Neurogenetics of Behaviour

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2623

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
Interests: neurogenetics; behavioural genetics; Drosophila; crustacea; biological rhythms

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
Interests: neurogenetics; circadian rhythms; neuronal networks; Drosophila

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

More than 50 years ago, Seymour Benzer and David Suzuki initiated a new approach to dissecting the function of the nervous system by using genetics on one hand and behaviour on the other. This approach was called ‘neurogenetics’, and was initially applied to Drosophila. The fly has seen the most breath-taking advances in the development of a molecular genetic toolkit that can be applied to studying brain and behaviour in ways that would have appeared inconceivable in 1970, culminating with the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Hall, Rosbash and Young for their neurogenetic dissection of the fly’s circadian behaviour. However, work in other genetic model species, particularly nematodes and mice, has also made significant advances in the neurogenetic analysis of behavioural phenotypes and includes the use of flies, worms and mice as powerful models for studying human neurodegenerative disorders. Non-model species, often of more ecological interest, where the underlying genetics is less tractable, can now also be studied with ‘omic’ approaches followed in some cases by targeted mutagenesis using RNAi or CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Understanding the complex relationship between brain and behaviour both in health and disease will provide one of the most difficult challenges to 21st century biology.

This Special Issue is dedicated to neurogenetics in its broadest sense, and will highlight the different approaches currently being used to study this exciting area of behavioural research.

Prof. Dr. Charalambos Kyriacou
Prof. Dr. Ezio Rosato
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • behaviour
  • genetics
  • molecules
  • species
  • brain
  • networks
  • health
  • disease

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1127 KiB  
Article
The Role of Serotonergic Gene Methylation in Regulating Anxiety-Related Personality Traits in Chimpanzees
by Nicky Staes, Elaine E. Guevara, William D. Hopkins, Steven J. Schapiro, Marcel Eens, Chet C. Sherwood and Brenda J. Bradley
Biology 2022, 11(11), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111673 - 17 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1783
Abstract
While low serotonergic activity is often associated with psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, mood, and personality disorders, variations in serotonin also contribute to normal personality differences. In this study, we investigated the role of blood DNA methylation levels at individual CpG sites [...] Read more.
While low serotonergic activity is often associated with psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, mood, and personality disorders, variations in serotonin also contribute to normal personality differences. In this study, we investigated the role of blood DNA methylation levels at individual CpG sites of two key serotonergic genes (serotonin receptor gene 1A, HTR1A; serotonin transporter gene, SLC6A4) in predicting the personalities of captive chimpanzees. We found associations between methylation at 9/48 CpG sites with four personality dimensions: Dominance, Reactivity/Dependability, Agreeableness, and Openness. Directionality of effects were CpG location-dependent and confirmed a role of serotonergic methylation in reducing anxiety (Dominance) and aggression-related personality (Reactivity/Undependability) while simultaneously promoting prosocial (Agreeableness) and exploratory personalities (Openness). Although early-life adversity has been shown to impact serotonergic methylation patterns in other species, here, atypical early social rearing experiences only had a modest impact on CpG methylation levels in this chimpanzee sample. The precise environmental factors impacting serotonergic methylation in chimpanzees remain to be identified. Nevertheless, our study suggests a role in shaping natural variation in animal personalities. The results of this study offer a basis for future hypothesis-driven testing in additional populations and species to better understand the impact of ecology and evolution on complex behavioral traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurogenetics of Behaviour)
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