Early alterations of the behavioural structure of mice affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy and tested in open-field

Present study has been carried out to assess whether early alterations of the behavioural structure may be detected in mice affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To this purpose, both quantitative and T-pattern analysis (TPA) were used to analyse the behaviour of two groups of male, two months old mice, 18 MDX and 18 normal as control, tested in an open-field apparatus. T-pattern analysis is a multivariate technique able to reveal hidden structural features of behaviour and, in particular, its temporal characteristics. As to quantitative analyses, mean durations evidenced a significant increase of Walking, Modified Climbing and Rearing and a significant reduction of Immobile-Sniffi…

Multivariate approaches to behavioral physiology

Lateral Habenula 5-HT2C Receptor Function Is Altered by Acute and Chronic Nicotine Exposures

Serotonin (5-HT) is important in some nicotine actions in the CNS. Among all the 5-HT receptors (5-HTRs), the 5-HT2CR has emerged as a promising drug target for smoking cessation. The 5-HT2CRs within the lateral habenula (LHb) may be crucial for nicotine addiction. Here we showed that after acute nicotine tartrate (2 mg/kg, i.p.) exposure, the 5-HT2CR agonist Ro 60-0175 (5–640 µg/kg, i.v.) increased the electrical activity of 42% of the LHb recorded neurons in vivo in rats. Conversely, after chronic nicotine treatment (6 mg/kg/day, i.p., for 14 days), Ro 60-0175 was incapable of affecting the LHb neuronal discharge. Moreover, acute nicotine exposure increased the 5-HT2CR-immunoreactive (IR)…

Application of multivariate t-pattern analysis in the study of social interactions in rats

A basic tenet in the realm of modern behavioral sciences is that behavior consists of patterns in time. For this reason, investigations of behavior deal with sequences that are not easily perceivable by the unaided observer. This problem calls for improved means of detection, data handling and analysis. This review focuses on the analysis of the temporal structure of behavior carried out by means of a multivariate approach known as T-pattern analysis. Using this technique, recurring sequences of behavioral events, usually hard to detect, can be unveiled and carefully described. T-pattern analysis has been successfully applied in the study of various aspects of human or animal behavior such …

Effects of Substantia Nigra pars compacta lesion on the behavioral sequencing in the 6-OHDA model of Parkinson’s disease

The basal ganglia circuitry plays a crucial role in the sequential organization of behavior. Here we studied the behavioral structure of the animals after 21 days of 6-OHDA-induced lesion of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system. Frequencies and durations of individual components of the behavioral repertoire were calculated; moreover, whether a temporal organization of the activity was present, it was investigated by using T-pattern analysis, a multivariate approach able to detect the real-time sequential organization of behavior. Six sham-depleted and six rats with unilateral 6−OHDA-lesion of the Substantia Nigra pars compacta were used. As to quantitative evaluations, the comparison betwe…

Recurring sequences of multimodal non-verbal and verbal communication during a human psycho-social stress test: A temporal pattern analysis

Abstract Background The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used protocol to study human psycho-social stress responses. Quantitative reports of non-verbal behaviors have been carried out by means of the Ethological Coding System for Interviews (ECSI). However, no data have described whether and how non-verbal and verbal behaviors take part in the composition of multimodal sequences of communication during the test. Method Five non-verbal ECSI categories and four verbal behaviors related with communication were included in the Ethogram. A focal sampling was employed to ensure a high temporal resolution of the behavioral annotation. T-Pattern Analysis was employed to detect statistic…

Emergent phenomena in rat's behavior

Nitric Oxide Modulation of the Dopaminergic Nigrostriatal System: Focus on Nicotine Action

Nitric oxide (NO) signalling plays an important role in the integration of information processed by the basal ganglia nuclei. Accordingly, considerable evidence has emerged indicating a role for NO in pathophysiological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), schizophrenia and drug addiction. To further investigate the NO modulation of dopaminergic function in the basal ganglia circuitry, in this study we used in vivo electrophysiology and microdialysis in freely-moving rats. Pharmacological manipulation of the NO system did not cause any significant changes either in the basal firing rate and bursting activity of the dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) or…

Behavioral analysis of the response to pain stimulation following 7-OH-DPAT, in the rat

Prior test experience produces changes of t-patterns spatial distribution in the elevated plus maze test

Aim of present research was to investigate in male Wistar rats whether a prior elevated plus maze experience modifies the temporal structure of the behavioral response following a retest applied after 24h. Video files were coded by means of a software coder and event log files generated for each subject were analyzed by means of a specific software for temporal pattern analysis (Theme). Present research shows a clear reduction of the number of t-patterns from trial one to trial two. This reduction is provoked by the disappearance of t-patterns consisting of behavioral elements occurring in the unprotected zones of the maze. The results suggest that the previous experience in the maze causes…

Structural analyses in the study of behavior : From rodents to non-human primates

Ajuts: J-BL's research was funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, Discovery Grant #: 2015-06034 to J-BL). MC, SA, and GC's research was funded by a grant from the University of Palermo, Italy. The term " structure " indicates a set of components that, in relation to each other, shape an organic complex. Such a complex takes on essential connotations of functionally unitary entity resulting from the mutual relationships of its constituent elements. In a broader sense, we can use the word " structure " to define the set of relationships among the elements of an emergent system that is not determined by the mere algebraic sum of these elements, but by the…

