Effects of adult age and level of skill on the ability to cope with high-stress conditions in a precision sport.

12 younger (mean age 26.6 yrs) and 12 older (mean age 56.6 yrs) highly skilled and moderately skilled miniature golf players in Sweden were studied in training and competition. All of the Ss showed an increase of heart rate and rated anxiety from training to competition. A performance decline in competition was observed for both older players and less accomplished players. It is concluded that results from a cognitive task (incidental recall of shots) suggest that older players are less proficient in coping with the high-stress conditions in competition, due to an age-related decline in task-relevant cognitive abilities. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychophysical assessment of toddlers' ability to cope with slopes.

This research examined how infants in early stages of walking determine whether a hill is safe or risky for locomotion. A psychophysical staircase procedure provided estimates of infants' physical ability to walk up and down slopes (2° to 36°), and a "go ratio" indexed the accuracy of their perceptual judgments. On average, perceptual judgments were scaled to walking ability on slopes. Children walked on safe slopes and balked on risky ones. For ascent, perceptual judgments were related to length of walking experience and walking skill on flat ground. Better walkers were also better perceivers. For descent, judgments neatly mirrored exploratory activity. Better perceivers explored hills more efficiently by hesitating, touching, and testing different positions on hills around the limits of their physical ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of prenatal exposure to N-methylpyrrolidone on postnatal development and behavior in rats

Pregnant rats (Mol:WIST) were exposed to 150 ppm N-methylpyrrolidone for 6 hours per day on gestation days 7-20. The dose level was selected so as not to induce maternal toxicity or decrease viability of offspring. In the preweaning period, the exposed offspring had a lower body weight and their physical development was delayed. Neurobehavioral evaluation of the male pups revealed no effects on basal functions of the central nervous system. The animals appeared normal and motor function (rotarod), activity level (open field), and performance in learning tasks with a low grade of complexity were similar in the two groups. However, in more difficult tasks such as the reversal procedure in Morris water maze and operant delayed spatial alternation (Skinner boxes), performance was impaired in exposed offspring.     

Effects of prenatal gamma-irradiation on postnatal astrogliogenesis in the hippocampal formation of rat

Female Wistar rats were exposed to a single 1.0 Gy dose of gamma radiation on gestational days 13, 15, 17 or 19 (E13, E15, E17 and E19, respectively). Their 8- and 16-day old male offsprings were injected with 3H-thymidine and sacrificed 4 h after the injection. Brain sections were immunostained for S100beta protein and subjected to autoradiography. Thereafter, the dorsal part of the hippocampal formation was examined microscopically and numbers and locations of proliferating astrocytes were recorded. Following prenatal irradiation, the intensity of astrocyte proliferation was considerably reduced, especially in the region of dentate gyrus. The reduction showed regular trend of changes being much stronger in brains irradiated on E19 than in those irradiated on E13. The changes, therefore, were related to the stage of brain development at which the irradiation was performed. A possible role of neuronal regulatory influence on the postnatal development of glial cells was discussed.     

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the postnatal morphology of the rat oculomotor nucleus

Morphological development of the rat oculomotor nucleus was investigated on postnatal day 15 following a prenatal ethanol exposure. Analysis of toluidine blue stained plastic sections showed that the prenatal alcohol exposure caused a decrease in the density of neurons and an increase in the density of astrocytes in the center of the nucleus. There was an alcohol-induced reduction in the overall size of the cross-sectional region of the oculomotor nucleus, but no effect on the number of neurons per unit area of that total oculomotor region, indicating a delay or alteration of the migration of neurons to their normal clustered position in the center of the nucleus. The areas of the neuronal cell nucleus and nucleolus were not affected by the alcohol exposure. Analysis of Golgi-Cox-impregnated multipolar neurons showed that the alcohol exposure caused a reduction in area of the cell soma; a reduction in the number of dendritic branches; and a reduction in the complexity of the dendritic arbor relative to distance from the soma, based on concentric ring analysis. The results of this study demonstrate that gestational alcohol exposure can retard the maturation of the oculomotor nucleus.     

