Drug abuse during pregnancy is a growing problem in all developed countries all over the world. The drugs easily cross the placental barrier into the fetal body and are present also in the maternal milk. Therefore, it may affect the development of the child pre- as well as postnatally. The effects of prenatal drug exposure are long-lasting and persist until adulthood. The present review summarizes the clinical and experimental evidence showing how opioids and psychostimulants can affect maternal behavior of drug-abusing mother and the development of their offspring., R. Šlamberová., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Hypoxia is one of the major pathological factors affecting brain function. The aim of the present study was to describe the effect of neonatal hypobaric hypoxia on the behavior of rats and to analyze its effect on hippocampal neurodegeneration. Hypobaric hypoxia at a simulated altitude of 9000 m was induced for one hour in neonatal rat pups (PND7 and PND9) of both sexes. Subsequently, the rats underwent behavioral testing on PND25 and PND35 using a LABORAS apparatus to assess spontaneous behavior. Hypoxia did not cause any morphological damage in the hippocampus of rats. However, hypoxia on PND7 led to less horizontal locomotor activity both in males (on PND25) and females (on PND35). Hypoxia on PND9 led to higher rearing in females on PND25. Hypoxic males exhibited higher grooming activity, while females lower grooming activity on PND35 following hypoxia induced on PND7. In females, hypoxia on PND9 resulted in higher grooming activity on PND25. Sex differences in the effect of hypoxia were observed on PND35, when hypoxic males compared to hypoxic females displayed more locomotor, rearing and grooming activity. Our data suggest that hypoxia on PND7 versus PND9 differently affects locomotion and grooming later in adolescence and these effects are sex-dependent.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive behavior and restricted interests. There is convincing evidence that the intestinal inflammation is involved in etiology of ASD. Increased levels of inflammatory markers were shown to be associated with more aberrant behaviors and communication of subjects with ASD. Calprotectin in the feces is produced by activated neutrophils and epithelial cells of the gut mucosa, and its levels reflect local inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Concentration of fecal calprotectin was determined by ELISA method in 87 individuals with ASD and 51 controls, of that 29 siblings of children with ASD and 22 non-related controls. In non-relatives significantly lower values of fecal calprotectin were observed than in both subjects with ASD and their siblings. In the group with ASD significant correlations of fecal calprotectin with all domains of the ADI-R diagnostic tool were found: qualitative abnormalities in reciprocal social interaction and communication, restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior. Results suggest that low grade intestinal inflammation may be one of factors implicated in the pathophysiology of ASD.
The aim of the present study was to compare the response to acute application of several drugs in adult male and female rats prenatally exposed to metham phetamine (MA). Spontaneous locomotor activity and exploratory behavior of adult male and female rats prenatally exposed to MA (5 mg/kg) or saline were tested in a Laboras apparatus (Metris B.V., Netherlands) for 1 h. Challenge dose of the examined drug [amphetamine - 5 mg/kg; cocaine - 5mg/kg; MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) - 5 mg/kg; morphine - 5 mg/kg; THC (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol) - 2 mg/kg] or saline was injected prior to testing. Our data demonstrate that prenatal MA exposure did not affect behavior in male rats with cocaine or morphine treatment, but increased locomotion and exploration in females. Application of amphetamine and MDMA in adulthood increased activity in both sexes, while cocaine and THC only in female rats. Morphine, on the other hand, decreased the activity in the Laboras test in both sexes. As far as sex and estrous cycle is concerned, the present study shows that males were generally less active than females and also females in proestrus-estrus phase of the estrous cycle were more active than females in diestrus. In conclusion, the present study shows that the pr enatal MA exposure does not induce general sensitization but affects the sensitivity to drugs dependently to mechanism of drug action and with respect to gonadal hormones., R. Šlamberová ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Phloea subquadrata (Hemiptera, Phloeidae) was observed in two natural reserves of the Brazilian Atlantic forest near Linhares (Espirito Santo). This species exhibits maternal care which is also known for the two other species of the family: Phloea corticata and Phloeophana longirostris. They protect the eggs and also the larvae from predation by covering them with their body. Such behavior is known for other species of Hemiptera, but with some variations. The evolutionary significance of phloeid behaviour is discussed with reference to the behaviour of Hemiptera in general.
Cardiovascular pathologies are frequently associated with anxiety
and other behavioral disturbances. Ivabradine, an inhibitor of the
hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in
the sinoatrial node, decreases heart rate and provides
cardiovascular protection. Although ivabradine is increasingly
used in cardiovascular medicine, the data on its behavioral
effects are lacking. The aim of this work was to show
ivabradine’s potential effect on behavior in healthy and
hypertensive rats. After a four-week treatment period, systolic
blood pressure was increased in the N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl
ester (L-NAME)-group and ivabradine significantly reduced it.
