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We ubiquitously seek information to make better decisions. Particularly in the modern age, when more information is available at our fingertips than ever, the information we choose to collect determines the quality of our decisions. Decision neuroscience has long adopted empirical approaches where the information available to decision-makers is fully controlled by the researchers, leaving neural mechanisms of information seeking less understood. Although information seeking has long been studied in the context of the exploration-exploitation trade-off, recent studies have widened the scope to investigate more overt information seeking in a way distinct from other decision processes. Insights gained from these studies, accumulated over the last few years, raise the possibility that information seeking is driven by the reward system signaling the subjective value of information. In this piece, we review findings from the recent studies, highlighting the conceptual and empirical relationships between distinct literatures, and discuss future research directions necessary to establish a more comprehensive understanding of how individuals seek information as a part of value-based decision-making. Information seeking is an integral, yet often overlooked aspect of value-based decision-making. Kobayashi and Kable review recent findings on the neural mechanisms of information seeking, highlighting an emerging hypothesis that the reward system represents the subjective value of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'আড্ডা with Ahmed: an expanded online exchange & misconnection' is a reflexive interpretation of a DM conversation between the author and Ahmed, their Bangladesh‐based friend, presented as both text and imagetext video (Mitchell, 1994). The article examines the meaning and practice of the Bangladeshi pastime of adda/chatting in a digital context, while exploring the complexities of cultural, interpersonal and technological hybridity. Through excerpts from their adda, the author and Ahmed touch upon various themes, including cultural identity, politics, gender, and the challenges of cross‐cultural communication. Their conversations reveal a dynamic interplay between agreement and disagreement, offering glimpses into their subjective experiences and perspectives. While adda contains the potential to transcend cultural boundaries and foster new forms of connection and understanding, the asynchronous nature of the exchange, coupled with linguistic limitations and enculturated modes of expression, troubles the interpretation of meaning and growth of understanding between the correspondents. While the article acknowledges the unresolvable nature of certain misconnections, online 'adda' is portrayed as space for curiosity, exploration, remembrance, and the coexistence of diverse perspectives and interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined the role of sense of life purpose (awakening to purpose, awareness of purpose, and altruistic purpose) in career maturity (concern, curiosity, confidence, and consultation) among adolescents (N = 234). Adolescents with a strong awareness of purpose reported high career curiosity, high career confidence, and low career consultation. Adolescents with altruistic purpose reported high career concern but low career confidence. Awakening to purpose, on the other hand, did not significantly contribute to career maturity. Overall, findings suggest the importance of providing support as adolescents explore various career options within the context of their life's purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal play behavior has received increasing attention for its relationship to cognition as a possible precursor to physical problem-solving abilities across taxa. In birds, captive studies reveal that exploring and combining novel objects correlates with advanced problem solving. However, we lack systematic investigations in the wild, thus limiting our understanding of play structure, context, and demographics in a natural context. The Striated Caracara (Phalcoboenus australis) population endemic to the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) shows striking behavioral similarities to cognitively well-studied parrots and corvids, as opportunistic generalists and extractive foragers with a prolonged adolescence and complex social structure. We present observations of spontaneous play behavior and results of a field experiment investigating the effect of object complexity on play and exploratory behaviors. Eighteen juvenile and adult Striated Caracaras participated across eight sessions (duration mean ± SD: 401 ± 317 sec, range: 44–1134 sec), manipulating geometric objects for 84 ± 120 sec, signaling play behaviors, and directing greater attention toward a cone and triangular pyramid than a square pyramid. Further research into object properties that elicit play and exploratory behavior can shed light on the context and degree to which Striated Caracaras might disturb novel objects in their environment, such as those used in pest management, to inform effective mitigation measures. More broadly, comparative research into curiosity, exploration and play, as well as cognitive capabilities, across all caracara species would expand our empirically driven knowledge of the socio-ecological contexts that give rise to these behaviors and traits in birds. El comportamiento de juego animal ha recibido cada vez más atención por su relación con la cognición como un posible precursor de habilidades físicas para resolver problemas a través de diversos taxones. En las aves, estudios en cautiverio revelan que explorar y combinar objetos novedosos se correlaciona con habilidades avanzadas para resolver problemas. Sin embargo, carecemos de investigaciones sistemáticas en la naturaleza, limitando así nuestra comprensión de la estructura del juego, el contexto y la demografía en un entorno natural. La población endémica de Phalcoboenus australis de las Islas Falkland (Malvinas) muestra notables similitudes de comportamiento con loros y córvidos que han sido bien estudiados cognitivamente, como generalistas oportunistas y forrajeadores extractivos con una adolescencia prolongada y una estructura social compleja. Presentamos observaciones de comportamiento de juego espontáneo y resultados de un experimento de campo que investiga el efecto de la complejidad del objeto en el juego y de los comportamientos exploratorios. Dieciocho juveniles y adultos de P. australis participaron en ocho sesiones (duración media ± DE: 401 ± 317 segundos, rango: 44–1134 segundos), manipulando objetos geométricos durante 84 ± 120 segundos, mostrando comportamientos de juego y dirigiendo mayor atención hacia un cono y una pirámide triangular que hacia una pirámide cuadrada. Investigaciones adicionales sobre las propiedades de los objetos que provocan el juego y el comportamiento exploratorio pueden arrojar luz sobre el contexto y el grado en que los individuos de P. australis podrían alterar objetos novedosos en su ambiente, como los utilizados en el control de plagas, para informar medidas de mitigación efectivas. Más ampliamente, la investigación comparativa sobre la curiosidad, la exploración y el juego, así como las capacidades cognitivas en todas las especies de Phalcoboenus, expandiría nuestro conocimiento empíricamente fundamentado de los contextos socioecológicos que dan origen a estos comportamientos y rasgos en las aves. [Traducción del equipo editorial] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum is characterized by difficulties in social communication and interactions and limited, restricted patterns of behavior, interests, and activity. It is diagnosed and described on the basis of behavioral characteristics. Therefore, behavior research plays a critical role in better understanding the functioning of this group of children. Studies on their interests and curiosity take mainly the form of experiments on visual and object exploration. We argue that important aspects of behavior might be neglected within these studies and propose to refine the approach by incorporating the achievements of classic ethology, contemporary measurement and