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Simple Summary: Psychological stress triggers an imbalance of neural and hormonal systems, leading to pathological conditions in many organ systems, especially the urinary bladder. Water avoidance stress (WAS) exposure for 10 days is a well-known rodent model that induces chronic psychological stress and impairs urinary bladder structure and function. However, the impact of WAS exposure in a different period apart from 10 days on anxiety-related behavior and urinary bladder structure and function remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of 1 day (acute), 10 days (chronic), and 28 consecutive days (prolonged) of WAS exposure and determined changes in anxiety-related behaviors, voiding patterns, mast cell numbers in bladder tissues, and bladder contractile properties that reflect pathological conditions from the stress exposure. Our study provides useful information on using WAS in an acute period (1 day) and prolonged period (28 days) on changes in anxiety-related behaviors and urinary bladder functions. The findings from this study are also essential for biomedical researchers to appropriately utilize the period of WAS exposure to investigate the effect of psychological stress-induced changes in the urinary bladders or other internal organs in a shorter or longer period than 10 days of WAS induction in a mouse model. Repeated water avoidance stress (WAS) for 10 days is a common rodent model to mimic the effect of chronic psychological stress on urinary bladder dysfunction. However, it remains obscure whether changes in the stress exposure period impact urinary bladder impairment differently. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of 1 (acute), 10 (chronic), and 28 (prolonged) days of WAS on anxiety-related behavior, voiding pattern, urinary bladder mast cells, and bladder contractility in C57BL/6J male mice. Mice exposed to 1 and 10 days of WAS showed decreased unsupported rearing. A decreased total void area after 1 and 10 days of the WAS was observed, which was reversed in the 28-day-WAS group. There was an increased number of degranulated mast cells in the bladder of the 10-day-WAS group. The 1-day WAS exposure enhanced tonic contractile response to a muscarinic agonist, carbachol, which was reversed by 5-HT3 receptor antagonist pre-incubation. Interestingly, the 28-day WAS group showed a similar tonic contractile response to the control group. Our findings provide more insightful information about using 1-day WAS as an acute psychological stress model, and stress exposure longer than 10 days did not produce anxiety-like behavior and urinary bladder impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One becomes aware of the evidence of cognitive insights following attending the research-based learning program with contemplative education, electroencephalography (EEG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) were used to track the improvement of emotional and cognitive states. Research-based learning (RBL) and teaching models were developed to enhance research characteristics and cognitive training for children in the 21st century. To date, there have been no reliable cognitive tools to monitor the cognitive insight of the child who attends the course. The EEG, EDA, and cognitive scores of 30 healthy students participating in a research-based program for an hour per week were evaluated prior to the course, 3 and 6 months after the program started. The cognitive tests included a standard progressive matric (SPM) test, arithmetic test, Eriksen flanker task and biofeedback sessions. The same procedures were determined in the comparative students' group. After 6 months of taking the program, students in the RBL group showed a significant improvement in their SPM and arithmetic test scores. A significant increase in beta and gamma activity was detected in the temporal cortex of the RBL group during the SPM test. A more significant enhancement of frontal theta power was observed during the arithmetic test. This study shows that contemplative education and RBL improve cognitive abilities, indicating a significant increase in EEG quantity for cognitive engagement and the ability to confer individual differences in cognitive abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methamphetamine (METH) has well-documented long-term effects on the brain, including increased psychomotor activity and behavioral sensitization. However, its immediate effects on the brain's reward system following acute exposure, which may contribute to the development of addiction, are less understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute METH on brain oscillations in the nucleus accumbens of C57BL/6 mice. Mice in the METH group received 5 mg/kg of METH for 5 days during the conditioning phase, followed by an 8-day abstinence period. Afterward, they underwent a 6-minute tail suspension test and were given a 1 mg/kg METH challenge. Local field potential (LFP) data were analyzed for percent total power, mean frequency indices, and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) to assess the neural effects of METH exposure across these phases. A reduction in theta power was observed across the conditioning, abstinence, and challenge phases of METH exposure. The subsequent METH challenge enhanced gamma oscillations, and PAC analysis revealed a consistent theta-gamma coupling index during both the METH administration and challenge phases. It highlights the sensitivity of the reward system to intense, short-term drug exposure, providing new insights into how acute neural stimulation may contribute to the development of addictive behaviors, reinforcing the brain's vulnerability to drug-induced changes in neural circuitry., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interest: The authors state that there are no known conflicts of interest or personal relationships that could have influenced the work described in this paper., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)