Behavioral Activity Research Articles

Epileptic seizure clustering and accumulation at transition from activity to rest in GAERS rats.

Knowing when seizures occur may help patients and can also provide insight into epileptogenesis mechanisms. We recorded seizures over periods of several days in the Genetic Absence Epileptic Rat from Strasbourg (GAERS) model of absence epilepsy, while we monitored behavioral activity with a combined head accelerometer (ACCEL), neck electromyogram (EMG), and electrooculogram (EOG). The three markers consistently discriminated between states of behavioral activity and rest. Both GAERS and control Wistar rats spent more time in rest (55-66%) than in activity (34-45%), yet GAERS showed prolonged continuous episodes of activity (23 vs. 18 min) and rest (34 vs. 30 min). On average, seizures lasted 13 s and were separated by 3.2 min. Isolated seizures were associated with a decrease in the power of the activity markers from steep for ACCEL to moderate for EMG and weak for EOG, with ACCEL and EMG power changes starting before seizure onset. Seizures tended to occur in bursts, with the probability of seizing significantly increasing around a seizure in a window of ±4 min. Furthermore, the seizure rate was strongly increased for several minutes when transitioning from activity to rest. These results point to mechanisms that control behavioral states as determining factors of seizure occurrence.

What people do matters during intergroup communication: Immediate and delayed effects of intergroup contact via cognitive, affective, and behavioral mediators

ABSTRACT Positive intergroup communication reduces outgroup prejudice. Attempting to decompose the effect of intergroup contact more precisely, we argue that engaging in different activities during intergroup communication influences prejudice through different pathways. We investigated whether exposure to interactive videos involving cognitive, affective, and behavioral activities reduces outgroup prejudice through relevant mediators (knowledge, empathy, and synchronization). We found support for the effect of dancing (behavioral activity) and language learning (cognitive activity) on outgroup prejudice through the relevant mediators: synchronization and knowledge, respectively. Also, we demonstrated a long-term effect of mediated intergroup contact: the mediation path from dance through synchronization lasted a week after the intervention. We discuss the importance of the content of intergroup communication and its implications for creating prejudice-reduction interventions.

Participatory Development and Assessment of Audio-Delivered Interventions and Written Material and Their Impact on the Perception, Knowledge, and Attitudes Toward Leprosy in Nigeria: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

In Nigeria, similar to many leprosy-endemic countries, leprosy is highly stigmatized. High levels of stigma among community members as well as internalized stigma among persons affected by leprosy often result in negative psychosocial consequences for those affected. To break this vicious cycle, it is important to conduct context-specific behavioral change activities. Although written material has been successful in improving knowledge and perception, it is not suitable for populations with low educational levels. Audio-delivered interventions are likely to be more suitable for people who are illiterate. This study proposes to assess the impact of an audio-delivered intervention on the perception (knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs) of community members with regard to leprosy in Nigeria. This study aims to assess the impact of audio-delivered and written health education on the perception of leprosy. Specific objectives are to (1) investigate the perception (local beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes) of community members toward leprosy and persons affected by leprosy; (2) investigate whether there is a difference in impact on perception between participants who have received audio-delivered health education and those who have received written health education, with specific reference to gender differences and differences between rural and urban areas; and (3) assess the impact of the participatory development of the audio-delivered and written interventions on empowerment and internalized stigma of persons affected by leprosy who developed the interventions. Additionally, we will translate and cross-culturally validate 4 study instruments measuring outcomes in 2 major Nigerian languages. We will use a mixed methods, cross-sectional study design for the intervention development and a 3-arm cluster randomized controlled trial for its implementation and evaluation, comprising (1) baseline assessments of knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and fears of community members, to develop the audio-delivered content and written material, and the self-esteem and internalized stigma of persons affected by leprosy; and (2) participatory development of the audio-delivered content and written material by persons affected by leprosy and the pilot and implementation of the interventions. This will be done among different groups (selected using cluster randomization) that will be compared (control group, audio-intervention group, and written material group) to evaluate the intervention and the impact of developing the intervention on the persons affected. This study was funded in June 2022, and community member participant recruitment started in January 2023. Baseline data collection was completed by May 2023 (n=811). Participatory cocreation of the audio and written health education content began in July 2023, and the materials are currently under development. Study results are expected in September 2024. Study findings will contribute to developing evidence-based, context-specific behavioral change interventions, which are critical to addressing stigma in many leprosy-endemic communities where leprosy is highly stigmatized, and contribute toward global triple zero leprosy efforts. Pan African Clinical Trial Registry PACTR202205543939385; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=23667. DERR1-10.2196/53130.

