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At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Chronic stress leaves novelty-seeking behavior intact while impairing spatial recognition memory in the Y-maze.

This experiment examined whether chronic stress disrupts novelty-seeking behavior under conditions that impair spatial memory. Rats were restrained for 6 h per day for 21 days, then tested in either a traditional spatial recognition Y-maze that requires extra-maze spatial cues to navigate or a version with salient intra-maze cues in addition to the extra-maze spatial cues. As previously shown, chronic restraint stress impaired performance on the spatial version of the Y-maze. However, chronically stressed rats performed well in the intra-maze cue version. The results indicate that the deficits in Y-maze performance following chronic stress are not attributed to neophobia, but likely reflect neurochemical and/or neurobiological changes underlying spatial memory ability.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Beneficial effect of chronic nimodipine treatment on behavioral dysfunctions of aged rats exposed to perinatal ethanol treatment.

The long-term effects of prenatal and early postnatal ethanol exposure were assessed in adult (5-month), aged (24-month), and senescent (30-month) rats on non-aggressive intermale social behavior, and on black-white discrimination and spatial learning behaviors. Furthermore, the effects of chronic application of the Ca(2+) channel blocker nimodipine, which reportedly improves behavioral function in aging, were studied on the ethanol-induced behavioral deficits during aging. The results showed that the perinatal alcohol treatment suppressed social behavior by reducing the frequency and duration of social interactions at all ages. Black-white discrimination behavior and appetitively motivated learning in a hole-board were also markedly disturbed. Several measures of social and spatial learning behaviors of ethanol-exposed rats revealed progressive functional decline with aging. Chronic oral treatment with nimodipine improved the social activity and normalized the cognitive behavioral capabilities of aged and senescent rats exposed to ethanol. We concluded that: (1) the behavioral disabilities caused by perinatal ethanol toxicity are persistent in the rat lifespan and become more pronounced with aging; and (2) administration of nimodipine in the aging period improves, with a long-lasting efficacy, the ethanol-induced behavioral dysfunctions in aged rats.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The neuroscience of spatial navigation: focus on behavior yields advances.

The development of the water maze as a laboratory approach to the study of spatial navigation has led to a large amount of research on the brain mechanisms of this ecologically important behavior. The procedural simplicity of this task belies its underlying complexity, which can complicate the interpretation of data obtained with the standard water maze procedure. In this review, recent experiments that used novel training procedures and detailed analyses of behavior are evaluated, together with related experiments, to clarify the brain mechanisms involved in this behavior. Pharmacological, lesion, and unit recording experiments demonstrate the existence of forebrain circuits for spatial navigation that are considerably more varied and extensive than was previously proposed, and involve various extrahippocampal structures. The use of novel and specialized procedures, together with a continued detailed focus on the behavior of animals in the maze, appears to be the most promising approach to understanding the mechanisms of spatial navigation.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Long term changes in nest condition and pup grouping following handling of rat litters.

Observation of rat litters over the entire preweaning period revealed long term changes to result from handling pups. Handled litters had fewer good nests and were less likely to be found in a single group than control litters. These differences are not attributable to the disturbances per se, as litters where the mother was removed did not differ significantly from undisturbed controls. The differences occurred predominantly in the daytime when maternal activity was at its lowest.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

The association of population density, reduced space, and uncomfortable temperatures with misconduct in a prison community.

This study investigated the relation of population size, amount of personal space, and population density to the incidence of disruptive behavior over a 3-year period in a correctional institution for male youthful offenders. Population size was significantly correlated with the number but not the rate of disciplinary violations. The total amount of personal space and the index of population density were significantly correlated with both the number and the rate of violations. A post hoc analysis showed that the incidence of uncomfortably hot days had no relation to disruptive behavior. These results are contrasted with laboratory data on human crowding reporting no relation between population density and behavior pathology. It is suggested that the chronic high density explored in the present field study differs from temporarily crowded conditions produced in laboratory research on human crowding.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

The behavioral ecology of sympatric African apes: implications for understanding fossil hominoid ecology.

The behavioral ecology of the great apes is key evidence used in the reconstruction of the behavior of extinct ape and hominid taxa. Chimpanzees and gorillas have been studied in detail in the wild, and some studies of their behavioral ecology in sympatry have also been been carried out. Although the two ape species have divergent behavior and ecology in important respects, recent studies have shown that the interspecific differences are not as stark as previously thought and subsequently urge new consideration of how they share forest resources when sympatric. These new data require re-examination of assumptions about key aspects of chimpanzee-gorilla ecological divergence, such as diet, ranging and nesting patterns, and the mating system. Diet is a key component of the species' adaptive complexes that facilitates avoidance of direct competition from the other. While the nutritional basis for chimpanzee food choice remains unclear and no doubt varies from site to site, this species is a ripe fruit specialist and ranges farther during periods of ripe fruit scarcity. Gorillas in the same habitat also feed on ripe fruit when widely available, but fall back onto fibrous plant foods during lean periods. The inclusion of animal protein in the diet of the chimpanzees and its absence in that of the gorillas also distinguish the species ecologically. It may also offer clues to aspects of ecological divergence among early members of the hominid phylogeny. The paper concludes by suggesting likely characteristics of sympatric associations of Pliocene hominids, based on field data from extant sympatric apes.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Enkephalinase inhibition facilitates sexual behavior in the male rat but does not produce conditioned place preference.

