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PubMed1978

Cannabis interferes with nest-building behavior in mice.

Nest-building, a behavioral model shown to be disrupted by hallucinogens, has never been used to answer questions concerning the psychotomimetic effects of delta9-THC. Several fractions of cannabis and tobacco pyrolysis products were tested consecutively in the same procedure. The following drugs were injected i.p. under a saline-drug-saline schedule: d-amphetamine (6 mg/kg), pentobarbital (25 mg/kg), delta9-THC (10 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 2.5 mg/kg), the cannabis fractions designated Is (water soluble products), IIs (nonsoluble, nonvolatile products, IIIs (it comprises what is inhaled by a common hashish smoker), and analogous fractions of tobacco pyrolysis products designated IIIB (what is inhaled by a common tobacco smoker), IIB and IB. The effects of delta9-THC (10 mg/kg), IIs, and IIIs were quite similar as far as the disruption of the normal behavioral pattern is concerned. d-Amphetamine, delta9-THC (5 mg/kg), and IIB disrupted the normal behavioral pattern as well. The similarity of the effects of IIs and IIIs was unexpected in view of the different contents of cannabinoids in these fractions. Also unexpected was the similarity of the effects of delta9-THC (10 mg/kg) and IIIs (40 mg/kg containing 7% delta9-THC) as well as the activity of fraction IIIB.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Behavioral effects of hashish in mice. I. Social interactions and nest-building behavior of males.

The acute and subchronic effects of hashish extract (20 mg delta 9-THC/kg) on the behavior of male mice encountering a control partner was studied by ethological methods. A single administration of the extract resulted in general sedation, suppressing all the individual and social activities with the exception of some submissive elements. The locomotive and the overall activity of drugged males was drastically reduced and immobility occurred frequently. After four applications, tolerance to the sedative effects had developed and behavioral drug effects were recognizable. Drugged males showed an increase in nonsocial activities as well as in submissive behavior and flight, whereas social investigation was less frequent. Sexual and aggressive behavior was not significantly affected by the drug and immobility no longer occurred. In spite of behavioral changes after a single or repeated drug treatment, drugged males became dominant in about half the experiments. The nest-building behavior of males was disturbed in the same way after one or four drug applications. Drugged males generally refrained from carrying and working up the nesting material. The acute behavioral effects of hashish extract are compared to those described in previous papers and the difference between acute and subchronic drug effects is discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed1997

Nesting and fitness: lifetime reproductive success in house mice bidirectionally selected for thermoregulatory nest-building behavior.

To test the hypothesis that large, well-built, nests are an important component of fitness, we kept 12 mating pairs of two high-selected, two control, and two low-selected lines, selected for thermoregulatory nest-building behavior, at 22 and 4 degrees C with access to 10 g of cotton to build a nest, for a period of 180 days. Measurements included number of litters born per family, number of young per litter born and surviving up to 40 days of age, nest type built by the parents, and weight gain of the young from weaning (20 days of age) to 40 days of age. In all lines the production and survival of offspring was substantially decreased at 4 degrees C compared to 22 degrees C, but the high-selected lines produced more and better-quality offspring, surviving up to 40 days of age at both temperatures compared to the control and low-selected lines. This indicates that thermoregulatory nest-building behavior and evolutionary fitness are closely associated.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Nest-building behavior in two cerebellar mutant mice: staggerer and weaver.

Nest-building behavior was studied in two separate (different genes) but phenotypically similar autosomal recessive neurological (cerebellar) mutants, staggerer and weaver, as well as their wild-type siblings. None of the test animals or their parents had previous experience with the nesting materials used in these experiments. All of the mice, with the exception of the staggerer mutant, exhibited the nest-building behavior. This observation, coupled with other phenotypes expressed in this mutant, suggest the mutation may more generally affect neuroendocrine development and/or regulation rather than be restricted to cerebellar development.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Temporal analysis of REM sleep after nest-building behavior in nulliparous albino rat.