Distribution of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) immunoreactivity in the rat pallial and subpallial amygdala and colocalization with γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

The amygdaloid complex, also known as the amygdala, is a heterogeneous group of distinct nuclear and cortical pallial and subpallial structures. The amygdala plays an important role in several complex functions including emotional behavior and learning. The expression of calcium-binding proteins and peptides in GABAergic neurons located in the pallial and subpallial amygdala is not uniform and is sometimes restricted to specific groups of cells. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is present in specific subpopulations of GABAergic cells in the amygdala. VIP immunoreactivity has been observed in somatodendritic and axonal profiles of the rat basolateral and central amygdala. However, a comprehensive analysis of the distribution of VIP immunoreactivity in the various pallial and subpallial structures is currently lacking. The present study used immunohistochemical and morphometric techniques to analyze the distribution and the neuronal localization of VIP immunoreactivity in the rat pallial and subpallial amygdala. In the pallial amygdala, VIP-IR neurons are local inhibitory interneurons that presumably directly and indirectly regulate the activity of excitatory pyramidal neurons. In the subpallial amygdala, VIP immunoreactivity is expressed in several inhibitory cell types, presumably acting as projection or local interneurons. The distribution of VIP immunoreactivity is non-homogeneous throughout the different areas of the amygdaloid complex, suggesting a distinct influence of this neuropeptide on local neuronal circuits and, consequently, on the cognitive, emotional, behavioral and endocrine activities mediated by the amygdala.

Behavioural Activities of Large White Yorkshire Crossbred Pigs under Different Mating Regimens

The present study was carried out on 18 crossbred LWY gilts and sows that were mated with suitable boars with the objectives to study the effect of various mating frequencies on various behavioural activities. They were randomly divided into 3 equal groups viz., Group I, II and III which were mated once, twice and thrice respectively with suitable boars, during a heat period and observed pre-coital and coital behavioural activities. Overall intermittent movement, slight forward movement, standing firmly were observed during, 5 (13.88%), 7 (19.44%) and 24 (66.66%) successful mating sessions, respectively. Gilts/sows exhibited frequent and partial vocalisation during 3 (8.33%), 10 (27.77%) mating sessions respectively out of total successful mating sessions. Gilts/ sows remained content during 22 (61.11%) successful mating sessions. Aggression, urinating and sniffing male genitalia was observed during 3 (8.33%), 11 (30.55%), 13 (36.11%) successful mating sessions out of total successful mating sessions. There was no significant difference between the groups. Overall mean of the primary changes in peri-partum behaviour viz., restlessness, grunting and anxiousness were observed 24.33 ± 3.16 h, 17.00 ± 3.11 h and 3.50 ± 0.64 h, respectively before farrowing. Overall mean of nest building behaviours viz., rooting & pawing, bar biting, chewing were observed 50.22 ± 4.47 h, 29.00 ± 2.66 h and 17.77 ± 1.41 h, before the birth of first piglet.

Methylphenidate (Ritalin) affects serotonin signaling differently in young compared to adults. Concomitant behavioral and neuronal recording from dorsal raphe in freely behaving rats

Currently, methylphenidate (MPD) is one of the most commonly prescribed psychostimulants for management and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A rise in the consumption of MPD by “ordinary” youth and adults prompted concern regarding the ontogeny effects of acute and chronic MPD exposure. The objective of this study is to concomitantly record behavioral and neuronal activity from the dorsal raphe (DR) nucleus, a major source of serotonergic innervation in the mammalian brain before and following different doses of acute and chronic administration of MPD in freely behaving adolescent (young) and adult rats previously implanted with electrodes in the DR. A wireless recording system over 10 consecutive experimental days was used. Four experimental groups were used: saline, 0.6, 2.5, and 10.0 mg/kg MPD for young and similar groups for adult rats. Animals received one daily MPD injection on experimental days 1-6, followed by three washout days, and then drug rechallenge on experimental day 10 (ED10). 860 DR units were recorded, 356 from adult rats and 504 from young rats. The study provides experimental evidence that the responses to acute and chronic MPD were significantly different between the two age groups. Moreover, the study implies that it is essential to evaluate the electrophysiological responses to a drug based on the animal’s behavioral response to chronic drug exposure and that the DR and serotonin signaling has a significant role in the response to MPD as well as a different role in young as compared to adult rats.

