Physiology & behavior
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Physiology & behavior · Feb 2015
Chronic psychological stress in high-anxiety rats induces sustained bladder hyperalgesia.
To evaluate whether anxiety-prone rats exposed to chronic water avoidance stress (WAS) develop visceral bladder hyperalgesia in addition to increased voiding frequency and anxiety-related behaviors. ⋯ Chronic WAS induces sustained bladder hyperalgesia, lasting over a month after exposure to stress. The urinary frequency demonstrated previously in anxiety-prone rats exposed to chronic WAS seems to be associated with bladder hyperalgesia, suggesting that this is a potential model for future studies of bladder hypersensitivity syndromes such as interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS).
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Physiology & behavior · Feb 2015
Cocaine-induced suppression of saccharin intake and morphine modulation of Ca²⁺ channel currents in sensory neurons of OPRM1 A118G mice.
Several studies have shown that human carriers of the single nucleotide polymorphism of the μ-opioid receptor, OPRM1 A118G, exhibit greater drug and alcohol use, increased sensitivity to pain, and reduced sensitivity to the antinociceptive effects of opiates. In the present study, we employed a 'humanized' mouse model containing the wild-type (118AA) or variant (118GG) allele to examine behavior in our model of drug-induced suppression of a natural reward cue and to compare the morphine pharmacological profile in acutely isolated sensory neurons. ⋯ However, repeated cocaine exposure in 118GG mice led to a leftward shift of the morphine concentration-response relationship when compared with 118GG control mice, while a rightward shift was observed in 118AA mice. These results suggest that cocaine exposure of mice carrying the 118G allele leads to a heightened sensitivity of the reward system and a blunted modulation of Ca(2+) channels by morphine in sensory neurons.
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Physiology & behavior · Jan 2015
Cortisol and pain-related behavior in disbudded goat kids with and without cornual nerve block.
Plasma cortisol and behavior were measured in disbudded goat kids with and without the use of cornual nerve block. A total of 45 kids were used in 5 experimental groups (n=9, males and females). Group LidoD was infiltrated with 1 mL of 2% lidocaine locally at the cornual branches of lacrimal and infratrochlear nerves, 15 min before thermal disbudding. ⋯ Struggles tended to be higher in SD (16.5 ± 2.5), CD (17.8 ± 2.5) and LidoD (15.6 ± 2.5) than Sim (10.6 ± 2.5; p=0.1). The total behavioral response was different between groups (CD, 59.6 ± 6.8; LidoD, 52 ± 6.8; SD, 62.6 ± 6.8; Sim, 36.8 ± 6.8; p=0.05), and disbudded animals showed the strongest reactions (disbudded, 58.1 ± 3.9 vs non-disbudded, 36.8 ± 6.8; p=0.01). It was concluded that cornual nerve block (lacrimal and infratrochlear) using 2% lidocaine did not prevent pain during thermal disbudding of goat kids.
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Physiology & behavior · Jan 2015
Comparative StudyBehavioral study of non-evoked orofacial pain following different types of infraorbital nerve injury in rats.
Directed isolated face grooming following unilateral chronic constriction injury to the infraorbital nerve (IoN-CCI) is a unique measure of spontaneous neuropathic pain. Variability between rats and the limited duration of the increased face grooming behavior has hampered its usefulness. We studied three possible sources of variability: variations in surgery, pre-existing differences in nocifensive behavior between the rats and variation in time. ⋯ It is therefore unclear if pre-existing behavioral differences between animals are a major cause of variability in the IoN-CCI model. Finally, repeated testing showed significant variability in time. It is concluded that tight ligation of the IoN nerve has long-lasting effects on face grooming behavior and that part of the variability in face grooming behavior may be reduced by performing repeated testing.
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Physiology & behavior · Jan 2015
A mouse model for binge-like sucrose overconsumption: Contribution of enhanced motivation for sweetener consumption.
Behavioral and neural features of binge-like sugar overconsumption have been studied using rat models. However, few mouse models are available to examine the interaction between neural and genetic underpinnings of bingeing. In the present study, we first aim to establish a simple mouse model of binge-like sucrose overconsumption using daytime limited access training in food-restricted male mice. ⋯ Our results suggest that even when caloric consumption is not necessarily required, limited access training shapes and triggers binge-like overconsumption of sweetened solution in trained mice. The binge-like behavior in trained mice may be mainly due to enhanced hedonic motivation for the sweetener's taste. The present study suggests that our mouse model for binge-like sugar overconsumption may mimic some human features of binge eating and can be used to investigate the roles of neural and genetic mechanisms in binge-like overconsumption of sweetened substances in the absence of physical hunger.