title: Indifference of marmosets with prenatal valproate exposure to third-party non-reciprocal interactions with otherwise avoided non-reciprocal individuals.
abstract: Autism is characterized by deficits in social interaction and social recognition. Although animal models of autism have demonstrated that model animals engage less in social interaction or attend less to conspecifics than control animals, no animal model has yet replicated the deficit in recognition of complex social interaction as is seen in humans with autism. Here, we show that marmosets discriminated between human actors who reciprocated in social exchanges and those who did not; however, marmosets with foetal exposure to valproic acid (VPA marmosets) did not. In the reciprocal condition, two actors exchanged food equally, while in the non-reciprocal condition, one actor (non-reciprocator) ended up with all food and the other actor with none. After observing these exchanges, the control marmosets avoided receiving food from the non-reciprocator in the non-reciprocal condition. However, the VPA marmosets did not show differential preferences in either condition, suggesting that the VPA marmosets did not discriminate between reciprocal and non-reciprocal interactions. These results indicate that normal marmosets can evaluate social interaction between third-parties, while the VPA marmosets are unable to recognize whether an individual is being reciprocal or not. This test battery can serve as a useful tool to qualify primate models of autism.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Information Science, Nagoya University, Japan; Department of Ultrastructural Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan.
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasue
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Information Science, Nagoya University, Japan; Department of Ultrastructural Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakagami
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrastructural Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan.
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Banno
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrastructural Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakagaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrastructural Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan; Ichinohe Neural System Group, Lab for Molecular Analysis of Higher Brain Functions RIKEN BSI, Japan. Electronic address: nichino@ncnp.go.jp.
authors.forename: Noritaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ichinohe
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Information Science, Nagoya University, Japan; Department of Ultrastructural Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan. Electronic address: kawai@is.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002144:Callithrix; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012919:Social Behavior; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014635:Valproic Acid
keywords: Animal model; Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD); Monkey; Reciprocity; Social preference; Third-party relationship