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Behavioral Changes (behavioral + change)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%
Life Sciences	23%
Psychology	7%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	7%
Humanities and Social Sciences	6%
2 Other Domains	7%

Distribution within Medical Sciences

Neurology	28%
Psychiatry	14%
Nursing General	6%
Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Medicine	4%
9 Other Subdomains	48%

Selected Abstracts

Localizing and Lateralizing Value of Behavioral Change in Childhood Partial Seizures

EPILEPSIA, Issue 1 2007
András Fogarasi
Summary:,Objective: To describe clinical characteristics as well as localizing and lateralizing value of behavioral change (BC) at the onset of childhood seizures. Methods: Five hundred forty-one videotaped seizures of 109 consecutive patients ,12 years with partial epilepsy and postoperatively seizure-free outcome were analyzed. Behavioral change (the first clinical feature of a certain seizure with a sudden change in the child's behavior) was evaluated by two independent investigators. Results: Thirty-three (30%) patients showed BC at least once during their seizures. Behavioral changes appeared in arrestive form in 19 and with affective activities in 18 children; four patients produced both kinds of BCs, separately. Arrest-type BC happened in 16 of 50 children with right- and 3 of 59 patients with left-sided seizure onset zone (p < 0.001). Affective-type BC was observed in 17 of 67 temporal lobe epilepsy patients while it happened in only 1 of 42 children with extratemporal lobe epilepsy (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Arrest-type BC lateralizes to the right hemisphere, while affective-type BC localizes to the temporal lobe in childhood partial seizures. Type of BCs can add important information to the presurgical evaluation of young children with refractory partial epilepsy. [source]

Long-Term Behavioral Changes in Response to Early Developmental Exposure to Ethanol in Zebrafish

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 4 2009
Yohaan Fernandes
Background:, Zebrafish is becoming an important research tool for the analysis of brain function and behavior. It has been proposed to model human alcoholism as well as fetal alcohol syndrome. Previous studies investigating the consequences of exposure to ethanol during early development of zebrafish employed robust dosing regimens (high ethanol concentration and long exposure) that may model a rare situation in the human clinic. These studies found major structural abnormalities developing in the exposed fish. Methods: Here we hope to avoid such gross changes and administer only low doses of ethanol (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 vol/vol %) at 24-hour postfertilization and for only a short period of time (for 2 hours). We analyze the behavior of exposed fish at adult stage using computerized stimulus presentation and automated videotracking response quantification. Results: Despite the short ethanol exposure period and the modest concentrations, significant behavioral alterations were found: fish exposed to higher doses of ethanol swam at an increased distance from a computer-animated zebrafish shoal while their activity levels did not change. Conclusions: Although the interpretation of and the mechanisms underlying this finding will require further investigation, the results suggest that zebrafish will be an appropriate model organism for the analysis of the effects of moderate to mild prenatal ethanol exposure. [source]

Localizing and Lateralizing Value of Behavioral Change in Childhood Partial Seizures

Behavioral change related to Wenchuan devastating earthquake in mice

BIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 8 2009
Yonghong Li
Abstract It has been suggested that some animals are much more capable of perceiving certain kinds of geophysical stimuli which may precede earthquakes than humans, but the anecdotal phenomena or stories about unusual animal behaviors prior to an earthquake should be interpreted with objective data. During the Wenchuan magnitude 8.0 earthquake that happened in Wenchuan county (31.0° north latitude, 103.4° east longitude) of Sichuan province, China, on May 12, 2008, eight mice were monitored for locomotor activity and circadian rhythm in constant darkness with temperature 22,24 °C and humidity 55,65% for 38 days. The ongoing monitoring of locomotor activity of mice in our laboratory made it possible to design a posteriori study investigating whether the earthquake was associated with any change in animal behavior. Based on analyzing the recorded data with single cosinor, we found that the locomotor activity dramatically decreased in six of these eight mice on day 3 before the earthquake, and the circadian rhythm of their locomotor activity was no longer detected. The behavioral change lasted for 6 days before the locomotor activity returned to its original state. Analyses of concurrent geomagnetic data showed a higher total intensity during the span when the circadian rhythm in locomotor activity weakened. These results indicated that the behaviors, including circadian rhythm and activity, in these mice indeed changed prior to the earthquake, and the behavioral change might be associated with a change of geomagnetic intensity. Bioelectromagnetics 30:613,620, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Localizing and Lateralizing Value of Behavioral Change in Childhood Partial Seizures