analytical tools, and the theory of integrative levels. We conclude with an outline of the proposed approach in a short list of major methodological postulates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a theoretical perspective of the optimum stimulation level (OSL), we investigate how the cross-media usage (multi-device and multi-app usage) of individual users influences their exploration of new music in a music-streaming platform. We also examine whether gender moderates the link between cross-media usage and new music exploration behavior. We analyze survey responses from 1116 college students in China, and our findings show a significant and positive effect of multi-device usage on new music exploration. By contrast, multi-app usage does not have any statistically significant effect. The results also indicate that being a woman positively moderates the relationship between multi-app usage and new music exploration behavior. Our study contributes to the understanding of exploratory user behavior in a new media context by linking the OSL theory to digital music consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curiosity is a core driver for life‐long learning, problem‐solving and decision‐making. In a broad sense, curiosity is defined as the intrinsically motivated acquisition of novel information. Despite a decades‐long history of curiosity research and the earliest human theories arising from studies of laboratory rodents, curiosity has mainly been considered in two camps: 'linguistic human' and 'other'. This is despite psychology being heritable, and there are many continuities in cognitive capacities across the animal kingdom. Boundary‐pushing cross‐disciplinary debates on curiosity are lacking, and the relative exclusion of pre‐linguistic infants and non‐human animals has led to a scientific impasse which more broadly impedes the development of artificially intelligent systems modelled on curiosity in natural agents. In this review, we synthesize literature across multiple disciplines that have studied curiosity in non‐verbal systems. By highlighting how similar findings have been produced across the separate disciplines of animal behaviour, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and computational cognition, we discuss how this can be used to advance our understanding of curiosity. We propose, for the first time, how features of curiosity could be quantified and therefore studied more operationally across systems: across different species, developmental stages, and natural or artificial agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2001, our curiosity to understand the stereochemistry of C−H metalation with Pd prompted our first studies in Pd(II)‐catalyzed asymmetric C−H activation (RSC Research appointment: 020 7451 2545, Grant: RG 36873, Dec. 2002). We identified four central challenges: 1. poor reactivity of simple Pd salts with native substrates; 2. few strategies to control site selectivity for remote C−H bonds; 3. the lack of chiral catalysts to achieve enantioselectivity via asymmetric C−H metalation, and 4. low practicality due to limited coupling partner scope and the use of specialized oxidants. These challenges necessitated new strategies in catalyst and reaction development. For reactivity, we developed approaches to enhance substrate–catalyst affinity together with novel bifunctional ligands which participate in and accelerate the C−H cleavage step. For site‐selectivity, we introduced the concept of systematically modulating the distance and geometry between a directing template, catalyst, and substrate to selectively access remote C−H bonds. For enantioselectivity, we devised predictable stereomodels for catalyst‐controlled enantioselective C−H activation based on the participation of bifunctional ligands. Finally, for practicality, we have developed varied catalytic manifolds for Pd(II) to accommodate diverse coupling partners while employing practical oxidants such as simple peroxides. These advances have culminated in numerous C−H activation reactions, setting the stage for broad industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2001, our curiosity to understand the stereochemistry of C−H metalation with Pd prompted our first studies in Pd(II)‐catalyzed asymmetric C−H activation (RSC Research appointment: 020 7451 2545, Grant: RG 36873, Dec. 2002). We identified four central challenges: 1. poor reactivity of simple Pd salts with native substrates; 2. few strategies to control site selectivity for remote C−H bonds; 3. the lack of chiral catalysts to achieve enantioselectivity via asymmetric C−H metalation, and 4. low practicality due to limited coupling partner scope and the use of specialized oxidants. These challenges necessitated new strategies in catalyst and reaction development. For reactivity, we developed approaches to enhance substrate–catalyst affinity together with novel bifunctional ligands which participate in and accelerate the C−H cleavage step. For site‐selectivity, we introduced the concept of systematically modulating the distance and geometry between a directing template, catalyst, and substrate to selectively access remote C−H bonds. For enantioselectivity, we devised predictable stereomodels for catalyst‐controlled enantioselective C−H activation based on the participation of bifunctional ligands. Finally, for practicality, we have developed varied catalytic manifolds for Pd(II) to accommodate diverse coupling partners while employing practical oxidants such as simple peroxides. These advances have culminated in numerous C−H activation reactions, setting the stage for broad industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploratory behaviors describe the actions performed by an animal to obtain information on an object, environment, or individual by using its different senses. Exploration is described in some marine mammals, but not yet in manatees. Our study investigated behavioral and acoustic responses of two groups of Antillean manatees (N = 12 and N = 4) housed in zoological parks toward various stimuli involving three sensory modalities: visual, tactile, and auditory. Simultaneous audio and video recordings were collected during three periods of time (i.e., before, during, and after the presentation of all stimuli). Behaviors related to interest, social behaviors, the number and type of calls produced, and their frequency and duration were recorded and analyzed. Manatees reacted more to submerged stimuli than to out-of-water and sound stimuli, with an increase in approach, social contacts, and number of vocalizations. The proportion of squeaks and squeals call types also varied according to stimuli, and call entropy and F0 range varied according to periods. Our results suggest that manatees display sensory preferences when exploring stimuli, with more interest in manipulable stimuli, supporting the importance of their somatic perception. We highlight the need for particular enrichment programs (i.e., involving submerged objects) in zoological facilities. By displaying social contacts and by producing vocalizations, manatees communicate information such as their motivational state. The increase in call rate, harsh calls, and entropy values could be valid indicators of heightened arousal. We encourage further studies to associate acoustic recordings with ethological data collection to increase the understanding of manatees' behaviors andperception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A high-fat diet impairs learning and memory in male mice and increases anxiety-like behavior across sexes and ages. • A high-fat diet exacerbates systemic inflammation across age and sex in mice and induces microglia in aged male mice. • Hypothalamic proteome reveals metabolic stress induced by a high-fat diet in aged male mice. Aging and age-related diseases are associated with cellular stress, metabolic imbalance, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, accompanied by cognitive impairment. Lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep fragmentation, and stress can potentiate damaging cellular cascades and lead to an acceleration of brain aging and cognitive impairment. High-fat diet (HFD) has been associated with