Evaluation of behavioral responses in cattle

Relevance. When studying behavioral data, researchers face the problem of differentiating behavioral actions. In this study, the task was set to develop a methodology capable of performing uncontrolled behavioral classification of electronic data collected with high frequency from collar-mounted motion sensors and GPS sensors on pasture cattle.Methods. To achieve this task, a data set was collected, which was processed by detecting key signs of animal behavior and classifying them according to behavioral parameters.Results. The processed data set was subsequently applied to an independent data set in order to verify the effectiveness of the methodology. The developed methodology has proven to be an effective tool for analyzing electronic data obtained from animals and can be used to classify data according to behavioral parameters such as foraging, resting, thinking, locomotion, and other actions. This allows you to gain new knowledge about the behavior of animals and is an important step in the study of animals in their natural habitat.

Differences in broiler bone, gut, and tissue mineral parameters, as influenced by broilers grouped based on bodyweight

Context Variation in bodyweight is an undesirable feature in broiler production. Compositional differences between high- and low-bodyweight (BW) chicks in bone parameters and tissue mineral concentrations may provide insight into underlying causes of variation in BW. Aims This study aimed to investigate differences in bone measurements, tissue mineral concentrations, and gut parameters of Ross 308 male broiler chicks with identical diet and environmental conditions, but with distinct BW on Day 21 (D21). Methods A 3-week growth study was conducted involving 40 male, day-old chicks from the Ross 308 line. Chicks were reared in a deep-litter house with a controlled environment and the same commercial diet. On D21, BW data collected from chicks were used as a criterion to rank them into high- and low-BW groups (n = 11/group). Retrospective BW measurements were compared between groups. Birds were selected for assessing bone parameters, liver mineral profile, gut pH, gizzard neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) contents. Key results Retrospective BW measurements among the high- and low-BW groups showed a consistent difference in BW between the two groups in early life. Tibial concentrations of manganese and strontium were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the low-weight (LW) group relative to the high-weight (HW) group. Concentrations of manganese, cadmium and caesium in the liver tissue showed significant differences, with the LW group having higher concentration of these trace elements. The LW chicks had lower gizzard digesta pH, higher gizzard NDF and a statistical tendency for higher ADF concentrations compared to the HW group. Conclusions and implications In summary, broilers ranked on the basis of D21 BW showed differences in tibial bone, gut, and tissue mineral parameters. The LW group had lower gizzard pH and higher gizzard fibre content than did the HW group, which may be attributed to factors such as behavioural activities relating to more litter consumption among the LW group than the HW group.

Physical and geographical correlates of deviant behavior

AIM: To study the potential role of physical environmental factors in the development of deviant behavior in population groups residing in different territories.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: At the initial phase of the study, we identified the key physical and geographical factors of the environment and assessed the indicators of social and criminal tension in 14 regions of Russia. In total, 1815 male and female students, aged 18–28 years, who were native residents of the selected regions, participated in the field research. During the field stage, the psychological state of the participants was assessed using the Freiburg multifactorial personality questionnaire. This assessment included evaluating character accentuations, suggestibility, frustration, irritability, adventurousness, as well as social activity and destructiveness. Additionally, the participants’ «prosociality-asociality» and type of behavioral activity (A–B) were examined. The subjects’ experience with psychoactive substances was self-reported. Associations between the variables were studied by correlation analysis.
 RESULTS: The average annual temperature was inversely associated with crime rates (p=0.012), number of abortions (p=0.0001), degree of alcoholization (p=0.004), and the proportion of smokers (p=0.011) in the population. Positive correlations were observed between annual temperature, and the level of narcotic substances consumption (p=0.05 and p=0.23 for men and women, respectively), spontaneous aggressiveness (p=0.63 and p=0.024), frustration (p=0.63 and p=0.024), irritability (p=0.068 and p=0.004), asociality (p=0.004 and p=0.247). Lower temperatures were associated with, greater single dose of alcohol (p=0.086 and p=0.033 in men and women, respectively), suggestibility (p=0.189 and p=0.049), emotivity (p=0.21 and p=0.05). The comfort of the environment was inversely associated with suicide rates (p=0.039). In men, comfort was positively associated with consumption of narcotic substances (p=0.05), reactive aggressiveness (p=0.024), irritability (p=0.041), asociality (p=0.011), adventurism (p=0.001), and severity of cardiotype A (p=0.018) while political activity correlated inversely with comfort (p=0.035).
 CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that physical and geographical factors correlate with social, psychological and behavioral deviations among Russian students.

