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Author Stuber, G.D.; Sparta, D.R.; Stamatakis, A.M.; van Leeuwen, W.A.; Hardjoprajitno, J.E.; Cho, S.; Tye, K.M.; Kempadoo, K.A.; Zhang, F.; Deisseroth, K.; Bonci, A.
Title Excitatory transmission from the amygdala to nucleus accumbens facilitates reward seeking Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Abbreviated Journal Nature
Volume advance online publication Issue Pages
Keywords
Abstract The basolateral amygdala (BLA) has a crucial role in emotional learning irrespective of valence1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 21, 22, 23. The BLA projection to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is thought to modulate cue-triggered motivated behaviours4, 6, 7, 24, 25, but our understanding of the interaction between these two brain regions has been limited by the inability to manipulate neural-circuit elements of this pathway selectively during behaviour. To circumvent this limitation, we used in vivo optogenetic stimulation or inhibition of glutamatergic fibres from the BLA to the NAc, coupled with intracranial pharmacology and ex vivo electrophysiology. Here we show that optical stimulation of the pathway from the BLA to the NAc in mice reinforces behavioural responding to earn additional optical stimulation of these synaptic inputs. Optical stimulation of these glutamatergic fibres required intra-NAc dopamine D1-type receptor signalling, but not D2-type receptor signalling. Brief optical inhibition of fibres from the BLA to the NAc reduced cue-evoked intake of sucrose, demonstrating an important role of this specific pathway in controlling naturally occurring reward-related behaviour. Moreover, although optical stimulation of glutamatergic fibres from the medial prefrontal cortex to the NAc also elicited reliable excitatory synaptic responses, optical self-stimulation behaviour was not observed by activation of this pathway. These data indicate that whereas the BLA is important for processing both positive and negative affect, the glutamatergic pathway from the BLA to the NAc, in conjunction with dopamine signalling in the NAc, promotes motivated behavioural responding. Thus, optogenetic manipulation of anatomically distinct synaptic inputs to the NAc reveals functionally distinct properties of these inputs in controlling reward-seeking behaviours.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved. Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1476-4687 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes 10.1038/nature10194 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5398
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Author Normando, S.; Meers, L.; Samuels, W.E.; Faustini, M.; Ödberg, F.O.
Title Variables affecting the prevalence of behavioural problems in horses. Can riding style and other management factors be significant? Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 133 Issue 3-4 Pages 186-198
Keywords Horse; Management; Problem behaviour; Riding style; Saddle; Stereotypies
Abstract The effects of riding style and various management factors on the prevalence of stereotypies and other behavioural problems among 346 mixed-breed saddle horses (phase 1) and 101 Arabian horses (phase 2) were analysed through a questionnaire answered by owners. In phase 1, the questionnaire data were partially validated through 20-min observations of 81 (23.3%) of the cases. Results indicate that horses primarily ridden in the English style were reported to be significantly more likely to display stereotypies (p < 0.001), problems when transported (p = 0.001), multiple behavioural problems (p < 0.001), and to have more restrictive stabling (p < 0.001) than horses ridden with other styles. When only Arabian horses were assessed in phase 2, however, there was no significant difference in behavioural problems between the Arabian horses ridden English style versus other riding styles. However Arabian horses were housed less restrictively than horses in phase 1 and English riding style and restrictive stabling tended to exacerbate each other's association with stereotypies. Management-related effects were found when, e.g., horses housed in restrictive stabling were more frequently reported to show locomotion stereotypies (p = 0.02) and those denied ad libitum hay displayed stereotypic wood-chewing behaviour (p = 0.02). To aid diagnosing and prioritizing interventions and care, the most predictive subsets of factors were computed for the various problem behaviours. E.g., among saddle horses, a statistical model comprised of the main riding style, duration of access to a paddock, and horse's age predicted whether a horse was reported to display any behavioural problem 62% of the time. This study supports the effects of management and handling on the prevalence of behavioural problems, and helps prioritize the relative importance of broad management categories on equine welfare. In particular, it underscores the importance of riding style on the well-being of saddle horses.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5399
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Author Sanga, U.; Provenza, F.D.; Villalba, J.J.