EEG recording was performed, during nest-building behavior (NBB), from the hippocampus and sensorimotor cortex of nulliparous albino rats with simultaneous recordings of EMGs of neck-muscle and eye movements. The duration of NBB varied with a period of 4-5 days. However, the relative durations of behavioral transitions in NBB, i.e., nest-building, grooming, and sleeping, were regular in both long lasting and early terminated NBB. REM sleep was identified, in every instance, immediately after NBB. The latency of REM sleep was significantly tied to the termination of NBB without regard to the duration of NBB. Differences in the duration of NBB, however, affected REM-propensity: the longer the NBB was, the shorter the latency of REM sleep tended to be. NBB might accelerate the induction of the physiological condition responsible for REM sleep generation.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Hormone profiles and nest-building behavior during the periparturient period in rabbit does.

This study was done to elucidate the relationship between the hormones beta-estradiol, progesterone, prolactin and beta-endorphin and nest-building behavior in rabbit does during the periparturient period. Beta-estradiol increased as parturition approached with a significant increase starting 2 days before parturition (day -2). Progesterone decreased with the progress of gestation, but a significant decrease was observed starting on day -2. Prolactin concentration started to increase on day -2 prepartum but a significant increase in prolactin concentration was not noted until the last day of pregnancy. The concentration of beta-endorphin was highly variable during the sampling period and could not be correlated with the other hormones or nest-building behavior. To assess the role of prolactin in nest-building behavior, groups of rabbits were treated with bromocryptine, bromocryptine plus prolactin or saline (controls). Treatment with 4 mg bromocryptine or 4 mg bromocryptine + 1.5 mg bovine prolactin on days 25 and 27 of pregnancy did not affect the number of live kits born or the gestation length. The mean nest scores, a measure of the nest quality, were not affected by bromocryptine treatment, but treatment with bromocryptine plus prolactin resulted in lower nest scores (P < 0.05). Injection of 8 mg bromocryptine from day 28 of gestation to kindling resulted in an extended gestation (P < 0.05). Injection of 4 or 8 mg bromocryptine resulted in fewer live kits born (P < 0.05), reduced nest scores (P < 0.01) and blocked milk production, as determined from the palpable mammary tissue. These results indicate that prolactin has less influence on nest-building behavior than on milk production. The hormones most likely to influence nest building are beta-estradiol and progesterone because the levels of these hormones started to change at the time when the rabbits started to prepare nests. Further study is required to determine the influence of these hormones on nest-building behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Multiple selection responses in house mice bidirectionally selected for thermoregulatory nest-building behavior: crosses of replicate lines.

Replicate high-selected, control, and low-selected lines were crossed at generation 46 of bidirectional selection for thermoregulatory nest-building behavior. Previous analysis of the lines at their limits had revealed multiple responses to uniform selection, where each of the four selected lines responded differently to reverse selection (Laffan, 1989). The reciprocal F1 crosses showed significant heterosis for nest-building behavior compared to the contemporaneous generations of the parental lines. This pattern of heterosis in all three crosses is consistent with the finding that nest-building behavior in each of the four replicate lines had a different genetic basis, in spite of the phenotypic similarity between the two replicate lines in the high and low direction of nesting. This heterosis effect and the larger number of young weaned in all three crosses compared to their respective contemporaneous generation of the parental lines also support earlier findings that larger nests are closely related to fitness.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Effects of multiple, chronic and early hashish exposure on mating behavior, nest-building and gestation in mice.

