Effects of environmental enrichment upon ethanol-induced conditioned place preference and pre-frontal BDNF levels in adolescent and adult mice

Environmental enrichment (EE) provides a non-pharmacological tool to alter drug-induced reward, yet its effects on ethanol-induced reward remain controversial. We analyzed adolescent vs. adult (mice) differences in the influence of EE on ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). The effects of these treatments on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the prefrontal cortex were examined in a separate group of animals. Ethanol-induced CPP was found in adults, and it was similar in EE and in animals reared under standard housing conditions (SC). Adolescents kept under EE, but not those in SC, exhibited CPP. Among SC, but not among EE, adolescents, BDNF levels were significantly lower in those treated with ethanol than in those given vehicle. These results indicate that, compared to adults, adolescent exhibited reduced sensitivity to ethanol's rewarding effects, yet the youth but not the adults exhibited sensitivity to the promoting effect of EE upon CPP by ethanol. Ethanol significantly reduced BDNF levels in adolescents reared under standard housing conditions, but not in adult mice nor in adolescents given EE housing conditions. The present results add to the plethora of adolescent-specific responses to ethanol or to environmental stimuli that may put the youth at risk for escalation of ethanol intake.Fil: Pautassi, Ricardo Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Psicología; ArgentinaFil: Suarez, Andrea Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Hoffmann, Lucas Barbosa. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Rueda, André Veloso. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Rae, Mariana. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Marianno, Priscila. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Camarini, Rosana. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

MOTIVASI BELAJAR SISWA SANGGAR TARI BALI SIWA NATA RAJA DI YOGYAKARTA

Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan motivasi siswa dalam belajar tari Bali di sanggar tari Siwa Nata Raja, di kota Yogyakarta. Para siswa yang belajar di sanggar tersebut semuanya berlatar belakang budaya Jawa khususnya Yogyakarta. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif. Subjek penelitian berjumlah 25 siswa, orang tua siswa, serta nara sumber yaitu Ni Ketut Suriastini selaku pengajar sekaligus pimpinan Sanggar, Sidhi sebagai pengajar, serta Triana Sutampi selaku staf administrasi. Penelitian difokuskan pada motivasi siswa dalam belajar tari Bali. Pengumpulan data diperoleh dengan cara melakukan observasi, wawancara, dan studi dokumentasi. Analisis data menggunakan teknik analisis deskripriptif kulitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: Motivasi siswa dalam belajar tari Bali di Sanggar Siwa Nata Raja mempunyai 2 faktor, yaitu (1) faktor internal dalam proses belajar di Sanggar Siwa Nata Raja siswa yang diteliti menunjukkan bahwa siswa dapat meraih keberhasilannya dalam belajar tari Bali dikarenakan mempunyai dorongan dari dalam diri yang terdiri dari dua faktor yaitu fisik dan psikis. Faktor fisik yang berhubungan dengan kondisi kesehatan siswa, faktor psikis berhubungan dengan bakat maupun minat dari dalam diri siswa, (2) Faktor eksternal, siswa Sanggar Siwa Nata Raja yang diteliti mempunyai pengaruh yang tinggi dari luar yang terdiri faktor keluarga, sekolah, dan faktor masyarakat sebagai contoh peran orang tua siswa yang awalnya mengarahkan serta mendukung siswa untuk belajar tari Bali. Di sisi lain teman dari siswa tersebut juga mengarahkan untuk belajar tari Bali. Dari beberapa dorongan yang diperoleh, timbul motivasi siswa untuk belajar tari Bali, motivasi atau dorongan dari luar tersebut menjadikan siswa tertarik kemudian merasa senang dalam belajar tari Bali. Pelayanan serta pengelolaan sanggar yang baik juga berpengaruh, karena perasaan nyaman dan senang pada diri siswa akan timbul. Sikap guru yang ramah, cara mengajar yang menerapkan sistem kasih sayang, serta fasilitas belajar yang memadai membuat siswa merasa betah dan nyaman belajar tari Bali di sanggar Siwa Nata Raja

