Measurement Of Motor Activity Research Articles

Actigraphic recording of motor activity in depressed inpatients: a novel computational approach to prediction of clinical course and hospital discharge

Depressed patients present with motor activity abnormalities, which can be easily recorded using actigraphy. The extent to which actigraphically recorded motor activity may predict inpatient clinical course and hospital discharge remains unknown. Participants were recruited from the acute psychiatric inpatient ward at Hospital Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid, Spain). They wore miniature wrist wireless inertial sensors (actigraphs) throughout the admission. We modeled activity levels against the normalized length of admission—‘Progress Towards Discharge’ (PTD)—using a Hierarchical Generalized Linear Regression Model. The estimated date of hospital discharge based on early measures of motor activity and the actual hospital discharge date were compared by a Hierarchical Gaussian Process model. Twenty-three depressed patients (14 females, age: 50.17 ± 12.72 years) were recruited. Activity levels increased during the admission (mean slope of the linear function: 0.12 ± 0.13). For n = 18 inpatients (78.26%) hospitalised for at least 7 days, the mean error of Prediction of Hospital Discharge Date at day 7 was 0.231 ± 22.98 days (95% CI 14.222–14.684). These n = 18 patients were predicted to need, on average, 7 more days in hospital (for a total length of stay of 14 days) (PTD = 0.53). Motor activity increased during the admission in this sample of depressed patients and early patterns of actigraphically recorded activity allowed for accurate prediction of hospital discharge date.

Applying machine learning in motor activity time series of depressed bipolar and unipolar patients compared to healthy controls.

Current practice of assessing mood episodes in affective disorders largely depends on subjective observations combined with semi-structured clinical rating scales. Motor activity is an objective observation of the inner physiological state expressed in behavior patterns. Alterations of motor activity are essential features of bipolar and unipolar depression. The aim was to investigate if objective measures of motor activity can aid existing diagnostic practice, by applying machine-learning techniques to analyze activity patterns in depressed patients and healthy controls. Random Forrest, Deep Neural Network and Convolutional Neural Network algorithms were used to analyze 14 days of actigraph recorded motor activity from 23 depressed patients and 32 healthy controls. Statistical features analyzed in the dataset were mean activity, standard deviation of mean activity and proportion of zero activity. Various techniques to handle data imbalance were applied, and to ensure generalizability and avoid overfitting a Leave-One-User-Out validation strategy was utilized. All outcomes reports as measures of accuracy for binary tests. A Deep Neural Network combined with SMOTE class balancing technique performed a cut above the rest with a true positive rate of 0.82 (sensitivity) and a true negative rate of 0.84 (specificity). Accuracy was 0.84 and the Matthews Correlation Coefficient 0.65. Misclassifications appear related to data overlapping among the classes, so an appropriate future approach will be to compare mood states intra-individualistically. In summary, machine-learning techniques present promising abilities in discriminating between depressed patients and healthy controls in motor activity time series.

Actigraph-Measured Movement Correlates of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms in Young People with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) with and without Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Actigraphy, an objective measure of motor activity, reliably indexes increased movement levels in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and may be useful for diagnosis and treatment-monitoring. However, actigraphy has not been examined in complex neurodevelopmental conditions. This study used actigraphy to objectively measure movement levels in individuals with a complex neurodevelopmental genetic disorder, tuberous sclerosis (TSC). Thirty participants with TSC (11–21 years, 20 females, IQ = 35–108) underwent brief (approximately 1 h) daytime actigraph assessment during two settings: movie viewing and cognitive testing. Multiple linear regressions were used to test associations between movement measurements and parent-rated ADHD symptoms. Correlations were used to examine associations between actigraph measures and parent-rated ADHD symptoms and other characteristics of TSC (symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual ability (IQ), epilepsy severity, cortical tuber count). Higher movement levels during movies were associated with higher parent-rated ADHD symptoms. Higher ADHD symptoms and actigraph-measured movement levels during movies were positively associated with ASD symptoms and negatively associated with IQ. Inter-individual variability of movement during movies was not associated with parent-rated hyperactivity or IQ but was negatively associated with ASD symptoms. There were no associations with tuber count or epilepsy. Our findings suggest that actigraph-measured movement provides a useful correlate of ADHD in TSC.

