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PubMed1997

Effect of naltrexone and its derivatives, nalmefene and naltrindole, on conditioned anticipatory behaviour and saccharin intake in rats.

Drug craving, the desire to re-experience the effects of a psychoactive substance, may be an important influence on drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviour. In rats, drug-seeking behaviour can be operationalized as conditioned anticipatory behaviour, evidenced by frequent visits to, and an increased time spent and distance travelled in, the drug administration area prior to the availability of the reinforcer. The effects of the opioid antagonist, naltrexone, and its derivatives, nalmefene and naltrindole, on conditioned anticipatory behaviour and drinking-associated behaviour and fluid intake during the access phase were examined. Male Wistar rats were trained to consume 0.1% saccharin and water in a distinct environment in a free-choice limited-access procedure. Naltrexone (0.3, 1 mg/kg) decreased conditioned anticipatory behaviour and drinking-associated behaviour in the saccharin zone without affecting the corresponding behaviour in the water zone. Its derivatives had different effects. Nalmefene (0.1 mg/kg) increased drinking-associated behaviour but not conditioned anticipatory behaviour, whereas naltrindole (1, 2 mg/kg) modestly decreased conditioned anticipatory behaviour but not drinking-associated behaviour. Naltrexone (0.3, 1 mg/kg) and naltrindole (1, 2 mg/kg), but not nalmefene, selectively decreased saccharin intake. These findings suggest that the blockade of selective opioid receptors may differentially alter conditioned anticipatory behaviour, drinking-associated behaviour and consumption levels, and that these behaviours can be modified separately.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Predictors of health behaviours in college students.

AIM: This paper reports a study examining the direct effects of perceived stress, perceived availability of and satisfaction with social support, and self-efficacy, and examines the intermediary roles of perceived threat (perceived susceptibility x perceived severity), benefits, and barriers on alcohol behaviour, smoking behaviour, physical activity and nutrition behaviour, general safety behaviour and sun-protective behaviour in college students. BACKGROUND: Health behaviours formed during young adulthood may have a sustaining impact on health across later life. Entering college can be an exciting, yet stressful event for many adolescents and young adults as they face trying to adapt to changes in academic workloads, support networks, and their new environment. Coupled with these changes and new-found responsibilities, they have greater freedom and control over their lifestyles than ever before. However, researchers have shown globally that many college students engage in various risky health behaviours. METHOD: A cross-sectional sample of 161 college students enrolled in an introductory psychology course completed self-report questionnaires regarding stress; social support; self-efficacy; and components of the Health Belief Model including perceived threat, perceived benefits, perceived barriers; and common health behaviours. Step-wise multiple regression analysis was conducted and significant predictors were retained as modifiers in the path analysis. FINDINGS: Self-efficacy significantly predicted alcohol and smoking behaviour, physical activity and nutrition protective behaviour, general safety protective behaviour and sun-protective behaviour. Under high-perceived threat, self-efficacy was mediated by perceived barriers for binge drinking and moderated by perceived barriers for physical activity and nutrition behaviours. In addition, under high-perceived threat, self-efficacy was moderated by perceived threat for alcohol use at 30 days and 6 months. Under low threat, self-efficacy was mediated by perceived barriers for smoking behaviour and general safety protective behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Future health promotion programmes with college students must use interventions that maximize self-efficacy and ultimately reduce barriers to adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Habit versus planned behaviour: a field experiment.

A field experiment investigated the prediction and change in repeated behaviour in the domain of travel mode choices. Car use during seven days was predicted from habit strength (measured by self-reported frequency of past behaviour, as well as by a more covert measure based on personal scripts incorporating the behaviour), and antecedents of behaviour as conceptualized in the theory of planned behaviour (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and behavioural intention). Both habit measures predicted behaviour in addition to intention and perceived control. Significant habit x intention interactions indicated that intentions were only significantly related to behaviour when habit was weak, whereas no intention-behaviour relation existed when habit was strong. During the seven-day registration of behaviour, half of the respondents were asked to think about the circumstances under which the behaviour was executed. Compared to control participants, the behaviour of experimental participants was more strongly related to their previously expressed intentions. However, the habit-behaviour relation was unaffected. The results demonstrate that, although external incentives may increase the enactment of intentions, habits set boundary conditions for the applicability of the theory of planned behaviour.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Temporal stability as a moderator of relationships in the Theory of Planned Behaviour.

