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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Differential encoding of behavior and spatial context in deep and superficial layers of the neocortex.

Rodent hippocampal activity is correlated with spatial and behavioral context, but how context affects coding in association neocortex is not well understood. The cellular distribution of the neural activity-regulated immediate-early gene Arc was used to monitor the activity history of cells in CA1, and in deep and superficial layers of posterior parietal and gustatory cortices (which encode movement and taste, respectively), during two behavioral epochs in which spatial and behavioral context were independently manipulated while gustatory input was held constant. Under conditions in which the hippocampus strongly differentiated behavioral and spatial contexts, deep parietal and gustatory layers did not discriminate between spatial contexts, whereas superficial layers in both neocortical regions discriminated well. Deep parietal cells discriminated behavioral context, whereas deep gustatory cortex neurons encoded the two conditions identically. Increased context sensitivity of superficial neocortical layers, which receive more hippocampal outflow, may reflect a general principle of neocortical organization for memory retrieval.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

A phase plane representation of rat exploratory behavior.

Rat spontaneous spatial behavior is considered to be stochastic and is therefore commonly analyzed in terms of cumulative measures. Here, we suggest a method which generates a moment-to-moment representation of this behavior. It has been proposed earlier that rat spatial behavior can be partitioned into natural units termed excursions (round trips) performed from a reference place termed the rat's home base. We offer a phase plane representation of excursions (plotting the rat's momentary location against its momentary velocity). The results reveal a geometrical pattern, typical of young age and early exposure. It consists of low velocity and intermittent progression while moving away from the home base (upstream segment), and high velocity while moving back to it (downstream segment). The asymmetry between the two segments defines a field of significance in the rat's operational world. This field undergoes regular transformations, revealing thereby the rat's strategy of occupancy of the environment. The presented dynamics could provide a framework for the interpretation of concurrent neural events associated with navigation and spatial memory.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Movement and spatial organization of small mammals following vertebrate predator exclusion.

Predation directly changes the demographics of prey, generally through a numerical decrease. An indirect effect of predators is alteration of movements and spatial patterns of prey. The relationship between these direct and indirect effects can be tested by excluding predators. Home range size of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) decreased and home range overlaps increased in the absence of predators. Home range size and overlaps of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) did not change despite an increase in vole density. P. leucopus had significantly lower interspecific home range overlaps with M. pennsylvanicus than intraspecific overlaps. The changes in P. leucopus spatial behavior may be an indirect effect of predator exclusion resulting from the increase in M. pennsylvanicus densities.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

[Participation of the nucleus accumbens in acquisition of spatial choice behavior in rats performing in a radial plus maze].

The role of medial shell of the nucleus accumbens in acquisition of spatial behavior was studied in rats performing choice task in radial maze with asymmetrical water reinforcement. It has been found that the nucleus accumbens lesioned rats failed in finding larger rewards but preserve their reward-seeking behavior guided by visual discriminative stimuli. The results obtained are in good agreement with suggestion that the nucleus accumbens is a site of convergence of spatial information (from hippocampus) with reward information (from amygdala and VTA), providing bridge for effective limbic-motor interface underlying motivated goal-directed behavior in animals.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Wayfinding behavior and spatial knowledge of adults and children in a virtual environment: The role of landmarks.

This study investigated the effect of different organizations of landmark-location pairings as fine-space information on wayfinding behavior and spatial knowledge on a total of 90 participants: 30 second graders, 30 sixth graders, and 30 adults. All participants had to find their way to a goal in a virtual environment with either randomized or categorical landmarks, or without any landmarks. Thereafter, they had to find the shortest way from the start position to the goal in two consecutive trials (wayfinding performance), and they had to solve a number of spatial knowledge tasks. The results showed that independent of their categorical function, the existence of landmarks influenced the way-finding performance of adults and children in the same way. Whereas the presence of landmarks had no effect on spatial survey knowledge, landmark knowledge itself was influenced by the categorical function of the landmarks presented. Moreover, second graders showed limited achievement compared to adults independent of the existence of landmarks. The main results implicate firstly that children at school age indeed are able to use landmark-location pairings as fine-space information like adults during learning an unknown environmental space, and secondly that a dissociation between wayfinding behavior and spatial knowledge might exist.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Influence of the mesocortical dopaminergic system on activity, food hoarding, social-agonistic behavior, and spatial delayed alternation in male rats.

