Consecutive Testing Sessions Research Articles

Improving Reproductive Success in Captive Marmosets Through Active Female Choice.

The recent upsurge in the use of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) as a desirable model for high-priority biomedical research has challenged local and global suppliers struggling to provide sufficient numbers of marmosets for large-scale projects. In laboratories, random male-female pairings are often unsuccessful, with intervals of several months before attempting alternate pairings. Here we address this challenge through a behavioral task that promotes self-directed female selection of potential mates to increase the efficiency of breeding in captive marmosets. We created a partner preference test in which nulliparous females (n = 12) had the opportunity to select between two eligible males (n = 23) at a time, in a forced choice test. In this test, both males and females displayed sexual solicitations. However, the females displayed a clear preference for one male by directing affiliative behaviors toward him including proceptive tongue-flicking, approach, and grooming. Her preference remained consistent across three consecutive test sessions. This method resulted in a 2.5-fold improvement in breeding success within 90 days compared to random pairings. This cost-effective and straightforward pairing practice can be used to enhance breeding efficiency in both small and large marmoset colonies.

Impedance Spectroscopy Measures of Whole and Segmental Skeletal Muscle Quantity Associated With Strength and Power in Collegiate Ice Hockey Players.

Otremba, JR, Heesch, AJ, Morgan, RM, Poolman, MA, Schindler, GD, and Fitzgerald, JS. Bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy measures of whole and segmental skeletal muscle quantity associated with strength and power in collegiate ice hockey players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-Bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) is a promising monitoring tool for body water compartment assessment, particularly intracellular water (ICW), in which acute decreases are associated with increased muscle damage and reduced function, and chronic changes are associated with muscle quantity. Because little is known about the predictive utility of BIS-derived measures in athletes, this study aimed to assess the association between whole-body and segmental compartment water measured by BIS and maximal-intensity exercise performance in athletes. Twenty-five National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate hockey players completed 2 consecutive testing sessions. Body water and composition were assessed using a SOZO BIS device. Strength and explosive strength were measured on a force platform during the isometric belt squat and squat jump, respectively. Peak power was assessed using the 6-Second Test on a Wattbike. Pearson's r and partial correlation were used to assess relationships. Select body water and composition BIS variables were strong correlates of strength ( r = 0.51-0.63, p < 0.05), moderate correlates of power ( r = 0.41-0.44, p < 0.05), and lacked association with explosive strength. Segmental leg variables tended to be the strongest correlates of strength and power. Body water and traditional lean mass variables expressed similar predictive utility. Intracellular water/extracellular water lacked associated with exercise performance in bivariate and adjusted models. We provide evidence of the criterion validity of whole-body (i.e., ICW, fat-free mass, skeletal muscle mass [SMM]) and segmental (i.e., leg ICW, leg SMM) BIS variables, related to the quantity of SMM, to predict body-size dependent maximal-intensity exercise performance. Practitioners can use this information to determine which variables to track for performance readiness monitoring.

One Velocity Loss Threshold Does Not Fit All: Consideration of Sex, Training Status, History, and Personality Traits When Monitoring and Controlling Fatigue During Resistance Training

