Search

Background: The purpose of this study is to examine psychological health of left-behind children (LBC), social support and rearing behavior towards LBC as well as their correlations in the city of Shaoxing, China.Methods: By stratified sampling, 401 LBC and 527 non-left-behind children (NLBC) had completed the questionnaires in 2014. Spearman's correlation was performed to clarify the relationship between psychological health, social support and rearing behavior in LBC. Multiple linear regression analytical methods were used to identify the variables that were associated with psychological health.Results: Compared to NLBC, LBC got lower scores in psychological health, general social support, subjective support and emotional warmth, but higher in rejection. Psychological health was positively correlated with social support, and negatively with rearing behavior (rejection, overprotection) in LBC. It was also closely connected with the subjective support, rejection and general health status.Conclusion: These data show that LBC suffer significant impairment on psychological health, and receive less social support and worse rearing behavior than NLBC. Psychological health may be affected by subjective support, rejection, and general health status. Urgent government assessment and support from the community, school, mental health systems are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the present study was to investigate the role of thigmotaxis (the tendency to remain close to vertical surfaces) in rat exploratory behavior in an open-field. Thigmotaxis was investigated in a parametric way, using 24 experimentally adult naive male Wistar rats (210-230 g). Exploratory behavior was studied in an open-field (N = 12) in 5-min sessions and behavior was analyzed in terms of where it occurred: in areas surrounded by two, one, or no walls. Another group of rats (N = 12) was studied in an open-field with blocks placed near two of the corners so as to make these corner areas surrounded by three walls. The floor of the open-fields was divided into 20-cm squares in order to locate the exact place of occurrence of each behavior. The following behaviors were recorded: entries into the squares, rearings, and groomings. In both types of open-field the rats chose to remain longer in the squares surrounded by the largest possible number of walls. In one of the open-fields, the mean time (seconds) spent in squares surrounded by two walls was longer than the time spent in squares surrounded by one or no walls (37.2, 7.7, and 1.8 s, respectively). In the other open-field, the mean time spent in squares surrounded by three walls was longer than the time spent in squares surrounded by two, one or no walls (41.7, 20.4, 7.0, and 2.6 s, respectively). Other measures presented a similar profile. These results indicate that rats are sensitive to the number of walls in an environment and prefer to remain close to them.

Maternal care in birds generally includes incubation, brooding and rearing behavior. The neuroendocrine regulation of such maternal behavior is not fully understood for many bird species. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether changes in the circulating levels of ovarian steroids might be associated with brooding behavior in the female native Thai chicken. Changes in the levels of ovarian steroids of rearing hens were compared with those of non-rearing ones. Plasma estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The results revealed differences in circulating levels of ovarian steroids between hens rearing their chicks and those deprived of their young after hatching. The non-rearing hens had higher circulating estradiol, progesteron, and tertosterone levels than those of the rearing hens. These differences were significant during the first two weeks after hatching. The results of the present study demonstrate the inhibitory effect of brooding behavior on ovarian steroids in the native Thai chickens. Indeed, disruption of brooding behavior by removing the chicks from the hens increased circulating levels of ovarian steroids and reinitiated reproductive and egg laying activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A few studies have examined the relative contribution of insecure attachment and negative parental rearing behaviors on childhood anxiety, but none have examined if insecure attachment mediates the association between negative parental rearing behavior and anxiety. The present study investigated the direct, as well as the indirect, relation between attachment to parents, parental rearing behaviors and anxiety symptoms in a sample of 1134 normal developing children and adolescent. Attachment relation was measured by the Security Scale (SEC), negative parental rearing behavior was measured by the Rearing Behavior Questionnaire (RBQ), and anxiety was assessed using the Screen for Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (SCARED-R). We found, in accordance with previous research, that insecure attachment, maternal rejection and overprotection, each accounted for a significant proportion of the variance of anxiety symptoms. Another result was that insecure attachment was found to mediate the relationship between maternal psychological control and rejection, and anxiety symptoms. Findings are discussed with respect to future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dopaminergic (DAergic) system plays a pivotal role in incubation behavior via the regulation of prolactin (PRL) secretion in birds, however the role of the DA/PRL system in rearing behavior is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the DA/PRL system and rearing behavior in a gallinaceous bird, the native Thai chicken. Incubating native Thai hens were divided into two groups. In the first group, hens were allowed to care for their chicks (rearing hens; R). In the second group, hens were deprived of their chicks immediately after hatching (non-rearing hens; NR). In both groups, blood samples and brain sections were collected at different time points after the chicks hatched (days 4, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, and 28; 6 hens/time point/group). In this study, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was used as a marker for DAergic neurons. The numbers of TH-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons in the nucleus intramedialis (nI) and in the nucleus mamillaris lateralis (ML), which regulate the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)/PRL system, were determined in R and NR hens utilizing immunohistochemical techniques. Plasma PRL levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The results revealed that both the number of TH-ir neurons in the nI and the plasma PRL levels were significantly higher in the R hens compared with the NR hens during the first 14 days of chick rearing ( P < 0.05). However, there was no significant change in the DAergic activity in the ML in either the R or NR groups throughout the 28-day rearing periods. These results suggest that the DA/PRL system is involved in early rearing behavior. The additional decline in DAergic activity and plasma PRL levels during the disruption of rearing behavior further supports their involvement in rearing behavior in this equatorial precocial species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The absence or loss of rewards or reinforcers holds a major role in the development of depression in humans. In spite of the prevalence of extinction-induced depression (EID) in humans, few attempts have been made to establish animal models thereof. Here we present the concept of extinction-related depression and summarize the results of two sets of studies in our attempt to create animal models of EID, one set based on extinction after positive reinforcement in the Skinner-box, the other on extinction after negative reinforcement - escape from water. We found various behaviors emitted during the extinction trials that responded to treatment with antidepressant drugs: Accordingly, the important behavioral marker for EID during extinction of escape from the water was immobility. During extinction after positive reinforcement the important indices for extinction-induced depression are the withdrawal from the former site of reward, biting behavior and rearing up on the hind legs. Avoidance behavior and biting may model aspects of human depressive behavior, which may include withdrawal or avoidance as well as aggressive-like behaviors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is the avian prolactin releasing factor and changes in the concentrations of plasma prolactin (PRL) are found during the avian reproductive cycle. This study investigated the changes in the VIP/PRL system of native Thai hens rearing their young as compared to hens deprived of rearing their chicks. The number of VIP-immunoreactive (VIP-ir) neurons in the Nucleus inferioris hypothalami (IH) and Nucleus infundibuli hypothalami (IN) of hens rearing chicks (R) were compared with those of non-rearing chicks (NR). Plasma PRL levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The localization and number of VIP-ir neurons were determined by immunohistochemistry. The numbers of VIP-ir neurons in the IH–IN areas were high in the R hens, whereas the number of VIP-ir neurons decreased in the NR hens as compared to their respective R hens. During the rearing period, changes in the VIP-ir neurons within the IH–IN were correlated with plasma PRL levels. The results of the present study indicate for the first time that the VIP/PRL system plays a role in neuroendocrine reorganization to establish maternal behavior in native Thai chickens. The VIP/PRL system functions not only as a well established key regulator of incubation behavior, but is also involved in the regulation of rearing behavior. It is possible that VIP and the decline in the number of VIP-ir neurons and in turn VIPergic activity and the decrease in PRL levels are related to their contribution to rearing behavior of this non-seasonal breeding, equatorial precocial species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The Recalled Parental Rearing Behavior questionnaire (FEE, [1,2]) assesses perceived parental rearing behavior separately for each parent. An ultra-short screening version (FEE-US) with the same three scales each for the mother and the father is reported and factor-analytically validated. Methods: N = 4,640 subjects aged 14 to 92 (M = 48.4 years) were selected by the random-route sampling method. The ultra-short questionnaire version was derived from the long version through item and factor analyses. In a confirmatory factor analysis framework, the hypothesized three-factorial structure was fitted to the empirical data and tested for measurement invariance, differential item functioning, item discriminability, and convergent and discriminant factorial validity. Effects of gender or age were assessed using MANOVAs. Results: The a-priori hypothesized model resulted in mostly adequate overall fit. Neither gender nor age group yielded considerable effects on the factor structure, but had small effects on means of raw score sums. Factorial validities could be confirmed. Scale sums are well-suited to rank respondents along the respective latent dimension. Conclusion: The structure of the long version with the factors Rejection & Punishment, Emotional Warmth, and Control & Overprotection could be replicated for both father and mother items in the ultra-short screening version using confirmatory factor analyses. These results indicate that the ultra-short screening version is a time-saving and promising screening instrument for research settings and in individual counseling. However, the shortened scales do not necessarily represent the full spectrum covered by the full-scale dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Studies of socially housed rodents have provided significant information regarding the mechanisms of stress and of stress-related disorders. Objective: Since psychosocial stress is known to alter the functional activity of dopaminergic system, we employed amphetamine (AMP) to evaluate the involvement dopamine in mediating the behavioral consequences of psychosocial stress. Methods: Male rats housed two per cage were designated as dominant (DOM) or subdominant (Sdom) based on initial evaluations of