Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Spatial Behavior”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,153 records · Page 64Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Cognitive and neuroanatomical effects of triethyltin in developing rats: role of age of exposure.

Long-Evans rat pups were injected i.p. on postnatal day 5 (PND5) or 12 with 0, 3, or 5 mg/kg triethyltin sulfate (TET) and then tested on T-maze delayed alternation on PND21 or 28. Delayed alternation learning was impaired on PND21 and 28 in pups given 5 mg/kg TET. Pups given 5 mg/kg TET on PND5 were more impaired on delayed alternation than pups given 5 mg/kg TET on PND12. Pups given 3 mg/kg TET on PND5 or 12 were unimpaired at either age of testing. On the day following training, pups were sacrificed for histological assessment employing Nissl- or immunohistochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a putative marker of gliosis. Pups given 5 mg/kg TET on PND5 showed increases in GFAP immunoreactivity (IR) in subiculum, amygdala, hippocampus, piriform cortex, and entorhinal cortex with concomitant decreases in Nissl-stained cells in these regions. Pups given 5 mg/kg TET on PND12 showed increases in GFAP IR in piriform cortex, amygdala and dorsal hippocampus with concomitant decreases in Nissl-stained cells in these regions. Exposure to 3 mg/kg TET on PND5 and PND12 produced a mild increase in GFAP IR in piriform cortex and amygdala but no discernible loss of Nissl-staining in these respective regions. TET-induced behavioral deficits appear related to damage of structural correlates of the human temporal lobe and not piriform cortical pathology. These results demonstrate that the day of exposure greatly influences the magnitude of the cognitive deficits and neuropathology associated with exposure to TET. There appears to be a critical period during postnatal development for the developmental neurotoxicity of this compound.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Multimodal perception in the control of infant reaching.

Six-month-old infants were presented with sounding objects under 3 conditions of illumination: in full vision, in the dark with target location specified by a glowing and sounding object, and in the dark with location specified by sound alone. Reaching behavior was videotaped with an infrared camera, and hand movement was measured by infrared-emitting diodes on the hand that were tracked by a motion analysis system. No differences were found in reaching behavior for objects in the light and glowing objects in the dark. Reaches for sounding objects in the dark had higher speeds, shorter durations, and more errors compared to the other 2 conditions. These findings indicate that vision of the hand did not appear to affect infants' reaching in this situation, whereas vision of the target did.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMed1998

Recovery of neglect after right hemispheric damage: H2(15)O positron emission tomographic activation study.

BACKGROUND: The neural correlates of recovery of unilateral neglect (ULN), as well as of other consequences of focal brain damage, are largely unknown. Functional neuroimaging methods (in particular, positron emission tomography [PET]) can be applied to the in vivo study of recovery mechanisms in neurologic patients. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the functional cerebral correlates of recovery from ULN in patients with right-sided lesions, with the use of a PET activation paradigm. METHODS: Study of 3 patients with cerebrovascular lesions that involved corticosubcortical (patient 1) or subcortical (patients 2 and 3) areas of the right hemisphere. Unilateral neglect was tested twice, before and after completion of a 2-month rehabilitation program, after which all 3 patients showed considerable improvement. Similarly, 2 PET examinations were performed, before and after recovery, during the performance of a visuospatial task requiring the patients to detect and respond to visual targets moving on a computer screen from the right to the left visual hemifield (experimental condition). The cerebral activation was compared with a baseline task in which subjects responded to a black dot flashing in a fixed position of the right hemifield. RESULTS: The brain areas activated by the performance of the visuospatial task before and after recovery were compared. In all 3 patients, the regions notably more active after recovery were almost exclusively found in right-sided cortical areas and largely overlapped with those observed in a group of 4 normal subjects performing the same task. Other areas, which have been shown to be involved in attentional and oculomotor tasks in other PET studies, were also activated in patients with ULN. CONCLUSIONS: The behavioral recovery of ULN in these patients with predominantly subcortical lesions is mainly associated with cerebral activations in cortical regions similar to those observed in normal subjects. There is some evidence of functional reorganization in individual subjects, which involves other areas related to space representation and exploration.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Relation of personal space to the human menstrual cycle.

