A review of the preference-avoidance response of fishes to aquatic contaminants.
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Animals↗
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Defensive burying of flavors paired with lithium but not amphetamine.
Although rats demonstrated avoidance of both lithium- and amphetamine-paired flavored solutions, only the lithium-paired flavor elicited a defensive burying response. These data support the contention that lithium-paired flavors become hedonically unpalatable. Additionally, a simplified economical method for measuring defensive burying is described.
Amphetamine↗
The effects of amphetamine, imipramine and ICI 58,834 (Vivalan), a potential antidepressant, on unconditioned behaviour in rats.
The effects of amphetamine, imipramine and ICI 58,834 (Vivalan), on the unconditioned behaviour of rats were compared using a novelty preference test and the open field test. Overall, the effects of ICI 58,834 (Vivalan) showed a marked resemblance to those of imipramine but differed from those of amphetamine. It is suggested that an adequate explanation of these drugs' effects can be offered in terms of changes in emotional reactivity, in general activity, and in exploratory activity. A dissociation of drug effects on general and exploratory activity in the novelty preference test was demonstrated. The use of this test and the open field test in drug screening is briefly discussed.
Amphetamine↗
Reaction time indices of attention deficits in boys with disruptive behavior disorders.
Boys with diagnoses in the disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) spectrum and normal controls were tested in two reaction time (RT) experiments. In Experiment I simple warned RT was measured and the length and regularity of the preparatory intervals were varied in order to study sustained attention in the sense of preparation. With age and IQ controlled, DBD boys had slower and more variable RT overall than controls and showed generally more pronounced effects of variations in the length and sequence of the preparatory intervals. The results suggest that DBD boys are subject to lapses of attention which are increased by a relatively long preparatory interval, and that they have a particular problem with temporal uncertainty. In Experiment II some aspects of selective attention were studied in a paradigm in which stimulus modality uncertainty and response selection were varied. DBD boys showed greater effects of modality uncertainty but not response selection than controls. No differences between subdiagnoses within the DBD spectrum could be demonstrated.
Attention↗
The design of mazes to study Drosophila behavior.
Although mazes have been widely used in studying phototaxis, geotaxis, and, more recently, learning in Drosophila, there is no uniformity in maze design, and little is known about the effects such apparatus differences may have on behavior. The new maze design described here is based on T-junctions, molded individually in acrylic, and provides an inexpensive and standardized means of building mazes to any desired specification. The need for uniformity in maze design is demonstrated with an experiment on three variables at the start of a maze that affect the subsequent response of four strains of D. melanogaster in different ways. Some implications for future Drosophila research using mazes are considered.
Animals↗
Motor food conditioning before and after destruction of the red nucleus in cats.
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Animals↗
Effect of clonidine on the responsiveness of infant rats to maternal stimuli.
Clonidine (0.1 mg/kg), an alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, stimulated ultrasonic callings in 10-day-old rats. Unlike normal isolated rat pups, the vocalizations of clonidine-treated rats appeared resilient to maternal cues. Thus, clonidine-induced vocalizations did not decrease during intraoral infusions with 10% sucrose, exposure to home cage bedding or tactile stimulation of the skin. Clonidine (0.05; 0.1; 0.2 mg/kg) also disrupted the attraction normally shown by infant rats to home cage odours in an olfactory place preference test. This effect by clonidine was not shared by raclopride (1-4 mg/kg), naltrexone (0.5-2.0 mg/kg) or propranolol (2.5-10.0 mg/kg). Clonidine-treated infants (0.05; 0.1; 0.2 mg/kg) also failed to apprehend and attach to the anaesthetized mother's nipple. The results raise the possibility that alpha 2-adrenoceptor activation blunts the infant's receptivity to maternal olfactory incentives and intensifies separation-induced responses.
Animals↗
The 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT dose-dependently interferes with the establishment and the expression of lithium-induced conditioned rejection reactions in rats.
