02395nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260001500042653000800057653001300065653001300078653001100091653001500102653001600117653001100133100002500144700002000169700002400189700002100213700002100234245011100255856007200366300001200438490000700450520164600457022001402103       2008                            d  c2008-05-1510aCBG10aHPA axis10acortisol10amonkey10arelocation10aself-injury10astress1 aMatthew D. Davenport1 aCorrine K. Lutz1 aStefan Tiefenbacher1 aMelinda A. Novak1 aJerrold S. Meyer00aA Rhesus Monkey Model of Self-Injury: Effects of Relocation Stress on Behavior and Neuroendocrine Function  uhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322307010967  a990-9960 v633 aBackground
Self-injurious behavior (SIB), a disorder that afflicts many individuals within both clinical and nonclinical populations, has been linked to states of heightened stress and arousal. However, there are no published longitudinal data on the relationship between increases in stress and changes in the incidence of SIB. This study investigated the short- and long-term behavioral and neuroendocrine responses of SIB and control monkeys to the stress of relocation.
Methods
Twenty adult male rhesus macaques were exposed to the stress of relocation to a new housing arrangement in a newly constructed facility. Daytime behavior, sleep, and multiple measures of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis function were investigated before and after the move.
Results
Relocation induced a complex pattern of short- and long-term effects in the animals. The SIB animals showed a long-lasting increase in self-biting behavior, as well as evidence of sleep disturbance. Both groups exhibited elevated cortisol levels in saliva, serum, and hair, and also an unexpected delayed increase in circulating concentrations of corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG).
Conclusions
Our results indicate that relocation is a significant stressor for rhesus macaques and that this stressor triggers an increase in self-biting behavior as well as sleep disturbance in monkeys previously identified as suffering from SIB. These findings suggest that life stresses may similarly exacerbate SIB in humans with this disorder. The HPA axis results underscore the potential role of CBG in regulating long-term neuroendocrine responses to major stressors.  a0006-3223