obesity, metabolic disorders like diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. HFD also induces neuroinflammation, impairs learning and memory, and may increase anxiety-like behavior. Effects of a HFD may also vary between sexes. The interaction between Age- and Sex- and Diet-related changes in neuroinflammation and cognitive function is an important and poorly understood area of research. This study was designed to examine the effects of HFD on neuroinflammation, behavior, and neurodegeneration in mice in the context of aging or sex differences. In a series of studies, young (2–3 months) or old (12–13 months) C57BL/6J male mice or young male and female C57Bl/6J mice were fed either a standard diet (SD) or a HFD for 5–6 months. Behavior was assessed in Activity Chamber, Y-maze, Novel Place Recognition, Novel Object Recognition, Elevated Plus Maze, Open Field, Morris Water Maze, and Fear Conditioning. Post-mortem analyses assessed a panel of inflammatory markers in the plasma and hippocampus. Additionally, proteomic analysis of the hypothalamus, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation in the locus coeruleus, and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus were assessed in a subset of young and aged male mice. We show that HFD increased body weight and decreased locomotor activity across groups compared to control mice fed a SD. HFD altered anxiety-related exploratory behavior. HFD impaired spatial learning and recall in young male mice and impaired recall in cued fear conditioning in young and aged male mice, with no effects on spatial learning or fear conditioning in young female mice. Effects of Age and Sex were observed on neuroinflammatory cytokines, with only limited effects of HFD. HFD had a more significant impact on systemic inflammation in plasma across age and sex. Aged male mice had induction of microglial immunoreactivity in both the locus coeruleus (LC) and hippocampus an effect that HFD exacerbated in the hippocampal CA1 region. Proteomic analysis of the hypothalamus revealed changes in pathways related to metabolism and neurodegeneration with both aging and HFD in male mice. Our findings suggest that HFD induces widespread systemic inflammation and limited neuroinflammation. In addition, HFD alters exploratory behavior in male and female mice, and impairs learning and memory in male mice. These results provide valuable insight into the impact of diet on cognition and aging pathophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leading philosophical models of curiosity represent it as a desiderative attitude whose content is a question, and which is satisfied by knowledge of the answer to that question. I argue that these models do not capture the distinctive character of a form of curiosity that I call 'erotic curiosity'. Erotic curiosity addresses itself not to a question but to an object whose significance for the inquirer is affective as well as epistemic. This form of curiosity is best understood by analogy to erotic love as theorized by Plato in the Symposium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how parents' and children's explanatory talk and exploratory behaviors support children's causal reasoning at a museum in San Jose, CA in 2017. One‐hundred‐nine parent–child dyads (3–6 years; 56 girls, 53 boys; 32 White, 9 Latino/Hispanic, 17 Asian‐American, 17 South Asian, 1 Pacific Islander, 26 mixed ethnicity, 7 unreported) played at an air flow exhibit with a nonobvious causal mechanism. Children's causal reasoning was probed afterward. The timing of parents' explanatory talk and exploratory behaviors was related to children's systematic exploration during play. Children's exploratory behavior, and parents' goal setting during play, were related to children's subsequent causal reasoning. These findings support the hypothesis that children's exploration is related to both internal learning processes and external social scaffolding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on investment theories and guided by Mussel's (2013) intellect model, the present study investigated reciprocal relations over 1 year (2021–2022) between investment traits (need for cognition, achievement motives, epistemic curiosity) and fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities in 565 German elementary school children (298 girls; Mage = 8.40, SD = 0.59; 59.5% with immigration background). Children's fluid and crystallized abilities increased over time, whereas fear of failure and curiosity decreased. Investment traits barely predicted change in cognitive abilities. However, mathematical ability predicted change in most investment traits (.14 ≤ |β| ≤.20), even after accounting for control variables. Results largely contradict investment theories but support the role of crystallized abilities for the development of investment traits in elementary school age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is associated with a wide range of physiological and behavioral changes in many species. Zebrafish, like humans, rodents, and birds, exhibits gradual senescence, and thus may be a useful model organism for identifying evolutionarily conserved mechanisms related to aging. Here, we compared behavior in the novel tank test of young (6-month-old) and middle aged (12-month-old) zebrafish from two strains (TL and TU) and both sexes. We find that this modest age difference results in a reduction in locomotor activity in male fish. We also found that background strain modulated the effects of age on predator avoidance behaviors related to anxiety: older female TL fish increased bottom dwelling whereas older male TU fish decreased thigmotaxis. Although there were no consistent effects of age on either short-term (within session) or long-term (next day) habituation to the novel tank, strain affected the habituation response. TL fish tended to increase their distance from the bottom of the tank whereas TU fish had no changes in bottom distance but instead tended to increase thigmotaxis. Our findings support the use of zebrafish for the study of how age affects locomotion and how genetics interacts with age and sex to alter exploratory and emotional behaviors in response to novelty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While recent research has extensively explored the potential use of Virtual Reality (VR) in educational contexts, limited knowledge exists regarding teachers' willingness to further their understanding of VR and its applications in education. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how various demographic factors and attitudes toward VR influence educators' curiosity about this technology. Using the boosting classification machine-learning algorithm, we analyzed the responses of 324 educators from Europe and Eurasia. The findings reveal that the regularity of undergoing pedagogical training exerts the strongest influence on educators' interest in learning about VR technology, underscoring the importance of consistent training opportunities. Additionally, frequent personal testing and use of VR technology, along with the duration of professional education in pedagogy, significantly affect educators' curiosity. Age and gender identity also play influential roles, with older educators and males exhibiting greater curiosity. Notably, educators' awareness of VR technology has a relatively lower impact. Furthermore, the total years of teaching experience and prior use of VR technology in teaching have minimal effects on educators' curiosity. These findings emphasize the significance of providing high-quality pedagogical training to familiarize educators with VR technology and its potential benefits in educational settings, carrying substantial implications for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An existential vacuum is experienced as a kind of crisis that one can cope with using his/her strengths. The related literature suggests that the important determinants of coping with existential emptiness include positive emotional and personality resources, and among these—Curiosity Behaviors. The purpose of this study is to describe the role of curiosity as an important factor in relation to emotional resources in individuals experiencing