Behavioral study of Cebus nigritus (Goldfuss, 1809) (Primates, Cebidae) in captivity

The objective of this study was to describe the behavior of Cebus nigritus kept in captivity. The work, carried out during the month of March 2008 at "Dr. Belrio Guimaraes Brandao" County Zoo in GarYa- SP and Monte Alegre Farm Ecological Park in Telemaco Borba- PR, included 48 hours of observations, divided equally in four daytime periods. The behavioral catalogue used was constituted of different categories such as: foraging, feeding, locomotion, rest, social interaction, physical care, alertness, manipulation of things, reproductive behavior and stereotyped behavior. Animals showed activities of foraging, feeding, and locomotion and social interaction in low percentages in the two morning periods; however, their frequencies increased in the afternoon. Other activities like physical care, alertness and stereotyped behavior appeared mainly in the two morning periods, but were reduced in the afternoon. The rest category was more evident early morning and late afternoon. Since the stereotypical behavior presented high percentages, this study recommends that the number of individuals be diversiied in the social organization of the groups and that environment enriching activities be developed in captivity, creating situations similar to the animal's natural habitat.

Differential behavioral and neuroendocrine effects of repeated nicotine in adolescent and adult rats

Despite the high prevalence of tobacco abuse among adolescents, the neurobiology of nicotine addiction has been studied mainly in adult animals. Repeated administration of this drug to adult rats induces behavioral sensitization. Nicotine activates the HPA axis in adult rats as measured by drug-induced increases in ACTH and corticosterone. Both behavioral sensitization and corticosterone are implicated in drug addiction. We examined the expression of behavioral sensitization induced by nicotine as well as the changes in corticosterone levels after repeated injections of nicotine in adolescent and adult animals. Adolescent and adult rats received subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of saline or 0.4 mg/kg of nicotine once daily for 7 days. Three days after the last injection animals were challenged with saline or nicotine (0.4 mg/kg; s.c.). Nicotine-induced locomotion was recorded in an activity cage. Trunk blood samples were collected in a subset of adolescent and adult rats and plasma corticosterone levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. Adult, but not adolescent, rats expressed behavioral sensitization. Pretreatment with nicotine abolished corticosterone-activating effect of this drug only in adult animals, indicating the development of tolerance at this age. Our results provide evidence that adolescent rats exposed to repeated nicotine display behavioral and neuroendocrine adaptations distinct from that observed in adult animals. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physical environment modulates the behavioral responses induced by chemical stimulation of dorsal periaqueductal gray in mice

In order to investigate the relationship between behaviors elicited by chemical stimulation of the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dorsal PAG) and spontaneous defensive behaviors to a predator, the excitatory amino acid D,L-homocysteic acid (5 nmol in 0.1 mu l), was infused into the dorsal PAG and behavioral responses of mice were evaluated in two different situations, a rectangular novel chamber or the Mouse Defense Test Battery (MDTB) apparatus. During a 1-min period following drug infusion, more jumps were made in the chamber than in the MDTB runway but running time and distance traveled were significantly higher in the runway. Animals were subsequently tested using the standard MDTB procedure (anti-predator avoidance, chase and defensive threat/attack). No drug effects on these measures were significant. In a further test in the MDTB apparatus, the pathway of the mouse during peak locomotion response was blocked 3 times by the predator stimulus (anesthetized rat) to determine if the mouse would avoid contact. Ninety percent of D,L-homocysteic treated animals made direct contact with the stimulus (rat), indicating that D,L-homocysteic-induced running is not guided by relevant (here, threat) stimuli. These results indicate that running as opposed to jumping is the primary response in mice injected with D,L-homocysteic into the dorsal PAG when the environment enables flight. However, the lack of responsivity to the predator during peak locomotion suggests that D,L-homocysteic-stimulation into the dorsal PAG does not induce normal antipredator flight. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Repeated exposure of adolescent rats to oral methylphenidate does not induce behavioral sensitization or cross-sensitization to nicotine

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization in adolescent rats endures until adulthood: Lack of association with GluR1 and NR1 glutamate receptor subunits and tyrosine hydroxylase

