The gall of subordination: changes in gall bladder function associated with social stress

Diverse physiological and behavioural mechanisms allow animals to effectively deal with stressors, but chronic activation of the stress axis can have severe consequences. We explored the effects of chronic social stress on agonistic behaviour and gall bladder function, a critical but widely neglecte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2004-01, Vol.271 (1534), p.7-13
Main Authors: Earley, Ryan L., Blumer, Lawrence S., Grober, Matthew S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
Agonistic Behavior - physiology
Animal aggression
Animal physiology
Animal social behavior
Animals
Archocentrus nigrofasciatum
Bile
Body Weights and Measures
Chronic Stress
Cichlidae
Cichlids - anatomy & histology
Cichlids - physiology
Digestion - physiology
Down-Regulation - physiology
Freshwater
Gall Bladder Dysfunction
Gallbladder
Gallbladder - anatomy & histology
Gallbladder - physiopathology
Gallstones
Human aggression
Liver
Mammals
Social Dominance
Social Subordination
Stress, Physiological - physiopathology
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Summary:Diverse physiological and behavioural mechanisms allow animals to effectively deal with stressors, but chronic activation of the stress axis can have severe consequences. We explored the effects of chronic social stress on agonistic behaviour and gall bladder function, a critical but widely neglected component of stress-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction. Prolonged cohabitation with dominant individuals elicited behavioural modifications and dramatically increased bile retention in subordinate convict cichlid fish (Archocentrus nigrofasciatum). The key predictor of gall bladder hypertrophy was social subordination rather than status-related differences in food intake or body size. Stress-induced inhibition of gall bladder emptying could affect energy assimilation such that subordinate animals would not be able to effectively convert energy-rich food into mass gain. These results parallel changes in gall bladder function preceding cholesterol gallstone formation in humans and other mammals. Thus, social stress may be an important diagnostic criterion in understanding pathologies associated with gall bladder dysfunction.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2003.2558