Search results for "Motor act"
showing 10 items of 495 documents
Effects of desipramine and alprazolam in the forced swim test in rats after long-lasting termination of chronic exposure to picrotoxin and pentylenet…
1993
Abstract Rats were treated for 5 weeks with three subconvulsant doses of picrotoxin (PTX) and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) per week to induce a persistent reduction of the GABA A receptor function which results in chemical kindling. Fifteen days after termination of this treatment schedule, the effect of desipramine (DMI) and alpraxolam (ALP) on immobility time in the forced swim test (FST) was evaluated. Chronic PTX and PTZ did not alter the immobility time. Acute PTX and PTZ reduced the immobility of rats chronically treated with vehicle but not of those exposed chronically to PTX and PTZ. Chronic PTX did not influence the anti-immobility effect of DMI, but blocked that of ALP. Chronic PTZ mar…
Initial information prior to movement onset influences kinematics of upward arm pointing movements
2016
International audience; To elaborate a motor plan and perform online control in the gravity field, the brain relies on priors and multisensory integration of information. In particular, afferent and efferent inputs related to the initial state are thought to convey sensorimotor information to plan the upcoming action. Yet it is still unclear to what extent these cues impact motor planning. Here we examined the role of initial information on the planning and execution of arm movements. Participants performed upward arm movements around the shoulder at three speeds and in two arm conditions. In the first condition, the arm was outstretched horizontally and required a significant muscular comm…
Capacity of novelty-induced locomotor activity and the hole-board test to predict sensitivity to the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine
2012
Novelty-seeking in rodents, defined as enhanced specific exploration of novel situations, is considered to predict the response of animals to drugs of abuse and, thus, allow "drug-vulnerable" individuals to be identified. The main objective of this study was to assess the predictive ability of two well-known paradigms of the novelty-seeking trait - novelty-induced locomotor activity (which distinguishes High- and Low-Responder mice, depending on their motor activity) and the hole-board test (which determines High- and Low-Novelty Seeker mice depending on the number of head dips they perform) - to identify subjects that would subsequently be more sensitive to the conditioned rewarding effect…
The role of pregnenolone sulphate in spatial orientation-acquisition and retention: An interplay between cognitive potentiation and mood regulation
2013
Abstract Neurosteroids can alter neuronal excitability interacting with specific neurotransmitter receptors, thus affecting several functions such as cognition and emotionality. In this study, we investigated, in adult male rats, the effects of the acute administration of pregnenolone-sulfate (PREGS) (10 mg/Kg, s. c.) on cognitive processes using the Can test, a non aversive spatial/visual task which allows the assessment of spatial information-acquisition during the baseline training, and of memory retention in the longitudinal study. Furthermore, on the basis of PREGS pharmacological profile, the modulation of depressive-like behaviour was also evaluated in the forced swim test (FST). Our…
Effect of recurrent yohimbine on immediate and post-hoc behaviors, stress hormones, and energy homeostatic parameters
2013
Evidence from experimental models has suggested that acute activation of brain stress and anxiety pathways impacts subsequent behaviors that are mediated or modulated by limbic circuitry. There have been limited investigations of prior or chronic activation of these pathways on subsequent limbic-mediated behaviors. In this study, we tested whether recurrent administration of the anxiogenic compound yohimbine (YOH) could have post-injection effects on brain activation, stress hormones, and performance in sucrose self-administration and startle response paradigms. Rats received six injections across two weeks of either 2mg/kg YOH or saline. Behavioral evaluation confirmed the continued effica…
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor But Not Forced Arm Use Improves Long-Term Outcome After Photothrombotic Stroke and Transiently Upregulates Binding …
2008
Background and Purpose— Both application of neurotrophic factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and constraint-induced movement therapy like forced arm use have been shown to potentially improve outcome after stroke. The aim of the present study was to check whether postischemic long-term outcome correlates to specific modifications in the abundance of various neurotransmitter receptors. Methods— Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to photothrombotic ischemia and assigned to various treatment groups (n=5 each) with end points at 3 and 6 weeks: (1) ischemic control (saline); (2) BDNF (ischemia, 20 μg BDNF); (3) forced arm use (ischemia, saline, and ipsilateral plaster cast …
Factors Associated with Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among Adolescents Living in Sicily, Southern Italy
2013
The present study aimed to examine the factors associated with increased Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence among a sample of Italian adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1135 students (13–16 years) attending 13 secondary schools of Sicily, southern Italy. Validated instruments were used for dietary assessment and the KIDMED score to assess adolescents’ adherence to the MD. A higher adherence to the MD was associated with high socioeconomic status (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.53, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.03–2.26) and high physical activity (OR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.02–1.70), whereas lower adherence was associated with living in an urban environment (OR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.44–0.97) and b…
Differences in muscle and adipose tissue gene expression and cardio-metabolic risk factors in the members of physical activity discordant twin pairs
2010
High physical activity/aerobic fitness predicts low morbidity and mortality. Our aim was to identify the most up-regulated gene sets related to long-term physical activity vs. inactivity in skeletal muscle and adipose tissues and to obtain further information about their link with cardio-metabolic risk factors. We studied ten same-sex twin pairs (age range 50-74 years) who had been discordant for leisure-time physical activity for 30 years. The examinations included biopsies from m. vastus lateralis and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue. RNA was analyzed with the genome-wide Illumina Human WG-6 v3.0 Expression BeadChip. For pathway analysis we used Gene Set Enrichment Analysis utilizing…
Recess physical activity and school-related social factors in Finnish primary and lower secondary schools: cross-sectional associations.
2014
Abstract Background Participation in physical activities provides students with opportunities for social interaction and social skills development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of students’ recess physical activity with school-related social factors. Methods Data were collected in 19 schools countrywide in autumn 2010, and 1463 students from grades 4 and 5 (primary school) and from grades 7 and 8 (lower secondary school) completed an anonymous questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate whether self-reported physical activity at recess was associated with peer relationships at school, relatedness to school and school clim…
Relation between physical activity and academic performance in 3rd-year secondary education students
2011
The main aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the amount of physical activity and academic performance in 3rd-year secondary education students. The sample was taken from three secondary schools in the area of Barcelona. 284 students (158 girls, 126 boys) with an average age of 14.7 yr. participated. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used by students to self-report their amount of physical activity. Students’ academic records were obtained for comparisons. Results showed that there was a linear relationship between academic performance and physical activity; nevertheless, there was a trend to stronger correlation when modeling the relationship betwee…