This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (grant No. 738/11), by the National Institute for Psychobiology in Israel (NIPI-7-2011-12), and by the Open University Foundation

NOTA: Todos os protocolos experimentais foram aprovados pelo Comitê Internacional para Cuidados e Uso de Animais em Israel. Foram feitos todos os esforços para minimizar o número de animais utilizados e seu sofrimento. 1. Preparação para o teste de natação forçada <ol><li> Use duas salas adjacentes. Usar um quarto como uma &quot;sala de espera&quot; para manter os animais antes do teste comportamental, e o outro para a realização do procedimento. </li><li> Preparar os recipientes de vidro cilíndrico transparente (o única restrição que o número de recipientes é o espaço disponível) medindo 50 cm de altura e um diâmetro de 20 cm. Nota: É possível executar vários animais ao mesmo tempo na mesma sala. Se assim for, separe os recipientes de um outro usando uma tela escura para que os animais não vão ver uns aos outros durante o procedimento. </li><li> Prepare a câmara (s) de vídeo na frente dos recipientes, de modo que cada câmara percebe um ou mais recipientes de uma maneira que wmal permitem a observação clara do comportamento dos animais, mais tarde, durante a exibição do filme. </li><li> Prepare gaiolas secagem limpas, lâmpadas de calor e almofadas de calor para os animais que tenham concluído o procedimento para evitar a hipotermia. Verifique se o fundo da gaiola tem papel mata-borrão e alterá-lo quando estiver molhada. Não coloque as gaiolas na sala de testes. NOTA: Certifique-se de não misturar animais de gaiolas diferentes, enquanto eles estão ficando nas gaiolas de secagem transitórios. </li></ol> 2. manejo dos animais antes do teste <ol><li> Animais da casa em um quarto com ciclo claro / escuro de 12 horas de luz. </li><li> Durante os dias do procedimento experimental dar os animais o livre acesso a comida e água, excepto durante o tempo específico de permanência no centro do procedimento. </li><li> Quando usando ratos, manipulação dos animais durante cerca de 2 min diariamente, 5 dias antes do início do procedimento experimental. </li></ol> 3. Processo de Formação Oprocedimento é realizado de forma diferente para ratos e ratinhos. NOTA: Para ambos os camundongos e ratos, observar os animais enquanto eles estão na água em todos os momentos. No caso de um animal aparece em perigo grave (por exemplo, muito cansado, não pode ficar até float) remover o animal da água e excluí-la do experimento. <ol><li> Para camundongos - Há uma sessão 6 min longo, dividido em pré-teste (o 2 primeiro min) e teste (o último 4 min). <ol><li> Para os ratinhos a obter aclimatados ao ambiente de teste, o transporte dos animais nas suas gaiolas pelo menos 30 minutos antes do teste comportamental da sala de espera. </li><li> Encher os cilindros com água da torneira a 25 ° C e ajustar a profundidade da água de acordo com o tamanho do rato &quot;, de modo que não se pode tocar no fundo do recipiente com as suas pernas traseiras. </li><li> Marcar o cilindro com o número de animais, para efeitos de identificação do animal, mais tarde, durante a visualização da metragem. </li><li>Ligue a câmera de vídeo / s e, em seguida, colocar cada rato no recipiente cilindro cheio de água durante 6 min. </li><li> Após 6 min ter decorrido, desligue a câmera / s, retire o mouse a partir do recipiente e colocá-lo na gaiola secagem transitória com a lâmpada de calor acima dela ea almofada de calor sob ele. Os ratos devem ser cuidadosamente monitorizados continuamente, e enquanto se recuperava nesta jaula. Para este efeito, é possível colocar um termómetro ao nível dos ratinhos para garantir que a temperatura no recinto não exceda 37 ° C. Além disso, colocar a gaiola de modo a que nem toda ela cai sob a lâmpada ou sobre a almofada; isso permite que o mouse para mover-se para uma área mais fria, se desejar. </li><li> Troque a água depois de cada sessão, para evitar qualquer influência sobre a próxima mouse. </li></ol></li><li> Para os ratos - Há 2 