Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Behavior Control”

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 1,567 records · Page 87Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Modulation of postsynaptic activities of thalamic lateral geniculate neurons by spontaneous changes in number of retinal inputs in chronic cats. 1. Input-output relations.

The experiments were designed to explore the role of retinal inputs compared with that of the behavioral state in the modulation of the output of thalamic lateral geniculate neurons during sleep and wakefulness in cats with intact visual pathways. We made the following assumptions: the retinal dark discharge, while showing spontaneous pauses in activity, does not vary with the behavioral state; the optic tract inputs postsynaptically elicit subthreshold activities called S-potentials which in turn generate spikes, the degree of transformation being dependent on the level of alertness. On the basis of these assumptions, it could be expected that changes in retinal input frequency would modify the rate of the S-potentials. Therefore the effect of spontaneous decreases in frequency of S-potentials on the spike rate and pattern was examined in juxta- and intracellular recordings from chronically implanted cats during natural sleep and wakefulness. During quiet wakefulness and light slow-wave sleep, lateral geniculate relay neurons normally displayed numerous S-potentials associated with a moderate firing rate. Many neurons occasionally showed transient reductions in frequency of the S-potentials and an oversimplification of the discharges which combined a decreased rate with a prevalent rhythmical burst pattern. Antidromic responsiveness remained unchanged. The oscillatory periods recurred two to six times without any alteration in the control state level. They were not observed throughout wakefulness and paradoxical sleep, during which neuronal activity combined a high spike rate with a low S-potential rate. The modifications were confirmed by computation of the mean rates and of the inter-event intervals. The transfer ratio (spikes/S-potentials + spikes) significantly increased both during the oscillatory periods poor in S-potentials of quiet wakefulness and during active wakefulness. But the correlation between the transfer ratio and the spike frequency, which was high throughout the control behavioral states, faded during the periods poor in S-potentials. Thus the transient falls in the frequency of S-potentials which occurred spontaneously during quiet wakefulness caused burst discharges in lateral geniculate relay neurons, which resembled a sleep deepening, but also paralleled the effect of experimental deafferentation. The data indicate that the iterative spikes grouped in well spaced bursts which persisted during decreases in subthreshold postsynaptic activities result in an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Opioids and rate of positively reinforced behavior: differential antagonism by naltrexone.

Lever pressing by rats was maintained under a fixed-ratio 30 schedule of food presentation. The response rate-decreasing effects of several opioid compounds that vary in selectivity for, and activity at, µ, kappa, and non-opioid receptors, were examined alone and in combination with the opioid antagonist naltrexone. Naltrexone (0.01-1.0mg/kg) produced dose-dependent and generally parallel rightward shifts in the dose-effect curves for morphine, fentanyl, butorphanol and nalbuphine. Apparent pA(2) values for naltrexone against these agonists ranged from 7.05 to 7.29, and the slopes of the regression lines fitted to the Schild plots approximated theoretical unity (-1.0), suggesting a competitive interaction at µ-opioid receptors. In contrast, although at least one dose of naltrexone (0.01-10.0mg/kg) antagonized the response rate-decreasing effects of bremazocine, U50,488, (-)-pentazocine and nalorphine, suggesting some opioid activity, these effects differed from those of the µ agonists in that: (a) they were less sensitive to naltrexone antagonism; (b) maximal rightward shifts were smaller; (c) antagonism patterns were not directly related to naltrexone dose and, in some cases, were influenced by the response rate-decreasing effects of the larger naltrexone doses; and (d) there were considerable between-subjects differences in sensitivity to naltrexone antagonism. Naltrexone (0.1-10.0mg/kg) did not antagonize the effects of the non-opioid control compound pentobarbital. The present results suggest that patterns of naltrexone antagonism can provide a basis for making inferences about receptor activity related to the effects of some opioids on rate of schedule-controlled behavior. With some opioids, however, such inferences are limited by the direct response rate-decreasing effects of naltrexone itself and by differences in patterns of antagonism across subjects.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

5-HT innervation of reticulospinal neurons and other brainstem structures in lamprey.

