Use Of Conspecific Gestural Cues To Solve An Object-Choice Task In Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Apella)

Capuchin monkeys, Cebus sp., utilize a wide array of gestural displays in the wild, including facial displays such as lip-smacking and bare-teeth displays. In captivity, they have been shown to respond to the head orientation of humans, show sensitivity to human attentional states, as well as follow human gazes behind barriers. In this study, I investigated whether tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) would attend to and utilize the gestural cues of a conspecific to obtain a hidden reward. Two capuchins faced each other in separate compartments of an apparatus with an open field in between. The open field contained two cups with holes on one side such that only one monkey, a so-called cuing monkey, could see the reward inside one of the cups. I then moved the cups toward the other signal-receiving monkey and assessed whether it would utilize untrained cues provided by the cuing monkey to select the cup containing the reward. Two of four female capuchin monkeys learned to select the cup containing the reward significantly more often than chance. Neither of these two monkeys performed over chance spontaneously, however, and the other two monkeys never performed above chance despite many blocks of trials. Successful choices by two monkeys to obtain hidden rewards provided experimental evidence that capuchin monkeys attend to and utilize the gestural cues of conspecifics.

The Use of Human and Conspecific Gestures By Capuchin Monkeys to Solve an Object-Choice Task

Most primates live in highly complex social systems, and therefore have evolved similarly complex methods of communicating with each other. One type of communication is the use of manual gestures, which are only found in primates. No substantial evidence exists indicating that monkeys use communicative gestures in the wild. However, monkeys may demonstrate the ability to learn and/or use gestures in certain experimental paradigms since they¿ve been shown to use other visual cues such as gaze. The purpose of this study was to investigate if ten brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) were able to use gestural cues from monkeys and a pointing cue from a human to obtain a hidden reward. They were then tested to determine if they could transfer this skill from monkeys to humans and from humans to monkeys. One group of monkeys was trained and tested using a conspecific as the cue giver, and was then tested with a human cue-giver. The second group of monkeys began training and testing with a human cue giver, and was then tested with a monkey cue giver. I found that two monkeys were able to use gestural cues from conspecifics (e.g., reaching) to obtain a hidden reward and then transfer this ability to a pointing cue from a human. Four monkeys learned to use the human pointing cue first, and then transferred this ability to use the gestural cues from conspecifics to obtain a hidden reward. However, the number of trials it took for each monkey to transfer the ability varied considerably. Some subjects spontaneously transferred in the minimum number of trials needed to reach my criteria for successfully obtaining hidden rewards (N = 40 trials), while others needed a large number of trials to do so (e.g. N = 190 trials). Two subjects did not perform successfully in any of the conditions in which they were tested. One subject successfully used the human pointing cue and a human pointing plus vocalization cue, but did not learn the conspecific cue. One subject learned to use the conspecific cue but not the human pointing cue. This was the first study to test if brown capuchin monkeys could use gestural cues from conspecifics to solve an object choice task. The study was also the first to test if capuchins could transfer this skill from monkeys to humans and from humans to monkeys. Results showed that capuchin monkeys were able to flexibly use communicative gestures when they were both unintentionally given by a conspecific and intentionally given by a human to indicate a source of food.

Back to Basics: Exploring gestural habits as cues for anticipating self-injurious episodes in a child with Autism and Deafness

This research project is a longitudinal qualitative case study. It contributes to an understanding of self-injurious behaviour (SIB) by inviting the reader through the narrative of the lived experience of a fifteen year old child-informant and the network of individuals in his life. The value and importance of a case-study is that it focuses on the authenticity of the experience of living with disability. Through the use of detailed field observations, interviews and photo documents, the study thoroughly explores three main areas: quality of movements, potential cues as pre-cursors to episodes of self-injury, and purposeful communication. The research begins with a review of literature on Autism, Deafness and Self-injury, formulates the research design and orientation of Physical Education, Phenomenology and Semiotics, and then systematically explores four distinct phases in the analytical process. The aim was to explore self-injurious episodes in the child informant in hopes to translate the meaning of the behaviour and potentially utilize this to provide more opportunities for adapted physical activity. The findings reveal distinct patterns of movement cues utilized for different purposes. The implications of the findings are self-injurious episodes in the child informant are preceded by distinct patterns of movement that are potentially communicative. Suggested future direction of the research is expanding the scope to other disabilities for which verbal communication is challenging, and standardizing the translating tools to assist in understanding the communication of movement.

On the functional integration between postural and supra-postural tasks on the basis of contextual cues and task constraint

In order to evaluate the effects of uncertainty about direction of mechanical perturbation and supra-postural task constraint on postural control young adults had their upright stance perturbed while holding a tray in a horizontal position Stance was perturbed by moving forward or backward a supporting platform contrasting situations of certainty versus uncertainty of direction of displacement Increased constraint on postural stability was Imposed by a supra-postural task of equilibrating a cylinder on the tray Performance was assessed through EMG of anterior leg muscles angular displacement of the main Joints involved in the postural reactions and displacement of the tray Results showed that both certainty on the direction of perturbation and Increased supra-postural task constraint led to decreased angular displacement of the knee and the hip Furthermore combination of certainty and high supra-postural task constraint produced shorter latency of muscular activation Such postural responses were paralleled by decreased displacement of the tray Thesi results suggest a functional integration between the tasks with central set priming reactive postural responses from contextual cues and Increased stability demand (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved

Nestmate recognition in a stingless bee: does the similarity of chemical cues determine guard acceptance?