Central nervous system effects of natural and synthetic glucocorticoids

PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 5 2009
Pierluigi Fietta MD
Natural glucocorticoids (NGC) physiologically modulate body homeostasis and coordinate adaptive responses to stress, involving almost all organs and tissues, including brain. Since their therapeutic availability, synthetic GC (SGC) have been successfully prescribed for a variety of diseases. Mounting evidence, however, demonstrated pleiotropic adverse effects (AE), including central nervous system (CNS) disturbances, which are often misdiagnosed or underestimated. The aim of the present study was therefore to review and discuss the CNS effects of both NGC and SGC. A detailed search was carried out of the available literature using the PubMed (US National Library of Medicine) database. Cortisolemia plays a crucial role in control of behavior, cognition, mood, and early life programming of stress reactivity. Hypercortisolemia or SGC treatments may induce behavioral, psychic and cognitive disturbances, due to functional and, over time, structural alterations in specific brain target areas. These AE are generally dose and time dependent (infrequent at prednisone-equivalent doses <20 mg/day) and usually reversible. Pediatric patients are particularly susceptible. Behavioral changes, including feeding and sleeping modifications, are common. Psychic AE are unpredictable and heterogeneous, usually mild/moderate, severe in 5,10% of cases. Manic symptoms have been mostly associated with short SGC courses, and depressive disorder with long-term treatments. Suicidality has been reported. Cognitive AE peculiarly affect declarative memory performance. Physiologic levels of NGC are essential for efficient brain functions. Otherwise, hypercortisolemia and SGC treatments may cause dose-/time-dependent neuropsychic AE and, over time, structural alterations in brain target areas. Clinicians should carefully monitor patients, especially children and/or when administering high doses SGC. [source]

Toxicity of manufactured zinc oxide nanoparticles in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2009
Hongbo Ma
Abstract Information describing the possible impacts of manufactured nanoparticles on human health and ecological receptors is limited. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential toxicological effects of manufactured zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs; 1.5 nm) compared to aqueous zinc chloride (ZnCl2) in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Toxicity of both types of Zn was investigated using the ecologically relevant endpoints of lethality, behavior, reproduction, and transgene expression in a mtl-2::GFP (gene encoding green fluorescence protein fused onto the metallothionein-2 gene promoter) transgenic strain of C. elegans. Zinc oxide nanoparticles showed no significant difference from ZnCl2 regarding either lethality or reproduction in C. elegans, as indicated by their median lethal concentrations (LC50s; p = 0.29, n = 3) and median effective concentrations (EC50s; Z = 0.835, p = 0.797). Also, no significant difference was found in EC50s for behavioral change between ZnO-NPs (635 mg Zn/L; 95% confidence interval [CI], 477,844 mg Zn/L) and ZnCl2 (546 mg Zn/L; 95% CI, 447,666 mg Zn/L) (Z = 0.907, p = 0.834). Zinc oxide nanoparticles induced transgene expression in the mtl-2::GFP transgenic C. elegans in a manner similar to that of ZnCl2, suggesting that intracellular biotransformation of the nanoparticles might have occurred or the nanoparticles have dissolved to Zn2+ to enact toxicity. These findings demonstrate that manufactured ZnO-NPs have toxicity to the nematode C. elegans similar to that of aqueous ZnCl2. [source]

Localizing and Lateralizing Value of Behavioral Change in Childhood Partial Seizures

A Detailed Analysis of Symptomatic Posterior Cortex Seizure Semiology in Children Younger Than Seven Years

