249— The role of the indirect basal ganglia pathway in a mouse model of repetitive circling behavior

Repetitive behaviors are associated with a variety of disorders in humans and are diagnostic for autism spectrum disorders. Repetitive behaviors can be modeled in rodents. In our previous experiments, we have been able to reduce repetitive circling behaviors in mice using a ketogenic diet. The mechanisms behind the ketogenic diet are still under investigation. Previous investigations have indicated that the ketogenic diet plays a role in neurotransmitter functioning. This study sought to investigate the potential role of neurotransmitters in repetitive behaviors by investigating how three drugs (L-741,626, a dopamine receptor antagonist; CGS21680, an adenosine agonist; & CDPPB, a glutamate positive allosteric modulator) affected circling behavior. Circling behavior was measured using photobeam activated locomotor chambers. Individual doses of each drug as well as a “triple cocktail” consisting of all three drugs were utilized during the experiments. Results indicate that systemic injection of the single drug and triple drug cocktail were not able to reduce circling behavior

Childhood trauma and post-trauma environment affect fear memory and alcohol use differently in male and female mice

Background: Childhood trauma is associated with the development of adult mental health and substance use disorders, with females generally being more at risk. Alcohol is commonly used for coping with trauma, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects ~14.4 million adult Americans annually. Research investigating sex differences in the environmental modification of anxiety and alcohol use following childhood trauma will extend our understanding of the etiology of AUD. Here, we sought to model the interacting effects of a single-episode late childhood trauma with post-trauma environment on adult alcohol use using male and female mice. Methods: C57Bl6/J mice (d22) exposed to predator odor (TMT) or water were reared in standard environments (SE) or environmental enrichment (EE). Mice were assessed for adolescent anxiety and conditioned fear, and for adult alcohol use in a limited access, response non-contingent, alcohol exposure paradigm. Results: A single exposure to predator odor was an effective stressor, inducing long-term sex- dependent changes in conditioned fear and alcohol behaviors that interacted with post-trauma environment. Adolescent EE females showed more conditioned freezing to the trauma-associated context. Adult EE mice consumed less total alcohol than SE mice. However, alcohol use across time differed for males and females. Exposure to a childhood stressor increased alcohol use significantly in females, but not males. EE males, but not EE females, drank less than SE counterparts. Conclusions: Findings from this model recapitulate greater vulnerability to childhood trauma in females and support sex differences in post-trauma development of conditioned fear and alcohol use that are modified by environment

161— The effects of environment on the development of cocaine-seeking

Cocaine addiction is a major individual and societal issue. This study aimed to investigate the environmental and social factors that influence the development of cocaine addiction. Mice were reared in either standard housing or enriched housing. Cocaine preference was measured using the Conditioned Place Preference paradigm, in which subjects are conditioned to associate an injection of cocaine (20mg/kg. I.P.) with a particular side of a 3 chambered arena. Subjects reared in enriched environments displayed increased preference for cocaine in cue primed tests. All subjects displayed cocaine preference in cocaine primed tests. This may be attributed to the enhanced memory that is often seen in mice reared in enriched environments. Future neurobiological assessments will determine if differences exist in the activation patterns of brains from enriched and standard conditions which are associated with the underlying causes of behavior changes, e.g. hippocampus. These assessments will help to shed light on the neural mechanisms associated with cocaine addiction

416— The effects of early life trauma on anxiety and alcohol use is modified by environment

Early life trauma is a risk factor for later anxiety and alcohol use disorders. However, the role of the post-trauma environment on the development of such disorders is not well understood. In the present study we investigated experience-dependent changes in anxiety and alcohol use after exposure to early trauma. Young mice (day 23) were exposed to a predator odor (synthetic fox pheromone, TMT) and then reared in either standard (SE) or enriched environments (EE). Adolescent anxiety and conditioned fear were reduced in EE-males, but not EE-females. Adult mice were then tested for their preference to drink alcohol. Alcohol intake escalated across sessions for all mice, however, EE mice had overall lower levels of alcohol use. Interestingly, exposure to TMT affected alcohol preference in EE mice, but not standard mice. Findings demonstrate the environment as a developmental modifier of post-trauma anxiety and alcohol use disorders