Exploring shoulder season greenhouse gas production along a permafrost thaw transect in sub-arctic Finnish Palsas

The future of terrestrial carbon found in permafrost is not yet well understood, but this soil carbon may be a potential significant contributor to positive-feedback loop of climatic warming. In the (sub)arctic, the annual freeze-thaw cycles and thick peat accumulation harbor ideal conditions for palsa formation. Although, a recent study at our site in Arctic Lapland found that the area of the carbon-rich palsa mounds have already decreased by -77 % to -90 % since 1960. Here, we investigate potential greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) production from a palsa sampled along a transect with 60+ years of documented thaw. During the annual cycle of freeze-thaw, one of the largest unknowns in the life cycle of a palsa mound is the biogeochemical cycles during the shoulder season. This transition time between growing, and non-growing seasons that have previously been assumed to be times of relative dormancy for GHG flux in high-latitude wetlands. However, recent studies find that there is in fact a significant amount of GHG flux during this time. We aim to isolate shoulder season variables (increased N from plant senescence, temperature change) and explore how they each affect the potential CO2 and CH4 production using ex-situ incubations, coupled with microbial community cell counts sampled in tandem. Here, we test whether N addendums increase the GHG, as n-poor habitat has been shown to respond with increased microbial activity to the release of this metabolic bottleneck. In addition to the N-treatments, the samples will also be separated into three incubation temperature groups (4 , 15, 20C) to be able to link increasing temperatures with the N response. Overall, we aim to fill knowledge gaps on these habitats response to changing climatic conditions, and use our findings to better earth system models permafrost carbon predictions

Effects of environmental manipulations on ethanol-related behaviors: involvement of the stress circuitry.

O enriquecimento ambiental (EA) apresenta efeitos positivos sobre a dependência ao etanol e é possível que atue como um estressor leve, ajudando o animal a lidar melhor com situações adversas. Camundongos foram separados em três grupos: controle (CO), EA e estresse (ES). Foram estudados os efeitos do EA e ES no comportamento tipo ansiedade, memória episódica, preferência condicionada a lugar (CPP) com etanol, corticosterona e quantidade de receptor de oxitocina (OT). O EA diminuiu a latência de entrada no braço aberto, sugerindo efeito ansiolítico, ao contrário do ES. A memória não diferiu entre os grupos e o EA mostrou maior preferência condicionada ao etanol, comparado com CO. A corticosterona não mostrou diferença. A autorradiografia apontou diminuição da ligação de OT nos núcleos olfatórios e córtex frontal dos animais EA e aumento da ligação de OT na amígdala do ES em relação ao CO, sugerindo maior comportamento pró-social e maior ansiedade, respectivamente. Concluímos que o ambiente é capaz de afetar circuitos cerebrais envolvidos no estresse e dependência.Environmental enrichment (EE) presents positive effects upon alcohol addiction and its possible that EE acts as a mild stressor, which would help animal cope better with future stressful situations. Mice were separated in three groups: control (CO), EE and stress (ST). We studied the effects of EE and ST on anxiety-like behavior, episodic memory, conditioned place preference (CPP) to ethanol, corticosterone and quantity of oxytocin receptor. EE decreased the latency to enter the open arm, suggesting an anxiolytic effect, unlike ST. Memory did not differ between groups and EE demonstrated a higher preference to ethanol compared to CO. Corticosterone levels didnt differ among groups. Autoradiography showed decreased binding of OT in the olfactory nuclei and frontal cortex of EE animals and enhanced binding of OT in the amygdala of ST animals compared to CO, suggesting higher pro-social behavior and higher anxiety-like behavior, respectively. We conclude that the environment is capable of affecting important brain circuitries involved in stress and drug addiction

Study of environmental enrichment on reward and modulation of the oxytocinergic system.