PurposeThis study aimed to quantify the potential variability in the volume of work completed after reaching different velocity loss (VL) thresholds and determine the effects of sex, training status and history, as well as psychological traits on the reliability and magnitude of the amount of work completed after reaching different VL thresholds using different loads in the back-squat exercise.MethodsForty-six resistance-trained people (15 females and 31 males; 18 to 40 years of age) with a wide range of strength levels, training experience, and different training practices were recruited and performed a one-repetition maximum (1RM) test, and two repetitions to failure (RTF) tests 72 h apart. RTF tests were performed with 70, 80, and 90% of 1RM with 10 min of rest between sets. The Bland–Altman analysis for multiple observations per participant and equivalence tests were used to quantify the variability in the volume of work completed after reaching different VL thresholds, whereas linear and generalised mixed-effects models were used to examine the effects of different moderators on the stability and magnitude of the amount of work completed after reaching different VL thresholds.ResultsThe findings of the present study question the utility of using VL thresholds to prescribe resistance training (RT) volume as the agreement in the amount of work completed across two consecutive testing sessions was not acceptable. Regardless of the load used, females completed more repetitions than males across VL thresholds, while males performed repetitions at higher velocities. In addition, individuals with higher levels of emotional stability also tended to perform more repetitions across VL thresholds. Finally, sex, choice of load, strength levels and training practices, as well as emotional stability affected the linearity of the repetition–velocity relationship and when sets terminated.ConclusionUsing the same VL thresholds for all individuals, while assuming generalisability of the stimuli applied, would likely lead to variable acute physiological responses to RT and divergent neuromuscular adaptations over long term. Therefore, VL monitoring practices could be improved by considering sex, training status, history, and psychological traits of individuals due to their effects on the variability in responses to different VL thresholds.

Odour Perception Using a Sniffing Team at a Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Plant: A Case Study

The monitoring of odour intensity, generated by a landfill area, is a difficult activity since it is a multi-source problem with discontinuous odour emissions. A modified sniffing team method is described here and applied to determine the main odour sources in a landfill located in Pomerania, Poland. Four consecutive test sessions were performed during the following months: August, December, April, and June. It was found that the main odour sources are as follows: a closed-chamber composting facility for leach storage; the site wherein technological operations associated with compost turn-over during open-air aeration processes are performed; and the landfill site. The results of the sniffing team method present the indicative values of sensory testing. The application of the presented method was limited by disturbances due to changing atmospheric conditions. The calculated odour intensities and concentrations correspond with real sensitive perceptions of the tested environment.

Learning effect on an isokinetic knee strength test protocol among male adolescent athletes.

Learning effect occurs when the best performance is not achieved at the earliest trial of a repeated protocol of evaluation. The present study examined, within testing session, the intra-individual variation in an isokinetic strength protocol composed of five reciprocal concentric and eccentric contractions of knee extensors (KE) and knee flexors (KF) among male adolescent swimmers. Additionally, test-retest reliability was determined as intra-individual mean differences between two consecutive testing sessions. The sample included 38 swimmers aged 10.1-13.3 years. A subsample (n = 17) completed a second visit. Isokinetic dynamometry was used to assess concentric and eccentric contractions of KE and KF at an angular velocity of 60°.s-1. The protocol included three preliminary repetitions that were not retained for analysis, a 60-second interval, and five reciprocal maximal concentric contractions (cc). The preceding sequence was repeated for eccentric contractions (ecc) of KE and KF. Multilevel regression confirmed intra-individual and inter-individual levels as significant sources of variance in peak torque (PT) values. Intra-class correlation (ICC) fluctuated between 0.582 and 0.834 and, in general, a substantial percentage of participants need more than three repetitions to attain their best PT: KEcc (36.8%), KEecc (23.7%), KFcc (39.5%), KFecc (18.4%). For the subsample of 17 swimmers who completed a second testing session, intra-individual mean differences of the best PT were trivial or small. In summary, the validity of shorter protocols may be compromised if swimmers do not attain their best peak torque in the first few attempts, and the reliability of a 5-repetition protocol seemed acceptable.

Enhancing the network specific individual characteristics in rs‐fMRI functional connectivity by dictionary learning

Most fMRI inferences are based on analyzing the scans of a cohort. Thus, the individual variability of a subject is often overlooked in these studies. Recently, there has been a growing interest in individual differences in brain connectivity also known as individual connectome. Various studies have demonstrated the individual specific component of functional connectivity (FC), which has enormous potential to identify participants across consecutive testing sessions. Many machine learning and dictionary learning-based approaches have been used to extract these subject-specific components either from the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal or from the FC. In addition, several studies have reported that some resting-state networks have more individual-specific information than others. This study compares four different dictionary-learning algorithms that compute the individual variability from the network-specific FC computed from resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) data having 10 scans per subject. The study also compares the effect of two FC normalization techniques, namely, Fisher Z normalization and degree normalization on the extracted subject-specific components. To quantitatively evaluate the extracted subject-specific component, a metric named is proposed, and it is used in combination with the existing differential identifiability metric. It is based on the hypothesis that the subject-specific FC vectors should be similar within the same subject and different across different subjects. Results indicate that Fisher Z transformed subject-specific fronto-parietal and default mode network extracted using Common Orthogonal Basis Extraction (COBE) dictionary learning have the best features to identify a participant.