Local Order in Liquid Gallium-Indium Alloys

Liquid metals such as eutectic Ga–In alloys have low melting points and low toxicity and are used in catalysis and micro-robotics. This study investigates the local atomic structure of liquid gallium-indium alloys by a combination of density measurements, diffraction data, and Monte-Carlo simulation via the empirical potential structure refinement approach. A high-Q shoulder observed in liquid Ga is related to structural rearrangements in the second coordination shell. Structure analysis found coordination environments close to a random distribution for eutectic Ga–In alloy, while electronic effects appear to dominate the mixing enthalpy

159— The effects of trauma on the response to cocaine

Exposure to adverse events is a risk factor for substance use disorder. We modeled this in an inbred strain of mice by exposing adult males to a predator odor (a synthetic fox pheromone, TMT) and then assessing 1. Cocaine-induced locomotion, and 2. Conditioned place preference (CPP) of cocaine. TMT was an effective stressor as indicated by freezing behavior, an absence of movement that is an instinctive fear response in mice. Interestingly, in a 1-hour baseline locomotor test, TMT-exposed (TMT+) mice were more active than non-exposed (TMT-) mice. In addition, following a cocaine (10 mg/kg) injection (i.p.) TMT+ mice showed a cocaine-induced increase in activity, whereas TMT- mice did not. Finally, mice were conditioned to associate one side of a 3-chambered arena with cocaine (10 mg/kg) and were then tested in a 30-minute session of free exploration (15 minutes of cue-prime, 15 minutes of drug-prime). One week later, an identical 30 min session of free exploration was conducted. The time spent inside the drug-associated context was considered an indication of the rewarding properties of cocaine

258— Differential response to cocaine in mice exposed to stress

Exposure to trauma is a risk factor for substance use disorders. Using a mouse model of PTSD, we tested the effects of exposure to a stressor (synthetic fox pheromone: TMT) on response to cocaine. Cocaine induced locomotion and cocaine seeking behavior in a conditioned place preference (CPP) were assessed. TMT was an effective stressor, indicated by freezing behavior, which is a known fear response in mice. In both males and females, TMT-exposed mice showed a greater locomotor response to cocaine compared to control mice, resulting in the interaction between time and TMT treatment. TMT-exposed males, but not females, were overall more active than control mice. During CPP, female mice were first conditioned to associate one side of a 3-chambered arena with cocaine (10 mg/kg) and then tested in a 30-minute session of free exploration (15 minutes of cue-prime, 15 minutes of drug-prime). Time spent inside the drug-associated context was considered an indication of the rewarding properties of cocaine. Results indicated no group differences between female mice exposed to TMT and those that weren’t. Additionally, mice only displayed a preference for the cocaine-paired chamber during cue-primed testing. After receiving a cocaine-prime (10 mg/kg), mice did not continue this behavior

Structure evolution of soft magnetic (Fe36Co36B19.2Si4.8Nb4)100−xCux (x=0 and 0.5) bulk glassy alloys

AbstractFully amorphous rods with diameters up to 2mm diameter were obtained upon 0.5at.% Cu addition to the Fe36Co36B19.2Si4.8Nb4 bulk metallic glass. The Cu-added glass shows a very good thermal stability but, in comparison with the Cu-free base alloy, the entire crystallization behavior is drastically changed. Upon heating, the glassy (Fe36Co36B19.2Si4.8Nb4)99.5Cu0.5 samples show two glass transitions-like events, separated by an interval of more than 100K, in between which a bcc-(Fe,Co) solid solution is formed. The soft magnetic properties are preserved upon Cu-addition and the samples show a saturation magnetization of 1.1T combined with less than 2A/m coercivity. The relaxation behavior prior to crystallization, as well as the crystallization behavior, were studied by time-resolved X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation. It was found that both glassy alloys behave similar at temperatures below the glass transition. Irreversible structural transformations take place when approaching the glass transition and in the supercooled liquid region

Coexistence of ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions in a metal–organic radical-based (6,3)-helical network with large channels

A metal–organic open-framework with an unprecedented (6,3)-helical topology, large channels and mixed ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions has been synthesized using a three-connecting tricarboxylic polychlorotriphenylmethyl radical and Co(II) ions.Lloret Pastor, Francisco, [email protected]