Behavioral Evidence (behavioral + evidence)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Transnatal olfactory continuity in the rabbit: Behavioral evidence and short-term consequence of its disruption

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2002
Gérard Coureaud
Abstract This study investigates the role of prenatal odor learning on postnatal adaptive orientation responses in the newborn rabbit. Preference tests revealed that pups are equally attracted to the odors of placentae and colostrum (Experiments 1,4), suggesting that an odor continuity may exist between the fetal and neonatal environments. To test some predictions derived from this hypothesis, we manipulated the odor of the diet of pregnant-lactating does to control the chemical niches of their perinates. Fetuses exposed in this way to the odor of cumin (C) were selectively attracted as neonates to the odor of pure C (Experiment 6). Prenatal exposure to C also was followed, to a certain extent, by enhanced attraction to C odor in the placenta or colostrum from females which had consumed it (Experiments 5 & 7). Finally, the functional implications of perinatal odor continuity were tested by disrupting it. The odor component of the feto,neonatal transitional environment revealed indeed to affect the ability of certain pups to gain colostrum and milk at the very first sucking opportunities (Experiment 8). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 40: 372,390, 2002. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/dev.10038 [source]


Behavioral evidence for a female-produced sex attractant in Diaphorina citri

ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2008
Erik J. Wenninger
Abstract Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is an important worldwide pest of citrus. It vectors three phloem-restricted bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter that cause huanglongbing (citrus greening disease). Studies were conducted to examine the behavioral responses of male and female D. citri to conspecifics of the same and opposite sex, with and without associated citrus host plants, in both open-air arena choice assays and Y-tube olfactometer assays. Virgin and mated male D. citri colonized citrus plants that were currently or had been previously colonized by virgin or mated female D. citri in greater numbers than control plants without females. However, males or females did not accumulate more on plants colonized by conspecifics of the same sex compared to uninfested plants, and females showed no preference for plants pre-infested with males compared with uninfested controls. In complementary Y-tube olfactometer assays, virgin and mated males chose arms with odor sources from mated females compared with blank controls in the absence of associated citrus host plant volatiles. In both behavioral assays, mated female D. citri appeared more attractive than virgin females. The vibrational calling behavior of male D. citri was reduced when males were challenged by the odors of conspecific mated females relative to when males were challenged by the odor of other males. Collectively, our results provide behavioral evidence for a female-produced volatile sex attractant pheromone in D. citri. Future identification and synthesis of a sex attractant pheromone will be an important contribution to current monitoring and management practices for D. citri. [source]


REVIEW: Behavioral evidence for the significance of serotoninergic (5-HT) receptors in cocaine addiction

ADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
gorzata Filip
ABSTRACT Cocaine addiction has somatic, psychological, psychiatric, socio-economic and legal implications in the developed world. Presently, there is no medication approved for the treatment of cocaine addiction. In recent years, data from the literature (pre-clinical studies and clinical trials) have provided several lines of evidence that serotonin (5-HT) and 5-HT receptors play a modulatory role in the mechanisms of action of cocaine. Here we review the contribution of 5-HT receptor subtypes to cocaine sensitization, discrimination, conditioned place preference, self-administration, reinstatement of seeking behavior and withdrawal symptoms in laboratory animals. Additionally, the consequences of chronic cocaine exposure on particular 5-HT receptor-assigned functions in pre-clinical studies are presented. [source]


Behavioral and morphological asymmetries in chukar Alectoris chukar copulation

JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2005
David J. Delehanty
Birds often exhibit greater reproductive tract development on the left side than right side. Behavioral evidence from the three species for which data has been published indicates that these species copulate more frequently on the left side of females than on the right side. Missing from the literature are studies that compare asymmetry in copulation behavior to asymmetry in reproductive tract morphology of the same individuals of both sexes within a single species. To better understand the potential for cryptic sexual selection to influence avian copulation, we measured asymmetries in chukar Alectoris chukar copulation using 24 male and 29 female chukar brought into captivity from the wild. Chukar copulated (n=37) more from the left side (n=30) of females than the right side (n=7). The left testis of males was consistently greater in size, mass and volume than the right testis. The left ovary and oviduct of females was consistently functional with no observable development of the right ovary or oviduct. Left-side bias in direction of copulation, larger left testes, and functional left vaginal openings may act in concert to deliver spermatozoa to the oviduct, promoting fertilization. [source]


Behavioral evidence for a female-produced sex attractant in Diaphorina citri

ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2008
Erik J. Wenninger
Abstract Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is an important worldwide pest of citrus. It vectors three phloem-restricted bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter that cause huanglongbing (citrus greening disease). Studies were conducted to examine the behavioral responses of male and female D. citri to conspecifics of the same and opposite sex, with and without associated citrus host plants, in both open-air arena choice assays and Y-tube olfactometer assays. Virgin and mated male D. citri colonized citrus plants that were currently or had been previously colonized by virgin or mated female D. citri in greater numbers than control plants without females. However, males or females did not accumulate more on plants colonized by conspecifics of the same sex compared to uninfested plants, and females showed no preference for plants pre-infested with males compared with uninfested controls. In complementary Y-tube olfactometer assays, virgin and mated males chose arms with odor sources from mated females compared with blank controls in the absence of associated citrus host plant volatiles. In both behavioral assays, mated female D. citri appeared more attractive than virgin females. The vibrational calling behavior of male D. citri was reduced when males were challenged by the odors of conspecific mated females relative to when males were challenged by the odor of other males. Collectively, our results provide behavioral evidence for a female-produced volatile sex attractant pheromone in D. citri. Future identification and synthesis of a sex attractant pheromone will be an important contribution to current monitoring and management practices for D. citri. [source]


