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PubMed1997

The block of central vasopressin V1 but not V2 receptors suppresses grooming behavior and hypothermia induced by intracerebroventricular vasopressin in male rats.

The role of central vasopressin V1 receptors in grooming behavior induced by vasopressin and oxytocin was studied in male rats of the Wistar strain. The intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of vasopressin (3 micrograms/5 microliters) induced hypothermia and enhanced novelty-induced grooming behavior. Enhanced grooming but not hypothermia was also induced by ICV injection of oxytocin (3 micrograms/5 microliters). The central administration of a selective vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist prevented the stimulating action of vasopressin on novelty-induced grooming and its hypothermic effect. The ICV injection of a selective vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist failed to affect vasopressin-induced grooming and hypothermic effect. An increase in core temperature was observed in oxytocin-injected animals pretreated with the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist. Furthermore, pretreatment with the antagonist did not affect grooming induced by oxytocin. These results suggest that enhancement of grooming behavior and influence on thermoregulation are differently regulated by central receptors for vasopressin and oxytocin.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Grooming and yawning trace adjustment to unfamiliar environments in laboratory Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus).

The authors studied grooming and yawning caused by mild stress in laboratory Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus). Two groups received 3 and 6 sequences of 5 foot shocks at random intervals (RI) and fixed intervals (FI), respectively. A 3rd group was not shocked (NS). The groups were exposed for 60 min twice. Grooming did not differ among groups, but yawning diminished with RI. Yawning increased and grooming decreased with the 2nd exposure, except in RI in which grooming increased. In NS and FI, grooming prevailed during the first 20 and 30 min, respectively, whereas yawning dominated the remainder of the time. In RI, grooming occurred more than yawning. An upward shift on this scale causes grooming to substitute yawning, whereas a downward shift causes the reverse effect.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Enhanced motivation to self-administer cocaine is predicted by self-grooming behaviour and relates to dopamine release in the rat medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala.

Rats, like humans, show strong individual differences in their response to anxiogenic and stressful stimuli. In the present study we evaluated whether differences in stress-induced self-grooming behaviour may predict an individual's vulnerability to engage in drug self-administration behaviour. From a population of Wistar rats, the lower and upper quartile with respect to time spent self-grooming on an elevated plus maze (EPM) were selected and trained to intravenously self-administer cocaine under fixed and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement. High grooming (HG) rats reached considerably higher breakpoints than low grooming (LG) rats but showed no differences in acquisition rate and dose-response relationships. Further, EPM exposure elicited higher anxiety levels and enhanced plasma corticosterone secretion in HG rats. In addition, HG rats did not display enhanced novelty-seeking and still spent more time self-grooming during an EPM re-test following the cocaine self-administration procedure, indicating that stress-induced self-grooming is a stable behavioural trait marker. Neurochemically, electrically evoked [(3)H]dopamine release in vitro was profoundly lower in brain slices from the substantia nigra, medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala of naive HG rats as compared to LG rats, whereas no differences were found in the nucleus accumbens shell and core, the ventral tegmental area and caudate putamen. In conclusion, stress-induced self-grooming specifically predicts enhanced motivation to self-administer cocaine rather than sensitivity to its reinforcing effects. Responsiveness of dopaminergic nerve terminals in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala may represent pre-existing underlying factors.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1994

The effects of GABAergic drugs on grooming behaviour in the open field.

In a previous study it was demonstrated that sodium valproate, a drug that increases GABA cerebral concentrations, decreases grooming in the open field. This effect was not modified by morphine or naloxone. To provide evidence for the participation of the GABA system in the expression of grooming, other GABAergic drugs were acutely administered to rats before the test in the open field. The drugs, in the doses tested, did not modify locomotion, rearing, freezing or defaecation. Aminooxiacetic acid 10 mg/kg, barbital 60 mg/kg, baclofen 1.5 mg/kg, clonazepam 0.1 mg/kg, sodium valproate 150 mg/kg and 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroxi-azolo-5,4c-pyridine-3-ol (THIP) 0.75 mg/kg were the lowest doses to decrease the frequencies of grooming. The estimated ED50 to suppress grooming behaviour in the open field were 1.75 mg/kg baclofen, 52 mg/kg barbital, 0.86 mg/kg clonazepam and 1.0 mg/kg THIP. The decrease in grooming produced by the lowest effective doses of aminooxiacetic acid, clonazepam, sodium valproate and THIP was antagonized by concomitant administration of picrotoxin 1 mg/kg or bicuculline 1 mg/kg. The effects of baclofen and barbital on grooming were not modified by the antagonists. It is concluded that the GABA system, through GABA A and GABA B receptors may play a role in the expression of novelty-induced grooming behaviour.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The effects of anxiolytics and other agents on rat grooming behavior.

