Recent advances in model systems for interrogating diseases of brain aging and associated dementia: Toward human-relevant endophenotypes.

Abstract The ability to optimize social behavior to varying socioecological circumstances has been termed “social competence” and relies on behavioral plasticity. Behavioral syndromes, i.e. consistent individual differences in intraindividual correlations among behavioral traits, appear to be a constraint on social competence, yet studies exploring this have largely been limited to experimental laboratory settings. Here, we tested the importance of behavioral syndromes to social competence in wild Barbary macaques ( Macaca sylvanus ), an endangered primate with established links between positive social relationships and survival. We studied two groups ( n = 27 individuals) in which behavioral syndrome phenotypes were established in a previous study. Individuals with lower scores for the “excitable” phenotype (roughly equivalent to the “shy-bold” axis in other studies) showed greater plasticity compared to more “excitable” (i.e., “bolder”) individuals in affiliative responses to the immediate social environment, being more likely to initiate grooming with larger numbers of conspecific bystanders present. Less excitable individuals increased their grooming social network connectivity to a greater degree compared to more excitable individuals in periods of higher anthropogenic pressure. During colder weather, less excitable individuals concentrated their grooming network into fewer ties, whereas more excitable individuals slightly increased their number of connections. Any changes in network connectivity in relation to socioecology were small, reflecting the fact that stability in social network position is a common phenomenon in various taxa. Overall, we show that behavioral syndrome phenotypes influence plasticity in affiliative behavior and thus may be a key factor in individual responses to the rapidly changing socioecologies of the Anthropocene.

Is there an association between infertility diagnosis and long-term adult-onset psychiatric conditions in women? Infertility diagnosis in women is linked to higher risks of mood disorders, anxiety- and stress-related disorders, and behavioral syndromes with physical components, but not schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, particularly notable from 9 years after the first infertility diagnosis. Infertility, especially in women, is associated with major mental health challenges around the time of diagnosis. However, the long-term connection with a wide range of psychiatric disorders is largely unknown. This study employed a matched-pair design within the UK Biobank (UKB) cohort, including 3893 females with a diagnosis of infertility and 15603 matched female controls, totaling 19496 participants. Female UKB participants with a diagnosis of infertility were matched to females without the diagnosis in a 1:4 ratio based on year of birth, index of deprivation of their residency area, and primary care data linkage status. The diagnosis of female infertility was identified by the first occurrence of a primary or secondary diagnosis in either primary care or hospital records. Additional analyses explored interactions between infertility diagnosis and both miscarriage and childbearing status on psychiatric conditions. Diagnosis of infertility was associated with higher risks of mood disorders, anxiety- and stress-related disorders, and behavioral syndromes with physical components, but not with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. The most notable increases in the risk of psychiatric diagnoses were observed 9 years after the first infertility diagnosis. No significant interactions were found between infertility diagnosis and either miscarriage or childbearing status on psychiatric conditions. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these associations across different data sources for infertility diagnosis and psychiatric condition ascertainment. The study's limitations include the racial homogeneity and the overall healthier status of the UKB cohort compared to the general UK population and the potential underestimation of associations due to misclassification of subfecund women. These results emphasize the need for integrated mental health support in infertility care and long-term monitoring of infertility patients for psychiatric risks. None. No competing interests were declared. n/a.

ABSTRACTFollowing island colonisation, organisms experience a unique array of selective pressures, giving rise to a somewhat predictable suite of morphological, demographic and ecological adaptations known as the “island syndrome”. Studies of the island syndrome have provided valuable insights into processes of speciation, community assembly, adaptive radiation and ecological release, alongside many others. However, to date, behavioural aspects of island adaptation have comparatively received little scientific attention, especially among invertebrates. In this study, we examined the agonistic, courtship and aggregation behaviour of the critically endangered Lord Howe Island cockroach, Panesthia lata, and compared these to its Australian sister species, Panesthia cribrata. Behavioural assays revealed that while courtship behaviour was relatively stable across the two species, there was a significantly lower incidence of male agonism in P. lata. In concordance, analyses of nuclear single‐nucleotide polymorphisms showed that P. lata forms large aggregations of unrelated individuals, unlike most Panesthia species, which maintain stable family groups. These results align with previous findings of relaxed intraspecific aggression in island mammals and reptiles, providing novel evidence of behavioural island syndrome in an invertebrate. We also found that courtship behaviour did not vary when P. lata interacted with conspecifics from the same or different populations, suggesting that individuals from different populations will readily interbreed. This is a promising outcome for the conservation of this critically endangered species, which currently spans a fragmentary range consisting of small, insular populations.