In order to determine if reticulospinal neurons involved in the control of locomotion and responsive to exogenously applied 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) are innervated by fibers that contain serotonin, the serotoninergic innervation of reticulospinal neurons, identified by retrograde labeling with fluorescein-conjugated dextran-amine (FDA), was investigated by immunohistochemistry in the lamprey brainstem. A widespread distribution of 5-HT immunoreactive (5-HT-ir) fibers was seen within the basal plate of the brainstem, an area containing reticulospinal somata and dendritic aborizations. Numerous 5-HT varicose fibers were found in close relation to large reticulospinal cell bodies, particularly in the middle and anterior rhombencephalic reticular nuclei (MRRN and ARRN). Some of these reticulospinal somata were surrounded by a very dense pericellular 5-HT innervation. 5-HT-ir fibers were also seen in other brain structures that are known to influence reticulospinal neurons such as the rhombencephalic alar plate containing sensory relay interneurons, cranial nerves (III-X), cerebellum, and tectum. These findings suggest that, as in the spinal cord, motor behavior controlled by reticulospinal neurons may be subject to a serotoninergic modulation.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Coping with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Weight- and behavior-control issues are major concerns for parents of a child with Prader-Willi syndrome. However, limited information is available on how families implement the necessary dietary restrictions and the effects of the strategies. This study identified the advice a group of families received regarding weight management, the nutrition concerns they faced and how they coped with these concerns, and the effectiveness of their coping strategies. A 2-step survey methodology was used. Survey 1 identified the strategies parents used to cope with the feeding issues typically presented by children with Prader-Willi syndrome. Survey 2 evaluated the frequency with which these coping strategies were used and their effectiveness. Respondents also provided information on why strategies were not effective. Surveys were mailed to 496 parents/guardians of children (aged 25 years or younger) with Prader-Willi syndrome. A total of 293 (64%) responded. Advice given to families centered on general weight management and dietary guidance. Difficulties centered around coping with food-related behaviors. Coping strategies varied; what worked for 1 family did not necessarly work for another. Participants indicated a desire to share experiences and a need for specific strategies to cope with feeding-behavior difficulties. A few basic behavior-management strategies, including successful use of incentives, responding to misbehavior, rewarding compliance with an exercise program, and modifying the behavior management when indicated, are briefly reviewed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1987

Cocaine tolerance: acute versus chronic effects as dependent upon fixed-ratio size.

The effects of cocaine on operant behavior were studied by examining fixed-ratio value as a factor in the development of tolerance. Pigeons pecked a response key under a three-component multiple schedule, with each bird being exposed to fixed-ratio values that were categorized as small, medium, or large. Administered acutely, cocaine (1.0 to 10.0 mg/kg) produced dose-related decreases in overall rate of responding. Responding maintained by the largest ratio was decreased by lower doses than those required to reduce rates of responding maintained by the other two ratio schedules. Following repeated daily administration of 5.6 mg/kg of cocaine, dose-effect functions (obtained from sessions during the chronic regimen by making substitutions for the daily dose) indicated tolerance under the smaller ratios, but no tolerance or less tolerance under the largest ratio. Thus, whether tolerance developed, and the degree to which it developed, depended on the ratio value. The results are partially consistent with the notion that tolerance to drug effects on schedule-controlled behavior will develop if drug administration initially reduces reinforcement frequency, but they indicate that reinforcement loss alone is not a sufficient condition for the generation of tolerance under such conditions. The findings suggest that amount of responding required for reinforcement, or "effort," may contribute to the development of tolerance to effects of cocaine.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The impact of education on the use of physical restraints in the acute care setting.

