SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Behavior”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Voles and vasopressin: a review of molecular, cellular, and behavioral studies of pair bonding and paternal behaviors.

Several lines of evidence have implicated the neurohypophyseal peptide, vasopressin (VP), in the mediation of complex social behaviors including affiliation, aggression, juvenile recognition and parental behavior. Recent studies in microtine rodents using cellular, molecular and behavioral approaches provide additional evidence suggesting a role for VP in the formation of pair bonding and male parental care. Monogamous and promiscuous voles differ in social behaviors such as mating-induced pair bonding, selective aggression, and male parental care. Comparative studies have demonstrated that they also differ in dynamics of VP synthesis and release associated with reproduction, in the distribution pattern and regional quantity of VP receptors, and in the promoter sequence of the V1a receptor gene. In monogamous prairie voles, (Microtus ochrogaster), brain administration of VP induces pair bonding and male parental care whereas administration of the VP antagonist diminishes these behaviors. Together, these data suggest that VP is involved in the regulation of social behaviors in monogamous voles and differences in the brain VP system may underlie species differences in behavior and life strategy in voles.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Mouse defensive behaviors: pharmacological and behavioral assays for anxiety and panic.

The natural defensive behaviors of laboratory mice have been evaluated in both seminatural and highly structured situations; and characterized in terms of eliciting stimuli, response to pharmacological agents, behavior patterns, and outcome or effect on the social and physical environment. The defense patterns of laboratory mice and rats are generally similar, but mice show risk assessment on initial exposure to highly threatening stimuli while rats do not, while rats display alarm vocalizations, missing in mice. Quantitative differences in freezing and flight for laboratory mice and rats appear to largely reflect domestication effects, with wild mice and rats more similar to each other. This nexus of detailed within-species and comparative data on defense patterns makes it possible to reliably elicit specific defenses in mice or rats in an experimental context, providing well-validated assays of the natural defensive behaviors themselves, as opposed to 'models' of defense. The mouse--rat comparisons indicate considerable cross-species generality for these defense patterns, as does a scattered but considerable literature on other mammalian species, generally involving field studies and typically focusing on those aspects of defensive behavior that are visible at a distance, such as vigilance, or flight. Although potential homologies between normal mouse and human defense systems should ideally involve all four pattern components (stimulus, organismic factors, response characteristics, outcome), predictive validity in terms of response to drugs active against specific defensive psychopathology is the most extensively investigated of these. Flight, as measured in the Mouse Defense Test Battery shows a consistently appropriate response to panicolytic, panicogenic, and panic-neutral drugs, while some other predictive 'panic models' (dPAG-stimulation; DMH-inhibition; possibly conditioned suppression of drinking paradigms) also elicit and (indirectly) measure behaviors potentially related to flight. Models unrelated to flight (e.g. ultrasonic vocalization to conditioned stimuli); or for which flight elements may a relatively minor contributor to the behavior measured (Elevated T-maze) are less predictive of panicolytic or panicogenic action. These findings indicate that natural defensive behaviors provide a well-characterized pattern for analysis of effects of genetic or other physiological manipulations in the mouse, and may also serve as a model for analysis of defense-related human psychopathology.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Rapid decay of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization of locomotor behavior.

Sprague Dawley rats received three daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of saline or 15 mg/kg cocaine. Following an interval of 2, 5 or 8 days, the behavioral response of separate groups of rats to a challenge injection of cocaine (15 mg/kg) was tested in an open field. After repeated cocaine (15 mg/kg) injection, movement in both the vertical and horizontal plane was increased in cocaine-treated rats 2, but not 5 or 8, days after treatment as compared to saline-treated subjects. In addition, behavioral ratings along an ordinal scale designed to reflect increases in behavioral activation were increased in cocaine-treated rats 2, but not 5 or 8, days after treatment. These results stand in contrast to other reports demonstrating long-lasting neural and behavioral changes after similar treatment regimens. Taken together, the results suggest that a treatment regimen of 15 mg/kg per day of cocaine for 3 days produces behavioral sensitization of locomotor behavior; however, this cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization does not persist beyond a few (< 5) days after repeated cocaine treatment, using the current experimental parameters.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The Aberrant Behavior Checklist and the Behavior Problems Inventory: convergent and divergent validity.

This study was designed to compare and cross-validate two rating instruments [the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) and the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI)] for assessing maladaptive behavior. The BPI assesses three types of behavior problems: Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB), Stereotyped Behavior and Aggressive/Destructive Behavior. The ABC assesses five domains including these three. We collected data on 226 adults, mostly with severe or profound mental retardation, from a medium-sized developmental center. Individuals with elevated BPI scores generally had higher ABC scores; however, the extent of covariation differed across subscales. Similarly, multiple regression analyses showed that BPI subscales significantly but selectively predicted ABC subscale scores. Measures of differential diagnostic value (positive and negative predictive power, sensitivity, specificity and overall correct diagnostic efficiency) confirmed the anticipated partial overlap between instruments. Both instruments were used to rate participants with and without a Diagnosis of Stereotyped Movement Disorder. BPI, SIB and Stereotypy subscale composite had stronger positive predictive power than the ABC Stereotypy scale, while the ABC had higher negative predictive power and greater overall diagnostic efficiency. Thus, the ABC and the BPI cross-validated one another where expected, and they diverged for subscales thought to have little relationship.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An evaluation of functional variables affecting severe problem behaviors in adults with mental retardation by using the Questions about Behavioral Function Scale (QABF).

We examined the functions of five severe problem behaviors in a sample of 417 institutionalized persons with mental retardation by using the Questions About Behavior Function Scale. The behaviors we examined included self-injurious behavior, aggression, stereotypies, pica, and rumination. The most common function for all behaviors except aggression was nonsocial. Aggression, however, was maintained by external environmental contingencies. Particular items of the Questions About Behavior Function Scale were identified as more frequently occurring and critical in ascertaining behavioral function. Implications of these results for developing more effective treatment plans are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Stereotypic behavioral responses to free-base cocaine and the development of behavioral sensitization in Drosophila.

Cocaine abuse is a large social and economic problem that has received much public and scientific attention in recent years. Rodent and primate models have been used to study the behavioral and neurological effects of cocaine. Repeated intermittent doses of cocaine lead to progressive increases in both locomotor activity and stereotyped behaviors known as 'reverse tolerance' or behavioral sensitization, which may model the behavioral and neurochemical processes occurring in cocaine-addicted humans [1]. The biological basis of sensitization is poorly understood. We report that free-base cocaine administered in volatile form to the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster induces multiple reflexive motor responses that resemble cocaine-induced behaviors in rodents. These behaviors are both dose dependent and sexually dimorphic. Furthermore, Drosophila develops a behavioral sensitization to intermittent doses of cocaine. These results suggest that the pathways leading to cocaine-induced responses and sensitization are evolutionarily conserved between Drosophila and higher vertebrates, and that this genetically tractable animal can be used as a new model system to help determine the biological mechanisms underlying these processes.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Self-reported abuse history and adolescent problem behaviors. I. Antisocial and suicidal behaviors.

PURPOSE: To examine the associations of self-reported abuse and sexual molestation with self-reported antisocial behavior and suicidal ideation/behavior in a general population of adolescents. METHODS: We used a stratified cluster sampling procedure with replacement to sample 4790 students in Washington State public schools in Grades 8, 10, and 12. Students were asked in a self-administered questionnaire whether they had ever been abused by an adult and whether they had ever been sexually molested. They were also asked about antisocial behavior and suicidal ideation and behavior in the past year. We conducted polytomous logistic regressions, controlling for gender and grade, using Software for the Statistical Analysis of Correlated Data (SUDAAN). RESULTS: Reported abuse history was associated with antisocial behavior and with suicidal ideation and behavior. The associations were stronger for abuse and molestation than for nonsexual abuse or molestation alone, and stronger at higher levels of severity (e.g., suicide attempts vs. suicidal thoughts). For example, adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (in parentheses) for abuse and molestation were 4.4 (3.1-6.2) for suicidal thoughts, 6.8 (4.4-10.4) for suicide plan, 12.0 (7.9-18.4) for noninjurious suicide attempt, and 47.1 (23.3-95.3) for injurious suicide attempt. For abuse alone, these figures were 2.3 (1.7-3.2), 3.1 (2.1-4.6), 5.1 (3.3-7.8), and 11.8 (4.4-31.9), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to reduce antisocial behavior and suicidal ideation/behavior in adolescence, particularly early or severe manifestations of the behaviors, should consider the possible role of a history of maltreatment, especially the possibility of sexual abuse.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Application of the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change to the physical activity behavior of WIC mothers.