Is female-male mounting functional? An analysis of the temporal patterns of sexual behaviors in Japanese macaques

Abstract In certain populations of Japanese macaques, adult females mount adult males in the context of heterosexual consortships (i.e., temporary but exclusive sexual associations between a male and a female). Previous research suggested that, in this primate species, female-male mounting (FMM) may be a behavioral adaptation. This functional hypothesis holds that FMM is a (special) courtship behaviour, or a (super) sexual solicitation, that serves the function of focusing the male's attention, preventing him from moving away, and expediting male-female mounting, in the context of high female competition for male mates. In this study, we aimed to test some of the proposed functional feature…

Temporal structure of the rat's behavior in elevated plus maze test

Aim of the research was to evaluate, by means of quantitative and multivariate temporal pattern analyses, the behavior of Wistar rat in elevated plus maze (EPM) test. On the basis of an ethogram encompassing 24 behavioral elements, quantitative results showed that 130.14 ± 8.01 behavioral elements occurred in central platform and in closed arms (protected zones), whereas 88.62 ± 6.04 occurred in open arms (unprotected zones). Percent distribution was characterized by a prevalence of sniffing, walking and vertical exploration. Analysis of minute-by-minute duration evidenced a decrease for time spent in open arms and central platform and an increase for time spent in closed arms. As to multiv…

Possible Contribution of T-pattern Detection and Analysis to the Study of the Behavioral Correlates of Afferent Inhibition.

A pivotal tenet in modern behavioral sciences is that the study of behavior, in its most intimate structure, necessarily deals with time and, for this reason, behavioral dynamics are not intuitively perceivable and/or detectable (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1970). In reality, the possibility to describe a given behavior in terms of its structural/temporal features makes available new and detailed information otherwise unavailable. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the possible application of T-pattern detection and analysis, i.e., a multivariate approach specifically developed to describe the temporal structure of behavior, to the study of an important and still scantly investigated issue, na…

Effects of 7-OH-DPAT and U 99194 on the behavioral response to hot plate test, in rats

Aim of present study was to investigate in male Wistar rats, whether behavioral response to hot plate test application could be influenced by systemic administration of 7-OH-DPAT, a dopaminergic (DA) D3 versus D2 receptor agonist, or U 99194, a DA D3 versus D2 receptor antagonist. Each trial lasted no more than 10 s and the whole experimental session lasted 120 min. Animal behavior was recorded by means of a digital videocamera and later, frame by frame examined using a professional videorecorder. Latency of each behavioral pattern, characterizing the response, was analysed, showing significant changes only with U 99194. A multivariate cluster analysis indicated the presence of three main b…

Nicotine modulation of the lateral habenula/ventral tegmental area circuit dynamics: An electrophysiological study in rats

Abstract Nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco, has bivalent rewarding and aversive properties. Recently, the lateral habenula (LHb), a structure that controls ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) function, has attracted attention as it is potentially involved in the aversive properties of drugs of abuse. Hitherto, the LHb-modulation of nicotine-induced VTA neuronal activity in vivo is unknown. Using standard single-extracellular recording in anesthetized rats, we observed that intravenous administration of nicotine hydrogen tartrate (25–800 μg/kg i.v.) caused a dose-dependent increase in the basal firing rate of the LHb neurons of nicotine-naive rats. This effect underwent com…

Significant divergences between the temporal structure of the behavior in Wistar and in the spontaneously more anxious DA/Han strain of rats tested in elevated plus maze

Abstract The aim of present research is to study the temporal structure of the behavior in two strains of rats with different basal level of emotionality. To this purpose, the temporal profile of the behavior in Wistar rat and in the spontaneously more anxious DA/Han strain was analyzed in the Elevated Plus Maze. Both quantitative and multivariate t-pattern analyses were carried out. In comparison with Wistar, DA/Han subjects showed a significant reduction of the permanence in open arm and a significant increase of the time spent in the central platform of the maze. Mean frequencies of each behavioral element showed significant modifications both in open and in closed arm. Multivariate t-pa…

Temporal Patterns of Rodent Behavior in the Elevated Plus Maze Test

The aim of the present study was to evaluate, by means of a temporal pattern analysis, rat’s behavior in the elevated plus maze test. A specific software called THEME has been used. On the basis of an ethogram encompassing 24 behavioral elements, results demonstrated that 14 components represented the 98% of the displayed activities. 145 different temporal patterns have been detected; length distribution of such patterns showed that three-, four-, and five-elements patterns were more represented than two-elements ones. Finally, a complex temporal pattern encompassing 8 behavioral elements has been discussed. Present article demonstrated the presence of complex temporal patterns characterizi…

Brain histamine depletion enhances the behavioural sequences complexity of mice tested in the open-field: Partial reversal effect of the dopamine D2/D3 antagonist sulpiride.