BN and other peptides increase grooming activity in rodents. This increase in grooming activity caused by BN can be reversed by numerous agents. The most direct of these are BN receptor antagonists such as spantide and [D-Phe-12]BN. These agents reverse the increase in grooming activity caused by BN and inhibit binding to central BN receptors. The increase in grooming activity caused by BN may be mediated by other neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. In this regard the increase in grooming activity caused by BN is reversed by fluphenazine and haloperidol. These agents do not affect binding to central BN receptors. Similarly, the increase in grooming caused by BN is absent if dopamine-containing neurons are lesioned with 6-OHDA. These lesions cause a significant reduction in central BN receptors, especially in the central amygdaloid nucleus. Thus some of the BN receptors may be present on dopamine-containing neurons. The increase in grooming activity caused by BN was also reversed by diazepam and chlordiazepoxide. Neither of these agents affected binding to central BN receptors, and similarly, BN did not affect binding to central benzodiazepine receptors. Thus anxiolytics may act at a site anatomically downstream from the BN receptor and reduce the apparent stress caused by central injection of BN.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Non-olfactory chemoreceptors in asymmetric setae activate antennular grooming behavior in the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus.

In the spiny lobster Panulirus argus the antennules carrying olfactory sensilla called aesthetascs and several types of other non-olfactory sensilla accompanying them are frequently groomed by the third maxillipeds in a stereotyped behavioral pattern. This behavior can be elicited by chemical stimulation with l-glutamate. Using selective sensillar ablations, we tested whether this behavior is driven by the numerous aesthetascs, which have been implicated as mediating this chemically elicited antennular grooming behavior in a previous investigation, or other, less numerous sensilla called asymmetric setae, which are tightly associated with aesthetascs. The selective sensilla ablations showed that the asymmetric setae are necessary and sufficient for driving chemically elicited antennular grooming. Bilateral elimination of the ca. 160 asymmetric setae almost completely abolished the behavior, whereas bilateral elimination of the ca. 2600 aesthetascs or of another type of sensilla associated with them (guard setae) did not cause a reduction in chemically elicited antennular grooming. Microscopical analysis of the morphological properties of the asymmetric setae revealed the presence of a terminal pore at the tip of the seta and a phalloidin-positive scolopale below its base. Since these structures have been identified in decapod crustaceans as modality-specific structures of bimodal chemo- and mechanosensory sensilla, we conclude that the asymmetric setae belong to this type of sensilla and thus have the appropriate features to function as chemoreceptors in the elicitation of antennular grooming. The identification of asymmetric setae and not aesthetascs as the drivers of chemically elicited antennular grooming suggests that it is not the olfactory pathway in the brain but a parallel pathway, constituted mainly by the lateral antennular neuropils, that is the neuronal substrate of this behavior. The lateral antennular neuropils receive non-olfactory sensory input from the antennule and contain the major arborizations of antennular motoneurons, allowing that direct sensory-motor coupling is involved in mediating the chemical elicitation of antennular grooming behavior.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1986

Effects of naloxone and neurotensin on excessive grooming behavior of rats induced by bombesin, beta-endorphin and ACTH.

Bombesin, beta-endorphin and ACTH-(1-24) induce excessive grooming behavior in rats. Whereas ACTH increases the frequency of all components of grooming behavior (head washing, bodily grooming and paw licking), the most pronounced element of bombesin- and beta-endorphin-induced excessive grooming is scratching. Naloxone counteracts peptide-induced grooming and in particular excessive scratching is reduced by this opiate antagonist. Also neurotensin suppresses peptide-induced grooming behavior and in particular scratching. It is concluded that the element scratching is the component of grooming behavior which is mainly displayed by activation of opiate receptors and that neurotensin is able to interfere with opiate receptor mediated behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Temporal variability in winter travel patterns of Yellowstone bison: the effects of road grooming.

