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Temperament is thought to be the foundation for normative personality and subsequent behaviors later in life. To assess the relationship of early temperament with variation in structural brain development, this study examined rhesus macaque mother-infant behavior, and then three years later, used MRI to assess neurostructural differences. Individual differences in mother-infant interactions and emotionality were then linked to brain differences. Extensive behavioral data obtained over the first year of life under both resting and stressful conditions was used to assess the quality of mother-infant interactions and emotionality. The MRI focused on brain volume in areas thought to be related to emotional regulation and such as the cingulate gyrus and corpus callosum structures. These structures are often mentioned as areas that modulate emotions, temperament and general social behavior. The methods involved in this research include behavior coded from group-housed infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). The subjects were 15 mother-reared subjects, each housed in a social group of 12-20 subjects, living in social settings with their mothers, other adult females, two adult males, and other same-aged subjects; conditions that approximate the social composition of the natural setting. Behaviors related to temperament and mother-infant interactions were assessed using an objective behavioral scoring system. Behavior was coded under three conditions, and each behavioral coding session was 5-minute long. Homecage: Two behavioral coding sessions were recorded weekly for each subject as it interacted naturally with its mother and peers over the first six-months of life. Preseparation (month 6): Two weeks before four, sequential, 4-day social separations, behavioral data were collected once each day. Reunion with mother: Following each of the social separations, data were collected twice immediately following return to mother and again on the morning before the separation. Subjects underwent MRIs 1-2 years later when they were 2-3 years of age. The result of this research was that during pre-separation interactions, anterior cingulate size to brain ratio showed a positive correlation with mutual ventral contact (being cradled and held closely), a measure of the use of mother as a secure base to calm anxiety and fear.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1990. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-128).

Colors and color-perception may play an important role in animal ethology (foraging, intra or inter-species communication). However, trichromatic color vision is quite rare among mammals and occurs only in some primate species. Humans, apes, and most of the Old World primates are trichromats, whereas color vision among New World primate species varies strikingly. The pigment gene perciving longer wavelenghts (red) have appeared most recently. Moreover, the pigment genes for the perception of red color have appear independently in these two primates lines (Old and New World) (Kainz et al, 1998). Although the genetic mechanism of trichromacy is quite understood, the question remains, what was the adaptive advantage responsible for the spreading of the above mentioned genes. The basic functions of trichromatic vision may be better detection of food (folivory and frugivory hypothesis), signaling or warning functions. The main goals of the thesis is to study spontaneous preference for color in children (pre- school and school age) and non-human Old World primates who have routine trichromic vision. Moreover, the thesis will focus on preference of red color to understand what was an adaptive function of red color perception. We assume that the spontaneous preference for color may reflect an adaptive...

This work is focused on numerical competence in primates specifically focusing on relative numerosity, one of the many aspects of these cognitive abilities. Relative numerosity is an ability to discriminate a larger quantity from a smaller amount or smaller quantity from a larger amount and could be classified as one of the easiest numerical competence. In this work I have summarized the present knowledge of numerical competences in primates, which have been so far studied only in a few species of primates, most of them was rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) and chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). In the experimental part I focused on the research of relative numerosity in rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The goal of my work was to find out whether macaques are able to solve the problem of relative abundance with different types of stimuli. Another goal was to find out whether they are able to generalize information about relative abundance and whether they can apply it for new design of the task. The results confirm that macaques possess the ability of relative numerosity and are able to abstract stimuli that are differing in their character. This proves that they are not learning to recognize a particular stimul, but are able to use this numerical skill on any type of stimul. I also found out that...

This study was designed to evaluate the possible existence of masked gonadotropin binding sites in the corpus luteum of the rhesus monkey. Pretreatment of macaque luteal particulates and cells with neuraminidase increased LH binding. In vitro exposure to alcohols also enhanced LH binding to these preparations. Ethanol modulation of LH binding was a time- and temperature-dependent process. The optimal concentration of ethanol for enhancing LH uptake was inversely proportional to the incubation temperature. Longer straight-chain alcohols were more potent than ethanol in increasing LH binding. Ethanol and neuraminidase increased the number of binding sites with no affect on affinity. Moreover, the effects of ethanol and NA were additive. Since alcohols and temperature are modulators of membrane fluidity, we examined the hypothesis that the unmasking of gonadotropin binding sites may be related to changes in the fluid state of the lipid bilayer of the luteal membrane. First, membrane fluidity was estimated from the fluorescence polarization of the membrane probe diphenylhexatriene. Conditions which resulted in enhanced gonadotropin binding (1-8% ethanol, increased temperature), increased the fluidity of luteal membranes. Moreover, changes in gonadotropin binding were highly correlated (r = -0.97) with changes in membrane fluidity under these conditions. Pretreatment of luteal particulates with neuraminidase had no apparent effect on membrane fluidity. Second, gonadotropin receptors were removed from the luteal membrane by detergent solubilization, and the effects of ethanol on soluble receptors were compared to those on receptors associated with the lipid bilayer. Solubilization resulted in the recovery of 50% more gonadotropin binding sites than are available in particulate preparations of the corpus luteum; these sites displayed lower affinity for gonadotropin. Moreover, conditions which increase LH binding to luteal particulates (1-8% ethanol at 25C) decreased LH uptake by soluble receptors. The data suggest that two populations of LH binding sites are masked within the membranes of the monkey corpus luteum. The ability of two markedly different agents, alcohol and neuraminidase, to increase LH binding indicates the diverse mechanisms may modulate the masking/unmasking of gonadotropin receptors in target cell membranes. As such, changes in membrane fluidity may play an important role in this response.