1. The effects of hashish extract on social behavior were investigated in pairs of mice living together from mating to parturition. The drug was administered orally to both animals at a dose of 20 mg delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol/kg three times a week, either (I) during the 3 weeks from mating to parturition, (II) during the 12 weeks from weaning to mating and parturition, or (III) only during the 3 weeks after weaning. 2. In the mating tests, an acute administration (I) caused a general sedation. Chronically treated animals (II) showed decreased sexual behavior and lower social investigations despite significantly more non-social activities. Early drug treatment (III) had no effect on mating behavior. In all three series of experiments the females had conceived by the next morning. 3. The nest-building behavior during pregnancy was suppressed after multiple (I) and chronic (II) drug administration. In early drug-treated animals (III) the transport of nesting material was only slowed down. Non-social activities were normal or increased in all three series. 4. Parturition was significantly delayed by one day after multiple (I) and chronic (II) drug administration. The birth weight was not affected, but the litter size was decreased after chronic drug treatment. Early drug administration (III) had no effects on these parameters. 5. In conclusion, whereas tolerance to the sedative effects of hashish developed very rapidly, the drug influences on social behavior were stable. Therefore, discussions on legalization of cannabis should pay attention to the drug effects on social behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Hormonal induction of incubation behavior in ovariectomized female turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo).

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of estradiol benzoate (EB), progesterone (P), ovine prolactin (oPrl), or their combinations on temporal patterns of serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and Prl and on nesting behavior in adult ovariectomized female turkeys. Levels of serum LH were initially reduced (p greater than 0.05) by the steroid treatments, while continuation of treatments induced surges of LH to levels comparable to pretreatment levels. Administration of steroid increased (p less than 0.05) levels of serum Prl, which persisted until termination of treatments. Administration of oPrl had no effect on levels of serum LH but blunted the steroid-induced release of Prl. Neither EB, P, nor oPrl treatments alone nor a combination of EB + P elicited nest occupation. Nest occupation was observed after administration of P only in turkeys pretreated with EB. Administration of oPrl maintained and advanced the P-induced nesting to persistent nesting behavior (incubation behavior). Once persistent nesting behavior was established, hormonal treatments were terminated, yet nesting behavior was maintained and serum samples showed increasing levels of Prl and decreasing levels of LH. It is suggested that incubation behavior in the female turkey is facilitated by the combined action of estradiol, P, and Prl.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Huddling, locomotor, and nest-building behaviors of furred and furless Siberian hamsters.

Rodents living in the cold employ both behavioral and physiological mechanisms to achieve thermoregulation. We examined the impact of fur loss on behavioral thermoregulation in cold-challenged Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). Intact female hamsters exposed to an ambient temperature (T(a)) of 5 degrees C increased their general locomotor activity by 50% relative to animals maintained at 23 degrees C. At both T(a)'s, fur removal resulted in substantial increases in daily food intake (37% and 22% at 5 and 23 degrees C, respectively) but did not affect the amount of locomotor activity; increased food intake after fur loss evidently is not caused by increases in locomotor activity. Furred hamsters housed in groups of three at 5 degrees C consumed 16% less food per day than did singly housed individuals. Fur removal resulted in identical 39% increases in food intake in group- or singly housed animals. Energy savings that accrued from huddling were identical in furred and furless animals; this behavior conserves energy even in the absence of an insulative pelage. The availability of nesting material resulted in an 18% reduction in food consumption in intact animals kept at 5 degrees C. The increase in food intake produced by fur removal was attenuated by approximately 80% when furless animals had access to nesting material. Huddling and nest-building behaviors each ameliorate energetic challenges posed by absence of fur; animals that concurrently employ several modes of thermoregulation realize substantial energy savings in the cold.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Nonlinear effects of female mate choice in wild threespine sticklebacks.