Short predictable stress promotes resistance to anxiety behavior and increases dendritic spines in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus

PurposeSome stress paradigms have shown protective effects of stress, suggesting increased resilience. Here we investigated whether a short predictable psychological stress, continuous or discontinuous, has a protective or negative long-lasting effect on behavior and cerebral morphology, and if there is difference when stress is experienced at different phases of neurodevelopment, namely in juvenile, adolescent, and adult rats. MethodsMale and female rats were stressed on an elevated open platform at different ages (P23, P40, P75), and behavior was assessed later around 90 days of age. Behavioral analysis included measures of anxiety-like behavior, motor activity, and contextual memory. We also investigated the cerebral morphology by using dendritic spine analysis in pyramidal cells, in medial prefrontal cortex (Cg3), orbital prefrontal (AID) and hippocampal region CA1 as well as granule cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. ResultsOur results showed that short predictable psychological stress, continuous or discontinuous for 12 days, altered emotional behavior and neuronal morphology. Both behavioral and morphological results were sexually dimorphic and suggest a habituation and protective effect, as seen in the decrease of the anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM), and an increase in excitatory synapse number, which is inferred from an increase of dendritic spines in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. ConclusionWe conclude that the response to short predictable psychological stress induces a protective/positive effect in both sexes and at different developmental ages.

Prefrontal - subthalamic pathway supports action selection in a spatial working memory task

Subthalamic nucleus (STN) is the main source of feed-forward excitation in the basal ganglia and a main target of therapeutic deep brain stimulation in movement disorders. Alleviation of motor symptoms during STN stimulation can be accompanied by deterioration of abilities to quickly choose between conflicting alternatives. Cortical afferents to the subthalamic region (ST), comprising STN and zona incerta (ZI), include projections from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), yet little is known about prefrontal-subthalamic coordination and its relevance for decision-making. Here we combined electrophysiological recordings with optogenetic manipulations of projections from mPFC to ST in mice as they performed a spatial working memory task (T-maze) or explored an elevated plus maze (anxiety test). We found that gamma oscillations (30–70 Hz) are coordinated between mPFC and ST at theta (5–10 Hz) and, less efficiently, at sub-theta (2–5 Hz) frequencies. An optogenetic detuning of the theta/gamma cross-frequency coupling between the regions into sub-theta range impaired performance in the T-maze, yet did not affect anxiety-related behaviors in the elevated plus maze. Both detuning and inhibition of the mPFC-ST pathway led to repeated incorrect choices in the T-maze. These effects were not associated with changes of anxiety and motor activity measures. Our findings suggest that action selection in a cognitively demanding task crucially involves theta rhythmic coordination of gamma oscillatory signaling in the prefrontal-subthalamic pathway.

Effects of Prenatal Stress on the Formation of the Orexinergic System of the Hypothalamus in Rats

The effects of prenatal stress (PNS) on the formation of the orexinergic and dopaminergic systems of the brain were studied in 14- and 30-day-old rat pups born to females subjected to sleep deprivation (6 h/day) using the “small areas” method from day 13 to day 19 of pregnancy. The open fi eld test showed impairments to motor development in 14-day-old PNS rat pups. Immunohistochemical studies of brain sections showed that the hypothalamus contained a signifi cantly larger quantity of orexin A in neurons in the periforniceal area, while high-performance liquid chromatography demonstrated increases in the dopamine level and its rate of metabolism as compared with control rat pups born to intact females. Western blotting results provided evidence of a decrease in the striatal level of the GABA-sythesizing enzyme (GAD65) and an increase in the level of tyrosine hydroxylase (an enzyme involved in dopamine synthesis) phosphorylated at serine-40 as compared with controls. By day 30 of life measures of motor activity in PNS rat pups were no different from those in controls, though PNS rat pups had higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of exploratory activity. The results of morphological and biochemical studies also provided evidence that there were no differences between the study parameters in the hypothalamus and striatum in 30-day-old rat pups as compared with controls, which was confi rmed by results from electrophysiological studies indicating that there were no differences in the organization of the sleep-waking cycle in 30-day-old PNS and control rat pups. We discuss here the morphofunctional interactions of the orexinergic and dopaminergic systems of the brain in the early postnatal period of development of the body and the role of orexins in the compensatory mechanisms of the brain.