EPILEPSIA, Issue 1 2003
András Fogarasi
Summary: ,Purpose: To analyze the semiology of seizure onset and evolution in young children with posterior cortex epilepsy (PCE), compare this with adult reports, and assess age-related differences. Methods: We videotaped and analyzed 110 seizures from 18 patients with PCE, aged 3,81 months. All had a good prognosis after posterior epileptogenic zone removal. Ictal events were categorized by behavioral, consciousness, autonomic, and sensory features, as well as motor patterns, which included myoclonic, tonic, clonic, unclassified motor seizures, and epileptic spasm. A time-scaled data sheet was developed to record each epileptic event as onset, very early, early, or late manifestation. Results: Patients had a high seizure frequency with ,100 attacks/day; one third of them showed a cluster tendency. The mean duration of seizures was 67 s. The most common seizure components were motor manifestations (with myoclonic and tonic seizures), but psychomotor (automotor), hypomotor attacks, and isolated auras also were frequently observed. Clinical seizure spread was frequent; auras and visual sensory signs were difficult to record in this age. Typical phenomena during seizures included behavioral changes, ictal vocalization, smile, flush, head nod, oculomotor features, and late-appearing oral automatisms, whereas hypermotor and secondarily generalized tonic,clonic seizures were not seen. Conclusions: Our results suggest that PCE in infants and young children is very heterogeneous but shows important age-related features. Compared with adults, children with PCE have shorter but more frequent seizures; they rarely report aura or visual sensory signs, only sporadically develop hypermotor and secondarily generalized tonic,clonic seizures, whereas ictal smile, flush, head nod, and behavioral change are typical features at this age. Because of frequent subtle ictal phenomena, long-term video-EEG monitoring is a useful diagnostic tool with infants and young children with PCE. [source]

Asymmetrical consequences of behavioral change through reward and punishment

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2008
Tobias Greitemeyer
Previous research (Greitemeyer & Weiner, 2003) has demonstrated that compliance, because of an anticipated reward is attributed more to the person than compliance because of an anticipated punishment. The present research extended these findings to an educational context. Three studies revealed that parents who ask their children to change inappropriate behaviors are more likely to ascribe their children's improvement to the child, if the child was promised a reward, rather than threatened, to receive a punishment if the child did not improve. Moreover, because a child's improved behavior is more likely to be ascribed to the child given a reward as compared to a punishment, parents expect that rewards (as opposed to punishments) are more likely to sustain improved behavior, when the incentive is no longer offered. Finally, participants report to be more likely to induce behavioral change through reward rather than punishment. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The Coast Guard charts a course for enterprise change management

GLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 1 2009
Stephen Wehrenberg
After eight years of being buffeted by gale-force winds of change, the Coast Guard knew it was time for a structured enterprisewide approach to change management. The tougher question was how to deploy it when the organization's culture and its structural and dynamic complexity would likely trigger strong resistance to a new program in a nonoperational area that was mandated from the top. The author describes how change champions arrived at a bottom-up deployment strategy that mirrors the culture's reliance on stories and heroes to seed behavioral change, and that leverages long-standing organizational strengths of local agility, learning, and commitment to mission performance. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Team coaching helps a leadership team drive cultural change at Caterpillar

GLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 4 2008
Merrill C. Anderson
Team coaching readied NACD's top leaders for a broad cultural initiative, showing them how to be more effective with each other, and then how to drive behavioral change across the business by embodying the principles of service. The three-phase initiative included coaching activities such as peer feedback, individual coaching engagements, in-the-moment group coaching, and coaching skills training. The leadership team dealt with its nonproductive habits of interaction; gained deeper insights about the individual and organizational behavior changes needed to implement a customer-centric culture of service; defined and held each other accountable for new behavioral norms; and instituted processes to make its discussions and decision making more effective. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

The quality of treatment of eating disorders: A comparison of the therapists' and the patients' perspective

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 4 2008
Simone de la Rie MA
Abstract Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate the quality of treatment of eating disorders (EDs) from the therapists' and patients' perspective and to compare their views. Method: The Questionnaire for Eating Problems and Treatment (QEPT) was administered to 73 therapists working with patients with ED, to 156 current ED and 148 former ED patients. The QEPT addresses the quality of treatment of EDs. ED diagnosis was assessed by the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Answers were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results: Both therapists and patients most often mentioned focus of treatment, therapeutic alliance, and communicational skills as important aspects of the quality of treatment. However, they valued similar topics differently. Therapists valued the focus on ED symptoms and behavioral change more highly, whereas patients underscored the importance of the therapeutic relationship and addressing underlying problems. Most therapists work from a cognitive behavioral orientation, but protocol-based treatment was not found important. Conclusion: There is an avid need for dissemination of evidence-based treatment. Therapists' and patients' views supplement current evidence-based knowledge on treatment quality of EDs. Optimal treatment of EDs will be facilitated when these three bodies of knowledge,the available evidence and the therapists' and patients' views,are integrated. © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord, 2008 [source]

The Effectiveness of a Community-Based Program for Reducing the Incidence of Falls in the Elderly: A Randomized Trial

