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PubMed1990

8-OH-DPAT specifically enhances feeding behaviour in mice: evidence from behavioural competition.

The behavioural specificity of the hyperphagic effects of 8-OH-DPAT is a controversial issue. The present study addressed this question through the introduction of behavioural competition. Feeding behaviour in male mice was assessed under both basal (free-feeding) and social conflict conditions. Since, in the latter condition, defence and escape are prepotent responses, elicitation of feeding would be indicative of a specific treatment effect on mechanisms controlling food intake. Results showed that 8-OH-DPAT enhanced basal feeding duration (at doses of 0.05-0.50 mg/kg) and also elicited feeding in intruder mice during encounters with aggressive resident conspecifics (at doses of 0.10-0.50 mg/kg). As the 5-HT3 antagonist GR38032F (1.0-2.0 mg/kg) enhanced feeding only under basal conditions, the effect of 8-OH-DPAT cannot readily be attributed to anxiety reduction. Finally, diazepam (1.0-2.0 mg/kg) produced a similar profile to that of 8-OH-DPAT, suggesting that the hyperphagic effects of the 5-HT1A agonist are not pharmacologically specific.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗
PubMed1998

Effects of continuous D-amphetamine and phencyclidine administration on social behaviour, stereotyped behaviour, and locomotor activity in rats.

D-amphetamine (AMPH) and phencyclidine (PCP) can induce a model psychosis that mimic the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, but only PCP also mimics the negative symptoms. Recent studies in the rat social interaction test have shown that PCP, and not AMPH, induce social withdrawal following single and repeated injections, and this effect may, therefore, be used to model negative symptoms. However, an AMPH psychosis is usually only seen after a prolonged period of repeated injections or continuous administration for 3-5 days of high doses of AMPH. It is, therefore, possible that in these studies, AMPH was administered at insufficient levels in rats, and this may explain its lack of effect. The present study has determined the effects of continuous administration of AMPH (23 to 94 mumol/kg/day; 4.2 to 17 mg/kg/day) and PCP (18 to 107 mumol/kg/day; 5.0 to 30 mg/kg/day) in rats after five days of infusion in the social interaction test and after 6-7 days in standard activity cages. The study found that AMPH and PCP dose-dependently induced stereotyped behaviour and locomotor hyperactivity, behaviours believed to be related to positive symptoms, and that only PCP induced social withdrawal. These findings confirm previous studies that only PCP and not AMPH induce deficits in the social behaviour of rats.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Small area variations in health related behaviours; do these depend on the behaviour itself, its measurement, or on personal characteristics?

In this paper we examine the patterning, by small areas, of four health related behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise) in the West of Scotland, after controlling for a range of individual/household characteristics, using multilevel models. Smoking and drinking were measured both as binary and as continuous variables, and diet and exercise were each measured in two ways: 'good' (health promoting) and 'bad' (health damaging). 'Area effects' (unattributed variation by post code sector) were found for 'bad' diet only. 'Good' and 'bad' diet, 'bad' exercise patterns and current smoking were associated with postcode sector deprivation. For 'bad' diet this effect was found only for individuals in more affluent households, and for 'good' exercise and current smoking the association with area deprivation differed between adolescents and adults. We conclude that the influence of area on health related behaviours varies according to the behaviour and the way it is measured, and that the influence of area deprivation and/or of area can vary by age and household deprivation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Marker-assisted selection of a neuro-behavioural trait related to behavioural inhibition in the SHR strain, an animal model of ADHD.

The search for the molecular bases of neuro-behavioural traits in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR), an animal model of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), led to the discovery of two quantitative trait loci related to the locomotor activity in the centre of the open field. In the present study, rats from an F2 intercross between the SHR and Lewis strains were selected with markers on the basis of their genotype at these two loci. We obtained a 'high line' in which rats have the alleles increasing the trait, and a 'low line' with the lowering alleles. In activity cages with a dim light, the low line was more active than the high line. The reverse was found in the open field, and the inhibition of locomotor activity in the low line (as compared to the high line) was directly related to the aversiveness of the situation (larger in the centre than in the periphery, and in high light than in low light), and was more intense in males than in females. This inhibition is not attributable to a classical 'anxiety' factor as measured in the elevated plus maze, in which the open arms behaviours were not different between the lines. The high line also showed a deficit in prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex. The present data show that the two loci previously described in a SHR x Lewis intercross as related to the activity in the centre of the open field are indeed involved in a behavioural inhibition trait. The marker-based selected lines described here are unique tools for the study of the neurobiological bases of this trait and the molecular foundations of its variability of genetic origin.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Theory and practice in sport psychology and motor behaviour needs to be constrained by integrative modelling of brain and behaviour.