Temporal stability of behavioural intentions and perceived behavioural control (PBC) within the Theory of Planned Behaviour were examined as moderators of the cognition-behaviour relationships in two studies. Study 1 (N = 201) examined attendance at health screening appointment (infrequently performed behaviour) using an objective measure of attendance. The impact of intentions and past behaviour on behaviour was moderated by intention stability. In addition, stable intentions were more strongly related to attitudes and past behaviour. Study 2 (N = 407) examined eating a low-fat diet (frequently performed behaviour) using a self-report measure of behaviour. The impact of intentions on behaviour was moderated by intention stability, while the impact of PBC and past behaviour on behaviour was moderated by PBC stability. Stable intentions were more strongly related to attitudes, subjective norms and PBC. Stable PBC was more strongly related to attitudes and past behaviour. The discussion considers the implications of the findings for furthering the understanding of the proximal determinants of behaviour and emphasizes the importance of temporal stability as a key measure of the strength of intentions and PBC.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Behavioural treatment for chronic low-back pain.

BACKGROUND: Behavioural treatment, commonly used in the treatment of chronic low-back pain (CLBP), is primarily focused at reducing disability through the modification of environmental contingencies and cognitive processes. In general, three behavioural treatment approaches are distinguished: operant, cognitive and respondent. OBJECTIVES: To determine if behavioural therapy is more effective than reference treatments for CLBP, and which type of behavioural treatment is most effective. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycLIT databases up to October 2003. References of identified randomised trials and relevant systematic reviews were screened. SELECTION CRITERIA: Only randomised trials on behavioural treatment for non-specific CLBP were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality and extracted the data. The magnitude of effect was assessed by computing a pooled effect size for post-treatment and long-term results for each comparison, for each domain (i.e., behavioural outcomes, overall improvement, back pain specific and generic functional status, return to work, and pain intensity) using the random effects model. MAIN RESULTS: Seven studies (33%) were considered high quality. Comparing behavioural treatment to waiting list control (WLC) revealed strong evidence (4 trials, 134 people) in favour of a combined respondent-cognitive therapy for a medium positive effect on pain, and moderate evidence (2 trials, 39 people) in favour of progressive relaxation for a large positive effect on pain and behavioural outcomes (short-term only). When comparing operant treatment to WLC no significant differences could be detected on general functional status (strong evidence: 2 trials, 87 people) or on behavioural outcomes (moderate evidence; 3 trials, 153 people) (short-term only). There is limited evidence (1 trial, 98 people) that a graded activity program in an industrial setting is more effective than usual care for early return to work and reduced long-term sick leave. There is limited evidence (1 trail, 39 people) that there are no differences between behavioural treatment and exercises. Finally, there is moderate evidence (6 trials, 210 people) that there are no significant differences in short-term and long-term effectiveness when behavioural components are added to usual treatment programs for CLBP (i.e. physiotherapy, back education) on pain, generic functional status and behavioural outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Combined respondent-cognitive therapy and progressive relaxation therapy are more effective than WLC on short-term pain relief. However, it is unknown whether these results sustain in the long term. No significant differences could be detected between behavioural treatment and exercise therapy. Whether clinicians should refer patients with CLBP to behavioural treatment programs or to active conservative treatment cannot be concluded from this review.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed2004