This descriptive-correlational study examined the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change in relationship to the physical activity behavior of mothers receiving assistance from the Women, Infants, and Children program. A purposive sample (N = 30) of six women at each of the five stages of readiness for behavior change was used. Relationships between stage of behavior change (measured using the Stage of Exercise Adoption tool) and other TTM constructs were examined. The constructs and corresponding instruments included physical activity behavior (Seven-Day Physical Activity Recall), pros, cons, decisional balance (Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale and two open-ended questions), self-efficacy (Self-efficacy for Exercise scale), and processes of behavior change (Processes of Exercise Adoption tool and the Social Support for Exercise scale). Significant relationships were found between stage of behavior change and two physical activity energy expenditure indices (rs = 0.71-0.73, p < 0.01), daily minutes of moderate to very hard physical activity (rs = 0.81, p < 0.01), pros (rs = 0.56, p < 0.01), cons (rs = -0.52, p < 0.05), decisional balance (rs = 0.56, p < 0.01), and self-efficacy (rs = 0.56, p < 0.01). Use of the 10 processes of change differed by stage of change. Pros to physical activity included a sense of accomplishment, increased strength, stress relief, and getting in shape after pregnancy. Cons included fatigue, childcare, and cold weather. Results support the TTM as relevant to WIC mothers and suggest strategies to increase physical activity in this population.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1999

Behavioral biomarkers of aging: illustration of a multivariate approach for detecting age-related behavioral changes.

The goal of the current project is to develop a multivariate statistical strategy for the formation of behavioral indices of performance and, further, to apply this strategy to establish the relationship between age and important characteristics of performance. The strategy was to begin with a large set of measures that span a broad range of behaviors. The behavioral effects of the following variables were examined: Age (4, 12, 24, and 30 months), genotype [Fischer 344 and a hybrid (F1) of Fischer 344 and Brown Norway (F344xBN)], gender (Fischer 344 males and Fischer 344 females), long-term diet (ad lib diet or dietary restriction beginning at 4 months of age), and short-term diet (ad lib diet or dietary restriction during testing). The behavioral measures were grouped into conceptually related indicators. The indicators within a set were submitted to a principal component analysis to help identify the summary indices of performance, which were formed with the assumption that these component scores would offer more reliable and valid measures of relevant aspects of behavioral performance than would individual measures taken alone. In summary, this approach has made a number of important contributions. It has provided sensitive and selective measures of performance that indicated contributions of all variables: psychological process, age, genotype, gender, long-term and short-term diet and has increased the sensitivity of behavioral measures to age-related behavioral impairment. It has also improved task-manageability by decreasing the number of meaningful variables without losing important information, consequently providing a simplification of the pattern of changes.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1998

Relative importance of mothers' versus medical staffs' behavior in the prediction of infant immunization pain behavior.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relative importance of mothers' versus medical staffs' behavior in the prediction of infant pain during routine immunization. METHODS: We video-recorded 60 infants' 6- or 18-month immunizations. Recordings were used to code infant pain behavior using the Neonatal Facial Action Coding System (NFCS, R. V. E. Grunau & K. D. Craig, 1987), and maternal and staff vocalizations using the Child-Adult Medical Procedure Interaction Scale-Revised (CAMPIS-R, R. L. Blount, J. W. Sturges, & S. W. Powers, 1990). RESULTS: Maternal and staff vocalizations showed different patterns of relation with infant pain behavior, depending upon the type of vocalization. Mothers' distress-promoting behavior (e.g., reassurance) predicted increased infant pain behavior, while staffs' coping-promoting behavior (e.g., distraction) predicted decreased infant pain behavior.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Prevalence of behavior problems and mental health utilization among encopretic children: implications for behavioral pediatrics.

