title: Tactile stimulation lowers stress in fish.
abstract: In humans, physical stimulation, such as massage therapy, reduces stress and has demonstrable health benefits. Grooming in primates may have similar effects but it remains unclear whether the positive effects are due to physical contact or to its social value. Here we show that physical stimulation reduces stress in a coral reef fish, the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus. These fish regularly visit cleaner wrasses Labroides dimidiatus to have ectoparasites removed. The cleanerfish influences client decisions by physically touching the surgeonfish with its pectoral and pelvic fins, a behaviour known as tactile stimulation. We simulated this behaviour by exposing surgeonfish to mechanically moving cleanerfish models. Surgeonfish had significantly lower levels of cortisol when stimulated by moving models compared with controls with access to stationary models. Our results show that physical contact alone, without a social aspect, is enough to produce fitness-enhancing benefits, a situation so far only demonstrated in humans.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Investigação em Eco-Etologia, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal. msoares@ispa.pt
authors.forename: Marta C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Rui F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Albert F H
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.forename: Alexandra S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Grutter
authors.forename: Redouan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bshary
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D005399:Fishes; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*
references.citation: Horm Behav. 2011 Jan;59(1):151-8
references.pmid: 21087610
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 1989 Mar;45(3):667-70
references.pmid: 2756061
references.citation: J Comp Psychol. 1999 Mar;113(1):59-65
references.pmid: 10098269
references.citation: Brain Behav Evol. 1997;50(4):189-97
references.pmid: 9310194
references.citation: Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2008 Jul;157(3):288-95
references.pmid: 18602555
references.citation: Folia Primatol (Basel). 1972;18(3):196-223
references.pmid: 4631133
references.citation: Horm Behav. 2008 Jun;54(1):170-7
references.pmid: 18396288
references.citation: Curr Biol. 2004 Jun 22;14(12):1080-3
references.pmid: 15203000
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 2003 Aug;79(3):399-407
references.pmid: 12954434
references.citation: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1989;14(1-2):155-61
references.pmid: 2525263
references.citation: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2007 Jun;32(5):565-74
references.pmid: 17499441
references.citation: Horm Behav. 1993 Sep;27(3):318-31
references.pmid: 8225256
references.citation: Int J Neurosci. 2005 Oct;115(10):1397-413
references.pmid: 16162447
references.citation: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1998 Nov;23(8):819-35
references.pmid: 9924739
references.citation: Integr Comp Biol. 2002 Jul;42(3):517-25
references.pmid: 21708747
references.citation: Biol Lett. 2007 Jun 22;3(3):231-3
references.pmid: 17327200
references.citation: J Pain Symptom Manage. 2009 Apr;37(4):754-63
references.pmid: 19070458
references.citation: Front Zool. 2007 Oct 18;4:21
references.pmid: 17945011
references.citation: Horm Behav. 2005 Mar;47(3):241-55
references.pmid: 15708752
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2001 Jul 22;268(1475):1495-501
references.pmid: 11454294
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2003 Jun 7;270(1520):1115-21
references.pmid: 12816648
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 2006 Mar 30;87(3):506-12
references.pmid: 16455115
references.citation: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2010 Feb;34(2):260-8
references.pmid: 18662717
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2003 Nov 7;270 Suppl 2:S242-4
references.pmid: 14667394