Venous sinus stenting (VSS) is used to treat medically refractory idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Psychiatric comorbidities, including anxiety, depression, and personality disorders, are commonly seen in patients with IIH due to the chronic nature of their symptoms. Our study analyzes the impact of psychiatric comorbidities on healthcare resource utilization after VSS for IIH. This was a retrospective study using the TriNetX database to identify patients who underwent VSS for IIH. Patients were stratified based on the presence or absence of psychiatric comorbidities such as schizophrenia, affective disorders, anxiety, and behavioral syndromes associated with psychological disturbances and personality disorders. Propensity score matching was used to adjust for baseline differences between the two cohorts. Outcomes of interest were repeat surgical intervention, emergency department (ED) visits, and symptoms such as papilledema, headache, vision changes, or pulsatile tinnitus. Propensity score matching was used to adjust for baseline differences between the 2 cohorts. Of 1468 patients who underwent VSS, 840 patients (57.2%) had psychiatric comorbidities and 628 patients (42.8%) did not have any psychiatric comorbidities. After propensity score matching for baseline demographics and preoperative symptoms of IIH, patients with psychiatric comorbidities had higher odds of repeat surgical interventions (odds ratio [OR] = 1.681, 95% CI 1.090-2.589, P = .017), ED visits (OR = 1.727, 95% CI: 1.250-2.386, P < .001), and headaches (OR = 1.834, 95% CI: 1.235-2.722, P = .002) after VSS compared with those without psychiatric comorbidities. There were no significant differences in odds of papilledema (OR = 0.987, 95% CI: 0.719-1.355, P = .935), visual changes (OR = 1.186, 95% CI: 0.873-1.611, P = .274), or pulsatile tinnitus (OR = 1.314, 95% CI: 0.829-2.081, P = .243). IIH patients with psychiatric comorbidities experience higher rates of ED visits, repeat surgical intervention, and headaches after VSS. These findings highlight the importance of considering psychiatric comorbidities during preoperative counselling and in planning postoperative care for this population.

Abstract Many animals show interindividual differences in behavioural expression that are consistent across time and/or contexts (referred to as animal personality). Exploratory activity, aggression, and boldness are among the most studied personality traits. A behavioural syndrome refers to a consistent correlation between two or more behavioural traits across individuals, meaning that an individual displaying a certain level of one trait (e.g. high aggressiveness) is also likely to exhibit a predictable level of another trait (e.g. high exploratory tendency or boldness). Although several studies have investigated personality in ants, particularly at the colony level, interindividual variability at the individual level and its relationship with behavioural syndromes remain poorly documented. We repeatedly tested individual foragers of the widespread ant species Formica fusca using three behavioural assays: an open-field test to assess exploratory activity, a boldness assay to measure risk-taking tendencies, and nestmate/alien encounters to evaluate aggression. Our results show that exploration and aggression towards non-nestmates are consistent over time, indicating that they characterise individual behavioural types in F. fusca workers. Moreover, aggression towards nestmate and alien ants are repeatable at colony level (i.e. group personality). However, boldness and response to nestmates are not significantly repeatable at individual level. Despite the widespread documentation on behavioural syndromes across animal taxa, including ants, we found no significant correlation between exploration and aggression in F. fusca. Given that these behavioural traits are often positively correlated in other species, their independence in F. fusca is intriguing and calls for further investigations to broaden our knowledge and understanding of consistent interindividual differences in social insects.

Toxic disinhibition makes a versatile rulebreaker in cyberspace: Mapping online deviance with exploratory graph analysis and structural equation modeling.

We use the example of Brazilian jeitinho to showcase the advantages of considering culture-specific behavioral syndromes as locally meaningful sets of behavior, which recombine potentially universal psychological dynamics in culturally unique ways. This perspective allows for both universality and culture specificity in understanding human behavior. We discuss these points using jeitinho as an example. Anthropological and sociological work has demonstrated the importance of jeitinho as a Brazilian problem-solving strategy, which was treated as a single or homogenous construct. Psychological studies have identified distinct components that can be systematically linked to personality, values, and social attitudes. We describe our new theoretical approach focusing on culture-specific behavioral syndromes, in which possibly universal psychological characteristics are assembled and activated flexibly in culture-specific ways to address locally salient problems. We discuss how this novel combination of theoretical and mixed-method perspectives can advance a more situationally grounded social psychology. Public Over the decades, research in social psychology has demonstrated that cultural factors are fundamental to understanding human social behavior, but relatively little progress has been made to advance our understanding of how culture functions. We report insights gained from an interdisciplinary research program describing a cultural syndrome typical of Brazilian culture, the Brazilian jeitinho (literally translated as the Brazilian little way). Using this example, we demonstrate that it is possible to study culture-specific behaviors and link them to psychological factors presumed to be applicable to all of humanity, and by doing so, we can better understand behavior in context. This approach combines different theoretical lenses that have mainly been used independently in psychology in an integrative way that can advance a more global social psychology, making human behavior understandable across different cultural contexts.

