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Biomedical subjects

D P Ferraro

Publications and source records attributed to D P Ferraro.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1977

Preclinical effects: learned behavior.

A review of the previous Marihuana and Health Reports (1971-1975) reveals that an extensive array of experimental procedures and contexts have been used to study the effects of cannabinoids on the performance of learned behavior in animals. These preclinical behavioral experiments have provided a framework for, and guided the design of, subsequent human experimentation. Compared to previous years, only a few experiments pertaining to cannabinoids and learned behavior have appeared during the past two years. By and large these more recent experiments confirm previous findings; no particularly novel procedures have been explored nor have there been dramatically unpredictable results. In part, the decrease in activity in cannabinoid preclinical animal research on learned behavior indicates an increase in human cannabinoid-learning investigations. Several detailed taxonomies of learned behavior are possible. However, for the purposes of the present report, learned behaviors will be categorized into those involving: avoidance learning and aversive control; reinforcement schedules and maze learning; and discrimination learning.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Preclinical effects: unlearned behavior.

The cannabinoids produce a variety of effects on unlearned behavior in different animal species. The voluminous literature pertaining to cannabis and unlearned behavior has been reviewed in the five previous Marihuana and Health Reports (1971 through 1975). The present chapter relies heavily on these previous reports for background and focuses primarily on the relevant literature which has appeared during the past two years, although a continuing attempt is made to consider the more recent literature in the context of previous findings. As in the 1975 Marihuana and Health Report, the present chapter is organized for expository purposes around four categories of unlearned behavior: gross behavior; activity and exploration; consummatory behavior; and aggressive behavior.

Aggression↗
PubMed1976

Effects of intravenous cocaine on food maintained behavior in monkeys.

Two Macaca mulatta and one macaca java monkey were trained to press a key for food pellets on a differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL) schedule which required consecutive key-press responses to be spaced at least 20 sec apart in order to produce reinforcement. When behavior had stabilized, the monkeys were administered either 0.0,0.05,0.10,0.25, or 0.50 mg/kg of cocaine i.v. during daily sessions. Cocaine produced a bi-component, dose-dependent effect. Immediately following cocaine infusion there was a dose-related complete cessation of responding which began and ended abruptly. Following this postinfusion pause, a dose-related behavioral disruption in the form of shortened inter-response times was observed.

Animals↗