A dependência tem como um dos fatores chaves a questão social. O enriquecimento ambiental (EA) promove aumento da interação social e apresenta efeitos positivos sobre a dependência. A OT (oxitocina) é responsável pela modulação da sociabilidade e está associada a manutenção do equilíbrio entre o valor recompensador do estímulo social e das drogas, corrompido durante a dependência. Camundongos Swiss machos adultos foram separados em dois grupos: controle (CT) e EA por 21 dias antes da realização dos testes. A interação e comportamento social avaliados pelos testes de Crawley e do tubo de dominância encontram-se aumentados no grupo EA, comparado com CT. A preferência condicionada a lugar foi adaptada e realizada com etanol vs estímulo social e revelou maior preferência pelo etanol no grupo EA e no grupo tratado com o análogo de OT, carbetocina. A motivação foi avaliada usando o teste de Food Enticing e revelou menor interação com alimento palatável nos animais enriquecidos. Por fim, a análise da expressão gênica através de qPCR mostrou que o EA promove aumento da expressão de OT e VP no hipotálamo e no estriado, respectivamente, além de diminuir a ativação de OTR no estriado, utilizando o ensaio de dosagem de PLC. Devido a semelhança estrutural entre os sistemas de OT e VP, foi realizado o teste de dosagem de Ca2+ para estudar a interação cruzada entre esses sistemas. A OT foi capaz de ativar receptores V1a com maior eficácia do que a VP ativando OTR. Finalmente, podemos concluir que o ambiente enriquecido é capaz de modular a interação social e a motivação dos animais e de aumentar a preferência pelo etanol frente a um estímulo social, além de modular a expressão gênica de oxitocina e vasopressina, que podem estar envolvidos com diferenças comportamentais observadas.Drug addiction presents sociability as a key point. Environmental enrichment (EE) promotes social interaction and shows protective effects upon drug abuse. Oxytocin (OT) is responsible for the modulation of sociability and is linked to the maintenance of the balance between the reward value of social and drug stimuli, which is corrupted during addiction. Male adults Swiss mice were separated in 2 groups: control (CT) and EE during 21 days before the following tests were performed. Here, social interaction and behavior, evaluated using Crawley test and social dominance tube test, were higher in enriched animals, compared to controls. Conditioned place preference test was modified and performed using alcohol vs social stimulus and showed higher preference for alcohol in EE animals and animals treated with an OT analogue, carbetocin. Motivation was explored through Food Enticing test, and reveled lower interaction with palatable food in enriched animals. Finally, gene expression analysis using qPCR revealed that EE promotes increase in expression of OT and VP in the hypothalamus and striatum, respectively, as well as decrease activation of OTR in the striatum, evaluated by using a PLC assay. Due to the similarities between OT and VP systems, Ca2+ release assay was used to study the cross-talk between both systems. OT was able to activate V1a with higher efficacy then VP activating OTR. Lastly, we were able to conclude that an enriched environment is capable of modulating social interaction, and motivation in animals and increase alcohol place preference over social preference, alongside modualting the increase of OT and VP , which could be involved with the behavioral changes observed

Reducing Trihalomethane Levels in Drinking Water

The goal of this project was to reduce trihalomethane precursors (organic carbon) in municipal drinking water for regulatory compliance. A bench scale filtration column with Greensand, GreensandPlus, and/or anthracite media was designed to mimic treatment plant conditions. Experiments were conducted to evaluate changes to process variables, including chlorine dose, pH, and coagulant dose. Based on results and literature research, it was recommended that the treatment plant upgrade to GreensandPlus and reduce the pre-chlorination dose to optimize organic carbon removal

Cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization is greater in adolescent than in adult mice and heightens cocaine-induced conditioned place preference in adolescents