P057 WIRELESS ELECTRODE PATCHES SHOW INTRAPATIENT REPRODUCIBILITY IN A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF PATIENTS WITH CROHN’S DISEASE IN REMISSION

Abstract Background Crohn’s disease (CD) patients would benefit from a non-invasive indicator of gut function to better predict changes in disease state, such as the onset of flare. A study of CD patients using non-invasive wireless electrode patches (G-Tech Medical, Mountain View, CA) that read myoelectric signals from the gut over 3 days is underway at Stanford University’s IBD center. The study will include 40 patients presenting in flare and 30 in remission to be tested at t=0, 1, 3 and 6 months. In addition, one-time tests will be performed on 20 healthy controls. Aims Herein, we report on the first 6 CD patients tested at t=0 and 1 month while in remission. Methods Each patient wore 3 abdominal patches (each 2.7” diameter) for 3 consecutive days while pursuing regular daily activities and meals (Figure 1). Each patch recorded 4 channels of myoelectric activity from the stomach, small intestine and colon, and transmitted the raw data to an iPod Touch, which relayed the data to a secure cloud server. Data were later downloaded and processed to remove artifacts, create frequency spectra, and search them for peaks representing rhythmic motor activity. We find that, nominally, stomach activity appears at 3 cycles/minute (cpm), small intestine at 6–12 cpm, and colon at 12–25 cpm. Results Figure 2 shows peak spectra for the 6 patients at t=0 and 1 month. Individual peaks represent motor activity at a specific frequency associated with the stomach, small intestine, or colon. Each patient has a unique overall pattern, or GutPrint, reflecting the frequencies and levels of activity of their GI motility. The GutPrint for each individual reproduces well at the second test and is easily recognizable for each subject. Although the peak amplitudes may vary, virtually all of the peaks that appear at specific frequencies at t=0 are also present at 1 month representing a quantifiable signature that reflects each patient’s unique motility. Conclusion The G-Tech patch system provides a practical and noninvasive, physiologic means of measuring motor activity of the gut over multiple days. Its intra-patient reproducibility allows for the possibility of measuring changes to gut performance over time, whether naturally- or drug-induced, showing promise in CD monitoring.

Evaluation of Juvenile Animal Studies for Pediatric CNS-Targeted Compounds: A Regulatory Perspective.

Central nervous system (CNS)-targeted products are an important category of pediatric pharmaceuticals. In view of the significant postnatal maturation of the CNS, juvenile animal studies (JAS) are performed to support pediatric development of these new medicines. In this project, the design and results of juvenile toxicity studies from 15 drug compounds for the treatment of neurologic or psychiatric conditions were analyzed. Studies were conducted mostly in rats; sometimes in addition in dogs and monkeys. The study design of the pivotal JAS was variable, even for compounds with a similar therapeutic indication. Age of the juvenile animals was not consistently related to the starting age of the intended patient population. Of 15 compounds analyzed, 6 JAS detected more severe toxicities and 6 JAS evidenced novel CNS effects compared to their adult counterparts. The effects of CNS on acoustic startle and learning and memory were observed at high dosages. Reversibility was tested in most cases and revealed some small effects that were retained or only uncovered after termination of treatment. The interpretation of the relevance of these findings was often hampered by the lack of matching end points in the adult studies or inappropriate study designs. Detailed clinical observation and motor activity measures were the most powerful end points to detect juvenile CNS effects. The need for more detailed behavioral examinations in JAS, for example, on learning and memory, should, therefore, be decided upon on a case-by-case basis, based on specific concerns in order to avoid overloading the studies.