It has been well documented that protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) gives rise to physiological and behavioral deficits. These deficits include changes in emotional, exploratory and social behaviors of the malnourished organism. In particular, previous research has demonstrated that Feci from infancy results in avoidance of and failure to initiate social interactions as well as decreased contact with the environment, which in turn, further disrupt emotional and social development. This study examined the effects of chronic protein malnutrition on the social behavior of adult rhesus macaques by experimentally testing the hypothesis that deficient monkeys, unlike normal well-fed ones, are more likely to avoid social encounters than to seek them out. In addition, the animals' social interactions were recorded and analyzed. Subjects consisted of eleven adult rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Five were fed a protein-deficient diet (3.0 % of total kilocalories) and six were fed adequate amounts of protein (14 % of total kilocalories) from birth. After habituation to the test apparatus, subjects were trained to perform an operant response which opened a sliding door. During training, the response allowed access to food. In the final testing, opening the door allowed access to a social partner. If the subject performed the response and released a social partner, the social behaviors of the pair was recorded for ten minutes. Each subject was given three opportunities, on three separate occasions, to release every other subject. Protein-deficient subjects habituated to the experimental apparatus and acquired a simple operant response at the same rate as the control subjects. The protein-deficient monkeys, however, failed to generalize this operant response as rapidly as the control monkeys. As predicted, protein-deficient monkeys performed an operant response allowing access to a social partner less frequently than did the control monkeys. For like-diet pairings both the control and deficient subjects released approximately 60% of their partners; however, controls were far more likely to release a dissimilar diet partner (84% probability) than were deficient subjects (39% probability). Diet condition of the releasor was a significant factor, whereas diet condition of the release was not. Variables which could confound these findings were examined. It was found that: 1. The difference between diet groups was not accounted for by proximity of home cages; 2. Sex of the animals was not a confounding factor; 3. Although body weight and diet condition were highly correlated, body weight alone did not exert an effect above and beyond that of diet condition; 4. Dominance status, although correlated with both diet condition and body weight, showed only a weak correlation with the likelihood of one subject releasing another when the effect of diet condition was partialed out. In summary, diet condition played the major determining role in the frequency of release rates. Social behavior data was collected throughout the final phase of the experiment. Both groups of animals exhibited minimal play and sexual behaviors. Protein-deficient monkeys were more submissive than their matched controls. Subjects deviated most dramatically from one another in two behavioral clusters: disturbed (defined as self-stimulatory, autistic-like behaviors) and exploratory behaviors. Deficient monkeys engaged in more disturbed behaviors, while control monkeys engaged in more exploratory behaviors. Results are discussed in terms of behavioral similarity to social isolate animals, and possible nutritional-environmental interaction leading to chronic or persistent deficits in social development.

Rhesus macaques are a widely used animal model of human diseases and related immune responses. Fc receptors (FcRs) mediate the interaction between antibody molecules and innate killing mechanisms, consequently eliminating the pathogen. In rhesus macaques, FcRs are highly polymorphic. To evaluate the potential influence of FcgR polymorphisms on the interaction with antibody molecules, we performed in silico analysis using SIFT, Provean, nsSNPAnalyzer, I-Mutant, MuSTAB and iPTREE-STAB web servers. V20G in FcγRI, I137K in FcγRII and I233V in FcγRIII were further analyzed structurally using FOLD-X, AMMP and Chimera to calculate changes in folding and interaction energy and for structure visualization. Results from our analysis suggest that the selected variations destabilize protein structure. Additionally, Q32R increases the binding affinity of FcγRI, whereas A131T decreases the binding affinity of FcγRII towards IgG1. Together, our results indicate that these substitutions might influence effector and regulatory mechanisms resulting from antibody/FcR interactions.

Rhesus macaques represent a valuable model in biomedical research and in development of vaccines and therapeutics. Due to the lack of reagents, the general properties of IgG and corresponding cellular receptors (FcγR) in this species are poorly characterized. We engineered recombinant IgGs containing each of the four rhesus macaque heavy constant region (CH) subclasses. To define FcγRs that mediate IgGs, we identified and characterized three FcγR classes, and generated recombinant cDNA constructs. cDNA IgH constructs were created by fusing – by sequence overlap extension PCRs – a gene segment encoding the murine variable heavy domain specific for the hapten NIP, an established specificity system for assessing antibody effector functions, with rhesus macaque CH fragments. The complete IgH constructs were transfected into J558L cells, a murine IgH-lost myeloma cell line expressing anti-NIP light chain. Secretion of engineered IgGs was determined by ELISAs using NIP-BSA and anti-monkey IgG-specific antibodies. Molecular cloning methods were applied to identify and clone FcγR genes, and recombinant FcγR cDNA constructs were created by the recombinant DNA method. Four engineered IgH cDNA constructs were successfully created. Recombinant IgGs, in the intact Ig form and retaining the original anti-NIP specificity, were successfully produced. Compared to those in humans, FcγRs in rhesus macaques share high homology, yet also feature a relatively high level of intra-species polymorphism and possess different N-linked glycosylation patterns. FcγR constructs and expression vectors were successfully generated. The chimeric recombinant IgGs are powerful tools for defining IgG functional properties and studying CH structure/function relationship. These molecules can also be used as immunogens for generation of antibodies capable of unequivocally detecting individual IgG subclasses. The findings on FcγRs validate rhesus macaques as a model for studying antibody responses, and underscore the need to take into account of the genetic heterogeneity. The FcγR constructs and vectors serve as a tool for further studies of IgG/FcγR interactions. We also reported here our findings from a separate study that the main female hormone, 17β-estradiol, is capable of restoring antibody responses to an influenza vaccine in a postmenopausal mouse model, suggesting that immunogenicity and efficacy of influenza vaccines should be evaluated in postmenopausal women.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-119).