BACKGROUND: Physical restraints have become an acceptable standard of practice for managing safety and behavior control in acute care settings. Although the primary intent for using physical restraints is for patient protection, there are many negative outcomes related to their use. Heightened awareness by recent Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services standards for restraint use has led health care administrators and nursing staff to explore methods of reducing or eliminating the use of restraints. An educational program was planned and implemented for nursing staff emphasizing the risks of physical restraints and the benefits of innovative optional measures including nonrestraint devices. The program was tested to determine whether increased awareness through education would reduce the use of restraints. METHOD: After current practice patterns and restraint utilization were established, a comprehensive educational program was provided to all nursing personnel. Twenty-three formal classroom inservice offerings were provided with follow-up reinforcement of self-study modules. Education included nursing assessment strategies and practical restraint optional interventions for managing patients exhibiting disruptive behaviors. FINDINGS: After the educational program, the overall use of physical restraints decreased as well as the length of time patients were restrained. CONCLUSION: Results of this study reinforce the need to increase staff awareness and knowledge of nonrestraint interventions to manage disruptive behaviors in the acute care setting.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

Antagonism of behavioral effects of cocaine by selective dopamine receptor blockers.

The cocaine-antagonist effects of SCH 39166, which selectively blocks D1 dopamine receptors, were compared with those of YM 09151-2, a selective D2 receptor blocker, and flupenthixol, a nonselective blocker of both dopamine receptor subtypes. Squirrel monkeys were studied under a fixed-interval schedule of stimulus-shock termination, and the effects of cumulative doses of cocaine were determined alone and after pretreatment with each dopamine receptor blocker. When administered alone, cocaine (0.01-1.78 mg/kg, IV) had biphasic effects on responding: intermediate doses increased response rate, whereas higher doses decreased response rate. The ED50 for cocaine (average does that produced a half-maximal increase in response rate) was 0.04 mg/kg. Pretreatment with SCH 39166 (0.03 and 0.1 mg/kg, IV) resulted in surmountable antagonism of both the rate-increasing and rate-decreasing effects of cocaine, the ED50 being increased by as much as 13-fold. Similar effects were observed after pretreatment with YM 09151-2 (0.001 and 0.003 mg/kg, IV) and flupenthixol (0.01 and 0.03 mg/kg, IV), which respectively produced up to a 13-fold and 32-fold increase in ED50. There also was evidence for reciprocal antagonism of the rate-decreasing effects of the three dopamine receptor blockers by cocaine. The results suggest a prominent role for D1 as well as D2 dopamine receptors in mediating the effects of cocaine on schedule-controlled behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Use of low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets among americans: correlates, duration, and weight loss.

CONTEXT: Although low-carbohydrate, high-protein (LCHP) diets reemerged as popular diets, there are scant data on patterns of use in the general US population. OBJECTIVE: We examined the prevalence of reported LCHP diet use (eg, Sugar Busters, The Zone, The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet, The Atkins Diet), associated weight control behaviors, diet duration, and amount of weight loss while on the diet. DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Telephone survey of US adults conducted from September 2002 to December 2002 (N = 9300). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We used multivariable logistic regression models to determine predictors of current LCHP diet use. RESULTS: At the time of the survey, 12.5% of Americans reported ever using a LCHP diet, and 3.4% reported current use. Prevalence of current use was similar across sex, race/ethnicity, and education levels. Among those trying to lose weight (n = 3790), 5.9% reported currently using an LCHP diet. Among current users, mean weight loss was 18.3 (median, 11.7) lb, with 18.2% reporting > or = 30 lb weight loss, 34.0% > or = 20 lb weight loss, and 8.8% no weight loss. More men than women reported a duration of use of more than 12 months (42.2% vs 29.6%, P = .04) and median duration was greater in men than women (5.7 vs 2.8 months, P = .08). Among those trying to control weight, a significantly higher proportion of current LCHP diet users reported eating fewer calories and meeting physical activity recommendations (38.0%) compared with nonusers (29.8%). CONCLUSIONS: LCHP diets were equally prevalent across sociodemographic subgroups and many users reported significant weight loss. Approximately 40% of male users and 30% of female users reported long-term use of the diet, suggesting that for some, this dietary approach may be well tolerated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Endogenous D-serine in mammalian brains].

