多巴脱羧酶及其与神经类疾病的关联性研究进展

多巴脱羧酶(dopa decarboxylase,DDC)又称作芳香族L-氨基酸脱羧酶,是儿茶酚胺生物合成途径中重要的酶之一,具有多种生物学功能。多巴脱羧酶可分别催化L-3,4-二羟基苯丙氨酸(L-多巴)和L-5-羟色氨酸合成两种神经递质多巴胺和五羟色胺。多巴胺和五羟色胺在脊椎动物和无脊椎动物的生殖、发育、行为和免疫应答过程中均具有重要作用。此外,它还与多种神经类疾病和社会行为有关。多巴脱羧酶一般以二聚体的形式存在于哺乳类和昆虫的多种神经和非神经组织中。本文从多巴脱羧酶的结构、催化机制、与神经类疾病及其攻击性社会行为的关联性研究进展等方面进行了综述。     

Family break-up in farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) housed in enlarged cage systems as families

We monitored the behaviour of farmed silver foxes housed in family units in enlarged cage systems from weaning until late October. Activity of family members, use of space available, and aggressive acts were recorded. Aggressiveness between family members increased from July until October, leading to a more scattered use of the available space. Furthermore, the mean activity level of family members increased, and the synchrony of activity decreased. We conclude that social tension in the fox families increased gradually during the autumn, leading to dispersion of the family members. Received in revised form: 22 October 2001 Electronic Publication     

Cerebrospinal fluid monoamine and metabolite concentrations and aggression in rats

In humans and other primates low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the major serotonin (5-HT) metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) have been correlated to high aggressiveness. This finding forms the basis of the 5-HT deficiency hypothesis of aggression. Surprisingly, this correlation has not been confirmed in rodents so far, while manipulation studies aimed to investigate the link between 5-HT and aggressive behaviour are mostly carried out in rodents. In this study the relation between aggression and CSF monoamine and metabolite concentrations was investigated in male Wildtype Groningen rats. In sharp contrast to the hypothesis and our expectation, a clear positive correlation was found between the individual level of trait-like aggressiveness and CSF concentrations of 5-HT, 5-HIAA, norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC). Shortly after the acute display of aggressive behaviour (as a state-like phenomenon), decreased 5-HT levels and an increase in 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio and NE concentrations were found. Surprisingly, pharmacological challenges known to influence 5-HT transmission and aggressive behaviour did not affect CSF 5-HT and 5-HIAA concentrations, only the NE level was increased. Lesioning 5-HT terminals by 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) administration caused a decrease in CSF 5-HT and 5-HIAA, but without affecting aggressive behaviour. The observed positive correlation between CSF 5-HIAA and trait aggressiveness makes it questionable whether a direct extrapolation of neurobiological mechanisms of aggression between species is justified. Interpretation of CSF metabolite levels in terms of activity of neural substrates requires a far more detailed knowledge of the dynamics and kinetics of a neurotransmitter after its release.     

麋鹿发情期主要活动的时间分配及行为研究

本文报道麋鹿在白天主要处于休息状态,早晨、黄昏是它们的摄食时间;成年雌体中的各项活动频率未显示出有明显差异;但雄鹿与雌鹿之间在活动时间分配上有明显差异,而且,雄鹿中的统治者与被统治者之间也表现出有所不同。在攻击行为方面,群内表现出有不同的特权形式;而在交往行为中,发现较多的频次出现于相同性别、年龄和同一阶层中。     

Corn bunting (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Miliaria calandra</Emphasis>) males respond differently to alternating and overlapping playback of song

Interactive playback experiments were used to study the signal value to the corn bunting, Miliaria calandra, of alternating and overlapping singing. We subjected 15 males to two stimuli that differed in the temporal pattern of song playback (alternating or overlapping). We measured eight characteristics of the males’ response in two categories—song output and movements. Overlapping and alternating playback elicited a similar song response, characteristic of highly aroused males. Song response correlated positively with males’ singing activity before playback, irrespective of stimulus. There were significant differences between latency of approach to the loudspeaker and number of flights. Birds approached the loudspeaker more quickly and spent more time close to it when playback alternated with their songs. The results suggest overlapping song could be interpreted as a stronger threat but elicits a more cautious, rather than stronger, response than the alternating pattern. Males were found to shorten songs during the playback compared with songs sung before and after stimulation. The only predictor of degree of song shortening was song activity before the playback began. It should, therefore, be regarded as a signal which is related to escalated, close-distance counter-singing.     

