Evidence for the role of personality in stereotypy predisposition

Ijichi, Carrie; Collins, Lisa; Elwood, Robert W.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.03.033

Cited by 70 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 103 publications

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“…Recent studies have proposed that when faced with relevant triggers (e.g., unavoidable stress, behavioral restriction), individuals with a “proactive” personality develop stereotypic behaviors as a coping strategy, while those with a “reactive” personality exhibit a passive response to stressors, and instead develop depressive-like symptoms and learned helplessness (Ijichi et al, 2013). It is possible that compared to “proactive” monkeys, individuals with a “reactive” personality are both less likely to respond to stress with MSB, and more likely to avoid a novel, and potentially threatening stimulus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of environmental and intrinsic factors that contribute to stereotypic behavior in captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )

Gottlieb

Maier

Coleman

2015

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Full body repetitive behaviors, known as motor stereotypic behaviors (MSBs), are one of the most commonly seen abnormal behaviors in captive non-human primates, and are frequently used as a behavioral measure of well-being. The main goal of this paper was to examine the role of environmental factors (i.e., foraging enrichment and socialization) and intrinsic factors (i.e., temperament and origin) in the development of MSB in rhesus macaques living in cages. MSB was assessed during short annual observations in which a trained observer recorded a monkey’s behavior for 5 min, followed by a 3-min novel object test. Data were collected over 11 years, totaling 9805 observations. We compared MSB for animals with and without foraging enrichment, and across three socialization conditions: full contact pairing, protected contact socialization (partners physically separated by widely spaced bars), and single housing. In addition, we evaluated whether individual differences in response to a novel object and ancestral origin (i.e., China vs. India), predicted MSB expression during the annual observations. Data were analyzed using generalized mixed effects modeling, with the best fitting models chosen using Akaike Information Criterion. Subjects were at lowest risk for MSB when a foraging device was present (p < 0.05), and when in full contact social housing (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in MSB between subjects that were single housed and subjects housed in protected contact pairs. In addition, subjects that never touched the novel object were significantly less likely to exhibit MSB than those that touched the object immediately (p < 0.001) or within 3 min (p < 0.001). Finally, monkeys with some degree of Chinese ancestry were significantly more likely to display MSB than Indian-origin monkeys (p < 0.05). These results add to the growing body of literature on factors that can contribute to the development of MSB.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within a particular environment, animals with high levels of individual MSB do not necessarily have behavioral or physiological signs of poor welfare (Mason and Latham, 2004). Indeed, in some circumstances, MSB may function as an effective coping strategy (Ijichi et al, 2013; Mason and Latham, 2004). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of environmental and intrinsic factors that contribute to stereotypic behavior in captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )

Gottlieb

Maier

Coleman

2015

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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“…Repeated or chronic exposure to stress can induce changes in HPA axis function [33]. Because of the suggestion that crib-biters are more proactive than controls [6], we had hypothesized that these horses would have a lower HPA axis response to the ATCH challenge test (i.e. lower cortisol values) than other horses.…”

Section: Hpa Axis Response Of Crib-biters and Controlsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Proactive individuals tend to have a lower HPA and higher SAM axis reactivity than reactive ones [4]. One hypothesis is that stereotypic behavior reflects a proactive coping response, while depression is more typical of reactive individuals [6].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If one or both axes are persistently activated [5], individuals can be affected by cardiovascular diseases, depression or immunosuppression. In captive and domesticated animals, chronic stress can be provoked by unnatural husbandry practices, such as early weaning, social isolation, or dietary restriction, which can negatively affect the HPA-axis [5,6]. It can also trigger stereotypies and other behavioral disorders, which can be used as indicators of welfare problems, if they persist after the situation of chronic stress [7][8][9][10].…”

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confidence: 99%

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The physiological consequences of crib-biting in horses in response to an ACTH challenge test

