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At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Maturational age affects pirenperone dose-response pattern.

The effects of the 5-HT2 antagonist pirenperone on temperature preference were observed 1 hr after injection in mice aged 3, 5 and 7 days and at doses of 0.16, 0.48 and 1.6 mg/kg body weight. Although all 3 doses produced significant decreases in preferred temperature at 3 days, only the highest dose had significant effects at ages 5 and 7 days. Analysis of the data suggests that the dose-response relationship depends on age in a way that would be consistent with a shift in the dose-response curve with increasing age.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Taste responsivity of amygdaloid units in behaving rabbit: a methodological report.

A technique is described for studying unit electrophysiology of taste in the behaving animal. Preliminary observations on response patterns by amygdaloid units to four putative basic types of taste qualities (represented by sucrose, saline, acid, and quinine), which also vary in motivational properties, revealed evidence of units with exclusive or highly differential response to either sucrose or saline in food-deprived animals. Small quantities (0.3 ml) of these palatable tastants injected intra-orally evoked neural responses lasting 5-8 sec that did not relate directly to the characteristics of the oro-lingual reaction as detected electromyographically; such sensorimotor relations were found in units sampled in the globus pallidus. Some amygdaloid units displayed differential excitatory and inhibitory modes of response to different tastants. Other cells exhibited more phasic patterns of response lasting 1-2 sec to 2 or more tastants, including unpalatable acid and quinine. The results underscore the sensitivity of the technique to stimulus parameters of taste-processing, which is basic to the study of all neurobehavioral functions of taste stimuli.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1982

Lack of association between preference for and dependence on ethanol.

Tests were performed on 60 HS mice to determine preference for ethanol before and after a period of forced ethanol ingestion via a liquid diet treatment. Seizure scores measured 4, 5 and 6 h after the end of the liquid diet treatment showed that moderate degrees of physical dependence had developed. Statistical analyses revealed a significant sex difference only for the amount of ethanol consumed during the liquid diet treatment, with females drinking more than males (on a g/kg basis). Correlation analyses indicated that preference for ethanol was not related to seizure severity or to amount consumed during the liquid diet treatment. A significant drop in preference after ethanol withdrawal was observed when pre- and post-withdrawal preference ratios were compared. These findings are discussed in the context of the usefulness of preference for ethanol as a predictor of alcoholism.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2004

Callosal agenesis affects consistency of laterality in a paw preference task in BALB/cCF mice.

We tested the hypothesis that the ontogenetic development of the corpus callosum (CC) affects the consistency of laterality in a paw preference task. Adult male mice (55 normal and 29 acallosal) of the BALB/cCF strain were initially tested (twice; inter-test interval: 72 h) in an unbiased setup in which both forepaws could easily perform a reaching movement. In a subsequent test, animals were placed in a biased setup that favored the use of the non-preferred paw. Acallosal and normal mice were strongly lateralized in the unbiased setup. Additionally, while normal mice did not present a populational bias favoring one of the paws, acallosal mice presented a significant bias favoring the left paw. In the biased setup, left- and right-pawed normal mice were equally consistent (approximately 65% of the animals, in both groups, used the preferred paw of the initial two tests, in spite of the bias). Conversely, while left-pawed acallosal mice were as consistent (65%) as normal mice, only 20% of right-pawed mice were consistent. These results suggest that the development of the CC affects consistency of laterality in a side-dependent manner. These results are discussed considering the role of the CC in the establishment of behavioral lateralization.

Agenesis of Corpus Callosum↗
PubMed2005

Type 4 phosphodiesterase inhibition impairs detection of low odor concentrations in mice.

The cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase PDE4A is abundant in the dendrites, soma and axons of olfactory receptor neurons of the mouse, but it is not present in the cilia, where olfactory transduction initiates. Although the function of PDE4A in mammalian olfaction is unknown, patch clamp studies on deciliated olfactory receptor cells in the newt have shown that adrenaline or cAMP analogs can increase the contrast sensitivity to current injection. We used mice to ask whether increasing the levels of cAMP in sensory neurons by inhibiting PDE4A activity with rolipram could lead to changes in the perception of odorants that correspond to the in vitro cellular responses seen in newts. In an automated olfactometer, rolipram treatment (1mg/kg, i.p.) significantly impaired the detection accuracy of 1-propanol at relatively high dilutions but did not affect detection at lower dilutions. Meanwhile, the ability to discriminate amyl acetate alone from a mixture of amyl acetate+citronellal was not affected by rolipram at any odor dilution. In a different task in which mice were trained to discriminate between cups of scented versus unscented sand, rolipram treatment resulted in poorer discrimination at high and better discrimination at low, odor dilutions. In sum, PDE4 inhibition resulted in a consistent decrement in the ability of mice to detect low concentrations of odorants, but the effects of rolipram on detection of higher concentrations were task-dependent.

