Dolphin-Assisted Therapy: Claims versus Evidence.

The purpose of this paper is to review and critique studies that have been conducted on dolphin-assisted therapy for children with various disorders. Studies have been released claiming swimming with dolphins is therapeutic and beneficial for children with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, physical disabilities, and other psychological disorders. The majority of the studies conducted supporting the effectiveness of dolphin-assisted therapy have been found to have major methodological concerns making it impossible to draw valid conclusions.

Effects of sibutramine and rimonabant in rats trained to discriminate between 22- and 2-h food deprivation.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate whether sibutramine and rimonabant, drugs that decrease food intake in human and non-human animals, affect the discriminative stimulus effects associated with acute food deprivation ("hunger").

Materials And Methods: Rats were trained to discriminate between 22- and 2-h food deprivation in a two-lever choice procedure. After rats acquired the discrimination, subjects were food-restricted for 22 h and administered with sibutramine (0.