A behavioral measure of personal space was obtained from 84 female undergraduates who had completed a menstrual cycle questionnaire. They ranged in age from 17 to 27 years, with a mean age of 19.2 years. A significant relationship between personal space and the female's menstrual cycle was found. The personal space zone tended to be larger during the menstruous flow than during the approximate middle of the cycle. Results were discussed in the context of sexual responsiveness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Invisible displacement understanding in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): the role of visual cues in search behavior.

Recently, (Collier-Baker E, Davis JM, Suddendorf T (2004) J Comp Psychol 118:421-433) suggested that domestic dogs do not understand invisible displacements. In the present study, we further investigated the hypothesis that the search behavior of domestic dogs in invisible displacements is guided by various visual cues inherent to the task rather than by mental representation of an object's past trajectory. Specifically, we examined the role of the experimenter as a function of the final position of the displacement device in the search behavior of domestic dogs. Visible and invisible displacement problems were administered to dogs (N = 11) under two conditions. In the Visible-experimenter condition, the experimenter was visible whereas in the Concealed-experimenter condition, the experimenter was visibly occluded behind a large rigid barrier. Our data supported the conclusion that dogs do not understand invisible displacements but primarily search as a function of the final position of the displacement device and, to a lesser extent, the position of the experimenter.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reduced extinction of hippocampal-dependent memories in CPEB knockout mice.

CPEB is a sequence-specific RNA binding protein that regulates translation at synapses. In neurons of CPEB knockout mice, synaptic efficacy is reduced. Here, we have performed a battery of behavioral tests and find that relative to wild-type animals, CPEB knockout mice, although similar on many baseline behaviors, have reduced extinction of memories on two hippocampal-dependent tasks. A corresponding microarray analysis reveals that about 0.14% of hippocampal genes have an altered expression in the CPEB knockout mouse. These data suggest that CPEB-dependent local protein synthesis may be an important cellular mechanism underlying extinction of hippocampal-dependent memories.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2007

Enhancement of learning and memory after activation of cerebral Rho GTPases.

The mechanism whereby the morphology and connectivity of the dendritic tree is regulated depends on an actin dynamics that, in turn, is controlled by Rho GTPases, a family of small GTP-binding proteins encompassing Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 subfamilies. Cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1), a protein toxin from Escherichia coli, constitutively activates Rho GTPases, thus leading to remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton in intact cells. Here, we show that the modulation of cerebral RhoA and Rac1 activity induced by CNF1 in mice leads to (i) rearrangement of cerebral actin cytoskeleton, (ii) enhanced neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity, and (iii) improved learning and memory in various behavioral tasks. The effects persist for weeks and are not observed in mice treated with a recombinant CNF1, in which the enzymatic activity was abolished by substituting serine to cysteine at position 866. The results suggest that learning ability can be improved through pharmacological manipulation of neural connectivity.

Actins↗
PubMed2006

Learned preferences induced by electrical stimulation of a food-related area of the parabrachial complex: effects of naloxone.

Electrical stimulation of the External Lateral Parabrachial Subnucleus (LPBe), a food-related area, induced behavioral preferences for associated stimuli in a taste discrimination learning task. Although this stimulation appeared to be ineffective to elicit standard lever press self-stimulation, it induced place preference for one of two training compartments of a rectangular maze in which animals (adult male Wistar rats) received concurrent electrical brain stimulation. In subjects that consistently showed a preference behavior in different trials, administration of the opioid antagonist naloxone (4 mg/ml/kg) blocked concurrent learning when the test was made in a new maze but not in the same maze in which animals had learned the task. These results are discussed in terms of the possible participation of the LPBe subnucleus in different natural and artificial brain reward systems.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

The serotonin1A receptor partial agonist S15535 [4-(benzodioxan-5-yl)1-(indan-2-yl)piperazine] enhances cholinergic transmission and cognitive function in rodents: a combined neurochemical and behavioral analysis.