Velocity loss is a flawed method for monitoring and prescribing resistance training volume with a free-weight back squat exercise

PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine the goodness of fit, prediction accuracy, and stability of general and individual relationships between velocity loss and the percentage of completed repetitions out of maximum possible (VL-%repetitions) in the free-weight back squat exercise. The effects of sex, training status and history, as well as personality traits, on the goodness of fit and the accuracy of these relationships were also investigated.MethodsForty-six resistance-trained people (15 females and 31 males) performed a one-repetition maximum (1RM) test, and two repetitions to failure (RTF) tests, 72 h apart. RTF tests were performed with 70, 80, and 90% of 1RM with 10 min inter-set rest.ResultsThe findings question the utility of using general and individual VL-%repetitions relationships to prescribe training volume with free-weight back squats as (1) the agreement in the %repetitions completed until reaching a given velocity loss threshold across two consecutive testing sessions was unacceptable, regardless of the load used; and (2) the ability of general and individual VL-%repetitions relationships to predict %repetitions in a subsequent testing session were poor (absolute errors > 10%). Sex, training status and history, and personality traits did not affect the goodness of fit of general and individual VL-%repetitions relationships or their prediction accuracy, suggesting potential generalisability of those findings among resistance-trained populations.ConclusionsVL-%repetitions relationships do not seem to provide any additional benefits compared to costless, traditional methods and hence should not be used for monitoring and prescribing resistance training with a free-weight back squat exercise.

Acute Effects of Kinesio Taping on Functional Performance in Healthy Soccer Players: A Randomized, Controlled Crossover Trial.

This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of the Kinesio tape (KT) application on functional performance in healthy athletes. In this randomized, controlled crossover trial, a total of sixteen healthy soccer players (male = 14; age = 23.28 ± 3.13 years old) were assigned randomly into either KT over quadriceps, KT over hamstring, KT over quadriceps plus hamstring, or no intervention control condition. Four conditions were applied in a crossover design through three consecutive test sessions for each condition with a washout period of 2 days between the trials. Afterwards, all participants performed a 5-min warm-up routine and four sets of 30-s static stretching exercises for the hamstring and gluteal muscles for three consecutive treatment sessions. The running, jump, and flexibility tests were used to assess the functional performance of healthy athletes. A total of sixteen participants completed the study. No significant differences in the jump, flexibility, and running tests among the conditions were reported (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that KT application has no acute effects in improving functional performance in healthy athletes. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to verify our results.

Improving Functional Connectome Fingerprinting with Degree-Normalization.

Background: Functional connectivity quantifies the statistical dependencies between the activity of brain regions, measured using neuroimaging data such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood-oxygenation-level dependent time series. The network representation of functional connectivity, called a functional connectome (FC), has been shown to contain an individual fingerprint allowing participants identification across consecutive testing sessions. Recently, researchers have focused on the extraction of these fingerprints, with potential applications in personalized medicine. Materials and Methods: In this study, we show that a mathematical operation denominated degree-normalization can improve the extraction of FC fingerprints. Degree-normalization has the effect of reducing the excessive influence of strongly connected brain areas in the whole-brain network. We adopt the differential identifiability framework and apply it to both original and degree-normalized FCs of 409 individuals from the Human Connectome Project, in resting-state and 7 fMRI tasks. Results: Our results indicate that degree-normalization systematically improves three fingerprinting metrics, namely differential identifiability, identification rate, and matching rate. Moreover, the results related to the matching rate metric suggest that individual fingerprints are embedded in a low-dimensional space. Discussion: The results suggest that low-dimensional functional fingerprints lie in part in weakly connected subnetworks of the brain and that degree-normalization helps uncovering them. This work introduces a simple mathematical operation that could lead to significant improvements in future FC fingerprinting studies.