Latent structure of strategies used to cope with nociceptive stimulation.

Investigated the latent cognitive structure of 32 undergraduates' perceptions of coping strategies used by 50 college students exposed to a cold pressor test or a muscle ischemia task, using multidimensional scaling (MDS). The resulting strategy clusters (e.g., behavioral activity, pleasant imaginings) were grouped into sensation acknowledging, coping relevance, and cognitive/behavioral dimensions. Using different methodology and MDS analysis, 22 undergraduates' perceptions of the 3 coping strategies were examined. There was close correspondence between the resulting dimensions and those of the 1st sample. Results show that Ss preferred strategies that ignored pain sensations and suggest a method for assessing relative efficiency of coping strategies for pain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult age differences in the ability to cope with situations of high arousal in a precision sport.

Conducted 3 field experiments in which skilled miniature golf players were studied in 3 types of activities (training, minor competitions, and large competitions). Ss for Exp I were 5 22–32 yr olds and 5 47–58 yr olds; 14 Ss in Exp II were aged 7–24 yrs, 15–28 yrs, or 19–45 yrs; Ss for Exp III were 5 48–59 yr olds and 6 23–35 yr olds. Performance (i.e., number of shots) and arousal (heart rate and subjective ratings of anxiety) measures were registered in all types of activities. Findings show that the level of performance of older adult players deteriorated in the large competitions, whereas groups of younger adult players, junior players, and youth players performed at the same level in all 3 events, although all of the groups exhibited a similar increase in arousal from training and minor competitions to large competitions. It is suggested that older players may have a deficit in the ability to compensate for the negative effects of nonoptimal levels of arousal because of impairments in a variety of cognitive abilities that are critical to successful performance. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactive effects of prenatal cocaine and nicotine exposure on maternal toxicity, postnatal development and behavior in the rat

Two experiments were performed to investigate the interactive effects of prenatal coadministration of cocaine hydrochloride (C) and nicotine tartrate (N). Experiment I was designed to determine doses of C and N that could be coadministered without altering maternal gestational parameters and/or fetal viability. Exposure of Sprague-Dawley rats to combined high-dose C (20 mg/kg) and high-dose N (5.0 mg/kg) on gestation days 8-21 was not more toxic to dam or fetus that that of exposure to C alone. Experiment II investigated pregnancy outcome, postnatal development, and behavior of the offspring following drug exposure to either high-dose cocaine (20 mg/kg: CS), high-dose nicotine (5.0 mg/kg: NS), or both (NC) on gestation days 8-21. N was administered by osmotic minipump and C by sc injection. Saline-injected dams, fitted with saline-fitted pumps (SS), and untreated dams, pair-fed (PF) to NC females, served as controls. Alterations in maternal variables were limited to a 10-15% decrease in food consumption in NC and CS groups. Pregnancy outcome and birth statistics were unaffected by prenatal treatment, as was offspring body weight during the first four postnatal weeks. However, the development of surface righting was delayed inC CS pups, and only CS offspring were underresponsive to the stimulatory effects of dopamine agonists on activity and stereotypy. Behavioral responses to N challenge were similar in all groups. In addition, only CS offspring showed altered behavioral responses in a spontaneous alternation task. Treatment effects on dopamine D1 and D2 binding in the caudate nucleus were not observed. The combination of N and C did not exacerbate any of the behavioral changes seen in CS offspring. These results support the hypothesis that C is a behavioral teratogen in rodents, and suggest that in the present model, nicotine can mitigate some of the consequences of in utero exposure to cocaine.     

Effects of acute prenatal ethanol exposure on Bergmann glia cells early postnatal development

The effects of acute ethanol exposure during the prenatal phase of Bergmann glia cell (Bgc) generation were evaluated in three postnatal days. Ethanol exposed rats showed Bgc with reduced soma size, decreased number and width of their fibers, and increased fiber length, when compared with control animals. These differences, however, were significant at postnatal day 12. Our results demonstrate that acute, prenatal exposure to ethanol during critical stages of brain development disrupts Bgc early postnatal development.     