攻击行为神经机制的研究进展

由于攻击行为与人类犯罪暴力行为密切相关,对其神经生物学机制的研究日益受到广泛关注。本文综述了研究攻击行为所采用的一般模型、与攻击行为相关的脑区及神经递质和激素。尽管与攻击行为相关的化学物质种类很多,但是五羟色胺（serotonin,5-HT）是雄性之间攻击行为发生的决定因素,其他化学物质通过5-HT起作用。     

Acoustic threat displays and agonistic behaviour in the red-finned loach <Emphasis Type=Italic>Yasuhikotakia modesta</Emphasis>

Agonistic behaviour and the significance of acoustic threat displays were investigated in juvenile red-finned loaches, Yasuhikotakia modesta. This species produced two different vocalizations during agonistic encounters—clicks and butting sounds. Clicks were produced at some distance from the opponent whereas butting sounds were emitted when one fish touched the other with its mouth. This occurred primarily during circling. Both sound types were short broadband signals with the main energies concentrated at about 230 Hz, but clicks were longer in duration and lower in sound level. Agonistic behaviour usually started when one fish approached the other, spread its fins and produced clicks (threat displays), which was followed by parallel displaying, circling and chasing. All fish approached a mirror quickly and displayed aggressively in a parallel position. The number and duration of the threat displays in front of the mirror image were significantly elevated compared with control experiments (rear of the mirror). When playing back click trains in the presence of a mirror image, loaches vocalized significantly less often than during the silent periods, whereas the amount of lateral displaying remained similar. These data indicate that agonistic sounds reduced acoustic displays in red-finned loaches.     

Old breeds,new solutions? Effects of two different traditional sire breeds on skin lesions,tail lesions,tail losses,performance and behaviour of rearing pigs

Some studies indicated a relationship between modern, fast-growing, lean-meat-producing hybrid pigs and the occurrence of tail-biting, one of the major issues of conventional pig husbandry. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of different local, traditional sire breeds on the behaviour and performance of rearing pigs. Between December 2019 and November 2020, a total of 1 561 piglets were weaned from hybrid sows (Bundes Hybrid Zucht Programm (BHZP) Landrace × BHZP Large White) that were paired with either Swabian-Hall (SH), Bentheim Black Pied (BB) or BHZP-Piétrain (Pi) boars. Tails of the piglets were left intact (43.5%) or docked (56.5%), and male piglets were castrated. Piglets were conventionally reared on fully slatted plastic flooring in mixed-sex groups. Starting one day after weaning, skin lesions were scored once per pig, and tail lesions and losses were scored weekly until the end of rearing. The average daily gain was documented for the suckling and rearing period. The activity behaviour of eight focal pens was analysed using video recordings. Differences between modern and traditional breeds were found in this study for so-called aggressive and non-aggressive biting pronounced by skin and tail lesions and tail losses. Significantly fewer BB pigs had severe skin lesions on the front body than SH or Pi pigs (P < 0.05). Additionally, piglets that were classified as light (<5.6 kg) at weaning showed skin lesion scores of 0 more often than piglets that were classified with a medium (≥5.6–≤8.3 kg) or heavy (>8.3 kg) weaning weight (P < 0.05). In the first half of the rearing period, significantly more BB pigs were assessed as having no tail lesions and tail losses than SH and Pi pigs (P < 0.01). However, these differences disappeared in the second half of rearing. Either docked or undocked Pi pigs had significantly higher average daily gains than SH and BB pigs (P < 0.05). The activity of the focal pens was not influenced by the sire breed or tail lesion class, which might be due to the limited sample size of eight pens. To conclude, the use of the traditional sire breed BB has the potential to reduce injurious behaviour in the offspring. However, adjustments to the housing and feeding should be taken to further reduce the incidence of tail lesions and losses and to enhance performance.     

Role of cuticular hydrocarbons in the chemical recognition between ant species in the Pachycondyla villosa species complex

Cuticular hydrocarbons (HCs) play important roles in insect communication but few studies clearly demonstrate the direct link between HCs and nestmate recognition. Therefore, cuticular lipids were extracted from ants, their HC and non-HC fractions as well as the three principal classes of HCs (n-alkanes, branched alkanes and alkenes) were purified and tested using an immobilizing "joust" device which allowed quantification of early pairwise behavioural responses, mandibular opening and antennal retraction, without occurrence of subsequent damages as in classic dyadic encounters. Chemical recognition of ants was studied at three levels of interactions (intra-colonial, intra-specific and inter-specific). Three closely related species already chemically characterized were used: Pachycondyla villosa (Pv), P. inversa (Pi) and P. subversa (Ps). Each species had its own behavioural responses. Moreover, responses of Pi and Ps towards Pv were significantly longer, than they were between themselves whereas Pv ants were equally aggressive towards Pi and Ps. These differences are in agreement with the results of the cluster analysis of the cuticular HCs profiles that place Pi closer to Ps. In support of the idea that components of cuticular lipids profiles are important for recognition, we found that only the HC fraction and its branched subfraction elicited a behavioural response of Ps workers. It is suggested that internally branched methyl- and dimethylalkanes are involved in recognition behaviour.     