The psychiatric literature traditionally has viewed encopretic children as having severe and characteristic behavior problems. Current psychiatric views as expressed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition (DSM-III), and in the pediatric literature, however, tend to regard the behavior problems of encopretic children as being rather mild or secondary to the consequences of the encopresis itself. Using a behavioral checklist with empirically derived factors (the Child Behavior Checklist), 55 children presenting for medical treatment of their encopresis have been assessed. Numerous behavior problems are reported on parental ratings, but the overall severity of behavior problems in this group of children falls below that found in children with behavior problems who are referred for mental health services. Most children presenting for medical management of encopresis have not been seen or evaluated by mental health services. Encopresis is a disorder in which psychological evaluation and intervention by the pediatrician may be advisable.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Psychobiology of maternal behavior: contribution to the clinical understanding of maternal behavior among humans.

Psychobiological studies of maternal behavior among non-primate mammals have arrived at several general conclusions that may aid in our understanding of human maternal behavior and in the clinical treatment of parenting disorders. The hormonal basis of maternal behavior arises during pregnancy and consists of a hormonal priming phase, extending over most of pregnancy, and a hormonal triggering phase at the end of pregnancy. Hormonal priming in several species depends upon estrogen, progesterone and prolactin, and hormonal triggering depends upon a decline in progesterone and an increase in estrogen, prolactin and oxytocin in different species. The onset of maternal behavior is hormonally based but postpartum maternal behavior in several species is based upon the stimulation that the mother receives from her young (i.e. is non-hormonally based). There is a transition period between these two phases soon after parturition during which contact with the young plays a crucial role in the maintenance of maternal behavior. The onset of maternal behavior may be viewed as the resolution of conflict between approach and withdrawal responses of females to their offspring.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2003

Relationship between oral health behaviors and general health behaviors in a Japanese adult population.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between oral health behaviors and general health behaviors in adults. METHODS: A total of 2,467 adults (1,208 men and 1,259 women aged 20-59 years) who consulted dentists in Chiba City were administered a questionnaire. RESULTS: Women, older participants, and those living with family had better health behaviors than the other subjects studied. Additive indices for oral and general health behaviors were significantly correlated. Toothbrushing frequency was significantly correlated with five items of general health behavior (smoking, drinking, exercise, eating breakfast, and having medical check-ups). Having dental check-ups was significantly correlated with having medical check-ups. There was a negative correlation between dental flossing and drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Of all oral health behaviors examined, toothbrushing frequency was the most predictive indicator of general health behavior.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Relation between maternal characteristics and child behavior ratings. Implications for interpreting behavior checklists.

The present study examined the extent to which mothers' ratings of their psychological distress, marital adjustment, and negative life events were related to maternal ratings of child behavior problems. Data were collected from mothers of 110 children (ages 2 to 12 years) who were referred to a pediatric clinic for a variety of common behavioral concerns. Maternal psychological distress and marital adjustment were significantly correlated with mothers' ratings on a child behavior checklist. Maternal psychological distress also accounted for a significant amount of the variance in maternal child behavior ratings over and above that accounted for by fathers' ratings of the same behaviors. Given that maternal characteristics co-vary significantly with reports of child behavior problems, pediatricians should interpret findings derived from child behavior rating scales within the overall family context.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1994

Efficacy of methylphenidate and behavioral intervention on classroom behavior in children with ADHD and mental retardation.