Sexual selection by mate choice represents a very important selective pressure in many animal species and might have evolutionary impacts beyond exaggeration of secondary sexual traits. Describing the shape and strength of the relationships linking mating success and nonsexual traits in natural conditions represents a challenging step in our understanding of adaptive evolution. We studied the effect of behavioral (nest site choice), immunological (trematode level of infection), genetic diversity (measured by mean d2) and morphological (standard length and pectoral fin size) traits on male mating success in a natural population of threespine sticklebacks Gasterosteaus aculeatus. Male mating success was measured by microsatellite genotyping of embryos used to infer female genotypes. First, we analyzed all territorial males (full analysis) but also considered independently only males with a nonzero mating success (reduced analysis) because some of the males with no eggs could have been part of a later breeding cycle. Multiple linear regressions identified a significant negative effect of parasite load in the full analysis, whereas no linear effect was found in the reduced analysis. The quadratic analyses revealed that nest location and parasite load were significantly related to mating success by positive (concave selection) and negative (convex selection) quadratic coefficients respectively, resulting in a saddle-shaped fitness surface. Moreover, there were significant interactions between nest location, mean d2 and parasite load in the reduced analysis. The subsequent canonical rotation of the matrix of quadratic and cross-product terms identified two major axes of the response surface: a vector representing mostly nest site choice and a vector representing parasite load. These results imply that there exists more than one way for a male threespine stickleback to maximize its mating success and that such nonlinear relationships between male mating success induced by female mate choice and male characteristics might have been overlooked in many studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Tissue-specific alternative splicing of turkey preprovasoactive intestinal peptide messenger ribonucleic acid, its regulation, and correlation with prolactin secretion.

Although vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a well characterized physiological PRL-releasing factor in avian species, its regulated expression is not fully understood. We cloned complementary DNAs encoding the prepro-turkey VIP (prepro-tVIP) molecule from an adult turkey hypothalamic complementary DNA library. When the amino acid sequence of the prepro-tVIP was compared to chicken and mammalian sequence, it was found that the isolated tVIP molecules lacked the 27-amino acid peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI) portion of the precursor protein. Several tissues showed an alternatively spliced tVIP transcript that lacked the PHI sequence. Only in the hypothalamus did tVIP-specific primer pairs and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction produce two alternatively spliced fragments. The larger hypothalamus-specific fragment was subjected to nucleotide sequence analysis and identified as containing the alternatively spliced PHI-containing exon, which encoded a 27-amino acid PHI peptide in addition to the 8 amino acids that flanked the peptide. Hypothalamic tVIP expression was shown to be up-regulated during the incubation phase of the reproductive cycle. The increased steady state level of tVIP messenger RNA appears to be regulated by nesting behavior, because nest deprivation dramatically suppressed its expression. Levels of the minor tVIP transcript containing both the PHI- and VIP-encoding exons did not significantly change between reproductive stages and were maintained at approximately 4-6% of the total tVIP transcript level. Our findings provide further evidence that VIP is the most important PRL-releasing factor in birds. Our study should serve as a useful model for determining whether PHI contributes in any way to the physiological role of PRL regulation. Revealing the tissue distribution of VIP and PHI gene expression and tissue-specific alternative splicing could contribute to an understanding of the physiological functions of the two peptides as well as their relative roles in PRL regulation.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1989

Diazepam effects on the fetus.

Treatment of time-pregnant Long Evans rats with 1.25 mg/kg s.c. diazepam (2.5 mg/kg in Sprague Dawley rats) from gestational day 14 to 20 produced transient depression of an olfactory guided behavior (nest odor behavior) in suckling offspring. Enhanced drug sensitivity to diazepam was seen in adult male and female off-spring as indicated by increased temperature depression. In addition, increased sensitivity to an opiate (morphine) was noted for the female offspring in the tail flick test. Treatment of the pregnant dam with diazepam or clonazepam, a benzodiazepine with selective affinity for the central benzodiazepine receptor, resulted in a marked depression of cellular immune responses in the offspring of both sexes up to 2 months of age. Drug treatment during early fetal period (GD 12-16), at a time central benzodiazepine receptors are not present in all brain regions of the fetal brain, did not affect the quality of cellular immune responses, whereas treatment from GD 16 to 20 was effective. Prenatal diazepam effects are discussed in view of presence and functionality of both central and peripheral benzodiazepine binding sites in the fetus.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The effect of ovariectomy on broodiness and plasma prolactin levels in turkey hens during a photo-induced reproductive cycle.