an existential vacuum. A survey was conducted using online tools (n = 484). The hypotheses about the direct and indirect relationships between Curiosity Behaviors and existential vacuum were tested using multiple regression analyses and mediations. The study involved a sample of adult participants representing the general population. The participants completed five questionnaires, the first one focusing on Curiosity Behaviors, such as seeking out novel and challenging experiences and engagement in activities that capture one's attention (The Curiosity and Exploration Inventory), and the other tools being the Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale, the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire, the Flourishing Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. The results indicate that Curiosity Behaviors characteristically negatively predict existential vacuum. In addition, other variables, such as Flourishing, seem to be useful in explaining the relationships between these factors. Flourishing along with Curiosity increases a sense of Meaning in Life. Our results present evidence showing the importance of Curiosity Behaviors in coping with the existential vacuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional theories frame curiosity as an intrinsic motivation to obtain information to resolve uncertainty. Recent empirical breakthroughs challenge this perspective and reframe curiosity in terms of the learning process itself: curiosity is sustained when individuals perceive improvements in their performance and actively engage in the process of learning. Unlike previous research, which remained agnostic about the change of curiosity over time, the learning progress framework provides insights into the temporal dynamics of curiosity, shedding light on its fluctuations based on the extent of learning progress individuals make. By integrating the desire to obtain information with the drive to make learning progress, we offer a unified account of curiosity. What drives our curiosity remains an elusive and hotly debated issue, with multiple hypotheses proposed but a cohesive account yet to be established. This review discusses traditional and emergent theories that frame curiosity as a desire to know and a drive to learn, respectively. We adopt a model-based approach that maps the temporal dynamics of various factors underlying curiosity-based exploration, such as uncertainty, information gain, and learning progress. In so doing, we identify the limitations of past theories and posit an integrated account that harnesses their strengths in describing curiosity as a tool for optimal environmental exploration. In our unified account, curiosity serves as a 'common currency' for exploration, which must be balanced with other drives such as safety and hunger to achieve efficient action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful learning depends on various factors such as depth of processing, motivation, or curiosity about information. A strong drive to learn something or the expectation of receiving a reward can be crucial to enhance learning. However, the influence of curiosity on the processing of new information and its similarity with reward processing is not well understood. This study examined whether states of curiosity influence specific ERPs associated with reward processing and whether these ERPs are related with later memory benefits. In an initial screening phase, participants indicated their curiosity and confidence in prior knowledge about answers to various trivia questions. In a subsequent study phase, we targeted different time windows related to reward processing during the presentation of trivia answers containing the reward positivity (RewP; 250–350 msec), the P3 (250–500 msec), and the late-positive-potential (LPP; 600–1000 msec). In a following surprise memory test, we found that participants recalled more high- than low-curiosity answers. The RewP, P3, and LPP showed greater positive mean amplitudes for high compared with low curiosity, reflecting increased reward processing. In addition, we found that the RewP and the P3 showed more positive mean amplitudes for later recalled compared with later forgotten answers, but curiosity did not modulate this encoding-related results. These findings support the view that the satisfaction of curiosity resembles reward processing, indicated by ERPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habituation and dishabituation are the most prevalent measures of infant cognitive functioning, and they have reliably been shown to predict later cognitive outcomes. Yet, the exact mechanisms underlying infant habituation and dishabituation are still unclear. To investigate them, we tested 106 8‐month‐old infants on a classic habituation task and a novel visual learning task. We used a hierarchical Bayesian model to identify individual differences in sustained attention, learning performance, processing speed and curiosity from the visual learning task. These factors were then related to habituation and dishabituation. We found that habituation time was related to individual differences in processing speed, while dishabituation was related to curiosity, but only for infants who did not habituate. These results offer novel insights in the mechanisms underlying habituation and serve as proof of concept for hierarchical models as an effective tool to measure individual differences in infant cognitive functioning. Research Highlights: We used a hierarchical Bayesian model to measure individual differences in infants' processing speed, learning performance, sustained attention, and curiosity.Faster processing speed was related to shorter habituation time.High curiosity was related to stronger dishabituation responses, but only for infants who did not habituate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, more attention has been paid to the nature and value of the intellectual virtue of epistemic autonomy. One underexplored issue concerns how epistemic autonomy is related to other intellectual virtues. Plausibly, epistemic autonomy is closely related to a number of intellectual virtues like curiosity, inquisitiveness, intellectual perseverance and intellectual courage to name just a few. Here, however, I will examine the relation between epistemic autonomy and intellectual humility. I will argue that epistemic autonomy and intellectual humility bear an interesting relationship to one another in that they are interconnected and mutually supporting intellectual virtues. In Sections 2 and 3 I will provide a brief overview of the predominant accounts of intellectual humility (Section 2) and epistemic autonomy (Section 3) in the literature. With an understanding of these intellectual virtues in hand, we will examine their relationship of mutual support in Section 4. Section 5 will explore a challenge to this relationship coming from the epistemology of disagreement, and Section 6 concludes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavior is critical for animal survival and reproduction, and possibly for diversification and evolutionary radiation. However, the genetics behind adaptive variation in behavior are poorly understood. In this work, we examined a fundamental and widespread behavioral trait, exploratory behavior, in one of the largest adaptive radiations on Earth, the cichlid fishes of Lake Tanganyika. By integrating quantitative behavioral data from 57 cichlid species (702 wild-caught individuals) with high-resolution ecomorphological and genomic information, we show that exploratory behavior is linked to macrohabitat niche adaptations in Tanganyikan cichlids. Furthermore, we uncovered a correlation between the genotypes at a single-nucleotide polymorphism upstream of the AMPA glutamate-receptor regulatory gene cacng5b and variation in exploratory tendency. We validated this association using behavioral predictions with a neural network approach and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The swift advancements in robotics have rendered navigation an essential task for mobile robots. While map-based navigation methods depend on global environmental maps for decision-making, their efficacy in unfamiliar or dynamic settings falls short. Current deep reinforcement learning navigation strategies can navigate successfully without pre-existing map data, yet they grapple with issues like inefficient training, slow convergence, and infrequent rewards. To tackle these challenges, this study introduces an improved two-delay depth deterministic policy gradient algorithm (LP-TD3) for local planning navigation. Initially, the integration of the long–short-term memory (LSTM) module with the Prioritized Experience Re-play (PER) mechanism into the existing TD3 framework was performed to optimize training and improve the efficiency of experience data utilization. Furthermore, the incorporation of an Intrinsic Curiosity Module (ICM) merges intrinsic with extrinsic rewards to tackle sparse reward problems and enhance exploratory behavior. Experimental evaluations using ROS and Gazebo simulators demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the original on various performance metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approaches to Learning (AtL) is widely included in many state standards for preK, as a process-oriented disposition that describes how children learn. Play is one pedagogical strategy teachers can employ to support the development of AtL. This paper uses Vygotsky's depiction of two kinds of play, object play and socio-dramatic play, to provide the theoretical framework to articulate the links between play and learning. Exploration, i.e., object play supports children's curiosity and problem-solving. Sociodramatic play, dramatizing, helps children develop symbolic representation necessary for imagination and creativity. Both kinds of play require intentional teacher structuring and interaction. This paper concludes by presenting ways teachers can encourage object and socio-dramatic play in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-care behavior covers individual's health, life and well-being to maintain the necessary activities. The aim of this study is to examine the self-care and possible anxiolytic effects of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIT). Eight-week-old Wistar Albino male rats were divided into Control (n = 8), and Exercise (n = 8). Rat exercised for 38 min a day, 5 days a week, for 8 weeks The animals were then subjected to open field test and splash test, and the behaviors were video recorded. Student t test and Shapiro–Wilk test were used as statistical tests. In the exercise group, spray-induced grooming behavior increased significantly in terms of duration and frequency (p < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed in the latency of grooming (p > 0.05). In the open-field test, the total distance traveled, which is a locomotor activity parameter, did not change between the groups. Anxiolytic-like behaviors such as total rearing behavior, unsupported rearing, central time, and central region entries increased remarkably in the exercise group vs. control (p < 0.0001). Freezing as an anxiogenic behavior decreased in the exercise group positively (p < 0.0001). Intermittent high-intensity exercise improved and increased self-care behaviors. Further, the present study shows that HIIT has beneficial effects on different aspects of behaviors such as exploratory behaviors, increasing anxiolytic behaviors, and reducing anxiogenic behavior. The present study is a preclinical study that will pave the way for new studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify potential gateway factors and behaviors that are associated with infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in the Maradi and Zinder regions of Niger through application of the Integrated Gateway Model. Methods: We analyzed data from 2,727 married women of reproductive age including details on child feeding practices for their 2,551 children between the ages of 0 to 23 months. We assessed the association of three gateway behaviors (i.e., any antenatal care, facility delivery, and communication on nutrition practices) and gateway factors (i.e., behavioral determinants, exposure to information, decision-making agency, and woman's group participation) on four IYCF practices (i.e., early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, minimum meal frequency, and minimum dietary diversity) while controlling for age, parity, educational attainment, and household wealth. Results: We found antenatal care was associated with exclusive breastfeeding of children 0–5 months [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.17 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–1.33)], and minimum meal frequency of children 6–23 months [aOR: 1.10 (95% CI: 1.03–1.17)], and facility delivery was associated with early initiation of breastfeeding among children 0–5 months [aOR: 2.08 (95% CI: 1.39–3.12)]. We found negative associations with exclusive breastfeeding and communication on nutrition practices with husbands, family/friends, and health workers. Exposure to nutrition messages through radio, women's groups participation, and with health workers was positively associated with minimum dietary diversity. Self-efficacy was positively associated with both early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding among children 0–5 months and minimum dietary diversity among children 6–23 months. Women's agency was positively associated with early initiation of breastfeeding. Conclusion: The association of antenatal care and facility delivery with child nutrition outcomes suggest intervening before a woman becomes pregnant or early in her pregnancy could improve nutrition outcomes. Programs strengthening the continuum of care should identify gateway behaviors to maximize adoption of priority health behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Counselors and counseling students (N = 125) were surveyed to determine whether curiosity could predict Intellectual Wellness. Structure coefficients found Diversive Curiosity accounted for 19% of the variance and Specific Curiosity for 11%. Implications are including curiosity into training and practice and future research on isolating variables that comprise wellness domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International travel has been historically influenced by interest in foreign cultures and environments. Despite its deep roots in curiosity and exploratory behavior, curiosity-driven travel is underrepresented in modern tourism scholarship. Curiosity, vital for exploratory actions, plays a significant role in travelers' behaviors, influencing travel for learning about diverse societies and cultures. This study (1) underscored destination curiosity as the zeal for travel exploration, (2) devised a Destination Curiosity scale using mixed methods, (3) validated the scale's predictive capability concerning cultural identity's impact on visit intentions, and (4) expanded tourism literature, aiding entities in crafting experiences that stimulate curiosity and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurotoxicity associated with chemotherapy is a debilitating side effect of cancer management in humans which reportedly involves inflammatory and oxidative stress responses. Diphenyl diselenide (DPDS) is an organoselenium compound which exhibits its anti-tumoral, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-mutagenic effects. Nevertheless, its possible effect on chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity is not known. Using rat model, we probed the behavioral and biochemical effects accompanying administration of antineoplastic agent doxorubicin (7.5 mg/kg) and DPDS (5 and 10 mg/kg). Anxiogenic-like behavior, motor and locomotor insufficiencies associated with doxorubicin were considerably abated by both DPDS doses with concomitant enhancement in exploratory behavior as demonstrated by reduced heat maps intensity and enhanced track plot densities. Moreover, with exception of cerebral glutathione (GSH) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, biochemical data demonstrated reversal of doxorubicin-mediated decline in cerebral and cerebellar antioxidant status indices and the increase in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity by both doses of DPDS. Also, cerebellar and cerebral lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide as well as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species levels were considerably diminished in rats administered doxorubicin and DPDS. In addition, DPDS administration abated myeloperoxidase activity, tumour necrosis factor alpha and nitric oxide levels along with caspase-3 activity in doxorubicin-administered rats. Chemoprotection of doxorubicin-associated neurotoxicity by DPDS was further validated by histomorphometry and histochemical staining. Taken together, DPDS through offsetting of oxido-inflammatory stress and caspase-3 activation elicited neuroprotection in doxorubicin-treated rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity has many benefits, such as workplace performance and life satisfaction. Three studies extended a small body of work to examine whether awe was associated with creative personality, convergent creativity, and everyday creative behaviors (N = 1,844). Study 1 demonstrated that trait awe was associated with a more creative personality among adolescents and adults in the U.S., Iran, and Malaysia. Study 2 showed that trait awe was associated with an increased likelihood of solving the Duncker's Candle Problem. Finally, Study 3 found that on days when participants felt more daily awe than they typically do, they reported having done more everyday creative activities. The effects of awe were independent of amusement (Studies 1–3) and Big Five personality (Study 3). Moreover, we found that daily curiosity explained the link between daily awe and daily creativity in Study 3. These results are the first to demonstrate a consistent link between awe and complementary measures of creativity. The discussion focuses on the limitations of the present work as well as implications of the present results for future research on awe and creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional curiosity has recently become a 'buzzword' in the field of probation and social work. However, little research has sought to understand what professional curiosity means definitionally, conceptually or operationally. In this article, we analyse interview data from 49 probation practitioners in England and Wales to explore what professional curiosity means in the context of probation and what the main barriers are to enacting professional curiosity. We argue that professional curiosity is primarily used to assess risk and that practitioners face multiple barriers to its enactment which are rarely acknowledged or dealt with in policy and practice guides. These barriers fall into three groups: structural, relational and emotional. We conclude the article by examining the findings through the lens of neo-liberalism and probation values. The article therefore extends knowledge of professional curiosity operationally while also seeking to explain its position in a neo-liberal policy context. This research has important implications for policy and practice. Rather than simply asking practitioners to ask questions and be on the lookout for disguised compliance, probation providers should recognise and acknowledge these barriers to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile robot olfaction of toxic and hazardous odor sources is of great significance in anti-terrorism, disaster prevention, and control scenarios. Aiming at the problems of low search efficiency and easily falling into a local optimum of the current odor source localization strategies, the paper proposes the adaptive space-aware Infotaxis II algorithm. To improve the tracking efficiency of robots, a new reward function is designed by considering the space information and emphasizing the exploration behavior of robots. Considering the enhancement in exploratory behavior, an adaptive navigation-updated mechanism is proposed to adjust the movement range of robots in real time through information entropy to avoid an excessive exploration behavior during the search process, which may lead the robot to fall into a local optimum. Subsequently, an improved adaptive cosine salp swarm algorithm is applied to confirm the optimal information adaptive parameter. Comparative simulation experiments between ASAInfotaxis II and the classical search strategies are carried out in 2D and 3D scenarios regarding the search efficiency and search behavior, which show that ASAInfotaxis II is competent to improve the search efficiency to a larger extent and achieves a better balance between exploration and exploitation behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five cyanobacterial strains exhibiting Nostoc‐like morphology were sampled from the biodiversity hotspots of the northeast region of India and characterized using a polyphasic approach. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis using the 16S rRNA gene indicated that the strains belonged to the genera Amazonocrinis and Dendronalium. In the present investigation, the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny clearly demarcated two separate clades of Amazonocrinis. The strain MEG8‐PS clustered along with Amazonocrinis nigriterrae CENA67, which is the type strain of the genus. The other three strains ASM11‐PS, RAN‐4C‐PS, and NP‐KLS‐5A‐PS clustered in a different clade that was phylogenetically distinct from the Amazonocrinis sensu stricto clade. Interestingly, while the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny exhibited two separate clusters, the 16S–23S ITS region analysis did not provide strong support for the phylogenetic observation. Subsequent analyses raised questions regarding the resolving power of the 16S–23S ITS region at the genera level and the associated complexities in cyanobacterial taxonomy. Through this study, we describe a novel genus Ahomia to accommodate the members clustering outside the Amazonocrinis sensu stricto clade. In addition, we describe five novel species, Ahomia kamrupensis, Ahomia purpurea, Ahomia soli, Amazonocrinis meghalayensis, and Dendronalium spirale, in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN). Apart from further enriching the genera Amazonocrinis and Dendronalium, the current study helps to resolve the taxonomic complexities revolving around the genus Amazonocrinis and aims to attract researchers to the continued exploration of the tropical and subtropical cyanobacteria for interesting taxa and lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article dives into a captivating journey, unraveling the intricate tapestry of challenges, opportunities, and Governmental strides shaping the vibrant realm of Public Libraries in India. Not just that, it delves into the fascinating history, dissecting the state of these libraries before and after independence. Venturing beyond the surface, this exploration delves into the heart of matters. It exposes the pivotal role the Government plays in nurturing these havens of intellect, sparking a deeper appreciation for their contribution. Going beyond surface-level observations, this discourse penetrates the core of the subject and highlights the indispensable role of government in nurturing these bastions of intelligence. The article does not end here; Instead, it serves as a repository of solutions, addressing urgent needs for financial support, essential resources and innovative strategies that highlight a visionary path forward. With its interesting, practical and forward-looking approach, this article serves as a guiding compass, taking us through the complex labyrinth of library development. Intriguing, insightful, and forward-looking, this article is a compass guiding us through the intricate maze of library development. It promises to captivate your mind and ignite your curiosity, leaving you with a newfound respect for the past, present, and the limitless potential of Public Libraries in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There has been a growing interest in the role of innate curiosity on facets of human cognition, such as in spatial learning and memory. Yet, it is unclear how state level curiosity evoked by the current environment could interact differentially with trait curiosity, to impact spatial memory performance. Methods: We assessed the influence of trait and state curiosity on