The influence of winter recreation on wildlife in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Wyoming and Montana, USA, is a controversial issue. In particular, the effects of road grooming, done to facilitate snowmobile and snowcoach travel, on bison (Bison bison) ecology are under debate. We collected data during winters, from 1997 to 2005, on bison road use, off-road travel, and activity budgets to quantify temporal trends in the amount of bison road and off-road travel and to identify the ecological factors affecting bison movements and use of the groomed road system in the Madison-Gibbon-Firehole (MGF) area of YNP. Using model comparison techniques, we found bison travel patterns to be influenced by multiple, interacting effects. Road travel was negatively correlated with road grooming, and we found no evidence that bison preferentially used groomed roads during winter. Snow water equivalent, bison density, and the springtime melt period were positively correlated with both bison road and off-road travel. From behavioral scans on 68,791 bison, we found that travel is only a small percentage (11%) of all bison activity, with foraging comprising 67% of observations. Also, only 7% of traveling bison and 30% of foraging bison were displacing snow, and we suggest foraging, rather than traveling, is likely the major energetic cost to bison in winter. Bison utilize their own trail network, connecting foraging areas using stream corridors, geothermal pathways, and self-groomed travel routes. Our results indicate that temporal patterns in bison road travel are a manifestation of general travel behavior and that groomed roads in the MGF do not appear to be a major factor influencing bison ecology and spatial redistribution. We suggest that the changes in bison spatial dynamics during the past three decades have likely been the result of the natural phenomenon of density-dependent range expansion, rather than having been caused by the anthropogenic influence of road grooming.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Contribution of self-grooming to onset of puberty in male rats.

Self-grooming was observed to increase during the prepubertal period of Long-Evans rats. Males were significantly more likely than females to engage in genital grooming during this period. To determine whether self-grooming contributes to the onset of puberty, males were fitted with collars that either prevented or allowed self-grooming of hindquarters or were left uncollared from 27 to 48 or 55 days of age when autopsied to determine weight of accessory organs. Ventral, dorsal, and lateral prostates and seminal vesicles were significantly lighter in those rats wearing collars that prevented self-grooming. It was concluded that self-grooming, probably of the genitals, contributes to accessory organ growth in males of this species.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1979

Grooming and consort partner selection in a troop of Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata).

The Arashiyama West troop of Macaca fuscata consists of 150 monkeys transported from Kyoto, Japan, in February 1972 to their present location near Laredo, Texas. At this site the animals range over 108 acres and during the study period were only minimally provisioned and disturbed. In the report of a 3-year study of consort partner selection it was suggested that yearlong social bonds within the troop appeared to be distinct from consort bonds formed during mating season. Like Sade, we consider grooming to be a good measure of yearround affinitive bonding in macaques. This study compares the pairs formed for consorting with those formed for yearlong grooming activities, by the 94 individuals who formed consort relationships during the mating season of 1973--1974. It was found that yearlong grooming involved pairs of monkeys which were significantly different from those for consorting. Grooming was relatively frequent between related monkeys, while consort partners were seldom related. In addition, yearlong grooming patterns were not disrupted during mating season. These results suggest that consort and grooming activities are behavioral expressions of two important social networks, involving mutually exclusive social bonds.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Age-related differences in social grooming among adult female Japanese monkeys ( Macaca fuscata).

The present study investigated the influence of dominance rank in combination with kinship on age-related differences in social grooming among adult females in a free-ranging group of Japanese monkeys ( Macaca fuscata). Eighty-three adult females were divided into six sub-groups according to age-class (younger: 5-9 years old; middle: 10-14 years old; older: 15-22 years old) and dominance rank (high and low rank). The ratio of the number of unrelated females that each female groomed to the total number of available unrelated females and grooming bouts which she gave to unrelated females decreased with increasing age for both high- and low-ranking females, whereas age did not appear to affect corresponding values for related females. On the other hand, compared with low-ranking females, high-ranking females of all age-classes received grooming more often from a larger number of unrelated females. Moreover, older females of low rank received grooming less often from a smaller number of unrelated females than younger females of low rank. These results indicate that with increasing age females are more likely to concentrate on related females when they have grooming interactions with other females. This tendency seems to be more apparent for low-ranking females. Moreover, the present findings also indicate that older high-ranking females could maintain their social attractiveness as high as younger high-ranking females.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Effect of SCH 23390 and quinpirole on novelty-induced grooming behaviour in spontaneously hypertensive rats and Wistar-Kyoto rats.

Grooming behaviour induced by exposure to a novel environment was studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). The dopamine D1 receptor antagonist, SCH 23390, and the dopamine D2 receptor agonist, quinpirole, were used to study brain dopamine systems in these rat strains, via their effects on grooming behaviour. The total grooming behaviour displayed in a 50-min observation period was significantly lower in SHR than in WKY. Except for the paw licking component no differences between the two strains were observed in the separate behavioural elements of grooming behaviour. SCH 23390 and quinpirole were found to suppress novelty-induced grooming behaviour of both strains. In SHR, grooming behaviour was less suppressed by SCH 23390, whereas the suppression by quinpirole was more pronounced than in WKY. These results indicate that there are alterations in central dopamine systems in SHR, probably involving changes both in dopamine D1 and D2 receptor mechanisms in the brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

A hormonal basis for sex differences in the self-grooming of rats.

