Behavioral, hormonal, and neural alterations induced by social contagion for pain in mice

Autor(es)

Baptista-de-Souza, Daniela ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Rodrigues Tavares, Ligia Renata ^{[1, 4]} ; Canto-de-Souza, Lucas ^{[2, 3]} ; Nunes-de-Souza, Ricardo Luiz ^{[2, 3, 4]} ; Canto-de-Souza, Azair ^{[1, 3, 5, 4]}

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] CECH UFSCar, Dept Psychol, Psychobiol Grp, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Sch Pharmaceut Sci, Lab Pharmacol, BR-14800903 Araraquara, SP - Brazil

^[3] Inst Neurosci & Behav, Av Cafe 2-450, BR-14050220 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[4] Joint Grad Program Physiol Sci UFSCar UNESP, Rod Washington Luis, Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[5] Grad Program Psychol UFSCar, Rod Washington Luis, Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Neuropharmacology; v. 203, FEB 1 2022.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Neurobiology of social contagion/empathy aims to collaborate with the development of treatments for human disorders characterized by the absence of this response - autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and antisocial personality disorder. Previous studies using sustained aversive stimuli (e.g., neuropathic pain or stress) to induce social contagion behaviors in rodents have demonstrated that these conditions may increase hypernociception, anxiogenic-like effects, and defensive behaviors in cagemates. To amplify the knowledge about behavioral, hormonal, and neural alterations induced by cohabitation with a pair in neuropathic pain, we investigated the effects of this protocol on (i) pain (writhing, formalin, hot plate tests) and depression (sucrose splash test) responses, (ii) the serum levels of corticosterone, testosterone, and oxytocin, (iii) noradrenalin, dopamine and its metabolite (DOPAC and HVA) levels in the amygdaloid complex and insular cortex, (iv) neuronal activation pattern (FosB labeling) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SO). One day after weaning, male Swiss mice were housed in pairs for 14 days. Then, they were divided into two groups: sciatic nerve constricted cagemate {[}CNC; i.e., one animal of each pair was subjected to sciatic nerve constriction (NC)], and cagemate sham (CS; a similar procedure but with no nerve constriction), and housed for further 14 days. After 28 days of cohabiting, four independent groups were subjected to (a) behavioral analyses (Exp. 1) and (b) blood samples collected for Elisa assays of corticosterone, testosterone, and oxytocin (Exp. 2), remotion of brains for the (c) HPLC in the noradrenaline dopamine and metabolites quantification (Exp. 3) or (d) immunoassays analyses for FosB labeling (Exp. 4). Results showed that cohabitation with a conspecific in chronic pain induces hypernociception and antinociception in the writhing and formalin tests, respectively, and anhedonic-like effects in the sucrose splash test. Hormonal results indicated a decrease in plasma corticosterone only in nerve constricted mice, in testosterone (CNC and NC animals), and an increase in oxytocin serum levels. The neurochemical analyses demonstrated that the social contagion for pain protocol increases in dopamine turnover in the amygdala and insula. This assay also revealed an increase in noradrenaline levels and dopamine turnover within the insula of NC mice. In the FosB labeling measure, we observed a rise in the VTA, PVN and SO in the CNC group whereas for the NC group an increase of this activation pattern occurred only in the VTA. Present results suggest the role of hormones (testosterone and oxytocin) and neurotransmitters (dopamine) in the modulation of behavioral changes induced by social contagion in animals cohabitating with a conspecific in pain. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 16/08665-0 - Avaliação das neurotransmissões glutamatérgica e GABAérgica do córtex pré-frontal medial esquerdo e direito no consumo de etanol induzido por estresse de derrota social em camundongos
• Beneficiário: Lucas Canto de Souza
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 17/25409-0 - Mecanismos neurobiológicos subjacentes à lateralidade funcional do córtex pré-frontal medial nas reações de defesa induzidas pelo estresse de derrota social em camundongos
• Beneficiário: Ricardo Luiz Nunes de Souza
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 15/00006-4 - Empatia para dor: uma abordagem comportamental, neuroquímica e hormonal
• Beneficiário: Daniela Baptista de Souza
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado