The possible correlation of 4-12 Hz hippocampal field oscillations (theta rhythm) with motor and cognitive behavior was studied by recording the hippocampal electroencephalogram in non-locomoting rats as they solved a hippocampus-dependent place recognition task. The electroencephalogram (EEG) during the place recognition task was compared with the EEG during a control task, which had the same ...

Leaf-cutting ants are insects that use plant material to grow fungus from which they feed. These fungus-growing ants perform various behavioral activities to establish an environment conducive to the fungus. Among these behaviors are activities that can serve to detect materials harmful to the colony, such as licking, scraping, chopping, etc. However, there are substances that may not be detect...

Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain the function of alloparental behavior in cooperatively breeding species. We examined whether alloparental experience as juveniles enhanced later parental care and reproductive success in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), a cooperatively breeding rodent. Juveniles cared for one litter of siblings (1EX), two litters of siblings (2EX) or no s...

Variations in maternal care have been associated with long-term changes in neurochemistry and behaviour in adult rats. Rats receiving high levels of licking and grooming as pups are less fearful and more maternal than rats receiving low levels of maternal licking and grooming. Central pathways for oxytocin and vasopressin have been implicated in the neurobiology of anxiety and social behaviours...

Borneol, a bicyclic monoterpene, has been evaluated for antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities. Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities were studied by measuring nociception by acetic acid, formalin, hot plate, and grip strength tests, while inflammation was prompted by carrageenan-induced peritonitis. The rotarod test was used to evaluate motor coordination. Borneol produced...

Previous work has demonstrated that injections of the γ-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) agonist muscimol into the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) induce pronounced increases in the intake of solid foods and sucrose solutions, but do not potentiate water intake. In order to clarify the range of situations in which inactivation of the AcbSh potentiates ingestive behavior, we examined the effects of mu...

OBJECTIVE Vanillosmopsis arborea Baker (Asteraceae) has high economic value from Chapada to Araripe and its bark essential oil is a potential source of alpha-bisabolol. The present study aimed to elucidate the antinociceptive and antipruritic properties of the essential oil of V. arborea Baker (EOVA) in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS The antinociceptive activity was assessed using the capsaicin,...

The assessment of variations in maternal behavior in laboratory rodents is challenging yet may provide an essential tool for understanding the mechanisms linking early life experiences to individual differences in stress responsivity and behavioral indices of depression and anxiety. In this chapter, the methodology for characterizing the quality and quantity of mother–pup interactions in mice a...

Twelve rats were food-deprived to 90% or 70% of their free-feeding weights. Food pellets were then delivered every 60 s (Fixed Time 60-s schedule), and the development of adjunctive drinking was measured by the water consumed and the number of licks. For "master" rats, each lick was followed by 10-s delays in food delivery. Yoked control rats received food at the same time as their master rats ...