sessões, 24 horas de intervalo. A primeira sessão é a fase de pré-teste (15 min) e a segunda sessão é a fase de teste (5 min). <ol><li> A fim de que os ratos para se adapte às condições detestando ambiente, transportar os animais em suas gaiolas, pelo menos, 30 min antes do teste comportamental para a sala de espera. </li><li> Encher os cilindros com água da torneira a 23 ± 1 ° C e ajustar a profundidade da água de acordo com o tamanho do rato, de modo a que ele não pode tocar no fundo do recipiente com as suas pernas traseiras. </li><li> Marcar o cilindro com o número de animais, para efeitos de identificação do animal, mais tarde, durante a visualização da metragem. </li><li> Coloque cada rato no recipiente cilindro cheio de água durante 15 min. </li><li> Após 15 min de terem decorrido remover o rato a partir do recipiente e coloca-se na gaiola de secagem transiente com a lâmpada de calor acima dela e a almofada de calor sob ele. O rato deve ser de perto e continuamente monitorados enquanto se recuperava nesta jaula. Para este efeito, é possível colocar um termómetro ao nível do rato para se certificar de que a temperatura no recinto não exceda 37 ° C. Além disso, colocar a gaiola de modo a que nem toda ela falls sob a lâmpada ou sobre a almofada; isso permite que o rato para mover-se para uma área mais fria, se desejar. </li><li> Troque a água depois de cada sessão, para evitar qualquer influência sobre o próximo rato. NOTA: Este é o fim da fase de pré-teste. </li><li> Vinte e quatro horas mais tarde, a fim de que os ratos para obter aclimatados ao ambiente de teste, o transporte dos animais nas suas gaiolas pelo menos 30 minutos antes do teste comportamental da sala de espera. </li><li> Encher os cilindros com água da torneira a 23 ± 1 ° C e ajustar a profundidade da água de acordo com o tamanho do rato, de modo a que ele não pode tocar no fundo do recipiente com as suas pernas traseiras. </li><li> Marcar o cilindro com o número de animais, para efeitos de identificação do animal, mais tarde, durante a visualização da metragem. </li><li> Ligue a câmera de vídeo / s e, em seguida, coloque o rato no recipiente cilindro cheio de água durante 5 minutos. Certifique-se de que cada rato é testado no mesmo recipiente e posição na sala como no dia anterior. </li&gt; <li> Após 5 min ter decorrido ligar a câmera / s, retire o rato a partir do recipiente e colocá-lo na gaiola secagem transitória com a lâmpada de calor acima dela ea almofada de calor sob ele. O rato deve ser de perto e continuamente monitorados enquanto se recuperava nesta jaula. Para este efeito, é possível colocar um termómetro ao nível do rato para se certificar de que a temperatura no recinto não exceda 37 ° C. Além disso, colocar a gaiola de modo a que nem toda ela cai sob a lâmpada ou sobre a almofada; isso permite que o rato para mover-se para uma área mais fria, se desejar. </li><li> Troque a água depois de cada sessão, para evitar qualquer influência sobre o próximo rato. NOTA: Este é o fim da fase de testes. </li></ol></li></ol> 4. A Codificação Comportamental Para ratos, codificar o último 4 min definida como a fase de teste. Para os ratos, codificar a 5 min da etapa de teste. <ol><li> Código da duração do tempo gasto como &quot;Immobile&quot; se o mouse está flutuandocom a ausência de qualquer movimento excepto as necessárias para manter o nariz acima da água. </li><li> Código da duração do tempo gasto como &quot;Lutando / escalada&quot; se movimentos rápidos dos membros anteriores são observados de modo que as patas dianteiras quebrar a superfície da água. </li><li> Código da duração do tempo gasto como &quot;Piscina&quot; Se o movimento dos membros anteriores ou pélvicos em uma forma de remo é observado. NOTA: É possível utilizar uma forma alternativa de codificar estes comportamentos, este inclui um método de amostragem de tempo. Classifique o natação, lutando ou imobilidade, como a freqüência dos episódios em 5 seg intervalos durante a sessão de teste. </li></ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