Markers of histaminergic dysregulation were found in several neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by repetitive behaviours, thoughts and stereotypies. We analysed the effect of acute histamine depletion by means of i. c.v. injections of alpha-fluoromethylhistidine, a blocker of histidine decarboxylase, on the temporal organization of motor sequences of CD1 mice behaviour in the open-field test. An ethogram encompassing 9 behavioural components was employed. Durations and frequencies were only slightly affected by treatments. However, as revealed by multivariate t-pattern analysis, histamine depletion was associated with a striking increase in the number of behavioural patterns. We found…

Role of nitric oxide on the conrol of the dopaminergic Nigrostriatal system: a combined electrophysiological And dialysis analysis in rats

Temporal patterns of rat behaviour in the central platform of the elevated plus maze. Comparative analysis between male subjects of strains with different basal levels of emotionality

We have analyzed the temporal patterns of behaviour of male rats of the Wistar and DA/Han strains on the central platform of the elevated plus maze. The ethogram encompassed 10 behavioural elements. Durations, frequencies and latencies showed quantitative differences as to walking and sniffing activities. Wistar rats displayed significantly lower latency and significantly higher durations and frequencies of walking activities. DA/Han rats showed a significant increase of sniffing duration. In addition, DA/Han rats showed a significantly higher amount of time spent in the central platform. Multivariate T-pattern analysis revealed differences in the temporal organization of behaviour of the t…

T-pattern analysis for the study of temporal structure of animal and human behavior : a comprehensive review

A basic tenet in the realm of modern behavioral sciences is that behavior consists of patterns in time. For this reason, investigations of behavior deal with sequences that are not easily perceivable by the unaided observer. This problem calls for improved means of detection, data handling and analysis. This review focuses on the analysis of the temporal structure of behavior carried out by means of a multivariate approach known as T-pattern analysis. Using this technique, recurring sequences of behavioral events, usually hard to detect, can be unveiled and carefully described. T-pattern analysis has been successfully applied in the study of various aspects of human or animal behavior such …

Effects of sulpiride on the orienting movement evoked By acoustic stimulation in the Rat.

Abstract Drugs that selectively block D 2 receptors are known to provoke a rapid cell firing increase followed by A9 and A10 dopaminergic (DA) neuron inactivation (depolarization block). In this study, possible relationships between cell firing rapid increase and specific behavioral effects, linked to sensorimotor integration, were investigated in the rat. To this purpose, with the aid of a video camera apparatus and a frame-by-frame analysis, effects of sulpiride-induced blockade of DA D 2 receptors were analyzed on the orienting movement of the head induced by acoustic stimulation. In a control group of rats, during trials lasting 20 min, latency and duration of head turning (HT) were 186…

Brain histamine and behavioral neuroscience

ABSTRACT NON PREVISTO DALLA PUBBLICAZIONE

T-pattern detection and analysis for the discovery of hidden features of behaviour

Abstract Background The behaviour of all living beings consists of hidden patterns in time; consequently, its nature and its underlying dynamics are intrinsically difficult to be perceived and detected by the unaided observer. Method Such a scientific challenge calls for improved means of detection, data handling and analysis. By using a powerful and versatile technique known as T-pattern detection and analysis (TPA) it is possible to unveil hidden relationships among the behavioural events in time. Results TPA is demonstrated to be a solid and versatile tool to study the deep structure of behaviour in different experimental contexts, both in human and non human subjects. Conclusion This re…

T-patterns in the study of movement and behavioral disorders

Aim of the present review is to offer an outline of the application of T-pattern analysis (TPA) in the study of neurological disorders characterized by anomalies of movement and, more in general, of behavior. TPA is a multivariate technique to detect real time patterns of behavior on the basis of statistically significant constraints among the events in sequence. TPA is particularly suitable to analyse the structure of behavior. The application of TPA to study movement and behavioral disorders is able to offer, with a high level of detail, hidden characteristics of behavior otherwise impossible to detect. For its intrinsic features, TPA is completely different not only from quantitative eva…

Multivariate temporal pattern analysis applied to the study of rat behavior in the elevated plus maze: Methodological and conceptual highlights

Aim of this article is to illustrate the application of a multivariate approach known as t-pattern analysis in the study of rat behavior in elevated plus maze. By means of this multivariate approach, significant relationships among behavioral events in the course of time can be described. Both quantitative and t-pattern analyses were utilized to analyze data obtained from fifteen male Wistar rats following a trial 1 - trial 2 protocol. In trial 2, in comparison with the initial exposure, mean occurrences of behavioral elements performed in protected zones of the maze showed a significant increase counterbalanced by a significant decrease of mean occurrences of behavioral elements in unprote…

Brain histamine and oleoylethanolamide restore behavioral deficits induced by chronic social defeat stress in mice.

The physiological mechanisms underlying the complex interplay between life stressors and metabolic factors is receiving growing interest and is being analyzed as one of the many factors contributing to depressive illness. The brain histaminergic system modulates neuronal activity extensively and we demonstrated that its integrity is necessary for peripheral signals such as the bioactive lipid mediator oleoylethanolamide (OEA) to exert its central actions. Here, we investigated the role of brain histamine and its interaction with OEA in response to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), a preclinical protocol widely used to study physio-pathological mechanisms underlying symptoms observed in d…

Modificazioni indotte dall'aloperidolo sul comportamento attentivo del ratto.

Aim of present research was to analyze effects of haloperidol, a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, on focused attention, in the rat. Results suggest that haloperidol might influence specific neural mechanisms involved inn the regulation of attentive behavior likely by affecting sensory-gating dopamine-dependent processes.