Transposition and Normalization of the Mini-Mental State Examination in French Sign Language.

Due to the lack of a validated translation, the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) cannot be used to screen for suspected dementia in deaf people who communicate in French Sign Language (FSL). Taking into consideration the cultural and linguistic features of this specific population, we transposed the validated French version of the MMSE into a version adapted to FSL users: mini-mental state-langue des signes (MMS-LS). The objective of our work was to obtain screening norms for the MMS-LS. The MMS-LS was tested on 194 deaf users of FSL with clinical dementia rating as the gold standard. Healthy and demented participants were seen for two or three consecutive testing sessions at 1-year intervals. The MMS-LS exhibited excellent internal coherence validity (Cronbach's α=.81), unidimensionality (p=.002), and excellent sensitivity (p<.001). The MMS-LS score declined with overt and severe dementia. The percentiles obtained are useful norms for clinical assessment but must be interpreted with precaution due to the small number of participants (related to recruitment constraints) in the present study. In order to facilitate clinical use, the MMS-LS has been made available online, together with an instructions manual and clinical advice useful for improved awareness of the specific nature of this population.

Measuring the response to simulated fixture congestion in soccer

ABSTRACT Introduction: Competitive soccer results in acute physiological and perceptual disturbances lasting up to 96-h, yet multiple games are often played with 72-h rest. Contextual factors influence match activities, impacting the assessment of post-match responses. We assessed the within- and post-match responses to two self-paced simulations (SIM1 and SIM2) in a 72-h period. Method: Eleven male team-sport athletes attended eight consecutive testing sessions after familiarisation. Assessments occurred at pre-, half-time, post- and 2 h post-SIM1, and daily up to four-days after SIM2. Statistics included effect size ± 90% CL comparisons to pre-SIM1 and regression analysis. Results: At half time there was reduced voluntary activation (SIM1: −1.52 ± 1.41 and SIM2: −0.50 ± 0.58) and potentiated twitch torque (SIM1: −0.50 ± 0.37 and SIM2: −0.31 ± 0.37), suggesting central and peripheral fatigue, respectively. The difference in activity profiles between simulations was unclear. Both simulations resulted in acute physiological and perceptual decrements, similar to published data from competitive matches. Higher strength was associated with reduced soreness and fatigue at all time points (range: r = 0.27 to 0.69) and lower peripheral fatigue. vV.O2peak was negatively associated with CK (range: r = −0.28 to −0.70). Conclusion: 72-h recovery is sufficient to maintain activity between simulations. Lower-body strength and aerobic capacity displayed protective effects against post-simulation decrements.

Picture recognition of food by sloth bears (Melursus ursinus).

Pictures are often used in cognitive research to represent objects and many species have demonstrated the ability to recognize two-dimensional pictures as representations of their three-dimensional counterparts. However, for ursids picture recognition has been reported in only one study of a single 11-year-old female American black bear (Johnson-Ulrich et al. 2016). We tested the picture recognition abilities of an additional species, the sloth bear. After a food preference test by which the bears' food options were ranked and categorized as high-, mid-, and low-preference items, we tested a sub-adult male and an adult female sloth bear by presenting two pictures of food in each testing trial-a high-preference food and a low-preference food. Both bears met the criterion by choosing the pictures of their preferred foods in at least 80% of the trials in three consecutive testing sessions. We then presented never-before-used pictures of high-preference versus low-preference food items and they again met our criterion.

Progression in Youth Soccer: Selection and Identification in Youth Soccer Players Aged 13-15 Years.

