Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
New England Regional Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, Massachusetts, USA.
Am J Primatol. 2021 Jun;83(6):e23222. doi: 10.1002/ajp.23222. Epub 2020 Dec 23.
Some monkeys housed in research facilities develop abnormal behavior ranging from stereotypic to the more serious condition of self-injurious behavior (SIB). We initially sought to understand how and why monkeys engaged in SIB and more importantly why only a small percentage of laboratory monkeys, with seemingly similar housing and background, developed this disorder. Of particular importance was the recognition that different pathways might lead to SIB and that strong individual differences would affect the manifestation of this disorder and the response to treatment. We developed a comprehensive plan to identify effective treatment and prevention strategies. We started with characterizing the disorder in terms of prevalence and types of environments in which it was found. We then conducted observations on a cohort of SIB and control monkeys to identify conditions associated with SIB (e.g., disordered sleep) as well as clinical disease states and congenital defects that could be precipitating factors. We examined the environmental events that triggered episodes of SIB in monkeys with the disorder and evaluated three models that might explain the reinforcement contingencies associated with SIB, including tension reduction, self-stimulation, and social communication. Possible treatments for SIB such as environmental enrichment, social housing, and pharmacotherapy were tested by our group and others. To date, no single treatment has been found to abolish SIB, and each of these treatments is impacted by individual differences. To develop possible prevention strategies, we examined colony management and health records to find risk factors for SIB. These risk factors generalized to other facilities, and considerable effort was expended by all behavioral managers at these facilities to reduce early life stress exposure, to minimize the length of individual cage housing by emphasizing pair housing, and to reduce the possible stressfulness of various veterinary/medical procedures by implementing positive reinforcement training.
一些被安置在研究设施中的猴子会出现异常行为，从刻板行为到更严重的自伤行为（SIB）不等。我们最初试图了解猴子为什么会出现 SIB，以及为什么只有一小部分实验室猴子，它们的生活环境和背景似乎相似，却会出现这种疾病。特别重要的是认识到不同的途径可能导致 SIB，并且强烈的个体差异会影响这种疾病的表现和对治疗的反应。我们制定了一个综合计划，以确定有效的治疗和预防策略。我们首先从流行率和发现 SIB 的环境类型方面来描述这种疾病。然后，我们对一组 SIB 和对照猴子进行了观察，以确定与 SIB 相关的条件（例如，睡眠障碍）以及可能成为诱发因素的临床疾病状态和先天缺陷。我们检查了引发 SIB 发作的猴子环境事件，并评估了可能解释与 SIB 相关的强化条件的三个模型，包括紧张缓解、自我刺激和社会交流。我们小组和其他小组测试了 SIB 的可能治疗方法，如环境丰富、社交住房和药物治疗。迄今为止，尚未发现一种单一的治疗方法可以消除 SIB，而且这些治疗方法都受到个体差异的影响。为了制定可能的预防策略，我们检查了群体管理和健康记录，以寻找 SIB 的风险因素。这些风险因素在其他设施中也普遍存在，所有这些设施的行为管理者都花费了大量精力来减少早期生活压力的暴露，通过强调配对住房来减少个体笼养的时间，并通过实施正强化训练来减少各种兽医/医疗程序的可能压力。
