Decynium-22 affects behavior in the zebrafish light/dark test

Decynium-22 (D-22) is an inhibitor of the uptake2 system of monoamine clearance, resulting in increased levels of dopamine and norepinephrine (and in some cases serotonin) in the nervous system and elsewhere. Uptake2 is mediated by low-affinity, high-capacity transporters that are inhibited by glucocorticoids, suggesting a mechanism of fast glucocorticoid-monoamine interaction in the brain and a possible target for antidepressants. D-22 dose-dependently increased anxiety-like behavior in adult zebrafish exposed to the light/dark test, monotonically increasing scototaxis (dark preference), but affecting risk assessment with an inverted-U-shaped response. These results suggest that the uptake2 system has a role in defensive behavior in zebrafish, presenting a novel mechanism by which stress and glucocorticoids could produce fast neurobehavioral adjustments in vertebrates

Serotonergic modulation of zebrafish behavior: Towards a paradox

AbstractDue to the fish-specific genome duplication event (~320–350mya), some genes which code for serotonin proteins were duplicated in teleosts; this duplication event was preceded by a reorganization of the serotonergic system, with the appearance of the raphe nuclei (dependent on the isthmus organizer) and prosencephalic nuclei, including the paraventricular and pretectal complexes. With the appearance of amniotes, duplicated genes were lost, and the serotonergic system was reduced to a more complex raphe system. From a comparative point of view, then, the serotonergic system of zebrafish and that of mammals shows many important differences. However, many different behavioral functions of serotonin, as well as the effects of drugs which affect the serotonergic system, seem to be conserved among species. For example, in both zebrafish and rodents acute serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) seem to increase anxiety-like behavior, while chronic SSRIs decrease it; drugs which act at the 5-HT1A receptor seem to decrease anxiety-like behavior in both zebrafish and rodents. In this article, we will expose this paradox, reviewing the chemical neuroanatomy of the zebrafish serotonergic system, followed by an analysis of the role of serotonin in zebrafish fear/anxiety, stress, aggression and the effects of psychedelic drugs

Creating learning problems in subjects and modules of the Psychology Course: A methodological proposal

The use of learning problems is an active teaching-learning strategy widely used in various methods and curricula, from case studies to problem-based learning. By using problems as a stimulus to activity, the teacher encourages self-directed learning, the development of fundamental metacognitive aspects, the acquisition of problem solving skills, and intrinsic interest. I describe a method for creating problems in undergraduate courses in Psychology, based on previous experiences in biomedical (e.g., Anatomophysiology Applied to Psychology) and more critical (e.g., disciplines related to mental health and psychopathology) subjects. The method starts from the integration of the elements of the discipline syllabus to mobilize questions that generate a thematic tree. I also propose the application of methods based on activity theory to evaluate and calibrate the problem. The proposed method can benefit both integrated curricula and more isolated disciplines.A utilização de problemas de aprendizagem é uma estratégia de ensino-aprendizagem ativa largamente utilizada em métodos e currículos diversos, do estudo de caso à aprendizagem baseada em problemas. Ao usar problemas como estímulo à atividade, o/a professor/a incentiva a aprendizagem autodirigida, o desenvolvimento de aspectos metacognitivos fundamentais, a aquisição de habilidades de resolução de problemas, e o interesse intrínseco. Descrevo um método para criar problemas em cursos de graduação em Psicologia, com base em experiências prévias em disciplinas de caráter biomédico (p. ex., Anatomofisiologia Aplicada à Psicologia) e de caráter mais crítico (p. ex., disciplinas relacionadas à saúde mental e à psicopatologia). O método parte da integração dos elementos da ementa da disciplina para movimentar perguntas geradoras de uma árvore temática. Proponho ainda a aplicação de métodos baseados na teoria da atividade para avaliar e calibrar o problema. O método proposto pode beneficiar tanto currículos integrados quanto disciplinas mais isoladas

The effects of diazepam on the elevated T-maze are dependent on the estrous cycle of rats

In order to determine the modulation of anxiolytic and panicolytic-like effects of diazepam by the hormonal cycle of female rats, male and female rats - the latter divided per estrous cycle phase (estrus, diestrus, metaestrus and proestrus) - were tested in the elevated T-maze, a behavioral model of panic and anxiety. Diazepam (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg) or saline solution was injected in individual animals that were submitted to one session in the elevated T-maze 25 min after drug/saline administration. The test consisted of three avoidance trials and one escape trial, separated by a 30 s interval, during which the animals were isolated in individual cages. The avoidance trials began with the animal being placed at the end of the maze's enclosed arm. The time necessary for the animal to leave the central square was considered as the response's latency. The trials that exceeded 300 s were considered as failures. Results demonstrate a decrease in the effects of diazepam in inhibitory avoidance (anxiety) trials in females in diestrus and proestrus, but no relation of gender or estrous cycle on diazepam effects on escape trials (fear). The results support the hypothesis that down-regulation of GABA A receptors by activation of nuclear estrogen receptors and induction of PKC-mediated GABA A receptor phosphorylation by activation of surface estrogen receptors in raphe neurons underlie the modulation of diazepam sensitivity by estrogen

