Adaptive modulation of behavioural profiles by social stress during early phases of life and adolescence

Sachser, Norbert; Hennessy, Michael B.; Kaiser, Sylvia

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.09.002

Cited by 134 publications

(151 citation statements)

References 161 publications

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“…We argued that the shaping of behavioural profiles by environmental stimuli from the prenatal phase through adolescence appears to represent an effective mechanism for repeated and rapid adaptation. We briefly treated the question of evolution but, so far, systematic comparative studies of the modulation of behavioural profiles during development are largely lacking as are studies that address the integration of the different questions [4]. In summary, we are still far from a comprehensive understanding of the developmental shaping of behavioural phenotypes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The model of early shaping, as depicted in our previous paper [4], may give the impression that the foetus/infant is a passive recipient of the signals shaping its future behavioural profile. It has long been appreciated, however, that care provided by the mother can be elicited by signals or cues from the young [44].…”

Section: The Shaping Of Behavioural Profiles During Early Phases Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A completely different picture emerges if males have lived in pairs consisting of one male and one female since early adolescence. They become increasingly incompatible with unfamiliar males and develop a behavioural profile of high aggression [4,15,75,76]. Recently, it was argued from an evolutionary point of view that the different behavioural profiles of colony-and pair-raised guinea pig males represent adjustments to different social situations [4,18].…”

Section: The Shaping Of Behavioural Profiles During Adolescencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Presumably this would permit behavioural profiles also to be shaped by environmental influences during later phases of life. In particular, adolescence seems to provide an opportunity for substantial behaviour modulation [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Behavioural profiles are shaped by social experience: when, how and why

Sachser

Kaiser

Hennessy

2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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138

158

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The comprehensive understanding of individual variation in behavioural profiles is a current and timely topic not only in behavioural ecology, but also in biopsychological and biomedical research. This study focuses on the shaping of behavioural profiles by the social environment in mammals. We review evidence that the shaping of behavioural profiles occurs from the prenatal phase through adolescence and beyond. We focus specifically on adolescence, a sensitive phase during which environmental stimuli have distinctive effects on the modulation of behavioural profiles. We discuss causation, in particular, how behavioural profiles are shaped by social stimuli through behavioural and neuroendocrine processes. We postulate a central role for maternal hormones during the prenatal phase, for maternal behaviour during lactation and for the interaction of testosterone and stress hormones during adolescence. We refer to evolutionary history and attempt to place developmental shaping into broader evolutionary historical trends. Finally, we address survival value. We argue that the shaping of behavioural profiles by environmental stimuli from the prenatal phase through adolescence represents an effective mechanism for repeated and rapid adaptation during the lifetime. Notably, the adolescent phase may provide a last chance for correction if the future environment deviates from that predicted in earlier phases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Shaping Of Behavioural Profiles During Early Phases Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Shaping Of Behavioural Profiles During Adolescencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Behavioural profiles are shaped by social experience: when, how and why

Sachser

Kaiser

Hennessy

2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

138

158

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“…There is evidence that exposure of subadults to social disruptions can alter their behavior so they can adapt to their environment (Sachser et al, 2011). To determine how later experience affects prairie vole offspring that were exposed to social or ecological disturbances, we isolated half of them and examined their behavior and hippocampal dendritic morphology in adulthood.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-Ecological Disruptions at Critical Periods During Development Alter Stress Responses and Hippocampal Dendritic Morphology of Prairie Voles: Implications for Social Monogamy

et al. 2018

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Emotions are often associated with the evolution of monogamy. For example, fear of cuckoldry has been recently proposed as the driving force for human monogamy. We used prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) as a model of human behavior to study how stress reactivity is shaped by socio-ecological disruptions experienced as neonates and as subadults. We hypothesized that social disruptions would have a greater impact on the vole's stress levels than ecological disruptions, and that females would be more susceptible to the experience than males. At 6 days postpartum, the housing conditions were manipulated to have offspring raised by: (1) both parents under a protective cover (NoDisrupt); (2) Both parents uncovered (EcoDisrupt); (3) Mother alone covered (SocDisrupt); (4) Mother alone uncovered (SocEcoDisrupt). To experience disruptions as subadults, offspring were weaned then housed either alone (Isolate) or with a same-sex sibling (Social). As adults, each offspring was placed in an open-field arena and tested over 3 consecutive days to measure its behavior in response to an empty space (Day1), a same-sex vole in a container (Day2), and an empty container (Day3). The brain of a subgroup of subjects was processed for Golgi staining to assess the impact of disruptions on hippocampal dendritic morphology in adulthood. Males that experienced social disruption in early life displayed lower stress levels on Day2 of testing than males and females in other groups. This effect was only evident in males that did not experience social disruptions as subadults. Socio-ecological disruptions at postpartum had an unanticipated impact on the hippocampus of the voles. The apical dendrites of the CA3 neurons in male and female voles that experienced either social or ecological disruptions in early life and remained socially isolated as subadults were longer than those in undisturbed voles. Our results suggest that social disruptions experienced in early life modulate the male's stress-related behaviors and may thus influence his monogamous tendencies. Exposure to disruptions may also impact the memory circuits of the brain that monogamous animals use to make mating decisions.

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An integrative view of caviomorph social behavior

Ebensperger

Hayes

2016

Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents

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Adaptive modulation of behavioural profiles by social stress during early phases of life and adolescence

Cited by 134 publications

References 161 publications

Behavioural profiles are shaped by social experience: when, how and why

Behavioural profiles are shaped by social experience: when, how and why

Socio-Ecological Disruptions at Critical Periods During Development Alter Stress Responses and Hippocampal Dendritic Morphology of Prairie Voles: Implications for Social Monogamy

An integrative view of caviomorph social behavior

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