routememory. Forty-two 10-year-old children with low and high-trait curiosity (20 Females; 22 Males) actively explored virtual environments that elicited varying levels of uncertainty (i.e., state-curiosity). Results: As trait curiosity increased, so did memory performance in low and high uncertainty conditions, suggesting that high-curiosity children can better recruit cognitive resources within non-optimal environments. Children with high compared to low trait curiosity also reported greater feelings of presence during exploration. Importantly, in environments with medium uncertainty, children with low trait curiosity were able to perform as well as those with high curiosity. Discussion: Results show that individual differences in trait curiosity influence route learning and these interact dynamically with state-curiosity invoked within different environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study focused on whether predicting the game outcome prior to watching the actual game results in more positive evaluations of game consumption from sports fans through heightened perceived curiosity and flow. This study employed a 4 (prediction type: no prediction vs. simple prediction vs. prediction and compete against AI vs. prediction and compete against other fans) × 2 (game outcome: winning vs. losing) between-subjects design. The results suggest that fans who make predictions about the outcome before watching highlight videos experience greater feelings of curiosity and flow, and more positive evaluations of game consumptions in comparison to those who do not make any predictions prior to watching the game. Our findings not only contribute to fan behavior and human-computer interaction literature by examining the role of prediction and curiosity but also offer meaningful practical implications for developing effective fan engagement interfaces by incorporating the elements of prediction and competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central nervous system (CNS) is the final frontier in drug delivery because of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which poses significant barriers to the access of most drugs to their targets. Kynurenic acid (KYNA), a tryptophan (Trp) metabolite, plays an important role in behavioral functions, and abnormal KYNA levels have been observed in neuropsychiatric conditions. The current challenge lies in delivering KYNA to the CNS owing to its polar side chain. Recently, C-3 side chain-modified KYNA analogs have been shown to cross the BBB; however, it is unclear whether they retain the biological functions of the parent molecule. This study examined the impact of KYNA analogs, specifically, SZR-72, SZR-104, and the newly developed SZRG-21, on behavior. The analogs were administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), and their effects on the motor domain were compared with those of KYNA. Specifically, open-field (OF) and rotarod (RR) tests were employed to assess motor activity and skills. SZR-104 increased horizontal exploratory activity in the OF test at a dose of 0.04 μmol/4 μL, while SZR-72 decreased vertical activity at doses of 0.04 and 0.1 μmol/4 μL. In the RR test, however, neither KYNA nor its analogs showed any significant differences in motor skills at either dose. Side chain modification affects affective motor performance and exploratory behavior, as the results show for the first time. In this study, we showed that KYNA analogs alter emotional components such as motor-associated curiosity and emotions. Consequently, drug design necessitates the development of precise strategies to traverse the BBB while paying close attention to modifications in their effects on behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrosynthetic planning, which aims to identify synthetic pathways for target molecules from starting materials, is a fundamental problem in synthetic chemistry. Computer-aided retrosynthesis has made significant progress, in which heuristic search algorithms, including Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) and A* search, have played a crucial role. However, unreliable guiding heuristics often cause search failure due to insufficient exploration. Conversely, excessive exploration also prevents the search from reaching the optimal solution. In this paper, MCTS exploration enhanced A* (MEEA*) search is proposed to incorporate the exploratory behavior of MCTS into A* by providing a look-ahead search. Path consistency is adopted as a regularization to improve the generalization performance of heuristics. Extensive experimental results on 10 molecule datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of MEEA*. Especially, on the widely used United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) benchmark, MEEA* achieves a 100.0% success rate. Moreover, for natural products, MEEA* successfully identifies bio-retrosynthetic pathways for 97.68% test compounds. Computer-aided retrosynthetic planning algorithms such as Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) and A* search can expedite the identification of synthetic pathways, however, achieving a high success rate remains challenging. Here, the authors develop an enhanced search algorithm by incorporating the exploration capability of MCTS into A* search, achieving synthesis success rates of up to 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the implementation of the reform of the German Judges Act (DRiG) in relation to the confrontation with Germany's past injustices in legal education. It is stated that the implementation of the legal requirements is difficult due to lack of time, lack of interest and lack of expertise of the teachers, as well as lack of curiosity and interest of the students. Three models for implementing the reform are presented: the lecture model, the seminar model, and the combination model of seminar and lecture series. It is emphasized that an intensive examination of Germany's past injustices is important and that the law faculties should reconsider their curricula accordingly and choose the appropriate event formats to effectively implement the reform goals. [Extracted from the article]

Labels on food and beverage products are important information sources that can profoundly influence consumer evaluations. This is particularly so for wines, where the text, design, and colour of labelling appearing on both the front and back of the bottle will shape consumer reactions and guide purchase intent. Importantly, the colour of a wine's back label – that which appears on the rear of the bottle – offers a range of opportunities for wine marketers to generate heightened levels of involvement and curiosity in wine. Despite this, prior research has yet to fully examine how the colour of a back label shapes consumer attitudes and purchase behaviours. Guided by construal level theory and employing an experimental design, the current research set out to test how colour (vs. black and white) labelling influenced consumer decision-making and whether the colour of the focal wine influenced the effects. The results demonstrate black and white labelling increases consumer purchase intentions by increasing the consumer's level of involvement and curiosity. However, the effect only occurred when the labels were paired with a red wine. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, as well as directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze how curiosity drives news consumption. We test predictions of the information‐gap theory of curiosity using over 100,000 WeChat news articles, applying NLP methods to construct measures of salience, importance, and surprisingness associated with news headlines, experimentally validating these measures, and using them to predict clicks. Our findings confirm that people tend to consume news when: the headline sparks a salient question; the content appears more important (e.g., emphasized by the headline's position on the webpage or an exclamation mark); the headline refers to more surprising topics (measured as the KL‐divergence from a baseline topic distribution); and the headline has lower valence. Information‐gap theory helps predict aggregate news consumption. Yet our data also reveal a small negative correlation between the number of clicks and the ratio of likes to clicks, suggesting that while inducing curiosity can drive short‐term news consumption, it doesn't necessarily enhance long‐term reader engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental enrichment (EE) often increases positive behavioral and physiological effects on captive animals. Fish are commercially and scientifically important taxa that have been shown to benefit from EE. Here we examined the effects of both short‐ and long‐term EE in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). In the short‐term exposure to EE, female guppies were raised in standard conditions, and after reaching adulthood were moved to either an enriched or a deprived environment for 2 weeks. Long‐term exposure guppies were reared from birth for 12 weeks (until sexual maturity) in either an enriched or deprived environment. We then assessed growth, brain size, and neophobic and exploratory behaviors in standard assays. Guppies given EE were bolder, regardless of timescale, although females showed a more pronounced change in behaviors than males. We further found that guppies reared with EE were smaller yet had larger relative brain sizes than guppies reared under deprived conditions. Here we highlight that EE had influenced growth, brain size, neophobic, and exploratory behaviors in guppies, and behavioral changes were observed after only 2 weeks. Our results highlight the need for assessing the influences of EE in captivity, in particular for researchers studying cognition and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the advent of combination anti‐retroviral therapy (cART), nearly half of people infected with HIV treated with cART still exhibit HIV‐associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). HAND can be worsened by co‐morbid opioid use disorder. The basal ganglia are particularly vulnerable to HIV‐1 and exhibit higher viral loads and more severe pathology, which can be exacerbated by co‐exposure to opioids. Evidence suggests that dopaminergic neurotransmission is disrupted by HIV exposure, however, little is known about whether co‐exposure to opioids may alter neurotransmitter levels in the striatum and if this in turn influences behavior. Therefore, we assayed motor, anxiety‐like, novelty‐seeking, exploratory, and social behaviors, and levels of monoamines and their metabolites following 2 weeks and 2 months of Tat and/or morphine exposure in transgenic mice. Morphine decreased dopamine levels, but significantly elevated norepinephrine, the dopamine metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA), and the serotonin metabolite 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid, which typically correlated with increased locomotor behavior. The combination of Tat and morphine altered dopamine, DOPAC, and HVA concentrations differently depending on the neurotransmitter/metabolite and duration of exposure but did not affect the numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase‐positive neurons in the mesencephalon. Tat exposure increased the latency to interact with novel conspecifics, but not other novel objects, suggesting the viral protein inhibits exploratory behavior initiation in a context‐dependent manner. By contrast, and consistent with prior findings that opioid misuse can increase novelty‐seeking behavior, morphine exposure increased the time spent exploring a novel environment. Finally, Tat and morphine interacted to affect locomotor activity in a time‐dependent manner, while grip strength and rotarod performance were unaffected. Together, our results provide novel insight into the unique effects of HIV‐1 Tat and morphine on monoamine neurochemistry that may underlie their divergent effects on motor and exploratory behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline of curiosity during adolescence has received increasing concerns in education. The present study aimed to identify the key factors in the environment that promote young people's curiosity from a needs-based ecological perspective, focusing on family and school. To enable a better understanding of the developmental effects, this study compared two age groups: 10-year-olds and 15-year-olds. A total of 5482 Finnish students (3034 aged 10 and 2448 aged 15; 48% female and 51% male) from the OECD Survey on Social-emotional Skills participated in the study, and their family and school factors related to basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) were assessed through surveys. Hierarchical Linear Modeling results revealed that: (1) contrary to the expectations, factors that support competence and relatedness facilitated youth curiosity to a greater extent than factors that support autonomy; (2) positive relationships with teachers were more beneficial for curiosity among older youth than younger youth; whereas, a sense of belonging at school was the most important factor for younger youth's curiosity. These findings have significant implications for promoting curiosity in general as well as during different age periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The adrenergic and opioidergic systems play a crucial role in regulating cognitive and non-cognitive behaviors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of CA1 α2-adrenoceptors on the exploratory behaviors induced by morphine. Methods: This assessment was conducted in rats using the elevated plus-maze test based on a test-retest paradigm. Bilateral guide cannulas were stereotaxically implanted in the CA1 regions of rats to allow intra-CA1 α2-adrenoceptors agonist (clonidine) or antagonist (yohimbine) microinjections. Results: Pre-test administration of morphine (6 mg/kg) showed an anxiolytic-like response. The extension of this effect during the retest session, 24h later, indicated impairment of aversive memory. Pre-test microinjection of clonidine (4 µg/rat) induced anxiolytic-like behavior on the test day in the absence or presence of a subthreshold dose of morphine (4 mg/kg) and increased avoidance to the open-arms during the retest session, but it was not significant compared with control group. Pre-test microinjection of yohimbine (4 µg/rat) induced an anxiogenic-like behavior on test day in the absence or presence of an effective dose of morphine (6mg/kg) and increased avoidance to the open-arms during the retest session. Concurrent microinjection of a subthreshold dose of yohimbine (1 μg/rat) with an effective dose of clonidine or with an effective dose of clonidine plus a subthreshold dose of morphine blocked anxiolytic-like behaviors, but did not change avoidance to the open-arms. Conclusion: According to our findings, it appears that CA1 α2-adrenoceptors affect anxiolytic-like effects of morphine, but they do not appear to play a significant role in the morphine-induced memory impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rat model of perinatal stress (PRS), in which exposure of pregnant dams to restraint stress reduces maternal behavior, is characterized by a metabolic profile that is reminiscent of the "metabolic syndrome". We aimed to identify plasma metabolomic signatures linked to long-term programming induced by PRS in aged male rats. This study was conducted in the plasma and frontal cortex. We also investigated the reversal effect of postpartum carbetocin (Cbt) on these signatures, along with its impact on deficits in cognitive, social, and exploratory behavior. We found that PRS induced long-lasting changes in biomarkers of secondary bile acid metabolism in the plasma and glutathione metabolism in the frontal cortex. Cbt treatment demonstrated disease-dependent effects by reversing the metabolite alterations. The metabolomic signatures of PRS were associated with long-term cognitive and emotional alterations alongside endocrinological disturbances. Our findings represent the first evidence of how early life stress may alter the metabolomic profile in aged individuals, thereby increasing vulnerability to CNS disorders. This raises the intriguing prospect that the pharmacological activation of oxytocin receptors soon after delivery through the mother may rectify these alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]