Int J Primatol (2014) 35:325–339 DOI 10.1007/s10764-014-9750-z
Quantitative Genetics of Response to Novelty and Other Stimuli by Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Across Three Behavioral Assessments G. L. Fawcett & A. M. Dettmer & D. Kay & M. Raveendran & J. D. Higley & N. D. Ryan & J. L. Cameron & J. Rogers
Received: 28 May 2013 / Accepted: 30 December 2013 / Published online: 23 January 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract Primate behavior is influenced by both heritable factors and environmental experience during development. Previous studies of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) examined the effects of genetic variation on expressed behavior and related neurobiological traits (heritability and/or genetic association) using a variety of study designs. Most of these prior studies examined genetic effects on the behavior of adults or adolescent rhesus macaques, not in young macaques early in development. To assess environmental and additive genetic variation in behavioral reactivity and response to novelty among infants, we investigated a range of behavioral traits in a large number Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10764-014-9750-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
G. L. Fawcett (*) : M. Raveendran : J. Rogers Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA e-mail: [email protected]
A. M. Dettmer Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA D. Kay Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA J. D. Higley Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA N. D. Ryan : J. L. Cameron Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA J. L. Cameron Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
326
G.L. Fawcett et al.
(N=428) of pedigreed infants born and housed in large outdoor corrals at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC). We recorded the behavior of each subject during a series of brief tests, involving exposure of each infant to a novel environment, to a social threat without the mother present, and to a novel environment with its mother present but sedated. We found significant heritability (h2) for willingness to move away from the mother and explore a novel environment (h2 =0.25±0.13; P=0.003). The infants also exhibited a range of heritable behavioral reactions to separation stress or to threat when the mother was not present (h2 =0.23±0.13–0.24± 0.15, P
Quantitative Genetics of Response to Novelty and Other Stimuli by Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Across Three Behavioral Assessments G. L. Fawcett & A. M. Dettmer & D. Kay & M. Raveendran & J. D. Higley & N. D. Ryan & J. L. Cameron & J. Rogers
Received: 28 May 2013 / Accepted: 30 December 2013 / Published online: 23 January 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract Primate behavior is influenced by both heritable factors and environmental experience during development. Previous studies of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) examined the effects of genetic variation on expressed behavior and related neurobiological traits (heritability and/or genetic association) using a variety of study designs. Most of these prior studies examined genetic effects on the behavior of adults or adolescent rhesus macaques, not in young macaques early in development. To assess environmental and additive genetic variation in behavioral reactivity and response to novelty among infants, we investigated a range of behavioral traits in a large number Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10764-014-9750-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
G. L. Fawcett (*) : M. Raveendran : J. Rogers Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA e-mail: [email protected]
A. M. Dettmer Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA D. Kay Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA J. D. Higley Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA N. D. Ryan : J. L. Cameron Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA J. L. Cameron Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
326
G.L. Fawcett et al.
(N=428) of pedigreed infants born and housed in large outdoor corrals at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC). We recorded the behavior of each subject during a series of brief tests, involving exposure of each infant to a novel environment, to a social threat without the mother present, and to a novel environment with its mother present but sedated. We found significant heritability (h2) for willingness to move away from the mother and explore a novel environment (h2 =0.25±0.13; P=0.003). The infants also exhibited a range of heritable behavioral reactions to separation stress or to threat when the mother was not present (h2 =0.23±0.13–0.24± 0.15, P
