Behavioral Disorders of Nonhuman Primates - Nonhuman Primates in Biomedical Research - page 173

Chapter 7

Behavioral Disorders of Nonhuman
Primates

Melinda A. Novak * , Brian J. Kelly y , Kathryn Bayne z and Jerrold S. Meyer x
* Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, y Behavioral Sciences Department, Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg, MA,
z AAALAC International, Frederick, MD, x Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Chapter Outline
Introduction 177 Social Interventions 186

What is Abnormal Behavior? 178 Human Interaction and Positive Reinforcement Training 186

Prevalence 178 Nonsocial Intervention 187

Severity Classification 178 Cage Size 187

What is the Function of Stereotypic and Other
Abnormal Behaviors?

Environmental Enrichment 188

179 Pharmacological Interventions 188

Maladaptive Models 179 A Practical Guide to Managing Abnormal Behavior in the

Laboratory Coping Models 180 189

Etiology of Psychological Disorders 180 Identifying and Assessing Abnormal Behavior 189

Experimental Rearing Environments and their Effect on
Behavior

Ruling Out Alternatives 189

180 Determining the Severity of the Problem 189

Total and Partial Isolation Rearing 180 Prevention of Behavioral Pathology 190

Nursery Rearing 181 Husbandry Decisions for Infant Primates 190

Individual Housing of Juvenile, Adolescent, and Adult
Primates and its Effect on Abnormal Behavior

Husbandry Decisions for Older Primates 191

184 Reversing Behavioral Pathology 191

Social Factors 184 Summary 191

Other Factors 185 Acknowledgments 191

Therapeutic Strategies for Reversing Psychopathology 185 References 191

INTRODUCTION
Nonhuman primates housed in laboratory environments can
exhibit a wide variety of abnormal behaviors. In some cases,
these behavior patterns are clinical signs for other well-
defined medical diseases or disorders (e.g. hair pulling
associated with dermatitis, withdrawal and huddling during
gastrointestinal distress). In other cases, the abnormal
behavior may be psychopathological in nature, sharing some
similarity with human disorders and syndromes that include
anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD),
and self-injurious behavior. Many of the abnormal behaviors
observed in nonhuman primates have a strong association
with poor-quality environments (e.g. reduced social expo-
sure in infants or chronic exposure to certain environmental
conditions in adolescents and adults). Thus, a major focus of

this chapter is on the relationship between environment and
behavioral pathology. However, recent findings clearly
emphasize the need for an integrative model in which
abnormal behavior is viewed as a combined outcome of
environmental exposure, physiological variables, and
genetic risk factors ( Suomi, 2007 ). In this chapter, we shall
first characterize abnormal behavior and then examine
possible environmental determinants, genetic risk factors,
and physiological correlates. Finally, we consider possible
therapeutic interventions and preventative approaches. Most
of the findings discussed below come from studies of rhesus
macaques, the most common primate species used in
behavioral and biomedical research. Where possible, find-
ings are supplemented with research on other taxonomic
groups such as prosimians, New World monkeys, and apes.