Expression Of Abnormal Behaviors Research Articles

Nonhuman primate abnormal behavior: Etiology, assessment, and treatment.

Across captive settings, nonhuman primates may develop an array of abnormal behaviors including stereotypic and self-injurious behavior. Abnormal behavior can indicate a state of poor welfare, since it is often associated with a suboptimal environment. However, this may not always be the case as some behaviors can develop independently of any psychological distress, be triggered in environments known to promote welfare, and be part of an animal's coping mechanism. Furthermore, not all animals develop abnormal behavior, which has led researchers to assess risk factors that differentiate individuals in the display of these behaviors. Intrinsic risk factors that have been identified include the animal's species and genetics, age, sex, temperament, and clinical condition, while environmental risk factors include variables such as the animal's rearing, housing condition, husbandry procedures, and research experiences. To identify specific triggers and at-risk animals, the expression of abnormal behavior in captive nonhuman primates should be routinely addressed in a consistent manner by appropriately trained staff. Which behaviors to assess, what assessment methods to use, which primates to monitor, and the aims of data collection should all be identified before proceeding to an intervention and/or treatment. This article provides guidance for this process, by presenting an overview of known triggers and risk factors that should be considered, steps to design a comprehensive evaluation plan, and strategies that might be used for prevention or treatment. It also outlines the tools and processes for assessing and evaluating behavior in an appendix. This process will lead to a better understanding of abnormal behavior in captive primate colonies and ultimately to improved welfare.

A Social Ethological Perspective Applied to Care of and Research on Songbirds

The interrelationships among individuals in gregarious species can have profound effects on the animals' behavior, physiology, and even health. Captive housing should address the social needs of such species because failure to do so can result in the development and expression of abnormal behavior. But determining what social stimuli to provide for any given species poses many challenges. I review recent work on brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) that was designed to identify the social stimuli critical for effective development and breeding. The work demonstrates the importance of social experiences in organizing reproductive physiology and behavior, so much so that inattention to these experiences can lead to misinterpretation of the function and mechanisms of the birds' behavior. There are no general rules applicable to all social species, however. Determining the social conditions needed for members of any species requires an ethological approach that evaluates the sensory, cognitive, and ecological characteristics of the species and considers those characteristics in the design of captive housing and research.

Inter-group variation in abnormal behavior in chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes) and rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta)

The present study was designed to explore whether abnormal behavior patterns in captive chimpanzees and rhesus macaques can provide additional data relevant to the question of social transmission of behavior in non-human primates. We categorically defined the degree to which various abnormal behaviors were displayed in eight chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes) and 21 rhesus macaque ( Macaca mulatta) groups. Group membership, that was independent of biological relatedness, housing environment, gender and individual variance, significantly affected the expression of various abnormal behaviors. Variance in the expression of abnormal behaviors across groups of chimpanzees and rhesus monkeys suggests that social learning processes are involved in the propagation of these behaviors and thus, the study of abnormal behaviors may be a suitable method for further examining the question of culture in non-human primates.

Stereotyped pecking after feeding by restricted-fed fowls is influenced by meal size

Growing broiler breeder chickens, fed routinely according to a programme of chronic food restriction, typically show increased pacing before feeding time and increased drinking and pecking at non-food objects afterwards. Expression of this behaviour is often stereotyped in form. In two experiments at 8 and 14 weeks of age, they were caged individually, provided with two meals per day at 0900 and 1600 h, and tested with 0900 h meals that differed in either size (10, 25, 40 g) but not food form (pellets), or food form (pellets, mash, influencing meal duration) but not size (15 g). Measurements of behaviour were made from video recordings between 0915 (when all feeding had ceased) and 1600 h. As meal size increased, so did the proportion of time spent in stereotyped object pecking after feeding, while time spent standing (only) decreased; there were no other significant effects of either meal size or food form on post-feeding behaviour. The observed effect of meal size on object pecking may be a consequence of the weight of food eaten per se, rather than the time taken to eat it; this conclusion is tentative because results of the food form comparison are not unambiguous. Paradoxically, whereas expression of abnormal behaviour in restricted-fed animals is known to be correlated negatively with total daily food intake, it appears to be correlated positively with meal size within a given level of restriction.

Is There a Role for Corticosterone in Expression of Abnormal Behaviour in Restricted-Fed Fowls?