Motor activity and spatial proximity: Relationships to infant emotions and maternal postpartum depression

The ability to express emotions is a protective factor for infant development. Despite the multimodal nature of emotion expression, research has mainly focused on facial expressions of emotions. The present study examined motor activity and spatial proximity in relation to positive and negative infant facial expressions and maternal postpartum depression during face-to-face interactions at four months. Video cameras and a motion capture system recorded mother-infant interactions. Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to analyze the effect of micro-coded infant positive and negative facial affect and maternal depression diagnosis on automatically extracted measures of motor activity and spatial proximity, including speed of mothers’ arm movements (nondepressed = 32; PPD = 16), and infants’ arm movements (nondepressed = 29; PPD = 17), and head distance (nondepressed = 45; PPD = 27). Results showed that the speed of infants’ arm movements and head distance were greater during negative compared to positive infant affect. Further, the results demonstrated that the speed of PPD mothers’ arm movements was slower than the speed of nondepressed mothers’ arm movements. In the discussion, it is suggested that increased speed of infant arm movements during negative affect functions to elicit faster caregiving responses, and that increased head distance during negative infant affect functions to decrease the intensity of the interaction. Finally, the slower speed of arm movements in PPD mothers suggests psychomotor retardation, which is proposed to limit these mothers’ abilities to engage their infants during the interaction.

Parental behavior and anxiety in isogenic and outbred mice given access to two types of nesting materials

The objective was to investigate if providing two types of nesting materials could modulate parental behavior and anxiety in laboratory mice. For that, 54 full-sib BALB/cJ and 50 randomly mated Swiss Webster mouse pairs were employed in a completely randomized designwith a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement (two genetic groups and with/ without access to nesting materials). Eight pieces of disposable polypropylene caps/ hairnets and 3 g of cotton were provided as nesting materials to half the cages from each genetic group. Maternal and paternal behaviors were recorded on the third reproductive cycle, twice a week, for three weeks, using scan sampling. The behaviors were recorded every 10 s for a period of 10 min (totaling 60 records) each day. Dams (N = 40) were tested in the elevated plus maze (EPM) on the fifth reproductive cycle, 7–10 days postpartum. Their 21-days-old weanlings (N = 208) were tested in the same apparatus. Total number of closed arm entries was used as measurement of motor activity, the percentage of time spent on open arms as measurement of anxiety and head dipping time as measurement of exploratory behavior. The provision of nesting materials increased the frequency of dams licking pups (1.72 ± 0.20 vs. 1.10 ± 0.21, P = 0.0342) and of sires resting in contact with pups (25.0 ± 1.5 vs. 18.9 ± 1.5, P = 0.0050), while simultaneously decreased the frequency of sires in non-contact rest with pups (6.4 ± 1.1 vs. 10.8 ± 1.2, P = 0.0074). Swiss Webster dams were recorded nursing their pups in the arched-back posture more frequently than BALB/cJ dams (9.63 ± 0.89 vs. 7.13 ± 0.86, P = 0.0187) and Swiss Webster sires showed a higher frequency of nest building than BALB/cJ sires (0.80 ± 0.16 vs. 0.31 ± 0.15, P = 0.0281). Motor activity was higher (8.00 ± 0.43 vs. 2.83 ± 0.41, P < 0.0001) and anxiety was lower (3.2 ± 28.4 vs. 2.4 ± 3.1%, P < 0.0001) in Swiss Webster than in BALB/cJ dams. Anxiety (26.6 ± 3.2 vs. 37.9 ± 3.5%, P = 0.0168) was also lower in Swiss Webster than in BALB/cJ weanlings. The availability of nesting materials increased the time dams spent in head dipping (10.9 ± 2.0 vs. 4.6 ± 1.9, P = 0.0087), but weanling behaviors in the EPM were unaffected. Slight differences in parental behavior and contrasting patterns of anxiety and motor activity were found between genetic groups. The provision of nesting materials promoted an intensification of favorable parent-offspring interactions and enhanced exploratory behavior of dams.

Actigraphy studies and clinical and biobehavioural correlates in schizophrenia: a systematic review.

Actigraphy is a non-invasive method of monitoring circadian rhythms and motor activity. We systematically reviewed extant evidence until September 2018 pertaining to actigraphy use in schizophrenia, its clinical/biological correlates and posit future research directions. Within 38 included studies involving 2700 subjects, patients with schizophrenia generally have lower motor activity levels, poorer sleep quality and efficiency, increased sleep fragmentation and duration compared with healthy controls. Lowered motor activity and longer sleep duration in patients were associated with greater severity of negative symptoms. Less structured motor activity and decreased sleep quality were associated with greater severity of positive symptoms, worse cognitive functioning involving attention and processing speed, illness chronicity, higher antipsychotic dose, and poorer quality of life. Correlations of actigraphic measures with biological factors are sparse with inconclusive results. Future studies with larger sample sets may adopt a multimodal, longitudinal approach which examines both motor and sleep activity, triangulates clinical, actigraphic and biological measures to clarify their inter-relationships and inform risk prediction of illness onset, course, and treatment response over time.

