Behavioural Brain Research (BEHAV BRAIN RES)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Episodic-like memory is sensitive to both Alzheimer's-like pathological accumulation and normal ageing processes in mice

  Davis KE, Eacott MJ, Easton A, Gigg J
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  ABSTRACT: Episodic memory depends on the hippocampus and is sensitive to both Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and normal ageing. We showed previously that 3xTgAD mice express a specific, episodic-memory deficit at 6 months of age in the What-Where-Which occasion (WWWhich) task (Davis, Easton, Eacott and Gigg, 2013). This task requires the integration of object-location and contextual cues to form an episodic-like memory. Here, we explore the cumulative effect of AD pathology on WWWhich memory by testing very young and middle-aged mice (3 and 12 months old, respectively). For comparison, we included an alternative episodic-like task (What-Where-When; WWWhen) and an object temporal order (Recency) task to explore claims that WWWhen types of memory are open to non-episodic solutions. We found that in contrast to their performance at 6 months, 3-month-old 3xTgAD mice formed WWWhich episodic-like memories; however, their performance at this age was poorer than in matched controls. In contrast, 3xTgAD and control animals aged 12 months were both impaired on the WWWhich task. Finally, 3xTgAD mice with a WWWhich deficit were unimpaired in both Recency and WWWhen tasks. These results support conclusions that: (1) young 3xTgAD mice express episodic-like memory, albeit depressed relative to controls; (2) age-related changes result in a deficit on the hippocampal-dependent WWWhich episodic memory task; and (3) control and 3xTgAD mice can use recency (trace strength) rather than episodic-like memory for tasks that contain a temporal 'When' component. These results, in combination with our previous findings, support an age-related decline in WWWhich episodic-like memory in mice. Furthermore, this decline is accelerated in the 3xTgAD model.
  Behavioural Brain Research 03/2013;
• Article: Neuromagnetic imaging reveals timing of volitional and anticipatory motor control in bimanual load lifting

  Tommy Ng, Paul Sowman, Jon Brock, Blake W Johnson
  Behavioural Brain Research 03/2013;
• Article: Neuroanatomical correlates of olfactory loss in normal aged subjects.

  Segura B, Baggio HC, Solana E, Palacios E, Vendrell P, Bargallo N, Junqué C
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  ABSTRACT: In non-demented older persons, smell dysfunction, measured premortem, has been associated with postmortem brain degeneration similar to that of Alzheimer's disease. We hypothesized that distinct measures of gray and white matter integrity evaluated through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques could detect degenerative changes associated with age-related olfactory dysfunction. High-resolution T1-weighted images and diffusion-tensor images (DTI) of 30 clinically healthy subjects aged 51 to 77 were acquired with a 3-Tesla MRI scanner. Odor identification performance was assessed by means of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). UPSIT scores correlated with right amygdalar volume and bilateral perirhinal and entorhinal cortices gray matter volume. Olfactory performance also correlated with postcentral gyrus cortical thickness and with fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity levels in the splenium of the corpus callosum and the superior longitudinal fasciculi. Our results suggest that age-related olfactory loss is accompanied by diffuse degenerative changes that might correspond to the preclinical stages of neurodegenerative processes.
  Behavioural Brain Research 02/2013;
• Article: Pheromone-induced odor learning modifies Fos expression in the newborn rabbit brain.

  Charra R, Datiche F, Gigot V, Schaal B, Coureaud G
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  ABSTRACT: Associative learning contributes crucially to adjust the behavior of neonates to the permanently changing environment. In the European rabbit, the mammary pheromone (MP) excreted in milk triggers sucking behavior in newborns, and additionally promotes very rapid learning of initially neutral odor cues. Such stimuli become then as active as the MP itself to elicit the orocephalic motor responses involved in suckling. In this context, the rabbit is an interesting model to address the question of brain circuits early engaged by learning and memory. Here, we evaluated the brain activation (olfactory bulb and central regions) induced in 4-day-old pups by an odorant (ethyl acetoacetate, EAA) after single pairing with the MP and its subsequent acquired ability to elicit sucking-related behavior (conditioned group) or after mere exposure to EAA alone (unconditioned group). The brain-wide mapping of c-Fos expression was used to compare neural activation patterns in both groups. Evidence of high immunostaining to odorant EAA occurred in the mitral+granule cells layer of the main olfactory bulb in pups previously exposed to EAA in association with the MP. These pups also showed higher expression of Fos in the piriform cortex, the hypothalamic lateral preoptic area and the amygdala (cortical and basal nuclei). Thus, MP-induced odor learning induces rapid brain modifications in rabbit neonates. The cerebral framework supporting the acquisition appears however different compared to the circuit involved in the processing of the MP itself.
  Behavioural Brain Research 01/2013; 237:129-140.
• Article: Observations in THY-Tau22 mice that resemble behavioural and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia

  Van der Jeugd A, Blum D, Raison S, Eddarkaoui S, Buée L, D'Hooge R
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  ABSTRACT: THY-Tau22 mice constitute an animal model for tau aggregation, a hallmark in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Tauopathies. Our previous studies have shown learning and memory deficits and changes in synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus in THY-Tau22 mice that are consistent with the learning impairments seen in AD-patients. However, behavioural disturbances are the most important problems in the management of AD and are major determinants of nursing home placement. Thus, we hypothesized that THY-Tau22 mice would demonstrate, in addition to the cognitive impairments, at least some behavioural and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia (BPSD). We found that 12 months old THY-Tau22 mice, relative to wild-type (WT) littermates display increased depression-like and aggressive behaviour, co-occurring with disturbances in nocturnal activity. Moreover, these changes were linked to a decreased hippocampal concentration in serotonin, or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), the main metabolite of serotonin. Together these data corroborate the usefulness of the model in preclinical evaluations of therapeutic strategies that aim to reverse cognitive defects and alleviate BPSD in the human disease.
  Behavioural Brain Research 12/2012;
• Article: Effects of 10Hz and 20Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on motor functions and motor cortical excitability.

  C. Wach, V. Krause, V. Moliadze, W. Paulus, A. Schnitzler, B. Pollok, Pollok B
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  ABSTRACT: Synchronized oscillatory activity at alpha (8-12Hz) and beta (13-30Hz) frequencies plays a key role in motor control. Nevertheless, its exact functional significance has yet to be solved. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) allows the frequency-specific modulation of ongoing oscillatory activity. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of 10 and 20Hz tACS over left primary motor cortex (M1) on motor functions and cortical excitability in healthy subjects. To this end, tACS was applied for 10minutes. Sham stimulation served as control condition. Movement speed and accuracy of the right hand were assessed in 15 right-handed subjects before and after (0, 30 and 60min) tACS of M1. Cortical silent period (CSP) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were determined as measures of M1 excitability. While 10Hz tACS particularly increased movement variability, especially in tasks requiring internal pacing, 20Hz tACS resulted in movement slowing. Behavioural effects occurred in distinct time windows. While 10Hz effects developed over 30minutes after stimulation, 20Hz tACS effects were found immediately after stimulation. Following 10Hz tACS these effects were significantly correlated with CSP duration, indicating interference with inhibitory pathways. The present findings suggest differential effects of stimulation frequency on motor behaviour and M1 excitability.
  Behavioural Brain Research 12/2012;
• Article: The effect of long-term high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on working memory in schizophrenia and healthy controls - a randomized placebo-controlled, double-blind fMRI study.

  Guse B, Falkai P, Gruber O, Whalley H, Gibson L, Hasan A, Obst K, Dechent P, McIntosh A, Suchan B, Wobrock T
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  ABSTRACT: In schizophrenia patients negative symptoms and cognitive impairment often persist despite treatment with second generation antipsychotics leading to reduced quality of life and psychosocial functioning. One core cognitive deficit is impaired working memory (WM) suggesting malfunctioning of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used to transiently facilitate or consolidate neuronal processes. Pilot studies using rTMS have demonstrated improvement of psychopathology in other psychiatric disorders, but a systematic investigation of working memory effects outlasting the stimulation procedure has not been performed so far. The aim of our study was to explore the effect of a 3-week high frequency active or sham 10Hz rTMS on cognition, specifically on working memory, in schizophrenia patients (n=25) in addition to antipsychotic therapy and in healthy controls (n=22). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare activation patterns during verbal WM (letter 2-back task) before and after 3-weeks treatment with rTMS. Additionally, other cognitive tasks were conducted. 10Hz rTMS was applied over the left posterior middle frontal gyrus (EEG electrode location F3) with an intensity of 110% of the individual resting motor threshold (RMT) over a total of 15 sessions. Participants recruited the common fronto- parietal and subcortical WM network. Multiple regression analyses revealed no significant activation differences over time in any contrast or sample. According to the ANOVAs for repeated measures performance remained without alterations in all groups. This is the first fMRI study that has systematically investigated this topic within a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind design, contrasting the effects in schizophrenia patients and healthy control
  Behavioural Brain Research 09/2012;
• Article: A novel highly selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonist attenuates ethanol and nicotine seeking but does not affect inhibitory response control in Wistar rats

