A study explores domestication-related genetic changes and brain architecture in rabbits. Domestic animals differ from their wild ancestors, such that close contact with humans does not trigger flight responses or aggressive behavior. Previous studies of wild and domestic rabbits have found that changes to genes involved in brain or neural development are important for domestication. To investigate the phenotypic effects of such genetic changes, Leif Andersson and colleagues analyzed gray matter volume and white matter microstructure in the brains of wild and domestic rabbits using high-resolution MRI. Domestic rabbits' brains had smaller amygdalas and larger medial prefrontal cortices, compared with those of wild rabbits. The areas that have lost volume in domestic rabbits are involved in fear detection, learning, and expression, whereas the areas that have gained volume are involved in modulating negative affect. The authors also found widespread reduced anisotropy in white matter tracts, consistent with reduced neural speed and compromised information processing. The results suggest that genetic changes associated with domestication may lead to changes in brain architecture that reduce fear, according to the authors.
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Article #18-01024: "Changes in brain architecture are consistent with altered fear processing in domestic rabbits," by Irene Brusini et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Leif Andersson, Uppsala University, SWEDEN; tel: +46-70-425-0233; e-mail: leif.andersson@imbim.uu.se
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences