Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Stereotyped 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 1,441 records · Page 80Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Reinstatement of episodic-like memory in rats by neurokinin-1 receptor antagonism.

We previously showed that a systemic administration of the selective non-peptide neurokinin-1-receptor (NK-1-R) antagonist SR140333 increases hippocampal acetylcholine levels and facilitates long term memory. In the present study, we investigated whether systemic SR140333 has beneficial effects on episodic-like memory for unique experiences. Rats received either no injection, a vehicle injection or SR140333 at doses of 1, 3 and 9 mg/kg (i.p.) prior to the acquisition of an object memory for what, where and when. In line with previous results, untreated rats showed episodic-like memory, while vehicle-injected rats were impaired. A low dose of 1mg/kg SR140333 reinstated episodic-like memory. This result might be related to the effects of SR140333 on hippocampal cholinergic transmission and/or on the stress-response elicited by the injection procedure. Higher doses of SR140333 (3 and 9 mg/kg) induced psychomotor effects, including stereotypic behaviors and arched posture. Since NK-1-R antagonists have anxiolytic and promestic properties and induce hippocampal acetylcholine release at lower doses, they might be effective in the alleviation of the cognitive deficits and increased anxiety seen in early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Permanent motor activity and learning disorders induced by exposure to phenytoin during gestation and early infancy in the rat.

Experimental models and clinical data indicate that the incidence of motor and learning disorders may be increased in children of epileptic mothers taking phenytoin (PHT) during pregnancy. There is little data on the vulnerability of infants to PHT-induced long-term behavioral toxicity after gestational or early life exposure (i.e., infantile convulsion therapy). We examined the persistence of alterations in circling behavior induced by exposure to PHT during gestation, infancy, or both. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were injected i.p. with saline (SAL) or PHT (30 mg/kg/day) during gestational days (GD) 10-18. The offspring were then administered (i.p.) SAL or PHT (60 mg/kg/day) during postnatal days (PD) 13-23. Afterward, Circling Training tests were performed at three time points. At PD40 and PD80, the clockwise direction of circling was reinforced. At PD150, counterclockwise circling was rewarded instead. At PD40, all PHT-treated groups demonstrated increased circling velocities compared to saline-treated controls. Higher spatial error rates for direction of circling were also observed in gestation-only and infancy-only exposures. At PD80, groups exposed during gestation had higher circling velocities than control or infancy-only exposed groups. At PD150, increases in circling velocity were apparent for the reverse learning task in groups exposed during gestation. These results indicate that early postnatal exposure to PHT may exacerbate the known long-term behavioral effects of gestational exposure.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Dopamine D2, but not D4, receptor agonists are emetogenic in ferrets.

Agents that activate the dopamine D2-like family of receptors elicit emesis in humans and other species with a vomiting/emetic reflex; however, the lack of dopamine receptor subtype selective agonists has hampered an understanding of which dopamine D2-like receptor subtype(s) contributes to the emetic response. In this study, stable cell lines expressing the ferret dopamine D2-long (D2L) and D4 receptors were used to characterize known dopamine agonists via radioligand binding and calcium ion flux assays, while emetic activity of these dopamine receptor agonists was determined in male ferrets. Latencies to first emetic event, average number of emetic episodes, and stereotypical behaviors which may be indicative of nausea were also determined. Agonists at dopamine D1-like and D4 receptors had no emetic effect in ferrets. Conversely, stimulation of dopamine D2 and/or D3 receptors resulted in a robust emetic response characterized by a relatively short latency (<15 min) and multiple emetic events. Competitive antagonists of dopamine D2-like receptors (domperidone, haloperidol) dose-dependently blocked the emetic response to PNU95666E, a dopamine D2 receptor selective agonist. Thus, dopamine D2 and/or D3 receptor agonists elicit emesis, while dopamine D1/D5 or D4 receptor-selective agonists are devoid of emetic properties.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Parasomnias and other sleep-related movement disorders.

Parasomnias are common clinical complaints. Formal sleep evaluation including PSG is indicated for parasomnias that are violent and potentially injurious; disruptive to the bed partner or other household members; accompanied by excessive daytime sleepiness; or associated with medical,psychiatric, or neurologic symptoms or findings [2]. Multiple sleep latency testing should be considered for patients who have complaints of excessive daytime sleepiness. An extensive history, including medical, neurologic,psychiatric, and sleep disorder, and a review of medication, alcohol, illicit drug use, and family history of parasomnias, may provide useful clues. Distinguishing between a parasomnia and a seizure may be difficult as both can present as recurrent, stereotypical behaviors. Evaluation may be aided by an expanded EEG montage during overnight PSG studies.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Re-evaluation of constant versus varied punishers using empirically derived consequences.

Charlop, Burgio, Iwata, and Ivancic [J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 21 (1988) 89] demonstrated that varied punishment procedures produced greater or more consistent reductions of problem behavior than a constant punishment procedure. More recently, Fisher and colleagues [Res. Dev. Disabil. 15 (1994) 133; J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 27 (1994) 447] developed a systematic methodology for predicting the efficacy of various punishment procedures. Their procedure identified reinforcers and punishers (termed "empirically derived consequences" or EDC) that, when used in combination, reduced the destructive behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities who displayed automatically maintained destructive behavior. The current investigation combines these two lines of research by comparing the effects of constant versus varied punishers on the self-injury of two individuals with developmental disabilities. The punishing stimuli were selected via the procedures described by Fisher et al. and were predicted to be at varying levels of effectiveness. The varied presentation of punishers resulted in enhanced suppressive effects over the constant presentation of a punisher for one of two individuals, but only in comparison to a single stimulus predicted to be minimally effective. Even then, the differences were small. These results suggest that the additive effects of varied punishment are negligible if clinicians use stimuli predicted to be effective and are discussed in terms of the conditions under which stimulus variation could potentially enhance the effects of punishers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Autism, the superior temporal sulcus and social perception.

The most common clinical sign of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is social interaction impairment, which is associated with communication deficits and stereotyped behaviors. Based on recent brain-imaging results, our hypothesis is that abnormalities in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) are highly implicated in ASD. STS abnormalities are characterized by decreased gray matter concentration, rest hypoperfusion and abnormal activation during social tasks. STS anatomical and functional anomalies occurring during early brain development could constitute the first step in the cascade of neural dysfunction underlying ASD. We will focus this review on the STS, which has been highly implicated in social cognition. We will review recent data on the contribution of the STS to normal social cognition and review brain-imaging data implicating this area in ASD. This review is part of the INMED/TINS special issue "Nature and nurture in brain development and neurological disorders", based on presentations at the annual INMED/TINS symposium (http://inmednet.com/).

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Enhancement of the acoustic startle response by dopamine agonists after 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the substantia nigra pars compacta: corresponding changes in c-Fos expression in the caudate-putamen.

Rats with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway show enhanced locomotor and stereotyped behaviors when challenged with direct and indirect dopamine (DA) agonists due to the development of postsynaptic supersensitivity. To determine if this phenomenon generalizes to other motor behaviors, we have used this rat model of Parkinson's disease to examine the effects of the direct dopamine D(1) receptor agonist SKF 82958 and the indirect DA agonist L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) on the acoustic startle response. In addition, we used the expression of c-Fos protein as a marker of neuronal activity to assess any corresponding drug-induced changes in the caudate-putamen (CPu) after L-DOPA administration. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral injections of 6-OHDA into the substantia nigra pars compacta and 1 week later were tested for startle after systemic administration of SKF 82958 (0.05 mg/kg) or L-DOPA (1, 5, 10 mg/kg). SKF 82958 produced a marked enhancement of startle with a rapid onset in 6-OHDA-lesioned but not SHAM animals. L-DOPA produced a dose- and time-dependent enhancement of startle in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats that had no effect in SHAM animals even at the highest dose (10 mg/kg). Furthermore, L-DOPA produced a dramatic induction of c-Fos in the CPu in 6-OHDA-lesioned animals. Consistent with other literature, these data suggest that neurons in the CPu become supersensitive to the effects of DA agonists after 6-OHDA-induced denervation of the nigrostriatal pathway and that supersensitive dopamine D(1) receptors may mediate the enhancement of startle seen in the present study.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1997

Sequelae of parenteral domoic acid administration in rats: comparison of effects on different metabolic markers in brain.

Parenterally administered domoic acid, a structural analog of the excitatory amino acids glutamic acid and kainic acid, has specific effects on brain histology in rats, as measured using different anatomic markers. Domoic acid-induced convulsions affects limbic structures such as hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, and different anatomic markers can detect these neurotoxic effects to varying degrees. Here we report effects of domoic acid administration on quantitative indicators of brain metabolism and gliosis. Domoic acid, 2.25 mg/kg i.p., caused stereotyped behavior and convulsions in approximately 60% of rats which received it. Six to eight days after domoic acid or vehicle administration, the animals were processed to measure regional brain incorporation of the long-chain fatty acids [1-(14)C]arachidonic acid ([14C]AA) and [9,10-(3)H]palmitic acid ([3H]PA), or regional cerebral glucose utilization (rCMRglc) using 2-[1-(14)C]deoxy-D-glucose, by quantitative autoradiography. Others rats were processed to measure brain glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Domoic acid increased GFAP in the anterior portion of cerebral cortex, the caudate putamen and thalamus compared with vehicle. However, in rats that convulsed after domoic acid GFAP was significantly increased throughout the cerebral cortex, as well as in the hippocampus, septum, caudate putamen, and thalamus. Domoic acid, in the absence of convulsions, decreased relative [14C]AA incorporation in the claustrum and pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampus compared with vehicle-injected controls. In the presence of convulsions, relative [14C]AA incorporation was decreased in hippocampus regions CA1 and CA2. Uptake of [3H]PA into brain was unaffected. Relative rCMRglc decreased in entorhinal cortex following domoic acid administration with or without convulsions. These results suggest that acute domoic acid exposure affects discrete brain circuits by inducing convulsions, and that domoic acid-induced convulsions cause chronic effects on brain function that are reflected in altered fatty acid metabolism and gliosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Spared and impaired cognitive abilities after bilateral frontal damage.

We report on a patient (PG) with a severe behavioural disorder following massive bilateral prefrontal damage due to herpetic encephalitis. The lesion involves also the mesial and polar regions of the temporal lobes; the frontal dorso-lateral cortices were relatively spared. The patient's inattentiveness and alternating impulsive and apathetic behaviour led to her social alienation. The only self-motivated activities we observed were those initiated to satisfy her enhanced urge to eat and play games. She did not react to surprise stimuli that consistently elicit a reaction of surprise in healthy people. She also presented "adynamic aphasia" associated with anomia and episodic amnesia. A striking feature of the syndrome was the patient's consistent "utilization behaviour". Her motor behaviour was marked by constant akathisia. She performed surprisingly well on intelligence, "frontal", and visuo-spatial tests. This non-demented patient exhibited a clear dissociation between her relatively spared cognitive abilities and grossly impaired behaviour. In the discussion we explore the extent to which a defect of the supervisory control may be held responsible for the inconsistencies in the patient's coping skill performances.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Preferential inhibition of dizocilpine-induced hyperlocomotion by olanzapine.

This study examined the putative inhibitory effect of the atypical antipsychotic, olanzapine, on dizocilpine (MK-801)-induced stereotypy and hyperlocomotion. Dizocilpine (0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent increase in both stereotypy and hyperlocomotion. Pretreatment with olanzapine (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) inhibited the dizocilpine (0.5 mg/kg)-induced hyperlocomotion but not the stereotypy. At the higher doses (1, 2 and 4 mg/kg), olanzapine blocked both the stereotypy and hyperlocomotion induced by dizocilpine. Similarly, olanzapine, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg, did not inhibit apomorphine (3 mg/kg)-induced stereotypy, whereas the higher dose (1 mg/kg) blocked it. We also studied the effect of olanzapine on spontaneous locomotor activity and catalepsy. Olanzapine (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) did not induce a decrease in spontaneous locomotor activity but did so at the higher doses (1, 2 and 4 mg/kg). The lower doses (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg) did not induce catalepsy but higher doses (2 and 4 mg/kg) induced a significant catalepsy which lasted for more than 4 h. The results thus showed that, at lower doses, olanzapine selectively inhibited behaviours mediated by the mesolimbic/mesocortical system while at higher doses it inhibited behaviours mediated by both mesolimbic/mesocortical and nigrostriatal systems. Therefore, the minimal extrapyramidal side-effects produced by olanzapine at effective doses might be due to its preferential action at the mesolimbic/mesocortical area.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Mating and hormonal triggers regulate accessory gland gene expression in male Drosophila.

Drosophila melanogaster males transfer accessory gland proteins, as part of their seminal fluid, to females during each mating. Since accessory gland proteins are important for male reproductive success, it is important that the male replenish the proteins he transferred during mating. Previous studies had shown that mating induces the resynthesis of accessory gland proteins, but since mating includes a set of stereotyped behavior patterns as well as the act of copulation, it was not known which aspect of the mating process induces accessory gland protein synthesis. By exposing males to females whose ovipositors had been sealed shut, we have shown that resynthesis of accessory gland proteins occurs only when seminal fluid is transferred to females. By applying juvenile hormone or 20-hydroxyecdysone topically to the cuticle of male flies, we showed that these hormones can act in vivo to stimulate the synthesis of accessory gland proteins to levels similar to those observed after mating.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Amphetamine induces hydroxyl radical formation in the striatum of rats.

Amphetamine-induced hydroxyl radical formation in the striatum of rats was investigated in this study. With the utilization of the microdialysis and HPLC-ECD, the striatal dopamine (DA) release and the formation of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,3-DHBA), derived from the reaction of hydroxyl radicals (.OH) and salicylate in perfusion, were monitored and detected during desipramine and/or amphetamine (AMPH) administration. Our data revealed that after desipramine treatment AMPH injections not only amplified striatal DA release and 2,3-DHBA formation, but also intensified the stereotyped behaviors induced by AMPH. Furthermore, we discovered that alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine (alpha-MT) pretreatment prevented the onset of the above responses. In desipramine-treated rats, the tissue homogenization study demonstrated that a single dose of AMPH produced long-term depletion of striatal DA; this was not seen in saline-treated rats. Moreover, striatal DA depletion could be lessened by pretreatment with mannitol, a .OH scavenger. These results indicate that AMPH-induced striatal .OH formation might be DA-related in desipramine-treated rats, and suggest that .OH formation might be correlated with AMPH-induced neurodegeneration.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed2003

Evaluation of the NR2B-selective NMDA receptor antagonist Ro 63-1908 on rodent behaviour: evidence for an involvement of NR2B NMDA receptors in response inhibition.

We have characterised the effects of the recently described NMDA NR2B subtype selective antagonist, Ro 63-1908, on spontaneous behaviour and in tasks sensitive to non-selective NMDA antagonists. In both rats and wild type mice, Ro 63-1908 (1-30mg/kg sc) produced a mild increase in motor activity of lesser magnitude than that elicited by dizocilpine. No signs of overt PCP-like stereotypy were seen in either species at equivalent doses. PPI was also unaffected. However, in mice lacking the NR2A subunit, Ro 63-1908 (3-30mg/kg) produced a profound hyperactivity of similar magnitude to dizocilpine but few other 'PCP-like' behaviours. In rats, Ro 63-1908 (1-10mg/kg) did not affect Morris water maze or delayed matching performance. In a 5-choice serial reaction time task, requiring rats to respond to a visual stimulus presented after a fixed time interval, Ro 63-1908 (0.3-3mg/kg) produced a dramatic increase in premature responses - accuracy was relatively unaffected. Finally in a DRL24 task, Ro 63-1908 (0.3-3mg/kg) reduced inter-response time, increased response rate, and consequently reduced efficiency. We conclude that the improved profile of Ro 63-1908 compared to NMDA channel blockers is due to both its selectivity for the NR2B vs. NR2A subunit containing receptors and its activity-dependent mechanism of action. However, in the 5-CSRT and DRL24 tasks, Ro 63-1908 produced behaviours suggestive of impaired response inhibition, implicating a critical role of NMDA NR2B transmission in this process.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1997

Erection evoked in male rats by airborne scent from estrous females.

In the presence of inaccessible estrous females, male rats display penile erections and associated stereotypic behavior indicative of sexual arousal. The effective stimuli for these noncontact erections (NCEs) had not been determined, but bedding soiled by estrous females was known to be ineffective. The present experiments tested for a potential role for volatile olfactory cues in evoking NCE. In Experiment 1, sexually naive male rats were observed for NCEs when tested with inaccessible, estrous females, upwind (n = 20) or downwind (n = 20) from them under conditions that permitted or prevented visual communication. After half the males in each condition had copulatory experience, they were tested under the same conditions. In each test, only on male of 20 responded with females downwind, whereas about half the 20 males displayed NCEs with females upwind, irrespective of barrier type or, in Test 2, of sexual experience. Olfactory cues from estrous females were apparently necessary to induce NCE, whereas visual and auditory stimuli from estrous were not sufficient to evoke NCE, nor did they affect the response to olfactory stimulation. In Experiment 2, males were downwind from estrous females (n = 10) or anestrous females (n = 10) that were behind opaque barriers and were anesthetized to preclude auditory communication. Results indicated that olfactory cues were also sufficient to provoke NCE in sexually experienced males. Receptive female rats apparently broadcast a volatile pheromone that promotes erection. Pheromones are well known to attract potential mates and to act in concert with other stimuli to promote mating. However, this is the first mammalian evidence for a volatile pheromone acting alone to evoke a sexual fixed-action pattern and, in that sense, acting as an airborne aphrodisiac.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

[The phylogeny, ethology and nosology of yawning].

Charles Darwin would have said that yawning was a useless piece of physiology. If so, then how should the survival of this very stereotyped behavior among the poikilothermal and homoeothermic vertebrates, from the basic brained reptiles to human primates, whether in the air, on the land or in the sea be understand? This issue of the ethnological, neurophysiologic and neuropsychological literature depicts yawning as being associated with an alternation of "awake-sleep" rhythms, sexuality, and nutrition, where it appears as a reference behavior of the mechanisms stimulating the state of vigilance. In pharmacology, yawning is used as an indicator of dopamine-ocytocinergic pathway activity, but in the Parkinson patient the neurologist sees it as an expression of therapeutic dopaminergic activity. J.M. Charcot and his school considered yawning as a clinical sign, long since forgotten. However, many patients complain about excessive yawning. Iatrogenic causes are the most frequent and can be found among many neurological diseases: vasovagal syncope, migraine, epilepsy, hypophyseal tumor, or stroke. Our ability to achieve motor and emotional behavior in resonance with others is deeply rooted in hominid evolution, and probably explains the strange phenomenon of contagious yawning.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Functionally selective neurochemical afferents and efferents of the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine system.

In summary, evidence is presented that the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine systems form functionally selective afferents to different parts of the basal ganglia and these inputs are paralleled by functionally selective outputs. The ventral striatal region of the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle has a dopamine input that is critical for locomotor activation produced by psychomotor stimulant drugs and some non-drug states. These regions also appear critical for the reinforcing actions of psychomotor stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamine, and these regions may also be involved in the activation associated with non-drug rewards. Both psychomotor stimulant-induced locomotor activation and reinforcement may selectively involve dopamine D1 receptors. The functional efferents of this system appear to involve the region of the ventral pallidum and more specifically GABAergic mechanisms of the posterior medial (sublenticular) ventral pallidum. The relationship of this circuitry with the revised concept of the "extended amygdala" is an area of current work. The nigrostriatal dopamine system forms a functionally selective afferent system to the dorsal striatum and appears to be critical for the focused stereotyped behavior associated with high doses of psychomotor stimulants. This dopamine input also appears to be involved in non-drug-induced conditioned reaction time performance and may selectively involve dopamine D2 receptors. The functional efferents of this system appear to involve both direct and indirect GABAergic connections to the substantia nigra reticulata and dorsal pallidum, respectively. Activation of the GABAergic connection to the dorsal pallidum (indirect connection) appears to mimic the action of dopamine in the dorsal striatum, whereas activation of the GABAergic connection to the substantia nigra reticulata (direct connection) appears to modulate striatal dopamine function. These results show an important functional role for the globus pallidus in the output of the dorsal striatum and emphasize the parallel functional processing of both dorsal and ventral striatum.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed2000

Effects of low dosages of apomorphine on maternal responsiveness in lactating rats.

Lactating rats (day 7 +/- 1 postpartum) were observed during a 1-h reunion with their pups 4 h after separation from them and 10 min after subcutaneous injection of saline (SAL; 0.1 ml) or low dosages of the dopamine agonist, apomorphine (APO; 0.1 or 0.25 mg/kg). Although APO did not affect latency to sniff pups or retrieve the first pup, there were dosage-dependent delays in onset of licking and nursing pups, and decreases in retrieval and grouping of pups, nursing duration, and litter weight gain. The alterations in maternal responsiveness among APO-treated dams were related to increased carrying and mouthing of pups and markedly increased sniffing of pups, bedding, and cage. Duration of time spent licking pups, exploring, and self-grooming did not differ between groups. Thus, certain APO-induced stereotypic behaviors interfered with the normal sequence of maternal behavior by exaggerating some components and delaying others. These results are relevant to disturbances in maternal behavior caused by hyperreactivity or by other drugs that increase dopaminergic activity, such as cocaine.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Ontogenetic quinpirole treatments produce spatial memory deficits and enhance skilled reaching in adult rats.

There is a paucity of data on neurochemical abnormalities and associated effects on cognition and motor performance in rats ontogenetically treated with quinpirole, a rodent model of dopaminergic hyperfunction. The objective of the current study was to analyze the cognitive and motor effects produced by ontogenetic administration of quinpirole, a dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptor agonist. Past research from this laboratory has shown that ontogenetic quinpirole treatment sensitizes D(2) receptors and produces a variety of characteristic stereotypic behaviors in adult rats. In the current study, rats received quinpirole HCl (1 mg/kg/day) or saline from postnatal day (PD) 1 to PD 11 and went otherwise untreated until adulthood (PD 60). In Experiment 1, cognitive performance was assessed on the standard and matching-to-place versions of the Morris water task (MWT). In Experiment 2, skilled motor performance was assessed on the Whishaw reaching task and locomotor activity was also analyzed. We found that ontogenetically quinpirole-treated rats displayed a deficit on the probe trial given at the end of training of the standard version of the MWT but that there were no significant differences from control on the matching-to-place task. Additionally, rats treated in ontogeny with quinpirole showed significant enhancement in reaching accuracy on the Whishaw reaching task as well as increased locomotor activity relative to saline controls. These findings demonstrate that ontogenetic quinpirole treatments produce cognitive deficits, enhanced skilled reaching and hyperlocomotion. The behavioral changes produced by ontogenetic quinpirole treatment are consistent with dopaminergic hyperfunction, and possible mechanisms are discussed.

Animals↗