Padrão de atividades e de interações sociais de animais juvenis em dois grupos selvagens de Callithrix jacchus

The juvenile period represents the developmental phase between weaning and sexual maturity. Weaning occurs when the youngster does not receive direct care from the caretakers anymore. Individuals in the species Callithrix jacchus live in groups composed by the reproductive pair and successive twin sets. Cooperative care is the rule. Infants are weaned early, and from then on, food is provided by the adults in the group. These animals present high levels of social interactions, through play, grooming and social contact. During infant age, the twin becomes the main partner. There are few studies about the juvenile period, especially on Callithrix gender. The objective of this study was describing the pattern of activities and social interactions of four sets (one single and three twin sets) during juvenile phase in two Callithrix jacchus groups. We used instantaneous and continuous focal sampling for juveniles and scan sampling for adults behavioral recordings. Juveniles presented the same behavioral pattern as the adults relating the activity budget, in particular, foraging along the months. The composition of the diet was the same as that of the adults. Food transfer ended along the juvenile period. Social play as much as grooming were important socializing activities for the juveniles. The young individuals in the group were the main partners in social play, specially the twin. Adults were the main partners in grooming interactions. Scent marking differed between twins in the male/female sets, the female presenting the highest levels of marking. The juveniles were independent from adults in foraging activity. Social interaction varied according to group composition, but in general, interacted more with the twin and with the youngsters (infants and subadults), except in grooming. Even presenting many similarities, juveniles showed some differences between genders, which indicates the differentiation in behavior towards reproductive strategies early in the juvenile period

Neurofisiologia hipocampal durante sessões de sono intercaladas por exploração espacial: Reverberação do passado ou predição do futuro?

The ability to predict future rewards or threats is crucial for survival. Recent studies have addressed future event prediction by the hippocampus. Hippocampal neurons exhibit robust selectivity for spatial location. Thus, the activity of hippocampal neurons represents a cognitive map of space during navigation as well as during planning and recall. Spatial selectivity allows the hippocampus to be involved in the formation of spatial and episodic memories, including the sequential ordering of events. On the other hand, the discovery of reverberatory activity in multiple forebrain areas during slow wave and REM sleep underscored the role of sleep on the consolidation of recently acquired memory traces. To this date, there are no studies addressing whether neuronal activity in the hippocampus during sleep can predict regular environmental shifts. The aim of the present study was to investigate the activity of neuronal populations in the hippocampus during sleep sessions intercalated by spatial exploration periods, in which the location of reward changed in a predictable way. To this end, we performed the chronic implantation of 32-channel multielectrode arrays in the CA1 regions of the hippocampus in three male rats of the Wistar strain. In order to activate different neuronal subgroups at each cycle of the task, we exposed the animals to four spatial exploration sessions in a 4-arm elevated maze in which reward was delivered in a single arm per session. Reward location changed regularly at every session in a clockwise manner, traversing all the arms at the end of the daily recordings. Animals were recorded from 2-12 consecutive days. During spatial exploration of the 4-arm elevated maze, 67,5% of the recorded neurons showed firing rate differences across the maze arms. Furthermore, an average of 42% of the neurons showed increased correlation (R>0.3) between neuronal pairs in each arm. This allowed us to sort representative neuronal subgroups for each maze arm, and to analyze the activity of these subgroups across sleep sessions. We found that neuronal subgroups sorted by firing rate differences during spatial exploration sustained these differences across sleep sessions. This was not the case with neuronal subgroups sorted according to synchrony (correlation). In addition, the correlation levels between sleep sessions and waking patterns sampled in each arm were larger for the entire population of neurons than for the rate or synchrony subgroups. Neuronal activity during sleep of the entire neuronal population or subgroups did not show different correlations among the four arm mazes. On the other hand, we verified that neuronal activity during pre-exploration sleep sessions was significantly more similar to the activity patterns of the target arm than neuronal activity during pre-exploration sleep sessions. In other words, neuronal activity during sleep that precedes the task reflects more strongly the location of reward than neuronal activity during sleep that follows the task. Our results suggest that neuronal activity during sleep can predict regular environmental changes