Because of advances in technology, the non-invasive study of the human brain has enhanced the knowledge base within the neurosciences, resulting in an increased impact on the psychological study of human behaviour. We argue that application of this knowledge base should be considered in theoretical modelling within sport psychology and motor behaviour alongside existing ideas. We propose that interventions founded on current theoretical and empirical understanding in both psychology and the neurosciences may ultimately lead to greater benefits for athletes during practice and performance. As vehicles for exploring the arguments of a greater integration of psychology and neurosciences research, imagery and perception-action within the sport psychology and motor behaviour domains will serve as exemplars. Current neuroscience evidence will be discussed in relation to theoretical developments; the implications for sport scientists will be considered.

Behavior↗
PubMed1999

Reduction of severe aggressive behaviour in acquired brain injury: case studies illustrating clinical use of the OAS-MNR in the management of challenging behaviours.

Challenging behaviour, especially when this takes the form of aggression, may impede or prevent progress in neurorehabilitation. Despite its prevalence, the literature on management of aggression after brain injury is not extensive. It has been suggested that the 'Overt Aggression Scale-Modified for Neurorehabilitation' (OAS-MNR) could be used to help standardize future studies of aggressive behaviour. It was also suggested that this scale has sufficient properties to be useful in clinical work. In this paper, three case studies are described which attempt to illustrate the potential value of the OAS-MNR in neurorehabilitation. The use of the scale also provides evidence relating to the continued efficacy of the neurobehavioural model. In the first study, two cases are described in which reduction in aggression occurred through participation in individualized, needs-led holistic treatment programmes, which incorporated multiple interventions. These were based on neurobehavioural principles. In the second study, a further single case was presented which illustrated how the scale may be used to generate hypotheses regarding aggressive behaviour and to drive treatment. Causation and maintenance of aggression are discussed, especially with regard to cognitive impairment. Finally, practical points relating to the use of the OAS-MNR in clinical practice are reviewed.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Behavioural surveillance of sexually-related risk behaviours of the Chinese male general population in Hong Kong: a benchmark study.

The objective of the study was to establish a behavioural surveillance system (BSS) for sexually-related risk behaviours of the Hong Kong adult male general population. Benchmark data were obtained by interviewing 1,020 male respondents, age 18 to 60. The results showed that: (1) 14% of the respondents had engaged in commercial sex in the past six months, (2) 27% of the male commercial sex clients did not always use condoms when having sexual intercourse with commercial sex workers (CSWs), (3) 1.5% of the respondents had contracted sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the past six months, (4) 6.1% of respondents had only ever had sex with a man, (5) 0.8% of the respondents had practised unprotected anal intercourse with a man in a six-month period, (6) 4.4% of respondents practised sexually-related high risk behaviours, defined as unprotected sex with a CSW or unprotected anal intercourse with a man, and (7) 36.4% of those who engaged in commercial sex had not used condoms with their regular sex partners. Commercial sex was often practised outside Hong Kong, very commonly in Mainland China or Macau, and was often practised at multiple locations by the same client. Effective programmes have to be able to reduce the size of the at-risk population. This study together with future ones, will form the first BSS in Hong Kong for the general male population and will provide a relevant yardstick for programme evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Behavioural mechanisms and cognitive-behavioural interventions of somatoform disorders.

Due to the lack of adequate cure or medication for somatoform disorders, cognitive-behavioural intervention or cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) seems to be an optimal treatment resource for patients with these disorders, since the cause of the somatoform disorders cannot to be explained by medical illness, but can be analyzed in the process of both responding and operant conditioning. According to the reviews, randomized controlled trials are limited, but the efficacy of the intervention is quite impressive. Most of the studies use multiple treatment strategies, and no standardized treatment methods have been established. In general, the following steps are taken in CBT treatments: (1) assessment; (2) rationale of treatment choice; (3) course of treatment; (4) evaluation of treatment; and (5) reviewing treatment effects. In CBT, functional analysis in the assessment session is the key to success, to identify the relationship among discriminative stimuli and consequences, in order to reduce the undesirable behaviour, and the most effective approach of the treatment would be a combination of multiple techniques. However, as the efficacy of the treatments is established, expansion of accurate knowledge of functional analysis and training sessions for health care providers and patients should be provided. Further research should explore the effect of individual techniques, and comparison should be made to identify the relative benefits of the techniques using both individual, and group format.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy↗
PubMed1997

Concomitants of HIV/STD risk behaviours and intention to engage in risk behaviours in adolescents in India.