RATIONALE: The present experiments evaluated the potential of the 5-HT(1A )agonist, 8-OH-DPAT (DPAT), which reduces serotonin availability, to interfere with both the establishment and with the expression of lithium-induced conditioned rejection reactions (experiment 1) and lithium-induced taste avoidance (experiment 2). OBJECTIVES. To determine the effect of reduced serotonin availability on conditioned rejection reactions, a rat model of nausea. METHODS: Rats were injected with 8-OH-DPAT [at doses of 0.0 (saline), 0.01 or 0.1 mg/kg, SC] 30 min prior to exposure to 0.1% saccharin solution by intra-oral infusion (experiment 1) or by bottle presentation (experiment 2). Immediately following saccharin exposure, rats were injected with 20 ml/kg lithium chloride (0.15 M) or 20 ml/kg saline solution. On each of three test trials, rats were injected with DPAT [0.0 (saline), 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg, SC; counterbalanced order], 30 min prior to exposure to saccharin solution by intra-oral infusion (experiment 1) or by a two-bottle test (experiment 2: saccharin and water). RESULTS: DPAT interfered with both the establishment (at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, SC) and with the expression (at doses of 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg, SC) of lithium-induced conditioned rejection reactions; however, DPAT did not modulate taste avoidance in a consumption test. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that conditioned rejection reactions, but not taste avoidance, can be attenuated by the anti-emetic agent, 8-OH-DPAT.
8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗
Role of acetaldehyde in ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversion in rats.
RATIONALE: In spite of many recent studies on the effects of acetaldehyde, it is still unclear whether acetaldehyde mediates the reinforcing and/or aversive effects of ethanol. OBJECTIVES: The present study reexamined the role of acetaldehyde in ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversion (CTA). A first experiment compared ethanol- and acetaldehyde-induced CTA. In a second experiment, cyanamide, an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor, was administered before conditioning with either ethanol or acetaldehyde to investigate the effects of acetaldehyde accumulation. METHODS: A classic CTA protocol was used to associate the taste of a saccharin solution with either ethanol or acetaldehyde injections. In experiment 1, saccharin consumption was followed by injections of either ethanol (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 g/kg) or acetaldehyde (0, 100, 170 or 300 mg/kg). In experiment 2, the rats were pretreated with either saline or cyanamide (25 mg/kg) before conditioning with either ethanol or acetaldehyde. RESULTS: Both ethanol and acetaldehyde induced significant CTA. However, ethanol produced a very strong CTA relative to acetaldehyde that induced only a weak CTA even at toxic doses. Cyanamide pretreatments significantly potentiated ethanol- but not acetaldehyde-induced CTA. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that ethanol-induced CTA does not result from brain acetaldehyde effects. In contrast, it is suggested that the reinforcing effects of brain acetaldehyde might actually reduce ethanol-induced CTA. Our results also suggest that the inhibition of brain catalase activity may contribute to the potentiating effects of cyanamide on ethanol-induced CTA.
Acetaldehyde↗
Periadolescent and adult rats respond differently in tests measuring the rewarding and aversive effects of nicotine.
RATIONALE: Initiation of tobacco use typically begins during adolescence, and the nature of these first experiences with nicotine may affect the probability of continued use. In rodents, a number of studies suggest that periadolescents are more responsive to the rewarding effects of nicotine compared to adults. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to determine if there are age differences in the rewarding and aversive effects of nicotine by using the conditioned place preference (CPP) and conditioned taste avoidance (CTA) paradigms, respectively. We also examined age differences in locomotor responses to nicotine. METHODS: In the CPP paradigm, male periadolescent and adult Wistar rats received nicotine (0.2, 0.4, or 0.8 mg/kg, s.c.) or vehicle prior to place conditioning trials. In the CTA paradigm, in separate groups of rats, periadolescents and adults were exposed to a 0.1% saccharin solution, followed by the administration of nicotine (0.2, 0.4, or 0.8 mg/kg, s.c.) or vehicle. Four saccharin-nicotine pairings were followed by a preference test and three extinction sessions. RESULTS: In the CPP paradigm, nicotine produced a dose-dependent place preference in periadolescent, but not in adult, rats. In the CTA paradigm, adult rats expressed a dose-dependent avoidance of saccharin after pairings with nicotine, whereas periadolescents were resistant to CTA formation. With regard to locomotor activity, adults and periadolescents showed comparable locomotor responses to nicotine. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that periadolescent rats find nicotine more rewarding and less aversive, compared to adult rats. This shift in the balance between the rewarding and aversive effects of nicotine may make adolescents more susceptible to continued nicotine use.
