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The Macaque Social Responsiveness Scale (mSRS): A Rapid Screening Tool for Assessing Variability in the Social
Eric J Feczko1,2, Eliza Bliss-Moreau3, Hasse Walum1,2
1Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States of America.
Abstract:
Understanding the biological mechanisms underlying human neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has been hindered by the lack of a robust, translational animal model. Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) display many of the same social behaviors that are affected in ASD, making them an excellent animal species in which to model social impairments. However, the social impairments associated with ASD may reflect extreme ends of a continuous distribution of traits. Thus, to validate the rhesus monkey as an animal model for studying social impairments that has strong translational relevance for ASD, researchers need an easily-implemented measurement tool that can quantify variation in social behavior dimensionally. The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is a 65-item survey that identifies both typical and atypical social behaviors in humans that covary with ASD symptom severity. A chimpanzee SRS has already been validated and the current study adapted this tool for use in the rhesus monkey (mSRS). Fifteen raters completed the mSRS for 105 rhesus monkeys living at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. The mSRS scores showed a unimodal distribution with a positive skew that identified 6 statistical outliers. Inter-rater reliability was very strong, but only 17 of the 36 questions showed positive intra-item reliability. The results of an exploratory factor analysis identified 3 factors that explained over 60% of the variance, with 12 items significantly loading onto the primary factor. These items reflected behaviors associated with social avoidance, social anxiety or inflexibility and social confidence. These initial findings are encouraging and suggest that variability in the social responsiveness of rhesus monkeys can be quantified using the mSRS: a tool that has strong translational relevance for human disorders. With further modification, the mSRS may provide an promising new direction for research on the biological mechanisms underlying social impairments.
Insights
Researchers adapted the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) for rhesus monkeys, creating the mSRS to measure social behaviors relevant to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a translational animal model.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Primatology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Understanding neuropsychiatric disorders like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited by the absence of effective translational animal models.
- Rhesus monkeys exhibit social behaviors relevant to ASD, making them suitable for modeling social impairments.
- Quantifying social behavior variation dimensionally is crucial for validating animal models for human disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt and validate the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) for use in rhesus monkeys (mSRS).
- To establish a reliable tool for quantifying social behavior variation in rhesus monkeys for translational research.
- To assess the translational relevance of the mSRS for studying human social impairments, including those in ASD.
Main Methods:
- Adapted the chimpanzee SRS into the rhesus monkey SRS (mSRS).
- Collected mSRS data from 105 rhesus monkeys at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, rated by 15 individuals.
- Conducted statistical analyses including distribution analysis, inter-rater reliability, intra-item reliability, and exploratory factor analysis.
Main Results:
- The mSRS demonstrated a unimodal distribution with a positive skew, identifying 6 outliers.
- Strong inter-rater reliability was observed, though only 17 of 36 items showed positive intra-item reliability.
- Exploratory factor analysis revealed 3 factors explaining over 60% of variance, with 12 items loading onto a primary factor related to social avoidance, anxiety, inflexibility, and confidence.
Conclusions:
- The mSRS is a promising tool for quantifying social responsiveness variability in rhesus monkeys.
- The mSRS shows strong translational relevance for research into human social impairments and neuropsychiatric disorders like ASD.
- Further modifications to the mSRS may enhance its utility for investigating the biological mechanisms of social impairments.