The effects of two enkephalinase inhibitors, SCH 34826 and phospho-leu-phe, on male rat sexual behavior and conditioned place preference were evaluated. SCH 34826, administered intraperitoneally, reduced the ejaculation latency to both the first and second ejaculation at a dose of 30 mg/kg. This dose also reduced the first postejaculatory interval. No other effect was obtained with this drug. Phospho-leu-phe, administered intracerebroventricularly, increased mount and intromission latency at doses of 50 and 100 micrograms. A dose of 25 micrograms reduced the latency to the first ejaculation as well as the number of preejaculatory intromissions. The postejaculatory interval was also reduced at this dose. SCH 34826, 100 and 30 mg/kg, and phospho-leu-phe, 25 micrograms, had no effect in the conditioned place preference procedure. These observations seem to suggest that there is no functionally relevant tonic release of enkephalins. Therefore, the effects obtained on sexual behavior may indicate that enkephalins are released before and during the course of sexual activity. The function of such a release could be to facilitate ejaculatory mechanisms in the way found in the present studies. Previous work has shown that ejaculation-induced reward is opioid dependent, further supporting the hypothesis of opioid release during sexual activity. Taken together, these data suggest an important role for opioids, probably enkephalins, in the physiological control of sexual behavior.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Behavioral changes induced by the thyrotropin-releasing hormone analogue, RGH 2202.

The behavioral activity of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analogue, L-6-ketopiperidine-2- carbonyl-leucyl-L-prolinamide (RGH 2202), has been studied in the rat. The number of errors in a radial maze test was reduced after acute intraperitoneal (IP) injection of RGH 2202 at the dose of 5 or 10 mg/kg. Grooming activity was increased with a lower dose, 1 mg/kg. Hypoxia-induced amnesia, as assessed with active and passive avoidance behavior tests, was reversed in rats treated with 5 or 10 mg/kg of the drug. The loss of learning and memory capacity shown by aged rats in the same behavioral tests was also reduced after injection of RGH 2202. In a test for sexual activity of male rats, the higher dose of the drug induced a facilitation of mounting and ejaculations, while smaller doses were ineffective. The rotorod test revealed a decreased number of falls in animals treated with 5 or 10 mg/kg of RGH 2202. In all behavioral tests, the same doses of natural thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) were less effective, indicating that this analogue may be qualified as a potentially active drug in human pathologies.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Electric activity in the neocortex of freely moving young and aged rats.

Electroencephalographic activity of the neocortex was evaluated in young (5-7 months) and aged (26-28 months) rats. All animals in the aged group showed behavioral impairment in a spatial task (water maze). A neocortical electroencephalogram was derived simultaneously from 16 different neocortical locations and was subjected to spectral analysis. The frequency of occurrence and duration of high-voltage spindles was determined in two sessions, each involving a total of 30 min alert immobility. Changes in spectral characteristics and high-voltage spindles in response to scopolamine administration were also evaluated. The power of high-frequency activity (8-20 Hz) was significantly reduced in the aged subjects. This was greatest in the temporo-occipital regions, while no significant changes were seen in the mediofrontal region. Scopolamine resulted in a large power increase in all frequency bands, but the increase in the higher-frequency range (8-20 Hz) was significantly less in the aged group. The incidence of high-voltage spindles was 6 times higher and their total duration was 9 times longer in aged rats, with virtually no overlap with the young group. In young rats, scopolamine increased the incidence and total duration of high-voltage spindles, while it decreased both parameters in the aged subjects. Cholinergic neurons in the nucleus basalis appeared shrunken in the aged animals. These findings demonstrate that reliable electroencephalographic changes are present in the neocortex of the aged rat, and that some of the physiological alterations may be due to the pathological changes in the cholinergic nucleus basalis.

Aging↗
PubMed2005

When is a sex difference not a sex difference?

Brain sexual differentiation in mammals requires activity of gonadal hormones; organizational effects of these steroids on brain development occur early in life while activational ones in adulthood ensure appropriate and timely sex-specific behaviors. This traditional view has long served as a reliable model for sexual differentiation of reproductively relevant brain structures. Here, we take a fresh look at this model but refocused in the context of sexual differentiation of non-reproductive parameters and with an emphasis on the hippocampus, a telencephalic brain structure predominantly involved in cognition and stress regulation. We explore sex differences in morphology, neurochemistry, and hippocampal-dependent behaviors to propose a new prototype that can be used to explain and further investigate the effects of steroid hormones, those synthesized gonadally or intracerebrally, on hippocampal development and function. We also propose that a new vernacular be employed, one that distinguishes hormonally modulated responses from sex differences, and argue these are mechanistically and functionally distinct. Understanding when and how the sexes are different is as important as understanding when and how they are the same, at the biological, social, and cultural level.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The interaction of testosterone and breeding phase on the reproductive behavior and use of space of male zebra finches.