Using a combination of an alternating treatment and double-blind placebo-controlled drug design, the independent and combined effects of two behavioral interventions and two doses of methylphenidate (MPH) in 3 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and mental retardation (MR) were assessed. In this single subject design, 2 of the 3 subjects responded positively to medication as measured by increased on-task behavior. The first behavioral intervention, a token economy for on-task behavior, was ineffective for increasing either on-task behavior or work accuracy when combined with placebo. However, improvement in work accuracy was realized with implementation of a second behavioral intervention that specifically targeted accuracy independent of drug conditions. The current findings highlight both the positive effects and limitations of the two commonly used treatment modalities for ADHD. Future studies should continue to extend this area of investigative efforts to produce more data-based knowledge as to the appropriate doses of treatment, both pharmacological and behavioral, with children with both ADHD and mental retardation.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Exercise behavior in a community sample with diabetes: understanding the determinants of exercise behavioral change.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors associated with exercise behavior among adults with diabetes. METHODS: Exercise behavior (stage of exercise readiness and energy expenditure) and potential determinants were measured on a subsample (n = 46) of adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes from a randomized population-based telephone survey. Participants were assessed at baseline and at a 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Sociodemographic and biomedical characteristics did not significantly differ between the stages of exercise behavior. Scores on the psychosocial constructs of self-efficacy, behavioral processes, self-concept, and social support were significantly higher for those in the action stage than those in the preaction stage of exercise readiness. Self-efficacy and behavioral process of change were significantly associated with energy expenditure; self-efficacy was the strongest predictor in the longitudinal analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may generate direction for theory development and guide health and medical practitioners when intervening on the specific constructs. Population- and community-based surveys have utility for assessing diabetes health-related behavior (e.g., exercise behavior).

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Guidelines for designing a Web-delivered college health risk behavior survey: lessons learned from the University of Florida Health Behavior Survey.

Collecting health-risk behavior data from college students is a Web survey research application with extraordinary potential that has implications for individual schools and for the next National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. Recent evidence suggests that it is now feasible to collect health-risk behavior data from college students using the Web. This article describes the eight steps used in the 1999 University of Florida Health Behavior Survey that demonstrated the feasibility of the Web to collect health-risk behavior data from undergraduates. Practical issues researchers should consider when conducting Web-delivered survey research also are presented. Information in this article can be used by college and university health survey researchers and student health service administrators to plan and conduct their own health-risk behavior Web-delivered survey, and to develop an electronic college health-risk behavior surveillance system for their schools.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System↗

PubMed1999

[Allylnitrile-induced behavioral abnormalities and findings relating to the mechanism underlying behavioral abnormalities].

Nitriles are widely used in industry as plastics, solvents, and synthetic intermediates. It has been shown that the thermal degradation of acrylonitrile-based plastics leads to the emission of a great variety of nitriles. Exposure of humans and experimental animals to some nitriles has been shown to lead to disorders of the central nervous, hepatic, cardiovascular, renal, and gastrointestinal systems. Iminodipropionitrile has long been known to induce in experimental animals behavioral syndromes that other nitriles have not been reported to induce. Recently, we have found that a single administration of allylnitrile, an analog of acrylonitrile, induces in rodents behavioral abnormalities including head twitching, head weaving, random circling, increased locomotor activity, backward pedaling, pivoting, and somersaulting. The induced abnormalities were persistent. Crotononitrile and 2-pentenenitrile also are able to produce behavioral abnormalities. Thus, the nitriles appear as a new class of neurotoxic compounds with potential relevance to the human health. The mechanism by which allylnitrile induces and maintains the behavioral abnormalities is summarised below. 1. Allylnitrile activates the serotonin (5-HT) system in the central nervous system, and as a consequence activation of 5-HT-2 receptors due to increased 5-HT may lead to induction of head twitching. 2. Although the data available indicate that the dopamine (DA) system may be involved in allylnitrile-induced behavioral abnormalities, it remains unknown how the DA system relates to the abnormalities. 3. Allylnitrile decreases the noradrenaline level in the central nervous system, which is thought to be secondary to the 5-HT system activation mentioned above. The allylnitrile-induced head twitching, however, may occur in consequence to both enhanced beta-adrenoceptor stimulation and to the removal of tonic inhibitory control by alpha-2-adrenoceptors. 4. The neuropathological data indicate an important role of the medial habenular and raphe nuclei in allylnitrile-induced behavioral abnormalities. Onset of the behavioral abnormalities appears to be associated with the impairment in the medial habenulo-raphe relay owing to activation of apoptotic cascade in neurons. 5. On the basis of the findings with iminodipropionitrile and crotononitrile, allylnitrile might produce pathological changes in the vestibular sensory hair cells. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanism underlying the allylnitrile-induced syndromes.

Animals↗