Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Differential Effects Of Acute Amphetamine And Phencyclidine Treatment And Withdrawal From Repeated Amphetamine Or Phencyclidine Treatment On Social Interaction And Social Memory In Rats, Ming Li, Wei He, Rebecca Munro

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although animal models based on amphetamine (AMPH) or phencyclidine (PCP) treatment have been used extensively to study the neurobiological and behavioral characteristics of schizophrenia, there are conflicting reports regarding their validity in modeling the negative symptoms and cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. The present study examined how acute AMPH or PCP treatment (Experiment 1) and withdrawal from repeated AMPH treatment (Experiment 2) or PCP treatment (Experiment 3) affects social behavior and social recognition memory in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Each subject was tested on two consecutive days. On the first day, the rats were tested four times (5 min/each) at 10-min intervals …

Apopo Annual Report 2012, Apopo

Global CWD Repository

In 2012, APOPO’s Mine Action Mozambique program delivered beyond set requirements and exceeded the expectations of the country’s national demining authority. APOPO fi nished its work in the Gaza province and declared it free of known minefi elds a year ahead of the initial schedule of 2013. This excellent achievement was realized due to the successful expansion of the program’s capacity. During the handover ceremony, HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium commended the work in Gaza as “a shining example of how national priorities can be achieved with the right partnerships, sustained effort and, most importantly, sheer human intent”.

The focus …

Serotonin, Motivation, And Playfulness In The Juvenile Rat, Stephen M. Siviy, Loren M. Deron, Chelsea R. Kasten

Psychology Faculty Publications

The effects of the selective 5HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT were assessed on the play behavior of juvenile rats. When both rats of the test pair were comparably motivated to play, the only significant effect of 8-OH-DPAT was for play to be reduced at higher doses. When there was a baseline asymmetry in playful solicitation due to a differential motivation to play and only one rat of the pair was treated, low doses of 8-OH-DPAT resulted in a collapse of asymmetry in playful solicitations. It did not matter whether the rat that was treated initially accounted for more nape contacts or fewer …

In Search Of The Neurobiological Substrates For Social Playfulness In Mammalian Brains, Stephen M. Siviy, Jaak Panksepp

Psychology Faculty Publications

Play behavior is a fundamental and intrinsic neurobehavioral process in the mammalian brain. Using rough-and-tumble play in the juvenile rat as a model system to study mammalian playfulness, some of the relevant neurobiological substrates for this behavior have been identified, and in this review this progress. A primary-process executive circuit for play in the rat that includes thalamic intralaminar nuclei, frontal cortex and striatum can be gleaned from these data. Other neural areas that may interact with this putative circuit include amygdala, ventral hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray (PAG), and deep tectum, as well as ascending dopamine systems which participate in all …

A Rat Model Of Sleep Deprivation Prior To Traumatic Brain Injury, Steve G. Soehnlen

ETD Archive

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been called the "signature injury" of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers undergo a variety of stressors during their tours of duty that could complicate recovery from TBI, one of which is sleep deprivation (SD). In this study, we sought to create a rat model exploring the effects of prior REM sleep deprivation (RSD) on recovery from TBI-induced sensorimotor and cognitive deficits. Rats were deprived of REM sleep before they underwent a controlled cortical impact (CCI) to mimic a TBI. Forelimb sensorimotor function, hindlimb motor function, forelimb motor function, and spatial learning were assessed …

The Long Life Of Birds: The Rat-Pigeon Comparison Revisited, William A. Buttemer, Anthony J. Hulbert, M K. Montgomery

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The most studied comparison of aging and maximum lifespan potential (MLSP) among endotherms involves the 7-fold longevity difference between rats (MLSP 5y) and pigeons (MLSP 35y). A widely accepted theory explaining MLSP differences between species is the oxidative stress theory, which purports that reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during mitochondrial respiration damage bio-molecules and eventually lead to the breakdown of regulatory systems and consequent death. Previous rat-pigeon studies compared only aspects of the oxidative stress theory and most concluded that the lower mitochondrial superoxide production of pigeons compared to rats was responsible for their much greater longevity. This conclusion is …

Apopo Annual Report 2011, Apopo

Global CWD Repository

A landmine survivor recently said of APOPO’s work in Mozambique: “There is happiness our land has been returned to us, freedom of grazing for livestock, no restrictions on where we walk. The mines have been a serious problem but we have already seen a reduction in people losing their lives. We are very happy.”