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2004
Lindy Clemson BAppSc(OT), MAppSc(OT)
Objectives: To test whether Stepping On, a multifaceted community-based program using a small-group learning environment, is effective in reducing falls in at-risk people living at home. Design: A randomized trial with subjects followed for 14 months. Setting: The interventions were conducted in community venues, with a follow-up home visit. Participants: Three hundred ten community residents aged 70 and older who had had a fall in the previous 12 months or were concerned about falling. Intervention: The Stepping On program aims to improve fall self-efficacy, encourage behavioral change, and reduce falls. Key aspects of the program are improving lower-limb balance and strength, improving home and community environmental and behavioral safety, encouraging regular visual screening, making adaptations to low vision, and encouraging medication review. Two-hour sessions were conducted weekly for 7 weeks, with a follow-up occupational therapy home visit. Measurements: The primary outcome measure was falls, ascertained using a monthly calendar mailed by each participant. Results: The intervention group experienced a 31% reduction in falls (relative risk (RR)=0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.50,0.96; P=.025). This was a clinically meaningful result demonstrating that the Stepping On program was effective for community-residing elderly people. Secondary analysis of subgroups showed that it was particularly effective for men (n=80; RR=0.32, 95% CI=0.17,0.59). Conclusion: The results of this study renew attention to the idea that cognitive-behavioral learning in a small-group environment can reduce falls. Stepping On offers a successful fall-prevention option. [source]

Behavioral responses of nesting female dark-eyed juncos Junco hyemalis to hetero- and conspecific passerine preen oils

JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
Daniellr J. Whittaker
Several studies have suggested a greater role for olfactory cues in avian social interactions than previously recognized, but few have explicitly investigated the effect of odor on parental behavior. We present results from a preliminary study in which we applied hetero- and conspecific preen gland secretions, which are known to contain volatile compounds, to the nests and eggs of incubating female dark-eyed juncos Junco hyemalis. The responses to these two conditions were compared to the responses of females whose nests were treated with their own preen oil as a control condition, and to females whose nests were treated with the vehicle only. We found that females significantly reduced incubation bout length, a form of parental care, in response to alien secretions, more so if they came from a heterospecific than a conspecific. Females did not reduce incubation bout length in response to their own preen oil or to a vehicle-only control. These results suggest that odors in the nest may influence avian parental care. However, the behavioral change was only temporary and had no effect on later hatching success. In our study population, brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds is common, but resulting nest abandonment is rare; juncos are frequently able to successfully breed even with cowbird nestlings in their nests. Thus, we suggest that more extreme behavioral responses to alien odor, such as nest abandonment or egg ejection, may not be adaptive and should not be expected. [source]

Impact of a Social Skills Intervention on the Hostile Attributions of Children With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2010
Vivien Keil
Background:, Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been linked to a wide array of developmental deficits, including significant impairments in social skills. Given the extensive body of evidence linking social information-processing patterns with social behavior, it is possible that social information-processing may represent one mechanism of behavioral change. The present investigation sought to answer the question of whether a well-established social skills intervention decreased the hostile attributions of children with PAE. Further, was there a differential impact of the intervention on hostile attributions in the context of peer provocation versus group entry scenarios? Methods:, Participants consisted of 100 children (51% male) with PAE between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Participants were randomly assigned to either a social skills intervention, Children's Friendship Training (CFT), or to a Delayed Treatment Control (DTC) condition. Results:, Analyses indicated that the social skills intervention resulted in a significantly lower proportion of hostile attributions in peer group entry, but not peer provocation, scenarios. This decrease was maintained over a 3-month follow-up period. Conclusions:, Deficits in social information-processing among individuals with PAE can be improved through social skills intervention, and these changes may lead to more positive developmental outcomes. [source]

Driving less for better air: Impacts of a public information campaign

JOURNAL OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2003
Gary T. Henry
In the wake of the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, localities across the United States initiated public information campaigns both to raise awareness of threats to air quality and to change behavior related to air pollution by recommending specific behavioral changes in the campaign messages. These campaigns are designed to reduce the health hazards associated with poor air quality and to avoid federal sanctions resulting from the failure to meet air quality standards. As in many other communities across the country, a coalition of government agencies and businesses initiated a public information campaign in the Atlanta metropolitan region to reduce certain targeted behaviors, mainly driving. A two-stage model used to analyze data from a rolling sample survey shows that the centerpiece of the information campaign,air quality alerts,was effective in raising awareness and reducing driving in a segment of the population. When the overall information campaign was moderated by employers' participation in programs to improve air quality, drivers significantly reduced the number of miles they drove and the number of trips they took by car on days when air quality alerts were sounded. Public information campaigns can be successful in increasing awareness, but changing well-established behaviors, such as driving, is likely to require institutional mediation to provide social contexts that support the behavioral change, as well. © 2003 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. [source]

