Academic literature on the topic 'Agonism avoidance'

Introduction: The clinical use of kappa-opioid agonists, despite their lack of significant drug potential, is limited by the development of severe sedation, dysphoria, depression, and anhedonia. To this date, there are kappa-opioid receptor agonists lacking these side effects due to the selective activation of intracellular signal transmission pathways without p38-MAPK-kinase activation. Materials and methods: We analyzed assessment of the docking energy of compound RU-1205 to the p38-MAPK active center by the method of similarity to SB203580. The study of possible aversive properties of RU-1205 (0.01–1 mg/kg s.c.) conducted in the tests of the intravenous self-administration and drug differentiation with butorphanol (0.01–0.3 mg/kg). The study of p38 MAPK-inhibitory activity was studied by the ability of RU-1205 to change the aversive properties of U50488 (10 mg/kg i.p.) compared to MAPK-kinase inhibitor SB203580 in the conditioned place avoidance test. Results: The spatial similarity coefficient of the RU-1205 molecule with SB203580 by the molecular conformation method was 1.14 (high similarity), and the docking energy was -8.7 Kcal/mol. RU-1205 did not possess any properties similar to those of butorphanol and did not demonstrate any primary reinforcing aversive properties in the development of intravenous self-administration reaction. Compound RU-1205 did not demonstrate any aversive properties in the conditioned place avoidance test, and reduced the development of aversion caused by U-50488, when they were used together. Discussion: The in silico analysis suggested that, in addition to agonism towards the kappa-opioid receptor, RU-1205 compound exhibits the properties of a p38 MAPK kinase inhibitor, which means it may have a double pharmacological activity. Conclusion: Kappa agonist – compound RU-1205 – is not a trigger of the development of behavioral patterns in animals corresponding to the development of addiction/dysphoria. The mechanism of such an activity may be associated with an inhibitory effect of compound RU-1205 on neuronal p38-MAPK-kinase.

Kinship has been shown to play a crucial role in shaping the social structure of animal societies. We examined the genetic relationships of adult and sub-adult males () and females () from five social groups of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) at Palenque National Park, Mexico, by genotyping each individual at 21 microsatellite markers. These findings were related to patterns of intragroup spatial associations and affiliative and agonistic interactions recorded over a 28-month period of behavioural observation in the field. We demonstrate that the social structure of this black howler monkey population is dominated by strong social relationships and high degrees of genetic relatedness among females. Female kin had stronger relationships because they were less aggressive to each other than female non-kin. Nevertheless, females resident in the same social group frequently spent time close to one another and affiliated with each other regardless of kinship. Relationships among males from the same social group were based on avoidance and tolerance, as males rarely interacted either affiliatively or agonistically and spent limited time close to one another. Nonetheless, kinship was a significant predictor of agonistic interactions among males, with unrelated or distantly related males engaging in agonism at higher rates than close male kin. Adult males and females rarely co-resided with adult kin from the opposite sex, and they affiliated and spatially associated at rates intermediary to those among females and those among males.

Many markers of asthma morbidity have shown substantial increases over the past two decades, including family physician visits, use of anti-asthma medications, emergency room visits and hospital admissions. The reported prevalence of diagnosed asthma and of wheezing has increased, especially in children, with accompanying evidence of increased atopy and increased airway responsiveness. Allergen exposure and parental smoking are significant risk factors for childhood wheezing, whereas the influence of outdoor air pollution is uncertain. Increasing use of beta-agonist treatment, which appears to increase the severity of asthma by increasing early and late responses to allergen, may contribute to increased morbidity and mortality, especially if potent beta-agonists are used. Risk factors for asthma mortality include age, smoking, allergy and airway lability, as well as over-reliance on beta-agonists and poor compliance with other aspects of treatment. Following withdrawal of the potent beta-agonist fenoterol in New Zealand, both hospital admissions and mortality from asthma fell abruptly. Continued patient and physician education, with emphasis on avoidance of risk factors and use of appropriate treatment, should reduce morbidity and mortality from asthma in Canada.

We examined the effect of the acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) inhibitor, donepezil hydrocloride (DONP), on group II metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor agonist- or antagonist-induced amnesia in the step-through passive avoidance task in male mice. DCG-IV, a group II mGlu receptor agonist, at dose of 50 ng and LY341495, a group II mGlu receptor antagonist, at dose of 300 ng, significantly attenuated the latency on the step-through task. The subcutaneous injection of DONP at dose of 1 mg/kg 1 hour before passive avoidance performance ameliorated the amnesia induced by DCG-IV and LY341495, whereas donepezil alone did not affect task latency. The results suggest that activation of group II mGlu receptors and disinhibition of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway (caused by group II mGlu receptor antagonist) have a negative action on step-through passive avoidance memory performance, and that group II mGlu receptors and ACh interact to modulate learning and memory function.