This, in a nutshell, is why we do the work we do. Hearing the feedback of villagers in affected regions – whose lives have changed for the better as a result of our humanitarian actions – verifies how immensely important our mission is.

The success of …

Ovarian Hormones, Aging And Stress On Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity, Michael R. Foy

Psychological Science Faculty Works

The ovarian steroid hormones estradiol and progesterone regulate a wide variety of non-reproductive functions in the central nervous system by interacting with molecular and cellular processes. A growing literature from studies using rodent models suggests that 17β-estradiol, the most potent of the biologically relevant estrogens, enhances synaptic transmission and the magnitude of long-term potentiation recorded from in vitro hippocampal slices. In contrast, progesterone has been shown to decrease synaptic transmission and reduce hippocampal long-term potentiation in this model system. Hippocampal long-term depression, another form of synaptic plasticity, occurs more prominently in slices from aged rats. A decrease in long-term potentiation …

Dietary Fish Oil Reduces Skeletal Muscle Oxygen Consumption, Provides Fatigue Resistance And Improves Contractile Recovery In The Rat In Vivo Hindlimb, Gregory E. Peoples, Peter L. Mclennan

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Dietary fish oil modulates skeletal muscle membrane fatty acid composition. Similar changes in heart membrane composition modulate myocardial oxygen consumption and enhance mechanical performance. The rat in vivo autologous perfused hindlimb was used to investigate the influence of membrane composition on skeletal muscle function. Male Wistar rats were fed either saturated fat (SF), n-6 PUFA (linoleic acid rich) or n-3 PUFA (fish oil) diets for 8 weeks. Hindlimb skeletal muscle perfused using the animal’s own blood was stimulated via the sciatic nerve (1 Hz, 6-12 V, 0·05 ms) to contract in repeated 10 min bouts. The n-3 PUFA diet markedly …

The Acute Nociceptive Signals Induced By Bradykinin In Rat Sensory Neurons Are Mediated By Inhibition Of M-Type K+ Channels And Activation Of Ca2+-Activated Cl- Channels, Boyi Liu, John E. Linley, Xiaona Du, Xuan Zhang, Lezanne Ooi, Hailin Zhang, Nikita Gamper

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Bradykinin (BK) is an inflammatory mediator and one of the most potent endogenous pain-inducing substances. When released at sites of tissue damage or inflammation, or applied exogenously, BK produces acute spontaneous pain and causes hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to potentially painful stimuli). The mechanisms underlying spontaneous pain induced by BK are poorly understood. Here we report that in small nociceptive neurons from rat dorsal root ganglia, BK, acting through its B2 receptors, PLC, and release of calcium from intracellular stores, robustly inhibits M-type K+ channels and opens Ca2+-activated Cl- channels (CaCCs) encoded by Tmem16a (also known as Ano1). Summation of these …

Effects Of Simvastatin And 6-Hydroxydopamine Lesion On Histaminergic H1 Receptor Binding In Rat Brains, C H. Hu, C Deng, Xu-Feng Huang, J Chen, Q Wang

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Apopo Annual Report 2010, Apopo

Global CWD Repository

In 2010, APOPO accelerated its organizational growth and development, a necessary investment to expand the reach of our live-saving work in the coming years. In Mozambique, our Mine Action team doubled in size, aiming at an even faster return of mine-free land to the people of Mozambique.

APOPO welcomes Håvard Bach as its Head of Mine Action, adding new insights and a vast experience in the field of humanitarian demining to the team. Expanding into new mine-affected countries, APOPO prepared a Mine Action program for Angola and initiated collaboration with the Thailand Mine Action Center on land release, in order …

Developmental Emergence Of Power-Law Wake Behavior Depends Upon The Functional Integrity Of The Locus Coeruleus, Andrew J. Gall, Badal Joshi, Janet Best, Virginia R. Florang, Jonathan A. Doorn, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

STUDY OBJECTIVES:

Daily amounts of sleep and wakefulness are accumulated in discrete bouts that exhibit distinct statistical properties. In adult mammals, sleep bout durations follow an exponential distribution whereas wake bout durations follow a power-law distribution. In infant Norway rats, however, wake bouts initially follow an exponential distribution and only transition to a power-law distribution beginning around postnatal day 15 (P15). Here we test the hypothesis that the locus coeruleus (LC), one of several wake-active nuclei in the brainstem, contributes to this developmental transition.