Acute and chronic nicotine exposures differentially affect central serotonin 2A receptor function : focus on the lateral habenula

Nicotine addiction is a serious public health problem causing millions of deaths worldwide. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine

Effects of chronic nicotine on the temporal structure of anxiety-related behavior in rats tested in hole-board.

Abstract The present study aimed to assess the behavioral effects of chronic treatments of different doses of nicotine by using both quantitative and multivariate T-pattern analysis (TPA), which can reveal hidden behavioral structures, in Sprague-Dawley rats tested in the hole-board apparatus. To this purpose, nicotine ditartrate was administered at the doses of 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg i.p., three times per day, for 14 consecutive days. As to quantitative evaluations, we observed significant reductions in the mean durations and mean frequencies of walking, climbing, immobile-sniffing and rearing in comparison to control. A significant reduction of edge-sniff and head-dip mean frequencies was a…

Acute Nicotine Induces Anxiety and Disrupts Temporal Pattern Organization of Rat Exploratory Behavior in Hole-Board: A Potential Role for the Lateral Habenula

Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs of abuse. Tobacco smoking is a major cause of many health problems, and is the first preventable cause of death worldwide. Several findings show that nicotine exerts significant aversive as well as the well-known rewarding motivational effects. Less certain is the anatomical substrate that mediates or enables nicotine aversion. Here, we show that acute nicotine induces anxiogenic-like effects in rats at the doses investigated (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg, i.p.), as measured by the hole-board apparatus and manifested in behaviors such as decreased rearing and head-dipping and increased grooming. No changes in locomotor behavior were observed at any of …

Multivariate data handling in the study of rat behavior: an integrated approach.

The aim of the present article is to provide a methodological description of various approaches to multivariate data handling in the study of rodent behavior. To this purpose, 42 male Wistar rats were tested in an open field, and their behavior was recorded through a digital video camera for a subsequent analysis by means of a software coder. After a preliminary evaluation of descriptive features such as durations and percent distributions, we carried out different kinds of multivariate approaches represented by stochastic, cluster, adjusted residual, and T-pattern analyses. In the attempt to depict behavior in a straightforward way, the results of each analysis were graphically illustrated…

Learning influence on the behavioral structure of rat response to pain in hot-plate

Aim of the research was to study, by means of descriptive and multivariate analyses, whether, and how, learning influences the behavioral structure of rat response to pain. To this purpose, a hot-plate test daily repetition procedure was carried out on male Wistar rats for five days. A 6-day interval without stimulation elapsed before last test was carried out on day 12. After composition of an ethogram, descriptive (number, latency, per cent distribution) and multivariate analyses (cluster, stochastic) were carried out for each scheduled test day. One-way ANOVA and Newman-Keuls post-hoc test for multiple comparisons revealed significant changes for climbing, jumping, front-paw licking and …

T-Pattern analysis of rodent behavioral response to anxiety in hole-board

European Week of Sport: innovative initiative of European Commission that inspires children to be active

BAC KGROU ND: Estimates indicate that more than one third of European adults are inactive, despite the known benefits of physical activity. In 2015 the European Commission launched the European Week of Sport (EWoS), to encourage people to engage in sport and physical activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate if participation in the EWoS could motivate children to participate in physical activity in future. METHOD S: A total of 10,892 children (aged 6-14), from 6 EU cities (Palermo, Italy; Ankara, Turkey; Lousada, Portugal; Gardabaer, Iceland; Rijeka, Croatia; Albacete, Spain), were enrolled in sport activities (running sport event, extra hours of physical activity, seminars on physica…

Structural Analyses in the Study of Anxiety and Anxiety-Related Behaviour

According to the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, anxiety encompasses various conditions sharing an excessive sense of fear and/or apprehension for no evident reason and related behavioural disturbances (Association, 2013). The association of such a gloomy symptomatology, with the great diffusion in the general population, explains the critical impact of anxiety disorders on inter-personal relationships and job-related activities (Greenberg et al.,1999; Wittchen & Hoyer, 2001; Keeley & Storch, 2009). Hence, anxiety disorders represent an important and consistent topic of discussion, not only in terms of underlying neuro-psychological processes but, …

Real-time Patterns of Behavior Following Nociceptive Stimulation in Rats

The hot-plate test is employed, in rodents, to assess the analgesic properties of drugs. The surface where the animal is placed is normally maintained at a constant temperature around 50°C or 55°C. For this reason rat’s behavior, once placed on the heated surface, can be observed only for few seconds, and a necessary interruption occurs following an a priori-established cut-off to avoid tissue injuries. Such a narrow time window dampened the assessment of fine behavioral characteristics such as the temporal structure of behavior. In the present paper we demonstrate the possibility to apply a refined multivariate approach, known as T-pattern analysis (TPA), to describe the temporal character…

Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Data in the Study of Feeding Behavior in Male Wistar Rats

The first step in a behavioral study is represented by the organization of a suitable ethogram, that is, a formal description of individual components of the behavior. Then, each component of such a behavioral repertoire can be quantified (e.g., how many times it occurs, its duration, percent distribution, latency, etc.). However, it is our contention that the possibility to describe the behavior of a living being by means of hundreds or even thousands of numbers concerning isolated components, disjointed from the comprehensive behavioral architecture, does not imply the possibility to use those numbers to reconstruct the meaning of behavior. Such a level of comprehension requires a qualita…

Structure of rat behavior in hole-board: II) multivariate analysis of modifications induced by diazepam.