In the present study, the effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor agonist and antagonist on the lithium state-dependent memory have been investigated. For memory assessment, one-trial step-down passive avoidance task was used in adult male NMRI mice. Post-training intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of lithium (10 mg/kg) impaired the memory of passive avoidance task. Pre-test administration of the same dose of the drug (10 mg/kg) restored impairment of memory by lithium given after training. This is known as state-dependent memory. In addition, pre-test administration of both NMDA receptor agonist (NMDA; 0.01 and 0.1 ng/mouse, i.c.v.) and the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801 (0.1 and 0.5 mg/mouse, i.c.v) also restored impairment of memory induced by post-training lithium. On the other hand, pre-test co-administration of ineffective dose of NMDA (0.001 ng/mouse, i.c.v.) or MK-801 (0.001 mg/mouse, i.c.v) with lower doses of lithium (1.25, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) increased the restoration of memory by lithium. The results suggest that NMDA receptors are involved, at least partly, in the lithium state-dependent memory of passive avoidance task.

Abstract The role of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in the consolidation of aversive memory is well established. Here we investigate the involvement of the histaminergic system in BLA on this variable. Rats were chronically implanted with bilateral cannulae in the BLA and after recovery were trained in a one-trial step-down inhibitory avoidance task. Immediately after training histaminergic compounds either alone or in combination were infused through the cannulae. Memory was assessed in test sessions carried out 24 h after the training session. Post-training histamine (1–10 nmol; 0.5 µl/side) enhanced consolidation and the histamine H3 receptor antagonist thioperamide (50 nmol; 0.5 µl/side) impaired memory consolidation. The effect was shared by the histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor SKF-91844 (50 nmol; 0.5 µl/side) as well as by the H3 receptor agonist imetit (10 nmol; 0.5 µl/side). The promnesic action of histamine was unaffected by the H1 receptor antagonist pyrilamine (50 nmol; 0.5 µl/side). The H1 receptor agonist pyridylethylamine (10 nmol; 0.5 µl/side), the H2 agonist dimaprit (10 nmol; 0.5 µl/side) and the H2 antagonist ranitidine (50 nmol; 0.5 µl/side) were ineffective. Histaminergic compounds infused into the BLA had no effect on open-field or elevated plus-maze behaviour. The data show that histamine induces a dose-dependent mnemonic effect in rats and indicate that this reflects a role of endogenous histamine in the BLA mediated by H3 receptors.

Allergic asthma is characterized by airway inflammation in response to chronic allergen exposure, resulting in remodeling of the airway wall accompanied by dysfunctional airway physiology. However, a link between the immune-inflammatory response to allergen and changes to airway structure and physiology has not yet been fully elucidated. Moreover, the impact of inhaled corticosteroids and β2-agonists, the primary pharmacotherapy for asthma, on this process has not been completely evaluated. In this study, we employed a murine model of chronic exposure to a common environmental aeroallergen, house dust mite, to recapitulate the phenotype of clinical asthma. By examining the therapeutic effects of corticosteroid/β2-agonist combination therapy with budesonide/formoterol (BUD/FORM) in this model of airway disease, we endeavored to determine the impact of BUD/FORM on lung inflammation, structure, and physiology. BUD/FORM was delivered either while allergen exposure was ongoing (concurrent therapy) or following the cessation of allergen exposure (postexposure therapy). Our results show that airway inflammation was substantially reduced in BUD/FORM-treated mice in the concurrent therapy group, whereas in the postexposure therapy group airway inflammation spontaneously resolved. In contrast, BUD/FORM was most effective in resolving several aspects of airway remodeling and bronchial hyperreactivity when delivered in conjunction with allergen withdrawal. This study demonstrates that although both BUD/FORM therapy and allergen avoidance independently reduce airway inflammation, only BUD/FORM therapy in conjunction with allergen avoidance can effectively reverse airway remodeling and bronchial hyperreactivity induced by chronic allergen exposure.

Background. Separate lines of research link lowered serotonin tone to interpersonal submissiveness and bulimia nervosa (BN). We explored the impact of co-morbid avoidant personality disorder (APD), as a proxy for submissiveness, on behavioural inhibition and serotonin function in women with BN.Method. Participants included women with BN with co-morbid APD (BNA+, N=13); women with BN but without APD (BNA−, N=23), and control women with neither BN nor APD (N=23). The women were assessed for psychopathological tendencies and eating disorder symptoms, and participated in a computerized laboratory task that measured behavioural inhibition and disinhibition. Participants also provided blood samples for measurement of serial prolactin responses following oral administration of the partial 5-HT agonist meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP).Results. The BNA+ group had higher scores than the other groups on self-report measures of submissiveness, social avoidance, restricted emotional expression, affective instability and self-harming behaviours. Compared with the other groups, the BNA+ group tended to be more inhibited under cues for punishment on the computerized task and to have blunted prolactin response following m-CPP. The bulimic groups did not differ from each other on current eating symptoms or on frequencies of other mental disorders.Conclusions. Findings indicate that women with BN and co-morbid APD may be characterized by interpersonal submissiveness and avoidance, affective instability, self-harm, behavioural inhibition in response to threat and lower sensitivity to serotonergic activation. These findings may indicate common, serotonergic factors, associated with social submissiveness, behavioural inhibition to threat and BN.

