Neurobehavioral development of common marmoset monkeys

Abstract

Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) monkeys are a resource for biomedical research and their use is predicted to increase due to the suitability of this species for transgenic approaches. Identification of abnormal neurodevelopment due to genetic modification relies upon the comparison with validated patterns of normal behavior defined by unbiased methods. As scientists unfamiliar with nonhuman primate development are interested to apply genomic editing techniques in marmosets, it would be beneficial to the field that the investigators use validated methods of postnatal evaluation that are age and species appropriate. This review aims to analyze current available data on marmoset physical and behavioral postnatal development, describe the methods used and discuss next steps to better understand and evaluate marmoset normal and abnormal postnatal neurodevelopment

Cross‐species comparison of behavioral neurodevelopmental milestones in the common marmoset monkey and human child

“…The anatomical similarities and differences between the common marmoset and humans should be considered as development between the species is compared. Average global human lifespan is 71.4 years (World Health Organization, 2016) while the average marmoset lifespan in captivity is 5–7 years (Tardif et al, 2011) with a maximum lifespan in captivity of about 16 years (Schultz-Darken et al, 2016). In this context, marmosets have an accelerated developmental timeline and by four to seven months of age they are already considered juveniles (de Castro Leão et al, 2009).…”

“…Additionally, marmosets living in captivity have a shorter lifespan than old world NHPs, an advantage in the study of age-related disorders. Finally, the smaller size and relatively easy temperament of marmosets facilitates their handling, housing, and care (Abbott, Barnett, Colman, Yamamoto, & Schultz-Darken, 2003; Schultz-Darken, Braun, & Emborg, 2016; Tardif et al, 2003; Tardif et al, 2011; Tardif, Mansfield, Ratnam, Ross, & Ziegler, 2011). …”

Vocalization development in common marmosets for neurodegenerative translational modeling

“…To assess the effects of age (in days) on acoustic parameters (listed above), mixed model linear regressions were performed. Sex was not considered as a variable due to difficulty differentiating individuals from a mixed sex twin pair, and sexual dimorphism is not evident in marmosets [10]. Separate models were created for each call parameter.…”

“…Non-human primates (NHPs) are commonly used to model human diseases due to their close evolutionary relationship to humans. Relative to larger NHP species, common marmoset monkeys ( Callithrix jacchus ) are favored due to their small size (300–500 g at adult weight), short lifespan (16 years), reproductive productivity (onset of puberty at 18 months, multiple litters of twins or triplets per year), and ease of housing in a captive colony [8, 9, 10]. Their efficient reproductive behavior makes marmosets ideal for genetic modification [11], especially in the context of rapidly-developing technology in genomic engineering [12].…”

Touchscreen assays of learning, response inhibition, and motivation in the marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

“…As genetic techniques continue to be refined, a more detailed understanding of marmoset behavior will be needed to characterize wild-type in vivo phenotypes for comparison to those of subsequently developed mutant generations (Schultz-Darken et al in press). There have been several previous studies investigating complex behavior in the marmoset (e.g., Spinelli et al 2004; Takemoto et al 2011; 2015; Yamazaki et al 2014) and, in particular, reversal learning has been used to evaluate neurochemical signaling in the orbitofrontal cortex thought to mediate response inhibition, (e.g., Clarke et al 2004; 2011; Rygula et al 2010).…”