Adolescents are more sensitive than adults to the neural and behavioral effects of psychostimulants, and exhibit greater vulnerability to drug abuse, dependence or relapse into these conditions. We have reported that cocaine pretreatment during adolescence promotes the expression of behavioral sensitization to a greater extent than when the pretreatment occurs at adulthood. Behavioral sensitization has been associated to the transition from drug use to addiction and is postulated to indicate heightened sensitivity to the appetitive motivational effects of drugs. The relationship between behavioral sensitization and conventional measures of drug reward, such as conditioned place preference (CPP), has yet to be thoroughly investigated, and little is known about age-related differences in this phenomenon. The present study tested cocaine-induced CPP in adolescent and adult mice exposed to cocaine (or vehicle) pretreatment, either in an intermittent or “binge” (i.e., heavy cocaine use on a single occasion, which increases the likelihood of experiencing cocaine-related problems) fashion. Cocaine administration induced behavioral sensitization to a greater extent in adolescent than in adult mice. Cocaine-induced CPP was fairly similar in vehicle pretreated adolescent and adult mice, yet greater in adolescent vs. adults after cocaine-induced sensitization. The results confirmed the higher sensitivity of adolescent mice to cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization and suggest its association with greater sensitivity to cocaine's rewarding effects.Fil: Camarini, Rosana. Universidade do Sao Paulo. Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas; BrasilFil: Hoffmann, Lucas Barbosa. Universidade do Sao Paulo. Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas; BrasilFil: Suarez, Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; ArgentinaFil: Rae, Mariana. Universidade do Sao Paulo. Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas; BrasilFil: Marcourakis, Tania. Universidade do Sao Paulo. Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas; BrasilFil: Pautassi, Ricardo Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentin

The pharmacokinetics of orally administered ivermectin in African elephants (loxodonta Africana): Implications for parasite elimination

Loxodonta africana are susceptible to a wide variety of parasites that are often treated with the broad spectrum antiparasitic ivermectin (IVM) based on empirical knowledge. The objectives of this study were to 1) measure plasma IVM levels following administration of 0.1 mg/kg IVM p.o., 2) compare plasma IVM levels following administration with regular versus restricted feed rations, 3) measure IVM excretion in feces, and 4) use these findings to generate dosing recommendations for this species. Using a crossover design, six African elephants were divided into two groups. Ivermectin was administered and typical grain rations were either provided or withheld for 2 hr. Blood and fecal samples were collected for 7 days following drug administration. After a 5-wk washout period, groups were switched and the procedure repeated. Plasma and fecal IVM were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. There was no statistically significant difference detected in the pharmacokinetic data between the fed and fasted groups. Peak plasma concentration, area under the curve, and half-life for plasma ranged between 5.41-8.49 ng/ml, 17.1-20.3 ng × day/ml, and 3.12-4.47 day, respectively. High IVM concentrations were detected in feces. The peak concentration values in feces were between 264-311-fold higher than those obtained in plasma. The comparatively large area under the curve and short time to maximum concentration in feces indicate elimination prior to absorption of much of the drug. Plasma IVM concentrations were low when compared to other species. Based on these findings, administration of 0.2-0.4 mg/kg p.o. should be appropriate for eliminating many types of parasites in elephants, and could minimize development of parasite resistance.Fil: Gandolf, A. Rae. Pittsburgh Zoo; Estados Unidos. PPG Aquarium; Estados UnidosFil: Lifschitz, A.. Pittsburgh Zoo; Estados Unidos. PPG Aquarium; Estados UnidosFil: Stadler, C.. Pittsburgh Zoo; Estados Unidos. PPG Aquarium; Estados UnidosFil: Watson, B.. PPG Aquarium; Estados Unidos. Pittsburgh Zoo; Estados UnidosFil: Galvanek, L.. Pittsburgh Zoo; Estados Unidos. PPG Aquarium; Estados UnidosFil: Ballent, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comision de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil; ArgentinaFil: Lanusse, Carlos Edmundo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil; Argentin