Sodium valproate in aggressive behaviour in dementia: a twelve-week open label follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: Short-term randomised clinical trials on valproate in distinct types of disturbed behaviour in dementia showed no effects on aggressive behaviour. OBJECTIVES: To assess the course of disturbed behaviour during medium term treatment with sodium valproate for aggressive behaviour. DESIGN: An open label observational 12-week follow-up study consecutive to a preceding randomised control trial; assessments at 4-week interval. SETTING: A psychogeriatric medium-stay ward at a psychiatric teaching hospital and psychogeriatric nursing home wards. PARTICIPANTS: Patients who completed a preceding randomised placebo controlled clinical trial on sodium valproate in aggressive behaviour in dementia were included. INTERVENTION: The starting dose of sodium valproate was 2 x 6 ml of a 40 mg/ml suspension (daily defined dose of 480 mg). The patient's regular physicians managed all treatment decisions, including decisions on dosage and plasma level measurements of sodium valproate and decisions regarding discontinuation. Co-medication was allowed and any change in prescription was recorded. MEASUREMENTS: The Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale-9 (SDAS-9), the Behaviour Observation scales for Intramural Psychogeriatrics (in Dutch: Gedragsobservatieschaal voor Intramurale Psychogeriatrie (GIP) and the Clinical Global Impression of aggressive behaviour (CGI) were performed at the last week of each 4-week interval. RESULTS: Data of 39 patients (F=24 and M=15) were analysed. At week 12 compared to week 0 mean sodium valproate prescriptions were higher; aggressive behaviour as measured by the SDAS-9 improved. Non-social behaviour, apathetic behaviour, disoriented behaviour and distorted memory improved, but rebellious behaviour increased as measured by the GIP. Seven patients died during this study. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: Open label observational design; absence of placebo/reference prescription; no systematic measurements of sodium valproate plasma levels and the allowance of psychotropic co-medication. CONCLUSION: Low dose sodium valproate may be effective reducing a broad range of types of disturbed behaviours in aggressive demented patients. The high death rate underlines the fragility of demented patients with aggressive behaviour.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Conflict resolution in 5-year-old boys: does postconflict affiliative behaviour have a reconciliatory role?

In nonhuman primates, affiliative behaviours, such as social grooming and various forms of body contact, become more frequent after an aggressive interaction. Since such behaviours lead to a decrease in postconflict aggressive behaviour and displacement activities and to increased social tolerance, they have been labelled reconciliatory. We videofilmed sessions of free play in daycare centres in Stockholm and investigated whether affiliative behaviours used by 5-year-old boys in the postconflict period had a similar reconciliatory function. For 219 conflicts in 21 h 40 min of observation we recorded postconflict affiliative/prosocial, aggressive and displacement behaviours. When affiliative behaviours were shown and accepted by the opponent, aggressive and displacement behaviours decreased and play was promoted. These behaviours thus serve a function similar to reconciliatory behaviour in nonhuman primates and we think it is applicable to call accepted affiliative behaviours in postconflict periods of preschool children reconciliatory. However, conflicts were often polyadic and nonconflict periods consisted of intense play with a rich exchange of affiliative behaviours. These factors were limitations to the postconflict/matched-control method traditionally used in primatological research to document reconciliatory behaviour. We suggest that for preschool children, video recordings and an analysis and description of postconflict affiliative, aggressive and displacement behaviours can be used instead. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Self-reported suicidal and help seeking behaviours in the general population in Latvia.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of suicidal behaviours in the general population in Latvia, to identify risk groups for suicidal behaviour, to examine a possible continuous sequence of suicidal behaviours with underlying gradient of severity, to assess patterns of help seeking behaviours and preferences of different types of services for suicidal persons. METHOD: A postal survey of a stratified proportional sample of the general population aged 18 and older was carried out. RESULTS: The last year and lifetime prevalence of any type of suicidal behaviours was 52.6 and 60.2 %. The incidence of self-reported suicide attempts was 1.8 and 5.1 %, respectively. Females reported significantly less serious types (includes ideation, plans and/or attempts) of suicidal behaviours (OR 0.04, p = 0.001) during last year than males. Younger age, lower level of education, urban residency and Latvian ethnicity were identified as risk factors for serious types of suicidal behaviours in both genders. Non-cohabitation status (OR 5.3, p = 0.01) and lower level of education for males, but higher levels of education for females were identified as significant risk factors for mild types (solely life-weariness and/or death wishes) of suicidal behaviours. The results indicated no simple cumulative relationship between the suicidal behaviours. Age, gender, previous help seeking experience and severity of self-reported suicidal behaviours influenced help seeking behaviours. The overall acceptance of professional services was high, but people who reported suicidal behaviours ranked them lower. CONCLUSIONS: A postal survey can provide a reasonable coverage of suicidal behaviours and description of risk groups in the general population. Higher prevalence of suicidal behaviours among males might indicate that nowadays males are under certain stress in Latvia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Genetics in the analysis of behaviour.

