Behavioural responses

Peakall, D.B. (1985). Behavioural responses of birds to pesticides and other contaminants Residue Reviews 96, 45-77. 

Obviously, it is extremely unlikely that noradrenergic transmission is the sole factor to determine the behavioural response to even simple environmental stimuli. Indeed, a bell-shaped dose-response curve immediately suggests the intervention of one or more additional factors (neurotransmitters ). Such interactions with other neurotransmitters could well define the relationship between noradrenergic transmission and the coding of the coping response. 

This model was developed after pioneering experiments carried out in the USA by Overmier and Seligman (1967) who reported profound behavioural changes in dogs after their exposure to inescapable, uncontrollable stress (footshock). Subsequent work has concentrated on rats and mice, which show a similar behavioural response. This is expressed as appetite and sleep disturbance, general passivity and, on re-exposure of subjects to the stress, a failure to attempt to escape ( escape deficits ), even when this is feasible. 

T. Nikata, K. Sumida, J. Kato, and H. Ohtake, Rapid method for determining bacterial-behavioural responses to chemical stimulii. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 58 2250 (1992). 

Stralendorf F. von. (1986). Urinary chemosignals and specific behavioural responses in Tree Shrews. J Chem Ecol 12, 99-106. 

An interneuron together with a sensory afferent and motor efferent form a polysynaptic reflex (Figure 2.2) this comprises the initial stage of information input (sensory afferent), the processing/computing an appropriate response (interneurons) and the execution of a behavioural response (motor efferent). The simplest reflexes in the nervous system are monosynaptic reflexes, such as the familiar tendon (knee) jerk, these do not involve an interneuron. The sensory afferent activated by the mechano-receptor (the tap of the patellar hammer) forms a synapse with the motor efferent in the spinal cord, which then causes the skeletal muscle to contract and the crossed leg to jerk forward. With a synaptic delay of 1 millisecond (ms), the time between input and output increases with the number of synapses introduced into the circuit. As an... 

Amygdala, thalamus (limbic system) Emotional and behavioural responses... 

Roper, D.S. and C.W. Hickey. 1994. Behavioural responses of the marine bivalve Macoma Uliana exposed to copper- and chlordane-dosed sediments. Mar. Biol. 118 673-680. 

Mathers, R.A., J.A. Brown, and P.H. Johansen. 1985. The growth and feeding behaviour responses of large-mouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) exposed to PCP. Aquat. Toxicol. 6 157-164. 

Diaz, R.J. Rosenberg, R. 1995. Marine benthic hypoxia A review of its ecological effects and the behavioural responses of benthic macrofauna. Oceanography Marine Biology Annual Review, 33, 245-303. 

Cowen, P. J., Grahame-Smith, D. G., Green, A. R., and Heal, D. J. (1982) Beta-adrenoceptor agonists enhance 5-hydroxytryptamine-mediated behavioural responses. Br. J. Pharmacol.. 76 265-270. 

Struthers E.J. and Campbell, J. (1996) Scent specific behavioural responses to olfactory enrichment in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). XVI Congress International Primatological Society, Madison, WI. Abstracts p. 762. 

Domes, K. M., Adkins Regan, E. and Halpem, B. P. (1997) Sensitivity and behavioural responses to the pheromone androstenone are not mediated by the vomeronasal organ in domestic pigs. Brain Behav. Evolut. 49, 53-62. 

The demonstration of this behavioural response to a male pheromone signal is significant because of the manner in which the pheromone was delivered. Most other vertebrate examples of reproductive pheromones involve reception via the olfactory system(s). In contrast, D. ocoee females received the pheromone via diffusion through the dorsal skin. We assume that the well developed superficial capillary system of these lungless salamanders is the route by which the male pheromone was transported to whatever target tissue(s) initiated responses that affected female reproductive behaviour. 

Multiple lines of evidence suggest that SPF, a single protein within the 20-25 kDa pheromone fraction, is responsible for female behavioural response. First, this major protein component within the D. ocoee fraction was genetically very similar to the precursor of sodefrin (Palmer, Watts, Houck, Picard and Arnold 2007), and sodefrin is a known reproductive pheromone in newts (Kikuyama, Toyoda, Ohmiya, Matsuda, Tanaka and Hayashi 1995 Kikuyama and Toyoda 1999). Second, a separate study showed that the cDNA library of proteins expressed in male D. ocoee mental glands contained a high proportion (25%) of... 

Morphological, behavioural and life-history responses to the chemical presence of kairomones from potential predators are comprehensively surveyed by Lass and Spaak (2003). Phenotypic plasticity that has been intensely studied in freshwater ecosystems is reviewed by Miner et al. (2005) and van Holthoon et al. (2003). Behavioural responses to kairomones are treated by von Elert and Pohnert (2000). 

Carboni and colleagues have reported that mecamylamine-precipitated withdrawal of nicotine increases DA overflow in the prefrontal cortex and have suggested that this increase in DA overflow may also contribute to the aversive consequences of abrupt nicotine withdrawal (Carboni et al. 2000). This response to nicotine withdrawal is not a universal finding since Hildebrand and colleagues failed to observe any changes in DA overflow in the prefrontal cortex following mecamylamine-precipitated withdrawal (Hildebrand et al. 1998). Thus, again, the putative role of these mesocortical projections in the behavioural responses to nicotine withdrawal remains unproven. 

Cannon CM, Palmiter RD (2003) Reward without dopamine, J Neurosci 23 10827-10831 Carboni E, Bortone L, Giua C, Di Chiara G (2000) Dissociation of physical abstinence signs from changes in extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and in the prefrontal cortex of nicotine dependent rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 58 93-102 Castane A, Valjent E, Ledent C, Parmentier M, Maldonado R, Valverde O (2002) Lack of CBl cannabinoid receptors modifies nicotine behavioural responses, but not nicotine abstinence. Neuropharmacology 43 857-867... 

Removal of the eyes in every mammal studied abolishes photoentrainment (Foster 1998). Because the rods and cones were the only known ocular photoreceptors, this led to the assumption that all photoreception can be attributed to these cells. Initial studies on rdjrd mice, which lack rod photoreceptors, and more recent studies on rdjrd cl mice, which lack all functional rods and cones, have provided overwhelming evidence that these classical photoreceptors are not required for photoentrainment (Foster 2002). By extension, the eye must contain at least one additional class of photoreceptor. In addition, studies on rd rd cl mice have shown that the non-rod, non-cone photoreceptors do more than regulate the circadian system. They also contribute to both pupillary constriction and acute alterations in locomotor behaviour, and may be involved in a broad range of physiological and behavioural responses to light (Foster 2002). 

If in instrumental conditioning a response is not followed by a punishment, but its absence, animals will increase this response in order to minimise punishment. In active avoidance tasks, for instance, animals have to show a distinct behavioural response in order to avoid a punishment. Typical examples would be shuttle-box experiments and jump-up avoidance. A shuttle box consists of two compartments that are connected by a sliding door. The punishment will be signalled by either a tone or a light stimulus (CS). Animals have to leave the compartment in which the CS was presented within a selected amoimt of time, after which the CS would be followed by a footshock. In the pole-jump test, the occurrence of the footshock will be signalled by a tone or hght stimulus as well. Animals can avoid the punishment if they jump onto a vertical wooden rod. 

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