Identification of human skin microbiome odorants that manipulate mosquito landing behavior

The resident human skin microbiome is responsible for the production of most of the human scents that are attractive to mosquitoes. Hence, engineering the human skin microbiome to synthesize less of mosquito attractants or produce repellents could potentially reduce bites and prevent the transmission of deadly mosquito-borne pathogens. In order to further characterize the human skin volatilome, we quantified the major volatiles of 39 strains of skin commensals (Staphylococci and Corynebacterium). Importantly, to validate the behavioral activity of these volatiles, we first assessed landing behavior triggered by human skin volatiles. We demonstrated that landing behavior is gated by the presence of carbon dioxide and L-(+)-lactic acid. This is similar to the combinatorial coding triggering mosquito short range attraction. Repellency behavior to selected skin volatiles and terpenes was tested in the presence of carbon dioxide and L-(+)-lactic acid. In a 2-choice landing behavior context, the skin volatiles 2- and 3-methyl butyric acids reduced mosquito landing by 62.0–81.6% and 87.1–99.6%, respectively. Similarly, the terpene geraniol was capable of reducing mosquito landing behavior by 74.9%. We also tested the potential repellency effects of terpenes in mosquitoes at short-range using a 4-port olfactometer. In these assays, geraniol reduced mosquito attraction (69–78%) to a mixture of key human kairomones carbon dioxide, L-(+)-lactic acid, and ammonia. These findings demonstrate that carbon dioxide and L-(+)-lactic acid change the valence of other skin volatiles towards mosquito landing behavior. Moreover, this study offers candidate odorants to be targeted in a novel strategy to reduce attractants or produce repellents by the human skin microbiota that may curtail mosquito bites, and subsequent mosquito-borne disease.

Internet-delivered lifestyle physical activity intervention for cognitive processing speed in multiple sclerosis

BackgroundWe propose a randomized controlled trial(RCT) of a Social Cognitive Theory-based(SCT), Internet-delivered behavioral intervention targeting lifestyle physical activity(LPA) for yielding improvements in cognitive processing speed(CPS), learning and memory(L/M), symptoms, and quality of life(QOL) among persons with mild multiple sclerosis(MS)-related ambulatory impairment who have impaired CPS. Methods/designThe study involves a Phase-II, parallel group, RCT design. Participants with MS(N = 300) will be randomly assigned on an equal basis(1:1) into behavioral intervention(n = 150) or attention and social contact control(n = 150) conditions. The conditions will be administered over 6-months by trained behavior coaches who will be uninvolved in screening, recruitment, random assignment, and outcome assessment. We will collect outcome data remotely every 6-months over the 12-month period(baseline, immediate follow-up, and 6-month follow-up) using a treatment blinded assessor. The primary outcome is the raw, oral Symbol Digit Modalities Test as a neuropsychological measure of CPS. The secondary outcomes include the California Verbal Learning Test-II as an objective measure of L/M, and patient-reported outcomes of fatigue, depressive symptoms, anxiety, pain, and QOL. The tertiary outcome is accelerometry as an objective, device-based measure of steps/day for generating a minimal clinically important difference(MCID) value that guides the prescription of LPA for improving CPS in clinical practice. The primary data analyses will involve intent-to-treat principles, and mixed-effects models and logistic regression. DiscussionIf successful, the proposed study will provide Class I evidence for the efficacy of a theory-based, Internet-delivered behavioral intervention focusing on LPA for improving CPS and mitigating its negative impact on other outcomes in persons with MS.Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04518657

The role of psychological contract in enhancing safety climate and safety behavior in the construction industry

Purpose This study aims to explore the “psychological contract of safety” (PCS), a key factor in the safety climate (SC), which relies on the behavioral safety actions of workers at construction sites. While numerous factors have been identified in various sectors across different countries, there is a consensus among researchers that there is a dearth of common assessment factors specifically for the Indian construction industry (ICI). Therefore, this study undertakes a systematic review of existing literature to identify the factors that determine PCS in construction and to ascertain the relative importance index (RII) of these variables and their interrelationships using structural equation modelling (SEM). Design/methodology/approach A structured survey was conducted among 420 professionals in the ICI to collect data. This data was then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods to derive results. Findings The findings of the study indicate that PCS factors have a significant impact on the construction industry (CI). The inferential analysis ranks “Safety System” as the top factor with the highest RII value. The chi-square results highlight two key SC factors that enhance and regulate an organization’s safety performance. The SEM results reveal that SC factors contribute to the improvement of PCS and influence worker safety behavior. Originality/value The outcomes of this study will be beneficial for stakeholders aiming to improve safety at construction sites and enhance safety performance by fulfilling the mutual safety obligations of employers and employees and by improving safety norms, procedures and policy-making. This paper also provides a theoretical framework for scholars to reassess the results in various contexts.