Aging↗
Responses of neurons in the lateral intraparietal area to central visual cues.
Goal-directed behavior is characterized by flexible stimulus-action mappings. The lateral intraparietal area (area LIP) contains a representation of extra-personal space that is used to guide goal-directed behavior. To examine further how area LIP contributes to these flexible stimulus-action mappings, we recorded LIP activity while rhesus monkeys participated in two different cueing tasks. In the first task, the color of a central light indicated the location of a monkey's saccadic endpoint in the absence of any other visual stimuli. In the second task, the color of a central light indicated which of two visual targets was the saccadic goal. In both tasks, LIP activity was modulated by these non-spatial cues. These observations further suggest a role for area LIP in mediating endogenous associations that link stimuli with actions.
Action Potentials↗
Crop scents affect the occurrence of trophallaxis among forager honeybees.
Previous evidence indicates that the recognition of the nectar delivered by forager honeybees within the colony may have been a primitive method of communication on food resources. Thus, the association between scent and reward that nectar foragers establish while they collect on a given flower species should be retrieved during trophallaxis, i.e., the transfer of liquid food by mouth, and, accordingly, foraging experience could affect the occurrence of these interactions inside the nest. We used experimental arenas to analyze how crop scents carried by donor bees affect trophallaxis among foragers, i.e., donors and receivers, which differ in their foraging experience. Results showed that whenever the foragers had collected unscented sugar solution from a feeder the presence of scents in the solution carried by donors did not affect the occurrence of trophallaxis nor its dynamics. In contrast, whenever the foragers had previous olfactory information, new scents present in the crop of the donors negatively affected the occurrence, but not the dynamics of trophallaxis. Thus, the association learned at the food source seems to be retrieved during trophallaxis, and it is possible that known scents present in the mouthparts of nest-mates may operate as a triggering stimulus to elicit trophallactic behavior within the hive.
Animal Communication↗
Shape discrimination by wasps (Paravespula germanica) at the food source: generalization among various types of contrast.
Wasps ( Paravespula germanica) were trained and tested at an artificial feeding site, using convex shapes that produced colour contrast, luminance contrast, or motion contrast against the background. With each of the three types of contrast, we tested the wasps' capacity to discriminate the learned shape from novel shapes. In addition, in each experiment we tested the wasps' capability to recognize the learned shape when it offered a different type of contrast than that it had during the training. With the coloured shapes, a side-glance at the colour discrimination performance of the wasps was possible in addition. Wasps are found to discriminate between a variety of convex shapes regardless of the type of contrast that they produce against the background. Mainly, they discriminate the learned shape from novel shapes even if the colour of the shapes or the type of contrast they produce against the background is altered in the test. Thus, wasps generalize the learned shape from one colour to another, as well as between colour contrast, luminance contrast, and motion contrast.
Animals↗
Duration discrimination in the mouse (Mus musculus).
Detection thresholds for an increment in duration of a 10-kHz pure tone were determined in the NMRI mouse using a Go/NoGo-procedure and the method of constant stimuli. Thresholds for reference durations of 50, 100 and 200 ms were obtained presenting the signals at a fixed level or at a level varying by +/-3 dB. Thresholds were determined using signal-detection theory ( d'=1.0 or d'=1.8) and the criterion of 50% correct responses. For a fixed level, the average Weber fraction Delta T/ T (criterion of d'=1.8) significantly decreased from 1.18 or 1.23 at reference durations of 50 or 100 ms, respectively, to 0.97 at a reference duration of 200 ms. Thresholds were on average reduced by 46.8 or 55.4% for the threshold criteria d'=1 or 50% correct responses, respectively. There was no effect of randomizing the level on the discrimination threshold. Duration discrimination in the NMRI mouse does not follow Weber's law. The results are consistent with a mechanism summing up neural impulses over the duration of the stimulus. The psychoacoustic data are compared with results obtained by Brand et al. (J Acoust Soc Am 51:1291-1223, 2000) on the representation of acoustic signal duration in the mouse inferior colliculus.