1-Propanol↗
PubMed2005

Behavioural effects of parafascicular thalamic lesions in an animal model of parkinsonism.

We recently reported that the centromedian-parafascicular thalamic complex (CM-Pf) degenerates in Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. The contribution of such thalamic pathology to disease symptoms has not yet been established. The present study therefore investigated the behavioural impact of lesioning the corresponding thalamic region (termed Pf) on a range of behaviours present in rodents. There were four surgical groups: (1) sham medial forebrain bundle (mfb)+sham Pf, (2) 6-OHDA mfb lesion+sham Pf, (3) sham mfb+NMDA Pf lesion, (4) 6-OHDA+NMDA Pf lesions. Posture, sensory functions and apomorphine-induced rotational asymmetry were assessed before and after each surgery. Other assessments performed including a timed motivational task, grooming behaviours and piloerection. 6-OHDA lesions induced postural (ipsilateral curling and head position biases), sensorimotor (increased latency to respond to tactile stimulation of the contralateral side when eating or grooming) and rotational abnormalities (contralateral circling after apomorphine). The main effects of combined 6-OHDA+Pf lesions were improved performance in a motivational task (decreased latency to retrieve reward) but worsened piloerection, relative to animals with either 6-OHDA or Pf lesions alone. The thalamic zone common to all lesioned animals involved the posterior Pf. Our data suggests that the posterior CM-Pf may be involved in motivational responses and autonomic dysfunction in parkinsonian disorders.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2006

Comparisons between anxiety tests for selection of anxious and non anxious mice.

Male Swiss albinos mice were submitted to two behavioural tests intended to determine their anxiety level: the elevated plus-maze test as well as the black and white compartments test. In addition they were submitted to the hole-board test. It was observed: (i) that the correlation between scores in the two first tests was weak, suggesting that they explore different components of anxiety; (ii) that the score on the latter test was better correlated with the response in the elevated plus-maze test than in the black and white compartments test. From these data three groups of animals were constituted, considered, respectively, as anxious, non anxious and intermediates. It was observed that both horizontal and vertical locomotion in an unfamiliar environment differed between groups, with higher activity in non anxious than in anxious. In the hole-board test, only animals classified as anxious displayed an obvious response to the anxiolytic drug diazepam (0.5mg/kg). Finally in the forced-swimming test, the three groups demonstrated a similar immobility time, suggesting that the operated segregation was not depending on a helpless component. It is proposed that the selection of mice from a combination of either elevated plus-maze and black and white compartments tests or a combination of hole-board test and black and white compartments test, allows to distinguish high or low anxiety animals among a population of mice.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2006

Lateralized righting behavior in the tortoise (Testudo hermanni).

Lateralization of brain and behaviour at the population level has been documented in all vertebrate classes. Research was mostly carried out on mammalian and avian species, the least investigated class with this regards being the Reptilia, with studies concentrating on lateralized aggressive behaviour in lizards. No research has been carried out on lateralization in the Chelonian order. We investigated the presence of motor asymmetries in the tortoise Testudo hermanni, using the righting response (i.e. the animal is positioned upside-down and the left/right side to which it uprights is observed), a procedure already employed to assess behavioural lateralization in amphibians. The ability of righting has a particularly high adaptive value in tortoises, as in case of overturning, and consequent exposure to sunrays, changes in body temperature and difficulties in respiration could occur leading to serious conditions. Thirty-four tortoises underwent a series of righting tests in a standardized apparatus, 15 tortoises were also retested 10 months later. A bias at the individual as well as at the population level was found for preferentially turning on the right side. Consistency of responses at retest was also observed. The results are discussed with reference to the implications for the evolution of brain lateralization in vertebrates.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

Elevated anxiety-like and depressive behavior in Desert hedgehog knockout male mice.