These studies examined the influence of the selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) (5-HT)(1A) receptor partial agonist S15535 [4-(benzodioxan-5-yl)1-(indan-2-yl)piperazine] upon cholinergic transmission and cognitive function in rodents. In the absence of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, S15535 dose-dependently (0.04-5.0 mg/kg s.c.) elevated dialysis levels of acetylcholine in the frontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus of freely moving rats. In the cortex, the selective 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist WAY100,635 [(N-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-N-(2-pyridinyl) cyclo-hexanecarboxamide) fumarate] dose-dependently (0.0025-0.63) blocked this action of S15535. By contrast, in dorsal hippocampus, WAY100,635 mimicked the induction of acetylcholine release by S15535. In a social recognition paradigm, S15535 dose-dependently (0.16-10.0) improved retention, an action blocked by WAY100,635 (0.16), which was ineffective alone. Furthermore, S15535 dose-dependently (0.04-2.5) and WAY100,635 reversibly abolished amnesic properties of the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine (0.63) in this procedure. Cognitive deficits provoked by scopolamine in autoshaping and Morris water-maze procedures were likewise blocked by S15535 at doses of 0.63 to 10.0 and 0.16 to 2.5, respectively. In a two-platform spatial discrimination task, in which S15535 similarly abrogates cognitive deficits elicited by scopolamine, injection of S15535 (1.0 and 10.0 microg) into dorsal hippocampus blocked amnesic effects of the 5-HT(1A) agonist 8-hydroxy-2-dipropylaminotetralin (0.5 microg). Finally, S15535 (0.16-0.63) improved performance in a spatial, delayed nonmatching to sample model in mice, and in an operant delayed nonmatching to sample model in old rats, S15535 (1.25-5.0 mg/kg p.o.) increased response accuracy and reduced latency to respond. In conclusion, S15535 reinforces frontocortical and hippocampal release of acetylcholine and displays a broad-based pattern of procognitive properties. Its actions involve both blockade of postsynaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors and engagement of 5-HT(1A) autoreceptors.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗
PubMed1996

Enzyme polymorphisms in the Anopheles gambiae (Diptera:Culicidae) complex related to feeding and resting behavior in the Imbo Valley, Burundi.

A cellulose acetate electrophoresis system was used to study the Anopheles gambiae complex at 2 villages in Central Imbo Valley and at 1 village in South Imbo Valley (Burundi). In South Imbo, only An. gambiae Giles sensu stricto was present. In the drier Central Imbo, the dominant species was An. arabiensis Patton (97.5%); An. gambiae s.s. represented only 2.5%. Both species were separated readily by Odh and Mpi, because they did not share alleles at those loci. Indoor resting An. gambiae s.s. from South Imbo differed significantly from outdoor resting females at 2 Ioci, Mpi, and Got-2. In Central Imbo, total An. arabiensis did not differ between adjacent villages. Endophagic An. arabiensis significantly differed at loci alpha-Gpd, and Idh-1 between the 2 villages, whereas no difference was observed between exophagic females. Allelic and genotypic frequencies at the locus Mdh-2 were significantly different between indoor and outdoor biting An. arabiensis. Active choice for the best place to bite or to rest seemed to be associated with specific genotypes. The Nei genetic distance values were typical of conspecific populations, ranging from 0.154 to 0.160 between An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis. Even though vector populations were structured at spatial and behavioral levels, they were panmictic, and thus selection of exophilic or exophagic vectors, or both, by insecticide pressure is not likely to occur.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Cue-sampling and goal-approach correlates of hippocampal unit activity in rats performing an odor-discrimination task.

Several techniques previously used to describe behavioral correlates of hippocampal unit and slow-wave activity are combined in a single odor-discrimination paradigm. Rats repetitively performed a sequence of behaviors during each trial: approach to a stimulus-sampling port, investigatory sniffing of the odor cue, orientation and approach toward a separate reward location, and water reward consumption. In a series of post hoc analyses, spike activity was time-locked to variations of each task event to uncover behavioral and physiological parameters that best synchronized unit firing. Three major categories of cells were identified: (1) "Cue-sampling" cells fired after onset of odor-cue sampling. Response magnitude was related to cue valence on both the current and past trials. (2) "Goal-approach" cells fired prior to arrival at either the odor-sampling port or reward cup. A number of sampling and approach cells also had place correlates. However, detailed analyses indicated that specific behaviors associated with increased firing reliably occurred at the same place. Unit activity was at least as well described by behavioral as spatial parameters. (3) "Theta" cells fired at high rates in strict relation to the ongoing limbic theta rhythm. This categorization suggests a functional organization of the hippocampus in which different cell types play complementary roles. Cue-sampling cells activated by discriminative stimuli during attentive fixations may be involved in comparing relative cue valence. Goal-approach cells may be involved in orientation movements for successive cue-sampling periods. Theta cells may provide synchronization of sensory acquisition during sampling, as well as in orientation movements during approach.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Altered cortical synaptic morphology and impaired memory consolidation in forebrain- specific dominant-negative PAK transgenic mice.