It is well known that androgens play a critical role in mediating the reproductive behavior of males. However, many laboratory experiments that examined the effects of testosterone in male songbirds typically limited their investigations to the early phase of breeding. We sought to determine the influence of testosterone on social behavior, pair bonding, nesting, and use of space in captive zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) males as a function of breeding stage (pre-laying, incubation, and nestling phases). Fourteen males were released into an aviary with 14 females and allowed to breed for 7 weeks. Half of the males were given testosterone implants and half were given control implants. During the pre-laying phase, testosterone-implanted males spent significantly more time in nesting activities than control birds and more time elapsed from starting to build a nest to when their mates initiated egg-laying. During the incubation phase, testosterone-implanted subjects spent significantly more time in female-directed and undirected singing. Use of space varied between hormone conditions depending upon breeding phase: there was no difference during pre-laying, but during the incubation and nestling phases, testosterone-implanted subjects used significantly more space. This significant increase in "home range" during the latter phase of the breeding cycle coincides with results from field studies on other species. These results underscore the importance of considering breeding phase in assessing the behavioral sensitivity to hormones.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Allee effects, extinctions, and chaotic transients in simple population models.

Discrete time single species models with overcompensating density dependence and an Allee effect due to predator satiation and mating limitation are investigated. The models exhibit four behaviors: persistence for all initial population densities, bistability in which a population persists for intermediate initial densities and otherwise goes extinct, extinction for all initial densities, and essential extinction in which "almost every" initial density leads to extinction. For fast-growing populations, these models show populations can persist at high levels of predation even though lower levels of predation lead to essential extinction. Alternatively, increasing the predator's handling time, the population's carrying capacity, or the likelihood of mating success may lead to essential extinction. In each of these cases, the mechanism behind these disappearances are chaotic dynamics driving populations below a critical threshold determined by the Allee effect. These disappearances are proceeded by chaotic transients that are proven to be approximately exponentially distributed in length and highly sensitive to initial population densities.

Alleles↗
PubMed1998

Behavioural genetics: molecular genetics meets feeding ecology.

Fruit fly larvae occur as either 'rovers', which move a long way to find food, or 'sitters', which stay within a more restricted area. This polymorphism is determined by alleles of a cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase gene; rovers are at an advantage in crowded populations, while sitters have the edge at low population density.

Alleles↗
PubMed2002

Global Positioning System (GPS) location accuracy improvement due to selective availability removal.

Global Positioning System (GPS) is an important new technology for spatio-temporal behaviour studies of animals. Differential correction improves location accuracy. Previously, it mostly removed partially the influence of Selective Availability (SA). SA was deactivated in May 2000. The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of SA cancellation on location accuracy of various GPS receivers. We tested the accuracy of locations obtained from non-differential and differential GPS animal collars before and after SA removal. We found a significant improvement in accuracy for both types of GPS collars. However, differential GPS still provides more accurate locations.

Animal Identification Systems↗
PubMed2006

Deterioration of planning ability with age in Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata).

To investigate the ability of aged monkeys to plan and the effect of aging on this ability, performance in a food retrieval task was assessed in aged and younger Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata). In this task, the monkeys had to retrieve food items by selecting from a set of 9 holes, each of which contained 1 food item. Results showed that task performance declined significantly with age. All monkeys showed, to a greater or lesser extent, some consistent patterns in their sequence of selecting holes for retrieving the food item. An analysis of these selection patterns indicated that the younger monkeys showed more consistent sequences in selection than the aged monkeys. Furthermore, success in the task performance correlated strongly with higher consistency in the sequence of selecting holes. The authors simulated performance for this task by monkeys without any strategies or plans. The results suggest that the empirical data were far more systematic than the simulated data. Thus, the authors conclude that Japanese monkeys have the ability to plan and that this ability to plan deteriorates with age.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1976

Hormonal control of female sexual attractiveness proceptivity, and receptivity in rhesus monkeys.

The sexual behavior of 18 female and 11 male rhesus monkeys was observed in pair tests, in two experiments. In one experiment the females controlled the occurrence of pair tests. The females were ovariectomized and treated with estradiol, two dosages of testosterone, estradiol plus testosterone, estradiol plus dexamethasone, or no hormone; and the effects of the treatment on female attractiveness, proceptivity, and receptivity were examined. Sexual attractiveness of females to males (the effectiveness of the female as a sexual stimulus) was affected by estrogen and androgen. Estrogen enhanced attractiveness, but the effect of androgen depended on the dose. Female sexual proceptivity (the extent to which the female seeks out the male and elicits sexual behavior) was heightened by estrogen and androgen. Female sexual receptivity (willingness to receive a male in copulation was somewhat stimulated by estradiol, but not by testosterone. Both estradiol and testosterone had a greater effect on attractiveness and proceptivity than on receptivity. The hypothesis that testosterone is the "libidinal hormone" in female primates was not supported.

Animals↗