Estimativa populacional e uso do hábitat do boto-cinza (Sotalia guianensis) no litoral sul do Rio Grande do Norte

Four areas are known as of frequent usage by Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in the south coast of Rio Grande do Norte state, northeast Brazil: Tabatinga, Pipa, Lagoa de Guaraíras and Baia Formosa. This extension of 40 km of shoreline is under increasing anthropogenic impacts due to continuous development of the coastal areas and vessel traffic. The objective of this study was to investigate aspects of population biology and habitat use of the population of Sotalia guianensis in the south coast of Rio Grande do Norte. It was applied the photo-identification technique and posterior methods of capture-recapture for population estimation (POPAN extension in MARK). The distribution, movement and site fidelity of the dolphins were analyzed trough the geographic information system (GIS) and group characteristics and behavior trough non-parametric statistics. Field work was conducted on board a 10m motor vessel from March 2008 to March 2009. Photo-identification effort was 329h with 113h of direct observation of the dolphins. The population estimatives for each area: Tabatinga: 75 (63-92); Pipa 105 (88-129); Lagoa de Guaraíras: 27 (18-54) e Baia Formosa: 112 (89-129) individuals. Total population estimative was: 223 (192 a 297). High site fidelity was detected for only part of the population (<15%) as low site fidelity and transients individuals were also detected (>20%). It was observed frequent movements between Tabatinga, Lagoa de Guaraíras and Pipa, but not Baía Formosa. This suggests a division in two communities along this shore extension: one in Pipa and other in Baía Formosa. Group size was small, most groups with up to 10 dolphins. The areas were use intensively, only in Lagoa de Guaraíras dolphins were not seen in all field trips. Lagoa de Guaraíras is an area used by small groups exclusively for foraging. In Tabatinga and Pipa dolphins concentrated close to the shore, in the inner sector of the area and the main activity is also foraging. Significant larger groups were seen in socializing behavior but there was no difference in group size between the inner and external sectors of the area. The presence of calves and juveniles were significant greater in the inner areas of Tabatinga and Pipa, confirming the hypothesis that these beaches are also used for parental care. In Baia Formosa dolphins concentrated in the outer sector and foraging was also predominant. Significant larger groups were seen in the outer sector, mainly engaged in mixed behaviors of travel/foraging, possibly in some kind of group foraging. Calves and juveniles were significant more present in the outer sector where group size was also larger. In general there was no difference in area usage and period of the day. Sotalia guianensis has characteristics that make the species vulnerable to human activities such as small population concentrated in patches of suitable habitats restrict to coastal areas. We hope that this study bring new information for the species and help for the adequate management of the area in order to assure the presence of the dolphins as well as its behavior pattern and gene flow betweencommunities.

Estudo dos efeitos comportamentais do neuropeptídeos em camundongos submetidos a modelos animais de Parkinson

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is the endogenous ligand of a G-protein coupled receptor. Preclinical studies have shown that NPSR receptor activation can promote arousal, anxiolytic-like behavioral, decrease in food intake, besides hyperlocomotion, which is a robust but not well understood phenomenon. Previous findings suggest that dopamine transmission plays a crucial role in NPS hyperactivity. Considering the close relationship between dopamine and Parkinson Disease (PD), and also that NPSR receptors are expressed on dopaminergic nuclei in the brain, the current study attempted to investigate the effects of NPS in motor deficits induced by intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of 6-OHDA and systemic administration of haloperidol. Motor deficits induced by 6-OHDA and haloperidol were evaluated on Swiss mice in the rota-rod and catalepsy test. Time on the rotating rod and time spent immobile in the elevated bar were measured respectively in each test. L-Dopa, a classic antiparkinsonian drug, and NPS were administrated in mice submitted to one of the animal models of PD related above. 6-OHDA injection evoked severe motor impairments in rota-rod test, while the cataleptic behavior of 6-OHDA injected mice was largely variable. The administration of L-Dopa (25 mg/kg) and NPS (0,1 and 1 nmol) reversed motor impairments induced by 6-OHDA in the rota-rod. Haloperidolinduced motor deficits on rota-rod and catalepsy tests which were reversed by L-Dopa (100 e 400 mg/kg), but not by NPS (0,1 and 1 nmol) administration. The association of L-Dopa 10 mg/kg and NPS 1 nmol was also unable to counteract haloperidol-induced motor deficits. To summarize, 6-OHDA-, but not haloperidol-, induced motor deficits were reversed by the central administration of NPS. These data suggest that NPS possibly facilitates dopamine release in basal ganglia, what would explain the overcome of motor performance promoted by NPS administration in animals pretreated with 6-OHDA, but not haloperidol. Finally, the presented findings point, for the first time, to the potential of NPSR agonist as an innovative treatment for PD.

