Pinch-induced behavioral inhibition (‘clipnosis’) in domestic cats

Pozza, Megan E.; Stella, Judi; Chappuis-Gagnon, Anne-Claire; Wagner, S; Buffington, C.A. Tony

doi:10.1016/j.jfms.2007.10.008

Cited by 23 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In contrast, tonic immobility is induced by inverting the animals and pressing them down [16,22]; dorsal immobility is induced when the animals are firmly grasped [23] or by tightly bandaging around the neck [14]; 3) the Transport Response does not require the vestibular input as shown in our previous study of labyrinthectomized mouse pups [6]. On the other hand, vestibular stimulation is necessary for dorsal immobilization in adult rats [24]; and 4) the remarkable pliability of the trunk during the Transport Response are the opposite of the motor rigidity in the dorsal and tonic immobility [15,18]; 5) the eyelids are rather closed in our study as well as in the previous anecdotal observations in the Transport Response, while the eyelids are widely opened in the dorsal ([18,24]) and the clamp-induced immobility ([25,26]). These data consistently suggested that the Transport Response is a distinct type of immobilization from dorsal or tonic immobility.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Transport Response is a filial-specific behavioral response to maternal carrying in C57BL/6 mice

et al. 2013

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BackgroundA mother carries her young in many altricial mammals, such as cats, lions, rats and mice. During maternal carrying, the transported young assume a compact posture. We have recently shown that, in both humans and mice, the carried infants immediately calmed down and showed reductions in heart rate, distress vocalizations, and voluntary movement. The loss of the calming response in mouse pups hindered maternal retrieval efficacy. These findings suggested that the infant calming response functioned to reduce the maternal burden of carrying and was therefore conserved in a variety of mammalian species. However, it remains unclear how and when each component of this calming response develops and whether it is a filial-specific behavior.ResultsWe dissected various components of the carrying-induced responses in mouse pups, collectively called the “Transport Response” herein. We showed that during the second postnatal week, pups exhibited characteristic compact posture with limb ventroflexion. The body trunk remained paradoxically pliable, suggesting complex neural regulation throughout the body. Pups also showed an increased pain tolerance to a tail pinch during the Transport Response. Analyses of the developmental courses of distinct components of the Transport Response revealed the independent regulation of each component: in the first postnatal week, the cessation of ultrasonic vocalizations was exhibited prominently; in the second postnatal week, immobilization reached its peak; and toward the third postnatal week, the postural component became fully matured. At the end of the third postnatal week, when the pups are able to transport by themselves, the pups no longer exhibited the Transport Response.ConclusionsThis study has revealed the mouse Transport Response as a complex set of behavioral and physiological components, each of which has a specific postnatal time window but is orchestrated in a well-matched manner with the maturation of ambulatory ability in the pups. These findings collectively indicate that the Transport Response is a filial-specific, innate behavioral reaction and is distinct from a simple reflex or defensive freezing response. The Transport Response could be a novel index of primitive filial attachment behaviors, acting to smooth mother-infant interaction.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Transport Response is a filial-specific behavioral response to maternal carrying in C57BL/6 mice

et al. 2013

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“…A variety of vertebrate species have what are termed “hypnotic responses” to external stimuli (Gallup, Jr., 1974). Animal hypnosis is defined as a behavioural state where the animal is immobilised and desensitised to external stimuli (Fleischmann et al, 1988; Pozza et al, 2008). Although this can be achieved in several ways, in mammals, immobilisation can be induced by pinching or clipping the skin at certain sites, such as the neck (Pozza et al , 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cutaneous inputs from the back abolish locomotor-like activity and reduce spastic-like activity in the adult cat following complete spinal cord injury

Frigon¹,

Thibaudier²,

Johnson³

et al. 2012

Experimental Neurology

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Spasticity is a condition that can include increased muscle tone, clonus, spasms, and hyperreflexia. In this study, we report the effect of manually stimulating the dorsal lumbosacral skin on spontaneous locomotor-like activity and on a variety of reflex responses in 5 decerebrate chronic spinal cats treated with clonidine. Cats were spinalized 1 month before the terminal experiment. Stretch reflexes were evoked by stretching the left triceps surae muscles. Crossed reflexes were elicited by electrically stimulating the right tibial or superficial peroneal nerves. Windup of reflex responses was evoked by electrically stimulating the left tibial or superficial peroneal nerves. We found that pinching the skin of the back abolished spontaneous locomotor-like activity. We also found that back pinch abolished the rhythmic activity observed during reflex testing without eliminating the reflex responses. Some of the rhythmic episodes of activity observed during reflex testing were consistent with clonus with an oscillation frequency greater than 3 Hz. Pinching the skin of the back effectively abolished rhythmic activity occurring spontaneously or evoked during reflex testing, irrespective of oscillation frequency. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that locomotion and clonus are produced by common central pattern-generators. Stimulating the skin of the back could prove helpful in managing undesired rhythmic activity in spinal cord-injured humans.

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“…In rabbits, positioning the animal on its back can produce immobilization for several minutes (Viala et al 1978). In cats, it has been documented that immobilization can be induced by placing clips along the dorsal midline, principally at the cervical level (Pozza et al 2008). This technique is frequently used in veterinary practice to gently restrain cats, although its efficiency varies across cats (Pozza et al 2008).…”

Section: Distributed and Localized Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of stimulating the lumbar skin caudal to a complete spinal cord injury on hindlimb locomotion

Hurteau

Thibaudier

Dambreville

et al. 2015

Journal of Neurophysiology

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Sensory feedback is a potent modulator of the locomotor pattern generated by spinal networks. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of cutaneous inputs from the back on the spinal-generated locomotor pattern. The spinal cord of six adult cats was transected at low thoracic levels. Cats were then trained to recover hindlimb locomotion. During experiments, the skin overlying lumbar vertebrae L2 to L7 was mechanically stimulated by a small calibrated clip or by manual pinching. Trials without and with cutaneous stimulation were performed at a treadmill speed of 0.4 m/s. Although manually pinching the skin completely stopped hindlimb locomotion and abolished weight support, cutaneous stimulation with the calibrated clip produced smaller effects. Specifically, more focalized cutaneous stimulation with the clip reduced flexor and extensor muscle activity and led to a more caudal positioning of the paw at contact and liftoff. Moreover, cutaneous stimulation with the clip led to a greater number of steps with improper nonplantigrade paw placements at contact and paw drag at the stance-to-swing transition. The most consistent effects on the hindlimb locomotor pattern were observed with cutaneous stimulation at midlumbar levels, from L3 to L5. The results indicate that cutaneous stimulation of the skin modulates the excitability of spinal circuits involved in generating locomotion and weight support, particularly at spinal segments thought to be critical for rhythm generation.

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Pinch-induced behavioral inhibition (‘clipnosis’) in domestic cats

Cited by 23 publications

References 12 publications

Transport Response is a filial-specific behavioral response to maternal carrying in C57BL/6 mice

Transport Response is a filial-specific behavioral response to maternal carrying in C57BL/6 mice

Cutaneous inputs from the back abolish locomotor-like activity and reduce spastic-like activity in the adult cat following complete spinal cord injury

Effect of stimulating the lumbar skin caudal to a complete spinal cord injury on hindlimb locomotion

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