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Self‐injurious behaviours in rhesus macaques: Potential glial mechanisms
Author(s) -
Ramsey J.,
Martin E. C.,
Purcell O. M.,
Lee K. M.,
MacLean A. G.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of intellectual disability research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1365-2788
pISSN - 0964-2633
DOI - 10.1111/jir.12558
Subject(s) - biting , autism , psychology , gliosis , neuroinflammation , neuroscience , biology , psychiatry , inflammation , immunology , ecology
Background Self‐injurious behaviour (SIB) can be classified as intentional, direct injuring of body tissue usually without suicidal intent. In its non‐suicidal form it is commonly seen as a clinical sign of borderline personality disorder, autism, PTSD, depression, and anxiety affecting a wide range of ages and conditions. In rhesus macaques SIB is most commonly manifested through hair plucking, self‐biting, self‐hitting, and head banging. SIB in the form of self‐biting is observed in approximately 5–15% of individually housed monkeys. Recently, glial cells are becoming recognised as key players in regulating behaviours. Method The goal of this study was to determine the role of glial activation, including astrocytes, in macaques that had displayed SIB. To this end, we performed immunohistochemistry and next generation sequence of brain tissues from rhesus macaques with SIB. Results Our studies showed increased vimentin, but not nestin, expression on astrocytes of macaques displaying SIB. Initial RNA Seq analyses indicate activation of pathways involved in tissue remodelling, neuroinflammation and cAMP signalling. Conclusions Glia are most probably activated in primates with self‐injury, and are therefore potential novel targets for therapeutics.