Postoperative behavioral changes following anesthesia with sevoflurane

PEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA, Issue 10 2004
Aideen Keaney MB FRCA
Summary Background :,Behavioral disturbance following hospitalization is a relatively frequent event, some children still having negative behavioral changes (NBC) 1 month following their operation. Sevoflurane has a propensity to induce ,excitement' during induction of anaesthesia, and delirium in the immediate postoperative phase. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether this translates into prolonged behavioral change. Methods :,A total of 120 children presenting for daycase surgical procedures under anesthesia were included in the study. Children were randomized to induction and maintenance of anesthesia with sevoflurane or halothane. No additional sedative drugs were administered. Postoperative behavioral change was assessed using the Post-Hospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) on postoperative days 1, 7 and 30. Results :,The Sevoflurane group (n = 63) were more distressed on emergence of anesthesia than the Halothane group (n = 57) (P < 0.05). About 58.3, 46.8 and 38.3% of all children exhibited NBC on postoperative days 1, 7 and 30, respectively. There was no association between anesthetic agent and behavior. There was a significant relationship between decreasing age and NBC (P < 0.005). Conclusions :,Children anesthetized with sevoflurane exhibit more immediate postoperative distress than those anesthetized with halothane. This difference is not carried over into the longer posthospital period. Negative behavioral changes occur more frequently with decreasing age. [source]

Healthy aging demonstration project: Nurse coaching for behavior change in older adults,

RESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 3 2005
Jill A. Bennett
Abstract The Healthy Aging Project (HAP) tested nurse coaching as a method to support healthy behavior change in older adults. The sample included 111 individuals randomized to a nurse coaching group or usual-care control group. Participants in the intervention group chose the health behaviors they wanted to change and received coaching by nurses in a single in-person session followed by telephone calls or email contact for 6 months. Nurses were trained in motivational interviewing (MI). The intervention group had significantly less illness intrusiveness and health distress than the control group at 6 months, although it is not known whether these health outcomes resulted from behavior changes. This clinical demonstration project showed that nurse-delivered MI, primarily using the telephone and email, is a feasible method to discuss behavioral change with older adults. However, future clinical trials will be needed to evaluate the efficacy of nurse-delivered MI on actual behavioral changes in older adults. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 28: 187,197, 2005 [source]

Three-month Follow-up of Brief Computerized and Therapist Interventions for Alcohol and Violence Among Teens

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2009
Rebecca M. Cunningham MD
Abstract Objectives:, Alcohol use and violent behaviors are well documented among adolescents and have enormous effects on morbidity and mortality. The authors hypothesized that universal computer screening of teens in an inner-city emergency department (ED), followed by a brief intervention (BI), would be 1) feasible (as measured by participation and completion of BI during the ED visit) and well received by teens (as measured by posttest process measures of intervention acceptability) and 2) effective at changing known precursors to behavior change such as attitudes, self-efficacy, and readiness to change alcohol use and violence. Methods:, Adolescent patients (ages 14,18 years) at an urban ED were approached to complete a computerized survey. The survey was conducted daily from 12 noon to 11 pm from September 2006 through November 2008. Adolescents reporting both alcohol use and violence in the past year were randomized to a control group or a 35-minute BI delivered by a computer or therapist as part of the SafERteens study. Validated measures were administered, including demographics, alcohol use, attitudes toward alcohol and violence, self-efficacy for alcohol and violence, readiness to change alcohol and violence, and process questions, including likeability of intervention. Results:, A total of 2,423 adolescents were screened. Thirteen percent of those approached refused. The population was 45% male, 58% African American, and 6.2% Hispanic. Of those screened, 637 adolescents (26%) screened positive; 533 were randomized to participate, and 515 completed the BI prior to discharge. The BIs were well received by the adolescents overall; 97% of those randomized to a BI self-reported that they found one intervention section "very helpful." At posttest, significant reductions in positive attitudes for alcohol use and violence and significant increases in self-efficacy related to alcohol/violence were found for both therapist and computer interventions. At 3-month follow-up there was 81% retention, and generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis showed that participants in both interventions had significant reductions in positive attitudes for alcohol use (therapist p = 0.002, computer p = 0.0001) and violence (therapist p = 0.012, computer p = 0.007) and significant increases in self-efficacy related to violence (therapist p = 0.0.04, computer p = 0.002); alcohol self-efficacy improved in the therapist BI condition only (therapist p = 0.050, computer p = 0.083). Readiness to change was not significantly improved. Conclusions:, This initial evaluation of the SafERteens study shows that universal computerized screening and BI for multiple risk behaviors among adolescents is feasible, well received, and effective at altering attitudes and self-efficacy. Future evaluations of the SafERteens study will evaluate the interventions' effects on behavioral change (alcohol use and violence) over the year following the ED visit. [source]