Effects of Dietary Fiber Level and Forage Particle Size on Growth, Nutrient Digestion, Ruminal Fermentation, and Behavior of Weaned Holstein Calves under Heat Stress.

This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of feeding diets with different fiber content and forage particle size on the performance, health, nutrient digestion, rumen fermentation, and behavioral and sorting activity of Holstein dairy calves kept under elevated environmental temperature. Sixty weaned Holstein female calves (age = 96.7 ± 7.62 days old; body weight = 82.4 ± 10.4 kg) were randomly assigned to one of 4 treatments arranged in a 2-by-2 factorial design in a 70-day experiment. Dietary forage content (moderate, 22.5%; or high, 40.0% on DM basis) and alfalfa hay particle size (short, 4.39 mm; or long, 7.22 mm as geometric mean) were the experimental factors, resulting in the following combinations: (1) high-fiber (HF) diets with forage-to-concentrate ratio of 40:60 and long particle-sized alfalfa hay (LPS; HF-LPS); (2) HF diets with short particle-sized alfalfa hay (SPS; HF-SPS); (3) moderate-fiber (MF) diets with forage-to-concentrate ratio of 22.5:77.5 with LPS (MF-LPS); and (4) MF diets with SPS (MF-SPS). The temperature-humidity index averaged 73.0 ± 1.86, indicating that weaned calves experienced a moderate extent of heat stress. Fiber level and AH particle size interacted and affected dry matter intake, with the greatest intake (4.83 kg/d) observed in MF-SPS-fed calves. Final body weight was greater in calves receiving MF vs. HF diets (164 vs. 152 kg; p < 0.01). Respiration rate decreased when SPS vs. LPS AH was included in HF but not MF diet. Lower rectal temperature was recorded in calves fed MF vs. HF diet. Digestibility of dry matter and crude protein was greater in calves fed MF than HF diets, resulting in lower ruminal pH (6.12 vs. 6.30; p = 0.03). Fiber digestibility was greater in calves fed SPS compared with those fed LPS alfalfa hay. Feeding HF compared with MF diet increased acetate but lowered propionate molar proportions. The inclusion of SPS vs. LPS alfalfa hay decreased lying time in HF diet (920 vs. 861 min; p < 0.01). Calves fed MF vs. HF diets spent less time eating but more time lying, which is likely indicative of better animal comfort. Dietary fiber level and forage particle size interacted and affected sorting against 19 mm particles, the extent of which was greater in HF-SPS diet. Overall, dietary fiber level had a stronger effect than forage particle size on the performance of weaned calves exposed to a moderate degree of heat stress as feeding MF vs. HF diet resulted in greater feed intake, final body weight, structural growth measures, nutrient digestion, as well as longer lying behavior. The inclusion of SPS alfalfa hay in MF diets increased feed consumption.

Behavioral and Neuropsychiatric Differences Across Two Atypical Alzheimer's Disease Variants: Logopenic Progressive Aphasia and Posterior Cortical Atrophy.

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) and logopenic progressive aphasia (LPA) are two common atypical Alzheimer's disease (AD) variants. Little is known about behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms or activities of daily living (ADLs) in PCA and LPA, and whether they differ across syndromes. To characterize the behavioral and neuropsychiatric profiles and ADLs of PCA and LPA and compare presence/absence and severity of symptoms between syndromes. Seventy-eight atypical AD patients, 46 with PCA and 32 with LPA, completed the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) and Cambridge Behavioral Inventory-Revised (CBI-R) at baseline and longitudinally over-time. Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's Exact Tests assessed for differences in symptoms between the two syndromes with significance set at p≤0.01. To eliminate demographic differences as confounders the groups were matched, and differences reanalyzed. PCA were younger at onset (p = 0.006), at time of baseline assessment (p = 0.02) and had longer disease duration (p = 0.01). Neuropsychiatric symptoms were common in PCA and LPA, although more common and severe in PCA. At baseline, PCA had a higher NPI-Q total score (p = 0.01) and depression subscore (p = 0.01) than LPA. Baseline total CBI-R scores were also higher in PCA than LPA (p = 0.001) with PCA having worse scores in all 10 CBI-R categories. Longitudinally, there was no difference between groups on the NPI-Q. However, on the CBI-R, PCA had faster rates of worsening on self-grooming (p = 0.01) and self-dressing (p = 0.01) compared to LPA. Behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in PCA and LPA although these symptoms are more common and severe in PCA.