Molecular and cellular mechanisms for memory consolidation in the cortex are poorly known. To study the relationships between synaptic structure and function in the cortex and consolidation of long-term memory, we have generated transgenic mice in which catalytic activity of PAK, a critical regulator of actin remodeling, is inhibited in the postnatal forebrain. Cortical neurons in these mice displayed fewer dendritic spines and an increased proportion of larger synapses compared to wild-type controls. These alterations in basal synaptic morphology correlated with enhanced mean synaptic strength and impaired bidirectional synaptic modifiability (enhanced LTP and reduced LTD) in the cortex. By contrast, spine morphology and synaptic plasticity were normal in the hippocampus of these mice. Importantly, these mice exhibited specific deficits in the consolidation phase of hippocampus-dependent memory. Thus, our results provide evidence for critical relationships between synaptic morphology and bidirectional modifiability of synaptic strength in the cortex and consolidation of long-term memory.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Multiple head injuries in rats: effects on behavior.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that mild head injuries in humans can result in cumulative damage. No investigation to date has considered the effects of multiple subacute mild head injuries in an animal model. METHODS: Forty-one male Long-Evans hooded rats were trained in a Morris water maze. All animals were fitted with a hollow intracranial screw. Concussions were generated using a fluid percussion device. Animals were then evaluated in the water maze until performance returned to baseline. Control animals received no concussions. The remaining animals were randomized to receive one, two, or three concussions. Animals were allowed to return to baseline after each concussion and were then killed. Motor performance was evaluated on a balance beam both before and after concussions. RESULTS: After one concussion, 85% of animals showed performance deviation from baseline as measured by time to reach the platform, returning to baseline within a mean of 14.0 trials. After two concussions, 48% of animals showed deviation, with a mean return to baseline of 6.8 trials. After three concussions, 25% of animals showed deviation, with a mean return to baseline of 2.3 trials. Of postconcussive animals, 42% developed new inconsistent baseline levels of performance. Balance beam performance was unaffected. CONCLUSION: Multiple concussions cause immediate transient impairment in spatial recognition and have extended effects on baseline performance in rats. Motor performance is not affected.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Interpersonal distance: a factor in infectious disease morbidity and mortality?

We hypothesized a greater incidence of diseases transmitted by airborne vectors in countries where people interact at shorter distances from each other compared to countries where people interact at greater distances. Therefore, we examined the relationship between the interpersonal distance of pairs of people from different countries and the incidence of infectious disease in those countries. Morbidity and mortality data for 1981 were obtained from WHO reports, while interpersonal distance estimates were taken from Watson's study of proxemic behavior. Respiratory tuberculosis morbidity was negatively correlated with interpersonal distance (r = -.51, p = .037), while respiratory tuberculosis mortality was not (r = -.42, p = .051). Mortality from non-respiratory tuberculosis was negatively related to interpersonal distance (r = -.60, p = .007). To verify these correlations, we repeated the analyses using incidence data from 1977. Neither of the correlations remained significant, although for respiratory tuberculosis morbidity r = -.44 (p = .059). Our inability to replicate the original findings suggests the significant results for 1981 may have been spurious.

Communicable Diseases↗
PubMed2006

10 years of illusions.

A decade ago, S. Aglioti, J. F. X. DeSouza, and M. A. Goodale (1995) published an experiment that has had a big influence on the way that visual information is thought to control human behavior. Their findings have often been simplified as suggesting that action is immune to perceptual illusions. The current authors critically analyze the 4 steps involved in this simplification and argue that research during the last 10 years has shown that the validity of 3 of the 4 steps is doubtful. They conclude that this experiment cannot be regarded as firm support for the 2-visual-systems hypothesis (i.e., that the ventral stream is for perception and the dorsal stream is for visually guided actions).