The ability to discriminate nestmates from non-nestmates is critical to the maintenance of the integrity of social insect colonies. Guard workers compare the chemical cues of an incoming individual with their internal template to determine whether the entrant belongs to their colony. In contrast to honeybees, Apis mellifera, stingless bees have singly mated queens and, therefore, are expected to have a higher chemical homogeneity in their colonies. We tested whether aggressive behaviour of Frieseomelitta varia guards towards nestmate and non-nestmate foragers reflects chemical similarities and dissimilarities, respectively, of cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. We also introduced individuals of Lestrimelitta limao, an obligatory robber species, to test the ability of guards to react effectively to intruders from other taxa. We verified that foraging nestmates were almost invariably accepted, while heterospecific and conspecific non-nestmates were rejected at relatively high rates. However, non-nestmate individuals with higher chemical profile similarity were likely to be accepted by guards. We conclude that guards compare the chemical cuticular blend of incoming individuals and make acceptance decisions according to the similarity of the compounds between the colonies. (c) 2007 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel guidance cues during neuronal pathfinding in the early scaffold of axon tracts in the rostral brain

A scaffold of axons consisting of a pair of longitudinal tracts and several commissures is established during early development of the vertebrate brain. We report here that NOC-2, a cell surface carbohydrate, is selectively expressed by a subpopulation of growing axons in this scaffold in Xenopus. NOC-2 is present on two glycoproteins, one of which is a novel glycoform of the neural cell adhesion molecule N-CAM. When the function of NOC-2 was perturbed using either soluble carbohydrates or anti-NOC-2 antibodies, axons expressing NOC-2 exhibited aberrant growth at specific points in their pathway. NOC-2 is the first-identified axon guidance molecule essential for development of the axon scaffold in the embryonic vertebrate brain.

Movement-related potentials in Parkinson's disease: External cues and attentional strategies

Hypokinetic movement can be greatly improved in Parkinson's disease patients by the provision of external cues to guide movement. It has recently been reported, however, that movement performance in parkinsonian patients can be similarly improved in the absence of external cues by using attentional strategies, whereby patients are instructed to consciously attend to particular aspects of the movement which would normally be controlled automatically. To study the neurophysiological basis of such improvements in performance associated with the use of attentional strategies, movement-related cortical potentials were examined in Parkinson's disease and control subjects using a reaction time paradigm. One group of subjects were explicitly instructed to concentrate on internally timed responses to anticipate the presentation of a predictably timed go signal. Other subjects were given no such instruction regarding attentional strategies. Early-stage premovement activity of movement-related potentials was significantly increased in amplitude and reaction times were significantly faster for Parkinson's disease subjects when instructed to direct their attention toward internally generating responses rather than relying on external cues. It is therefore suggested that the use of attentional strategies may allow movement to be mediated by less automatic and more conscious attentional motor control processes which may be less impaired by basal ganglia dysfunction, and thereby improve movement performance in Parkinson's disease.

Role of chemical cues from cotton in mediating host selection and oviposition behaviour in Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae)

We investigated the role of chemoreception in the host selection and oviposition behaviour of Helicoverpa armigera in the laboratory using five cotton genotypes and synthetic volatile terpenes. Female moths oviposited on substrates treated with methanol, ethanol, acetone and pentane extracts of leaves, squares and flowers of the cotton genotypes. Phytochemicals soluble in pentane were the most efficient in eliciting oviposition behaviour. In a two-way bioassay, pentane extracts of leaves or squares of a Multiple Host-plant Resistance genotype (MHR11), Deltapine commercial (DP90), and Smith Red Leaf (SRL) received significantly more eggs than solvent-treated controls. Extracts of squares of the native genotype Gossypium nelsonii did not receive more eggs. Females preferred DP90 and MHR11 to SRL and G. nelsonii. Female moths also laid more eggs on pentane extracts of MHR11 flowers than MHR11 leaves from preflowering, early flowering and peak-flowering plants. In a flight chamber, female moths used olfactory cues at short range to mediate oviposition and discrimination between host plants. Egg-laying, mated females were attracted at a distance (1.5 m) to volatile compounds released by whole plants and odours emanating from filter papers treated with synthetic volatile terpenes. Individually, the terpenes did not stimulate any significant oviposition response. However, there was a significant oviposition response to a mixture of equal volumes of the terpenes (trans-beta-caryophyllene, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, myrcene, beta-bisabolol, and alpha-humulene). Conversely, antennectomised (moths with transected antennae), egg-laying, mated females did not stimulate any significant oviposition response. The significance of these findings in relation to H. armigera hostplant selection are discussed.