Bidaurrazaga-Letona, I, Lekue, JA, Amado, M, and Gil, SM. Progression in youth soccer: Selection and identification in youth soccer players aged 13-15 years. J Strength Cond Res 33(9): 2548-2558, 2019-The aim of this study was to identify the factors that are important for the identification and selection of young soccer players. Ninety-four adolescent soccer players from the under-13 (U13; age = 12.3 ± 0.3 years; n = 50) and under-15 (U15; age = 14.0 ± 0.2 years; n = 44) categories belonging to a professional club participated in the study. Anthropometric measurements, physical tests (sprint, agility, endurance and jump), and maturity status (age at peak height velocity) were recorded over 4 seasons. Comparisons were performed among new players joining the club (Enter players, n = 15), players progressing to the next age category (Club players, n = 54), and players leaving the club (Deselected players, n = 25). A 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine if significant differences existed between groups and testing time. Better physical performance and improvements observed during the season in performance were found to be one of the main factors for U13 players to continue in the club (p < 0.05-0.001). In the U15 group, although body size, maturation and physical performance appeared to be the most important characteristics for being identified to play in the club (p < 0.05), Club players demonstrated better improvements during the season (p < 0.05). Overall, these results indicate that the identification or promotion of players by coaches depends on indicators which are age-dependent. Therefore, this study has shown that the talent identification program was more a selection process than a promotion process, selecting and identifying a posteriori rather than a priori.

Can Match-Mimicking Intermittent Practice Be Used as a Simulatory Training Mode of Competition Using Olympic Time Frame in Elite Taekwondo Athletes?

Aim: The physiological realities between Taekwondo (TKD) simulation kicking training and TKD competition according to the Olympic time frame remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to establish an Olympic match-simulated kicking model and compare its effects with real TKD competition on physiological challenges and hormonal responses during serial matches in elite athletes.Method: Sixteen elite TKD athletes randomly were assigned into either a TKD match-simulated kicking group (TMSK; N = 8, age: 21.3 ± 0.2 years) or a simulated TKD competition group (STC; N = 8, age: 21.6 ± 0.5 years). Both groups performed either simulated kicking or TKD competitions in the same time-course order, and all physiological parameters and blood sampling time-points were identical between groups. The heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded during each match-simulated kicking and TKD competition session. Blood samples were obtained before competition (Pre-Comp.), after competition—in ths case meaning four consecutive matches (End-Comp.), and 24 h after the first match (Next day) for determination of biomarkers of muscle damage (myoglobin and CK), hematological profiles, and hormonal profiles (testosterone and cortisol).Results: The responses of HR, RPE, and blood lactate levels during the consecutive testing sessions showed no differences between TMSK and STC. The changes in CK and myoglobin were greater in STC (p < 0.05), and a greater decrease in red blood cell (RBC) loss was observed in the STC group (p < 0.05). Compared with TMSK, the inflammatory state, reflected by the ratios of neutrophils-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelets-to-lymphocyte (PLR), was higher in STC (p < 0.05). Moreover, the catabolic state (cortisol/testosterone) was greater in STC than in TMSK (p < 0.05).Conclusion: We demonstrated that, compared with TMSK, the STC produced greater muscle damage, inflammatory responses, and catabolic stress in the Olympic competition time frame in elite male TKD athletes. Although TMSK is capable of eliciting similar physiological challenges as TKD competition, the muscle damage and hormonal profiles provoked by TMSK were not comparable to TKD competition. Our findings provide science-based data and better understanding for coaches, athletes, and sports scientists to develop TKD-specific training programs for Olympic preparation.

Effect of time of day on the offensive capability and aerobic performance in football game

The purpose of this study was to examine the time-of-day effects on the offensive capability and aerobic performance in football game in young subjects. In a randomized order, participants realized the Yo–Yo intermittent recovery test in two test sessions and a football game situations (two 15-min games), interspersed by a verbalization sequence (3 min) at 08:00 and 17:00 h on separate days. A recovery period of 24 h was permitted between two consecutive test sessions. The results revealed diurnal variations on the maximal aerobic velocity during the Yo–Yo test (MAV) and the oral temperature with higher values in the afternoon than morning (p < 0.05). Concerning offensive capability, the numbers of scored goals were significantly higher at 17:00 h in comparison with 08:00 h (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between 08:00 and 17:00 h for the kicked balls (shooting parameter). In conclusion, our findings suggest that performance was improved in the evening and the parameters (shooting and Scored goals) can be used as a model to describe the offensive capacity in football game depending on the time of day.