Foraging tactics and home range of dark chub in a Japanese river

The foraging tactics of dark chub, Zacco temmincki were classified into sit-and-wait where fish remained stationary in running water, stop where fish remained stationary in still water, and cruising where fish moved widely near the water surface. Sit-and-wait foragers primarily fed upon invertebrates that were carried by the current or fell onto the water surface, whereas cruising foragers fed upon algae and invertebrates that fell onto the water surface. Stopping individuals only fed occasionally. The percentage of sit-and-wait foraging increased as current velocity increased, whereas the percentage of cruising foraging was negatively affected by both current velocity and fish density. Larger individuals and males employed sit-and-wait foraging more frequently than smaller individuals and females. Hom range was large for cruising foragers. Aggressive interactions were frequent among sit-and-wait foragers. Although behavioural patterns of dark chub markedly differed between running and still waters, the gut content and growth rate did not differ significantly between the two habitats.     

Fish oils and aggression or hostility

Fish oils have long been known to protect the heart from ischemic heart disease and fatal arrhythmia. Recently they have also been suggested to protect the heart in a literal sense! Although not all reports on fish oils and psychiatric disorder support the latter notion, many of them claim that fish oils were effective. The point is that, different from currently prescribed psychiatric medicines, fish oils do not do harm to any part of the body. We have been working on the effects of fish oils on aggressive behavior and hostility. Unfortunately this area of research is not mature yet. The number of related papers is rather limited, so we will take aggression and/or hostility in a broader sense including oppositional behavior, violence etc. in this review. We found fourteen intervention studies checking the effects of fish oils on aggressive behavior. Eleven of them showed the aggression/hostility-controlling effects of fish oils one way or another. We did not try to summarize those effects by meta-analysis, because we thought that the methods of research were too heterogeneous. The mechanisms as to how fish oils affect aggression/hostility is not clear yet, but several possible mechanisms have been postulated. Among them, activation of the serotonergic neuron system is the most promising. The research area of fish oils and aggression/hostility is clearly important from the medical and social points of view.     

SEROTONERGIC MODULATION OF BEHAVIOUR: A PHYLOGENETIC OVERVIEW

Serotonergic neurons are present in all phyla that possess nervous systems. In most of these phyla, serotonin modulates important behaviours, including feeding, sexual and aggressive behaviour. Serotonin exerts its effects by acting in three basic modes: as a classical neurotransmitter, as a neuromodulator, or as a neurohormone. In a number of invertebrate species, the neural circuitry underlying the effects of serotonin has been well characterized, whereas in vertebrates, the mechanisms by which serotonin affects behaviour are currently less fully understood. The following review examines the role played by serotonin in the generation and modulation of behaviour in successively more complex species, ranging from coelenterates to humans.     

Bone breakage in the Krapina hominid collection

The fragmentary condition of the Krapina Neandertal remains has been offered as one line of evidence for the hypothesis that these hominids were the victims of cannibals seeking marrow and brains. Two other hypotheses regarding the causes of the framentation have been raised: a substantial portion of the breakage in the Krapina collection is attributable to excavation damage; and the rest of the breakage is attributable to sedimentary pressure and to natural rock falls that occurred during the site's prehistory. The purpose of this paper is report on tests of these three hypotheses concerning the cause of breakage in the Krapina material. Microscopic inspection of all Krapina hominid specimens showed that 23% of the material was inadvertantly broken during excavation or during quarrying that took place at the end of the last century. The morphology of the prehistoric breakage is inconsistent with the cannibalism hypothesis and supports the hypothesis that prehistoric breakage was caused by sedimentary pressure and/or roof falls.     

密度和饵料投放量对安吉小鲵幼体生长与同种相残率的影响

用改变安吉小鲵 (Hynobiusamjiensis)盆养密度和饵料投放量的实验方法 (共 2× 2种处理 ) ,研究了这两个生态要素对动物生长和同种相残率的影响。结果表明 ,小鲵幼体生长率及其变异受到饵料投放量的显著影响 ,而相残率受到密度与饵料投放量的双重制约 ;4种处理中 ,低密度高饵料组有最大生长率和最小的个体差异 ,而高密度低饵料组有最小的生长率和最大的相残率。以上结果符合理论预期。     

暗纹东方鲀苗种同类相残的研究

暗纹东方(Takifu guobscurus Abe)俗称江河豚,隶属于统形目、纯科,是一种海江洞游性鱼类。其内脏器官含剧毒,宰杀烹调不慎可致食者于死地,但肉味极为腴美,故民间素有“拼死吃河豚”之说。国外较早开展了东方纯属鱼类的养殖,在从苗种到成鱼的各个生长阶段中,河纯,特别是苗种阶段的同类相残较严重,成为苗种生产的主要限制因素。为探讨河纯同类相残的原因并采取有效防范措施,作者于1995年4月30日至6月20日,在人工培育暗纹东方统苗种期间,对其同类相残的现象进行了观察研究,现将研究结果作如下总结。