Thumbs up: Imagined hand movements counteract the adverse effects of post-surgical hand immobilization. Clinical, behavioral, and fMRI longitudinal observations.

Motor imagery (M.I.) training has been widely used to enhance motor behavior. To characterize the neural foundations of its rehabilitative effects in a pathological population we studied twenty-two patients with rhizarthrosis, a chronic degenerative articular disease in which thumb-to-fingers opposition becomes difficult due to increasing pain while the brain is typically intact. Before and after surgery, patients underwent behavioral tests to measure pain and motor performance and fMRI measurements of brain motor activity.After surgery, the affected hand was immobilized, and patients were enrolled in a M.I. training. The sample was split in those who had a high compliance with the program of scheduled exercises (T+, average compliance: 84%) and those with low compliance (T−, average compliance: 20%; cut-off point: 55%). We found that more intense M.I. training counteracts the adverse effects of immobilization reducing pain and expediting motor recovery. fMRI data from the post-surgery session showed that T+ patients had decreased brain activation in the premotor cortex and the supplementary motor area (SMA); meanwhile, for the same movements, the T− patients exhibited a reversed pattern. Furthermore, in the post-surgery fMRI session, pain intensity was correlated with activity in the ipsilateral precentral gyrus and, notably, in the insular cortex, a node of the pain matrix.These findings indicate that the motor simulations of M.I. have a facilitative effect on recovery by cortical plasticity mechanisms and optimization of motor control, thereby establishing the rationale for incorporating the systematic use of M.I. into standard rehabilitation for the management of post-immobilization syndromes characteristic of hand surgery.

Cannabidiol regulates behavioural alterations and gene expression changes induced by spontaneous cannabinoid withdrawal.

Cannabidiol (CBD) represents a promising therapeutic tool for treating cannabis use disorder (CUD). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of CBD on the behavioural and gene expression alterations induced by spontaneous cannabinoid withdrawal. Spontaneous cannabinoid withdrawal was evaluated 12h after cessation of CP-55,940 treatment (0.5mg·kg-1 every 12h, i.p.; 7days) in C57BL/6J mice. The effects of CBD (5, 10 and 20mg·kg-1 , i.p.) on withdrawal-related behavioural signs were evaluated by measuring motor activity, somatic signs and anxiety-like behaviour. Furthermore, gene expression changes in TH in the ventral tegmental area, and in the opioid μ receptor (Oprm1), cannabinoid CB1 receptor (Cnr1) and CB2 receptor (Cnr2) in the nucleus accumbens, were also evaluated using the real-time PCR technique. The administration of CBD significantly blocked the increase in motor activity and the increased number of rearings, rubbings and jumpings associated with cannabinoid withdrawal, and it normalized the decrease in the number of groomings. However, CBD did not change somatic signs in vehicle-treated animals. In addition, the anxiogenic-like effect observed in abstinent mice disappeared with CBD administration, whereas CBD induced an anxiolytic-like effect in non-abstinent animals. Moreover, CBD normalized gene expression changes induced by CP-55,940-mediated spontaneous withdrawal. The results suggest that CBD alleviates spontaneous cannabinoid withdrawal and normalizes associated gene expression changes. Future studies are needed to determine the relevance of CBD as a potential therapeutic tool for treating CUD.

Deficient inhibition in alcohol-dependence: let's consider the role of the motor system!