In our previous study we suggested that multivariate analysis could improve hole-board test reliability providing a more useful tool to determine behavioral effects of anxiolytic drugs. To support this hypothesis, a multivariate analysis of rat behavior in hole-board, following administration of the reference anxiolytic drug diazepam, was carried out. Four groups, each composed of thirty male Wistar rats, were used: one saline and three diazepam injected (0.25, 0.5 and 2 mg/kg IP). Rat behavior was recorded for 10 min through a digital videocamera. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were carried out. In all groups, more than 80% of whole behavioral structure encompassed walking, climbing…

The effect of cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 on anxiety-like behavior and locomotion in a genetic model of absence seizures in the elevated plus-maze.

GAERS and NEC rats were treated with cannabinoid 1/2 receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 2 mg/kg and tested on the Elevated Plus-Maze

Functional role of basal ganglia in normal and pathological behaviour

The basal ganglia (BG) appear to exert their major influence on motor functions and their related different behavioral activities. It has been proposed that the BG subserve relatively automatic responses to sensory inputs involving high-level functions like behavioural learning and procedural memory. Moreover, BG play a key role in the processes driving motor performance including emotion, motivation and reward. Severe neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), ballism, Huntington’s chorea, Tourette’s syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder have been linked to BG dysfunctions. This article emphasizes the role of the BG in appropriate behavioural respons…

The non-aromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) facilitates sexual behavior in ovariectomized female rats primed with estradiol

Abstract It is still unclear whether Testosterone (T) increases sexual desire through a stimulation of the androgen receptor in relevant brain regions or through its conversion to estrogens. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms of T facilitation of female sexual desire by assessing the effect of a non-aromatizable androgen (Dihydrotestosterone, DHT) in a validated animal model. Ovariectomized (OVX) Long-Evans rats were treated with oil (O) + O, 10 mcg Estradiol Benzoate (EB) + O, 10 mcg EB + 500 mcg Progesterone (P), O + 500 mcg DHT or 10 mcg EB + 500 mcg DHT (n = 12 per group). EB was administered 48 h, while P and DHT 4 h, prior to 4 sexual behavioral testing sessions in bi…

Microstructural assessment of rodent behavior in the hole-board experimental assay

The aim of the present methodological article was to assess whether a microstructure of hole-exploratory activity can be demonstrated in rats tested in the hole-board, an experimental assay widely used to study anxiety-related behaviors in rodents. Six never properly described hole exploratory behavioral components were identified: active-dip, static-dip, rapid-dip, circular-sniff, point-sniff and central-sniff. Results, assessed by means of descriptive and multivariate approaches, reveal a complex microstructural organization of these behavioral elements. The hypothesis of an important role of the relationships between point-sniff and head dipping activities, in anxiety-related hole explor…

Effects of apomorphine on orienting reaction in the rat

Aim of the research was to study the possible relationship between rapid apomorphine-induced modifications of midbrain dopaminergic neuron activity and rapid modifications of a motor response triggered by sensory stimuli (sensory-motor integration. Following apomorphine administration, ANOVA test revealed significant decrease of head turning latency and duration. A change on dopamine release, leading to an inhibition or facilitation of dopamine-mediated responses to environmental stimuli, may be hypothesized.

The effects of different basal levels of anxiety on the behavioral shift analyzed in the central platform of the elevated plus maze.

The aim of the present research was to study the effects of different basal levels of anxiety on the behavioral shift studied in the central platform of the elevated plus maze. To this purpose, quantitative and multivariate analyses, the latter based on transition matrix elaboration, were carried out on Wistar and on DA/Han rats the latter belonging to a strain characterized by different reactivity to anxiogenic stimuli. Wistar rats spent 74.11 ± 5.11 s in the central platform, whereas DA/Han significantly more: 127.08 ± 9.87. Per cent distributions evidenced a clear-cut difference in walking activities (46.25% in Wistar, 28.4% in DA/Han rats) and in the sniffing activities (45.82% in Wista…

D3 receptors involvement in behavioral switching analysed using the hot plate test, in the rat

Multivariate analyses for the study of behavior: an integrated approach

Simple quantitative evaluations of isolate behavioral elements (i.e. frequencies, durations, per cent distributions) are not representative of the whole behavioral structure [1]. As suggested in a landmark paper from Spruijt and Gispen [2], it is only through the evaluation of the inter-relations among behavioral elements that it is possible to explore behavior from very different points of view, greatly beyond what the human eye can intuitively interpret. In the present paper a brief outline of different multivariate techniques for behavioral analyses will be presented in the attempt to underline the feasibility of their integration.