Sexual cannibalism, a behavioral syndrome where one mating partner consumes the other before, during, or after copulation, is particularly widespread among spiders and often exemplifies sexual conflict. Female sexual cannibalism has driven the evolution of numerous male counter-adaptations. Here we review sexual cannibalism in spiders, evaluate five broad hypotheses explaining its evolution, and provide possible explanations for numerous male reproductive strategies associated with this behavior. These male strategies include mating with immature females, opportunistic mating with molting or feeding females, coercive mating, nuptial gifts, inducing female quiescence, thanatosis, mate binding, sperm transfer adjustments, catapulting, and remote copulation. We emphasize the importance of clearly defining these behaviors and advocate for greater experimental repeatability in future experimental and comparative research. The evolutionary dynamics of these strategies are discussed within the frameworks of sexual conflict, sexually antagonistic coevolution, sperm competition, and cryptic female choice. We call for future research to expand taxonomic sampling, standardize methodologies, integrate field-based observations/experiments, and quantify the costs and benefits for each sex. Such efforts are essential to contextualize sexual cannibalism within broader ecological and evolutionary paradigms.

Abstract Assortative mating - preferential mating with partners of similar phenotypes - may be based on personality variation if it contributes to fitness. Animal personality is defined as consistent among-individual behavioural differences across time and contexts, typically examined through trait repeatability and correlations. Such individual variation can play an important role in mating outcome, yet it is seldom examined simultaneously in interacting sexes. Here, we tested whether adult males and females of Pisaura mirabilis, a spider known for male nuptial gifts and female pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism, exhibit consistent individual differences in aggressiveness and exploration, whether these traits correlate forming behavioural syndromes, and influence mating decisions. If more aggressive and exploratory individuals are better at gift provision (i.e., prey capture), females should prefer these traits in mates, conversely, female aggressiveness might reduce mating success, potentially promoting disassortative mating (i.e., lowly-aggressive, exploratory females pairing with highly-aggressive, exploratory males). We found that both sexes exhibited consistent individual differences in aggressiveness and exploration, with exploration being highly repeatable. Strong aggressiveness-exploration associations were lacking. Sex-specific differences in behaviour were reported at the population level: females were on average more aggressive, while males were more exploratory. Overall, among-individual behavioural variation did not predict mating success, but tended to affect mating outcomes, as less explorative females and more exploratory males showed longer copulations, suggesting potential reproductive advantages that may potentially promote disassortative pairings. Significance statement Animal personalities, which capture individual variation in behaviour, can play an important role in mating decisions. This study tests the idea that pairings of spiders of the nuptial feeding species Pisaura mirabilis may occur depending on the aggressiveness and exploration levels of the interacting sexes. Results show that males and females show consistent differences in behaviour and highlight sex-specific patterns: females were more aggressive, males more explorative. These underlying personality traits did not affect mating success, suggesting lack of effects on male courtship and female mate choice. Yet, less explorative females and most explorative males experienced longer copulations, a trait important for enhancing reproductive outcome in this species. These reproductive benefits may potentially promote disassortative pairings.

ABSTRACT Individuals may maximise fitness by adopting alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) that are shaped by environmental conditions and reflect the individual's competitive ability. While variation in morphology or physiology in ARTs is well understood, the role of consistent behavioural variation is less clear. Yet, adopting certain ARTs can be driven by individual variation in personality traits and behavioural syndromes if individuals of certain behavioural types (e.g., shy, less aggressive) have lower competitive abilities, switching to tactics other than those used by competitive males. To investigate the relationship between ARTs and individual variation in behaviour, we focused on males of the spider Pisaura mirabilis , known for courting females with either a genuine tactic consisting of silk‐wrapped nutritionally valuable (prey) or a cheating tactic using worthless (leftovers) gifts. Environmental and social conditions, such as prey availability and the intensity of sexual selection, are known to maintain flexible ARTs in this species, but the underlying behavioural types of males that are more likely to cheat remain unknown. We screened males for exploration, aggressiveness and body size—traits relevant for resource acquisition—and tested their likelihood of producing worthless gifts by offering them a prey carcass over repeated trials. We predicted behavioural traits to be repeatable, correlate in syndromes and be size‐dependent, with larger, highly explorative‐aggressive individuals, better at resource acquisition, to be less likely to produce worthless gifts. Personality traits were repeatable, especially exploration behaviour, but lacked an aggressive‐exploration syndrome and size‐dependency. The likelihood of taking a prey carcass was also repeatable, indicating between‐male differences in response to worthless items, and was linked to higher male aggressiveness and larger size, suggesting a potentially higher capacity for exploiting scarce resources in these phenotypes. Our findings suggest that, despite not affecting gift production per se but only responses towards worthless prey items, size dependence and individual variation in aggressive behaviour may play a role in the initial acquisition of worthless items but are not decisive factors for ARTs.

Physiological states are often regarded as drivers of personality differences, although the causal link between them remains unclear. Studies focusing on energy metabolism often report inconsistent associations with personality traits. We studied this association in 75 free-living female bush Karoo rats (Otomys unisulcatus) by testing their personality traits, resting metabolic rate (RMR) and, furthermore, metabolic rate stress response. We found a proactive behavioural syndrome, repeatable RMR and metabolic responses to an acute acoustic stressor. Linear mixed models showed that more proactive individuals exhibited higher RMR. To further explore this relationship, we conducted path analysis incorporating life history, environmental and ecological factors (such as date of birth, age, temperature and food abundance). This analysis revealed that the observed link between personality and RMR was not direct but instead may be mediated by the date of birth: individuals born later in the season were more proactive, had higher RMR and showed lower metabolic responses to acute stress. Importantly, personality and metabolic rate were not directly associated after accounting for date of birth. This finding highlights the importance of considering broader ecological/life-history contexts when interpreting physiological–behavioural correlations and offers a possible explanation for previous contradictory results regarding the personality–RMR relationship.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are currently a serious problem for society and require a systematic approach to prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Among these disorders, 51.0% are non-psychotic. The application of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) allows a fairly objective assessment of the severity of disorders that limit the life activity of patients and their dynamics, characterizing the effectiveness of treatment and rehabilitation. However, the use of the ICF in psychiatric practice is limited. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of inpatient rehabilitation of patients with non-psychotic disorders based on the use of ICF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The object of the study was 317 psychiatric inpatients with non-psychotic disorders. The severity of life activity limitations according to the ICF at admission and discharge was studied. Inclusion criteria: age under 18; patient refusal to participate; acute psychotic symptomatology, gross cognitive defect. Statistical analysis was performed using application programs in Microsoft Office Excel 2010. RESULTS: Women accounted for 59.9% (190 people) of those examined. In the age structure, people under 30 years of age accounted for 32.5% (103 people), 30–39 and 40–49 years — 21.8% and 20.2% (69 and 64 people, respectively), 50–59 years — 11.7% (37 people), 60 years and older — 13.8% (44 people). In the nosological structure, patients with neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders accounted for 30.6% (97 people), mood disorders and personality and behavior disorders in adulthood — 25.3% (81 people) and 24.4% (74 people), respectively; with behavioral syndromes — 20.5% (65 people). The mean ICF scores at the beginning of treatment were: on impulse urges control — 1.52±0.19, emotion regulation — 1.59±0.18, motivation function — 1.40±0.21, appetite — 1.36±0.25, ability to overcome crisis situations — 1.90±0.19, coping with stress — 1,74±0.20, solving complex problems — 1.68±0.18, managing own activity — 1.59±0.16, regulating behavior during interaction — 1.07±0.22, maintaining child-parent relations — 1.12±0.18. CONCLUSION: The use of ICF in psychiatric practice allows to determine the patient’s actual problems and their dynamics, which is necessary for the correction of therapy and assessment of its effectiveness.