Impaired inhibitory control contributes to the development, maintenance, and relapse of alcohol-dependence, but the neural correlates of this deficit are still unclear. Because inhibitory control has been labeled as an executive function, most studies have focused on prefrontal areas, overlooking the contribution of more "primary" structures, such as the motor system. Yet, appropriate neural inhibition of the motor output pathway has emerged as a central aspect of healthy behavior. Here, we tested the hypothesis that this motor inhibition is altered in alcohol-dependence. Neural inhibitory measures of motor activity were obtained in 20 detoxified alcohol-dependent (AD) patients and 20 matched healthy subjects, using a standard transcranial magnetic stimulation procedure whereby motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) are elicited in a choice reaction time task. Moreover, behavioral inhibition and trait impulsivity were evaluated in all participants. Finally, the relapse status of patients was assessed 1 year after the experiment. As expected, AD patients displayed poorer behavioral inhibition and higher trait impulsivity than controls. More importantly, the MEP data revealed a considerable shortage of neural motor inhibition in AD patients. Interestingly, this neural defect was strongest in the patients who ended up relapsing during the year following the experiment. Our data suggest a strong motor component in the neural correlates of altered inhibitory control in AD patients. They also highlight an intriguing relationship with relapse and the perspective of a new biomarker to follow strategies aiming at reducing relapse in AD patients.

Is motor activity during cognitive assessment an indicator for feigned attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults?

ABSTRACTObjectives: Several approaches, ranging from self-ratings of symptoms and impairments to objective neuropsychological testing, have been utilized during clinical evaluation in order to assess symptom and performance validity of individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood. Motor activity has not been considered yet in this context, which is surprising given that hyperactivity is a prominent characteristic of ADHD. Hence, the goal of the present study was to explore the incremental value of motor activity when assessing the credibility of individuals with adult ADHD at clinical evaluation.Method: Forty-six patients diagnosed with ADHD took part in the study. A simulation design was performed, in which 152 healthy individuals were allocated to either a control condition (n = 36) or one of three simulation conditions (n = 116), the latter requesting participants to feign ADHD. All participants completed a self-rating scale of cognitive functioning and performed a computerized test for vigilance. Body movements were recorded during vigilance testing via a motion tracker attached to the back of the participant’s chair.Results: Patients with ADHD reported significantly more pronounced cognitive complaints and performed significantly poorer on the vigilance test than control participants. Simulators of ADHD, as compared to genuine patients, showed excessively low performance on the vigilance test. However, neither self-ratings of cognitive functioning nor measures of motor activity were suitable to distinguish genuine from feigned ADHD. A hierarchical logistic regression model showed that motor activity had no incremental value in detecting feigned ADHD when vigilance test performance has already been considered.Conclusions: Standard neuropsychological tests of vigilance may be useful to measure both performance and credibility of individuals with adult ADHD at clinical evaluation. In contrast, self-reports of symptoms and impairments, as well as measures of body movements, may not support the assessment of credibility in this context.

Metabolic profile associated with distinct behavioral coping strategies of 129Sv and Bl6 mice in repeated motility test

We investigated the metabolic outcome of different coping strategies in 129S6/SvEvTac (129Sv) and C57BL/6Ntac (Bl6) strains. Two different batches of male 129Sv and Bl6 mice were used. One batch was not subjected to any behavioral manipulations (home cage control; HCC), whereas the other batch was treated with saline for 11 days and exposed after every treatment to the motor activity measurement (repeated motility tested; RMT). Bl6 RMT mice displayed a robust increase in number of rearings during repeated testing. 129Sv RMT mice experienced significant loss of body weight, but showed enhanced weight gain in HCC batch compared to Bl6. Serum metabolites (acylcarnitines, amino acids, biogenic amines, hexoses, glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids) were determined with AbsoluteIDQ p180 kit. Results of the metabolomic study revealed prominent peculiarities between strains in two different conditions. Comparison of both batches of mice demonstrated that in Bl6 biogenic amines (acetyl-ornithine, alpha-amionadipic acid, carnosine) and lysophosphatidylcholine PC(16:1/0:0) dominated. However in 129Sv acylcarnitine C5 clearly dominated, indicating shift towards short-chain acylcarnitines. Stable strain-specific ratios also emerged for both lines, ratio of glycine/PC ae C38:2 for Bl6 and ratios of C5/C0 as well as PC(16:0/0:0)/PC(16:1/0:0) for 129Sv. The described metabolic changes probably reflect different behavioral coping strategies of 129Sv and Bl6 mice.