Modifications induced on rat exploratory behavior by acoustic stimulation: a multivariate analysis

Effects of 7-OH-DPAT, a D3 receptor agonist, on pain modulation, in the rat

Structure of rat behavior in hole-board: I) multivariate analysis of response to anxiety

Aim of present paper was to carry out an analysis of rat behavior in hole-board following different multivariate approaches. Thirty male Wistar rats were observed in a hole-board apparatus and their behavior recorded for 10 min through a digital videocamera for a following frame-by-frame analysis. Both descriptive and multivariate analyses were used. Descriptive analysis showed that roughly 85% of the whole behavioral structure encompassed six patterns appearing during the first minute of observation: walking, climbing, rearing, immobile-sniffing, edge-sniff and head-dip. As to multivariate approach, cluster analysis showed three main dyadic associations: [edge-sniff/head-dip], [walking/cli…

Microstructure of rat behavioral response to anxiety in hole-board

Aim of present research was to assess, by means of descriptive and multivariate approaches, in Wistar rats tested in hole-board apparatus, whether a microstructure of hole exploratory behavior may be identified in the behavioral response to anxiety. Two groups of 15 subjects were tested: one received 1 ml of saline IP and one was IP injected with diazepam at 0.5 mg/kg dissolved in 1 ml of saline. Following saline, six not yet reported hole-exploratory components were identified: active-dip, static-dip, rapid-dip, circular-sniff, point-sniff and central-sniff. Diazepam provoked significant changes of their per cent distribution. Results of multivariate analyses revealed a complex microstruct…

DOPAMINE D3 RECEPTORS AND FEEDING BEHAVIOR IN THE RAT

Temporal structure of rat behavior in the social interaction test

Application of multivariate T-pattern analysis in the study of social interaction in rats

ABSTRACT NON PREVISTO DALLA PUBBLICAZIONE

Temporal patterns analysis of rat behavior in hole-board.

The aim of present research was to analyze the temporal structure of rodent's anxiety-related behavior in hole-board apparatus (HB). Fifteen male Wistar rats were tested for 10 min. Video files, collected for each subject, were coded by means of a software coder and event log files generated for each subject. To assess temporal relationships among behavioral events, log files were processed by means of a t-pattern analysis. 14 two-element t-patterns, four t-patterns encompassing 3 events and 2 t-patterns encompassing 4 and 5 events respectively were revealed. It was demonstrated that rat behavior in HB was mainly structured on the basis of the temporal patterning among exploratory events; t…

Effetti indotti dal PD 128907, potente agonista D3, sulla sequenza di sazietà, nel ratto.

The fixed behavioral sequence exhibited by rat in response to food ingestion is called behavioral satiety sequence (BSS): cessation of feeding is followed by a period of grooming and activity endings with a period of resting. This profile of BSS is closely linked to satiety. In different experimental design, BSS has been used to investigate whether reduction of food intake, induced by different drugs like D1 and D2 receptor agonist, was determined by an influence on processes underlying satiety or on specific behaviors associated to feeding. Our recent data have shown that PD 128907, a D3 receptor agonist, produced a decrease of food intake. In order to assess the mechanism involved in D3 r…

Detection of a temporal structure in the rat behavioural response to an aversive stimulation in the emotional object recognition (EOR) task.

Abstract Aim of the research was to investigate whether a temporal structure could be detected in the behavioural response to an aversive stimulation. A fear-related memory task was used in rats, placed in a modified version of the Novel Object Recognition task known as Emotional Object Recognition task, i.e. a behavioural assay that orbits around the declarative memory for an aversive experience. To this purpose, twelve male Wistar rats, divided in two groups (Control and Aversive memory), observed after 4 h (OR4h) and after 24 h (OR24h) from the delivery of an aversive stimulation, associated to a specific object, were used. Data were evaluated both in terms of conventional quantitative a…

The effects of diazepam on the behavioral structure of the rat's response to pain in the hot-plate test: Anxiolysis vs. pain modulation

The aim of the present study was to evaluate, by means of quantitative and multivariate analyses, the effects of diazepam on the behavioral structure of the rat's response to pain in the hot-plate test as well as whether such changes are associated with drug-induced effects on anxiety and/or nociception. To this purpose, ten groups of male Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with saline, diazepam (0.25, 0.5 and 2 mg/kg), FG-7142 (1, 4 and 8 mg/kg) or morphine (3, 6 and 12 mg/kg). The mean number and mean latency to first appearance were calculated for each behavioral component. In addition, multivariate cluster and adjusted residual analyses based on the elaboration of transition ma…

Analisi delle modificazioni indotte dalla microgravità sulla reazione di orientamento indotta nel ratto da stimoli acustici.

Experiments were performed on male Wistar rat during the 4th ESA Student Parabolioc Flight Campaign. Analysis of head turning movement has been employed to study mechanisms involved in sensorimotor integration. Results showed a significant increase both in latency and duration of the response in microgravity condition. A modified cerebellar elaboration process of peripheral proprioceptive and vestibular signals during microgravity has been hypothesized.

