The effect of monoamines reuptake inhibitors on aerobic exercise performance in bank voles from a selection experiment

Exercise performance depends on both physiological abilities (e.g., muscle strength) and behavioral characteristics (e.g., motivati on). We tested the hypothesis that evoluti on of in creased aerobic exercise performanee can be facilitated by evolution of neuropsychological mechanisms responsible for motivation to undertake physical activity. We used a unique model system: lines of bank voles Myodes glareolus selected for high swim-induced aerobic metabolism ("aerobic" A lines). In gen eration 21, voles from the 4 A lines achieved a 57% higher /y voluntary maximum" swiminduced aerobic metabolism (V02swim) than voles from 4 unselected,"control" C lines. In C lines, V02swim was 9% lower than the maximum forced-exercise aerobic metabolism (VO2run;P= 0.007), while in A lines it was even higher than VO2run, although not significantly (4%, P=0.15). Thus, we hypothesized that selection changed both the aerobic capacity and the neuronal mechanisms behi nd motivation to un dertake activity. We investigated the influe nee of reuptake in hibitors of dopamine (DARI), serotonin (SSRI), and norepinephrine (NERI) on VOaSwim. The drugs decreased V02swim both in C and A lines (% decrease compared with saline: DARI 8%, P< 0.001;SSRI 6%, P< 0.001;NERI 8%, P< 0.001), but the proportional response differed between selection directions only for NERI (stronger effect in C lines: P= 0.008) and the difference was marginally non-significant for SSRI (P= 0.07) and DARI (P= 0.06). Thus, the results suggest that all the 3 monoamines are involved in signaling pathways controlling the motivation to be active and that norepinephrine could have played a role in the evolution of increased aerobic exercise performance in our animal model.

Experimental evolution of personality traits: open-field exploration in bank voles from a multidirectional selection experiment

Evolution of complex physiological adaptations could be driven by natural selection acting on behavioral traits. Consequently, animal personality traits and their correlation with physiological traits have become an engaging research area. Here, we applied a unique experimental evolution model lines of bank voles selected for (A) high exercise-induced aerobic metabolism,(H) ability to cope with low-quality herbivorous diet, and (P) intensity of predatory behavior, that is, traits shaping evoluti on ary path and diversity of mammals and asked how the selecti on affected the voles' personality traits, assessed in an open field test. The A- and P-line voles were more active, whereas the H-line voles were less active, compared those from unselected control lines (C). H-line voles moved slower but on more meandering trajectories, which indicated a more thorough explorati on, whereas the A- and P-line voles moved faster and on straighter trajectories. A-line voles showed also an increased escape propensity, whereas P-line voles tended to be bolder. The remarkable correlated responses to the selectio n indicate a comm on gen etic un derlying mecha nism of behavioral and physiological traits, and support the paradigm of evoluti on ary physiology built around the concept of correlated evolution of behavior and physiology.