To investigate the functional role of Desert hedgehog (Dhh) gene in the nervous system, we examined motor, sensory, learning and memory functions as well as mood in Dhh knockout (KO) mice. Dhh KO male mice exhibited prolonged immobility time compared with wild-type male mice in the forced swimming test, and showed enhanced inhibition in the Vogel's conflict model. These findings suggest that Dhh KO male mice exhibited enhanced anxiety and depressive behavior compared with wild-type male mice. In contrast, Dhh KO female mice did not show any significant difference compared to wild-type female mice. These behavioral abnormalities of Dhh KO male mice may be due to lower testosterone levels with abnormal development of the testes caused by Dhh-null mutation.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2007

The reach-to-grasp-food task for rats: a rare case of modularity in animal behavior?

Humans and non-human animals make use of sensory hierarchies in "selecting" strategies for solving many cognitive and behavioral tasks. Often, if a preferred type of sensory information is unavailable or is not useful for solving a given task, the animal can switch to a lower-priority strategy, making use of a different class of sensory information. In the case of rats performing a classic reach-to-grasp-food task, however, prior studies indicate that the reaching maneuver may be a fixed action pattern that is guided exclusively by the food's odor plume until the point of contact with the food morsel [Whishaw IQ, Tomie JA. Olfaction directs skilled forelimb reaching in the rat. Behav Brain Res 1989;32(1):11-21; Metz GA, Whishaw IQ. Skilled reaching an action pattern: stability in rat (Rattus norvegicus) grasping movements as a function of changing food pellet size. Behav Brain Res 2000;116(2):111-22; Whishaw IQ. Did a change in sensory control of skilled movements stimulate the evolution of the primate frontal cortex? Behav Brain Res 2003;146(1/2):31-41]. We sought to confirm and extend these findings in several ways. In Experiment 1, using a GO/NO-GO variant of the classic task, we demonstrated that rats used the GO target's odor both to trigger and guide their reaches. In Experiment 2, we showed that rats deprived of (a) vision, (b) object-recognizing rostral whiskers and forearm sinus hairs, or (c) both, displayed no deficits in triggering and guiding their reaches. Finally, in a third experiment in which the GO target's location varied randomly across trials and only olfactory cues were available, we demonstrated that rats could determine the spatial endpoint of their reach without any loss of accuracy. Combined with results from a prior study in which bulbectomized rats never developed a new, successful reaching strategy despite extensive post-operative training [Whishaw IQ, Tomie JA. Olfaction directs skilled forelimb reaching in the rat. Behav Brain Res 1989;32(1):11-21], these results indicate that rats do not have a sensory hierarchy for solving the reach-to-grasp-food task, but rather, are guided by olfaction alone until their paw contacts the food morsel.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Development of schematic face preference in macaque monkeys.

This study investigated schematic face preferences in infant macaque monkeys. We also examined the roles of whole and partial features in facial recognition and related developmental change. Sixteen infant monkeys, all less than two months old, were presented with two stimulus pairs. Pair A consisted of "face" and "parts," with the components representing facial parts (i.e. eyes, mouth, and nose). Pair B consisted of "configuration" and "linear," each including three black squares. In each pair, one of two stimuli represented a facial configuration, namely "face" and "configuration." Visual following responses toward each stimulus were analyzed. The results revealed an early preference for schematic faces in these nonhuman primates. Infants less than one month of age showed a preference only for a stimulus that contained only whole facial configuration (i.e. "configuration" in Pair B). One-month-old macaque infants showed a preference only for "face" but not for "configuration." This result means that their preference at that age was affected by both the shape of the components and the overall configuration. As the developmental change and the contribution of both facial features are similar to those in human infants, it may suggest that primates share common cognitive processes in early schematic face recognition.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Pair bonding and "the widow effect" in female prairie voles.

We conducted field and laboratory experiments with the well-studied monogamous prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster, to distinguish among three hypotheses for the failure of females that lose their mates to bond with a new male ("the widow effect"). The reproductive value hypothesis predicts that males prefer young to older females because they potentially have a longer reproductive lifespan. The mate rejection hypothesis predicts that females will prevent repairing by aggressively deterring males that might harm their current offspring. The misdirected paternal care hypothesis assumes that females will mate during postpartum estrus and thus will be pregnant and/or nursing young throughout the breeding season; males will avoid pairing with older females to avoid providing care to unrelated offspring and/or because of a delay to the next breeding opportunity. Males associated and bred more with older than young females, allowing us to reject the reproductive value hypothesis. Our results were consistent with the male rejection hypothesis in that females were aggressive toward unfamiliar males. Our results were most consistent with the misdirected paternal care hypothesis in that once females started breeding, they continued to become pregnant and nurse young throughout the study period. Thus, our findings suggest that the potential of misdirected paternal care and delayed mating opportunity in conjunction with the aggressive behavior of females toward unfamiliar males are likely explanations for the lack of repairing for widow females.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Room novelty, sex, scopolamine and their interactions as determinants of general activity and rearing, and light-dark preferences in rats.