The auditory comprehension changes over time after sport-related concussion can indicate multisensory processing dysfunctions.

BackgroundAlthough science findings and treatment approaches of a concussion have changed in recent years, there continue to be challenges in understanding the nature of the post‐concussion behavior. There is growing a body of evidence that some deficits can be related to an impaired auditory processing.PurposeTo assess auditory comprehension changes over time following sport‐related concussion (SRC) in young athletes.MethodsA prospective, repeated measures mixed‐design was used. A sample of concussed athletes (n = 137) and the control group consisted of age‐matched, non‐concussed athletes (n = 143) were administered Subtest VIII of the Computerized‐Revised Token Test (C‐RTT). The 88 concussed athletes selected for final analysis (neither previous history of brain injury, neurological, psychiatric problems, nor auditory deficits) were evaluated after injury during three sessions (PC1, PC2, and PC3); controls were tested once. Between‐ and within‐group comparisons using RMANOVA were performed on the C‐RTT Efficiency Score (ES).Results ES of the SRC athletes group improved over consecutive testing sessions (F = 14.7, p < .001), while post‐hoc analysis showed that PC1 results differed from PC2 and PC3 (ts ≥ 4.0, ps < .001), but PC2 and PC3 C‐RTT ES did not change statistically (t = 0.6, p = .557). The SRC athletes demonstrated lower ES for all test session when compared to the control group (ts > 2.0, Ps<.01).ConclusionDysfunctional auditory comprehension performance following a concussion improved over time, but after the second testing session improved performance slowed, especially in terms of its timing. Yet, not only auditory processing but also sensorimotor integration and/or motor execution can be compromised after a concussion.

Attrition from Web-Based Cognitive Testing: A Repeated Measures Comparison of Gamification Techniques.

BackgroundThe prospect of assessing cognition longitudinally and remotely is attractive to researchers, health practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies alike. However, such repeated testing regimes place a considerable burden on participants, and with cognitive tasks typically being regarded as effortful and unengaging, these studies may experience high levels of participant attrition. One potential solution is to gamify these tasks to make them more engaging: increasing participant willingness to take part and reducing attrition. However, such an approach must balance task validity with the introduction of entertaining gamelike elements.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the effects of gamelike features on participant attrition using a between-subjects, longitudinal Web-based testing study.MethodsWe used three variants of a common cognitive task, the Stop Signal Task (SST), with a single gamelike feature in each: one variant where points were rewarded for performing optimally; another where the task was given a graphical theme; and a third variant, which was a standard SST and served as a control condition. Participants completed four compulsory test sessions over 4 consecutive days before entering a 6-day voluntary testing period where they faced a daily decision to either drop out or continue taking part. Participants were paid for each session they completed.ResultsA total of 482 participants signed up to take part in the study, with 265 completing the requisite four consecutive test sessions. No evidence of an effect of gamification on attrition was observed. A log-rank test showed no evidence of a difference in dropout rates between task variants (χ22=3.0, P=.22), and a one-way analysis of variance of the mean number of sessions completed per participant in each variant also showed no evidence of a difference (F2,262=1.534, P=.21, partial η2=0.012).ConclusionsOur findings raise doubts about the ability of gamification to reduce attrition from longitudinal cognitive testing studies.