Late postnatal maturation of excitatory synaptic transmission permits adult-like expression of hippocampal-dependent behaviors

HIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 5 2005
Theodore C. Dumas
Abstract Sensorimotor systems in altricial animals mature incrementally during early postnatal development, with complex cognitive abilities developing late. Of prominence are cognitive processes that depend on an intact hippocampus, such as contextual,configural learning, allocentric and idiocentric navigation, and certain forms of trace conditioning. The mechanisms that regulate the delayed maturation of the hippocampus are not well understood. However, there is support for the idea that these behaviors come "on line" with the final maturation of excitatory synaptic transmission. First, by providing a timeline for the first behavioral expression of various forms of learning and memory, this study illustrates the late maturation of hippocampal-dependent cognitive abilities. Then, functional development of the hippocampus is reviewed to establish the temporal relationship between maturation of excitatory synaptic transmission and the behavioral evidence of adult-like hippocampal processing. These data suggest that, in rats, mechanisms necessary for the expression of adult-like synaptic plasticity become available at around 2 postnatal weeks of age. However, presynaptic plasticity mechanisms, likely necessary for refinement of the hippocampal network, predominate and impede information processing until the third postnatal week. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Towards a model of implicit feedback for Web search

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Xin Fu
Abstract This research investigated several important issues in using implicit feedback techniques to assist searchers with difficulties in formulating effective search strategies. It focused on examining the relationship between types of behavioral evidence that can be captured from Web searches and searchers' interests. A carefully crafted observation study was conducted to capture, examine, and elucidate the analytical processes and work practices of human analysts when they simulated the role of an implicit feedback system by trying to infer searchers' interests from behavioral traces. Findings provided rare insight into the complexities and nuances in using behavioral evidence for implicit feedback and led to the proposal of an implicit feedback model for Web search that bridged previous studies on behavioral evidence and implicit feedback measures. A new level of analysis termed an analytical lens emerged from the data and provides a road map for future research on this topic. [source]


Effects of Lidocaine Infusion during Experimental Endotoxemia in Horses

JOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2010
J.R. Peiró
Background: The clinical efficacy of IV infusion of lidocaine for treatment of equine endotoxemia has not been studied. Hypothesis: Lidocaine infusion after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) will inhibit the inflammatory response and have inhibitory effects on the hemodynamic and cytokine responses to endotoxemia. Animals: Twelve horses. Methods: Two equal groups (n = 6): saline (GI) and lidocaine (GII). In all animals, endotoxin (500 ng/kg body weight [BW]) was injected intraperitoneally over 5 minutes. Twenty minutes later, animals received a bolus of GI or GII (1.3 mg/kg BW) over 5 minutes, followed by a 6-hour continuous rate infusion of GI or GII (0.05 mg/kg BW/min). Treatment efficacy was judged from change in arterial blood pressure, peripheral blood and peritoneal fluid (PF) variables (total and differential cell counts, enzyme activities, and cytokine concentrations), and clinical scores (CS) for behavioral evidence of abdominal pain or discomfort during the study. Results: Compared with the control group, horses treated with lidocaine had significantly lower CS and serum and PF tumor necrosis factor-, (TNF-,) activity. At several time points in both groups, total and differential cell counts, glucose, total protein and fibrinogen concentrations, and alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase, and TNF-, activities were significantly different from baseline values both in peripheral blood and in PF. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Lidocaine significantly decreased severity of CS and inhibited TNF-, activity in PF. [source]


Suspicious minds: The motive to acquire relationship-threatening information

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2003
William Ickes
In four studies, we obtained evidence for the reliability and validity of a 21-item scale designed to measure a new theoretical construct: individual differences in the motivation to acquire relationship-threatening information (hereafter, MARTI). Study 1 provided evidence for the MARTI scale's reliability and discriminant validity, revealing that it was reliable and not significantly correlated with measures of the Big Five personality traits, adult attachment styles, or more general social orientations. Studies 2 and 3 provided evidence for the scale's convergent and discriminant validity, showing that dating partners with higher MARTI scores (i.e., those who were more motivated to acquire relationship-threatening information) scored lower in relational trust and reported engaging in more "suspicion behaviors." Study 4 provided behavioral evidence for the scale's predictive validity, revealing that (a) dating partners with higher MARTI scores were more likely to break up within 5 months, and (b) the breakup rate was most pronounced for dating partners who scored higher on the scale and who also reported being less close. We discuss how this new construct and measure can be used to study important relationship dynamics. We can't go on together With suspicious minds. - Lines from the 1969 Elvis Presley hit [source]


The processing of sound duration after left hemisphere stroke: Event-related potential and behavioral evidence

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2001
T.-M. Ilvonen
The ability of left-hemisphere stroke patients (n= 8) and healthy control subjects (n= 8) to process sounds preattentively and attentively was studied by recording auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral responses. For the right-ear stimulation, the mismatch negativity (MMN) was significantly smaller in the patients than control subjects over both hemispheres. For the left-ear stimuli, the MMN was significantly smaller in the patient group than in the control group over the left hemisphere, whereas no group differences were obtained over the right hemisphere. In addition, the N1 amplitude was reduced bilaterally for the right-ear stimulation (with the reduction being larger over the left hemisphere), whereas no significant effects on the N1 amplitude were found for the left-ear stimulation. Behaviorally, the patients detected significantly fewer deviant tones than did the control subjects irrespective of the stimulated ear. The present results thus suggest that the long-latency ERPs can be used to probe such auditory processing deficits that are difficult to define with behavioral measures. Especially by recording MMN to monaural stimuli, the discrimination accuracy can be separately determined for the left and right temporal lobes. [source]