The similar past pain experience evokes both observational contagious pain and consolation in stranger rat observers

Luo, Wenjun; Chun-li, LI; Geng, Kai-Wen; Wang, Xiao‐Liang; Du, Rui; Yu, Yang; Wei, Na; He, Ting; Wang, Yan; Yu, Yao-Qing

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2020.134840

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In this case, siblings displayed more freezing than strangers after tone presentation ( Lidhar et al, 2017 ; Pisansky et al, 2017 ). Interestingly, empathy-related behaviors are not exclusively for familiar individuals since empathy may be increased by the previous distress experience of the observer ( Luo et al, 2020 ). As proposed by Preston and de Waal (2002) , the behaviors of the subject (observer) are automatically and unconsciously driven by the same neural substrates activated in the object (demonstrator), inducing the representation of the resembling emotional states.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mice Cohabiting With Familiar Conspecific in Chronic Stress Condition Exhibit Methamphetamine-Induced Locomotor Sensitization and Augmented Consolation Behavior

Oliveira

Carmona

Casarotto

et al. 2022

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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Recognizing and sharing emotions are essential for species survival, but in some cases, living with a conspecific in distress condition may induce negative emotional states through empathy-like processes. Studies have reported that stressors promote psychiatric disorders in both, those who suffer directly and who witness these aversive episodes, principally whether social proximity is involved. However, the mechanisms underlying the harmful outcomes of emotional contagion need more studies, mainly in the drug addiction-related behaviors. Here, we investigated the relevance of familiarity and the effects of cohabitation with a partner submitted to chronic stress in the anxiety-like, locomotor sensitization, and consolation behaviors. Male Swiss mice were housed in pairs during different periods to test the establishment of familiarity and the stress-induced anxiety behavior in the elevated plus maze. Another cohort was housed with a conspecific subjected to repeated restraint stress (1 h/day) for 14 days. During chronic restraint the allogrooming was measured and after the stress period mice were tested in the open field for evaluation of anxiety and locomotor cross-sensitization induced by methamphetamine. We found that familiarity was established after 14 days of cohabitation and the anxiogenic behavior appeared after 14 days of stress. Repeated restraint stress also increased anxiety in the open field test and induced locomotor cross-sensitization in the stressed mice and their cagemates. Cagemates also exhibited an increase in the consolation behavior after stress sessions when compared to control mice. These results indicate that changes in drug abuse-related, consolation, and affective behaviors may be precipitated through emotional contagion in familiar conspecifics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mice Cohabiting With Familiar Conspecific in Chronic Stress Condition Exhibit Methamphetamine-Induced Locomotor Sensitization and Augmented Consolation Behavior

Oliveira

Carmona

Casarotto

et al. 2022

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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“…In the present study, female mice showed allogrooming behaviour toward distressed unfamiliar mice, suggesting that familiarity is not essential for inducing allogrooming behaviour in female mice. Consistent with the idea that familiarity is not essential for empathy‐related behaviours, prior pain experience enhances consolation‐related allogrooming behaviour in rats toward unfamiliar conspecifics that have received noxious stimuli 31 . Further studies are necessary to clarify the precise roles of familiarity in consolation‐related behaviours.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Indispensable role of the oxytocin receptor for allogrooming toward socially distressed cage mates in female mice

Matsumoto

Yoshida

Jayathilake

et al. 2021

J Neuroendocrinology

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Social contact reduces stress responses in social animals. Mice have been shown to show allogrooming behaviour toward distressed conspecifics. However, the precise neuronal mechanisms underlying allogrooming behaviour remain unclear. In the present study, we examined whether mice show allogrooming behaviour towards distressed conspecifics in a social defeat model and we also determined whether oxytocin receptor‐expressing neurons were activated during allogrooming by examining the expression of c‐Fos protein, a marker of neurone activation. Mice showed allogrooming behaviour toward socially defeated conspecifics. After allogrooming behaviour, the percentages of oxytocin receptor‐expressing neurones expressing c‐Fos protein were significantly increased in the anterior olfactory nucleus, cingulate cortex, insular cortex, lateral septum and medial amygdala of female mice, suggesting that oxytocin receptor‐expressing neurones in these areas were activated during allogrooming behaviour toward distressed conspecifics. The duration of allogrooming was correlated with the percentages of oxytocin receptor‐expressing neurones expressing c‐Fos protein in the anterior olfactory nucleus, insular cortex, lateral septum and medial amygdala. In oxytocin receptor‐deficient mice, allogrooming behaviour toward socially defeated cage mates was markedly reduced in female mice but not in male mice, indicating the importance of the oxytocin receptor for allogrooming behaviour in female mice toward distressed conspecifics. The results suggest that the oxytocin receptor, possibly in the anterior olfactory nucleus, insular cortex, lateral septum and/or medial amygdala, facilitates allogrooming behaviour toward socially distressed familiar conspecifics in female mice.

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“…In social buffering, a fear-conditioned rat freezes less when smelling another rat, even unfamiliar [47], although slightly more when familiar [48]. In pain contagion, hyperalgesia is significant irrespective of familiarity for observers with [49] but not without prior experience of the specific injury [27,50,51]. Both female and male mice writhe more when paired with familiar rather than unfamiliar mice in pain [28] but for male mice, which often engage in fighting (Box 4), fight/flight responses close to unfamiliar males even suppress pain behavior compared with being alone [28,52,53].…”

Section: Emotionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Observers also freeze to silence caused by a demonstrator's freezing [69], but only if the observer has prior experience of receiving footshocks and freezing [9]. Similarly, hyperalgesia caused by interacting with an unfamiliar demonstrator injected with bee venom only occurs if the observer has experienced bee venom previously [49].…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Figure 4B), in which an observer can freely interact with a demonstrator that has been stressed (e.g., previously restrained, defeated, shocked, acid or bee venom injected, or presented with a CS+), the observer not only approaches but also sniffs, licks, touches, and allogrooms the stressed demonstrator and does so more often and for longer than when interacting with a nonstressed conspecific [27,49,66,[114][115][116][117][118][119]. The stressed demonstrator, in contrast, engages more in nonsocial behaviors such as self-grooming, digging, rearing, and nesting [115,118,119].…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emotional contagion and prosocial behavior in rodents

Keysers

Knapska

Moita

et al. 2022

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

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The similar past pain experience evokes both observational contagious pain and consolation in stranger rat observers

Cited by 16 publications

References 27 publications

Mice Cohabiting With Familiar Conspecific in Chronic Stress Condition Exhibit Methamphetamine-Induced Locomotor Sensitization and Augmented Consolation Behavior

Mice Cohabiting With Familiar Conspecific in Chronic Stress Condition Exhibit Methamphetamine-Induced Locomotor Sensitization and Augmented Consolation Behavior

Indispensable role of the oxytocin receptor for allogrooming toward socially distressed cage mates in female mice

Emotional contagion and prosocial behavior in rodents

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