Evidence for Sustained Mechanical Pain Sensitization in Women With Chronic Temporomandibular Disorder Versus Healthy Female Participants

Generalized dysfunction of the nociceptive system has been hypothesized to be an important pathophysiologic process underlying temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain. Studies have not identified sensitization to painful stimuli administered prospectively across consecutive days among participants with TMD with chronic pain. We attempted to isolate an empirically derived laboratory-based marker of sustained mechanical pain sensitization. We examined whether this index accounted for variance in prospective assessments of clinical TMD pain. Participants were women with a clinical diagnosis of chronic TMD (n = 30) and healthy female controls (n = 30). Pain thresholds were assessed using digital algometry 4 times at 12-hour intervals over 48 consecutive hours and clinical TMD pain via follow-up telephone assessments. Sustained mechanical pain sensitization, defined by statistically significant linear decrements in pressure pain thresholds across the consecutive testing sessions, discriminated chronic TMD and control participants. An index of sustained sensitization at the masseter accounted for unique variance in clinical TMD pain over the subsequent 3-month assessment period, even controlling for mean pain threshold and baseline pain severity. These preliminary findings highlight discriminant and predictive validity characteristics of a novel marker of protracted pain sensitization among women with chronic TMD pain. PerspectiveA laboratory-based and empirically defined marker of sustained mechanical pain sensitization over the course of days with acceptable discriminant and predictive validity was identified. This marker may represent a clinically useful marker of chronic TMD pain in women.

Evaluating the effect of semi-group housing of rabbit does on their offspring's fearfulness: can we use the open-field test?

Breeding does are usually housed one doe per cage, but there is an increased interest in (semi-)group housing systems designed to improve welfare. However, there is a lack of information on how such systems actually affect different aspects of rabbit welfare. We aimed to discern differences in fearfulness in female offspring born and raised in conventional single-doe housing (1doe+litter/cage) and in semi-group housing (1doe+litter/cage until the litter was 18days old, 4does+4litters/pen thereafter). To this goal, we used the most commonly used test to assess fearfulness in rabbits: the open-field test. The classic interpretation of this test is that increased locomotion indicates decreased fearfulness. However, other underlying motivations for open-field locomotion have been proposed for other species (e.g. exploration and sociality). The underlying motivation is of great importance to interpret test results in terms of welfare. Therefore, the second aim of this study was to determine if fearfulness was the most likely cause of differences in rabbits’ open-field behaviour, by assessing its development over time, repeatability and relationship to other behavioural tests (novel object test, social runway test). Rabbits born in the semi-group environment travelled less distance (p=0.03) and were slower to leave the start corner during the open-field test (p=0.001). They reared less during a novel object test (p=0.03), but were not significantly slower to approach the object than offspring from the single-doe environment, and did not behave differently during a social runway test (p>0.10). Although differences in open-field locomotion were found, the decrease in locomotion over consecutive test sessions contradicts that this behaviour is (exclusively) mediated by fearfulness in the rabbit. Exploratory motivation seems a more accurate interpretation. This greatly limits the usefulness of open-field locomotion as a welfare indicator in this species.

自閉症スペクトラム障害者の非定型な学習過程

It is well-known about the abnormalities of the abilities to remember and preserve information in the individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Many previous studies have focused on the difference by a final memory performance between individuals with ASD and Typical Development (TD). Then, the aim of this study was to examine the learning process until learning in the individuals with ASD, compared to TD. The participants of ASD and TD groups studied all 24 words pairs. Each word pair was tested until they could reach a criterion, two consecutive testing sessions. Learning processes were examined with four measures of (1) the total number of trials and (2) the number of trials for each pair until two consecutive correct responses, (3) the performance of two consecutive correct responses during study trials and (4) the response time for each word during study trials. Finally, at 30 minute later. they were asked to recall each corresponding word for 8 cues randomly selected from 24 pairs. The results showed that the number of trials until learning (the measurement of (1) and (2)) in ASD group were much than that in TD, whereas, in ASD group, the performance of two consecutive correct responses during studying trials (the measurement of (3)) and final performance after 30 minutes on corresponding words to 8 cues was prominently less than that in TD group. These results are discussed in terms of the memory dysfunction related to adaptation in ASD.