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Biomedical subjects

S Franková

Publications and source records attributed to S Franková.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Ontogeny of social behavior of pups of laboratory rats genetically selected for activity level.

In pups of Wistar laboratory rats genetically selected for high (+A) and low (-A) locomotor activity in an open field social behavior was tested in a situation of paired interactions in a novel environment. Tests were performed on postnatal Days 16, 19, 23, and 27. They consisted of four five-minute trials with 50 min, intertrial intervals. Duration of active contacts, passive contacts, mutual grooming, following (chasing), and playful fighting was recorded. In pups of the +A line total duration of all social interactions increased between Days 16 and 23, while in the -A pairs preweaning maximum in most types of social activities was achieved already on Day 16, after this day the time spent in mutual contacts decreased. Analysis of dynamics of social behavior over trials in the -A line showed the tendency to habituate, maximum duration of paired interactions appeared in the first trial contrary to +A groups, in which duration of social contacts tended to increase with repeated trials. In both lines, duration of following responses increased from Day 16 to Day 27. In +A pairs following often led to playful fighting, while in -A pairs fighting was practically absent. The experiment demonstrated that differences between lines +A and -A appeared in those social contacts which required higher energy expenditure and which realized themselves in the larger space of the testing box.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Responses to the change in the environment in pairs of male rats genetically selected for activity level.

Laboratory Wistar strain rats were genetically selected for high (+A) and low (-A) activity level. In thirteen pairs of adult males of the 23rd filial generation reactions to changes in the external environment were studied. The animals were housed in breeding cages four each. Two parallel studies were conducted: in pairs simultaneously placed into a novel environment (NOV), empty cages of the same dimensions as the home cage (HC), in the second, behaviour of the second pair that remained in the HC, after removal of two cage-mates, was tested. Once a minute, for a period of one hour, the type of activity was recorded and noted whether it was an element effected in contact with the partner or without any contact. The animals +A and -A differed in the frequency of various types of activity and immobility, in the ratio between behavioural manifestations shown in or without contact as well as in the response to the type of modified environment. To changes in the situation, whether removed cage-mates from the HC or placed into NOV +A animals reacted with a high wave of environment exploration which gradually habituated. -A rats equally responded with exploration but on a lower level. In +rats we recorded more frequently exploration without contact with the partner in HC and NOV in comparison with -A, more frequent grooming, less immobility in contact and with no contact. Between +A partners there was a greater number of contacts in NOV than in HC whereas in the -A group the incidence of contact did not differ between HC and NOV. ANOVA revealed the influence of factors of genetics and environment and interaction in several behavioural categories. The simple and in time economical method demonstrated the possibility of use for the detection of differences between +A and -A lines even at relatively small changes in the external stimulatory situation.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Spontaneous wheel running in laboratory rats genetically selected for activity level in a novel environment.

Wistar rats were genetically selected for either high (+A) or low (-A) locomotor activity level in a new environment. The response to the novelty was tested in all filial generations at the age between 75-80 days of life. Groups of 15 +A male rats selected from the 11th and 12th generations were placed in the individual cages connected with rotation wheels at the age 149 +/- 9 days. For a period of 32 days, the spontaneous wheel running activity was recorded for the time intervals 0.00-6.00 a.m., 6.00-12.00, 12.00-18.00, and 18.00-24.00 h. The -A group exhibited a generally low level of running activity over the entire experimental period, whereas the time of running in the +A tended to increase. Inside the +A group, homogeneous as to the short- term activity level, there gradually differentiated two sub-groups, one with relatively constant medium values and the other which showed an enormous prolongation of the time spent with running. The +A and -A groups differed also in their daily activity rhythm. Whereas the +A rats reached maximum of their activity between 18-24 h., followed by a rapid decrease in the morning hours, the -A animals showed a tendency to a later onset of night-type activity, and a higher level continued to morning hours.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Influence of amphetamine-induced changes in the behavior of adult "aunts" on development and long term behavioral patterns of rats.

Infant rats of the Wistar strain were kept either with their mother or with both the mother and the "aunt"--an adult virgin female during the suckling period. One group of aunts was injected regularly with amphetamine in the dose of 3 mg/kg b.w. (the AA group), another group with saline (the SA group). Control (CO) pups were reared by their mother only. Both acute and long term consequences of aunt-rearing on behavioral development and growth rate were observed. On Days 25 and 28 the SA pups displayed an increased exploratory activity level and more contacts with the litter-mate in the test of paired interactions when compared with both the AA and CO groups. The lowest frequency of exploratory, of manipulatory and social activities were recorded for the AA pups. In adulthood, both the aunt-reared groups of male rats exhibited higher activity level in a novel environment than the CO males. However, while in the CO and the SA males the activity level tended to habituate over the repeated tests, in the AA it persisted on a high level. The difference among females was not significant. Growth rate was retarded in the AA male and female rats.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed1985

Maternal behavior in females of the laboratory rat selected for high and low activity and defecation rates.