O FST é usado para monitorar o comportamento depressivo-like e baseia-se no pressuposto de que a imobilidade reflecte uma medida de desespero comportamental 3. As principais vantagens deste processo residem na sua operação relativamente fácil e resultados rápidos. Além disso, sua sensibilidade para uma ampla gama de medicamentos antidepressivos que faz com que seja um teste de rastreio adequado é uma das características mais importantes que levam à sua alta validade preditiva 29. Important...

A depressão é um transtorno psiquiátrico que ameaçam a vida e uma grande preocupação de saúde pública mundial, com uma incidência de 5% e uma prevalência de 15-20%. Além disso, estima-se que até 2020 a depressão será nos três maiores contribuintes para o peso da doença 1,2. A depressão está associada com deficiência, diminuição da qualidade de vida, aumento dos custos relacionados com a saúde e é considerado um fator de risco principal para muitas doenças, incluindo doenças cardiovasculares, metabólicas e distúrbios neuropsiquiátricos 3,4 .Current tratamentos fármaco-terapêutica têm limitado a eficácia e estão associados com muitos efeitos colaterais deletérios 5,6. Por isso, uma melhor compreensão da fisiopatologia desta doença junto com o desenvolvimento de tratamentos inovadores e melhoradas continua a ser crucial. Assim, os modelos animais são essenciais para o avanço da investigação neste domínio. Existem diversos modelos utilizados para o estudo desta desordem (&lt;em&gt; por exemplo, teste de preferência sacarose, teste de suspensão pela cauda) com o teste de natação forçada (FST, também conhecido como teste de Porsolt após o desenvolvedor deste modelo 7,8), sendo um dos ensaios mais comumente utilizados 7,9-12. Durante a FST um animal é colocado num recipiente cheio com água do qual não pode escapar. O animal vai primeiro tentar escapar, mas, eventualmente, vai expor a imobilidade (ou seja, flutuando com a ausência de qualquer movimento, exceto se forem necessários para manter o nariz fora da água). O FST é um modelo muito popular em investigação animal para uma série de razões. Primeiro, ela envolve a exposição dos animais ao stress, que se mostrou ter um papel na tendência para a depressão maior 12-14. Além disso depressão é muitas vezes visto como uma falta de habilidade para lidar com o estresse 15-17. Em segundo lugar, o tratamento farmacológico com antidepressivos antes do teste foi mostrado para reduzir a imobilidade no TNF &lt;sup&gt; 18-23. Por conseguinte, é muitas vezes utilizado como um ensaio de rastreio de novos compostos com propriedades antidepressivas potenciais 15-17,24. Além disso, o FST foi mostrado para compartilhar alguns dos fatores que são influenciados ou alterados por depressão em seres humanos, tais como mudanças no consumo de alimentos, alterações do sono e anedonia 15-17,24 droga retirada induzida. Esta é também a razão pela qual este teste é por vezes utilizado para avaliar o comportamento depressivo-como em camundongos mutantes, com aumento ou diminuição da imobilidade basal (em comparação com &#39;do tipo selvagem&#39; ratos) 25,26.

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the forced swim test as a model of depressive-like behavior

The goal of the present protocol is to describe the forced swim test (FST), which is one of the most commonly used assays for the study of depressive-like behavior in rodents. The FST is based on the assumption that when placing an animal in a container filled with water, it will first make efforts to escape but eventually will exhibit immobility that may be considered to reflect a measure of behavioral despair. This test has been extensively used because it involves the exposure of the animals to stress, which was shown to have a role in the tendency for major depression. Additionally, the FST has been shown to share some of the factors that are influenced or altered by depression in humans, including changes in food consumption, sleep abnormalities and drug-withdrawal-induced anhedonia. The main advantages of this procedure are that it is relatively easy to perform and that its results are easily and quickly analyzed. Moreover, its sensitivity to a broad range of antidepressant drugs that makes it a suitable screening test is one of the most important features leading to its high predictive validity. Despite its appeal, this model has a number of disadvantages. First, the issue of chronic augmentation is problematic in this test because in real life patients need to be treated for at least several weeks before they experience any relief from their symptoms. Last, due to the aversiveness of the FST, it is important to take into account possible influences it might have on brain structure/function if brain analyses are to be carried out following this procedure.