Decision rules for egg recognition are related to functional roles and chemical cues in the queenless ant Dinoponera quadriceps

The capacity to distinguish colony members from strangers is a key component in social life. In social insects, this extends to the brood and involves discrimination of queen eggs. Chemical substances communicate colony affiliation for both adults and brood; thus, in theory, all colony members should be able to recognize fellow nestmates. In this study, we investigate the ability of Dinoponera quadriceps workers to discriminate nestmate and non-nestmate eggs based on cuticular hydrocarbon composition. We analyzed whether cuticular hydrocarbons present on the eggs provide cues of discrimination. The results show that egg recognition in D. quadriceps is related to both age and the functional role of workers. Brood care workers were able to distinguish nestmate from non-nestmate eggs, while callow and forager workers were unable to do so.

Influence of Sensory Cues on the Stimulability for Liquid Sounds in Brazilian Portuguese-Speaking Children

Objective: Stimulability is the ability to produce an adequate sound under specific conditions. This study aimed to describe the stimulability of Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children with and without phonological disorders for the production of liquid sounds with the aid of visual and tactile cues. Patients and Methods: The study sample included 36 children between 5; 0 and 11; 6 years of age, 18 with phonological disorder and 18 without any speech-language disorders. Stimulability was measured for syllable imitation. The stimulability test employed includes 63 syllables with the sounds [1], [(sic)], and [(sic)], as well as seven oral vowels. If the subject was unable to imitate a sound, a visual cue was given. When necessary, a tactile cue was also given. Results: The sound [(sic)] required greater use of sensory cues. Children with phonological disorder needed a greater number of cues. Conclusion: The use of sensory cues seemed to facilitate sound stimulability, making it possible for the children with phonological disorder to accurately produce the sounds modeled. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

The `club` cell and behavioural and physiological responses to chemical alarm cues in the Nile tilapia

The alarm response to skin extract has been well documented in fish. In response to skin extract, there is a decline in both locomotion activity and aggressive interactions. Our observation herein of these responses in the cichlid Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, confirmed the existence of the alarm response in this species. However, so far there has been a paucity of information on the autonomic correlates of this response. In this study, the ventilatory change in response to the chemical alarm cue was evaluated. This parameter was measured 4 min before and 4 min after exposure to 1 mL of either conspecific skin extract or distilled water (extract vehicle). Skin extract induced an increase in the ventilation rate, which suggested an anticipatory adjustment to potentially harmful stimuli. The chemical cue (alarm substance) also interfered with the prioritisation of responses to different environmental stimuli (stimuli filtering); this was suggested by the observation that the Nile tilapia declined to fight after exposure to a cue that indicates a risk of predation. Furthermore, histological analysis of the Nile tilapia skin revealed the presence of putative alarm substance-producing (club) cells.

Role of olfaction and vision cues in feeding behavior and alarm reaction in the catfish pintado, Pseudoplatystoma corruscans

Experiments were performed to investigate senses that are essential for mediating fright reaction and food behavior in Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, pintado. The dilemma ""to feed or to flee"" was also analyzed in fishes with intact and sectioned olfactory tracts, stimulated by alarm substance extracts and food. Fishes were arranged into five groups: fish with intact lateral olfactory tracts (LOT), fish with intact medial olfactory tract (MOT), fish with tracts totally sectioned (TOTAL, both LOT and MOT), sham operated, and nonoperated fish. The five groups were submitted to either alarm substance extract and food stimulus or to distilled water (control) and food stimulus. Fish reacted to food independently of which tract (LOT, MOT or TOTAL) was sectioned; vision seems necessary and elemental to detect and deflagrate food response. Latency of the responses to each reaction was different between groups. None of the fish with sectioned tracts reacted to alarm substance extract, while sham- and nonoperated fish showed the typical alarm behavior response, leading to the conclusion that olfaction is essential for mediating alarm response. These results indicate that others sense systems (e.g., vision) are sufficient to trigger and elicit feeding behavior and that olfaction is not necessary to fully maintain food detection to qualitative and quantitative extent. However, olfactory tract integrity seems to be required for mediation of alarm reaction in P. corruscans.

Odor cues from tumor-bearing mice induces neuroimmune changes

Cohabitation for 14 days with an Ehrlich tumor-bearing mice was shown, among others, to increase locomotor activity, and hypothalamic noradrenaline levels and turnover, to decrease the innate immune responses and animal resistance to tumor growth. The present experiment was designed to access the relevance of tactile, olfactory, and visual communication to the neuroimmune changes induced by cohabitation with a tumor-bearing partner. Mice that were not allowed to perceive odor cues from their sick partners presented no alterations in neutrophil activity, a fact not observed after visual deprivation and physical isolation. Mice use scents for intraspecies communication in many social contexts. Tumors produce volatile organic compounds released into the atmosphere through breath, sweat, and urine. The present results strongly suggest that volatile compounds released by Ehrlich tumor-injected mice are perceived by their conspecifics, inducing the neuroimmune changes reported for cohabitation with a sick companion. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V.