Biobehavioral effects of extended salt loading and conflict stress in intact baboons.

Behavioral stressors may inhibit sodium excretion, potentially increasing plasma volume and elevating blood pressure during chronic exposure. Blood pressure regulation may be especially deranged during manipulations that further challenge the kidney, such as a diet high in salt content. The effects on blood pressure and other variables of combined behavioral stress (food/shock conflict) and dietary salt (12 g NaCl per day; 218 mEq Na+ per day) were examined in adult male baboons over the course of 1 year.

Beta-blocker effects on 24-h activity in normotensive and renovascular hypertensive baboons.

Spontaneous motor activity of normotensive and renovascular hypertensive baboons was measured during oral dosing with the beta-adrenergic antagonists atenolol HCl (2.6 mg/kg/day) and d,l-propranolol HCl (6.8 mg/kg twice daily) in separate studies.

General activity in baboons measured with a computerized, lightweight piezoelectric motion sensor: effects of drugs.

A small, 1-oz activity-monitoring device is described for measuring motor activity continuously for periods of up to 42 days. The monitor employs a piezoelectric sensor that detects extremely small accelerations induced by movements. The monitor can be placed on collars or harnesses (e.

Behavioral performance effects of verapamil in normotensive and renovascular hypertensive baboons.

Behavioral performances of normotensive and hypertensive adult male baboons were tested before, during, and following chronic oral dosing with verapamil. Performances during a five-color simultaneous match-to-sample task were measured for two doses (2.0, and 3.

Chronic hydrochlorothiazide and verapamil effects on motor activity in hypertensive baboons.

Spontaneous motor activity was measured in six baboons during chronic oral dosing with a diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide/triamterene), a calcium channel blocker (verapamil), and a combination of the two drugs. Piezoelectric monitors sensitive to movement were attached to leather collars and were worn continuously by the baboons throughout the protocol. Baboons were made hypertensive during a preexperimental period by either 1) chronic administration of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt or 2) surgical renal artery stenosis.

Performance of baboons under a repeated acquisition procedure during chronic oral exposure to atenolol and propranolol.

Repeated acquisition behavioral performances of normotensive and renovascular hypertensive baboons were tested before, during, and following chronic oral dosing with the beta-adrenergic antagonists atenolol HCl (2.6 mg/kg/day PO), and d,l propranolol HCl (6.8 mg/kg twice daily PO) in separate studies.

Chronic effects of high salt intake and conflict stress on blood pressure in primates. A progress report.

The effects of combined behavioral stress and high dietary salt on blood pressure were examined in baboons (N = 4) over the course of 1 year. Either high salt diet (240 mEq Na+/day) or conflict stress were administered for 8 to 16 weeks, followed by high salt intake and stress combined. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased by 8 mmHg during high dietary salt alone, by 4 mmHg during stress alone, and increased further to 14 mmHg above baseline during combined salt and stress.

Stress and sodium hypertension in baboons: neuroendocrine and pharmacotherapeutic assessments.

Behavioral stress and high dietary salt have been reported to increase blood pressure additively in non-human primates. This study was designed to replicate this phenomenon and to assess neuroendocrine correlates and responses to two commonly used antihypertensives, a beta-adrenoceptor blocker and a thiazide diuretic. High-salt intake (240 mmol sodium per day) and stress were administered for 9 weeks in adult baboons.

Familial density of alcoholism: effects on psychophysiological responses to ethanol.

Recent research findings suggest that the patterning of familial alcoholism may critically determine ethanol sensitivity and severity of alcohol-related problems in the offspring. The present study examined the effects of familial alcoholism density on psychophysiological responses to ethanol administration in college males. Subjects with a positive family history of alcoholism were classified into affected biological father only (LD-FHP) versus both father and at least one second-degree affected relative (HD-FHP), and were compared to family history negative (FHN) subjects.

Blood pressure hyperreactivity in non-human primates during dietary sodium combined with behavioral stress.

The potential for behavioral stress alone or combined with dietary salt to augment pressor reactivity to the onset of daily experimental sessions was examined in normotensive, intact baboons over the course of four months. During twice daily experimental sessions, adult male baboons experienced food/shock conflict such that lever pulling not only served to earn food, but was also occasionally punished with cued mild electric shock. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured during a baseline period of fixed-ratio food reinforcement (3 weeks), during conflict stress (2 weeks), and after dietary salt was added to the daily conflict protocol (CONFLICT + SODIUM, 3 weeks).

Alcohol and secobarbital effects as a function of familial alcoholism: extended intoxication and increased withdrawal effects.

Response differences following administration of alcohol between adult males with a positive (FHP) versus negative (FHN) family history of alcoholism have been demonstrated in previous research and are thought to be related to risk for developing alcoholism. If this is so, the pharmacological breadth of addiction risk conferred by a positive family alcoholism history might be studied by determining whether FHP subjects show different responses than FHN to drug classes other than alcohol. We have previously reported on the acute effects of ethanol as compared with secobarbital in FHP and FHN subjects and found that FHP subjects showed greater sensitivity across a variety of subjective measures than FHN subjects for both drug classes.