Behaviour genetics has developed rapidly in the last two decades and has now gone far beyond the stage of merely measuring the extent to which individual differences on a particular behaviour can be attributed to genetic factors. This paper discusses the uses to which genetics can be put in efficient experimental design, in determining the generality of results and, most importantly, in the simultaneous analysis of several behaviours and their relationship to each other and to physical and biochemical parameters. Because the principles of genetics apply to all organisms, the first animal discussed is Drosophila, the vinegar fly, which is a vital tool in genetics but which has met with scant attention among psychologists. Drosophila has some unique advantages such as the sex mosaic technique for studying sexual behaviour, but most of the discussion concerns learning and the extent to which parallels can be found between Drosophila and the vertebrates, both in terms of process and of genetic control. It is demonstrated how strain differences and the response to artificial selection can distinguish between learning and other components of behaviour. Drosophila are also used to explain how the type of genetic control can suggest the way in which natural selection acts upon the particular behaviour and further examples from rodents are discussed to show that this is a general result across species. There are many inbred strains and selection lines of mice and rats and examples from a wide range of behaviours illustrate the advantages of using such stocks. The concept of the 'behavioural phenotype' is explained, where genetic differences on a wide range of behaviours are considered, rather than just focusing on one behaviour or one response to a particular drug or environmental treatment. Many different aspects of open-field behaviour, learning and mother-infant interaction are used as examples of this concept. The extent of genotype-environmental interaction is considered, since the possibility that each genotype will have a unique response to a brief discussion of human behaviour genetics, since here again the concern is not just with the trivial question of measuring 'heritability', but rather with how such information can be used to understand behaviour. The final suggestion is that psychology may gain by having more contact not only with geneticists, but also with the ecologists concerned with the significance of behavioural differences in the wild.

Aggression↗
PubMed1994

The psychology of perserverative and stereotyped behaviour.

Many forms of psychopathology in higher animals and humans include the production of maladaptive, repetitive behaviour. Behaviour which is both repetitive and excessive in amount can be described as stereotyped whereas behaviour which represents a restriction of behavioural possibilities without excessive production can be described as perseverative. Both types of repetition can result from pathology in the neural mechanisms which control either the production of motor output or the organisation of behaviour at a higher level. A number of forms of repetitive behaviour can be induced environmentally. Confinement in adulthood results in a functional disorder which rapidly dissipates when normal conditions are restored but confinement in infancy may have a permanent effect on the organism's ability to interact in a flexible and creative way with its environment. The permanence of these disorders suggests that the environment can affect the way in which the nervous system develops. Repetitive behaviour is also a feature of mental illness including schizophrenia, autism, OCD, addiction and some neurological disorders including frontal lobe lesions, Tourette's syndrome and PD. In experimental studies in animals, stereotyped behaviour seems to be related mainly to excess dopaminergic activity in the basal ganglia while perserverative behaviour can be produced by lesions of the frontal lobes. It is supposed that the level of dopamine activity in the basal ganglia affects the baseline level of behavioural activation such that excess activation results in the excessive execution of the most probable response to the environment to the exclusion of other possibilities (i.e. stereotypy) while deficient activation results in the production of only a few responses which can exceed the necessary activation level (i.e. perseveration). In either case behaviour is 'stimulus-bound', being driven by only the most salient feature of the environment. The symptoms of PD result from inadequate levels of dopamine in the basal ganglia while the stimulant psychoses result from excessive availability of dopamine. The frontal lobes have a modulating effect on (i) the activation of motor activity by the basal ganglia, (ii) in the generation of self-initiated behaviour, i.e. volition, and (iii) in the neural mechanisms which permit different modes of neural function (e.g. perceiving, remembering or thinking) to be identified. Failures in these three functions could result in excessive and repetitive motor activity, stimulus-bound behaviour, the paucity of volitional and creative behaviour, and the perceptual and experiential symptoms of psychosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Central mechanisms underlying the neural and neuroendocrine determinants of maternal behaviour.