DESIGN:

At P7, rats were injected subcutaneously with saline or DSP-4, a neurotoxin that targets noradrenergic …

Apopo Annual Report 2009, Apopo

Global CWD Repository

In 2009, APOPO has made tremendous progress in reaching its mission to become the Centre of Excellence in detection rats technology and achieving social impact for underprivileged communities and people in Africa.

Implementation of the strategic plan and transformation process, which was started in 2008, has improved both APOPO’s internal structure and operational outputs. These changes have strengthened the management team and fostered the formation of strategic partnerships that will provide the basis to further enhance the impact of APOPO’s life-saving technology and facilitate the sustainable growth of the organization.

However, the most tangible results of this year can be …

Preference, Resistance To Change, And Qualitatively Different Reinforcers, Christopher Aaron Podlesnik

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Preference for one stimulus context over another and resistance to disruption within those contexts are a function of the conditions of reinforcement arranged within those contexts. According to behavioral momentum theory, these measures are converging expressions of the concept of response strength. Most studies have found that preference in concurrent chains and resistance to change are greater in contexts presenting higher rates or larger magnitudes of reinforcement. The present series of experiments attempted to extend behavioral momentum theory by examining whether differences in reinforcer type affect relative response strength with rats lever pressing for different types of food. In Experiment …

Apopo Annual Report 2008, Apopo

Global CWD Repository

2008 was a year of transformation and consolidation for APOPO.

Besides the technical achievements in the training and research programmes, APOPO went through a phase of restructuring and strategic revision of future plans. I firmly believe that this collective effort will result in a more sustainable social enterprise with a higher social impact in the future.

I am also proud to say that the long anticipated output of the Mine Detection Rats finally materialized in Mozambique, and we are confident this will trigger more operational deployment of the Mine Detection Rats in the region soon.

The research carried out with …

Apopo Annual Report 2007, Apopo

Global CWD Repository

APOPO’s 10th year anniversary was marked with some major achievements and prospects.

In Mozambique, the APOPO Mine Action Program is now a full contributor to the National Demining Programme.

In Tanzania, the Tuberculosis detection rats are performing very well. They are finding, on a weekly basis, patients not detected with conventional methods, enabling follow-up for early treatment.

The breeding and training programmes were improved leading to higher efficiencies.

APOPO was given international recognition and exposure: its founder, Bart Weetjens, was awarded by Ashoka and Schwab Foundation.

APOPO was also endorsed by 11 Heads of States in the International Conference of …

Extraocular Muscle Activity, Rapid Eye Movements And The Development Of Active And Quiet Sleep, Adele M. H. Seelke, Andrew J. Gall, Karl Æ. Karlsson, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

Rapid eye movements (REMs), traditionally measured using the electrooculogram (EOG), help to characterize active sleep in adults. In early infancy, however, they are not clearly expressed. Here we measured extraocular muscle activity in infant rats at 3 days of age (P3), P8 and P14-15 in order to assess the ontogeny of REMs and their relationship with other forms of sleep-related phasic activity. We found that the causal relationship between extraocular muscle twitches and REMs strengthened during the first two postnatal weeks, reflecting increased control of the extraocular muscles over eye movements. As early as P3, however, phasic bursts of extraocular …

Effects Of Dexamethasone On Posterior Capsule Opacification-Like Changes In A Rat Lens Explant Model, Kylie Mansfield, Anna Cerra, Coral Chamberlain

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Purpose: Many patients whose sight is initially restored by cataract surgery eventually suffer secondary loss of vision because of posterior capsule opacification (PCO; after-cataract), a condition in which lens epithelial cells left behind at surgery become aberrant and migrate into the light path. The aim of this study was to determine whether dexamethasone (DEX), an anti-inflammatory agent widely used before and after cataract surgery, influences the behavior of lens cells under conditions relevant to PCO development.

Methods: An established rat PCO model was used in which explanted epithelial cells attached to the lens capsule are exposed sequentially to TGFβ2 and …

Fgf-2 Counteracts Loss Of Tgfβ Affected Cells From Rat Lens Explants: Implications For Pco (After Cataract), Kylie Mansfield, Anna Cerra, Coral Chamberlain

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Purpose: While cataract surgery initially benefits most patients, many suffer secondary loss of vision because of posterior capsule opacification (PCO). Lens epithelial cells left behind at surgery become aberrant and migrate into the light path. TGF-beta (TGFβ) appears to play a key role in this process by inducing the cells to undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Paradoxically, it also typically induces them to undergo apoptotic death. The present study was undertaken to investigate the hypothesis that FGF plays a role in PCO formation by promoting the survival of abnormal cells with PCO-like characteristics.