Title Transmission of self-medicative behaviour from mother to offspring in sheep Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Animal Behaviour Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 82 Issue 2 Pages 219-227
Keywords feeding; food selection; Ovis aries; polyethylene glycol; sheep; tannins
Abstract Herbivores challenged by diets with high concentrations of tannins learn by individual experience to self-select medicinal compounds such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), which neutralizes the negative postingestive effects of tannins. We investigated the transmission of this acquired self-medicative behaviour from mother to offspring. One group of ewes (experienced, N = 8) was conditioned to associate the beneficial effects of PEG after consuming a tannin-rich diet. Ewes ingested a meal of high-tannin food and were then offered PEG. Subsequently, ewes ingested the same tannin-rich meal and were then offered a food (grape pomace; control) that did not have the medicinal effects of PEG. After conditioning, the experienced group and a naïve group of ewes (N = 8) were given a choice between the high-tannin food, PEG and grape pomace. Experienced ewes showed higher intake and preference for PEG than did naïve ewes (P < 0.05). Subsequently, experienced and naïve ewes with their naïve lambs, as well as a group of naïve lambs without their mothers (N = 8), were exposed to the tannin-rich diet, PEG and grape pomace. Lambs were then tested for their ability to self-medicate with PEG by offering them a choice between the tannin-rich diet, PEG and grape pomace. Lambs from experienced and naïve mothers showed a higher preference for PEG than did lambs exposed without their mothers (P = 0.05). Thus, the presence of the mother (experienced or naïve) was important for naïve lambs to learn about the medicinal benefits of PEG. We conclude that the mother's presence per se may increase the efficiency of creating new knowledge, such as preference for a medicine, within a group, beyond transmitting and maintaining this knowledge across generations.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5406
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Author Mersmann, D.; Tomasello, M.; Call, J.; Kaminski, J.; Taborsky, M.
Title Simple Mechanisms Can Explain Social Learning in Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 117 Issue 8 Pages 675-690
Keywords
Abstract Abstract Recent studies have suggested that domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) engage in highly complex forms of social learning. Here, we critically assess the potential mechanisms underlying social learning in dogs using two problem-solving tasks. In a classical detour task, the test dogs benefited from observing a demonstrator walking around a fence to obtain a reward. However, even inexperienced dogs did not show a preference for passing the fence at the same end as the demonstrator. Furthermore, dogs did not need to observe a complete demonstration by a human demonstrator to pass the task. Instead, they were just as successful in solving the problem after seeing a partial demonstration by an object passing by at the end of the fence. In contrast to earlier findings, our results suggest that stimulus enhancement (or affordance learning) might be a powerful social learning mechanism used by dogs to solve such detour problems. In the second task, we examined whether naïve dogs copy actions to solve an instrumental problem. After controlling for stimulus enhancement and other forms of social influence (e.g. social facilitation and observational conditioning), we found that dogs’ problem solving was not influenced by witnessing a skilful demonstrator (either an unknown human, a conspecific or the dog’s owner). Together, these results add to evidence suggesting that social learning may often be explained by relatively simple (but powerful) mechanisms.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Blackwell Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1439-0310 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5409
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Author Søndergaard, E.; Jensen, M.B.; Nicol, C.J.