agonistic behaviors and body weight changes. Diad-housed rats and a group of single-housed (SiH) rats were tested in an open field after injections of saline or amphetamine (0.9 or 2.7 mg/kg IP) prior to and again while diad-housing. Results: Compared to future DOM rats, saline-injected future Sdom rats entered the open field center less frequently, spent less time in rearing behavior and groomed less. At the pre-diad test AMP treatment elevated locomotor activity of all rats, while stimulation of center entries was more marked in future DOM rats. At the diad test, AMP's locomotor stimulant effect was evident in all experimental groups with DOM rats showing higher effects compared to Sdom and SiH rats. Amphetamine's stimulation of center entries in DOM rats was similar to the pre-diad test, but it was diminished in Sdom rats, while stimulation of rearing behavior was most evident in diad-housed rats. Conclusion: The dopaminergic system modulates the psychosocial stress-induced differences in explorative and emotional behaviors. Furthermore, behavioral traits like frequency of grooming behavior and of center entries were predictive of future hierarchical status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The discovery of the gene mutation responsible for Huntington''s disease (HD), huntingtin, in 1993 allowed for a better understanding of the pathology of and enabled the development of animal models. HD is caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine repeat region in the N-terminal of the huntingtin protein. Here we examine the behavioral, transcriptional, histopathological and anatomical characteristics of a knock-in HD mouse model with a 140 polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin protein. This CAG 140 model contains a portion of the human exon 1 with 140 CAG repeats knocked into the mouse huntingtin gene. We have longitudinally examined the rearing behavior, accelerating rotarod, constant speed rotarod and gait for age-matched heterozygote, homozygote and non-transgenic mice and have found a significant difference in the afflicted mice. However, while there were significant differences between the non-transgenic and the knock-in mice, these behaviors were not progressive. As in HD, we show that the CAG 140 mice also have a significant decrease in striatally enriched mRNA transcripts. In addition, striatal neuronal intranuclear inclusion density increases with age. Lastly these CAG 140 mice show slight cortical thinning compared to non-transgenic mice, similarly to the cortical thinning recently reported in HD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Psychosocial stress, including social rank status, has been shown to alter spontaneously occurring behaviors in rodents as well as the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse. In this study, rats were repeatedly evaluated in a modified open field following: their initial exposure, and after intraperitoneal injections of saline and 0.75 g/kg ethanol (EtOH). All subjects were first tested while under single housing conditions, then again following 35 days of differential housing (singly or 3 rats/cage) with social status determined by scoring agonistic behavior at triad formation. The data suggest that (1) future subordinate rats differed with respect to specific aspects of behavior displayed in a ‘novel’ open field arena, (2) future subordinate rats were more emotional since they showed greater “anxiety-like” behavior and less exploratory behavior, (3) subordinate rats were more impaired by the saline injection stress, (4) subordinate rats were more sensitive to the depressant effects of EtOH, (5) grooming behavior did not show habituation, in contrast to the other behaviors, but showed sensitization on the second test. Overall, subordinate rats may have differed from their cage mates in innate anxiety, and this may underlie their distinct response to both stressors and EtOH. Furthermore, while EtOH had mostly stimulant effects in naive rats, psychosocial stress and/or repeated testing resulted in enhancement of EtOH''s depressant effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The purpose of this study is to examine psychological health of left-behind children (LBC), social support and rearing behavior towards LBC as well as their correlations in the city of Shaoxing, China., Methods: By stratified sampling, 401 LBC and 527 non-left-behind children (NLBC) had completed the questionnaires in 2014. Spearman's correlation was performed to clarify the relationship between psychological health, social support and rearing behavior in LBC. Multiple linear regression analytical methods were used to identify the variables that were associated with psychological health., Results: Compared to NLBC, LBC got lower scores in psychological health, general social support, subjective support and emotional warmth, but higher in rejection. Psychological health was positively correlated with social support, and negatively with rearing behavior (rejection, overprotection) in LBC. It was also closely connected with the subjective support, rejection and general health status., Conclusion: These data show that LBC suffer significant impairment on psychological health, and receive less social support and worse rearing behavior than NLBC. Psychological health may be affected by subjective support, rejection, and general health status. Urgent government assessment and support from the community, school, mental health systems are warranted.

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric illness. Disruption of the dopaminergic system has been suggested to be the pathogenic cause of this disease. The effect of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 (BB536) on schizophrenic behavior was investigated in an animal model. Daily administration of BB536 (10(9) CFU/mouse, p.o. for 2 weeks) was found to reduce rearing behavior augmented by the dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine and to decrease the resting level of plasma corticosterone and the ratio of kynurenine to tryptophan. These results suggest the potential of BB536 for supplemental treatment of the symptoms of schizophrenia.