Os seguintes resultados são baseados em dados não publicados do nosso laboratório. Neste experimento, os ratos do sexo feminino adulto ICR foram testados após 3 semanas de tratamento com o inibidor da recaptação da serotonina (ISRS) escitalopram ou novo tratamento anti-depressivo e anti-ansiedade herbal (NHT) (para mais informações sobre o tratamento à base de plantas, ver 12 , 27,28). One-way ANOVA revelou que o tratamento reduziu comportamento depressivo-like no FST [F (2,58) = 4,88, p &lt;0,05]. A...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior at JoVE.com

The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior

This protocol describes the forced swim test, which is used for the study of depressive-like behavior in rodents. This procedure involves placing an animal in a container filled with water that eventually will lead to the exhibition of immobility behavior, which is considered to reflect behavioral despair.

O Teste de Natação Forçada como um modelo de Depressive-like Comportamento

The goal of the present protocol is to describe the forced swim test (FST), which is one of the most commonly used assays for the study of depressive-like ...

the-forced-swim-test-as-a-model-of-depressive-like-behavior

Research

JoVE Journal

Behavior

36.5K visualizações.  Tel-Aviv University. This protocol describes the forced swim test, which is used for the study of depressive-like behavior in rodents. This procedure involves placing an animal in a container filled with water that eventually will lead to the exhibition of immobility behavior, which is considered to reflect behavioral despair.

Vídeo: The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

This video publication explains in detail the experimental protocol of the resident-intruder paradigm in rats. This test is a standardized method to measure offensive aggression and defensive behavior in a semi natural setting. The most important behavioral elements performed by the resident and the intruder are demonstrated in the video and illustrated using artistic drawings. The use of the resident intruder paradigm for acute and chronic social stress experiments is explained as well. Finally, some brief tests and criteria are presented to distinguish aggression from its more violent and pathological forms.

This video shows the resident-intruder paradigm in rats. This test is a standardized method to measure offensive aggression, defensive behavior and violence in a semi-natural setting. The use of the paradigm for social stress experiments is explained as well.

O Paradigma Residente-intruder: um teste padronizado para Agressão, Violência e Estresse social

This video publication explains in detail the experimental protocol of the resident-intruder paradigm in rats. This test is a standardized method to ...

Comportamento

Assessment of Murine Exercise Endurance Without the Use of a Shock Grid: An Alternative to Forced Exercise

Using laboratory mouse models, the molecular pathways responsible for the metabolic benefits of endurance exercise are beginning to be defined. The most common method for assessing exercise endurance in mice utilizes forced running on a motorized treadmill equipped with a shock grid. Animals who quit running are pushed by the moving treadmill belt onto a grid that delivers an electric foot shock; to escape the negative stimulus, the mice return to running on the belt. However, avoidance behavior and psychological stress due to use of a shock apparatus can interfere with quantitation of running endurance, as well as confound measurements of postexercise serum hormone and cytokine levels. Here, we demonstrate and validate a refined method to measure running endurance in na&#239;ve C57BL/6 laboratory mice on a motorized treadmill without utilizing a shock grid. When mice are preacclimated to the treadmill, they run voluntarily with gait speeds specific to each mouse. Use of the shock grid is replaced by gentle encouragement by a human operator using a tongue depressor, coupled with sensitivity to the voluntary willingness to run on the part of the mouse. Clear endpoints for quantifying running time-to-exhaustion for each mouse are defined and reflected in behavioral signs of exhaustion such as splayed posture and labored breathing. This method is a humane refinement which also decreases the confounding effects of stress on experimental parameters.

A method to assess exercise endurance in laboratory mice without the use of a shock grid is demonstrated. This method is a humane refinement that can decrease the confounding effects of stress on experimental parameters.

Avaliação da Murino exercício de resistência sem o uso de um choque grade: uma alternativa para o exercício forçado

Using laboratory mouse models, the molecular pathways responsible for the metabolic benefits of endurance exercise are beginning to be defined. The most ...