Laboratory rats of the Wistar strain were selectively bred for a high or a low level of short-term activity (+A, -A) and defecation (+D, -D) in a novel environment. In lactating females of groups +A-D, +A+D, -A+D and -A-D maternal behavior was tested in situations, differing in complexity and demands of the ability of the females to adapt themselves to a new environment. Most intergroup differences were dependent on the characteristics of their activity, while defecation manifested itself less markedly in maternal behavior. In all tests +A groups showed a higher number of active contacts with the young, and the duration of maternal activities was higher in them when compared with -A females. The results indicated difference in the structure of maternal behavior and in the strategy with which they coped with a new situation. Females -A arranged the scattered pups into a nest more rapidly but they manipulated less with them and retrieved them minimally. In -A more often than in the +A the cycle of maternal behavior was interrupted by the elements of other than maternal programs. On the other hand, females +A gave more attention to each pup, they carried it from place to place for a long time, they tended to rearrange the newly formed nest, maternal program being interrupted less often. The most marked difference appeared between groups +A-D and -A+D.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Behavioural responses of rats to early housing conditions and to protein-energy malnutrition.

Lactating rats were fed either the commercial diet (CO) or the low protein diet which induced symptoms of protein - energy deprivation (PD). They were housed in cages either individually (IH) together with eight offspring or in a large community cage (COM) shared by six dams and 48 youngs. After weaning all rats lived in cages by 4-5 animals. The PD terminated at the age of 49 days. Behaviour was tested on the 10th, 42nd and 150 th days of life. Body weight was recorded during nursing period both in dams and pups, after weaning in male rats. The low protein diet affected both body weight and maternal behaviour of the dams. In PD + IH pups growth as well as behavioural development was retarded. Behavioural alterations persisted even after the PD had been treated. The COM housing improved the body weight in the PD + COM dams, behaviour of both the PD + COM dams ond the pups was less affected than of the PD + IH group. The effect of the early housing was long lasting, manifested itself in elevated exploratory activity and in the decreased emotional responses in both the PD + COM and the CO + COM groups at the age of 42 and 150 days.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1983

Sexual behaviour of female rats subjected to early protein energy malnutrition.

Young rats (left with the mother until weaned) were exposed from birth to the age of 49 days to a low protein (malnutritional) diet. At 80 days the young females were ovariectomized and were subjected to standard long-term treatment with oestradiol and progesterone. The females' sexual behaviour was studied in interaction tests with an intact male. It was evaluated according to a scale of sexual responsiveness comprising copulatory (a lordosis posture) and precopulatory (a presenting posture, hopping, ritualized darting) patterns. All the experimental females displayed a high copulatory readiness and precopulatory behaviour; a tendency to lower sexual responsiveness, interpreted as diminished sensitivity to the given doses of the hormones, was manifested only after their repeated administration. Compared with the control females, the number of experimental animals in which the given doses of the hormones induced complete precopulatory behaviour--ritualized darting--was smaller. The results contrast with findings on the sexual behaviour of males subjected to malnutrition from an early age.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Influence of early social environment on behavioural development and on later maternal behaviour of protein deprived rats.

Female rats were subjected to protein deprivation (PD) by providing a low protein diet during the lactating period. Control (CO) females were fed on a well balanced diet. To part of the CO and PD litters, a virgin adult female - "the aunt" (A) was added to spend the light period of the day in these rearing cages. At weaning the PD pups were changed to extreme low protein diet and maintained on this régime until Day 49, then rehabilitated with the CO diet. The aunts continued visiting the PDA and COA groups until Day 49. - In the course of the suckling period, growth was recorded, individual and social activities were observed as well as mother-infant interactions in a novel environment. In the adult age, exploratory activity of females and contacts with both alien and own pups were tested. - It appeared that early PD suppressed growth, reduced exploratory activity of the pups and the number of active contacts with the mother and the littermates. The PD pups reared both by the mother and the aunt were in all behavioural tests superior to animals reared without the aunts, moreover, they did not differ from the CO group. Effect of aunt-rearing on the COA pups was less marked than on the PDA pups. - The test of exploratory activity in the adult age did not reveal effects of the early rearing. On the other hand, marked differences among groups were observed in tests of maternal behaviour. The early experience with the aunt resulted in an elevated frequency of contacts with pups in the PDA groups and it affected positively all indices of maternal behaviour.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Drug-induced changes in the maternal behavior of rats.

The effect of chlorpromazine and amphetamine (3 mg/kg b.w. injected s.c.) on the maternal behavior of rats was observed on days 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 after the birth of the young. Spontaneous behavior in the presence of the young and contacts with them were recorded in four different testing situations. Both drugs interfered with the maternal behavior of female rats and reduced the duration of contacts with the young. The level of behavioral manifestations depended on the type of experimental procedure.

Amphetamine↗