Estudo sobre orçamento de atividade do Boto Cinza (Sotalia guianensis) no litoral sul do Rio Grande do Norte

A fundamental analysis on Behavioral Ecology is the construction of Activities Budget, which can be defined as the quantification of the time that each animal uses in activities that are important for its survival and reproduction. Initially developed for theoretical studies about Optimal Foraging, the construction of Activities Budgets has recently being used for analyses in Conservation Biology. However, the measurement of behavior through an adequate methodology that allows the comparison between different samples is a challenge for researchers in the area of Ethology. This problem is even bigger for the students of cetaceans behavior due to the difficulty of visualization of these animals. The present work deals with two aspects of the specialized literature on cetaceans: i) it explores possible variations of results in quantification of behavioral states decurrent of the application of different methods of data collection, and ii) it describes the activity budget of a population of Sotalia guianensis that inhabits coastal waters, south Rio Grande do Norte. The results showed that the use different methods of data collection result in significant differences, but of small scale, in the quantification of the behavioral frequency. The activity budget of Sotalia in the area here analyzed was similar to that described for other populations of this species inhabiting typically estuarine habitats. Tide and day-hour did not influence the dolphin s behavior, however, significant differences were found related to the position of the animals within the area. These results are discussed considering the dietary and behavioral flexibility of the species, contributing to the scientific knowledge and offering information that will be useful in comparative studies and for analyses on the determination of areas for species conservation

Variação diária e anual de freqüência e atividade do Boto Cinza Sotalia guianensis em Pipa, Nordeste do Brasil

The aim of this study was to investigate the daily and annual variation in frequency and in activity of an estuarine dolphin population, Sotalia guianensis, in Brazilian northeastern. Thus we estimated the daily variation and seasonality in frequency of adult and immature and in behavior of socialization, aerial activity, foraging of a boto equatorial population in the Curral inlet (6º13 00 S; 35º3 36 W). We detect some variation. Thus we associate the daily variation with daily period, tide fluctuation and annual season. And the seasonality variation we associate with the fotoperíodo and precipitation variation. From October 1999 to September 2003, through collect four times at month, we made instantaneous record at each five minute in six hours of survey. The surveys hours were ranged into light time of 24 hours, that is, between 06:00 and 17:00 o clock. These observations were developed simultaneous for two observers in a land-based survey at coastline cliff top of which observer have a fully visualization of whole inlet. We found that animals were more active and frequent during the morning. They were more active during low tide than high tide. However they did not show association with tide. We found yet that in a period from June to November (winter-spring) there was the highest socialization, aerial activity and foraging frequency. However adult and immature individual number did not have significance variation along the year. The larger concentration of this behaviors were not associate with photoperiod neither precipitation in the region. These results showed the existence of behavioral daily variation and seasonality in a species that live in equatorial region

Avaliação do potencial de toxicidade de florações de cianobactérias como subsídio para ações de gestão ambiental em açudes do semiárido potiguar