It is well established that, like glycine and D-alanine, D-serine potentiates glutamate neurotransmission via the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor by selective stimulation of its strychnine-insensitive glycine site and acts as a co-agonist of the glutamate receptor. D-Serine has been found to modify behavioral changes associated with higher brain functions such as memory, convulsion, anxiety, psychotomimetic-induced abnormal behavior and cerebellar ataxia. Interestingly, a substantial amount of free D-serine has been demonstrated in mammalian brains, although it has long been presumed that D-amino acids are uncommon in mammals. Free D-serine is predominantly concentrated in the brain with a persistent high content throughout life. The patterns of the regional variations and the postnatal changes in brain D-serine are closely correlated with those of the R2B subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type excitatory amino acid receptor. Moreover, D-serine is released to the extracellular space and taken up into the brain homogenates, C6 glioma cells and primary culture of astrocytes of the rat cerebral cortex. Recently, the conversion of L-serine to its D-form by serine racemase has been suggested by in vivo and in vitro experiments. These data are consistent with the view that D-serine might be an intrinsic positive modulator of the brain NMDA receptor containing the R2B subunit and play a pivotal role in controlling behavioral expression in mammals.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Behavior of patients with lung cancer: description and associations with oncologic and pain variables.

Although reflexes are recognized as protective responses to noxious stimuli, less is known about voluntary behavioral responses to cancer pain, which could provide clinicians with important diagnostic and therapeutic information. Forty-five patients with lung cancer were studied in their homes on 2 occasions to identify pain behaviors and to examine relationships between behaviors and selected variables. Patients completed the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and Visual Analogue scale (VAS). Using a videotape observation method, patients sat, stood, walked, and reclined for 10 min. Videotapes were scored using 5 position-related and 31 pain-related behavior definitions. Within 3 days scored behaviors were described to patients who reported whether each scored behavior was performed: to express pain; because pain prevented usual behavior; to control pain; or as a habit. Patients reported that pain was controlled by 42 different behaviors; the number of different pain-reduction behaviors was correlated with pain intensity (r = 0.44) and pain quality (r = 0.64). Simultaneous multiple regression indicated that length of time pain was experienced, number of pain sites, pain quality, and pain intensity accounted for 41% of the variance in the number of pain control behaviors. None of the taped behaviors was reported as performed to express pain, and few of the patients reported that pain prevented behavior during the video session. Results clarify the pain-behavior construct, provide insight about the multidimensional nature of lung cancer pain, and suggest directions for behavioral interventions to augment pharmacological therapy for lung cancer pain.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Nonadrenergic relaxation of the cat cervical trachea evoked by stimulation in the lateral hypothalamic area.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate hypothalamic contributions to control of tracheal tone. We found hypothalamic sites where electrical stimulation (60-90 microA: 1 ms pulse duration: 50 Hz: 5-10 s) and microinjection of L-glutamate (5-50 nmol) produced tracheal relaxation responses along with decreased blood pressure and heart rate in anesthetized, spontaneously breathing cats. Responsive sites were located in anterior (LHAa) and tuberal (LHAt) regions of the lateral hypothalamic area indicating that neuronal cells in those regions are responsible for development of tracheal relaxation. In a second experiment, we evaluated possible pathways mediating the tracheal relaxation response elicited by LHA stimulation. Tracheal relaxation was not attenuated by beta-adrenergic blockade (propranolol i.v., 0.2-0.5 mg/kg); the response is mediated by nonadrenergic mechanisms Muscarinic blockade (atropine i.v.) at doses of 0.05-0.1 mg/kg almost abolished tracheal tone during spontaneous breathing, and LHA stimulation evoked a small, insignificant reduction of tracheal tone. Cervical vagotomy completely abolished the trachea tone, and LHA stimulation no longer evoked the tracheal relaxation. These results indicate the existence of a nonadrenergic descending pathway within the vagal efferents, which is linked with behavioral control arising from LHA, and causes trachea relaxation.

Adrenergic Fibers↗
PubMed1983

Schedule-induction of nicotine self-administration.