Freymond

Bardou

Briefer

et al. 2015

Physiology & Behavior

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• The function of stereotypic behavior (crib-biting) is not clear.• We used an ACTH challenge test to test the coping hypothesis of stereotypies.• We compared adrenal and sympathetic responses of stereotypic and control horses.• We found higher cortisol responses in the stereotypic group compared to controls.• Our results suggest that crib-biting is a coping strategy serving to reduce stress. a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Stereotypies are repetitive and relatively invariant patterns of behavior, which are observed in a wide range of species in captivity. Stereotypic behavior occurs when environmental demands produce a physiological response that, if sustained for an extended period, exceeds the natural physiological regulatory capacity of the organism, particularly in situations that include unpredictability and uncontrollability. One hypothesis is that stereotypic behavior functions to cope with stressful environments, but the existing evidence is contradictory. To address the coping hypothesis of stereotypies, we triggered physiological reactions in 22 horses affected by stereotypic behavior (crib-biters) and 21 non-crib-biters (controls), using an ACTH challenge test. Following administration of an ACTH injection, we measured saliva cortisol every 30 min and heart rate (HR) continuously for a period of 3 h. We did not find any differences in HR or HR variability between the two groups, but crib-biters (Group CB) had significantly higher cortisol responses than controls (Group C; mean ± SD: CB, 5.84 ± 2.62 ng/ml, C, 4.76 ± 3.04 ng/ml). Moreover, crib-biters that did not perform the stereotypic behavior during the 3-hour test period (Group B) had significantly higher cortisol levels than controls, which was not the case of crib-biters showing stereotypic behavior (Group A) (B, 6.44 ± 2.38 ng/ml A, 5.58 ± 2.69 ng/ml). Our results suggest that crib-biting is a coping strategy that helps stereotypic individuals to reduce cortisol levels caused by stressful situations. We conclude that preventing stereotypic horses from crib-biting could be an inappropriate strategy to control this abnormal behavior, as it prevents individuals from coping with situations that they perceive as stressful.

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The correlation between alopecia and temperament in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at four primate facilities

Coleman

Lutz

Worlein³

et al. 2015

American J Primatol

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Alopecia is a ubiquitous, multifaceted problem at facilities caring for captive rhesus macaques. There is a wide range of potential etiologies for the hair loss, including compromised immune function, dermatological pathologies, and environmental factors. However, few studies have examined whether various temperamental traits affect vulnerability to develop alopecia. We examined the correlation between alopecia and temperament in 101 (51M) indoor-housed rhesus macaques at four national primate centers. We utilized a cage side version of the Human Intruder test (HIT) to assess response to four conditions: no human present (Alone), human intruder standing next to the cage without making eye contact (Profile), intruder making direct eye contact (Stare) and intruder with back turned (Back). Behavior from all videos was quantified at one facility. We used generalized linear modeling to examine the relationship between behavior on the HIT and alopecia, controlling for facility, age, and sex. There was a significant negative correlation between alopecia and various behaviors associated with an inhibited or anxious temperament, including self-directed behavior (β = -0.15, P < 0.001) and freeze in the Profile period (β = -0.0092, P < 0.001), and defensive behaviors (β = -0.0094, P < 0.001) and time spent in the back of the cage in the Stare period (β = -0.0023, P = 0.015). Individuals with an inhibited or anxious temperament had less alopecia than others. Further, there were facility differences with respect to several variables on the HIT, including defensive behavior in Stare and freeze in Profile. These results suggest that temperament can influence the development of alopecia in rhesus macaques. Our results also highlight the degree to which facility differences can affect outcomes on standardized behavioral tests.

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Evidence for the role of personality in stereotypy predisposition

Cited by 70 publications

References 103 publications

Evaluation of environmental and intrinsic factors that contribute to stereotypic behavior in captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )

Evaluation of environmental and intrinsic factors that contribute to stereotypic behavior in captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )

The physiological consequences of crib-biting in horses in response to an ACTH challenge test

The correlation between alopecia and temperament in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at four primate facilities

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