Abstract Personality, i.e., consistent and repeatable differences in behaviour between individuals, has been documented and studied across taxa. However, relatively little research attention has been given to personality in invertebrates, particularly in parasitic species. The avian vampire fly Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) is a semi-hematophagous ectoparasite that feeds on the blood of nestling birds during its larval phase and on decaying vegetable matter as an adult. Invasive to the Galápagos Islands, the avian vampire fly causes permanent deformation and high mortality in its avian hosts. To better understand the behaviour of adult flies, we aimed to determine whether avian vampire flies have short-term individual repeatability for three personality traits, and whether these three traits covary. We collected avian vampire fly pupae from wild nests of small landbird species on Floreana Island, Galápagos, reared the pupae to adulthood, and individually marked the adult flies. On days 5–7 post-eclosion, we tested the behavioural responses of each individual fly once per day, using (1) a walking test (activity), (2) a novel environment test (exploration) and (3) a back test (boldness). We found significant repeatability at the individual level for all three traits, and no evidence for a behavioural syndrome between the traits. These findings are the first step towards understanding the role of parasite personality within host-parasite dynamics, and how personality differences may affect the avian vampire fly and its novel hosts on the Galápagos.

ABSTRACTAnimal personality encompasses behavioral traits that can vary between individuals while remaining stable over time for each individual. These traits often correlate with each other and form behavioral syndromes. In our study, we investigated the personalities and behavioral syndromes of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, which defends and prepares carcasses as food for its offspring. In the laboratory, we repeatedly examined overall mobility, explorative behavior, duration of stridulation, and tonic immobility in the same individuals. Overall mobility and stridulation exhibited moderate repeatability in both sexes. Tonic immobility (TI) was more repeatable in females than in males, whereas exploratory behavior did not show repeatability in either sex. Results showed that males remained in tonic immobility for significantly longer periods than females. Contrary to our expectations, females exhibited greater exploratory behavior than males. The duration of stridulation was similar between the sexes, but individuals with poorer body conditions stridulated for a longer time than individuals with better physical conditions. Stridulation is triggered by simulated predatory attacks, suggesting that it may serve as a defense mechanism against predators. We conclude that the functional significance of personality traits in N. vespilloides warrants further investigation in the context of their natural predators and conspecifics.

INTRODUCTIONThe clinical, radiological, and pathological features have not been well documented for the recently discovered autosomal‐dominant vacuolar tauopathy (VT) harboring the Valosin‐containing protein (VCP) p.Asp395Gly variant.METHODSWe investigated the clinical, neuropsychological, physiological, laboratory, and radiological data and neuropathological findings in five symptomatic VT cases who met the diagnostic criteria for frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Radiological data were also collected from two pre‐symptomatic carriers.RESULTSAll participants had heterozygous c.1184A > G, p.Asp395Gly in VCP. All symptomatic cases exhibited cognitive, behavioral, and/or language dysfunction indicative of FTD in their 30s to 50s. Neuroimaging studies revealed marked bilateral frontal neurodegeneration and occipital lobar diffusion abnormalities. Post mortem examination of three cases and brain biopsy of one case revealed abundant three‐ and four‐repeat tau deposition and neocortical microvacuolization. Radiological changes were not evident in two pre‐symptomatic carriers in their 20s.DISCUSSIONThis study reveals distinct clinical‐radiological‐pathological correlations in VT, expanding the spectrum of early‐onset frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).HighlightsWe characterized the clinical, radiological, and pathological features of vacuolar tauopathy (VT).Five VT cases exhibited a behavioral syndrome, often with aphasic features, with marked frontal lobar atrophy and hypometabolism.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of VT cases revealed occipital lobar diffusion abnormalities.Diffuse neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and microvacuolization were observed in the neocortex, with an inverse distribution.

Abstract Dispersal behaviour has important consequences for biological invasions. We assessed morphological and lab-based behavioural traits to test for a behavioural syndrome associated with dispersal in Common Carp, a highly invasive fish. We then correlated these dispersal traits with the opportunistic breaching of a fish barrier and broader movement in the wild. Common Carp were captured attempting to disperse into Cootes Paradise Marsh, a protected wetland in Ontario, Canada. Individual variation was characterized by geometric morphometrics (n = 300) and behavioural trials (n = 44) in a subsample of fish. Video-recorded trials captured measures of boldness, activity, and sociability. A subset of fish (n = 10) were acoustically tagged and released to measure monthly movement patterns. Habitat conditions varied widely in the field, and a rare flooding event allowed fish to bypass a barrier and enter Cootes Paradise Marsh. A multivariate mixed model was used to describe among-individual trait correlations. Common Carp expressed a behavioural syndrome in the lab, where bold individuals were also active and social, but this syndrome was not correlated with morphology or repeatable wild movement. Three telemetry-tracked Common Carp bypassed the fish barrier and entered the protected wetland. Barrier breaching was correlated with monthly distance travelled and negatively correlated with dispersal distance. Other individuals preferred the warm-water canals of the Hamilton Harbour industrial shoreline, where proximity to industry was correlated with a slender body-depth morphology. This study identified a behavioural syndrome, while also identifying traits linked to barrier breaching and potential trade-offs for fish in highly industrialized environments.

