Physiology & behavior
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Physiology & behavior · Aug 2012
A sigh following sustained attention and mental stress: effects on respiratory variability.
Normal breathing consists of considerable correlated variability (parameters of subsequent breaths are correlated) and some random variability. Emotional and attentive states alter normal breathing variability, which can be restored by a sigh. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of mental arithmetic and sustained attention on respiratory variability. ⋯ A spontaneous sigh restored correlated variability. An instructed sigh restored correlated variability following mental arithmetic, and increased total variability following sustained attention. These results suggest that a spontaneous sigh and an instructed sigh, when physiologically appropriate, restore respiratory variability influenced by stress or attention.
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Physiology & behavior · Aug 2012
The effects of a high-energy diet on hippocampal-dependent discrimination performance and blood-brain barrier integrity differ for diet-induced obese and diet-resistant rats.
Rats that consume high-energy (HE) diets (i.e., diets high in saturated fats and sugar) show impaired hippocampal-dependent learning and memory (e.g., Kanoski and Davidson (2011) [1]). To further investigate this effect, we trained rats given restricted access to low-fat lab chow on hippocampal-dependent serial feature-negative (FN) and hippocampal-independent simple discrimination problems. When training was completed, Group Chow received ad libitum lab chow. ⋯ However, HE diet-induced obese (HE-DIO) rats (i.e., rats that weighed the most weight and had the most body fat) performed like Group Chow on the simple discrimination problem, but were impaired throughout testing on the FN problem. Subsequent assessment of blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability revealed that concentrations of an exogenously administered dye were elevated in the hippocampus, but not in the striatum or prefrontal cortex for HE-DIO rats relative to the HE-DR and Chow groups. The results indicate that the adverse consequences of HE diet on hippocampal-dependent cognitive functioning are associated with detrimental effects on the BBB and that both of these outcomes vary with sensitivity to HE diet-induced increases in weight and adiposity.
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Physiology & behavior · May 2012
Opioidergic, GABAergic and serotonergic neurotransmission in the dorsal raphe nucleus modulates tonic immobility in guinea pigs.
Tonic immobility (TI) is an innate defensive behavior that can be elicited by physical restriction and postural inversion and is characterized by a profound and temporary state of akinesis. Our previous studies demonstrated that the stimulation of serotonin receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) appears to be biphasic during TI responses in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Serotonin released by the DRN modulates behavioral responses and its release can occur through the action of different neurotransmitter systems, including the opioidergic and GABAergic systems. ⋯ Our results indicate that the opioidergic, GABAergic and serotonergic systems in the DRN are important for modulation of defensive behavioral responses of TI. Therefore, we suggest that opioid inhibition of GABAergic neurons results in disinhibition of serotonergic neurons and this is the mechanism by which opioids could enhance TI. Conversely, a decrease in TI could occur through the activation of GABAergic interneurons.
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Physiology & behavior · May 2012
TRPM2 channel protective properties of N-acetylcysteine on cytosolic glutathione depletion dependent oxidative stress and Ca2+ influx in rat dorsal root ganglion.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a thiol-containing (sulphydryl donor) antioxidant, which contributes to regeneration of glutathione (GSH) and also acts through a direct reaction with free radicals. Thiol depletion has been implicated in the neurobiology of sensory neurons and pain. We reported recently an activator role of intracellular GSH depletion on calcium influx through transient receptor potential melastatin-like 2 (TRPM2) channels in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG). ⋯ In conclusion, we observed a modulator role of NAC on Ca(2+) influx through a TRPM2 channel in intracellular GSH depleted DRG neurons. NAC incubation before BSO exposure appears to be more protective than NAC incubation after BSO exposure. Since cytosolic thiol group depletion is a common feature of neuropathic pain, our findings are relevant to the etiology and treatment of pain neuropathology in DRG neurons.
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Physiology & behavior · May 2012
Selective breeding for endurance running capacity affects cognitive but not motor learning in rats.
The ability to utilize oxygen has been shown to affect a wide variety of physiological factors often considered beneficial for survival. As the ability to learn can be seen as one of the core factors of survival in mammals, we studied whether selective breeding for endurance running, an indication of aerobic capacity, also has an effect on learning. ⋯ In the Rotarod (motor-learning) task, the HCR animals were overall more agile but learned at a similar rate with the LCR group as a function of training. We conclude that the intrinsic ability to utilize oxygen is associated especially with tasks requiring plasticity of the brain structures implicated in flexible cognition.