Journal Article

Social-like responses are inducible in asocial Mexican cavefish despite the exhibition of strong repetitive behavior

Iwashita, M. and Yoshizawa, M.

Record Number:
5504
Year:
2021
Journal:
elife
Pages:
12-26
Volume:
10
PMCID:
https://doi.org/10.7554/ eLife.72463
Abstract:
Abstract Social behavior is a hallmark of complex animal systems; however, some species appear to have secondarily lost this social ability. In these non-social species, whether social abilities are permanently lost or suppressed is unclear. The blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus is known to be asocial. Here, we reveal that cavefish exhibited social-like interactions in familiar environments but suppressed these interactions in stress-associated unfamiliar environments. Furthermore, the level of suppression in sociality was positively correlated with that of stereotypic repetitive behavior, as seen in mammals. Treatment with a human antipsychotic drug targeting the dopaminergic system induced social-like interactions in cavefish, even in unfamiliar environments, while reducing repetitive behavior. Overall, these results suggest that the antagonistic association between repetitive and social-like behaviors is deeply shared from teleosts through mammals.
Times Cited:
1
Relevent Species:
Astyanax jordani (Hubbs and Innes 1936) Buckup 2003