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Full-Text Articles in Psychology
Polychlorinated Biphenyl Exposure Alters Oxytocin Receptor Gene Expression And Maternal Behavior In Rat, Howard Cromwell
Polychlorinated Biphenyl Exposure Alters Oxytocin Receptor Gene Expression And Maternal Behavior In Rat, Howard Cromwell
Howard Casey Cromwell
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) is a persistent organic pollutant known to induce diverse molecular and behavioral alterations. Effects of PCB exposure could be transmitted to future generations via changes in behavior and gene expression. Previous work has shown that PCB-exposure can alter social behavior. The present study extends this work by examining a possible molecular mechanism for these changes. Pregnant rats (Sprague-Dawley) were exposed through diet to a combination of non-coplanar (PCB 47 - 2,20,4,40-tetrachlorobiphenyl) and coplanar (PCB 77 - 3,30,4,40- tetrachlorobiphenyl) congeners. Maternal care behaviors were examined by evaluating the rate and quality of nest building on the last 4 …
Effects Of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (Pcb) On Response Perseveration And Ultrasonic Vocalization Emission In Rat During Development, Howard Cromwell
Effects Of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (Pcb) On Response Perseveration And Ultrasonic Vocalization Emission In Rat During Development, Howard Cromwell
Howard Casey Cromwell
The 3 major symptoms of autistic spectrum disorders include 1) social behavioral alterations, 2) problems in communication and 3) higher-order motoric deficits of perseveration and stereotyped movements. Previous work has shown that early developmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) alters rat pup social motivation and juvenile rat social recognition/investigation. The present work extends this previous research by examining how perinatal PCB exposure alters motoric functions and communication abilities at different stages of development. Action perseveration was examined using performance measures from a T-maze environment. Communication abilities were evaluated by monitoring ultrasound emission in rat pups during a brief isolation from …
Ultrasonic Vocalizations, Predictability And Sensorimotor Gating In The, Howard Cromwell
Ultrasonic Vocalizations, Predictability And Sensorimotor Gating In The, Howard Cromwell
Howard Casey Cromwell
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a measure of sensorimotor gating in diverse groups of animals including humans. Emotional states can influence PPI in humans both in typical subjects and in individuals with mental illness. Little is known about emotional regulation during PPI in rodents. We used ultrasonic vocalization recording to monitor emotional states in rats during PPI testing. We altered the predictability of the PPI trials to examine any alterations in gating and emotional regulation. We also examined PPI in animals selectively bred for high or low levels of 50 kHz USV emission. Rats emitted high levels of 22 kHz calls …
Selective Breeding For 50 Khz Ultrasonic Vocalization Emission Produces, Howard Cromwell
Selective Breeding For 50 Khz Ultrasonic Vocalization Emission Produces, Howard Cromwell
Howard Casey Cromwell
Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are emitted by rodents and can signal either negative or positive affective states in social and nonsocial contexts. Our recent work has utilized selective breeding based upon the emission of 50 kHz USVs in response to standard cross species hand play—namely experimenters ‘tickling’ rats. Previous work has shown that high-tickle responsive animals (i.e., rats emitting abundant 50 kHz USVs) are gregarious and express enhanced positive emotional behaviors relative to animals exhibiting low 50 kHz USVs. The present study extends this work by examining the developmental profile of play behavior and the suppression of play behavior by predator …
Rat Pup Social Motivation: A Critical Component Of Early Psychological Development, Howard C. Cromwell
Rat Pup Social Motivation: A Critical Component Of Early Psychological Development, Howard C. Cromwell
Howard Casey Cromwell
Examining the role of the offspring in early social dynamics is especially difficult. Human developmental psychology has found infant behavior to be a vital part of the early environmental setting. In the rodent model, the different ways that a rodent neonate or pup can influence social dynamics are not well known. Typically, litters of neonates or pups offer complex social interactions dominated by behavior seemingly initiated and maintained by the primary caregiver (e.g., the dam). Despite this strong role for the caregiver, the young most likely influence the litter dynamics in many powerful ways including communication signals, discrimination abilities and …
Influence Of Perinatal Exposure To A Polychlorinated Biphenyl Mixture On Learning And Memory, Hippocampal Size, And Estrogen Receptor-Beta Expression, Howard Cromwell
Influence Of Perinatal Exposure To A Polychlorinated Biphenyl Mixture On Learning And Memory, Hippocampal Size, And Estrogen Receptor-Beta Expression, Howard Cromwell
Howard Casey Cromwell
Abstract. Perinatal exposure to PCB has been reported to cause a variety of health effects including endocrine disruption, and immunologic, reproductive, neurologic, and behavioral deficits. In the present study, a mixture of two PCB congeners, one non-coplanar (PCB 47) and one coplanar (PCB 77), were administered to young female Sprague-Dawley rats by route of maternal dietary consumption (either 12.5 ppm or 25.0 ppm, w/w). Impact on learning and memory were examined by radial arm maze on postnatal day 24-27. After behavioral tests were completed, the rats were transcardially perfused, and brains were excised. Immunohistochemistry for ER- β was carried out …
Rats Selectively Bred For Low Levels Of 50 Khz Ultrasonic Vocalizations Exhibit Alterations In Early Social Motivation, Howard C. Cromwell
Rats Selectively Bred For Low Levels Of 50 Khz Ultrasonic Vocalizations Exhibit Alterations In Early Social Motivation, Howard C. Cromwell
Howard Casey Cromwell
In rats, the rates of 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) can be used as a selective breeding phenotype and variations in this phenotype can be an indicator of affective states. The 50 kHz USV is elicited by rewarding stimuli (e.g., food, sexual behavior) and therefore can express a positive affective state. Conversely, the 22 kHz USV is elicited by aversive stimuli (e.g., presence of a predator, social defeat) indicating a negative affective state. In the present study, we tested the effect of selectively breeding for 50 kHz USVs on a variety of maternal social/emotional behaviors in young rat pups (PND …