ABSTRACT Social relationships, habitat utilisation and life history characteristics provide a framework which enables the survival of populations in fluctuating ecological conditions. An understanding of behavioural ecology is critical to the implementation of Natural Resource Management strategies if they are to succeed in their conservation efforts during the emergence of climate change. Egernia whitii from Wedge Island in the Spencer Gulf of South Australia were used as a model system to investigate the interaction of life history traits, scat piling behaviour and chemosensory communication in social lizards. Juveniles typically took ¡Ý 3 years to reach sexual maturity and the results of skeletochronological studies suggested longevity of ¡Ý 13 years. Combined with a mean litter size of 2.2, a pregnancy rate estimated at 75% of eligible females during short-term studies, and highly stable groups, this information suggests several life history features. Prolonged juvenile development and adult longevity may be prerequisite to the development of parental care. Parental care may, in turn, be the determining factor that facilitates the formation of small family groups. In E. whitii parental care takes the form of foetal and neonatal provisioning and tolerance of juveniles by small family or social groups within established resource areas. Presumably, resident juveniles also benefit from adult territorialism. Research on birds suggests that low adult mortality predisposes cooperative breeding or social grouping in birds, and life history traits and ecological factors appear to act together to facilitate cooperative systems. E. whitii practice scat piling both individually and in small groups. Social benefits arising from signalling could confer both cooperative and competitive benefits. Permanent territorial markers have the potential to benefit conspecifics, congenerics and other species. The high incidence of a skink species (E. whitii) refuging with a gecko species (N. milii) on Wedge Island provides an example of interspecific cooperation. The diurnal refuge of the nocturnal gecko is a useful transient shelter for the diurnal skink. Scat piling may release a species ¡®signature¡¯ for each group that allows mutual recognition. Scat piling also facilitates intraspecific scent marking by individual members, which has the potential to indicate relatedness, or social or sexual status within the group. The discovery of cloacal scent marking activity is new to the Egernia genus. E. Whitii differentiate between their own scats, and conspecific and congeneric scats. They scent mark at the site of conspecific scats, and males and females differ in their response to scent cues over time. Scat piling has the potential to make information concerning the social environment available to dispersing transient and potential immigrant conspecifics, enabling settlement choices to be made. This thesis explores some of the behavioural strategies employed by E. whitii to reduce risks to individuals within groups and between groups. Scents eliciting a range of behavioural responses relevant to the formation of adaptive social groupings, reproductive activity, and juvenile protection until maturity and dispersal are likely to be present in this species. Tests confirming chemosensory cues that differentiate sex, kin and age would be an interesting addition to current knowledge. The interaction of delayed maturity, parental care, sociality, chemosensory communication and scat piling highlights the sophistication of this species¡¯ behaviour. An alternative method for permanently marking lizards was developed. Persistence, reliability and individual discrimination were demonstrated using photographic identification and the method was shown to be reliable for broad-scale application by researchers. Naturally occurring toe loss in the field provided a context against which to examine this alternative identification method and revealed the need to further investigate the consequences of routine toe clipping, as this practice appears to diminish survivorship.

This bibliographic material is patrimony of our Laboratory of the Behavior Physiology. This research unit originated in 1972 by will of Aldo Giachetti (until 1990) and with the beginning of the activity of Corrado Bucherelli. In the early 1980s, with Carlo Ambrogi Lorenzini (until 2004), the cataloging became more capillary and systematic, to continue to this day. All the researchers who worked in our laboratory contributed to this collection (Giovanna Tassoni 1986-2000, Benedetto Sacchetti 1996-2002 and Elisabetta Baldi from 1991). The study of learning, memory and behavior requires to follow a broad spectrum of neuroscience topics, ranging from neuronal biochemistry to neuropsychology. The Authors’ idea of publishing this collection comes from believing that a such website, though not exhaustive, might be a useful and targeted tool for the selection of bibliographic material in the field of behavioral neuroscience. The bibliographic references present at the publication (29500), accompanied by a brief comment highlighting the contents, are organized in relation to the topics (represented by the 99 themes) constituting the publication itself. The intersection of several references will point out the topics that represent them simultaneously. Concerning neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, references to agonists, antagonists or molecules interfering with the activity of these synapses have been inserted in the pages of the implicated neurotransmitter (e.g. acetylcholine). The pages including topics that could have been dealt with separately (e.g. active and passive avoidance) are introduced by a short explanatory note. The comment of each publication highlights the animal species used. Each comment is intended to indicate the content rather than the experimental results of paper. This choice comes from wanting to provide the reader with a more objective and less speculative comment.