Behavioral change related to Wenchuan devastating earthquake in mice

Theoretical discourse on sustainable space design: towards creating and sustaining effective sidewalks

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2005
Iderlina Mateo-Babiano
Abstract Users are a potential source of behavioral change when led to experience alternative design strategies that aim to encourage a more sustainable lifestyle. Thus, ,sustainability-oriented' street design takes on an active role in creating spaces that cater to users by considering the whole spectrum of pedestrian needs, considering the users' historical and cultural diversity in the development of a more responsive street regulation and standards and incorporating the two interacting spatial components: movement, satisfying the basic need for mobility; and non-movement, complementing movement to achieve a more effective and sustainable space. The paper will touch on the dichotomy of space perception between the East and the West, based on the premise that city morphology has been influenced largely by its ecology, resulting in two city formations: the organic city form and the planned city system. It will wrap up with initial recommendations on achieving a more context-sensitive design. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Brain mechanisms underlying emotional alterations in the peripartum period in rats

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 3 2003
Inga D. Neumann
Abstract In the period before and after parturition, i.e., in pregnancy and lactation, a variety of neuroendocrine alterations occur that are accompanied by marked behavioral changes, including emotional responsiveness to external challenging situations. On the one hand, activation of neuroendocrine systems (oxytocin, prolactin) ensures reproduction-related physiological processes, but in a synergistic manner also ensures accompanying behaviors necessary for the survival of the offspring. On the other hand, there is a dramatic reduction in the responsiveness of neuroendocrine systems to stimuli not relevant for reproduction, such as the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses to physical or emotional stimuli in both pregnant and lactating rats. With CRH being the main regulator of the HPA axis, downregulation of the brain CRH system may result in various behavioral, in particular emotional, adaptations of the maternal organisms, including changes in anxiety-related behavior. In support of this, the lactating rat becomes less emotionally responsive to novel situations, demonstrating reduced anxiety, and shows a higher degree of aggressive behavior in the test for agonistic behavior as well as in the maternal defense test. These changes in emotionality are independent of the innate (pre-lactation) level of anxiety and are seen in both rats bred for high as well as low levels of anxiety. Both brain oxytocin and prolactin, highly activated at this time, play a significant role in these behavioral and possibly also neuroendocrine adaptations in the peripartum period. Depression and Anxiety 17:111,121, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Effects of early seizures on later behavior and epileptogenicity

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 2 2004
Gregory L. Holmes
Abstract Both clinical and laboratory studies demonstrate that seizures early in life can result in permanent behavioral abnormalities and enhance epileptogenicity. Understanding the critical periods of vulnerability of the developing nervous system to seizure-induced changes may provide insights into parallel or divergent processes in the development of autism. In experimental rodent models, the consequences of seizures are dependent on age, etiology, seizure duration, and frequency. Recurring seizures in immature rats result in long-term adverse effects on learning and memory. These behavioral changes are paralleled by changes in brain connectivity, changes in excitatory neurotransmitter receptor distribution, and decreased neurogenesis. These changes occur in the absence of cell loss. Although impaired cognitive function and brain changes have been well-documented following early-onset seizures, the mechanisms of seizure-induced dysfunction remain unclear. MRDD Research Reviews 2004;10:101,105. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Lesion-induced neurogenesis in the hypothalamus is involved in behavioral recovery in adult ring doves

DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
Gang Chen
Abstract Although neurogenesis in the brain of adult vertebrates is region dependent, lesion induces generation of new neurons in non-neurogenic brain regions. These findings raise the question of the role of new neurons in brain repair and functional recovery. We addressed this question by applying previous observations that electrolytic lesion induced neurogenesis in the ventromedial nucleus (VMN) of the hypothalamus in adult ring doves. Such lesions disrupted the male's courtship behavior, which could be reinstated after rehabilitation with a female. We investigated whether lesion-induced newborn neurons in the VMN facilitate the recovery of courtship behavior in the lesioned birds. We conducted systematic observations of cytological, morphological, and neuroanatomical changes in the lesioned VMN, and concurrently we monitored behavioral changes. Using a multitude of specific cell markers, we found a well-circumscribed cellular zone that proliferated actively. This highly proliferative zone initially appeared along the periphery of the lesion site, where cells had high levels of expression of neuronal, glial, and neurovascular markers. As newborn neurons matured at the lesion site, the necrosis gradually decreased, whereas a downsized proliferative zone relocated to a region ventral to the VMN. Some of the mature neurons were found to project to the midbrain vocal nuclei. Restoration of these projection neurons coincided with the recovery of courtship vocalization. Finally, we found that a social factor, that is, when the male doves were cohoused with a mate, facilitated neurogenesis and behavioral recovery. These results suggest that lesion-induced neurogenesis contributes to behavioral recovery in adult animals. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol, 2006 [source]

Development of using experimenter-given cues in infant chimpanzees: longitudinal changes in behavior and cognitive development

DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008
Sanae Okamoto-Barth
The use of gaze shifts as social cues has various evolutionary advantages. To investigate the developmental processes of this ability, we conducted an object-choice task by using longitudinal methods with infant chimpanzees tested from 8 months old until 3 years old. The experimenter used one of six gestures towards a cup concealing food; tapping, touching, whole-hand pointing, gazing plus close-pointing, distant-pointing, close-gazing, and distant-gazing. Unlike any other previous study, we analyzed the behavioral changes that occurred before and after choosing the cup. We assumed that pre-choice behavior indicates the development of an attentional and spatial connection between a pointing cue and an object (e.g. Woodward, 2005); and post-choice behavior indicates the emergence of object permanence (e.g. Piaget, 1954). Our study demonstrated that infant chimpanzees begin to use experimenter-given cues with age (after 11 months of age). Moreover, the results from the behavioral analysis showed that the infants gradually developed the spatial link between the pointing as an object-directed action and the object. Moreover, when they were 11 months old, the infants began to inspect the inside of the cup, suggesting the onset of object permanence. Overall, our results imply that the ability to use the cues is developing and mutually related with other cognitive developments. The present study also suggests what the standard object-choice task actually measures by breaking the task down into the developmental trajectories of its component parts, and describes for the first time the social-physical cognitive development during the task with a longitudinal method. [source]

Neuronal plasticity: implications in epilepsy progression and management

DRUG DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, Issue 8 2007
Sherifa A. HamedArticle first published online: 12 FEB 200
Abstract Epilepsy is a common neurological disease. A growing number of research studies provide evidence regarding the progressive neuronal damage induced by prolonged seizures or status epilepticus (SE), as well as recurrent brief seizures. Importantly, seizure is only one aspect of epilepsy. However, cognitive and behavioral deficits induced by progressive seizures or antiepileptic treatment can be detrimental to individual function. The neurobiology of epilepsy is poorly understood involving complex cellular and molecular mechanisms. The brain undergoes changes in its basic structure and function, e.g., neural plasticity with an increased susceptibility in neuronal synchronization and network circuit alterations. Some of these changes are transient, while others are permanent with an involvement of both glutamatergic and ,-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic systems. Recent data suggest that impaired neuronal plasticity may underlie the cognitive impairment and behavioral changes associated with epilepsy. Many neurologists recognize that the prevention or suppression of seizures by the use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) alone is insufficient without clear predictions of disease outcome. Hence, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis because this may allow the development of innovative strategies to prevent or cure this condition. In addition, this realization would have significant impact in reducing the long-term adverse consequences of the disease, including neurocognitive and behavioral adverse effects. Drug Dev Res 68:498,511, 2007. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Comparative study of microcystin-LR-induced behavioral changes of two fish species, Danio rerio and Leucaspius delineatus