Cannibalism is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom. The evolution and causation of cannibalistic behaviour have been amply investigated, but the ontogeny has received less attention. Here, we studied the ontogeny of cannibalistic behaviour in the tiny, blind predatory mite Amblyseius herbicolus. We found that individuals that were exposed to egg-cannibalizing adults when juvenile developed into cannibalistic adults more than 2.5 times as often as juveniles without such exposure. This was not due to their experience with eggs pierced by the adults: exposing juveniles to artificially pierced eggs did not result in increased cannibalism upon becoming adult. The exposure of juveniles to cannibalistic adults did not result in significant increases in juvenile mortality; hence, no selection against certain behavioural syndromes occurred during the juvenile stages. We therefore conclude that the experience with cannibalistic adults changed the behaviour of juveniles later in life. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that witnessing cannibalism as juvenile results in a higher tendency to cannibalize as adult.

KCNA1encodes the α-subunit of the voltage-gated potassium channel KV1.1. Mutations in KV1.1’s pore domain result in developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), where early life seizures and a culprit lesion synergistically disrupt neurodevelopmental trajectories, resulting in intellectual disability that often presents with disturbances in sleep, sociability and sensory processing. Abnormalities in the subcellular localization of Kv1.1, via mutations in/autoantibodies against LGI1 and CNTNAP2, also give rise to syndromes of epilepsy and neuropsychiatric impairment. Mice with deletions ofKcna1(“-/-“)display spontaneous seizures at 2-3 weeks of age and premature mortality. In this study, we applied instrumented home-cage monitoring to examine how aberrations in KCNA1 expression may result in pervasive alterations in spontaneous behavior. Compared to wildtype,Kcna1-/-mice displayed a robust multifaceted behavioral syndrome featuring marked nocturnal hyperactivity, insomnia, reduced sheltering, fragmented feeding/drinking rhythms, sensory over-responsivity and diminished wheel-running. In identical recordings,Kcna1+/−mice only displayedincreasedsheltering,Lgi1+/−mice displayed mild insomnia andCntnap2-/-mice showed home-cagehypoactivity.Kcna1loss in parvalbumin-positive interneurons (Pv-Cre) resulted in a subtle phenocopy, with mild insomnia accompanied by reduced sheltering behavior, while similar deletions in forebrain pyramidal neurons (Emx1-Cre) or dopaminergic neurons (DAT-Cre) were asymptomatic. Adult-onset conditional deletions ofKcna1also produced only mild insomnia 6 weeks later. To survey the molecular landscape inKcna1-/-mice, we conducted a mass spectrometry proteomic analysis of dissected hippocampal tissue (a predominant seizure onset zone and where astrogliosis is observed). This revealed significant upregulations in BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and the immediate early transcription factor EGR3 (early growth response-3), which is necessary for the induction of BDNF following electroconvulsive seizures. Heterozygous or homozygous deletions ofEgr3inKcna1-/-mice resulted in significant survival prolongation, a partial neurobehavioral rescue, and a significant improvement in the frequency of spontaneous seizuresandspreading depolarization events. These clinical improvements were associated with an amelioration of BDNF induction, hippocampal astrogliosis and proteomic disturbances. Together, these data illustrate how an ion channel that governs excitability at millisecond scales also shapes the spatiotemporal structure of spontaneous behavior at meso- or macroscopic time scales. Our results provide a model and a set of precision endpoints to understand how ictal and interictal features of DEE may be ameliorated by inhibiting the long-term downstream transcriptional alterations imparted by early life seizures.

Abstract Animal personality plays a key role in translocation success in both wild‐to‐wild and captive‐to‐wild translocations, with important implications for the success of conservation projects. However, the majority of studies so far have explored the link between personality and translocation success in vertebrate translocations, and there has been less focus on how personality may influence the translocation of invertebrates. We argue that there is a need for further research into how understanding invertebrate behavioural syndromes can inform conservation and translocation success. The development of arthropod model systems for the study of translocation and personality could have the potential to provide new insights not only into the study of invertebrate reintroduction and translocation but also into a greater understanding of the role of behavioural syndromes in different ecological contexts.