Global taxonomic and functional patterns in invertebrate assemblages from rocky-intertidal mussel beds.

Mussels form extensive beds in rocky intertidal habitats on temperate seashores worldwide. They are foundation species because their beds host many invertebrates. Mussels and their associated species differ taxonomically among biogeographic regions, but all mussel beds exhibit similar structural and functional properties.

Preclinical methodological approaches investigating of the effects of alcohol on perinatal and adolescent neurodevelopment.

Despite much evidence of its economic and social costs, alcohol use continues to increase. Much remains to be known as to the effects of alcohol on neurodevelopment across the lifespan and in both sexes. We provide a comprehensive overview of the methodological approaches to ethanol administration when using animal models (primarily rodent models) and their translational relevance, as well as some of the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

Maternal care-related differences in males and females rats' sensitivity to ethanol and the associations between the GABAergic system and steroids in males.

This study investigated the effect of maternal care on adolescent ethanol consumption, sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis, as well as gonadal hormones and γ-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABA ) systems. Long Evans rat dams were categorized by maternal licking/grooming (LG) frequency into High- and Low-LG mothers. Both female and male offspring from Low-LG rats demonstrated a greater sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis in the loss-of-righting-reflex test at ethanol doses of 3.

Strain-specific programming of prenatal ethanol exposure across generations.

Behavioral consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can be transmitted from in utero-exposed F1 generation to their F2 offspring. This type of transmission is modulated by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. This study investigated the intergenerational consequences of prenatal exposure to a low ethanol dose (1 g/kg) during gestational days 17-20, on ethanol-induced hypnosis in adolescent male F1 and F2 generations, in two strains of rats.

The sexual preference of female rats is influenced by males' adolescent social stress history and social status.

Ongoing development of brain systems for social behaviour renders these systems susceptible to the influence of stressors in adolescence. We previously found that adult male rats that underwent social instability stress (SS) in mid-adolescence had decreased sexual performance compared with control males (CTL). Here, we test the hypotheses that SS in adolescence decreases the "attractiveness" of male rats as sexual partners compared with CTL rats and that dominance status is a protective factor against the effects of SS.

Maternal care and affective behavior in female offspring: Implication of the neurosteroid/GABAergic system.

In female rats, the proestrus phase of the estrous cycle is associated with decreased levels of anxiety-like and depressive-like behavior relative to the metestrus phase. Progesterone likely modulate these behaviors, in part through the influence of its metabolite, allopregnanolone (THP) on hippocampal GABAR subunit expression. As natural variations in maternal care have been found to influence both progesterone levels at proestrus and anxiety-like behavior in female offspring, we sought to investigate the importance of maternal care and the estrous cycle on affective behavior in female rats that had received Low or High levels of licking/grooming (LG) during early life.

Transgenerational Transmission of the Effect of Gestational Ethanol Exposure on Ethanol Use-Related Behavior.

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) enhances the risk for alcoholism by increasing the propensity to consume alcohol and altering neurophysiological response to alcohol challenge. Trans-generationally transmittable genetic alterations have been implicated in these behavioral changes. To date, transgenerational transmission of PAE-induced behavioral responses to alcohol has never been experimentally investigated.

Can low-level ethanol exposure during pregnancy influence maternal care? An investigation using two strains of rat across two generations.

Gestational alcohol use is well documented as detrimental to both maternal and fetal health, producing an increase in offspring's tendency for alcoholism, as well as in behavioral and neuropsychological disorders. In both rodents and in humans, parental care can influence the development of offspring physiology and behavior. Animal studies that have investigated gestational alcohol use on parental care and/or their interaction mostly employ heavy alcohol use and single strains.

Estrogenic mediation of serotonergic and neurotrophic systems: implications for female mood disorders.

Clinical research has demonstrated a significant sex difference in the occurrence of depressive disorders. Beginning at pubertal onset, women report a higher incidence of depression than men. Women are also vulnerable to the development of depressive disorders such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder, postpartum depression, and perimenopausal depression.

Deficits in male sexual behavior in adulthood after social instability stress in adolescence in rats.

There is increasing evidence that exposure to stressors in adolescence has long-lasting effects on emotional and cognitive behavior, but little is known as to whether reproductive functions are affected. We investigated appetitive and consummatory aspects of sexual behavior in male rats that were exposed to chronic social instability stress (SS, n=24) for 16 days in mid-adolescence compared to control rats (CTL, n=24). Over five sexual behavior test sessions with a receptive female, SS rats made fewer ejaculations (p=0.

Variations in maternal care associated with differences in female rat reproductive behavior in a group-mating environment.

Maternal care influences the development of sexual behavior in pair mating rats, under laboratory conditions. This study examined the effect of variations in maternal care in a group-mating condition. Groups of two low and two high licking/grooming (LG) female offspring mated with two males in a large pacing chamber for 36 hr.

Maternal care associates with play dominance rank among adult female rats.

Variations in maternal care influence important life history traits that determine reproductive fitness. The adult female offspring of mothers that show reduced levels of pup licking/grooming (LG; i.e.

Maternal programming of reproductive function and behavior in the female rat.

Parental investment can be used as a forecast for the environmental conditions in which offspring will develop to adulthood. In the rat, maternal behavior is transmitted to the next generation through epigenetic modifications such as methylation and histone acetylation, resulting in variations in estrogen receptor alpha expression. Natural variations in maternal care also influence the sexual strategy adult females will adopt later in life.

The role of oxytocin in mating and pregnancy.

The hormone oxytocin (OT) is released both centrally and peripherally during and after mating. Although research in humans suggests a central role in sexuality, the most reliable findings to date involve peripheral activation. This review will discuss these results and will particularly focus on understanding the most recent findings from fMRI data and the effects of exogenous peripheral OT administration.

Maternal influences on the sexual behavior and reproductive success of the female rat.

In many species, including humans, there is evidence for parental effects on within-sex variations in reproductive behavior. In the present studies we found that variations in postnatal maternal care were associated with individual differences in female sexual behavior in the rat. Females born to and reared by dams that showed enhanced pup licking/grooming (i.

The programming of individual differences in defensive responses and reproductive strategies in the rat through variations in maternal care.

There are profound maternal effects on individual differences in defensive responses and reproductive strategies in species ranging literally from plants to insects to birds. Maternal effects commonly reflect the quality of the environment and are most likely mediated by the quality of the maternal provision (egg, propagule, etc.), which in turn determines growth rates and adult phenotype.

Medullary noradrenergic neurons release norepinephrine in the medial amygdala in females in response to mating stimulation sufficient for pseudopregnancy.

In the female rat, stimuli from the uterine cervix and vagina are carried to the brain areas involved in the mating-induced pseudopregnancy (PSP) response via the ventral noradrenergic bundle. Noradrenergic neurons projecting through this tract synapse in many forebrain areas including the amygdala, and neurons in the posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) are activated following mating. The goal of this experiment was to investigate whether norepinephrine (NE) is released into the MePD after mating using microdialysis and to determine the origin of this release.

Co-regulation of female sexual behavior and pregnancy induction: an exploratory synthesis.

This paper will review both new and old data that address the question of whether brain mechanisms involved in reproductive function act in a coordinated way to control female sexual behavior and the induction of pregnancy/pseudopregnancy (P/PSP) by vaginocervical stimulation. Although it is clear that female sexual behavior, including pacing behavior, is important for induction of P/PSP, there has been no concerted effort to examine whether or how common mechanisms may control both functions. Because initiation of P/PSP requires that the female receive vaginocervical stimulation, central mechanisms controlling P/PSP may be modulated by or interactive with those that control female sexual behavior.