Male and female rats were assessed for effects of scopolamine on general activity, rearing and light-dark preferences when tested in either a familiar or a novel room. Males but not females reared more often when tested in the familiar rather than novel room, and the response was increased by scopolamine for all rats combined. Whereas scopolamine increased general activity for females (but not males) in the familiar room, it decreased the response for males (but not females) in the novel room. Females crossed more often between the dark and light sides of a light-dark box and, when treated with saline but not drug, spent more time in the light side than males. Scopolamine reduced the amount of time spent in the light side for females only. While the results were discussed mainly in terms of sex differences in fearfulness, their principal value was in demonstrating the effectiveness of room novelty and sex in determining levels of the behaviors recorded, and drug responsiveness.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Pigeons shift their preference toward locations of food that take more effort to obtain.

Although animals typically prefer to exert less effort rather than more effort to obtain food, the present research shows that requiring greater effort to obtain food at a particular location appears to increase the value of that location. In Experiment 1, pigeons' initial preference for one feeder was significantly reduced by requiring 1 peck to obtain food from that feeder and requiring 30 pecks to obtain food from the other feeder. In Experiment 2, a similar decrease in preference was not found when pigeons received reinforcement from both feeders independently of the amount of effort required. These results are consistent with the within-trial contrast effect proposed by in which the relative hedonic value of a reward depends on the state of the animal immediately prior to the reward. The greater the improvement from that prior state the greater the value of the reinforcer.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Effect of biotic and abiotic factors on the tunneling behavior of Coptotermes gestroi and Heterotermes tenuis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

Using bidimensional arenas, the construction and spatial dispersion of tunnels constructed by Coptotermes gestroi and Heterotermes tenuis (Rhinotermitidae) was determined under different laboratory conditions. Workers of both species showed an increase of the tunneled area with the rise in temperature. The activity of workers of C. gestroi also increased with the rise in soil moisture. Primary tunnels showed a high degree of dispersion in the arenas for all treatments. The presence of food did not influence the tunneling pattern of C. gestroi; but for H. tenuis there was a significant decrease in the number of tunnels. In addition, the type of substrate affected the tunneling pattern in both species. The understanding of food searching strategies of subterranean termites could contribute in the improvement of pest management programs based on the use of toxic baits.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Dogs acquire food preferences from interacting with recently fed conspecifics.

Social transmission of food preferences has been documented in many species including humans, rodents, and birds. In the current experiment, 12 pairs of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) were utilized. Within each pair, one dog (the demonstrator) was fed dry dog food flavored with either basil or thyme. The second dog (the observer) interacted with one demonstrator for 10 min before being given an equal amount of both flavored foods. Observers exhibited a significant preference for the flavored diet consumed by their demonstrators, indicating that dogs, like rats, prefer foods smelled on a conspecific's breath.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Aspartame demand in rhesus monkeys: effects of volume and concentration manipulations.

Three rhesus monkeys' lever presses produced aspartame-sweetened water according to a fixed-ratio schedule. The response requirement was increased across sessions and a demand-function analysis was used to assess the reinforcing effectiveness of different magnitudes of aspartame by manipulating reinforcer duration (1 and 3s) in Phase 1 and concentration (0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0mg/ml) in Phase 2. When duration was manipulated, the number of aspartame deliveries was mainly a function of the response requirement rather than unit price (responses/duration), suggesting that changes in duration did not significantly affect the reinforcing effectiveness of aspartame. When concentration was manipulated and the lowest concentration excluded, consumption was best described by unit price (responses/concentration) in two monkeys and by the response requirement in the third. Although results from the concentration manipulation provide some evidence that consumption was modulated by unit price, the results overall suggest that scalar equivalence does not exist between the components of unit price; specifically, the response requirement exerted a larger influence than duration or concentration on total consumption. Finally, a normalized demand analysis revealed that aspartame is a more elastic commodity than food and drug reinforcers.

Animals↗