The relationship between temperament and sexual orientation.

Background: The relationship between temperament and sexual orientation has been poorly characterized. We have used the Affective and Emotional Composite Temperament (AFECT) model to evaluate this association in a large population sample.

Methods: Data from 16,571 subjects between 21 and 45 years old (mean age=29.

Sustained behavioral effects of lithium exposure during early development in zebrafish: involvement of the Wnt-β-catenin signaling pathway.

Lithium has been the paradigmatic treatment for bipolar disorder since 1950s, offering prophylactic and acute efficacy against maniac and depressive episodes. Its use during early pregnancy and the perinatal period remains controversial due to reports of negative consequences on the newborn including teratogenic and neurobehavioral effects generally referred as Floppy baby syndrome. The mechanisms underlying lithium therapeutic action are still elusive but exacerbation of Wnt signaling pathway due to GSK-3 inhibition is believed to represent its main effect.

One for all and all for one: the importance of shoaling on behavioral and stress responses in zebrafish.

Zebrafish has been increasingly used in behavioral studies, but data can present high variability. Most studies have been performed using isolated zebrafish, despite their interactive nature and shoaling behavior. We compared adult zebrafish behavior and cortisol levels after exposure to novelty as well as sensitivity to Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in animals tested individually or in groups of three (triplets).

A one-trial inhibitory avoidance task to zebrafish: rapid acquisition of an NMDA-dependent long-term memory.

The behavioral tasks aiming to evaluate learning and memory mechanisms currently available to zebrafish (Danio rerio) involve long training sessions frequently along multiple days and are based on shuttle box or active-avoidance protocols, preventing a detailed analysis of cellular and molecular time-dependent processes involved in memory acquisition and consolidation. In order to explore zebrafish's potential contribution to the characterization of the molecular machinery underlying learning and memory rapidly acquired and reliable paradigms are necessary. In this study we present a rapid and effective learning protocol in a single-trial inhibitory avoidance in zebrafish.