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, Issue 6 2004
Daniela Baganz
Abstract The spontaneous locomotor behavior separated into day/night activity phases of two fish species Danio rerio and Leucaspius delineatus was recorded and quantified continuously under sublethal long-term exposure to microcystin-LR in tanks. Microcystin-LR was applied in concentrations of 0.5, 5, 15, and 50 ,g L,1. By using an automated video-monitoring and object-tracing system, the average motility (swimming velocity) and the average number of turns were assessed. Clear dose-dependent effects of microcystin-LR on the behavior of both test fish were measured. During the daytime, the motility of Danio rerio as well as Leucaspius delineatus increased significantly by exposure to the lowest concentrations, whereas higher concentrations led to significantly decreased motility. Influenced by microcystin-LR, the swimming time of Leucaspius delineatus reversed, going from a prominently diurnal activity to a nocturnal one; Danio rerio remained active during the daytime. Most of the relative changes in the behavioral patterns of Danio rerio and Leucaspius delineatus suggest these fish have comparable susceptibility to microcystin-LR and may indicate some adverse consequences for fish populations, for example, in connection with reproduction and predator,prey interactions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 564,570, 2004. [source]

Dual enantioselective effect of the insecticide bifenthrin on locomotor behavior and development in embryonic,larval zebrafish

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 7 2010
Meiqing Jin
Abstract Bifenthrin (BF) is a synthetic pyrethroid that targets the nervous system of insects and may have adverse effects on the behavior and development of nontarget organisms. However, no reports have been issued on the effects of different enantiomers on locomotor behavior for synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) in zebrafish, and whether locomotor activity is associated with the developmental toxicities remains unclear. In this study, enantioselectivity of BF (1S and 1R) on the acute locomotor activity and developmental toxicities of embryonic,larval zebrafish were first evaluated. The results indicated that 1R -BF was more toxic, causing morphological impairments, with a 96-h median effective concentration (EC50) of 226,µg/L for pericardial edema and 145,µg/L for curved body axis. Administration of 20,µg/L of one enantiomer of BF had differential effects on the locomotor activity of zebrafish larvae at 4 d postfertilization (dpf) under alternating light and dark conditions. Larvae treated with 1R -BF were not sensitive to the alteration of light to dark, and the locomotor activities were reduced to a level similar to that observed in light, which otherwise increased rapidly and markedly. However, 1S -BF did not alter the general pattern of zebrafish response to the light or dark compared with the control. The results demonstrated that the differential effects on development might have contributed to the enantioselectivity in the locomotor activity. The consistency of enantioselectivity with insecticidal activity may also indicate a common mode of action. Furthermore, 1R -BF accelerated the spontaneous movement and hatching process, whereas 1S -BF seemed to be inhibitory. The results suggest the need to link behavioral changes to developmental toxicities in order to achieve more comprehensive health risk assessments of chiral pesticides. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:1561,1567. © 2010 SETAC [source]

Cholinesterase activity and behavior in chlorpyrifos-exposed Rana sphenocephala tadpoles

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2006
Pamela D. Widder
Abstract Recent studies have found a correlation between organophosphate (OP) pesticide exposure and declines in amphibian populations. We evaluated the hypothesis that this relationship is driven by behavioral changes in developing larvae. Specifically, we examined how exposure to a common OP pesticide, chlorpyrifos, influenced cholinesterase (ChE) activity, mass, and swim speed in Rana sphenocephala tadpoles. We also determined how the presence of natural pond sediments in exposure chambers influenced response to the pesticide and how mass and survival were affected when tadpoles were exposed to an invertebrate (odonate) predator in addition to the pesticide. Mass and swim speed were measured after 4- and 12-d laboratory exposures to 1, 10, 100, and 200 ,g/L of chlorpyrifos in test chambers that either did or did not contain pond sediments. These same parameters also were examined in mesocosms dosed with 200 ,g/L of chlorpyrifos to evaluate responses under more environmentally realistic conditions. The effect of the invertebrate predators on survival and/or growth of tadpoles was evaluated in the mesocosm study and in separate laboratory experiments. In laboratory tests, no pesticide-induced mortality was observed; however, tadpole ChE activity in the two highest concentrations was significantly lowered, with a longer exposure duration further decreasing activity (maximum inhibition, 43%). Mass also was lower at higher concentrations, but this effect was not enhanced with longer duration of exposure. Reductions in ChE activity of tadpoles exposed in mesocosms were similar to those observed in laboratory experiments for the first 4 d. Tadpole swim speed and survival in the presence of a predator were not affected, with the latter largely resulting from pesticide-induced predator mortality. [source]