Methods: Rat lens epithelial explants were cultured for …

Exacerbation Of Tgf-Β-Induced Cataract By Fgf-2 In Cultured Rat Lenses, Anna Cerra, Kylie Mansfield, Coral Chamberlain

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Purpose: Culturing rat lenses with transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) results in the formation of anterior, opaque subcapsular plaques which exhibit many of the features of human subcapsular cataract. The present study was undertaken to determine whether this process is influenced by the presence of fibroblast growth factor (FGF), a normal component of the lens environment in situ.

Methods: Rat lenses were cultured for 4-8 days with TGFβ-2, alone or in combination with FGF-2, PDGF-AA, or the growth factor inhibitors poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS) and suramin. Responses were assessed by monitoring opacification, by routine histology and immunolocalization of markers for fibrotic change …

The Reduced Effect Of Serotonin On Oxygen Consumption During Muscle Contraction In The Autoperfused Rat Hindlimb, Andrew Hoy, Gregory E. Peoples, Peter L. Mclennan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Serotonin (5-HT) has been shown to reduce skeletal muscle oxygen consumption cY 02) during resting conditions in a variety of animal models. It is thought to act through redistribution of blood flow within skeletal muscle directing flow away from muscle tissue (nutritive bed) towards less metabolically active tissue, adipose and septum (non-nutritive bed) by selective vasoconstriction. The aim of this study was to test whether the effects of 5-HT (previously observed under resting conditions) are reproducible during the increased metabolic demand of muscle contraction.

An Evaluation Of Storage, Hydration And Reporting Protocols For Biomechanical Testing Of The Rat Femoral Neck, Michael Wayne Reeves

LSU Master's Theses

The current study evaluated the effect of frozen storage and hydration under vacuum on density and breaking strength of the rat femoral neck. Femurs were frozen in saline for periods of 15, 34, 122, or 831 days. No significant effect on bone density was detected for freezing periods of 15, 34, and 122 days, indicating that frozen storage of specimens in saline is moisture-preserving for periods up to four months. Freezing periods of 34 and 122 days were used to examine the effect of frozen storage on bone biomechanical bahavior. Plastic strain increased for the 34-day storage period (p=0.0453) and …

Classical Conditioning And Immune Reactivity In Rats, Laura Anne Czajkowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Psychoneuroimmunology is an interdisciplinary area that examines the interaction between behavior, the central nervous system, and the immune system. Many investigations have utilized a taste aversion paradigm to examine the effects of classical conditioning on an immune response. The procedure generally consists of an animal ingesting a novel flavor, and then being made ill and immunosuppressed by injection of a pharmacological agent. The animal is provided access to that flavor at a later time. The rejection of the novel flavor on the test day is called taste aversion and the depressed antibody titer has been labeled conditioned immunosuppression.

The present …

Variations In Radial Maze Performance Under Different Levels Of Food And Water Deprivation, Robert H.I. Dale, William A. Roberts

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Four groups of rats were tested on an eight-arm radial maze under a free-choice procedure. The subjects were maintained at either 80% or 100% of their preexperimental free-feeding weights through restricted access to either food or water. Water-deprived subjects received water in the maze; food-deprived subjects received food. Water-deprived subjects learned the task faster than food-deprived subjects. The four groups developed different response patterns. These were measured by the mean transition size, the average angular distance (in 45° units) between consecutively chosen arms. Rats foraging for food and water developed different search strategies, with water-deprived subjects exhibiting lower mean transition …

Interactions Between Response Stereotypy And Memory Strategies On The Eight-Arm Radial Maze, Robert H.I. Dale, Nancy K. Innis

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Three groups of water-deprived rats collected water from the ends of the 8 arms of an 8-arm radial maze. Sighted subjects, and subjects blinded either with or without pre-enucleation experience on the radial maze, all retrieved the water efficiently. Most of the subjects exhibited the same response stereotypy, regularly choosing 8 adjacent arms of the maze, then stopping in the center of the maze. The strategies underlying this performance were analyzed by interrupting trials and rotating the maze 180° after the subject had made 3 choices. Sighted subjects depended on extramaze stimuli, naive-blind subjects depended on intramaze stimuli and experienced-blind …