Savory, C. J. and J. S. Mann. Is there a role for corticosterone in expression of abnormal behaviour in restricted-fed fowls? Physiol Behav 62(1) 7–13, 1997.—Growing parent stock (breeders) of meat-type chickens (broilers), subjected routinely to chronic food restriction, show increased pacing before a single daily meal and increased drinking and pecking at non-food objects (oral stereotypies) afterwards. Expression of these activities is correlated positively with the level of restriction imposed, and is thought to be controlled mainly by central dopaminergic mechanisms. There is published evidence that glucocorticoids can amplify dopamine mediated behaviours, and this paper describes four experiments examining the relationship between corticosterone and behaviour in individually caged broiler breeders. In Experiment 1 (with 3 levels of food restriction), plasma corticosterone concentration was correlated positively with the level of restriction imposed when blood samples were taken in the morning, but not when they were taken in the afternoon. This may be because corticosterone level declines from morning to afternoon with mild but not severe restriction. In Experiment 2 (severe restriction only), plasma corticosterone level did not change significantly with time of day, and mean values of individual birds were not correlated with their observed times spent in oral stereotypies. In Experiment 3 (severe restriction), object pecking increased in a dose-related way after systemic injection of 1–4 mg/kg corticosterone (significant) and 7.5–30 IU/kg ACTH (not significant), and 10–40 mg/kg metyrapone (corticosterone synthesis inhibitor) had no effect. In Experiment 4 (severe restriction), 180 mg/day metyrapone administered in food for 5 days reduced the plasma corticosterone response to injection of 15 IU/kg ACTH on the fourth day, but otherwise had no effect. Significant increases in drinker directed activity after injection of ACTH on the fourth day and 4 mg/kg corticosterone on the fifth day coincided with greatly elevated plasma levels of corticosterone. It is concluded that the oral stereotypies of restricted-fed broiler breeders do respond to induced increases in plasma corticosterone concentration that are supra-physiological, but there may be only a weak association between behaviour and corticosterone within the physiological range.

Effect of p-chloroamphetamine administration on monoamine metabolism in the rat nucleus accumbens and locomotor activity: studies with intracerebral dialysis in freely moving rats

Changes in the level of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites [3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA)] and serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite [5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)] were determined sequentially in freely moving rats by using a brain dialysis method. The purpose of the study was to find the relationship between changes in the monoamine metabolism in the nucleus accumbens and locomotor activities following PCA administration. Subsequently it was found that locomotor activity significantly increased 1 and 2 h after PCA administration (2 mg/kg, i.p.) while the DA content in the dialysis fluid rose significantly after 1 and 2 h. On the other hand, the 5-HT level did not show significant changes. The DOPAC, HVA, and 5-HIAA levels were significantly reduced 1 to 6 h after PCA administration. It was suggested that the increase in locomotor activity caused by PCA administration is an expression of abnormal behavior caused by DA release from the nucleus accumbens.

Behavioural problems in thoroughbred horses reared in Italy

Domestic horses are reported to show a variety of abnormal behaviours, such as stable vices. The aims of the research were to evaluate the frequency of abnormal behaviour of thoroughbred horses bred in Italy, and to find out their relationships with the individual traits and the breeding environment of the affected horses. A survey was carried out in 21 thoroughbred breeding farms in the north and in the centre of Italy; 67 out of 1180 thoroughbred horses analyzed showed a behavioural problem (5.7%). Crib-biting and windsucking were the most frequent oral problems, while stall-walking and weaving were the most frequent locomotory problems. The stallions showed a significantly higher frequency of abnormal behaviour compared with the mares; this is probably due to the different management of the two sexes. On the contrary, sex did not affect the frequency of behavioural problems in young horses. Horses less than 2 years old showed a quite high percentage of abnormal behaviour (23.8%) and they started immediately after weaning. As these animals spend the majority of their time out in paddocks until the training period, it seems that abrupt weaning could be a possible stress factor for the foals which in turn could lead to behavioural problems. Breeding farm dimensions and the number of people working there affect the kind of corrections attempted to solve the behavioural problems. Small breeding farms did not do anything, while the large ones tried to find alternative solutions in order to prevent the expression of abnormal behaviour. Nest building in sows in relation to hormone release H. Castr6n, B. Algers, A.-M. de Passill6, J. Rushen, K. Uvn~is-Moberg Department of Animal Hygiene, College of Veterinary Medicine, Helsinki, Finland