Title Motivation for social contact in horses measured by operant conditioning Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 132 Issue 3-4 Pages 131-137
Keywords Horse; Housing; Social behaviour; Operant conditioning; Motivation
Abstract Although horses are social animals they are often housed individually with limited social contact to other horses and this may compromise their welfare. The present study included eight young female horses and investigated the strength of motivation for access to full social contact, head contact and muzzle contact, respectively, to a familiar companion horse. Horses were housed individually next to their companion horse and separations between pens prevented physical contact. During daily test sessions horses were brought to a test area where they could access an arena allowing social contact. Arena access during 3 min was given after completion of a predetermined number of responses on a panel. Fixed ratios (FR) of 8, 16, 24, 32 and 40 responses per arena access were applied in a random order, one per daily test session, within each test week (Monday to Friday), and the number of rewards per daily test session was recorded. All horses could access all three types of social contact in a cross-over design, and an empty arena was used as control. Motivational strength was assessed using elasticity of demand functions, which were estimated based on the number of rewards earned and FR. Elasticities of demand for the three types of social contact were low (-0.20), and not significantly different, although increasing FR still resulted in a decrease in rewards obtained for all three types of social contact (P < 0.001). Across FR-levels horses earned more rewards for social contact than for an empty arena, as shown by much higher intercept values (2.51 vs. 0.99; P < 0.001). However, the elasticity of demand for infrequent access to an empty arena (-0.08) was lower than for social contact (P < 0.01) and not significantly different from zero (P = 0.07). Horses performed more social behaviour the lesser the restriction on social contact (full > head > muzzle). However, the finding that horses showed a similar and high motivation for all three types of social contact suggests that they are valued equally highly in a situation where the alternative is no social contact.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5410
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Author de Boyer des Roches, A.; Durier, V.; Richard-Yris, M.-A.; Blois-Heulin, C.; Ezzaouïa, M.; Hausberger, M.; Henry, S.
Title Differential outcomes of unilateral interferences at birth Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Biology Letters Abbreviated Journal
Volume 7 Issue 2 Pages 177-180
Keywords
Abstract Behavioural modifications, including modifications of emotional reactivity, can occur following early experience such as handling (manual rubbing). Here, we investigated the effects of unilateral tactile stimulation at an early stage on emotional reactions later on. We handled newborn foals intensively on one side of their body. This early unilateral tactile experience had medium-term effects: the reactions of foals to a human approach, when they were 10 days old, differed according to the side stimulated at birth. Fewer right-handled foals accepted contact with humans, they delayed first contact longer and they evaded approaching humans sooner than did non-handled and left-handled foals. These results raise questions concerning the organization of neonatal care in animals and humans.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0979 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5414
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Author McFarland, R.; Majolo, B.
Title Reconciliation and the Costs of Aggression in Wild Barbary Macaques (Macaca sylvanus): A Test of the Integrated Hypothesis Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages no-no
Keywords
Abstract The ‘integrated hypothesis’ predicts that reconciliation (the post-conflict friendly interaction between former opponents observed in various group-living species) functions to reduce anxiety and the risk of aggression from the former opponent or a bystander in the aftermath of a conflict. It also predicts that relationship quality between opponents affects the occurrence of reconciliation and modulates the anxious response of the opponents after a conflict. Because of the asymmetric nature of aggressive interactions, the cost of aggression is likely to differ between the victim and the aggressor. The aim of this study was to test the predictions of the ‘integrated hypothesis’ independently for the victim and the aggressor of a conflict. We collected data on two wild groups of Barbary macaques. This study represents, to our knowledge, the first systematic test of the integrated hypothesis on wild, non-provisioned animals. Victims of aggression were at a greater risk of receiving aggression from the former opponent or a bystander after a conflict and showed elevated anxiety. We found no such costs for the aggressor. Reconciliation reduced anxiety in the victim but did not reduce their risk of receiving aggression. Finally, relationship quality affected the occurrence of reconciliation but did not modulate post-conflict anxiety. The results of our study show that the costs of aggression are asymmetrically distributed between the victim and the aggressor. Such differences are likely to lead to different social tactics used by the victim and the aggressor in the aftermath of a conflict.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Blackwell Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1439-0310 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5416
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Author Schmidt, J.; Scheid, C.; Kotrschal, K.; Bugnyar, T.; Schloegl, C.