Blooms negatively compromise the aquatic environment, plants, animals and human health.Some species are toxin-producing, such as the neurotoxin saxitoxin and the hepatotoxin microcystin, which may contaminate water reservoirs, as those existing in the semiarid region of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil) which are used to supply the population, fishing, aquiculture and recreational activities, thereby providing the risk of human exposure through water intake, dermal contact and respiratory tract. Thus, it is recommended a constant monitoring of the density of cyanobacteria with the quantification of cyanotoxins. One goal with this work was the monitoring of water in four reservoirs in semiarid of RN through the identification and enumeration of cyanobacteria and through the identification and quantification of cyanotoxins by ELISA. Furthermore, we intended to assess the environmental perception of farmers and artisanal fishers in reservoirs of semiarid of RN through semi-structured interviews with questions mostly related to water and eutrophication. Through these objectives the aim was the development of management strategies for aquaculture and prevention of risks to public health. The results showed that the highest values of microcystins were found in the rainy season. Standards for drinking water, according to the guidelines of Ministry of Health 2914/2011 and CONAMA 357/05, setting the maximum values for raw water density of cyanobacteria: 50,000 cel.mL-1; microcystin: 1 μg. L-1 and saxitoxin: 3 μg. L-1. The values found for microcystin ranged between 0.00227 μg. L-1 and 24.1954 μg. L-1. From 128 samples analyzed, 27% were above the limit. There was no clear seasonal pattern for saxitoxins and their values ranged between 0.003 μg. L-1 and 0.766 μg. L-1 with none of the values above the limit. Furthermore, 76% of the densities of cyanobacteria values were above the limit. About environmental perception, 52 interviews were conducted and the results show that the respondents recognize the main uses of water of the rervoirs, recognize the importance and have a positive view about the reservoirs. They also realize that the water has a poor quality and can cause health problems. The results provide data showing the persistence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, many times over the limit, reinforcing the importance of constant monitoring. The assessment of environmental perception gives foundation for later proposed environmental education linked to public health management into the context of this particular population, making it more effective

Prevalência de talassemia alfa+ (deleção -3.7) na população adulta do estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Alpha thalassemia, the most common monogenic disorder in the world, is characterized by deletions of one (+-thalassemia) or both alpha genes (0-thalassemia) located on human chromosome 16 (16p13.3). The most common case of +-thalassemia is a deletion of 3.7 kb of DNA (-3.7 deletion). It is most prevalent in African and Middle East regions. In the few studies carried out in Brazilian population -3.7 deletion was the most common deletion, mainly in African descendants. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of +- thalassemia (deletion 3.7kb) in adult population from Rio Grande do Norte. We obtained blood samples from 713 unrelated individuals of both genders, aged between 18 and 59 years old. All individuals were born in Rio Grande do Norte. The hematological indices were obtained in an automatic cell counter (Micros 60, ABX Diagnostics). The hemoglobin measurement (A2 and Fetal hemoglobin) and the profile confirmation were carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methodology. Genomic DNA was obtained from peripheral blood leukocytes using Illustra Blood GenomicPrep Mini Spin kit and -3.7 deletion was investigated by PCR. Among the 713 individuals studied, 80 (11,2%) presented +- thalassemia: 79 (11,1%) were heterozygous and 1 (0,1%) homozygous for the -3.7 deletion. Considering the ethnic group, negroes showed the greatest prevalence of +-thalassemia (12,5%), followed by mulattoes (12,3%) and caucasian (9,6%). Statistical comparison of hematological parameters between normal individuals and heterozygous to +-thalassemia showed significant differences in RBC (p<0,001), MCV (p<0,001), MCH (p<0,001), Hb A2 (p=0,007) as well as female hemoglobin concentration (p=0,003). This is one of the first studies to research +-thalassemia in general population of Rio Grande do Norte state and these results attest the importance of investigation of this condition to define the etiology of microcytosis and hypochromia.

Distribuição socioespacial dos fatores dinâmicos da população na Região Metropolitana de Natal

The Metropolitan Region of Natal, like other metropolitan regions in Brazil, was marked by intense and rapid urbanization of the country occurred only in the second half of the twentieth century, coinciding with the process of consolidation of the industry in the country, resulting in serious urban social problems, such as the increase in slums, lack of infrastructure and this increase in violence in urban centers. When enters the reality of the metropolitan region, assessing the impacts of restructuring productive in the context of globalization, analyzing how the socio-economic factors influencing the dynamic of the population, whose configuration was shown to be contradictory according to social class busy. Accordingly, we studied the demographic configuration of the Metropolitan Region of Natal, analyzing their spatial distribution and their socio-demographic differences in light of building a type socio-space, which cuts the metropolitan space in homogeneous areas