Discovery of recurring behavioural sequences in Wistar rat social activity: Possible support to studies on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

This study was undertaken to investigate whether, in rat interactive activities, recurring sequences of behavioural events might be identified and how and to what extent each component of the pair is involved. To this aim, the multivariate temporal-pattern (t-pattern) analysis was applied to the social interactions of 9 pairs of male Wistar rats tested in open field. Interactive activities were classified into intra- and inter-subjects. Quantitative evaluations showed that intra-subject behavioural elements represented 62.37% and inter-subject ones 37.63% of the comprehensive behaviour. T-pattern analysis revealed the presence of 221 different t-patterns organized in four different categori…

Application of T-pattern analysis in the study of the organization of behavior

Synergistic action of CB1 and 5-HT2B receptors in preventing pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in rats

Abstract Endocannabinoids (eCBs) and serotonin (5-HT) play a neuromodulatory role in the central nervous system. Both eCBs and 5-HT regulate neuronal excitability and their pharmacological potentiation has been shown to control seizures in pre-clinical and human studies. Compelling evidence indicates that eCB and 5-HT systems interact to modulate several physiological and pathological brain functions, such as food intake, pain, drug addiction, depression, and anxiety. Nevertheless, there is no evidence of an eCB/5-HT interaction in experimental and human epilepsies, including status epilepticus (SE). Here, we performed video-EEG recording in behaving rats treated with the pro-convulsant age…

Multivariate analysis of the modifications induced by an environmental acoustic cue on rat exploratory behavior.

The aim of the present paper is to study by means of a multivariate analysis the modifications induced by an environmental acoustic cue on the structure of rat exploratory behavior. Adult male Wistar rats were observed during the exploration of a soundproof observation box. Each rat was acoustically stimulated after 150 s from the beginning of the experimental session, lasting 300 s, and recorded through a digital videocamera. A frame by frame analysis was thereafter carried out using a professional video-recording system. Thirteen behavioral patterns were selected: immobility, immobile-sniffing, walking, rearing, climbing, chewing, paw-licking, face-grooming, body-grooming, head-turning, t…

Effects of Different Anxiety Levels on the Behavioral Patternings Investigated through T-pattern Analysis in Wistar Rats Tested in the Hole-Board Apparatus

The Hole-Board is an ethologically based tool for investigating the anxiety-related behavior of rats following manipulation of the central anxiety level. The present paper aims to assess behavioral patterning following pharmacological manipulation of emotional assets in Wistar rats tested in this experimental apparatus. For this purpose, the behavior of three groups of rats injected with saline, diazepam or FG7142 was evaluated using conventional quantitative and multivariate Tpattern analyses. The results demonstrate that quantitative analyses of individual components of the behavior, disjointed from the comprehensive behavioral structure, are of narrow utility in the understanding of the …

7-OH-DPAT effects on behavioural responses to noxius stimuli, in the rat

The impact of chronic daily nicotine exposure and its overnight withdrawal on the structure of anxiety-related behaviors in rats: Role of the lateral habenula.

Tobacco smoking is a serious health problem worldwide and a leading cause of mortality. Nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco, affects a range of emotional responses, including anxiety-related behaviors. Although perceived by smokers to be anxiolytic, evidence suggests that smoking increases anxiety and that mood fluctuates with nicotine intake. Thus, nicotine addiction may depend on easing the psychobiological distress caused by its abuse. The lateral habenula (LHb) has been implicated as a neural substrate for acute nicotine-induced anxiety, but its role in anxiety-like behaviors associated with chronic nicotine exposure has not been explored. Here, we assessed the effect of chroni…

Multivariate analysis as tool for the study of behavior.

Crucial feature of emergent phenomena is that, even if basic processes are fully elucidated and/or described, they may be impossible to predict. This idea perfectly fits with the evidence that, concerning behavioral studies, reductionistic descriptions (durations, per cent distributions and so on) of isolate events are far to be representative of the whole behavior. This last can be exhaustively understood only if inter-relations among events are taken into account. It is exactly here that traditional descriptive approaches to behavioral study give way to multivariate analysis. In fact, an important characteristic of multivariate techniques dwells in the possibility to analyze relationships…

Different Representation Procedures Originated from Multivariate Temporal Pattern Analysis of the Behavioral Response to Pain in Wistar Rats Tested in a Hot-Plate under Morphine

Temporal pattern analysis is an advanced multivariate technique able to investigate the structure of behavior by unveiling the existence of statistically significant constraints among the interval length separating events in sequence. If on the one hand, such an approach allows investigating the behavioral response to pain in its most intimate and inner features, on the other hand, due to the meaning of the studies on pain, it is of relevant importance that the results utilize intuitive and easily comprehensible ways of representation. The aim of this paper is to show various procedures useful to represent the results originating from the multivariate T-pattern analysis of the behavioral re…

The effects of morphine on the temporal structure of Wistar rat behavioral response to pain in hot-plate

Rationale: The largest amount of researches on the hot-plate test was carried out using quantitative assessments. However, the evaluation of the relationships among the different elements that compose the behavioral response to pain requires different approaches. Although previous studies have provided clear information on the behavioral structure of the response, no data are available on its temporal structure. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the temporal structure of the behavioral response to pain in Wistar rat tested in hot-plate and how this structure was influenced by morphine-induced analgesia. Methods: The behavior of four groups of subjects tested in hot-…

Lorcaserin bidirectionally regulates dopaminergic function site-dependently and disrupts dopamine brain area correlations in rats

Abstract Lorcaserin, which is a selective agonist of serotonin2C receptors (5-HT2CRs), is a new FDA-approved anti-obesity drug that has also shown therapeutic promise in other brain disorders, such as addiction and epilepsy. The modulation of dopaminergic function might be critical in the therapeutic effect of lorcaserin, but its exact effect is unknown. Here, we studied the effect of the peripheral administration of lorcaserin on the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) dopaminergic neural activity, dopamine (DA) dialysis levels in the nucleus accumbens and striatum and on DA tissue levels in 29 different rat brain regions. Lorcaserin (5–640 μg/kg, i.v.) m…

Behavioral fragmentation in the D1CT-7 mouse model of Tourette's syndrome.

