Search results for "open field"
showing 10 items of 54 documents
Behavioural parameters in aged rats are related to LTP and gene expression of ChAT and NMDA-NR2 subunits in the striatum.
2004
Striatal parameters were assessed for their relevance to age-related behavioural decline. Forty aged rats (28-30 months) were tested in the water maze and open field. Of these, seven superior and seven inferior learners were compared with each other in terms of levels of in vitro short- and long-term potentiation (STP and LTP), and gene expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) as well as of the NMDA-NR2A-C subunits assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. Results revealed that the superior as compared with the inferior learners had higher levels of ChAT mRNA in the striatum. For the superior group, ChAT mRNA was correlated with escape on to the cued platform in the water maze, whereas level o…
Cerebral embolic ischemia in rats: correlation of stroke severity and functional deficit as important outcome parameter.
2006
The embolic MCA occlusion model in rats is used for recanalisation studies in acute stroke. In addition to the determination of lesion size, the assessment of functional outcome may improve the value of this model. Male Wistar rats were submitted to MCA clot embolism or sham surgery. In order to achieve a larger variety of lesion volume, 2 subgroups (each 7 animals) were subjected to differently sized emboli (30 and 40 mm). Follow-up period was 6 days. Outcome assessment consisted of a test battery including parallel bar crossing, observation of behaviour in an open field and an 8-arm maze and a neurological score with ten different sensorimotor and coordinative items. Animals were perfusio…
Evaluation of chronic alcohol self-administration by a 3-bottle choice paradigm in adult male rats. Effects on behavioural reactivity, spatial learni…
2011
Chronic ethanol consumption is able to modify emotional behaviour and cognition in humans. In particular, the effects exerted by alcohol may depend on doses, time and modalities of administration. In this study we investigated, in adult male rats, ethanol self-administration and preference patterns using a 3-bottle choice paradigm with water, 10% ethanol solution, and white wine (10%, v/v), along a four-week period. The influence of alcohol free-access on novelty-induced explorative behaviour in the open field, and on spatial learning and reference memory in the Morris water maze was also evaluated. Our results indicate that: (i) rats show a higher preference for alcohol, in the first two w…
Cocaine-induced locomotor activity is enhanced by exogenous testosterone
2002
Anabolic-androgenic steroids are synthetic derivatives of testosterone, which are increasingly abused by adolescent populations who also abuse psychoactive substances. All these compounds lead to complex behavioral syndromes and the effects of their interactions remain unclear. The main aim of the present study was to determine the influence of testosterone on the locomotor activity-promoting effect of cocaine on male mice in an open field. In the three experiments, animals received two injections: firstly, testosterone or peanut oil, and secondly, cocaine or saline solution. In Experiments 1 and 2, testosterone (or oil) and cocaine (or saline) were injected 45 and 10 min, respectively, pri…
Reversal of prenatal diazepam-induced deficit in a spatial-object learning task by brief, periodic maternal separation in adult rats.
2005
In the rat, prenatal exposure to diazepam (DZ) induces a permanent reduction in GABA/BZ receptor (R) function and behavioural abnormalities. Environmental modifications during early stages of life can influence brain development and induce neurobiological and behavioural changes throughout adulthood. Indeed, a subtle, periodic, postnatal manipulation increases GABA/BZ R activity and produces facilitatory effects on neuroendocrine and behavioural responses. We here investigated the impact of prenatal treatment with DZ on learning performance in adult 3- and 8-month-old male rats and the influence of a brief, periodic maternal separation on the effects exerted by prenatal DZ exposure. Learnin…
Single, intense prenatal stress decreases emotionality and enhances learning performance in the adolescent rat offspring: Interaction with a brief, d…
2006
Perinatal manipulations can lead to neurobehavioural changes in the progeny. In this study we investigated, in adolescent male rat offspring, the consequences of a single, intense prenatal stress induced by a 120 min-maternal immobilization at gestational day 16, and of a daily, brief maternal separation from postnatal day 2 until 21, on: unconditioned fear/anxiety-like behaviour in open field and in elevated plus-maze; learning performance in the "Can test", a non-aversive spatial and tactile/visual task; corticosterone plasma levels under basal and stress-induced conditions. Our results indicate that both prenatal stress and maternal separation procedures decrease emotionality and enhance…
Combination of open field and elevated plus-maze: a suitable test battery to assess strain as well as treatment differences in rat behavior.
1998
Abstract 1. 1. A test battery consisting of a standard open field, an enriched open field and an elevated plus maze was used to study behavior in rats. 2. 2. Male rats of the strains PVG/OlaHsd (PVG) and Sprague-Dawely-Hsd (SPRD) (150–200g body wt) were used to assess interstrain differences as well as handling effects. In a subsequent experiment an other set of male PVG rats (150–200g body wt) treated either with diazepam or zolpidem was used to evaluate the test battery for pharmacological purposes. 3. 3. SPRD rats displayed higher motor activity levels and also higher levels of exploratory behavior than the PVG rats. In contrast plus-maze activity indicated more anxiety of SPRD than PVG …
Detection of behavioral alterations and learning deficits in mice lacking synaptophysin.
2009
The integral membrane protein synaptophysin is one of the most abundant polypeptide components of synaptic vesicles. It is not essential for neurotransmission despite its abundance but is believed to modulate the efficiency of the synaptic vesicle cycle. Detailed behavioral analyses were therefore performed on synaptophysin knockout mice to test whether synaptophysin affects higher brain functions. We find that these animals are more exploratory than their wild type counterparts examining novel objects more closely and intensely in an enriched open field arena. We also detect impairments in learning and memory, most notably reduced object novelty recognition and reduced spatial learning. Th…
Behavioural and pharmacological characterization of a novel cannabinomimetic adamantane-derived indole, APICA, and considerations on the possible mis…
2015
The novel adamantane derivative APICA (N-(adamantan-1-yl)-1-pentyl-1H-indole-3-carboxamide) was recently identified as a cannabinomimetic indole of abuse. Despite its novel structure, APICA recalls cannabinomimetic indoles, such as representative member JWH-018.In present study, the effects of APICA (1-3 mg/kg, i.p.) were tested in C57BL/6J mice, in the Tetrad task which includes the assessment of: body temperature; locomotor activity and behavioural reactivity; nociception; motor coordination; declarative memory. Furthermore, pre-treatment with the CB1 antagonist AM251 (3 mg/kg, i.p.) or the CB2 antagonist AM630 (3 mg/kg, i.p.) was carried out to characterize APICA activity.Our results sho…
Hippocampal theta activity, learning and behavioral tendencies
2014
Trace eyeblink conditioning is a method that models a declarative, awareness-dependent form of learning. Hippocampal theta activity, an approximately 3.5 - 8.5 Hz oscillatory pattern in rabbits, has been associated with learning-related phenomena: arousal, attentional processes and association forming. In some studies theta-contingent training, given during a brain state rich in hippocampal theta oscillation, has improved the initial learning in trace eyeblink conditioning. However, other laboratories have failed to replicate this effect. This study explored the effects of theta-contingent conditioning and extinction on learning, and the connection between the magnitude of spontaneous hippo…