Arteriosclerosis, Vol 2, 359-368, Copyright © 1982 by American Heart Association

ARTICLES

Social status, environment, and atherosclerosis in cynomolgus monkeys

JR Kaplan, SB Manuck, TB Clarkson, FM Lusso and DM Taub

The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effects of social environment and social status on coronary artery and aortic atherosclerosis in adult male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Thirty experimental animals were assigned to six groups of five members each, and all animals were fed a moderately atherogenic diet (43% of calories as fat, 0.34 mg cholesterol/Cal) for 22 months. Group memberships were changed periodically among 15 monkeys (unstable social condition) and remained fixed throughout the experiment in the remaining animals (stable social condition). Within each condition, individual monkeys were classified as either dominant or subordinate animals, based on dyadic patterns of aggression and submission. At necropsy, the coronary arteries were subjected to pressure fixation and five sections each were taken from the left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary arteries. The mean intimal area measurement, based on all arterial sections, served as a coronary index for each animal. Results indicated that dominant animals in the unstable condition had significantly greater coronary artery atherosclerosis than dominant monkeys housed in stable social groups. Coronary artery atherosclerosis in the unstable dominants was also greater than among similarly housed (i.e., unstable) subordinates. A similar pattern was observed in the abdominal aorta, but was not statistically significant. No significant differences or similar patterns were seen in the thoracic aorta. Additional analyses revealed that the coronary artery effects were not due to concomitant differences in total serum cholesterol or high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, blood pressures, ponderosity, or fasting glucose concentrations among the experimental animals. Behaviorally, manipulation of group memberships intensified agonistic encounters and disrupted patterns of affiliative interaction between dominant and subordinate monkeys. Overall, these results suggest that social dominance (an individual behavioral characteristic) is associated with increased coronary artery atherosclerosis, but only under social conditions that provide recurrent threats to the status of dominant animals (i.e., under behavioral challenge).

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. A. Nation, J. A. Gonzales, A. J. Mendez, J. Zaias, A. Szeto, L. G. Brooks, J. Paredes, A. D'Angola, N. Schneiderman, and P. M. McCabe The Effect of Social Environment on Markers of Vascular Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in the Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic Rabbit Psychosom Med, April 1, 2008; 70(3): 269 - 275. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Schneiderman and R. B. Williams THE GREAT DEBATE EDITORIAL, REVISITED Psychosom Med, July 1, 2006; 68(4): 636 - 638. [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. E. Freedland, G. E. Miller, and D. S. Sheps The Great Debate, revisited. Psychosom Med, March 1, 2006; 68(2): 179 - 184. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Nader and P. W. Czoty PET Imaging of Dopamine D2 Receptors in Monkey Models of Cocaine Abuse: Genetic Predisposition Versus Environmental Modulation Am J Psychiatry, August 1, 2005; 162(8): 1473 - 1482. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. W. Czoty, C. McCabe, and M. A. Nader Assessment of the Relative Reinforcing Strength of Cocaine in Socially Housed Monkeys Using a Choice Procedure J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., January 1, 2005; 312(1): 96 - 102. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B Ohlin, P.M Nilsson, J-A Nilsson, and G Berglund Chronic psychosocial stress predicts long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in middle-aged men Eur. Heart J., May 2, 2004; 25(10): 867 - 873. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. K. Williams, J. R. Kaplan, I. H. Suparto, J. L. Fox, and S. B. Manuck Effects of Exercise on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Monkeys With Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., May 1, 2003; 23(5): 864 - 871. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. R. Schwartz, W. Gerin, K. W. Davidson, T. G. Pickering, J. F. Brosschot, J. F. Thayer, N. Christenfeld, and W. Linden Toward a Causal Model of Cardiovascular Responses to Stress and the Development of Cardiovascular Disease Psychosom Med, January 1, 2003; 65(1): 22 - 35. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. M. McCabe, J. A. Gonzales, J. Zaias, A. Szeto, M. Kumar, A. J. Herron, and N. Schneiderman Social Environment Influences the Progression of Atherosclerosis in the Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic Rabbit Circulation, January 22, 2002; 105(3): 354 - 359. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Steptoe and M. Marmot The role of psychobiological pathways in socio-economic inequalities in cardiovascular disease risk Eur. Heart J., January 1, 2002; 23(1): 13 - 25. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Caplea, D. Seachrist, G. Dunphy, and D. Ely SHR Y chromosome enhances the nocturnal blood pressure in socially interacting rats Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, July 1, 2000; 279(1): H58 - H66. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Castillo-Richmond, R. H. Schneider, C. N. Alexander, R. Cook, H. Myers, S. Nidich, C. Haney, M. Rainforth, and J. Salerno Effects of Stress Reduction on Carotid Atherosclerosis in Hypertensive African Americans Stroke, March 1, 2000; 31(3): 568 - 573. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Rozanski, J. A. Blumenthal, and J. Kaplan Impact of Psychological Factors on the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Disease and Implications for Therapy Circulation, April 27, 1999; 99(16): 2192 - 2217. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. B. Manuck, M. R. Adams, J. M. McCaffery, and J. R. Kaplan Behaviorally Elicited Heart Rate Reactivity and Atherosclerosis in Ovariectomized Cynomolgus Monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., September 1, 1997; 17(9): 1774 - 1779. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. R. Kaplan, M. R. Adams, M. S. Anthony, T. M. Morgan, S. B. Manuck, and T. B. Clarkson Dominant Social Status and Contraceptive Hormone Treatment Inhibit Atherogenesis in Premenopausal Monkeys Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., December 1, 1995; 15(12): 2094 - 2100. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				Kaplan JR, S. Manuck, T. Clarkson, F. Lusso, D. Taub, and E. Miller Social stress and atherosclerosis in normocholesterolemic monkeys Science, May 13, 1983; 220(4598): 733 - 735. [Abstract] [PDF]