Crucial role of the postnatal maternal environment in the expression of prenatal stress effects in the male rat.

Analyzed methodological and conceptual problems common in prenatal stress experiments, and designed and executed an experiment incorporating solutions to those problems. 63 male Holtzman rats were prenatally stressed or served as controls and then were cross-fostered within or between treatment groups. In adulthood, 1 male from each litter was tested over 20 trials in an open-field box and then tested over 20 successive discrimination reversals in a –T maze. A T-factor analysis was performed on each of the 2 sets of observations, and factor scores were subjected to elevational analyses. Major hypotheses generated from the results are the following: (a) Male rats subjected to prenatal stress acquire emotional reactivity levels in adulthood that are either elevated or reduced depending on the postnatal maternal environment. (b) Male rats subjected to prenatal stress acquire reversal learning sets in adulthood with a rapidity that parallels and indeed is produced by the pattern of emotional reactivity reflected in hypothesis (a) and as mediated by cognitive processes. (c) T-factor analysis of trials is required in order to avoid construct validity problems as well as internal validity problems, both brought about by the confounding of trial variables; in addition, it may generate valuable hypotheses giving further meaning to the dependent variables under observation. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of gastric loading on the sucking response and voluntary milk intake in neonatal piglets.

Studied the effects of loading the stomach of piglets with 100 ml of milk after 6 hrs of fasting and immediately before allowing them access to the dam. Ss were a total of 77 piglets from the experimenting institute's herd. Results show Ss gained less weight and rested more often on preloaded days. This suggests that gastric receptors exist and signal distension of the stomach. Monitoring sucking responses to a rubber teat revealed that although preloading the stomach substantially reduced voluntary milk intake during the initial 10-min period of the test, the vigorous oral activity continued largely unabated. Isometric saline suppressed voluntary milk intake for a shorter period than milk or isotonic glucose solution. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of neonatal dopamine depletion on spatial ability during ontogeny.

Investigated the effects of neonatal dopamine (DA) depletion on spatial discrimination tasks. Ss were lesioned at 3 and 6 days of age with intraventricular 6-hydroxydopamine preceded by Desipramine. In Exp 1, Ss were tested before weaning for the ability to spontaneously alternate in a T maze both in the presence of their home cage shavings and with a screen covering the shavings. Lesioned Ss were significantly impaired in their ability to spontaneously alternate. Control and lesioned Ss both showed a decrease in performance when the screen prevented full access to the shavings and the magnitude of the impairment was significantly greater for the lesioned animals. In Exp 2, Ss were tested after weaning in an appetitively motivated task in T maze. The task required both a functional working and reference memory. Lesioned Ss were impaired on both the working and the reference components of the task; however, the magnitude of the impairment was greater in the working memory task. Results suggest that early lesions of general DA systems produce deficits in tasks requiring spatial alternation behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of cocaine administration during early organogenesis on prenatal development and postnatal growth in mice