A total of 1230 year 11 and 12 anglophone college students, modal age 16 and 17, in three colleges in Mumbai (Bombay), India, were studied with regard to sexual behaviours or risk of sexual behaviours, beliefs about sex, HIV/STD knowledge, and perceived norms regarding sexual behaviours. Data indicated that 8% of males and 1% of females had had sexual experience, but over one-third were not sure at all of being able to abstain from sexual activity with either steady or casual partners. However, perceived norms were slanted toward sexual abstinence for the majority of the sample. Knowledge of the protective effects of condoms was high, although half of those who had had sex did not use condoms. Logistic regression showed that knowledge was higher among males, those who believed it was OK to have sex with a steady partner and that they should not wait until they were older, those who believed that condoms should be used even if the partner is known, and those who believed it was acceptable to have multiple partners. Gender differences in sexual activity and beliefs about sexual activity showed that males were less likely to believe in abstaining from sexual activity and to engage in it. We conclude that this age-group is appropriate for HIV/STD reduction education given the low rate of sexual activity but that, despite knowledge of the importance of condom use, the social skills to apply this knowledge are lacking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Measuring staff perceptions of challenging behaviour: the Challenging Behaviour Attributions Scale (CHABA).

Causal attributions may interact with other variables to determine staff responses to challenging behaviour. Furthermore, staff perceptions of the causes of challenging behaviour are likely to change as a result of theoretical and practical training. However, there is no established simple method for measuring staff attributions that could facilitate research in these areas. The present paper describes the development and preliminary psychometric analysis of the Challenging Behaviour Attributions Scale (CHABA).

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Child Behaviour Checklist classification of behaviour disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the applicability of the published clinical cut-off scores of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) for the classification of behaviour disorders. METHODOLOGY: Child Behaviour Checklists were obtained for 1342 subjects newly referred to the six major mental health centres in Melbourne. The normative community sample of 1002 7-, 12- and 15-year-olds was drawn from a school-based asthma prevalence study. RESULTS: The mean total problem T-score for the children referred to mental health centres was 67 and was above the clinical range for all age groups. Using referral to psychiatric services as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of the CBCL using a cut-off of > or = 60, was 77.4 and 83.2%, respectively. This compares favourably with the sensitivity of 68% and specificity of 82% for the American sample. Using a cut-off score of > or = 63, the sensitivity was 70.5% and the specificity was 88.6%. The referred and community samples differed with respect to socio-economic status, family structure and mothers' level of education. Fifty-two per cent of the clinically referred children lived with both parents, compared with 89% of the community sample. CONCLUSIONS: While there are some limitations to this study in terms of both the clinic and community sample, support is provided for the usefulness and applicability of the recommended CBCL cut-off scores in an Australian population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Screening for behaviour problems in nurseries: the reliability and validity of the Preschool Behaviour Checklist.

The development of the Preschool Behaviour Checklist, for screening emotional and behavioural problems in preschool children in group settings, is described. Inter-rater reliability and internal consistency was established, and its validity was shown using a variety of methods. These include observations of the children, interviews with staff, comparison between clinic and nonclinic populations, factor and cluster analysis and comparison with another screening questionnaire. Uses of the PBCL for training and inservice work are outlined. The limitations of screening as a method of identifying children with behaviour problems are discussed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Behavioural-communications treatment of marital interaction: negative behaviours.

The present investigation assessed the effectiveness of a behavioural-communications marital intervention package focused solely upon negative behaviours. Treatment effectiveness was evaluated via two independent, within-subject multiple base-line designs. Four target behaviours, selected on the basis of clinical and laboratory assessment, were sequentially and cumulatively introduced over the course of an eight-week treatment programme. Multimodal assessment techniques included self-report, spouse-report, and direct observations of laboratory-based interactions. While slight differences occurred between measurement systems, all results attested to the efficacy of the therapeutic package. One-year follow-up data continued to indicate maintenance of treatment gains over time. These findings were discussed with regard to decelerative targets of intervention, and recommendations were made for continued investigations in the area.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatments for epilepsy: a progress review.

