Short term diet of precooked corn meal almost lacking in tryptophan and interspecific rat-mouse aggressive behaviour.

The content of tryptophan in a precooked corn meal and in 4 types of selected corn seeds: Zea mays indurata, identata, opaque/2 and Marano synth., has been determined by three different methods: ion-exchange chromatography, spectrofluorometry and spectrophotometry. This content is very low, less than 0.

Environmental lighting and muricidal behaviour in the male Wistar rat.

Effects of different conditions of environmental lighting on the appearance of the muricidal behaviour in male Wistar rats have been studied. The animals were kept under different conditions of environmental lighting: 1) natural day light alternated with the dark of the night; 2) sodium, continuous light emitted by a sodium steam lamp; 3) neon, continuous light emitted by fluorescent neon tubes. The continuous sodium steam light increased the percentage of animals becoming muricide when compared to animals bred in a natural environment with a normal succession of day-night lighting.

[Effects of a short-term diet of precooked corn flour on the vaginal cycle, in rats placed in various conditions of environmental illumination].

The aim of this research is to study the effects of a diet almost devoid of tryptophan, which is given by a feeding with precooked yellow corn meal (corn mush), on the alterations of the estrous cycle of animals in several conditions of environmental lighting. Indeed, it is known that cerebral serotonin influences the releasing of LH and consequently the ovulation. The different types of environmental lighting are: 1) Natural (alternating Day-Night = L/D).

[Effect of a short-term diet based on precooked corn flour on the muricidal behavior of male SM Wistar rats].

The aim of this research is to observe if the lack of cerebral serotonin, obtained by a diet almost devoid of tryptophan (precooked yellow corn meal) is able to trigger the muricide behaviour in male Rats naturally non-muricide. To determine the tryptophan content in the food used and in 4 types of selected maize flour (Zea mays: indurata, indentata, opaque/2 and synt. marano), 3 different methods have been used (ion-exchange chromatography, spectrofluorometry, spectrophotometry).

[Effect of various environmental illumination modalities on the muricidal behavior of male Wistar rats].

The aim of this research is to study the effects of different modalities of environment lighting on the appearance of the muricide behaviour in the Wistar male Rat. Indeed it is known that the exposition of Rats in environment to continuous light determine a reduction of the cerebral content of serotonin, which is known to unchain the muricide behaviour in naturally not muricide Rats. The animals are kept in different situations of environment lighting: 1) L/D = the natural light of the day alternated with the dark of the night; 2) L/L sodium = continuous light emitted by a sodium steam lamp; 3) L/L neon = continuous light issued from fluorescent neon tubes.