Cocaine use has been associated with adverse developmental effects in humans. However, clinical reports both confirm and deny an association between cocaine use and malformations. Similarly, differences in species and strain, as well as route and timing of cocaine administration, have added to the difficulties in determining the teratogenicity of cocaine in animal models. This study was undertaken to compare the effects of dose, route, and timing of cocaine administration in ICR mice during early organogenesis. A single intraperitoneal (ip) administration of cocaine ( > or = 60 mg/kg) on Day 9 of gestation (plug day = 1) produced maternal lethality. The predominant developmental effect of cocaine administration was an increase in the percentage of litters exhibiting an enlarged renal pelvis. Despite a high incidence of affected pups at these doses, the enlargement was not severe. These results, in agreement with previous reports, provide further evidence that the developing urogenital system is sensitive to cocaine administration. When cocaine was administered using a subcutaneous route, pup weights were greater and the incidence of enlarged renal pelvis was lower than when an ip route was used. To better mimic human binge cocaine abuse, the toxicity of a "split dose" was determined. A 60 mg/kg dose was administered using one administration of 60 mg/kg, two treatments of 30 mg/kg, or three administrations of 20 mg/kg with 1 hr separating the treatments. The incidence of enlarged renal pelvis was similar when cocaine was administered as one or two but was decreased when cocaine was administered as three treatments. Both the route and split-dose studies suggest that high-peak serum concentrations are required to perturb development. There were no differences in the incidence or severity of enlarged renal pelvis when cocaine was administered on Day 8, 9, or 10 or on all 3 days of gestation. This suggested that the increase in enlarged renal pelvis may not be a specific teratogenic effect of cocaine administration but may be a delay of normal development induced by cocaine exposure during this early period of organogenesis. To address this hypothesis, cocaine was administered on Day 9 using an ip route and the pups were allowed to be naturally born. In pups whose mothers received cocaine there was an increase in postnatal deaths and a trend toward a reduction in pup body weight/litter at Postnatal Day 21. However, when renal morphology was assessed on Postnatal Day 21 no abnormal kidneys were seen. This supports the hypothesis that enlarged renal pelvis produced by cocaine administration during early organogenesis represents a developmental delay and not a persistent teratogenic defect. These studies suggest that high peak cocaine concentrations are required to delay normal kidney morphogenesis in mice.     

Children's cognitive ability from 4 to 9 years old as a function of prenatal cocaine exposure, environmental risk, and maternal verbal intelligence.

This study examined the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure, environmental risk, and maternal verbal intelligence on children's cognitive ability. Gender and age were examined as moderators of potential cocaine exposure effects. The Stanford-Binet IV intelligence test was administered to 231 children (91 cocaine exposed, 140 unexposed) at ages 4, 6, and 9 years. Neonatal medical risk and other prenatal exposures (alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana) were also examined for their unique effects on child IQ. Mixed models analysis indicated that prenatal cocaine exposure interacted with gender, as cocaine-exposed boys had lower composite IQ scores. Age at assessment did not moderate this relation, indicating that cocaine-exposed boys had lower IQs across this age period. A stimulating home environment and high maternal verbal IQ also predicted higher composite IQ scores. Cocaine-exposed boys had lower scores on the Abstract/Visual Reasoning subscale, with trends for lower scores on the Short-Term Memory and Verbal Reasoning subscales, as exposure effects were observed across domains. The findings indicate that cocaine exposure continues to place children at risk for mild cognitive deficits into preadolescence. Possible mechanisms for the Exposure × Gender interaction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Indirect maternal effects of oxacillin administered to pregnant mice on the postnatal immune response of the offspring

Effects of oxacillin administered to pregnant or nursing randombred NMRI mice on the humoral immune response of their offspring were studied. The primary humoral response of male offspring to immunization by sheep red blood cells (SRBC) on the 24th postnatal day was assayed. Spectrophotometric determination of SRBC lysis by anti-SRBC IgM antibodies produced by spleen cells was used. Treatment of pregnant mice with oxacillin (70 mg/kg body weight) from the 12th to 16th day of pregnancy resulted in an enhancement of the spleen IgM antibody response in their offspring. The same treatment of nursing mothers, either on postnatal days 1-4 or 13-16, depressed the humoral response of the offspring. When the litters of control mothers and mothers treated with oxacillin from the 11th to 15th day of pregnancy were cross-fostered at birth, the offspring born of saline-treated mothers and nursed by oxacillin-treated mothers as well as the offspring born to oxacillin-treated mothers and nursed by control mothers produced significantly higher amounts of spleen anti-SRBC IgM than the control offspring. The results suggest that the alteration of the immune response in offspring of mice treated by oxacillin during pregnancy was induced not only in the prenatal period, but also postnatally by factors originating from effects of oxacillin on the maternal organism.     