In order to assess the behavioral role of the dopaminergic mesocortical input to the prefrontal cortex, bilateral lesions were made in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The possibility of a functional recovery by the administration of a dopamine agonist was examined. General activity, food hoarding, social-agonistic behavior, and spatial delayed alternation performance were recorded in rats with VTA lesions and in sham-operated animals. In the open field animals with VTA lesions were more active but showed less anxiety. Food hoarding was impaired. In dyadic interactions with sham-operated opponents, VTA rats were socially more active, whereas sham operates performed more keeping down and aggressive grooming. This behavioral deficit was partially recovered when apomorphine was administered prior to testing. VTA animals were impaired in the performance of a spatial delayed alternation task with an intertrial interval of 15 s, whereas no impairment was found with a 0-s intertrial interval. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed1996

Ethological analysis of crew member behavior: distances, orientations, and postures.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial behavior towards each other of a group of three males and one female isolated and confined for a period of 60 days. Video recordings of the individual crew members in the habitat, laboratory, and transfer modules for a 4-hr period once weekly during the isolation period provided the material for analysis. The observed parameters were: inter-individual distance, orientation (number of other subjects laced), and posture. Three distinct periods are noted. The initial period was characterized by a rather constant spatial behavior of the crew with few changes in inter-individual distances. The middle period of isolation (particularly weeks 5 and 6) showed a tendency towards closer grouping with decreased inter-individual distances (personal and social space). The final period (weeks 7-9) was marked by a dispersion of the crew members with increased inter-individual distances (public space) and more frequent isolated positions. Individual differences in behavioral strategy were noted. The Commander (subject B) kept the largest number of other crew members in his visual field. The orientation of the other subjects showed more variation. Dominant posture were: seated, standing, lying. Here also there were individual differences, for example, the female subject H frequently assumed a very grouped posture. During the second half of the isolation period stretched body positions became more frequent, suggesting reduced tension and stress. The observed spatial behavior indicates a weak cohesion of the crew with little tendency towards formation of a true social group in the course of isolation. The crew remained a group of individuals constituted for the purpose of the experiment. From her closer positions to the other subjects, it appears that the female crew member had a positive effect on group cohesiveness through an active social role. However, it seems that a longer period of confinement would be needed to turn the four crew members into a cohesive crew. The findings from these simulation studies and in earlier spaceflight observations suggest a possible use of ethological observation during space missions for the purpose of optimizing performance, physical and psychological fitness of the individual astronauts and group dynamics of the entire crew. It might be possible to establish a set of individual standards allowing detection of slight behavioral disturbances in an astronaut during the mission.

Astronauts↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A comparative study of the asymmetry in the spatial-exploratory behavior of mice in 2 populations].

In two populations of contemporary generations of non-strain mice was found a considerable shift of interhemispheric asymmetry the relative activity of the right hemisphere being increased in comparison with the known data. Quantitative evaluation and the character of this shift in the two populations were different. Changes observed are suggested to be a manifestation of adaptive response of the organism to environmental pollution.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1997

[Effects of NMDA antagonist, MK-801 on spatial exploratory behavior in the rat].

Rats given an antagonist against N-methyl-D-aspartate, (+)-10, 11-dihydro-5-methyl-5H-debenzo (a, d) cycloheptene-5, 10-imine (MK-801), were compared with control rats for their activity and exploratory behavior (habituation, exploration time to the spatial change of one of 4 objects and to the new object) in a circular open field. Rats given 0.07 mg/kg dose of MK-801 displayed no significant differences with the controls. Rats given 0.1 mg/kg dose of MK-801 failed to respond to the spatial change, whereas they displayed habituation and exploration to the new object at the same degree as the control rats. Rats given 0.3 mg/kg dose of MK-801 displayed hyperactivity and did not display habituation and exploration. The result suggests that the 0.1 mg/kg dose of MK-801, which dose not affect on activity, habituation and exploration to the new object in rats, selectively affects on acquisition of spatial information and reduces their spatial exploration.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Impaired place navigation in place and matching-to-place swimming pool tasks follows both retrosplenial cortex lesions and cingulum bundle lesions in rats.

The retrosplenial (RS) cortex (area 29) and the adjacent cingulum bundle (CG) are components of neural circuits that include the hippocampus. Given the evidence suggesting that the hippocampus plays a central role in spatial navigation, several lines of investigation have examined the possible contributions of these structures to spatial navigation. The combined and/or separate contributions of these structures have been difficult to establish because their close proximity usually results in combined injury after lesions and because there have been conflicting results related to lesion type and the strain of rat subjects. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of selective CG damage with selective RS damage in Long-Evans rats, a domestic rat strain that displays superior spatial skills, and by using spatial behavior assessment procedures that are sensitive to CG damage. Rats with cytotoxic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) RS lesions or surgical CG transection were tested on two spatial tasks in the Morris water task; a place learning task, sensitive to nonspatial and spatial behavior, and a matching-to-place task, sensitive to spatial behavior. Both the RS and CG groups were impaired on most measures relative to the control group on both the place task and the matching-to-place task. The results are discussed in relation to the anatomical organization of CG and RG projections to the hippocampus and with respect to their possible separate/conjoint contributions to spatial behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Alterations of behavior and spatial learning after unilateral entorhinal ablation of rats.

The entorhinal cortex (EC) is the key input and output structure of the hippocampus. It plays a crucial role in sensory processing, memory and learning, as well as in mechanisms of epileptic seizures. Our previous studies on the 4-aminopyridin induced epilepsy model of rats showed that ablation of unilateral EC prompted weakening of limbic seizure manifestation, thus the possibility of therapeutical benefit of this kind of surgery can be risen. Open field, elevated plus-maze and Morris water-maze test were performed to analyze changes of the basal activity level, exploratory behavior, and spatial memory capacity, respectively, of adult Wistar rats having undergone left EC excision. Compared with the sham-operated control group, rats with lesions of the EC showed enhanced locomotor activity in the open-field test. The elevated plus-maze test revealed higher frequency of entries and more time spent in the open arms. Morris water-maze test suggested impairment of the spatial learning capacity following left lateral EC lesion. Therefore, our data showed that EC lesions induced hyperactivity, increased exploratory behavior, and impaired spatial learning. Entorhinal cortex ablation, as a potential method for controlling epileptic seizures has multiple effects on animals' behavior and spatial learning. To determine the cost-benefit ratio of a potential surgical intervention needs further experimental and human investigations.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Spatial and behavioral correlates of striatal neurons in rats performing a self-initiated navigation task.

To investigate the spatial and behavioral correlates of striatal neurons during displacement movements, the rostromedial dorsal striata (AP 1.0-2.2, ML 1.5-2.0) of five rats were surgically implanted with advanceable bundles of fine wire electrodes. After recovery, the rats were deprived of water and trained in a square-walled open field in a dark room. The behavioral task required alternating visits to water reservoirs in the center and in the four corners. A certain corner contained the first reward for each trial; after this reward, a cue card appeared in this corner for the rest of the trial. The firing rates of striatal units were compared as the rat moved between the center and the four corners of the arena. Analyses were made of 30 units. Eight of these had firing rates that significantly increased or decreased by 62-480% while the rat was in one or more quadrants of the arena. Six of these manifested such firing rate changes only as the rat performed certain behavioral sequences in the quadrant. Three other units fired as the rat's head was in a certain orientation relative to the arena walls, in all parts of the arena. To determine the principal controlling cues and hence the frame of reference of spatial selectivity of these units, the arena, while the rat was still inside, was rotated in total darkness. The first water reward was then presented at the same position relative to the outside room as before the rotation. The cue card was then illuminated in this corner as a visual cue for the extra-arena reference frame. All 11 neurons demonstrated spatial selectivity that rotated with the arena; thus, this activity was in the frame of reference of the arena and was not controlled by the visual cue. Six other units fired at rates up to six times their resting discharge or stopped firing completely in synchrony with initiation or execution of displacement movements, and two of these were also location selective. Four other units were silent as the rat performed the task, but fired tonically following arena rotations or other interruptions of the session, independent of the rat's location or movements. Nine analyzed units had very low firing rates (< 1 impulse/sec) and showed no discernible changes in activity as the rat performed the task. These patterns of unit activity indicate that fundamental informational components required for navigation are coded in the striatum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2004

Acute tryptophan depletion induced by a gelatin-based mixture impairs object memory but not affective behavior and spatial learning in the rat.

One manner to study the role of serotonin (5-HT) in behavioral functions is through nutritional manipulation of its precursor tryptophan (TRP). By means of the method of acute TRP depletion, plasma TRP levels can be reduced in a reversible way in both humans and rats. In the present study a TRP-free protein-carbohydrate mixture was used to investigate the behavioral effects of lowering TRP and 5-HT concentrations in adult male rats. These animals were tested in models of anxiety (open field, home cage emergence test), depression (forced swimming test) and cognition (object recognition test and Morris water escape test). The TRP-free protein-carbohydrate mixture substantially reduced the ratio TRP/SigmaLNAA within 2 and 4 h by 75 and 60%, respectively. It was found that 4 h after administration, the treatment did not affect anxiety-related behavior nor did it cause depressive-like behavior. Also, no treatment effect was found on spatial learning performance in a Morris water escape test. On the other hand, performance in an object recognition test was clearly impaired after TRP depletion. Taken together, these data suggest that acute lowered central 5-HT levels are not associated with changes in affective behavior (i.e. anxiety and depression), but do impair object memory in adult rats.

Affect↗