Keeping time and rhythm by internal simulation of sensory stimuli and behavioral actions.

Effective behavior often requires synchronizing our actions with changes in the environment. Rhythmic changes in the environment are easy to predict, and we can readily time our actions to them. Yet, how the brain encodes and maintains rhythms is not known. Here, we trained primates to internally maintain rhythms of different tempos and performed large-scale recordings of neuronal activity across the sensory-motor hierarchy. Results show that maintaining rhythms engages multiple brain areas, including visual, parietal, premotor, prefrontal, and hippocampal regions. Each recorded area displayed oscillations in firing rates and oscillations in broadband local field potential power that reflected the temporal and spatial characteristics of an internal metronome, which flexibly encoded fast, medium, and slow tempos. The presence of widespread metronome-related activity, in the absence of stimuli and motor activity, suggests that internal simulation of stimuli and actions underlies timekeeping and rhythm maintenance.

Eimeria infections of plateau pika altered the patterns of temporal alterations in gut bacterial communities.

Intestinal parasites, such as Eimeria, are common among plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). The gut microbiome is an essential driver of the host response to gastrointestinal parasites. However, the effects of intestinal protozoal parasites on the temporal variations in the gut microbiome and behavioral and physiological activities remain unknown. Our study conducted treatments involving experimental feeding of pika with Eimeria oocysts or anticoccidia under laboratory conditions to focus on the parasite-associated alterations in gut bacterial communities, host behavioral activity, physiology, and host-bacteria relationships. The results showed insignificant differences in bacterial community structures among treatments on the basis of Bray-Curtis distance metrics, whereas the patterns of temporal alterations in the bacterial communities were changed by the treatments. Bacterial alpha diversities did not vary with the treatments, and experimental feeding with Eimeria slowed down the decrement rate of alpha diversity. Furthermore, few bacterial members were significantly changed by the treatments-only the genus Ruminococcus and the species Ruminococcus flavefaciens, which were associated with energy metabolism. Experimental feeding with Eimeria modified the temporal variations in the bacterial members, including a lower loss rate of the relative abundance of the dominant families Muribaculaceae and Ruminococcaceae in the group with Eimeria experimental feeding. Moreover, a shifting energy trade-off was suggested by the parasite-induced increments in thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine and tetraiodothyronine) and decrements in exploration behavior in the group with Eimeria feeding. However, we did not detect specific connections between gut bacterial communities and pika behaviors and physiology in terms of energy trade-offs. Further in-depth research is needed to examine the role of Eimeria-modified differences in the gut bacteria of plateau pika.

Dynamic visual noise has limited influence on the habitat selection and behavioural activity of crustaceans and cephalopods

AbstractEnvironments contain various forms of noise that can interfere with the ability of animal sensory systems to perceive information. One ubiquitous type of visual noise in shallow aquatic habitats is caustic flicker (or caustics), consisting of dynamically moving light patterns caused by the refraction of light when passing through the water's rippling surface. While some teleost fish avoid environments with caustic noise (where their prey can be more difficult to detect), it remains untested whether caustics affect the habitat selection of invertebrates. In the present study, we ask whether three invertebrate species, the shore crab Carcinus maenas, the brown shrimp Crangon crangon, and the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, prefer or avoid associating with environments with caustic noise, and whether caustics affect their behavioural activity and habitat exploration. To do this, we exposed the three species in binary choice experiments to different simulated caustic noise levels varying in their temporal (speed) and spatial (definition) components. Neither of the three tested invertebrate species spent more or less time in environments with higher caustic noise levels. While we also found no evidence that caustics affected the behavioural activity and exploration of Ca. maenas and S. officinalis, the brown shrimp Cr. crangon reduced its activity with increasing spatial caustic noise. However, all obtained effect sizes in this study were small, suggesting that caustic noise only minimally affects invertebrate behaviour. Overall, our results show that, unlike in teleost fish, caustics have limited influence on the habitat selection, exploration, and activity of crustaceans and cephalopods.