  N M W J de Bruin, A C McCreary, A van Loevezijn, T J De Vries, J McCormack-Venhorst, M van Drimmelen, C G Kruse
  Behavioural Brain Research 08/2012;
• Article: Association of microtubule associated protein-2, synaptophysin, and apolipoprotein E mRNA and protein levels with cognition and anxiety levels in aged female rhesus macaques

  Haley GE, Eghlidi DH, Kohama SG, Urbanski HF, Raber J
  Behavioural Brain Research 03/2012;
• Article: Trial-to-trial variability differentiates motor imagery during observation between low versus high responders: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

  Holper L, Kobashi N, Kiper D, Scholkmann F, Wolf M, Eng K
  Behavioural Brain Research 01/2012; 229(1):29-40.
• Article: FOS EXPRESSION IN THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND VENTRAL STRIATUM AFTER EXPOSURE TO A FREE-OPERANT TIMING SCHEDULE

  L. Valencia-Torres, C.M. Olarte-Sánchez, S. Body, T.H.C. Cheung, K.C.F. Fone, C.M. Bradshaw, E. Szabadi
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  ABSTRACT: It has been proposed that cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits that incorporate the prefrontal cortex and corpus striatum regulate interval timing behaviour. In the present experiment regional Fos expression was compared between rats trained under an immediate timing schedule, the free-operant psychophysical procedure (FOPP), which entails temporally regulated switching between two operanda, and a yoked variable-interval (VI) schedule matched to the timing task for food deprivation level, reinforcement rate and overall response rate. The density of Fos-positive neurones (counts.mm-2) in the orbital prefrontal cortex (OPFC) and the shell of the nucleus accumbens (AcbS) was greater in rats exposed to the FOPP than in rats exposed to the VI schedule, suggesting a greater activation of these areas during the performance of the former task. The enhancement of Fos expression in the OPFC is consistent with previous findings with both immediate and retrospective timing schedules. Enhanced Fos expression in the AcbS was previously found in retrospective timing schedules based on conditional discrimination tasks, but not in a single-operandum immediate timing schedule, the fixed-interval peak procedure. It is suggested that the ventral striatum may be engaged during performance on timing schedules that entail operant choice, irrespective of whether they belong to the immediate or retrospective categories.
  Behavioural Brain Research 01/2012;
• Article: Early life socioeconomic status, chronic physiological stress and hippocampal N- acetyl aspartate concentrations. Behavioural Brain Research

  McLean J, Krishnadas R, et al
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  ABSTRACT: Objective, Early life socioeconomic deprivation has been associated with cognitive and behavioural changes that persist through towards adulthood. In this study, we investigated whether early life socioeconomic status is associated with changes in the hippocampus N acetyl aspartate, using the non-invasive technique of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Methods, We performed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of the hippocampus at 3 T in 30 adult males, selected from the PSOBID cohort. We conducted multiple regression analysis to examine the relationship between early socioeconomic status and concentration of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in the hippocampus. We also examined if the relationship between these variables were mediated by markers of chronic physiological stress. Results, Greater socioeconomic deprivation was associated with lower hippocampal NAA concentrations bilaterally. The relationship between early life SES and hippocampal NAA concentrations was mediated by allostatic load index – a marker of chronic physiological stress. Conclusions Greater early life socioeconomic deprivation was associated with lower concentrations of NAA reflecting lesser neuronal integrity. This relationship was mediated by greater physiological stress. Further work, to better understand the biological processes underlying the effects of poverty, physiological stress on hippocampal metabolites is necessary.
  Behavioural Brain Research 01/2012;
• Article: Fos expression in the orbital prefrontal cortex after exposure to the fixed-interval peak procedure

  Valencia Torres, Olarte Sanchez, C.M, Body, Bradshaw, Szabadi
  Behavioural Brain Research 01/2012; 229(2):372-7.
• Article: Synaptic transmission changes in

  Pollard M, Varin C, Hrupka B, Pemberton DJ, Steckler T, Shaban H
  Behavioural Brain Research 01/2011; 216(1):184.
• Article: Paired-associative stimulation can modulate muscle fatigue induced motor cortex excitability changes

  Milanovic S, Filipovic SR, Blesic S, Ilic TV, Dhanasekaran S, Ljubisavljevic MR
  Behavioural Brain Research 01/2011;
• Article: Functional cerebral lateralization and dual-task efficiency – testing the function of human brain lateralization using fTCD

  Lust, Geuze, Groothuis, Bouma
  Behavioural Brain Research 01/2011; 217(2):293-301.