Behavioral effects of chronic, orally administered diuretic and verapamil in baboons.

Behavioral performances of six baboons were tested during chronic oral dosing with diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide/triamterene), a calcium channel blocker (verapamil), and a combination of the two drugs. Reaction times and color matching-to-sample performances as well as physiological measures were obtained in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt baboons and in renovascular hypertensive baboons. Combined diuretic and verapamil impaired color matching to a small degree in comparison to baseline performance, while drug administered alone had no effect.

Alcohol and secobarbital effects as a function of familial alcoholism: acute psychophysiological effects.

Previous research has demonstrated response differences following administration of alcohol between adult males with a positive (FHP) versus negative (FHN) family history of alcoholism. These response differences are thought to reflect differences in vulnerability to dependence on alcohol. Thus, the role of positive family alcoholism history in increasing risk of addiction to a variety of drug classes might be studied by determining whether FHP subjects show different responses to drug classes other than alcohol.

Alcohol and drug use by college males as a function of family alcoholism history.

Family history of alcoholism increases the risk for development of alcoholism in male offspring. The present questionnaire study examined self-reported alcohol and drug use in 744 college males as a function of DSM-IIIR alcohol dependence diagnoses in first- and/or second-degree biological relatives. Substance use was most prevalent and most frequent in students with both first- and second-degree alcohol-dependent family members, was intermediate in students with only first-degree affected relatives, and was least in students with no affected relatives.

Behavioral performance effects of nifedipine in normotensive and renovascular hypertensive baboons.

Behavioral performances of normotensive and hypertensive adult male baboons were tested before, during, and following chronic oral dosing with nifedipine. Performances during a five-color simultaneous match-to-sample task were measured during three dosing schedules (0.20, 0.

New methodology for measuring blood pressure in awake baboons with use of behavioral training techniques.

Adult male baboons were behaviorally conditioned to extend an arm outside of the living cage and to accept repeated cuff inflations for manual auscultatory blood pressure measurements. Frequency distributions of systolic and diastolic blood pressure for both normotensive and renovascular hypertensive baboons generally were normally distributed. The procedure accurately tracked rapid changes in blood pressure after oral administration of antihypertensive drugs.

Matching to sample, blood pressure and hormonal effects of chronic enalapril in baboons.

Sensory and behavioral performance of three normotensive and one renovascular hypertensive baboon was tested before, during and following chronic oral dosing with the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril. Performance measurements during a five-color simultaneous matching to sample task were obtained during enalapril dosing of 0.18 and 0.

Conditioned opponent responses: effects of placebo challenge in alcoholic subjects.

The present study continues a series of studies examining a number of variables that contribute to the demonstration of conditioned responses to alcohol in alcoholics. We pursued here the hypothesis that subjects receiving placebo in an environment previously associated with alcohol ingestion would exhibit conditioned responses as compared with subjects who had only received placebo in the environment. Further, we predicted that these conditioned responses would be opposite in direction to responses obtained during active drink sessions.

Behavioral performance effects of nifedipine in normotensive baboons: single dosing.

The effects of single oral doses of the calcium channel blocker nifedipine were assessed on performance of a simultaneous color match-to-sample task in three normotensive baboons. Both accuracy of color matching, and speed and latency of response were measured 30 min after administration of 0.10, 0.

Psychophysiological effects of alcohol-related stimuli: II. Enhancement with alcohol availability.

This laboratory study examined methods of enhancing physiological and subjective responses of alcoholics to naturalistic alcohol-related stimuli by repeated exposures to a high-dose alcohol drink. Individual subjects participated in five successive daily sessions consisting of randomized-block presentations of gustatory and visual presentation of alcohol, pepper juice (as a control for stimulus taste intensity), or water stimuli. Following the stimulus trial series, all subjects ingested 1.

Psychophysiological effects of alcohol-related stimuli: I. The role of stimulus intensity.

The present study extends previous research on conditioning factors in the physiological and subjective responses to naturalistic alcohol-related stimuli. Specifically, the effects of differential alcohol ingestion histories and of stimulus intensity were examined on the occurrence of conditioned responses in the laboratory. Twelve alcoholic subjects and twelve moderate drinkers participated in a single experimental session consisting of randomized presentations of three types of stimulus trials.

Psychophysiological effects of oral ethanol in alcoholics and social drinkers.

The acute and extended effects of ethanol ingestion were examined in five alcoholic subjects, and five "social" drinkers. Six physiological and four subjective report measures were taken before, during and up to 90 min after the ingestion of ethanol in three doses and placebo. Findings showed that alcohol exerted significant dose-related physiological effects in the initial minutes of ingestion, and in extended analyses of physiological and subjective measures in both groups of drinkers.