Search results for "maze"
showing 10 items of 199 documents
Cue valence representation studied by Fos immunocytochemistry after acquisition of a discrimination learning task.
2003
The piriform cortex (PCx) and related structures such as hippocampus and frontal cortex could play an important role in olfactory memory. We investigated their involvement in learning the biological value of an odor cue, i.e. predicting reward or non-reward in a two-odor discrimination task. Rats were sacrificed after stimulation by either rewarded or non-rewarded odor and Fos immunocytochemistry was performed. The different experimental groups of rats did not show strongly differentiated Fos expression pattern in either the PCx or the hippocampus. A few differences were noted in frontal areas. In the ventro-lateral orbital cortex, rats, ramdomly rewarded during the conditionning had a high…
The high affinity dopamine uptake inhibitor, JHW 007, blocks cocaine-induced reward, locomotor stimulation and sensitization
2009
The discovery and evaluation of high affinity dopamine transport inhibitors with low abuse liability is an important step toward the development of efficacious medications for cocaine addiction. We examined in mice the behavioural effects of (N-(n-butyl)-3Ά-[bis(4Ά-fluorophenyl)methoxy]-tropane) (JHW 007), a benztropine (BZT) analogue that blocks dopamine uptake, and assessed its potential to influence the actions of cocaine in clinically-relevant models of cocaine addiction. In the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, JHW 007 exposure did not produce place conditioning within an ample dose range but effectively blocked the CPP induced by cocaine administration. Similarly, in the CP…
Role of the amygdala in antidepressant effects on hippocampal cell proliferation and survival and on depression-like behavior in the rat
2021
The stimulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis by antidepressants has been associated with multiple molecular pathways, but the potential influence exerted by other brain areas has received much less attention. The basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA), a region involved in anxiety and a site of action of antidepressants, has been implicated in both basal and stress-induced changes in neural plasticity in the dentate gyrus. We investigated here whether the BLA modulates the effects of the SSRI antidepressant fluoxetine on hippocampal cell proliferation and survival in relation to a behavioral index of depression-like behavior (forced swim test). We used a lesion approach targeting th…
Temporal structure of the rat's behavior in elevated plus maze test
2012
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…
Multivariate temporal pattern analysis applied to the study of rat behavior in the elevated plus maze: Methodological and conceptual highlights
2014
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…
Effects of nicotinamide on central cholinergic transmission and on spatial learning in rats
1996
High-dose nicotinamide (1000 mg/kg) leads to a minor increase of plasma choline but to a major increase of the choline concentrations in the intra- and extracellular spaces of the brain. In the hippocampus, the nicotinamide-induced increase in choline was associated with an increase in the release of acetylcholine under stimulated conditions. In young rats, nicotinamide in doses between 10 and 1000 mg/kg did not influence spatial learning, as tested in the Morris water maze. In old rats, low doses of nicotinamide were ineffective whereas the high dose of 1000 mg/kg even impaired spatial learning. The combined administration of choline and nicotinamide had a synergistic effect on brain choli…
Spatial learning in male mice with different levels of aggressiveness: effects of housing conditions and nicotine administration
2003
The main aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the possible modulation of spatial learning ability by housing conditions and level of aggressiveness in mice, also testing whether differences in locomotion and anxiety could influence this relationship. Additionally, we have examined effects of nicotine in the acquisition and retention of a spatial learning task in groups of mice differing in these variables. NMRI male mice were either group-housed or individually housed for 30 days and then classified into mice with short (SAL) and long (LAL) attack latency after a pre-screening agonistic encounter. Locomotor activity and baseline levels of anxiety of these groups were evaluated i…
Behavioral effects of combined environmental enrichment and chronic nicotine administration in male NMRI mice
2013
Abstract Environmental enrichment (EE) is an experimental paradigm which provides sensory, social, physical and cognitive stimulation for rodents. Experimental evidence indicates that this type of housing induces different neurobiological and behavioral changes. However, few studies have evaluated the consequences of combined exposure to an enriched environment and nicotine administration during a critical period of development such as adolescence. Taking into account previous studies, it can be hypothesized that a chronic treatment with nicotine would modulate the effects of rearing animals in enriched environments. In the current study, our main aim was to evaluate the effects of EE and c…
The use of the Emotional-Object Recognition as an assay to assess learning and memory associated to an aversive stimulus in rodents
2016
Abstract Background Emotionally salient experiences induce the formation of explicit memory traces, besides eliciting automatic or implicit emotional memory in rodents. This study aims at investigating the implementation of a novel task for studying the formation of limbic memory engrams as a result of the acquisition- and retrieval- of fear-conditioning – biased declarative memory traces, measured by animal discrimination of an “emotional-object”. Moreover, by using this new method we investigated the potential interactions between stimulation of cannabinoid transmission and integration of emotional information and cognitive functioning. New method The Emotional-Object Recognition task is …
Effects on executive functions of antiepileptic monotherapy in pediatric age.
2020
Abstract Objectives Cognitive abilities and executive functions in children and adolescents are important indicators of quality of life as well as academic and social achievements. Cognitive and executive functioning are often impaired in patients with epilepsy and can be exacerbated by seizures and antiseizure drugs. The aim of our observational retrospective study was to assess executive functioning in patients with pediatric epilepsy, currently taking a single antiseizure medication. Materials and methods Records of 172 children and adolescents aged between 6 and 18 years (mean age = 12 ± 3.4 years) with newly diagnosed epilepsy who had not yet commenced an antiepileptic treatment were i…