Dataset Information

Development of a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed mother-peer-reared infant rhesus monkeys.

ABSTRACT: Though cognitive testing of infant monkeys has been practiced for the past 40 years, these assessments have been limited primarily to nursery-reared infants due to the confounds of separating mother-reared infants for assessments. Here, we describe a pilot study in which we developed a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed, mother-peer-reared rhesus macaques under 1 year of age (Macaca mulatta) that allowed the infants to freely return to their mothers for contact comfort. Infants aged 151.2?±?18.3 days (mean?±?SEM; n?=?5) were trained and tested on an object detour reach task. Infants completed training in 5.0?±?0.2 days, and completed testing in 6.2?±?0.9 days. Across 4 days of testing, infants improved to nearly errorless performance (Friedman test: ?(2) ?=?13.27, df?=?3, p?=?0.004) and learned to do the task more quickly (Friedman test: ?(2) ?=?11.69, df?=?3, p?=?0.009). These are the first cognitive data in group-housed, mother-peer-reared rhesus monkeys under 1 year of age, and they underscore the utility of this apparatus for studying cognitive development in a normative population of infant monkeys.

SUBMITTER: Dettmer AM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4380797 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Development of a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed mother-peer-reared infant rhesus monkeys.

Dettmer Amanda M AM Murphy Ashley M AM Suomi Stephen J SJ

Developmental psychobiology 20150318 3

Though cognitive testing of infant monkeys has been practiced for the past 40 years, these assessments have been limited primarily to nursery-reared infants due to the confounds of separating mother-reared infants for assessments. Here, we describe a pilot study in which we developed a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed, mother-peer-reared rhesus macaques under 1 year of age (Macaca mulatta) that allowed the infants to freely return to their mothers for contact comfort. Infants aged ...[more]

PMID: 25782609

Similar Datasets

Project description:The gastrointestinal microbiome is recognized as a critical component in host immune function, physiology, and behavior. Early life experiences that alter diet and social contact also influence these outcomes. Despite the growing number of studies in this area, no studies to date have examined the contribution of early life experiences on the gut microbiome in infants across development. Such studies are important for understanding the biological and environmental factors that contribute to optimal gut microbial colonization and subsequent health. We studied infant rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) across the first 6 months of life that were pseudo-randomly assigned to one of two different rearing conditions at birth: mother-peer-reared (MPR), in which infants were reared in social groups with many other adults and peers and nursed on their mothers, or nursery-reared (NR), in which infants were reared by human caregivers, fed formula, and given daily social contact with peers. We analyzed the microbiome from rectal swabs (total N = 97; MPR = 43, NR = 54) taken on the day of birth and at postnatal Days 14, 30, 90, and 180 using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Bacterial composition differences were evident as early as 14 days, with MPR infants exhibiting a lower abundance of Bifidobacterium and a higher abundance of Bacteroides than NR infants. The most marked differences were observed at 90 days, when Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Bacteroides, Clostridium, and Prevotella differed across rearing groups. By Day 180, no differences in the relative abundances of the bacteria of interest were observed. These novel findings in developing primate neonates indicate that the early social environment as well as diet influence gut microbiota composition very early in life. These results also lay the groundwork for mechanistic studies examining the effects of early experiences on gut microbiota across development with the ultimate goal of understanding the clinical significance of developmental changes.

Project description:Dual-focus lenses that impose simultaneous competing myopic defocus over the entire visual field produce axial hyperopic shifts in refractive error. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of eccentricity on the ability of myopic defocus signals to influence central refractive development in infant monkeys. From 24 to 152 days of age, rhesus monkeys were reared with binocular, dual-focus lenses that had central, zero-powered zones surrounded by alternating concentric annular power zones of +3D and zero power. Between subject groups the diameter of the central, zero-powered zone was varied from 2 mm to 8 mm in 2 mm steps (+3D/pl 2 mm, n = 6; +3D/pl 4 mm, n = 6; +3D/pl 6 mm, n = 8, or + 3D/pl 8 mm, n = 6). For the treatment lens with 2, 4, 6 and 8 mm central zones, objects at eccentricities beyond 11°, 16°, 19° and 23°, respectively, were imaged exclusively through the dual-power peripheral zones. Refractive status (retinoscopy), corneal power (keratometry) and axial dimensions (ultrasonography) were measured at two-week intervals. Comparison data were obtained from monkeys reared with binocular, single-vision +3D full-field lenses (+3D FF, n = 6) and 41 normal control monkeys reared with unrestricted vision. At the end of the rearing period, with the exception of the +3D/pl 8 mm group (median = +3.64 D), the ametropias for the other lens-reared groups (medians: FF = +4.39 D, 2 mm = +5.19 D, 4 mm = +5.59 D, 6 mm = +3.50 D) were significantly more hyperopic than that for the normal monkeys (+2.50 D). These hyperopic errors were associated with shallower vitreous chambers. The key finding was that the extent and consistency of these hyperopic ametropias varied with the eccentricity of the dual-focus zones. The results confirm that myopic defocus in the near periphery can slow axial growth, but that imposed defocus beyond about 20° from the fovea does not consistently alter central refractive development.

Dataset Information

Development of a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed mother-peer-reared infant rhesus monkeys.

Publications

Development of a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed mother-peer-reared infant rhesus monkeys.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets