40th Annual IVAS and 15th ItVAS Annual ItVAS Veterinary Congress

40th Annual IVAS and 15th ItVAS Annual ItVAS Veterinary Congress

WHAT S STEREOTYPY? stereotypes are repetitive behaviors induced by frustration, repeated attempts to cope and/or brain disfunction stereotypy appears in sub-optimal life conditions as physical confinement, social isolation or food deprivation Mason G. Stereotypic behaviors in captive animals: fundamentals and implications for welfare and beyond 2006 Mason G. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2007

WHY STEREOTYPY? why and how such behaviors arise remains a highly and unknown debated issue for sure there is an old origin described since 1800s by G. Holmes: the domestication

WHY STEREOTYPY? equine stereotypes appear to result from reduced eating time reduced locomotor behavior reduced social contact with conspecifics or other species

WHY STEREOTYPY? stress-induced alterations in CNS dopamine physiology dopamine has been the primary neurotransmitter underlying the development and maintenance of stereotypic behavior in several species including horse

ETIOLOGICAL point of view: mesoaccumbens dopamine pathway is the primary neural center for starting and controlling of goal-directed behaviors ventral striatum is the neural starting within a upregulated mesoaccumbens dopaminergic system if environment does not facilitate the animal to reach the goal the animal could potentially be maintained within a highly motivated state directed toward goal achievement

ETIOLOGICAL point of view: this maintenance within an appetitive phase of goal achievement and the behavioral channeling effect of the animal s environment are the basis of stereotypy development

NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL point of view: within the striatum there is a shift in neural activity (from ventral to dorsal) and a change from matrix to striasome control of transmission in and out this brain area

SENSITIZATION OF THE BASAL GANGLIA DOPAMINE SYSTEM horses in which there is a condition of enhanced motivational state as stress as a result of modified mesoaccumbens physiology environmental in which goal-directed behaviors are restricted this sensitized mesoaccumbens system may be the result of a life history of chronic stress

McBride model CHRONIC STRESS long term potentiation of the mesoaccumbens (dopamine) pathway eliciting factors: feeding, conditioned stimuli stimulation sensitized striatum increasing motivation to perform appetitive behaviors appetitive behaviors STEREOTYPY

WHAT TO DO traditional methods to treat stereotypes include physical and social environmental manipulation, nutritional changes, physical restraint and aversive conditions and pharmacologic Houpt KA and McDonnel SM 1993 Equine Stereotypies. The Compendium 15(9): 1265-1272 efficacy of enriched stable environments through increased visual stimuli in reducing locomotor stereotypes or reduced stress in young horses McBride. The putative welfare-reducing effects of preventing equine steretypic behaviour. Anim Welf 2001;10:173-189

WHAT TO DO acupuncture dampens dopaminergic activity of the ventral striatum brain region

WHY ACUPUNCTURE Keidel (1999): acupuncture modifies engrams engrams are nervous fascia cooperation schemes at the CNS level biochemical modification produced by environmental stimuli biochemical permanent modification of the nervous tissue

WHY ACUPUNCTURE some points act on limbic system and dopaminergic system and modified engrams LI4 Hegu ST36 Zusanli PC6 Neiguan GV20 Baihui hypothalamus nucleus accumbens > cerebral level of dopamin hypothalamus nucleus arcuatus modulation of limbic system amygdala stellate ganglion reticular substance hypothalamus general brain activity

WHY EXTRAORDINARY VESSELS? since the original cause of stereotypy is an ancient cause, the domestication, ancient vessels (extraordinary vessels) could works on the eradication of the natural physiology of the horse the purpose to use extraordinary vessels to try to treat stereotypy in horse is to allow the horse to recover its nature, directing his energies to the environment in order to better enjoy what surrounds

cribbing and weaving start from the neck CRIBBING WEAVING REPETITIVE MOVEMENT OF THE NECK UP-DOWN LAT-LAT LEGS lack of YIN-YANG linking

according to TCM the neck is the communication between legs and head (brain) the neck expresses as the thought is translated into action and how the action (movement in the space) is carried forward from the brain to the end of the development of awareness the stereotypic movement of the neck represents the stop of this communication like a broken record

a stereotypic horse is a horse which attempt to cope (SURVIVAL) according to TCM there are 3 levels of existence 3 LEVELS OF EXISTENCE 3 generations of extraordinary vessels 3 levels of the brain

3 LEVELS OF BRAIN 3 LEVELS OF EXISTENCE 12 main vessels LU - LI ST - SP M E shao yang tai yin HT - SI BL - KD F Wa tai yang shao yin PC - TH GB - LR Ff Wo yang ming jue yin SURVIVAL INTERRELATION DIFFERENTIATION