The Use of the Puzzle Box as a Means of Assessing the Efficacy of Environmental Enrichment

Environmental enrichment can dramatically influence the development and function of neural circuits. Further, enrichment has been shown to successfully delay the onset of symptoms in models of Huntington&#8217;s disease 1-4, suggesting environmental factors can evoke a neuroprotective effect against the progressive, cellular level damage observed in neurodegenerative disorders. The ways in which an animal can be environmentally enriched, however, can vary considerably. Further, there is no straightforward manner in which the effects of environmental enrichment can be assessed: most methods require either fairly complicated behavioral paradigms and/or postmortem anatomical/physiological analyses. This protocol describes the use of a simple and inexpensive behavioral assay, the Puzzle Box 5-7 as a robust means of determining the efficacy of increased social, sensory and motor stimulation on mice compared to cohorts raised in standard laboratory conditions. This simple problem solving task takes advantage of a rodent&#8217;s innate desire to avoid open enclosures by seeking shelter. Cognitive ability is assessed by adding increasingly complex impediments to the shelter&#8217;s entrance. The time a given subject takes to successfully remove the obstructions and enter the shelter serves as the primary metric for task performance. This method could provide a reliable means of rapidly assessing the efficacy of different enrichment protocols on cognitive function, thus paving the way for systematically determining the role specific environmental factors play in delaying the onset of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease.

Environmental enrichment provides a potential protective effect against neurodegenerative disorders. Currently, however, there is no easy way of determining the efficacy of enrichment procedures. This protocol describes a simple &#8220;Puzzle Box&#8221; method for assessing an animal&#8217;s cognitive function, in order to reveal the effectiveness of environmental enrichment.

O uso do Puzzle Box como uma forma de avaliar a eficácia de Enriquecimento Ambiental

Environmental enrichment can dramatically influence the development and function of neural circuits.  Further, enrichment has been shown to successfully ...

Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

In the signal attenuation rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), lever-pressing for food is followed by the presentation of a compound stimulus which serves as a feedback cue. This feedback is later attenuated by repeated presentations of the stimulus without food (without the rat emitting the lever-press response). In the next stage, lever-pressing is assessed under extinction conditions (i.e., no food is delivered). At this stage rats display two types of lever-presses, those that are followed by an attempt to collect a reward, and those that are not. The latter are the measure of compulsive-like behavior in the model. A control procedure in which rats do not experience the attenuation of the feedback cue serves to distinguish between the effects of signal attenuation and of extinction. The signal attenuation model is a highly validated model of OCD and differentiates between compulsive-like behaviors and behaviors that are repetitive but not compulsive. In addition the measures collected during the procedure eliminate alternative explanations for differences between the groups being tested, and are quantitative, unbiased and unaffected by inter-experimenter variability. The major disadvantages of this model are the costly equipment, the fact that it requires some technical know-how and the fact that it is time-consuming compared to other models of OCD (11 days). The model may be used for detecting the anti- or pro-compulsive effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological manipulations and for studying the neural substrate of compulsive behavior.

The goal of the protocol described in this paper is to induce compulsive-like behavior in rats for the study of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This behavior is precipitated by attenuating a signal indicating that a lever-press response was effective in producing food.

Atenuação de sinal como um modelo de rato de Transtorno Obsessivo Compulsivo

In the signal attenuation rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), lever-pressing for food is followed by the presentation of a compound stimulus ...

Paw-Dragging: a Novel, Sensitive Analysis of the Mouse Cylinder Test

The cylinder test is routinely used to predict focal ischemic damage to the forelimb motor cortex in rodents. When placed in the cylinder, rodents explore by rearing and touching the walls of the cylinder with their forelimb paws for postural support. Following ischemic injury to the forelimb sensorimotor cortex, rats rely more heavily on their unaffected forelimb paw for postural support resulting in fewer touches with their affected paw which is termed forelimb asymmetry. In contrast, focal ischemic damage in the mouse brain fails to result in comparable consistent deficits in forelimb asymmetry. While forelimb asymmetry deficits are infrequently observed, mice do demonstrate a novel behaviour post stroke termed &#8220;paw-dragging&#8221;. Paw-dragging is the tendency for a mouse to drag its affected paw along the cylinder wall rather than directly push off from the wall when dismounting from a rear to a four-legged stance. We have previously demonstrated that paw-dragging behaviour is highly sensitive to small cortical ischemic injuries to the forelimb motor cortex. Here we provide a detailed protocol for paw-dragging analysis. We define what a paw-drag is and demonstrate how to quantify paw-dragging behaviour. The cylinder test is a simple and inexpensive test to administer and does not require pre-training or food deprivation strategies. In using paw-dragging analysis with the cylinder test, it fills a niche for predicting cortical ischemic injuries such as photothrombosis and Endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced ischemia &#8211; two models that are ever-increasing in popularity and produce smaller focal injuries than middle cerebral artery occlusion. Finally, measuring paw-dragging behaviour in the cylinder test will allow studies of functional recovery after cortical injury using a wide cohort of transgenic mouse strains where previous forelimb asymmetry analysis has failed to detect consistent deficits.