Nicotine, although assumed to be an important factor in maintaining the use of tobacco products, has produced equivocal results when tested in drug self-administration studies using standard procedures with laboratory animals. Several recent studies however, have demonstrated nicotine self-administration using a procedure of schedule-induction. Schedule-induced behaviors occur as an adjunct to behavior controlled by an intermittent schedule of reinforcement and are thus not under control of the scheduled contingencies. Using schedule-induction procedures; oral, intravenous and inhaled self-administration of nicotine has been shown in rats, both rats and rhesus monkeys, and humans respectively. Although the self-administration of some doses of nicotine occurred without a concurrent schedule of intermittent reinforcement, schedule-induction results in responding maintained by lower doses of the drug and much more rapid initiation of self-administration. The result of such studies suggest an interaction between environmental factors, such as an intermittent schedule of other reinforcers, and nicotine's pharmacological effects. This interaction may be important in understanding the etiology and maintenance of human tobacco use.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1999

The control of foot placement during compensatory stepping reactions: does speed of response take precedence over stability?

Rapid, reflex-like stepping movements are a prevalent and functional compensatory reaction to destabilization, however, little is known about the underlying control. In this paper, a model is developed to examine how speed and stability demands affect control of foot placement during forward and backward compensatory stepping reactions. The concept of the velocity stability margin (VSM) is introduced to characterize the degree to which the horizontal velocity of the falling body approaches biomechanical limits on the capacity to decelerate the center of mass; analogous limits on center-of-mass displacement are quantified in terms of the displacement stability margin (DSM). The model is used to predict, for any initial step characteristics, the variation in DSM and VSM that would occur as a function of changes in timing of foot placement. The VSM was found to prevail over the DSM in establishing limits of stability. Model simulations demonstrated that there typically exists a minimum swing duration that maximizes speed of response while meeting minimum requirements for stability (VSM > or = 0), as well as a slower speed of response (longer swing duration) at which stability (VSM) is maximized. Experimental data from platform-perturbation tests in 20 healthy young (22-28) and older (65-81) adults were used, in conjunction with the model, to investigate whether speed or stability takes precedence during natural behavior. Control of single-step reactions appeared to favor stability; although the model predicted that a minimally stable step (VSM = 0) could be attained by swing durations as short as 30 ms, the observed swing durations were, on average, 135 ms longer than this, and the average VSM was nearly as large (80%) as the optimally stable value predicted by the model. Control of the initial step of multiple-step reactions was distinctly different. The average swing duration was only 55 ms greater than the minimally stable value and the average VSM was 81% smaller than in the single-step reactions. This reduction in VSM is consistent with a need to execute additional steps and appears to support the validity of the model. This model may help to provide insight into the biomechanical factors that govern the neural control of compensatory stepping reactions.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Parenting style and smoking-specific parenting practices as predictors of adolescent smoking onset.

OBJECTIVE: To test whether parenting style and smoking-specific parenting practices prospectively predicted adolescent smoking. METHODS: Three hundred eighty-two adolescents (age 10-17 years, initial nonsmokers, 98% non-Hispanic whites) and their parents were interviewed, with smoking also assessed 1-2 years later. RESULTS: Adolescents from disengaged families (low acceptance and low behavioral control) were most likely to initiate smoking. Adolescents' reports of parents' smoking-related discussion was related to lowered smoking risk for adolescents with nonsmoking parents, but unrelated to smoking onset for adolescents with smoking parents. Smoking-specific parenting practices did not account for the effects of general parenting styles. CONCLUSIONS: Both parenting style and smoking-specific parenting practices have unique effects on adolescent smoking, although effects were largely confined to adolescents' reports; and for smoking-specific parenting practices, effects were confined to families with nonsmoking parents. Interventions that focus only on smoking-specific parenting practices may be insufficient to deter adolescent smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Temporal stability of the theory of planned behavior: a prospective analysis of sugar consumption among Ugandan adolescents.

