Dataset on c-Fos expression within components of corticostriatal thalamocortical circuits during the expression of a compulsive-like behavior in the female rabbit: Brain-behavior relationships.

Data were acquired as part of an ongoing project that explores similarities in the neurobiological substrates of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and maternal nest building behavior in the rabbit. The latter is an adaptive, innate behavior that involves repetitive components expressed in a rigid manner. The present data were derived from 5 pregnant rabbits that were performing maternal nest building behavior 30 min before being sacrificed. The dataset describes regional brain c-Fos expression and a component of maternal nest building behavior (“straw carrying”) in 5 late term pregnant rabbits that had been allowed to interact with straw (a nest building material) for a discrete period (30 min), during which repetitive straw carrying behavior was displayed. Animals were sacrificed for brain c-Fos immunohistochemistry 1 hour after straw was placed into their cage. Regional brain c-Fos expression: Neuronal c-Fos expression is known to be associated with a sustained increase in neuronal excitation above resting levels, primarily due to its induction in response to increased glutamatergic input and corresponding activation of the NMDA receptor. In practice, c-Fos expression is taken to be an indication of an increase in “neuronal activity”. Importantly, there is a lag of approximately 20 – 30 min between the onset of the stimulus that was responsible for increased excitation, and the initiation of neuronal c-Fos expression. c-Fos has a cellular half-life of approximately 1 hour. Thus, the pattern of brain c-Fos expression within a brain histological section represents an composite snapshot of “superimposed” regional activations that occurred within approximately 30 min to 2 hours prior to sacrifice. Behavioral variables: Behavioral variables included in the present dataset are those that reflect the repetitive nature of straw carrying (straw carrying cycle frequency), as well as individual subcomponents of this behavior (collecting straw, interacting with the nest site), and indicators of the “rigidity” of expression of these subcomponents across all cycle repetitions (standard deviations of time spent collecting straw, time spent interacting with nest site). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with cluster rotation was applied in order to reveal and clarify correlational relationships between regional c-Fos expression and specific behavioral variables. This analysis revealed possible relationships - which will need to be tested formally - between correlated activity within putative brain circuits (sensorimotor, limbic, associative) and specific behavioral measures. Thus, the initiation of repetitive straw carrying was negatively associated with activity in limbic processing regions and positively associated with activity in the ventromedial thalamus, while maintenance of this behavior across the longer term was associated with activity in sensorimotor processing regions and posterior hypothalamus.本数据集来源于一项正在进行的研究项目，该项目旨在探究强迫症症状与家兔母性筑巢行为的神经生物学底物的相似性。其中，母性筑巢行为是一种适应性先天行为，以刻板重复的模式呈现相关行为成分。 本次数据取自5只妊娠家兔，这些家兔在被实施安乐死的30分钟前正表现出母性筑巢行为。本数据集记录了5只妊娠晚期家兔的脑区c-Fos表达情况，以及母性筑巢行为中的"衔草行为"：这些家兔被允许与筑巢材料稻草互动一段固定时长（30分钟），期间展现出重复的衔草行为。在稻草放入笼内1小时后，研究人员对动物实施安乐死以进行脑c-Fos免疫组织化学检测。 关于脑区c-Fos表达：已知神经元c-Fos表达与神经元兴奋性持续高于静息水平相关，这主要是由于其会响应谷氨酸能输入增强及N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸（NMDA）受体的相应激活而被诱导。在实际研究中，c-Fos表达被视为神经元活动增强的标志物。值得注意的是，引发兴奋性升高的刺激起始与神经元c-Fos表达启动之间存在约20~30分钟的滞后时间，且c-Fos的细胞半衰期约为1小时。因此，脑组织切片中的脑区c-Fos表达模式，是安乐死实施前约30分钟至2小时内发生的"叠加"脑区激活事件的综合快照。 关于行为变量：本数据集涵盖的行为变量包括：反映衔草行为重复性的指标（衔草循环频率）、该行为的各子成分（收集稻草、与筑巢位点互动），以及所有循环重复中各子成分表达的"刻板性"指标（收集稻草耗时的标准差、与筑巢位点互动耗时的标准差）。 为揭示并阐明脑区c-Fos表达与特定行为变量之间的相关关系，研究采用了带有聚类旋转的探索性因子分析（Exploratory Factor Analysis, EFA）。该分析发现了潜在的相关关系——该关系有待后续正式验证：即推定的脑回路（感觉运动回路、边缘回路、联合回路）内的相关活动与特定行为测量指标之间存在关联。具体而言，重复衔草行为的启动与边缘加工脑区的活动呈负相关，与腹内侧丘脑的活动呈正相关；而该行为的长期维持则与感觉运动加工脑区及下丘脑后部的活动相关。