The self-grooming behavior of prepubescent male and female rats is described. Sex differences were observed in components of grooming addressed to the genitals, but not in other aspects of grooming. A hormonal basis for the sex difference was examined in two experiments. When females were injected with testosterone propionate (TP) on the day of birth, their subsequent grooming was found to be no different from that of control-treated females. However, males and females gonadectomized at weaning and treated daily with TP each performed significantly more genital self-grooming than oil-treated controls. There were no sex differences in gonadectomized, oil-treated rats, and sex differences in response to TP were limited to greater responsiveness of females to a 50-micrograms, but not 200-micrograms, TP dose. These results lead to the conclusion that sex differences in self-grooming can be accounted for primarily by differences in testosterone availability during the peripubertal period.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Effects of mastectomy and vagotomy on grooming behavior of the rat: possible involvement of prolactin.

Surgical interventions such as unilateral mastectomy or vagotomy affect plasma prolactin (PRL) levels. Right-side mastectomized rats exhibiting high levels of plasma PRL showed increased grooming behavior. Left-side mastectomized rats with low levels of plasma PRL performed poor grooming activity. Bilateral mastectomy that caused a slight increase in plasma PRL levels was followed by enhanced grooming behavior. Both left and right vagotomy resulted in a significant increase in plasma PRL levels. However, only left-side vagotomized rats exhibited increased levels of grooming behavior, while no difference between right-side vagotomized rats and controls occurred. It is possible that changes in plasma PRL levels induced by surgical interventions affect grooming activity of the rat. However, the hypothesis that the integrity of peripheral organs is important for the display of grooming behavior cannot be ruled out.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Grooming, body extension, and vasomotor responses induced by hypothalamic warming at different ambient temperatures in rats.

During heat stress, rats extend their body and spread saliva onto their body surfaces (grooming) for evaporative heat loss in addition to tail vasodilation. We investigated the effects of changing hypothalamic (Thy) and ambient (Ta) temperatures on these thermoregulatory responses. The higher the Ta, the lower the Thy at which grooming started when Ta was changed from the thermoneutral zone (24 degrees C) to 28-40 degrees C. At any Ta grooming was induced only when the posterior hypothalamic region (PH) was warmed by implanted diathermy. Grooming was more strongly induced at a Ta of 28 degrees C than at 24 degrees C. At a Ta of 32 degrees C, PH warming evoked body extension as well, decreasing the duration of grooming as compared to that at 28 degrees C. Warming the preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus induced body extension and tail vasodilation regardless of Ta. The data suggest that grooming was induced by integrated temperature signals from the PH and from the peripheral skin.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Sex differences in self-grooming of rats: effects of gonadal hormones and context.

When prepubescent males and females were placed alone in a novel cage, males were found to groom their genitals, but not other body regions, more than females. This sex difference was present in untreated and in testosterone-treated gonadectomized rats as well as in intact rats. Neither the presence of gonads nor testosterone treatment affected grooming in this context. However, when similarly treated rats of the same age were observed in groups in the home cage, no sex difference in genital grooming of intact or gonadectomized rats was found. Testosterone significantly increased nongenital grooming in both sexes and genital grooming in males. Thus, both the presence of sex differences and the effects of testosterone on self-grooming depend on the behavioral context.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

PVH lesions do not inhibit stressor-induced grooming in the rat.

Electrical and chemical stimulation of specific parts of the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) and the adjacent hypothalamus induce self-grooming responses in the rat. The function of this hypothalamic grooming area (HGA) is not understood. The localization of the HGA in the hypothalamus suggests that grooming, a behavioural response to stressors, is somehow linked to the neuroendocrine response to stressors. In this study it is shown that grooming induced by the stressors, mild restraint and moistening of the fur of the rat, is not inhibited by complete, bilateral radiofrequency lesions of the HGA. The changes in grooming patterns observed following lesions suggest that the HGA may have a function in the timing of different grooming elements.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

A study of the shaking and grooming induced by RX 336-M in rats.

Several endogenous peptides and experimental agents induce "wet-dog" shakes and excessive grooming after acute administration to rats, but quantitative information on a possible relationship between the two behaviors is lacking. RX 336-M (7,8-dihydro-5'-6'-dimethylcyclohex-5'-eno-1',8',14 codeinone) is a novel compound which elicits dose-related shaking and grooming in the rat. We have measured and compared the shaking and grooming induced by several doses of RX 336-M (1.5-12 mg/kg, IP) in male Sprague Dawley rats at various stages of maturation. Analysis of the correlation between the number of "wet-dog" shakes and the frequency of grooming episodes indicates that a relationship may exist between the shaking and grooming. The excessive grooming induced by RX 336-M may be a mechanism by which the rat's state of arousal (raised by the shaking) is lowered and homeostasis is maintained.

Age Factors↗