In Taoism number 3 is a very important number which represents the YANG, the dynamics of existence, the movement, the transformation, it s the own symbol of life number 3 represents the dynamics of creation and it s interesting to note that also from the point of view of western embryology 3 germ layers developed from fertilized cell (ENDODERM, MESODERM, ECTODERM)

there is a correspondence between the 3 germ layers and the 3 levels of Taoism: ENDODERM forms the epithelial lining of the whole digestive tube, all the glands which open into the dig tube, the respiratory tract with trachea, bronchi and air cells of lungs EAT BREATH SURVIVAL

MESODERM forms smooth and striate muscles, bones, cartilage, connective tissue, circulatory and lymphatic system, genitourinary system MOVEMENT INTERRELATION - MOVEMENT INTO THE ENVIRONMENT-

ECTODERM develops into the surface, neural crest and neural tube INT/EXT CONNECTION DIFFERENTIATION - ELABORATION OF EXPERIENCE-

there are correspondent body s areas for the 3 levels of existence: SURVIVAL PELVIS Jing INTERRELATION THORAX Qi DIFFERENTIATION HEAD Shen jing 3 TREASURES qi San Bao shen

most of stereotypic horses are born from artificial insemination jing most of stereotypic horses have no relationship with conspecifics (other horses) qi stereotypic horses have negative elaboration due to an alteration of jing and qi SHEN DISTURBANCE

SHEN DISTURBANCE QI STAGNATION XUE STAGNATION 3 are the emotions involved: WORRY movement back on itself stereotyped movement that goes nowhere SADNESS a rock oppressing the heart that goes down the energy FEAR a stand-by state in which everything could happened but nothing really happened

SURVIVAL PELVIS Jing ESSENCE INTERREL THORAX Qi ENERGY DIFFERENT HEAD Shen BIG SHEN - SPIRIT ESSENCE - represents the rooting with the earth expressed by limbs ENERGY - represents the creative force and the movement in the environment BIG SHEN/SPIRIT - represents the aware choice based on experience

the repetitive movement of the stereotypy, both updown or latero-lateral, start from the neck, unload the weight on the limbs and use the counter-force from the limbs to maintain, to continue and to repeat the movement this action simulates the attempt to put in communication, through the neck, the brain (YANG) and the limbs (YIN) trying to take root in the earth (YIN) thanks to life experience (YANG)

during stereotypy the horse try to connect yin and yang both in up-down or lat-lat repetitive movement this connection is not possible because the 3 STEP (3 EXISTENCE LEVELS: SURVIVAL-INTERRELATION- DIFFERENTIATION) are all disturbed but, since the life experience (YANG) in stereotypic horses is based on the eradication from their nature (YIN), the communication goes on to infinity in a repetitive movement like a broken record

extraordinary vessels are usefull to reestablish the balance SURVIVAL INTERRELATION DIFFERENTIATION CHONG MAI DU MAI REN MAI to start again from embryogenesis to distribute yang (endorphins) and realize where to go to distribute yin and take the root

extraordinary vessels are the first generation of vessels the first differentiation of vessels like germ layers during embryogenesis CHONG MAI DU MAI REN MAI YANG/YIN QIAO MAI YANG/YIN WEI MAI ENDODERM MESODERM ECTODERM they are the own expression of spirit and the expression of the way that spirit must do during the life for every living being, horse or man

CRIBBING Yin Wei Mai liaison vessel with Ben (inner) works on Ben (mental disorders) distributes Yin KD and Jing regulates the energy in Yin space

YIN WEI MAI CV22 LV14 CV23 KD9 KD9>>SP12>> SP13>>SP15>>SP16 >>LR14>> >>CV22>>CV23 >>face>> Tai Yin Jue Yin Shao Yin (Yang Ming) KD9>>SP12 muscle tremors, spasms SP13>>SP16 heart influences the nervous orders of the food

WEAVING Yang Wei Mai liaison vessel with Biao (outside) realizes the link between right and left cerebral hemispheres (corpus callosum) lack of connection between Yin and Yang: depression, mental dissociation,stereotypic rocking movement

GV16 GB20 YANG WEI MAI GB21 TH15 SI10 GB35 BL62(63) BL63>>GB35>>GB29 SI14>>SI10>>TH13 GB21>>TH15 GV15 GV16 GB20 ST8>>GB14>>GB13

CHONG MAI DU MAI YANG WEI MAI REN MAI YIN WEI MAI YANG QIAO MAI YIN QIAO MAI DAI MAI to rise ancestral energy the Yin and Yang Linking Vessels (Yin and Yang Wei Mai) the Yin and Yang Stepping Vessels (Yin and Yang Qiao Mai) the Girdle Vessel (Dai Mai) directions Yang links the Yang directions Yin links the Yin directions energy down directions energy up links all the vessels

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