The neuroendocrine and neurochemical events which occur in the brain in the context of maternal behaviour fall into two main categories: 1) Those which simultaneously address wide areas of the brain and lack any specific "coding" for maternal behaviour but are nevertheless essential for it to occur. The steroid hormones and rostrally projecting catecholamine systems fall into this category. The steroid hormones may be viewed as primers, but not just for maternal behaviour, while the amines, specifically noradrenaline, act to synchronise a variety of neural systems associated with maternal behaviour. These include the activation of neuroendocrine mechanisms important for the peripheral changes associated with maternal behaviour, an interaction with the oxytocin and beta-endorphin peptidergic systems which are the specific addressing systems, and enhancement of sensory signals and learning contingent upon parturition. Indeed, parturition is the physiological event which activates the noradrenergic system in the context of maternal behaviour. 2) Those which address restricted areas of the brain and may be viewed as specific to maternal behaviour. Their action is dependent on estrogen priming and the noradrenergic synchronisation of other neural events in order for complete maternal behaviour to ensue. The oxytocinergic and beta-endorphin peptidergic systems fall into this category, promoting maternal behaviour and the neural reinforcement associated with this. In order to ensure specificity, these peptidergic systems may be inhibitory to potentially competing behaviours such as sexual behaviour and the reproductive neuroendocrine response associated with it. Although not discussed in this review, the nigrostriatal dopamine projection may be considered both specific, in that it relates only to motor events, and non-specific, in that this relationship exists in all behavioural contexts. Finally, as maternal behaviour progresses, other parts of the brain are called upon to coordinate the different behaviours that become associated with maternalism and ensure protection and feeding of the offspring. The suckling stimulus appears to be important for activating these neural systems by way of the peripeduncular nucleus.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Sturdy childhood predictors of adult antisocial behaviour: replications from longitudinal studies.

Results are compared in studies of 4 male cohorts - 1 all white, 1 all black, and 2 racially representative of the population - growing up in different eras, followed past varying portions of their adult lives, living in different parts of the US. Despite sample differences and differences in sources of information and in the variables used to measure both childhood predictors and adult outcomes, some striking replications appear with respect to childhood predictors of adult antisocial behaviour. All types of antisocial behaviour in childhood predict a high level of antisocial behaviour in adulthood and each kind of adult antisocial behaviour is predicted by the number of childhood antisocial behaviours, indicating that adult and childhood antisocial behaviour both form syndromes and that these syndromes are closely interconnected. Also confirmed across studies are: (1) adult antisocial behaviour virtually requires childhood antisocial behaviour; (2) most antisocial children do not become antisocial adults; (3) the variety of antisocial behaviour in childhood is a better predictor of adult antisocial behaviour than is any particular behaviour; (4) adult antisocial behaviour is better predicted by childhood behaviour than by family background or social class of rearing; (5) social class makes little contribution to the prediction of serious adult antisocial behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Social patterning and prediction of parent-reported behaviour problems at 3 years in a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To study the determinants of parent-reported behaviour problems at 3 years and the value of behaviour problems reported at 8 and 18 months as predictors of behaviour at 3 years STUDY DESIGN: A whole year birth cohort SETTING: Coventry MAIN OUTCOMES: Parent-reported behaviour problems at 3 years PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2580 infants were enrolled into the Coventry Cohort Study at the birth visit by their family health visitor. Data on parent-reported behaviour at all three ages (8 months, 18 months and 3 years) were available on 775 infants. RESULTS: Living in rented accommodation [adjusted OR 2.38 (95% CI 1.36, 4.21); OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence intervals] and living in a smoking household [adjusted OR 2.47 (95% CI 1.53, 3.99)] were independently associated with parent-reported behaviour problems at 3 years after controlling for other sociodemographic variables in logistic regression. The risk of behaviour problems at 3 years was increased in those reporting behaviour problems at 8 months [OR 3.77 (95% CI 1.73, 8.20)] and 18 months [OR 5.84 (95% CI 3.34, 10.23)] after adjustment for sociodemographic variables and other health problems. Behaviour at 8 months as a predictor of behaviour at 3 years had a sensitivity of 13.9%, a specificity of 95.7%, a positive predictive value of 32.6%, and positive and negative likelihood ratios of 3.23 and 0.90. For behaviour at 18 months, the sensitivity was 35.6%, the specificity 92.9%, the positive predictive value 42.9%, and positive and negative likelihood ratios 5.01 and 0.69. CONCLUSIONS: Parent-reported behaviour problems at 8 and 18 months are highly specific but not particularly sensitive as predictors of behaviour problems at 3 years. Assuming the availability of an effective early intervention, use of a question such as that in the Warwick Child Health and Morbidity Profile at 8 and 18 months will identify, respectively, 21% and 36% of children at risk of parent-reported behaviour problems at 3 years.

