only symptomatic treatments, there are no effective treatments that can improve these core social behavior deficits. Recent studies indicated that synaptic development and abnormal myelination are linked to the pathogenesis of ASD. The stable tubule only polypeptide (STOP) protein, also known as microtubule-associated protein 6, plays an important role in neuronal development and synaptic plasticity. Our previous studies showed that STOP protein was significantly reduced in the plasma of autistic subjects and in the cortex of BTBR T+ Itpr3tf (BTBR) mouse model of ASD. Furthermore, studies have shown that Epothilone D, a taxol-like microtubule-stabilizing agent, could alleviate behavioral and synaptic deficits in STOP-null mice. Here, we further evaluate whether Epothilone D treatment is sufficient to modulate the autism-like behaviors in the BTBR mice, and explore the underlying mechanism. BTBR mice were treated either with Epothilone D dissolved in 99% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or with 99% DMSO vehicle. Our studies demonstrated that the restricted and repetitive behaviors of BTBR mice were improved after Epothilone D treatment, which could be achieved by improving microtubule stability and further regulating the expression of excitatory synapse-related and myelin-related proteins. These results indicate that microtubule stability may be a new and promising therapeutic target for treating patients with ASD.

Hay provision affects 24-h performance of normal and abnormal oral behaviors in individually housed dairy calves

Dairy calves often perform abnormal repetitive behaviors (ARBs) including tongue rolling and nonnutritive oral manipulation (NNOM) when opportunities to perform feeding behaviors are restricted. Many US dairy farms limit access to milk, a well-studied risk factor for ARBs. However, farms also commonly do not feed forage to young calves, and the motor patterns of oral ARBs resemble those necessary for acquiring and chewing solid feed. Our objective was to assess how access to hay from birth influenced time engaged in normal and abnormal oral behaviors across 24 h. Holstein heifer calves were housed individually on sand bedding and fed ad libitum water and grain (control, n = 11) or given additional access to hay (hay, n = 11) from birth. Calves were fed 5.7 to 8.4 L/d (step-up) of milk replacer via a teat. At the start of step-down weaning (50 ± 1 d), all calves were given access to a total mixed ration. Feed and water intake were measured daily. Oral behaviors (eating, ruminating, sucking milk, drinking water, panting, grooming, tongue flicking, tongue rolling, and NNOM) were recorded by direct observation at wk 2, 4, 6, and 8 using 1-0 sampling at 1-min intervals for 24 h. Grain, hay, and water intake increased over time in the preweaning period. One polydipsic calf regularly consumed >10 L of water/d. During weaning, hay calves tended to consume increasingly more total mixed ration, significantly more water, and less grain than control calves. Access to hay led to more observations spent eating solid feed (7% vs. 5%, mean percentage of intervals) and ruminating (24% vs. 16%) during the preweaning period compared with calves fed only grain, though control calves appeared to ruminate in absence of forage to re-chew. Rumination occurred, to a large extent, overnight. Hay calves also spent less time self-grooming (12% vs. 14%), tongue flicking (14% vs. 18%), and performing NNOM (17% vs. 21%) than control calves. Although NNOM peaked around milk feedings, all 3 behaviors were performed throughout the day. Tongue rolling was rare across treatments, as was panting, which occurred most frequently around 1400 h. There were no behavioral differences during weaning (wk 8). Overall, we found that hay provision affected most oral behaviors that calves perform; it promoted natural feeding behaviors and reduced abnormal ones, suggesting hay should be provided. We also found that calves performed other behaviors, including polydipsia, repetitive grooming, and apparent sham rumination, that may suggest a degree of abnormality in these behaviors that has not been previously identified. These results highlight the importance of considering all oral behaviors to better understand calf welfare.

Benefits of a ketogenic diet on repetitive motor behavior in mice

Repetitive motor behaviors are repetitive and invariant movements with no apparent function, and are common in several neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the neuropathology associated with the expression of these abnormal stereotypic movements is not well understood, and effective treatments are lacking. The ketogenic diet (KD) has been used for almost a century to treat intractable epilepsy and, more recently, disorders associated with inflexibility of behavioral routines. Here, we show a novel application for KD to reduce an abnormal repetitive circling behavior in a rodent model. We then explore potential mediation through the striatum, as dysregulation of cortico-basal ganglia circuitry has previously been implicated in repetitive motor behavior. In Experiments 1 and 2, adult FVB mice were assessed for levels of repetitive circling across a 3-week baseline period. Mice were then switched to KD and repetitive circling was assessed for an additional 3 weeks. In Experiment 1, time on KD was associated with reduced repetitive behavior. In Experiment 2, we replicated these benefits of KD and assessed dendritic spine density in the striatum as one potential mechanism for reducing repetitive behavior, which yielded no differences. In Experiment 3, adult female circling mice were given a single administration of a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist (L-741,646) that was associated with reduced repetitive behavior over time. Future research will explore the relationship between KD and dopamine within basal ganglia nuclei that may be influencing the benefits of KD on repetitive behavior.

Short sensory profile and its relation with repetitive behavior and anxiety symptoms in children with autistic spectrum disorder

Background Sensory processing abnormalities have been reported in 42%–88% of children with autism. Atypical sensory features are thought to result from aberrant sensory processing, and may be evident across all sensory modalities, including auditory, tactile, vestibular, oral, olfactory, movement, and visual domains. Several studies have shown a high prevalence of anxiety in autistic children, although they have difficulties expressing their emotions. In this study, the relation between abnormal sensory profile, repetitive behavior, and anxiety symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will be elucidated.Results Those with the definite difference in short sensory profile (SSP) represented 63.3% of the cases. As for the SSP domains, Under-responsiveness/Seeks sensation was the domain with the highest percentage of those with the definite difference (65%) followed by Auditory sensitivity (46.7%) and then Low energy (40%), whereas Visual/Auditory sensitivity was the domain with least cases showing definite difference (11.7%). Sensory abnormality is more evident in older children. Autism severity is related to the severity of the sensory abnormality. The total score of SSP showed a significant correlation with the total Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised score. Anxiety Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder − Parent Version showed a significant correlation with the total score of SSP.Conclusion Sensory processing abnormalities are common among children with ASD and it is related to the severity of ASD, repetitive behaviors, and anxiety symptoms. Therefore, using these scales for individualization of the characteristics of sensory profile and their behavioral response and anxiety symptoms in basic assessment and follow-up is recommended, as well as promoting changes in therapeutic intervention through the possibility of choosing and designing the most appropriate intervention based on the individualized profile of the patients.