Age-Associated Behavioral Alterations in Laboratory-Housed Octodon degus

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Octodon degus are increasingly used in aging and neurodegeneration research.
• Characterizing aged degu behavior is crucial for interpreting aging-related phenotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate age-associated changes in locomotor activity, open-field exploration, social novelty behavior, and ethological responses in laboratory-housed degus.
• To establish a behavioral framework for future studies on brain aging in degus.

Main Methods:

• Automated behavioral tracking during open-field and three-chamber social behavior tests.
• Manual ethological scoring of degu behavior.
• Comparison of behavioral profiles between young and old degus.

Main Results:

• Old degus displayed increased locomotor activity, center-zone exploration, rearing, and fecal boli compared to young degus.
• Young degus showed greater preference for novel intruders over familiar cagemates, while old degus had reduced social novelty discrimination.
• No significant sex-based differences were observed in the main behavioral metrics.

Conclusions:

• Aging in laboratory degus is linked to increased stress-related behaviors and diminished social novelty preference.
• These behavioral changes resemble dementia-like symptoms observed in Alzheimer's disease.
• The findings provide a reference for future research on degu brain aging and behavioral heterogeneity.