Title Gaze direction – A cue for hidden food in rooks (Corvus frugilegus)? Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal
Volume 88 Issue 2 Pages 88-93
Keywords Gaze; Object choice; Corvids; Effort; Rooks
Abstract Other individual's head- and eye-directions can be used as social cues indicating the presence of important events. Among birds, ravens and rooks have been shown to co-orient with conspecifics and with humans by following their gaze direction into distant space and behind visual screens. Both species use screens to cache food in private; also, it had been suggested that they may rely on gaze cues to detect hidden food. However, in an object-choice task, ravens failed to do so, and their competitive lifestyle may have prevented them from relying on these cues. Here we tested closely related and cooperative rooks. Food was hidden in one of two cups and the experimenter gazed at the baited cup. In a second experiment, we aimed to increase the birds’ motivation to choose correctly by increasing the investment needed to obtain the reward. To do so, the birds had to pull on a string to obtain the cup. Here, the birds as a group tended to rely on gaze cues. In addition, individual birds quickly learned to use the cue in both experiments. Although rooks may not use gaze cues to find hidden food spontaneously, they may quickly learn to do so.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0376-6357 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5420
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Author Cain, K.E.; Rich, M.S.; Ainsworth, K.; Ketterson, E.D.
Title Two Sides of the Same Coin? Consistency in Aggression to Conspecifics and Predators in a Female Songbird Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal
Volume 117 Issue 9 Pages 786-795
Keywords
Abstract Different forms of aggression have traditionally been treated separately according to function or context (e.g., aggression towards a conspecific vs. a predator). However, recent work on individual consistency in behavior predicts that different forms of aggression may be correlated across contexts, suggesting a lack of independence. For nesting birds, aggression towards both conspecifics and nest predators can affect reproductive success, yet the relationship between these behaviors, especially in females, is not known. Here, we examine free-living female dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) and compare their aggressive responses towards three types of simulated intruders near the nest: a same-sex conspecific, an opposite-sex conspecific, and a nest predator. We also examine differences in the strength of response that might relate to the immediacy of the perceived threat the intruder poses for the female or her offspring. We found greater aggression directed towards a predator than a same-sex intruder and towards a same-sex than an opposite-sex intruder, consistent with a predator being a more immediate threat than a same-sex intruder, followed by an opposite-sex intruder. We also found positive relationships across individuals between responses to a same-sex intruder and a simulated predator, and between responses to a same-sex and an opposite-sex intruder, indicating that individual females are consistent in their relative level of aggression across contexts. If correlated behaviors are mediated by related mechanisms, then different forms of aggression may be expressions of the same behavioral tendency and constrained from evolving independently.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Blackwell Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1439-0310 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5421
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Author Ramsden, S.; Richardson, F.M.; Josse, G.; Thomas, M.S.C.; Ellis, C.; Shakeshaft, C.; Seghier, M.L.; Price, C.J.
Title Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Abbreviated Journal Nature
Volume advance online publication Issue Pages
Keywords
Abstract Intelligence quotient (IQ) is a standardized measure of human intellectual capacity that takes into account a wide range of cognitive skills1. IQ is generally considered to be stable across the lifespan, with scores at one time point used to predict educational achievement and employment prospects in later years1. Neuroimaging allows us to test whether unexpected longitudinal fluctuations in measured IQ are related to brain development. Here we show that verbal and non-verbal IQ can rise or fall in the teenage years, with these changes in performance validated by their close correlation with changes in local brain structure. A combination of structural and functional imaging showed that verbal IQ changed with grey matter in a region that was activated by speech, whereas non-verbal IQ changed with grey matter in a region that was activated by finger movements. By using longitudinal assessments of the same individuals, we obviated the many sources of variation in brain structure that confound cross-sectional studies. This allowed us to dissociate neural markers for the two types of IQ and to show that general verbal and non-verbal abilities are closely linked to the sensorimotor skills involved in learning. More generally, our results emphasize the possibility that an individual’s intellectual capacity relative to their peers can decrease or increase in the teenage years. This would be encouraging to those whose intellectual potential may improve, and would be a warning that early achievers may not maintain their potential.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved. Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1476-4687 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes 10.1038/nature10514 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial (up) 5422
Permanent link to this record