BACKGROUND: Self-injurious behavior (SIB), a disorder that afflicts many individuals within both clinical and nonclinical populations, has been linked to states of heightened stress and arousal. However, there are no published longitudinal data on the relationship between increases in stress and changes in the incidence of SIB. This study investigated the short- and long-term behavioral and neuroendocrine responses of SIB and control monkeys to the stress of relocation. METHODS: Twenty adult male rhesus macaques were exposed to the stress of relocation to a new housing arrangement in a newly constructed facility. Daytime behavior, sleep, and multiple measures of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis function were investigated before and after the move. RESULTS: Relocation induced a complex pattern of short- and long-term effects in the animals. The SIB animals showed a long-lasting increase in self-biting behavior, as well as evidence of sleep disturbance. Both groups exhibited elevated cortisol levels in saliva, serum, and hair, and also an unexpected delayed increase in circulating concentrations of corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that relocation is a significant stressor for rhesus macaques and that this stressor triggers an increase in self-biting behavior as well as sleep disturbance in monkeys previously identified as suffering from SIB. These findings suggest that life stresses may similarly exacerbate SIB in humans with this disorder. The HPA axis results underscore the potential role of CBG in regulating long-term neuroendocrine responses to major stressors.
BACKGROUND: Self-injurious behavior (SIB), a disorder that afflicts many individuals within both clinical and nonclinical populations, has been linked to states of heightened stress and arousal. However, there are no published longitudinal data on the relationship between increases in stress and changes in the incidence of SIB. This study investigated the short- and long-term behavioral and neuroendocrine responses of SIB and control monkeys to the stress of relocation. METHODS: Twenty adult male rhesus macaques were exposed to the stress of relocation to a new housing arrangement in a newly constructed facility. Daytime behavior, sleep, and multiple measures of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis function were investigated before and after the move. RESULTS: Relocation induced a complex pattern of short- and long-term effects in the animals. The SIB animals showed a long-lasting increase in self-biting behavior, as well as evidence of sleep disturbance. Both groups exhibited elevated cortisol levels in saliva, serum, and hair, and also an unexpected delayed increase in circulating concentrations of corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that relocation is a significant stressor for rhesus macaques and that this stressor triggers an increase in self-biting behavior as well as sleep disturbance in monkeys previously identified as suffering from SIB. These findings suggest that life stresses may similarly exacerbate SIB in humans with this disorder. The HPA axis results underscore the potential role of CBG in regulating long-term neuroendocrine responses to major stressors.
Authors: Matthew D Davenport; Stefan Tiefenbacher; Corrine K Lutz; Melinda A Novak; Jerrold S Meyer Journal: Gen Comp Endocrinol Date: 2006-02-17 Impact factor: 2.822
Authors: Sally I Powers; Meredith Gunlicks; Heidemarie Laurent; Susan Balaban; Eileen Bent; Aline Sayer Journal: Ann N Y Acad Sci Date: 2006-07 Impact factor: 5.691
Authors: C A Sandman; W Hetrick; D V Taylor; S D Marion; P Touchette; J L Barron; V Martinezzi; R M Steinberg; F M Crinella Journal: Am J Ment Retard Date: 2000-03
Authors: Steven J Schapiro; Susan P Lambeth; Kirsten Rosenmaj Jacobsen; Lawrence E Williams; Bharti N Nehete; Pramod N Nehete Journal: Appl Anim Behav Sci Date: 2011-10-30 Impact factor: 2.448
Authors: Doty J Kempf; Kate C Baker; Margaret H Gilbert; James L Blanchard; Reginald L Dean; Daniel R Deaver; Rudolf P Bohm Journal: Comp Med Date: 2012-06 Impact factor: 0.982
Authors: Amanda F Hamel; Jerrold S Meyer; Elizabeth Henchey; Amanda M Dettmer; Stephen J Suomi; Melinda A Novak Journal: Clin Chim Acta Date: 2010-10-27 Impact factor: 3.786
Authors: Amanda M Dettmer; Matthew F S X Novak; Melinda A Novak; Jerrold S Meyer; Stephen J Suomi Journal: Dev Psychobiol Date: 2009-12 Impact factor: 3.038
Authors: Nelson Broche; Rafaela S C Takeshita; Keiko Mouri; Fred B Bercovitch; Michael A Huffman Journal: Primates Date: 2019-09-20 Impact factor: 2.163