Classical forelimb asymmetry analysis of the cylinder test is routinely used to assess behavioural deficits in rats following brain injury or stroke; however, it fails to detect consistent deficits in mice. This study demonstrates that quantifying paw-dragging behaviour is a more sensitive analysis of brain injury in mice.

Pata-Arrastando: a Novel, análise de sensibilidade do mouse cilindro de ensaio

The cylinder test is routinely used to predict focal ischemic damage to the forelimb motor cortex in rodents. When placed in the cylinder, rodents explore ...

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test

In many situations humans are influenced by the behavior of other people and their relationships with them. For example, in stressful situations supportive behavior of other people as well as positive social relationships can act as powerful resources to cope with stress. In order to study the interplay between these variables, this protocol describes two effective experimental manipulations of social relationships and supportive behavior in the laboratory. In the present article, these two manipulations are implemented in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST)&#8212;a standard stress induction paradigm in which participants are subjected to a simulated job interview. More precisely, we propose (a) a manipulation of the relationship between different protagonists in the TSST by making a shared social identity salient and (b) a manipulation of the behavior of the TSST-selection committee, which acts either supportively or unsupportively. These two experimental manipulations are designed in a modular fashion and can be applied independently of each other but can also be combined. Moreover, these two manipulations can also be integrated into other stress protocols and into other standardized social interactions such as trust games, negotiation tasks, or other group tasks.

Previous research on the social dimension of stress has focused on two important variables: social identity and social support. This protocol introduces an effective experimental manipulation of these two social variables and describes their implementation in a standard stress induction paradigm (Trier Social Stress Test).

A Dimensão Social do Stress: Manipulações experimentais de apoio social e de identidade social no Trier Social Stress Teste

In many situations humans are influenced by the behavior of other people and their relationships with them. For example, in stressful situations ...

The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer's Disease

This protocol describes the administration of the 4 Mountains Test (4MT), a short test of spatial memory, in which memory for the topographical layout of four mountains within a computer-generated landscape is tested using a delayed match-to-sample paradigm. Allocentric spatial memory is assessed by altering the viewpoint, colors and textures between the initially presented and target images.
Allocentric spatial memory is a key function of the hippocampus, one of the earliest brain regions to be affected in Alzheimer&#39;s disease (AD) and impairment of hippocampal function predates the onset of dementia. It was hypothesized that performance on the 4MT would aid the diagnosis of predementia AD, which manifests clinically as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
The 4MT was applied to patients with MCI, stratified further based on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarker status (10 MCI biomarker positive, 9 MCI biomarker negative), and with mild AD dementia, as well as healthy controls. Comparator tests included tests of episodic memory and attention widely accepted as sensitive measures of early AD. Behavioral data were correlated with quantitative MRI measures of the hippocampus, precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus.
4MT scores were significantly different between the two MCI groups (p = 0.001), with a test score of &#8804;8/15 associated with 100% sensitivity and 78% specificity for the classification of MCI with positive AD biomarkers, i.e., predementia AD. 4MT test scores correlated with hippocampal volume (r = 0.42) and cortical thickness of the precuneus (r = 0.55).
In conclusion, the 4MT is effective in identifying the early stages of AD. The short duration, easy application and scoring, and favorable psychometric properties of the 4MT fulfil the need for a simple but accurate diagnostic test for predementia AD.

The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer&#039;s Disease

This article describes the 4 Mountains Test (4MT), a hippocampus-dependent test of working allocentric spatial memory. The hippocampus is affected early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and this article outlines the 4MT methodology and results of patient testing, which demonstrates the value of the 4MT in the diagnosis of pre-dementia AD.

A 4 Montanhas de teste: um teste curto de memória espacial com alta sensibilidade para o diagnóstico de pré-demência da doença de Alzheimer

This protocol describes the administration of the 4 Mountains Test (4MT), a short test of spatial memory, in which memory for the topographical layout of ...