Effects of maternal ethanol consumption on hepatic lipid biosynthesis in foetal and neonatal rats

Effects of prolonged maternal ethanol consumption were studied on hepatic lipid content, on the rates of fatty acid synthesis and on the activities of enzymes involved in fatty acid synthesis in the livers of foetal and suckling neonatal rats. Prolonged maternal ethanol consumption resulted in a significant increase in the contents of hepatic total lipids, triacylglycerols and plasma unesterified fatty acids in foetal and neonatal rats. Studies in vitro with 3H2O showed that maternal ethanol consumption did not result in a significant change in its rate of incorporation into lipid fractions of foetal and neonatal livers. The rates of fatty acid synthesis showed a pronounced decrease immediately after birth, compared with the foetal stage, but increased in the adult animals. On the other hand, the highest rates of lipid oxidation were observed in the neonatal stage. Maternal ethanol consumption resulted in a significant decrease in the rates of [14C]palmitate oxidation to 14CO2 by both the foetal and neonatal livers. Maternal ethanol consumption did not result in an increase in the activities of any of the lipid-synthesizing enzymes tested throughout the period of development. Although increased fatty acid synthesis does not seem to be the mechanism for the accumulation of these lipids, decreased oxidation of the lipids may be partly responsible for the lipid accumulation.     

Effect of prenatal and postnatal exposure to ethanol on rat central nervous system gangliosides and glycosidases

We investigated the effect of maternal alcohol consumption on cell number, gangliosides and ganglioside catabolizing enzymes in the central nervous system (CNS) of the offspring. Virgin female rats of the Charles Foster strain were given 15% (v/v) ethanol in drinking water one month prior to conception and during gestation and lactation. At 21 days postnatal age, the offspring were sacrificed and the brains were separated into cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem to investigate possible regional variations. Compared to controls, wet weight of cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem, and of spinal cord was decreased in the pups exposed to alcohol. DNA and protein contents were also found to be lowered in all the CNS regions of the pups exposed to alcohol. Conversely, maternal alcohol consumption was found to increase the concentration and the content of total ganglioside N-acetyl-neuraminic (NANA) in CNS of the pups. In addition, alcohol treatment was found to induce alterations in the proportions of individual ganglioside fractions. Interestingly, these alterations are somewhat different than those observed in the neonatal brain and spinal cord of the pups subjected to prenatal alcohol exposure. The alterations in the proportions of ganglioside fractions were shown to be region-specific. Maternal alcohol consumption resulted in decreased activities of sialidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase and beta-hexosaminidase. The results suggest that the alcohol-associated increases in ganglioside concentration may be at least partly due to the decreased activities of ganglioside catabolizing enzymes.     

Individual differences in utilizing control to cope with job demands: Effects on susceptibility to infectious disease.

This study examined the interactive effects of job demands, control, and individual characteristics on upper respiratory illnesses and immune function. Having high job control appeared to lessen the linkage between job demands and poor health among individuals with high self-efficacy and those who perceived that they were not often responsible for negative job outcomes. Conversely, having high job control exacerbated the association between job demands and poor health among inefficacious individuals. Implications for promoting more healthful work environments and facilitating employee coping are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Failure of maternal antibodies to protect young turkey poults against challenge with turkey rhinotracheitis virus

Groups of turkey poults with high levels of maternal antibodies (MA+) to turkey rhinotracheitis virus (TRTV) were challenged with virulent TRTV at 1, 5, and 10 days of age. A maternal antibody-free group (MA-) was also challenged at 1 day of age. Before each challenge, levels of maternal antibodies to TRTV were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical signs were scored for each group. Unchallenged poults showed no signs. Respiratory signs in poults infected at 10 days of age resembled those seen in MA- birds infected at 1 day of age but both were more severe than in MA+ birds infected at 1 day of age, when the maternal antibodies were highest. However, overall, the presence of high levels of maternal antibodies did not prevent the development of clinical disease.