Hand↗
PubMed2003

A statistical explanation of visual space.

The subjective visual space perceived by humans does not reflect a simple transformation of objective physical space; rather, perceived space has an idiosyncratic relationship with the real world. To date, there is no consensus about either the genesis of perceived visual space or the implications of its peculiar characteristics for visually guided behavior. Here we used laser range scanning to measure the actual distances from the image plane of all unoccluded points in a series of natural scenes. We then asked whether the differences between real and apparent distances could be explained by the statistical relationship of scene geometry and the observer. We were able to predict perceived distances in a variety of circumstances from the probability distribution of physical distances. This finding lends support to the idea that the characteristics of human visual space are determined probabilistically.

Humans↗
PubMed1986

The analyst's space.

The space the analyst creates in his consulting room gives expression to the most primitive elements in his personality. It does this despite, and even by means of, the professional conventions it incorporates. This phenomenon is first apparent in Freud's office where the space of the psychoanalytic situation originated. Here the room itself--filled with the antiquities he collected so passionately--met important narcissistic/symbiotic needs. In this sense it encodes a very early, unanalyzed level of relationship with his mother. It is suggested here that these phenomena, visible in Freud's office, are continuing elements of the analytic frame. Because of the character of the analyst and the structure of the relationship, the room becomes a mise-en-scène in which the narcissistic/symbiotic layers of both participants' characters are played out. Failing to recognize this may lead the analyst to treat seemingly regressive behavior as resistance and to intervene at developmental levels the patients has not achieved. Indeed, such "regressions" can only be understood as products of the situation itself. Phenomenologically, the analyst has become the corner in which he took refuge as a child; the corner to which the patient now comes for sanctuary. Because this connection is unconscious it cannot be called an alliance. Rather, it is a fortuitous interlocking that--like mother-child symbiosis--constitutes a matrix for new growth.

Freudian Theory↗
PubMed2001

Neuroprotective and behavioral efficacy of nerve growth factor-transfected hippocampal progenitor cell transplants after experimental traumatic brain injury.

OBJECT: Immortalized neural progenitor cells derived from embryonic rat hippocampus (HiB5), were transduced ex vivo with the gene for mouse nerve growth factor (NGF) to secrete NGF (NGF-HiB5) at 2 ng/hr/10(5) cells in culture. METHODS: Fifty-nine male Wistar rats weighing 300 to 370 g each were anesthetized with 60 mg/kg sodium pentobarbital and subjected to lateral fluid-percussion brain injury of moderate severity (2.3-2.4 atm, 34 rats) or sham injury (25 rats). At 24 hours postinjury, 2 microl (150,000 cells/microl) of [3H]thymidine-labeled NGF-HiB5 cells were transplanted stereotactically into three individual sites in the cerebral cortex adjacent to the injury site (14 rats). Separate groups of brain-injured rats received nontransfected (naive [n])-HiB5 cells (12 animals) or cell suspension vehicle (eight animals). One week postinjury, animals underwent neurological evaluation for motor function and cognition (Morris water maze) and were killed for histological, autoradiographic, and immunocytochemical analysis. Viable HiB5 cell grafts were identified in all animals, together with reactive microglia and macrophages located throughout the periinjured parenchyma and grafts (OX-42 immunohistochemistry). Brain-injured animals transplanted with either NGF-HiB5 or n-HiB5 cells displayed significantly improved neuromotor function (p < 0.05) and spatial learning behavior (p < 0.005) compared with brain-injured animals receiving microinjections of vehicle alone. A significant reduction in hippocampal CA3 cell death was observed in brain-injured animals receiving transplants of NGF-HiB5 cells compared with those receiving n-HiB5 cells or vehicle (p < 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that immortalized neural stem cells that have been retrovirally transduced to produce NGF can markedly improve cognitive and neuromotor function and rescue hippocampal CA3 neurons when transplanted into the injured brain during the acute posttraumatic period.

Animals↗