Long-lasting blocking of interoceptive effects of cocaine by a highly efficient cocaine hydrolase in rats

Cocaine dependence is a serious world-wide public health problem without an FDA-approved pharmacotherapy. We recently designed and discovered a highly efficient long-acting cocaine hydrolase CocH5-Fc(M6). The present study examined the effectiveness and duration of CocH5-Fc(M6) in blocking interoceptive effects of cocaine by performing cocaine discrimination tests in rats, demonstrating that the duration of CocH5-Fc(M6) in blocking cocaine discrimination was dependent on cocaine dose and CocH5-Fc(M6) plasma concentration. Particularly, a dose of 3 mg/kg CocH5-Fc(M6) effectively attenuated discriminative stimulus effects of 10 mg/kg cocaine, cumulative doses of 10 and 32 mg/kg cocaine, and cumulative doses of 10, 32 and 56 mg/kg cocaine by ≥ 20% for 41, 19, and 10 days, and completely blocked the discriminative stimulus effects for 30, 13, and 5 days with corresponding threshold plasma CocH5-Fc(M6) concentrations of 15.9, 72.2, and 221 nM, respectively, under which blood cocaine concentration was negligible. Additionally, based on the data obtained, cocaine discrimination model is more sensitive than the locomotor activity to reveal cocaine effects and that CocH5-Fc(M6) itself has no long-term toxicity regarding behavioral activities such as lever pressing and food consumption in rats, further demonstrating that CocH5-Fc(M6) has the desired properties as a promising therapeutic candidate for prevenance of cocaine dependence.

Nucleus accumbens core dopamine D2 receptors are required for performance of the odor span task in male rats.

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) core gates motivationally relevant behavioral action sequences through afferents from cortical and subcortical brain regions. While the role of the NAc core in reward and effort-based decision making is well established, its role in working memory (WM) processes is incompletely understood. The odor span task (OST) has been proposed as a measure of non-spatial working memory capacity (WMC) as it requires rodents to select a novel odor from an increasing number of familiar odors to obtain a food reward. To assess the role of the NAc core in the OST using (1) reversible chemical inactivation and (2) selective blockade of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the area. Well-trained male rats were tested on the OST following intra-NAc core infusions of muscimol/baclofen, the D1 receptorantagonist SCH-23390 (1 μg/hemisphere) and the D2 receptorantagonist eticlopride (1 μg/hemisphere). Behavioral measurements included the average odor span, maximum odor span, choice latency, searching vigor, and patterns of responding during foraging that may relate to impulsivity. Chemical inactivation of the NAc core significantly decreased odor span relative to sham and vehicle conditions. Selective antagonism of D2, but not D1, receptors in the NAc core also produced deficits in odor span. We found that secondary behavioral measures of choice latency, searching vigor, and responding to the first odor stimulus encountered were largely unaffected by treatment. These findings suggest that D2 receptors in the NAc core are required for OST performance.

Psychoneuropharmacological Properties of Eclipta Alba (LINN) in Mice

Eclipta alba (Linn) (EA) has been found useful ethnomedicinally in the treatment of many medical conditions especially mental disorders.&#x0D; Aims of the Study: This study aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity profile, behavioural activity, antipsychotic and mechanism of action of the Aqueous extract of Eclipta alba (AEA).&#x0D; Methodology: Using Lorke’s method the LD50 of AEA was 1,264 mg/kg (i.p) and 3,807 mg/kg (oral) respectively was obtained, which shows that AEA was moderately toxic. The AEA was analysed using standard procedure: novelty-induced behaviour (NIB), through intraperitoneal route shows that AEA (p &lt; 0.0001) exhibits depressant effects on the central nervous system (CNS), while the antipsychotic models (catalepsy, amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion, swimming-induced grooming and apomorphine-induced climbing tests), (p &lt; 0.0001) reveals that it possesses antipsychotic properties.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study shows that the mechanism of action of AEA (antagonist model: haloperidol, atropine and cyproheptadine) (p &lt; 0.0001) probably mediated via histaminergic, serotonergic and dopamine pathways, which provides scientific support for the ethno-medicinal use of the plant in the treatment of mental illness.