Child Behavior Disorders↗
PubMed2001

Problem behaviour, caregiver reactions, and impact among caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Problem behaviours that occur during Alzheimer's disease (AD) can have major impact on caregivers. How caregivers react to these behaviours may determine the total impact experienced from caregiving. PURPOSE: This study examined the relationships between problematic behaviours and caregiving impact in 30 primary caregivers of persons with AD. The first question explored the relationship between frequency of problem behaviour and impact; the second explored the relationship between caregiver reactions to problem behaviours and impact from caregiving. METHODS: The frequency of problem behaviour and the caregiver reaction was measured using The Revised Memory and Behaviour Problem Checklist (Teri et al. 1992). The impact from caregiving was operationalized using the Cost of Care Index developed by Kosberg and Cairl (1986). RESULTS: Significant associations were found for 11 of the 20 subscales that measured the association between the frequency of problem behaviour in the client and the impact from caregiving experienced by the caregiver. In comparison, the association between caregiver's reaction to problem behaviours and impact from caregiving was even more significant in value with 15 subscales of 20 being significant. Female caregivers experienced a greater reaction to disruptive and depressive behaviour when compared with male caregivers even though both genders reported similar frequencies of problem behaviours. In regard to findings about the impact from caregiving, four of the six indicators were higher for women than for men. CONCLUSIONS: Caregiver reaction to problem behaviours was more highly associated with impact from caregiving than the actual frequency of the behaviours. These findings have great implications for intervention programs. Caregivers, especially females, need to receive individualized, specific education/training on how to understand and manage disruptive and depressive behaviour in persons with AD.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The influence of self-efficacy and past behaviour on the physical activity intentions of young people.

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of self-efficacy and past behaviour on young people's physical activity intentions using an augmented version of Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour. We hypothesized that self-efficacy would exhibit discriminant validity with perceived behavioural control and explain unique variance in young people's intentions to participate in physical activity. We also expected that past physical activity behaviour would attenuate the influence of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and self-efficacy on intention. The sample comprised 1,152 young people aged 13.5 +/- 0.6 years (mean +/- s) who completed inventories assessing their physical activity intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, self-efficacy and past physical activity behaviour. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour achieved discriminant validity. Furthermore, the measures of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and self-efficacy were significantly related to their respective belief-based measures, supporting the concurrent validity of the measures of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A non-standard structural equation model demonstrated that attitude and self-efficacy were strong predictors of physical activity intention, but perceived behavioural control and subjective norms were not. Self-efficacy attenuated the influence of attitudes and perceived behavioural control on intention. Past behaviour predicted intention directly and indirectly through self-efficacy and attitude. The present findings demonstrate that young people with positive attitudes and high self-efficacy are more likely to form intentions to participate in physical activity. Furthermore, controlling for past physical activity behaviour revealed that the unique effects of self-efficacy and attitudes on young people's physical activity intentions were unaltered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2007

Behavioural equivalents of anxiety in children with fragile X syndrome: parent and teacher report.

BACKGROUND: Identifying many of the diagnostic criteria for anxiety and depression in individuals with intellectual disability (ID) can be challenging because they may be unable to recognize and communicate their emotional experiences accurately. The purpose of this study is to identify behavioural equivalents of anxiety in children with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading inherited cause of ID. METHODS: Parents and teachers of 43 children (aged 6-14 years) with full mutation FXS completed two standardized questionnaires on children's problem behaviour and psychiatric symptoms. Items from the questionnaires thought to be possible behavioural equivalents of anxiety were identified and grouped into four domains: Avoidance Behaviours - Confrontational; Avoidance Behaviours - Non-confrontational; Anxiety Continuum Behaviours; and Behavioural Dysregulation. The mean rating for the four groups of items was used to predict the children's status for exhibiting significant problems with anxiety as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-oriented Anxiety Subscale from the problem behaviour scale. RESULTS: The predictor variables classified 81% (parent rating) and 86% (teacher rating) of the children correctly. Avoidance Behaviours - Confrontational and Avoidance Behaviours - Non-confrontational (teacher rating) and Anxiety Continuum Behaviours (parent and teacher rating) made unique contributions to the models. CONCLUSIONS: Children who are unable to identify and communicate that they worry about general day-to-day events may exhibit more observable behaviours resembling active and passive avoidance (e.g. arguing, avoiding difficult tasks, staring off) or have specific phobias and compulsions. These findings suggest that there are behavioural equivalents for anxiety disorder in children with FXS and, more generally, support the notion of behavioural equivalents in ID.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Behavioural time-energy budgets of cooperatively breeding Neolamprologus pulcher (Pisces: Cichlidae).

