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

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.

SUBMITTER: Iwashita M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8500712 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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

Iwashita Motoko M Yoshizawa Masato M

eLife 20210920

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 <i>Astyanax mexicanus</i> 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 su ...[more]

PMID: 34542411

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