Implication of exercise interventions on sleep disturbance in patients with pancreatic cancer: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction and purposePatients with pancreatic cancer (PC) have long been known to have high rates of depression. Depression in patients with PC can be linked to sleep disturbance. The American...

Anxiety- and activity-related effects of paracetamol on healthy and neuropathic rats.

Paracetamol has recently been suggested to affect emotion processing in addition to alleviating pain in humans. We investigated in adult male Hannover–Wistar rats whether acute intraperitoneally administrated paracetamol affects behavior in tests measuring anxiety, mood, motor activity, and memory. Unoperated rats received saline or a low (50 mg/kg) or high (300 mg/kg) dose of paracetamol, while rats with a spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathy and sham‐operated rats received saline or the low dose of paracetamol. Rats were tested on open‐field (OFT), elevated plus‐maze (EPM), light‐dark box (LDB), novel‐object recognition (NOR), sucrose preference, rotarod, and monofilament tests. In unoperated rats, both the low and high dose of paracetamol reduced line crossings, and grooming time in the OFT, and novel preference in NOR. The high dose of paracetamol increased the time spent in the closed arm in EPM, reduced the number of rearings and leanings in OFT, the time spent in the light box in LDB, and sucrose preference. Paracetamol had no significant effect on the rotarod test measuring motor activity. The low dose of paracetamol suppressed mechanical pain hypersensitivity in SNI rats, without influencing pain behavior in sham‐operated rats. Saline‐ but not paracetamol‐treated SNI rats spent more time than sham‐operated rats in the closed arm in the EPM test. Together the results suggest that a high dose of paracetamol increases anxiety‐like and anhedonic behavior, and impairs recognition memory in unoperated controls, while in neuropathy, a low dose of paracetamol reduces nerve injury‐associated anxiety probably by reducing neuropathic pain.

Interspecies comparison of daily total locomotor activity monitoring in different management conditions

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare total locomotor activity in 4 domestic species housed in different stable conditions under natural 12/12 light/dark photoperiod. The study subjects were 20 Italian saddle mares, 20 Comisana ewes, 20 Maltese goats, and 20 Holstein Friesian cattle. Two treatment groups were used, with 10 subjects for each species. The first group was housed in a 1-hectare paddock. The animals in the second group were housed in boxes. Horses were housed individually in 12-m 2 boxes. Sheep and goats were housed in 2 separated common stalls of 20 m 2 each. Cows were housed in a common stall of 150 m 2 . To record locomotor activity, an Actiwatch-Mini (Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd., UK) was placed on each animal for 7 days. These actigraphy-based data loggers record a digitally integrated measure of motor activity. A trigonometric statistical model was used to describe the main rhythmic parameters: mesor, amplitude, acrophase, and robustness of rhythm. Analysis by the cosinor procedure indicated a daily rhythm of locomotor activity in each of the 4 species studied. A multivariate analysis of variance was applied to the circadian parameters (mesor, amplitude, acrophase, and robustness), which showed a significant effect of species and housing conditions on all rhythmic parameters. We can conclude that the influence of housing conditions on the characteristics of locomotor circadian rhythm should be taken into consideration to guarantee welfare in animal breeding.

Inflammation-associated CNS pathways to fatigue in breast cancer patients

Breast cancer patients (∼40%) experience debilitating cancer-related fatigue (CRF), and efficacious treatment options are limited due in part to lack of understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. One promising avenue for treatment discovery is investigation of inflammation effects on CNS pathways involved in motivation and motor activity that may contribute to fatigue. Previous work shows that fatigue both during and after breast cancer treatment is associated with increased inflammation. Nevertheless, CNS mechanisms by which inflammation influences behavior in breast cancer patients are currently unknown. Our group and others have found that inflammation can alter the neural activation of and functional connectivity between brain regions that are involved in motivation and motor activity, including the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex. Herein we present preliminary data from breast cancer patients who recently completed treatment (n = 16) indicating that patients with high inflammation exhibited decreased functional connectivity between ventral and dorsal striatal and prefrontal cortical regions, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). These alterations in corticostriatal circuitry were associated with reduced performance on objective measures of motivation and motor activity (r = 0.67, p