Furthermore, it reduced the heart rate in both the control and
L-NAME-group. In the control group, ivabradine enhanced the
time spent in and transition to the open arms of the elevated
plus maze test (EPM). In the L-NAME-group, ivabradine does not
show a significant effect on the time spent in the EPM open arms
and the number of transitions into them. Furthermore, ivabradine
has no impact on cognitive function in both control and L-NAME
groups. We conclude that ivabradine showed no undesirable
effects on anxiety, locomotion or learning; in fact, some of these
parameters were even improved. For the first time it has been
shown that ivabradine is a safe cardiovascular drug regarding its
effect on psycho-behavioral manifestations.
We have previously shown that chronic renal failure in rats induces changes in motor activity and behavior. Similar work on the possible effects of acute renal failure (ARF) induced by cisplatin (CP) is lacking. This is the subject matter of the current work. CP was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) at a single dose of 20 mg/kg to induce a state of ARF, and three days later, its effects on motor activity, thermal and chemical noci ceptive tests, neuromuscular coordination, pentobarbitone-sleeping time, exploration activity and tw o depression models were investigated. The platinum concentration in the kidneys and brains of mice was also measured. The occurrence of CP-induced ARF was ascertained by standard physiological, biochemical and histo-pathological methods. CP induced all the classical biochemical, physiological and histopathological signs of ARF. The average renal platinum concen tration of CP-treated mice was 5.16 ppm, but there was no measurable concentration of platinum in the whole brains. CP treatment significantly decreased motor and exploration activities, and increased immobility time in depression models, suggesting a possible depression-like state. There was also a significant decrease in neuromuscular coordination in CP-treated mice. CP, given at a nephrotoxic dose, induced several adverse motor and behavioral alterations in mice. Further behavioral tests and molecular and biochemical investigations in the brains of mice with CP-induced ARF are warranted., B. H. Ali ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is an ubiquitary monoamine acting as one of the neurotransmitters at synapses of nerve cells. Serotonin acts through several receptor types and subtypes. The profusion of 5-HT receptors should eventually allow a better understanding of the different and complex processes in which serotonin is involved. Its role is expected in the etiology of several diseases, including depre ssion, schizophreni a, anxiety and panic disorders, migraine, hypert ension, pulmonary hypertension, eating disorders, vomiting and irritable bowel syndromes. In the past 20 years, seven distinct families of 5-HT receptors have been identified and various subpo pulations have been described for several of them. Increasing number of 5-HT receptors has made it difficult to unravel the role of 5-HT receptor subpopulations due to the lack of suitable selective agents. The present review describes the different populations and nomenclature of recently discovered 5-HT receptors and their pharmacological relevance. and M. Pytliak ... [et al.].
Kainic acid (KA) is a potent neurotoxic substance valuable in research of temporal lobe epilepsy. We tested how subconvulsive dose of KA influences spontaneous behavior of adult Wistar rats. Animals were treated with 5 mg/kg of KA and tested in Laboras open field test for one hour in order to evaluate various behavioral parameters. Week after the KA treatment animals were tested again in Laboras open field test. Finally, rat’s brains were sliced and stained with Fluoro-Jade B to detect possible neuronal degeneration. Treatment with KA increased the time spent by locomotion (p<0.01), exploratory rearing (p<0.05) and animals traveled longer distance (p<0.01). These parameters tended to increase thirty minutes after KA administration. Week after the treatment we did not found differences in any measured behavioral parameter. Histology in terms of Fluoro-Jade B staining did not reveal any obvious neuronal damage in hippocampus. These results demonstrate that subconvulsive KA dose changes the behavioral parameters only transiently. Clarification of timing of the KA induced changes may contribute to understand mutual relationship between non-convulsive seizures and behavioral/cognitive consequences., V. Riljak, D. Marešová, J. Pokorný, K. Jandová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We describe the male courtship song of the newly-discovered species Drosophila santomea, endemic to the island of Saõ Tomé and the sister species of the widely distributed D. yakuba, which also inhabits the island. The song of D. santomea resembles that of D. yakuba in lacking a "sine" song, but the interpulse interval (IPI) in the "pulse" song is about 67 ms for the former species and 110 ms for the latter. This is the largest difference in IPI observed between any two sister species in the D. melanogaster subgroup, and may play a role in the strong sexual isolation between these two species.