Aim The transgenic D1CT-7 mouse is one of the best-characterized animal models of Tourette's syndrome (TS), exhibiting spontaneous tic-like Head-Body Twitches (HBT) and deficits in sensorimotor gating. This study is aimed at evaluating the behavioral dynamics of these mutants and their potential relevance to TS. Methods The behavior of D1CT-7 and Wild Type littermates was firstly assessed by considering frequencies and durations. To detect recurrent real-time behavioral sequences, the multivariate T-pattern analysis was employed. Analyses of transition probabilities among behaviors further provided an overall picture of the behavioral dynamics. Results T-patterns and transition matrices rev…

T-pattern analysis of diazepam-induced modifications on the temporal organization of rat behavioral response to anxiety in hole board.

Rationale: By means of t-pattern analysis, it has been observed that the different events, characterizing rat behavior in hole board (HB), present close interrelationships which occur sequentially and with significant constraints on the interval lengths separating them. Objectives: The aim of present research was to study, by means of descriptive and multivariate t-pattern analyses, the effects of the reference anxiolytic drug diazepam (DZP) on temporal structure of a rat’s anxiety-related behavior in HB. Methods: Fifty-six male Wistar rats were tested for 10 min in HB. Video files, collected for each animal, were coded by means of a software coder, and event log files, generated for each s…

Effects of the benzodiazepine inverse agonist FG7142 on the structure of anxiety-related behavior of male Wistar rats tested in hole board

Little is known about the structural characteristics of the behavior of rats with enhanced anxiety level. To fill this gap, a study was undertaken where effects of an anxiogenic drug were examined on behavioral structure of rats tested in hole board.This study investigates effects of increased anxiety level on the structure of the behavior of rats tested in hole board METHODS: Different doses of FG7142 (1, 4, 8 mg/kg IP), a potent anxiety-inducing drug, were administered to three groups of male Wistar rats. A further group was administered saline. Experiments were recorded through a digital camera. Quantitative and multivariate approaches were applied.Percent distributions and durations sho…

Inferring functional patterns of tool use behavior from the temporal structure of object play sequences in a non-human primate species.

Abstract Inferring functional components of behavioral sequences is a crucial but challenging task. A systematic comparison of their temporal structure is a good starting point, based on the postulate that more functional traits are less structurally variable. We studied stone handling behavior (SH) in Balinese long-tailed macaques, a versatile form of stone-directed play. We tested the hypothesis that stones are used by male monkeys to stimulate their genitals in a sexual context (i.e., “sex toy” hypothesis). Specifically, two SH actions (i.e., “tap-on-groin” (TOG) and “rub-on-groin” (ROG), respectively the repetitive tapping and rubbing of a stone onto the genital area) gained functional …

Altered behavioral response to pain following the D3 receptor antagonist U99194, in the rat.

Rat behavioral structure in the hole board test.

Cannabinoid 1/2 Receptor Activation Induces Strain-Dependent Behavioral and Neurochemical Changes in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats From Strasbourg and Non-epileptic Control Rats

Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is characterized by absence seizures, which are episodes of lack of consciousness accompanied by electrographic spike-wave discharges. About 60% of children and adolescents with absence seizures are affected by major neuropsychological comorbidities, including anxiety. Endocannabinoids and monoamines are likely involved in the pathophysiology of these CAE psychiatric comorbidities. Here, we show that the synthetic cannabinoid receptor type 1/2 (CB1/2R) agonist WIN 55,212-2 (2 mg/kg) has a strain-dependent effect on anxiety-like and motor behavior when assess in the hole board test and cerebral monoaminergic levels in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasb…

Discovering hidden temporal patterns in behavior and interaction : t-pattern detection and analysis with THEME

In our laboratories we use T-pattern analysis to study rat behavior in different and well-known experimental assays widely employed as rodent models of anxiety: the open field, the hole board and the elevated plus maze. By using Theme software and T-pattern analysis, we have observed that numerous events, characterizing rodent behavior in each experimental model, occurred sequentially and with significant constraints on the interval lengths separating them. In this chapter, for each test, we highlight some key aspects of our behavioral analyses, with a twofold attempt: first to provide the researcher with useful information concerning the application of T-pattern analysis in the study of ro…

7-OH-DPAT effects on behavioural responses to noxious stimuli, in the rat.

Brain histamine depletion enhances motor sequences complexity of mice tested in open field: new insights from temporal pattern analysis

Background: Tourette Syndrome (TS) has been classically related to dopaminergic dysregulation of Basal Ganglia circuitry [1]. However, the identification of a rare autosomal dominant form of TS, linked to a mutation of the key-enzyme for Histamine (HA)1 synthesis (l-Histidine decarboxylase, Hdc), has shed light on a putative involvement of this monoamine on the pathophysiology of tic and related disorders and fostered the development of coherent animal models [2]. Although HA-deficient rodents display markedly increased tic-like stereotypies following amphetamine administration, neither underlying nor predisposing differences in the open field test have been reported in quantitative measure…