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Behavioral and neuroendocrine effects of the exposure to chronic restraint or variable stress in early adolescent rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Stress induces behavioral sensitization, increases nicotine-seeking behavior and leads to a decrease of CREB in the nucleus accumbens

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evidências de validade do Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic (MBMD) na avaliação psicológica de candidatos à cirurgia bariátrica

the Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic is an instrument, developed from a consensus among health professionals, to identify psychological factors that may compromise the conducting of medical treatment in order to allow a better adhesion. As it has been one of the most used tools to assess bariatric surgery, the objective of this research is to verify the evidence validity of Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic (MBMD) for psychological assessment of candidates for bariatric surgery. Method: males and females volunteers, aged 18 to 70, grouped in 150 patients admitted for surgical procedures or suffering from chronic diseases (control group) and 426 patients candidates for bariatric surgery, contacted in person or by the internet. For the study in the face group were also administered Millon Index of Personality Styles (MIPS), the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) and the General Health Questionnaire of Goldberg, just in bariatric surgery patients. Results: there are indicators of semantic adaptation of the instrument, with 27 factors in five areas of the instrument, all with satisfactory levels of validity. The reliabitity indicators were satisfactory in 18 of the 32 scales that comprise the MBMD, while relations with the other three instruments showed significant variations compared to the original indicators. The MBMD was sensitive to differences between groups about gender, age, education, marital status, body mass index, comorbidities and chronic disease patients and with or without obesity. The use of this instrument in the assessment of candidates for bariatric surgery presents indicators of validity in view the limitations as to the realiability of certain scales

Effect of Artemisia annua L. leaves essential oil and ethanol extract on behavioral assays

Artemisia annua tem sido utilizada tradicionalmente para o tratamento de malária e febre na China devido à presença do princípio ativo, artemisinina. O presente trabalho avaliou a atividade central de do óleo essencial obtido por hidrodestilação e do extrato etanólico bruto de folhas frescas de A. annua em modelo in vivo como parte de um screening farmacológico dessa espécie. Sono induzido por pentobarbital, nado forçado e o ensaio de campo aberto são modelos de estudo conhecidos para o estudo de fármacos sobre depressão induzida. A administração do óleo essencial ou extrato bruto etanólico de A. annua aumentaram o tempo de imobilidade no teste do nado forçado. Por outro lado, diminuíram outros parâmetros no campo aberto, como ambulação, exploração, o ato de lamber as patas ou se lamber. Ambos produtos aumentaram o tempo de sono induzido por pentobarbital, com o óleo essencial apresentando um efeito superior ao do extrato. Pela análise dos resultados, é possível sugerir que tanto o extrato bem como o óleo essencial podem atuar como depressores do Sistema Nervoso Central (SNC).

Plasma concentrations and behavioral, antinociceptive, and physiologic effects of methadone after intravenous and oral transmucosal administration in cats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Socio-behavioral factors influence prevalence and severity of dental caries in children with primary dentition

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Behavioral Response of the Leafcutter Ant, Atta sexdens rubropilosa (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), to Components of Citrus Pulp

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Behavioral response of Nile tilapia to an allopatric predator

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Behavioral responses evoked in honey bee workers by Dufour gland extracts (Hymenoptera : Apidae)

A series of experiments was performed to assess possible roles of the honey bee Dufour gland secretion. Bioassays with extracts of queen and worker glands from two colonies were made under artificial conditions, in which nestmate and non-nestmate forager workers were tested. The results demonstrate that forager workers display behavioral responses when exposed to Dufour gland extracts of nestmates, but remain indifferent when exposed to non-nestmate extracts. Also, the results demonstrate that forager workers are attracted by virgin queen gland extracts, and repelled by forager worker extracts. The data demonstrate that the Dufour gland secretion is colony- and caste-specific. The attractant remains in the nest. The repellent effect of forager worker extracts is interpreted as an alarm-like pheromone. The attractant effect of virgin queen extracts could be useful in the swarming process to attract scout bees to the eventual founder virgin queen or to attract old foragers to the virgin queen that remains in the nest.