The effects of ovariectomy on broody behavior and plasma prolactin levels were examined in turkey hens that had previous histories of broodiness. Ovariectomy eliminated all nesting behavior and blocked the photostimulated increase in plasma prolactin observed in sham-operated hens. Sham-operated hens demonstrated egg-laying patterns and nesting behavior typical of broody hens. A large increase in plasma prolactin preceded broody behavior which continued as long as the elevated amounts of plasma prolactin persisted. It was concluded that the ovary is essential in expressing broody nesting behavior, the large increase in plasma prolactin associated with this behavior, and the prolactin increase in hens that did not demonstrate nesting behavior.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Differences in the number of arginine-vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons exist in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of house mice selected for differences in nest-building behavior.

Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is a homeostatic modulator of body temperature during fever and may also be involved in normal body temperature control. In the present study the hypothalamus of mice bi-directionally selected for thermoregulatory nest-building behavior was immunocytochemically labeled for AVP. The low-selected mice had a 1.5-fold higher number of AVP-immunoreactive neurons in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) compared to the unselected control and the high-selected mice. No differences between the selected lines could be detected in the number of AVP-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei (PVN). The neuroanatomical data suggest a possible role of AVP in the SCN and control of thermoregulatory nest-building behavior. Our selected mice may prove to be a model system to study the role of AVP in the SCN.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The olfactory organ modulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone types and nest-building behavior in the tilapia Oreochromis niloticus.

Direct olfactory inputs to any of the known gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) containing neurons have not been demonstrated. Therefore, the rationale of this study was to examine whether olfactory inputs might in some way interact with the GnRH system(s) to synchronize reproductive behaviors. In order to establish this, we used anosmic mature male tilapia to investigate changes in reproductive behaviors, gonadal morphology, and GnRH1, GnRH2, and GnRH3 cellular morphology and change in GnRH mRNA levels by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Bilateral removal of the olfactory rosettes followed by occlusion of the nasal cavity (ORX) inhibited nest-building behavior, but had no effect on aggressive and sexual behaviors or gonadal morphology. ORX failed to alter the morphological features of GnRH1, GnRH2, and GnRH3 (cell number, size, GnRH optical density), but significantly decreased copies of GnRH1 and GnRH2 mRNAs. GnRH immunoreactive fibers were not evident in the olfactory nerve and rosettes. DiI application to the olfactory nerve labeled inputs primarily to the glomerular layer of the olfactory bulbs and extrabulbar inputs to the forebrain but not to GnRH neurons. These results provide evidence that the olfactory rosette is crucial for modulating nest-building behavior through second-order olfactory pathways interacting with GnRH1 and GnRH2 neuronal systems.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of motor self-regulatory and stress behaviors of preterm infants across body positions.

Occupational therapists working with infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) make positioning recommendations to optimize self-regulation, with little published data supporting this practice. In this retrospective descriptive study, 15 hospitalized preterm infants (M(gestational age) = 32 weeks) were videotaped during non-caregiving periods in order to record the frequency of specific behaviors in relation to six infant positions (prone nested, prone un-nested, side-lying nested, side-lying un-nested, supine nested, and supine un-nested). Behaviors coded were those that suggest infant stress or motor efforts at self-regulation, as defined for the original study. Mixed effects regressions and post-hoc Tukey Honestly Significant Difference tests were used to analyze the data, after the calculation of a ratio of the number of behaviors in each position. Higher ratio values reflect a greater occurrence of behaviors. The number of motor self-regulatory and stress behaviors were related to infant position, with the highest ratios of behaviors observed in side-lying un-nested and the lowest in prone nested. Behavior ratios did not differ between prone un-nested and prone nested, nor between supine un-nested and supine nested. More self-regulatory and stress behaviors were related to longer periods of fussing and crying. Longer periods of light sleep were related to fewer stress behaviors. Infants performed the fewest stress behaviors in prone nested, prone un-nested, or side-lying nested. These positions may benefit infants in the NICU by reducing the need for motor-based self-regulatory behaviors and potentially conserving energy for growth.

Child Development↗