PURPOSE: This study addressed three questions: What is the power of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in predicting adolescents' intended and self-perceived consumption of non-milk extrinsic sugars using a non-intervention prospective approach? To what extent do the TPB constructs change across time following adolescents' mere exposure to an oral health survey? Do changes in self-perceived sugar consumption at follow-up associate with changes in behavioral intention as predicted by the TPB? METHOD: A survey was conducted in Kampala (urban) and Lira (rural) and 1146 secondary school students completed questionnaires assessing the TPB at school (Time 1). A random sub-sample of 415 students was selected from the original survey of which 372 students were examined clinically. After 3 months (Time 2), the questionnaire was administered a second time in the sub-sample. All analyses are based on the number of students who participated on both survey occasions, n = 372. RESULTS: Attitudes and perceived behavioral control predicted intended sugar consumption at Time 1 and Time 2, accounting for 58% (DeltaR(2) = 0.58) and 19% (DeltaR(2) = 0.19) of the variance, respectively. Time 1 intention provided significant prediction of Time 2 self-perceived sugar consumption with DeltaR(2) = 0.5. Adolescents with high-caries experience more than their counterparts with low, changed towards weaker intentions and less frequent sugar consumption across the survey period. Mean sugar consumption scores changed from 2.6 to 2.7 (ns), 3.1 to 2.6 (P < 0.001) and 2.3 to 3.2 (P < 0.001) among adolescents who, respectively, remained stable, increased and decreased their intentions across time. CONCLUSION: This study supports the validity of the TPB in predicting intended and self-perceived sugar consumption prospectively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Age of onset versus duration of problem drinking on the Alcohol Use Inventory.

The importance of two factors--the age at which a consistent pattern of heavy alcohol use was established and the duration of problem drinking--was compared in 70 alcoholic outpatients (21 women) using the Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI). Alcoholics who began heavy drinking at age 20 or below reported significantly greater social role maladaptation, more loss of behavioral control when drinking, greater severity of alcoholism, more severe alcoholic deterioration, and more frequent psychoperceptual withdrawal symptoms (delirium tremens) than later-onset alcoholics. Age of onset was consistently a better correlate of these alcoholic patterns than the duration of heavy drinking. Despite the 9.7-year mean difference between the groups with short- and long-term durations of heavy drinking, no significant differences on their AUI scores were found. These data suggest that the hypothesis that steady, excessive alcohol consumption at a young age may have more deleterious effects on the future social, interpersonal, cognitive and physical functioning of an alcoholic than the duration of excessive alcohol intake deserves further investigation.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of pyridostigmine bromide, permethrin, and DEET alone, or in combination, on fixed-ratio and fixed-interval behavior in male and female rats.

Concurrent exposure to pyridostigmine bromide (PB), permethrin (PERM) and/or N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) may have contributed to the development of a syndrome that appears to have afflicted military personnel who served during the Gulf War. The present experiment sought to evaluate the behavioral effects of these compounds alone, or in various combinations, in male and female rats. Subjects were exposed to a multiple fixed-ratio (FR) 50, fixed-interval (FI) 2-min schedule of reinforcement. PB dose-dependently decreased FR and FI response rates. FR responding was disrupted by lower doses and there were no differences between the sexes. PERM vehicle administration decreased response rates maintained by both schedules of reinforcement; this was offset by an increase in response rate after the administration of the intermediate dose of PERM. The highest dose of PERM decreased both FR and FI response rates. FR rates in male rats were more disrupted than those in female rats. Only the highest dose of DEET decreased FR and FI response rates in male and female rats. FR rates were more disrupted in female rats than in male rats. Synergistic effects were only observed when FI response rates decreased in male rats upon exposure to half the low dose of PB with half the low dose of PERM or half the low dose of PB with half the low dose of DEET. The results of this experiment thus show that small doses of PB, PERM and DEET disrupt well-established, schedule-controlled behavior in male and female rats in a schedule- and gender-dependent manner; schedule-dependent and gender-dependent synergistic effects were also observed. The mechanism by which the compounds exert these behavioral effects remains to be determined.

Animals↗