Epilepsy is increasingly being viewed as a condition where psychological interventions may offer great potential in bringing about a reduction in the frequency of seizures. Early studies of behavioural interventions (including classical and operant conditioning approaches) designed to reduce seizure frequency were often subject to considerable methodological flaws. The outcome of recent behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatment trials is reviewed in the light of criticisms of earlier studies. Persisting methodological difficulties are discussed and recommendations made for future studies.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1975

The effects of muting lesions on emotional behaviour and behaviour normally associated with calling.

Bilateral intercollicular lesions in the chick abolish or depress not only calling, but also those phases of behaviour when calling would have been occurring. These include: long bouts of excited feeding immediately after food is made available; examining and pecking moving targets and novel objects; persistent scanning, and inhibition of other behaviour in a novel environment. Deaf birds behave precisely like controls, so that possible auditory deficits are not involved. During calling phases significant visual stimuli are treated as if they were starting or conspicuous. Conversely, continuous examination of a stimulus causes calling to diminish or disappear even though response continues; a brief period when the stimulus is not seen causes calling to begin again when it is once more perceived. In addition to the increased effectiveness of relevant visual stimuli, motor facilitation is usual in calling phases, as is inhibition of irrelevant responses. Emotional behaviour in man and other mammals is compared to calling phases in the chick.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Evidence that long-lasting potentiation of amygdala efferents in the right hemisphere underlies pharmacological stressor (FG-7142) induced lasting increases in anxiety-like behaviour: role of GABA tone in initiation of brain and behavioural changes.

The hypothesis that long-lasting potentiation (LLP) in amygdala efferents to the periacqueductal gray (PAG) of the right hemisphere mediates initiation of lasting increases in defensive response to rats induced by FG-7142 was supported in this study. GABA transmission was potentiated with Vigabatrin (gamma vinyl GABA, GVG), a suicide inhibitor of GABA transaminase. It was predicted that increasing GABA transmission would interfere with LLP and behavioural changes. The hypothesis was confirmed, for the most part. GVG given 1 day prior to FG-7142 prevented increased defensive response to rats as well as LLP in right amygdala efferent transmission to the PAG. It did not prevent LLP in the left amygdalo-PAG pathway, although LLP duration was shortened. Nor did it prevent LLP in the right amygdalo-ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) pathway, and LLP in this pathway was associated with a slightly increased response to vocal threat, but not to rats. GVG given without FG-7142 had no behavioural effects, although it did potentiate transmission in the left amygdalo-PAG pathway. The effects of increasing GABA transmission are consistent with the hypothesis that FG-7142 changes behaviour by inducing a failure of GABA transmission, which in turn facilitates NMDA transmission and NMDA dependent limbic LLP. Finally, the hypothesis that altering GABA tone would change the efficacy of Flumazenil from a neutral antagonist to an inverse agonist was tested on limbic transmission. The hypothesis was confirmed in the left amygdalo-VMH pathway, but no other. It was concluded that mechanisms other than a change in GABA tone account for the drug-dependent reversal of LLP in the right amygdalo-PAG by Flumazenil. The findings of the present study suggest that response to FG-7142 may be a useful model of the effects of traumatic stressors on limbic system function in anxiety.

Aggression↗
PubMed1992

Behavioural disturbances in the demented elderly: phenomenology, pharmacotherapy and behavioural management.

Behavioural disturbances in the demented elderly cause a significant amount of distress both to the patients and their caregivers. This article first summarizes the phenomenology associated with these disturbances. It then deals with the pharmacological methods of reducing these disturbances. Finally, it deals with some of the more recent advances in combining the insights of behavioural modification with those of neuropsychology in finding non pharmacological methods of reducing problematic behaviours. It is stressed that a combination of the two approaches is most likely to be required, and most likely to be successful, in the individual case.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Maternal depression and child behaviour problems. Randomised placebo-controlled trial of a cognitive-behavioural group intervention.

BACKGROUND: Despite the frequently reported association between maternal depression and childhood psychopathological disorder, few studies have attempted to intervene with both conditions. AIMS: To evaluate the effect of group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) on child behaviour problems and maternal depression in a group of women with young children. METHOD: An assessor-masked, randomised placebo-controlled trial compared three treatments: CBT for depression and parenting skills enhancement; a mothers' support group; and no intervention. An epidemiological (general population) sample was recruited. RESULTS: Analysis showed no significant difference between the groups. Within-group comparison suggested that at the end of treatment and at 6-month and 12-month follow-up, child problems and maternal depression had improved significantly in the CBT group. CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference between groups. Both contact interventions seemed to provide some benefits to mothers with depression, with a possibly improved outcome resulting from CBT for children with behavioural problems. The results must be treated with caution.

Adult↗