Interactions animal behaviour

The priming effects of urine substrate marks on interactions between male house mice, Mus musculus domesticus Schwarz and Schwarz. Animal Behaviour 45,55-81. 

Petranka, J. W., Kats, L. B., and Sih, A. (1987). Predator-prey interactions among fish and larval amphibians use of chemical cues to detect predatory fish. Animal Behaviour 35, 420-425. 

Vince, M. A., Lynch, J. J., Mottershead, B. E., Green, G. C., and Elwin, R. L. (1987). Interactions between normal ewes and newly born lambs deprived of visual, olfactoiy and tactile sensory infortmition. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 19,119-136. 

Therefore, what is relevant to the animal behaviourally and how it interacts with the environment determines its biological setup (Figure 2). The odour stimuli in which moths are primarily interested are plumes with fast temporal features and complex blends. This has implications for the form and function of the AL and its inputs. For instance, it has been suggested that there are ORNs specifically designed for detection of flux in pheromone components. 

Most of these models evaluate the effects of drugs on the behaviour of animals when they are exposed to a novel environment. Novelty normally reduces animals exploratory activity but established anti-anxiety drugs consistently increase exploration of, and approaches to, the novel stimulus and reduce the neophobic ( avoidance ) reaction. There are several examples of tests based on this principle (Table 19.2) but two that are widely used are the plus-maze and the social interaction tests. 

From the examination of structure-activity relationships, it has been concluded that a phenyl moiety at C-6 as well as a 4-hydroxypiperidine side-chain attached to C-3 of the pyridazine system is essential for anticonvulsant activity in this class of compounds [184], Compounds (54) and (55) have been found to have similar anticonvulsant profiles in animals (mice, rats and baboons) [165, and literature cited therein] and to represent potent broad-spectrum antiepileptic drugs. Their potency with regard to antagonizing seizures (induced by electro-shock or various chemicals) has been compared with standard anticonvulsants like carbamazepine and phenobarbitone [185, 186], A quantitative electroencephalographic analysis of (55) has been published [187]. From in vitro studies it has been concluded that the anticonvulsant activities of these compounds are not mediated by an enhancement of GABAergic transmission or by an interaction with benzodiazepine receptor sites [ 165,186,187], On the other hand, in vivo experiments showed that (54), at anticonvulsant doses, increases the affinity of flunitrazepam for its central receptor site [ 186], Investigations of (54) and (55) in a behavioural test predictive of antianxiety activity revealed a marked difference in the pharmacological profiles of these structurally closely related compounds the dichloro compound SR 41378 (55) has also been found to possess anxiolytic (anticonflict) properties [165],... 

In the history of both animal and human ethology the direct observation of unstaged interactions in a natural habitat plays a critical role for methodological and theoretical considerations. Even when ethologists think that they already know much about adaptations and the ways in which they interact with the environment, the principles which have been involved in the evolution of increasingly complex human behaviour are still not very well understood. 

The disinhibitory effects of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists are now well documented [29, 30]. These compounds act to restore normal behaviour to animals in conditions which are mildly aversive, such as a novel brightly lit test area. Such effects may be predictive of anxiolytic activity. An example of such disinhibition is the effect of ondansetron in the rat social interaction test in which the level of interaction between two rats is measured under certain defined conditions [29]. In non-aversive conditions this type of behaviour is quite marked, but it is suppressed in novel highly illuminated conditions. Ondansetron overcomes this suppression, as do known anxiolytics such as diazepam. 

Griebel G (1995) 5-Hydroxytryptamine-interacting drugs in animal models of anxiety disorders more than 30 years of research. Pharmacol Ther 65 319-395 Griebel G, Belzung C, Perrault G, Sanger DJ (2000) Differences in anxiety-related behaviours and in sensitivity to diazepam in inbred and outbred strains of mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 148 164-170... 

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