Social plasticity in the fish brain: Neuroscientific and ethological aspects

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Social plasticity, defined as the ability to adaptively change the expression of social behavior according to previous experience and to social context, is a key ecological performance trait that should be viewed as crucial for Darwinian fitness. The neural mechanisms for social plasticity are poorly understood, in part due to skewed reliance on rodent models. Fish model organisms are relevant in the field of social plasticity for at least two reasons: first, the diversity of social organization among fish species is staggering, increasing the breadth of evolutionary relevant questions that can be asked. Second, that diversity also suggests translational relevance, since it is more likely that “core” mechanisms of social plasticity are discovered by analyzing a wider variety of social arrangements than relying on a single species. We analyze examples of social plasticity across fish species with different social organizations, concluding that a “core” mechanism is the initiation of behavioral shifts through the modulation of a conserved “social decision-making network” along with other relevant brain regions, by monoamines, neuropeptides, and steroid hormones. The consolidation of these shifts may be mediated via neurogenomic adjustments and regulation of the expression of plasticity-related molecules (transcription factors, cell cycle regulators, and plasticity products)

Modelos na filosofia da ciência e epistemologia: Implicações para a ciência escolar

Models are important components in scientific activity, but their functions are divergent among the various schools of philosophy of science and epistemology. Schools such as realism and anti-realism discuss the importance of models, placing them at different levels. At the same time, it is essential to understand the use of models as aids in science teaching. The realism/anti-realism debate is not a mere epistemological curiosity, but something that has consequences for school science, understood as a process of didactic transposition that, of necessity, relies on idealizations. Solutions to the problem are presented, including a focus on didactic transpositions and the historiography of science.Los modelos son componentes importantes en la actividad científica, pero sus funciones son divergentes entre las distintas corrientes de la filosofía de la ciencia y la epistemología. Corrientes como el realismo y el antirrealismo discuten la importancia de los modelos, situándolos en diferentes niveles. Al mismo tiempo, es esencial comprender el uso de modelos como subsidios en la enseñanza de las ciencias. El debate realismo/antirrealismo no representa una mera curiosidad epistemológica, sino algo que tiene consecuencias para la ciencia escolar, entendida como un proceso de transposición didáctica que, por necesidad, se apoya en idealizaciones. Se presentan soluciones al problema, incluyendo un enfoque en las transposiciones didácticas y la historiografía de la ciencia.Os modelos são importantes componentes na atividade científica, porém suas funções são divergentes diante das várias vertentes da filosofia da ciência e epistemologia. Correntes como o realismo e antirrealismo discutem a importância dos modelos, colocando-os em patamares distintos. Ao mesmo tempo, é imprescindível compreender a visão sobre o uso dos modelos enquanto subsídios no ensino de ciências. O debate realismo/anti-realismo não representa uma mera curiosidade epistemológica, mas algo que têm consequências para a ciência escolar, entendida como um processo de transposição didática que, por necessidade, apóia-se em idealizações. Saídas para o problema são apresentadas, incluindo um foco nas transposições didáticas e na historiografia das ciências

Nocifensive behavior as evidence for sentient pain in fish

Fish nocifensive behavior can be studied and understood similarly to the way pain is studied and understood in more advanced vertebrates. Nocifensive behavior is a behavioral and physiological response to a noxious stimulus that leads to the fish avoiding it in the future. This behavioral flexibility is an important criterion for inferring pain sentience in fish. Modulation of the nocifensive behavior by anxiety, fear, or stress has already been demonstrated in zebrafish. The affective experiences of fish will not be identical to those of human beings, clearly. Empirical research will need to ascertain how similar they are

Fluoxetine and WAY 100,635 dissociate increases in scototaxis and analgesia induced by conspecific alarm substance in zebrafish (Danio rerio Hamilton 1822)

AbstractAlarm reactions to a substance secreted by the damaged skin of conspecifics and closely-related species are increasingly being recognized as fear-like responses in fish. The neurochemical underpinnings of these effects are so far unknown; however, given the role of the serotonergic system on defensive behavior, it is possible that the alarm reaction is mediated by this monoamine. Exposure to conspecific alarm substance (CAS) increased anxiety-like behavior in the light/dark test in zebrafish and decreased nocifensive behavior. These effects were accompanied by increases in blood glucose, hemoglobin, epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, as well as extracellular levels of serotonin in the brain. Pretreatment with fluoxetine blocked the anxiogenic effects of CAS on the light/dark test as well as all physiological parameters and the increase in extracellular brain 5-HT, but not the reduction in nocifensive behavior. Conversely, pretreatment with the 5-HT1AR antagonist WAY 100635 blocked the effects on nocifensive behavior, but not the effects on anxiety-like behavior nor on physiological parameters. These results point to an important and complex role of the serotonergic system in the mediation of fear-potentiated behavior in the light/dark test and in fear-induced analgesia in zebrafish

ACESSIBILIZAÇÃO DE PEÇA ANATÔMICA PARA AULA PRÁTICA DA DISCIPLINA DE PROCESSOS PSICOLÓGICOS BÁSICOS DE UM ESTUDANTE COM DEFICIÊNCIA VISUAL - 39

Alguns dos componentes curriculares da graduação de Psicologia da Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará (UNIFESSPA) requerem práticas laboratoriais, dessa forma, é necessário que todos tenham acesso aos materiais que serão utilizados em tais ocasiões. No ano de 2019, o curso de Psicologia recebeu um aluno com deficiência visual e foi necessário personalizar uma peça anatômica cerebral para que fosse possível a participação deste estudante na prática laboratorial. Este trabalho tem como objetivo mostrar como ocorreu o processo de acessibilização da peça. Foram utilizados os seguintes materiais: rede plástica (comumente utilizada para transporte de laranjas), esponja de lavar louça (parte verde e parte amarela), folha de papel A4, toalha de pano felpuda, barbante, um pedaço de um tecido chamado malha lamê e cola quente. Esses materiais foram selecionados por sua variedade tátil, o que possibilitou ao aluno diferenciar cada região do cérebro, além do fato de que as texturas não se mostravam incômodas para o estudante. O discente pôde realizar a atividade prática por meio da peça acessibilizada e das orientações dadas pela monitora da disciplina