The Rodent Psychomotor Vigilance Test (rPVT): A Method for Assessing Neurobehavioral Performance in Rats and Mice

The human Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) is a widely used procedure for measuring changes in fatigue and sustained attention. The present article describes a rodent version of the PVT&#8212;termed the &#34;rPVT&#34;&#8212;that measures similar aspects of attention (i.e., performance accuracy, motor speed, premature responding, and lapses in attention). Data are presented that demonstrate both the short- and long-term usefulness of the rPVT when employed with laboratory rats. Rats easily learn the rPVT, and learning to perform the basic procedure takes less than two weeks of training. Once acquired, rat performances in the rPVT show a high degree of similarity to these same performance measures in the human PVT, including similarities in, lapses in attention, reaction times, vigilance decrements across session time (i.e., the human &#34;time-on-task&#34; effects), and the response-stimulus interval (RSI) effect described for humans. Thus the rPVT can be an extremely valuable tool for assessing the effects of a wide range of variables on sustained attention quite similar to human PVT performances, and thus can be useful for developing novel treatments for neurobehavioral dysfunctions.

The Rodent Psychomotor Vigilance Test rPVT: A Method for Assessing Neurobehavioral Performance in Rats and Mice

A rat version of the human Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) is described that measures aspects of attention similar to those measured with the human PVT, including aspects of human vigilance such as performance accuracy, motor speed, premature responding, and lapses in attention.

O psicomotora Teste Rodent Vigilância (rPVT): um método para avaliar Neurobehavioral Desempenho em ratos e camundongos

The human Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) is a widely used procedure for measuring changes in fatigue and sustained attention. The present article ...

A Method to Test the Effect of Environmental Cues on Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

An individual's sexual drive is influenced by genotype, experience and environmental conditions. How these factors interact to modulate sexual behaviors remains poorly understood. In Drosophila melanogaster, environmental cues, such as food availability, affect mating activity offering a tractable system to investigate the mechanisms modulating sexual behavior. In D. melanogaster, environmental cues are often sensed via the chemosensory gustatory and olfactory systems. Here, we present a method to test the effect of environmental chemical cues on mating behavior. The assay consists of a small mating arena containing food medium and a mating couple. The mating frequency for each couple is continuously monitored for 24 h. Here we present the applicability of this assay to test environmental compounds from an external source through a pressurized air system as well as manipulation of the environmental components directly in the mating arena. The use of a pressurized air system is especially useful to test the effect of very volatile compounds, while manipulating components directly in the mating arena can be of value to ascertain a compound's presence. This assay can be adapted to answer questions about the influence of genetic and environmental cues on mating behavior and fecundity as well as other male and female reproductive behaviors.

A Method to Test the Effect of Environmental Cues on Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

We demonstrate an assay to analyze the environmental and genetic cues that influence mating behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

Um método para testar o efeito de sugestões ambientais no comportamento de acoplamento em<em&gt; Drosophila melanogaster</em

An individual's sexual drive is influenced by genotype, experience and environmental conditions. How these factors interact to modulate sexual behaviors ...

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons

We provide a procedure for a psychophysics experiment in humans based on a previously described paradigm aimed to characterize the perceptual duration of intervals within the range of milliseconds of visual, acoustic, and audiovisual aperiodic trains of six pulses. In this task, each of the trials consists of two consecutive intramodal intervals where the participants press the upward arrow key to report that the second stimulus lasted longer than the reference, or the downward arrow key to indicate otherwise. The analysis of the behavior results in psychometric functions of the probability of estimating the comparison stimulus to be longer than the reference, as a function of the comparison intervals. In conclusion, we advance a way of implementing standard programming software to create visual, acoustic, and audiovisual stimuli, and to generate a two-interval forced-choice (2IFC) task by delivering stimuli through noise-blocking headphones and a computer&#39;s monitor.

Psychophysics is essential for studying perception phenomena through sensory information. Here we present a protocol to perform a two-interval forced-choice task as implemented in a previous report on human psychophysics where participants estimated the duration of visual, auditory, or audiovisual intervals of aperiodic trains of pulses.

Tarefa de forçado-escolha uma intervalo de dois para comparações multisensorial

We provide a procedure for a psychophysics experiment in humans based on a previously described paradigm aimed to characterize the perceptual duration of ...