We estimated the energy expenditures resulting from helping behaviour in the cooperatively breeding cichlid N. pulcher by measuring the metabolic rates directly associated with specific social and territory maintenance behaviours of individual pair males and females, and their helpers, in a respirometer. In pair males, pair females and helpers, routine metabolism was raised on average 4.4, 3.8 and 3.6 times, respectively, during agonistic behaviour. Helpers spent 3.3 and 6.1 times routine metabolism, respectively, on submissive behaviour (tail quivering) and digging. These estimates of energy expenditure were combined with laboratory time budgets, obtained previously, to calculate behavioural time-energy budgets for pair members and helpers. Both groups spent on average 98.5% of total metabolism on routine and standard metabolism. With regard to the energy expended on specific behaviours, pair males invested almost exclusively in intrafamily agonistic behaviour, while pair females and helpers shared the investment in territory maintenance and direct brood care. The behavioural energy budget of helpers was strongly determined by their submissive behaviour. This serves to maintain the social status of the helpers within the family hierarchy and may therefore be regarded as 'paying for staying', which may also be true for direct brood care and other helper duties. We conclude that the substantial energy expenditures associated with helping behaviours are probably partly responsible for the reduced growth rates of helpers. This is the first study in which energy expenditures associated with specific helping behaviours have been measured in brood care helpers, and it provides the first estimate of total behavioural energy expenditure in a cooperatively breeding fish. (c) 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Heroin self-administration under a second-order schedule of reinforcement: acquisition and maintenance of heroin-seeking behaviour in rats.

RATIONALE: Second-order schedules of heroin self-administration provide a method of measuring heroin-seeking behaviour independently of the effects of the drug on motor behaviour and of investigating the role of heroin-associated stimuli in such heroin-seeking behaviour. OBJECTIVES: These experiments aimed to establish a second-order schedule of heroin self-administration in rats, similar to that already established in this laboratory for cocaine self-administration and to investigate the role of discrete heroin-associated stimuli in the maintenance of heroin-seeking behaviour under a second-order schedule of reinforcement. METHODS: Heroin i.v. self-administration (0.04 mg/infusion) was initially contingent upon a lever press, and each infusion was paired with presentation of a 20-s light-conditioned stimulus (CS). Following acquisition of heroin self-administration, the response requirement was progressively increased so that, ultimately, responding was maintained under a fixed interval (FI) 15 min [fixed ratio (FR)5:S] second-order schedule. The effects of varying the dose of heroin (0.01 mg and 0.08 mg/infusion) and pre-treatment with the mu-opiate receptor antagonist, naloxone, on responding under a FI15(FR5:S) schedule were investigated. In addition, the role of the heroin-associated CS on responding was assessed by measuring the effects of omitting the CS during heroin-seeking behaviour and during extinction of responding, as well as the effect of CS presentation on the reinstatement of heroin-seeking behaviour following extinction. RESULTS: A second-order schedule of heroin self-administration was established. There were no clear effects on heroin-seeking behaviour of increasing or decreasing the dose of heroin. Although no effect of naloxone pre-treatment was seen on heroin-seeking behaviour during the first, drug-free interval of responding, an extinction-like pattern of responding was seen in that interval during subsequent sessions. Omission of the light CS resulted in a reduction in levels of responding for i.v. heroin, indicating its role in maintaining heroin-seeking behaviour. However, under extinction conditions, response-contingent CS presentations did not affect the rate of extinction, nor did non-contingent presentations of the CS following extinction reinstate heroin-seeking behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: These experiments have established a method of measuring heroin-seeking behaviour in rats by adopting a second-order schedule of i.v. heroin self-administration. The results indicate a relatively weak impact of discrete, heroin-associated cues on heroin-seeking behaviour relative to cocaine-seeking behaviour studied under similar conditions.

Animals↗