Acoustic Stimulation↗
Dichromatic colour vision in an Australian marsupial, the tammar wallaby.
Despite earlier assertions that most mammals are colour blind, colour vision has in recent years been demonstrated in a variety of eutherian mammals from a wide range of different orders. This paper presents the first behavioural evidence from colour discrimination experiments, that an Australian marsupial, the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), has dichromatic colour vision. In addition, the experiments show that the wallabies readily learn the relationship between the presented colours rather than the absolute hues. This provides a sensitive method to measure the location of the neutral-point, which is the wavelength of monochromatic light that is indistinguishable from white. This point is a diagnostic feature for dichromats. The spectral sensitivity of the wallabies' middle-wavelength-sensitive photoreceptor is known (peak: 539 nm) and the behavioural results imply that the sensitivity of the short-wavelength-sensitive receptor must be near 420 nm. These spectral sensitivities are similar to those found in eutherian mammals, supporting the view that the earliest mammals had dichromatic colour vision.
Animals↗
Selection of tool diameter by New Caledonian crows Corvus moneduloides.
One important element of complex and flexible tool use, particularly where tool manufacture is involved, is the ability to select or manufacture appropriate tools anticipating the needs of any given task-an ability that has been rarely tested in non-primates. We examine aspects of this ability in New Caledonian crows-a species known to be extraordinary tool users and manufacturers. In a 2002 study, Chappell and Kacelnik showed that these crows were able to select a tool of the appropriate length for a task among a set of different lengths, and in 2002, Weir, Chappell and Kacelnik showed that New Caledonian crows were able to shape unfamiliar materials to create a usable tool for a specific task. Here we examine their handling of tool diameter. In experiment 1, we show that when facing three loose sticks that were usable as tools, they preferred the thinnest one. When the three sticks were presented so that one was loose and the other two in a bundle, they only disassembled the bundle when their preferred tool was tied. In experiment 2, we show that they manufacture, and modify during use, a tool of a suitable diameter from a tree branch, according to the diameter of the hole through which the tool will have to be inserted. These results add to the developing picture of New Caledonian crows as sophisticated tool users and manufacturers, having an advanced level of folk physics.
Animals↗
Stimulus over-selectivity in rats.
The present study explored whether a similar phenomenon to stimulus over-selectivity occurred in rats, in the hope of establishing a non-human model for the autism. Rats were serially presented with two-15 seconds, two-element compound stimuli prior to the delivery of food, in an appetitive classical conditioning procedure. Each compound stimulus consisted of two lights. Once the rats had acquired a conditioned response (CR) to the stimuli, they were presented with each of the component elements separately in extinction. The rats demonstrated greater conditioning to components of the compound presented just prior to reinforcement than to the components of the temporally distant compound. However, there was a smaller difference between CRs to the components of the compound presented just prior to reinforcement (i.e. less overshadowing) than between the components of the temporally distant compound. It is suggested that rats demonstrated a form of stimulus over-selectivity, resulting in greater overshadowing of one cue by another. Such results may form the basis of a viable non-human model of this symptom of autistic spectrum disorder.
Animals↗
Location by odour and turn selection as two stages in the spontaneous alternation of rats.
Rats were given two free unrewarded trials per day in different T-mazes, oriented at 90 degrees to each other, and wiped with either Cajuput or Anise, which produced distinctive odours. The rate of spontaneous alternation was 82.8 per cent when the same odour was present on both trials, 62.5 per cent when the odour was changed between trials. This result was taken to support the hypothesis that alternation is a two-stage process, involving location then turn selection, and that odour is one of the stimuli used by the rat in locating itself.
Animals↗