SFWT Zebrafish were exposed to various concentrations of EtOH at 24 hours post-fertilization for a period of two hours. When fish reached maturity they were placed in individual tanks in a larger open field. A preliminary strain comparison was also conducted using control (EtOH untreated) SFWT and AB fish. The behaviour of fish was recorded for 24 hours during a normal light:dark cycle. Motor patterns and general activity were quantified and analyzed and several behaviors were found to change significantly throughout the daytime and nighttime period. Also, fish exposed to the highest concentration of alcohol were found to exhibit significantly reduced amount of thrashing towards other subjects as compared to fish in the control group confirming previous results that demonstrated reduction of shoaling after early embryonic alcohol exposure.

We conducted experiments to understand the role of Ventral Hippocampus (vHPC) projections to the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) in exploratory locomotion, and to determine if the reduced vHPC parvalbumin neuron activity can result in behaviors associated with schizophrenia. Through the use of optogenetics, we activated vHPC neurons and vHPC terminals in the NAc. Both manipulations significantly increased locomotor activity in the open field. Selective inhibition of vHPC terminals in the NAc during a test for novel environment exploration significantly reduced preference for novel environments over familiar environments. DREADD-mediated inhibition of activation of vHPC parvalbumin neuron activity did not significantly alter amphetamine-induced locomotion. Overall, these experiments provide support for the role of the vHPC-NAc pathway in mediating exploratory behavior in novel environments, but it remains inconclusive whether dysregulated vHPC activity due to the loss of parvalbumin neurons leads to behaviors associated with schizophrenia.

Background: Systematic reviews (SRs) should be kept up-to-date to maintain importance in informing health care policy and practice. However, updating policies and practices of health care organizations (HCOs) that fund or conduct SRs are either unclear or non-existent. Objective: To examine updating policies and practices of relevant HCOs. Primary Research Design: An exploratory Internet survey of 195 HCOs within the international SR community. Results: The completed response rate was 58% (n=114) across 26 countries. Although 57% of organizations reported to have a formal updating policy, 59% reported updating practices as irregular. Moreover, 54% estimated more than half of their respective SRs were likely out dated. Resource constraints were a prominent barrier. Most (70%) supported centralizing updating efforts across institutions or agencies. Significance: This research provides a baseline glimpse of the state of updating among HCOs globally involved in evidence synthesis and therefore adds to a limited body of knowledge.

SFWT Zebrafish were exposed to various concentrations of EtOH at 24 hours post-fertilization for a period of two hours. When fish reached maturity they were placed in individual tanks in a larger open field. A preliminary strain comparison was also conducted using control (EtOH untreated) SFWT and AB fish. The behaviour of fish was recorded for 24 hours during a normal light:dark cycle. Motor patterns and general activity were quantified and analyzed and several behaviors were found to change significantly throughout the daytime and nighttime period. Also, fish exposed to the highest concentration of alcohol were found to exhibit significantly reduced amount of thrashing towards other subjects as compared to fish in the control group confirming previous results that demonstrated reduction of shoaling after early embryonic alcohol exposure.

Social interactions in early life influence the organization of neural and behavioural systems of developing mammalian young. Deprivation of social interactions with the primary caregiver and other immediate conspecifics (early social deprivation) has lasting consequences on behavioural functioning in later life. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how early social deprivation affects the motivational aspects of behaviour in the context of appetitive stimuli. Rats were reared in complete isolation from the mother and litter using the method of artificial rearing (AR). Control rats were maternally reared (MR). In adulthood, rats were tested in a series of behavioural paradigms designed to assess the motivational impact of primary food reward and reward-related cues on food-seeking behaviour. AR increased the behavioural responsiveness of rats to the motivational impact of reward-related cues, but not to primary rewards themselves. Specifically, there were no significant effects of AR on food consumption or goal-directed instrumental responding for food. However, AR enhanced instrumental responding triggered by a previously conditioned reward cue. AR also increased the expression of approach behaviour towards a localizable conditioned reward cue and instrumental responding when the same cue was used as a reinforcer. An assessment of the mediating factors during development revealed that the lack of tactile stimulation normally received from the mother, but not sustained exposure to the stress hormone corticosterone, contributed to the long-term effects of AR. These findings represent a potential link between early-life social adversity and vulnerability to the development of problems with behavioural inhibition and attention in the presence of appetitive environmental cues.

This study used pre-existing data to examine whether children with ADHD, with and without working memory (WM) deficits, differ in their academic achievement and clinical profiles. 73 children (26% female), aged 6-12 years, with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD had completed standardized achievement tests of reading, mathematics, and written language. Six WM measures and three parent and teacher questionnaires probing behaviour and executive functioning were administered. Of the sample, only 26% met the criteria for a WM deficit. Children with WM impairments were found to perform significantly worse than those without WM impairment on all achievement clusters, with no clinical profile differences. Poor WM is not universal in ADHD, but its presence is associated with lower academic achievement scores. Clinicians and educators should consider that underlying impairments in WM may be the contributing factors to academic difficulties in children with ADHD. Interventions targeting WM skills need to be implemented.

The current study evaluated the effect of a teacher conducted play intervention on pre-school aged children’s compliance in child care settings. Study participants included 11 children ranging in age from 2 to 5 years old and seven early childhood education teachers within seven classrooms across five child care centres. Teachers were trained to conduct daily 5 minute play sessions consisting of contingent praise, mirroring, and warm responsiveness. A combination ABAB and multiple baseline design was used to demonstrate the effect of the play intervention. Pre-treatment observations revealed varying degrees of recurring child compliance difficulties. The play intervention was associated with improved rates of compliance for each participant child regardless of differences in age, gender, and level of compliance difficulties. The intervention is discussed with regard to its potential as a pro-active, non-intrusive strategy for improving young children’s classroom compliance.

Social interactions in early life influence the organization of neural and behavioural systems of developing mammalian young. Deprivation of social interactions with the primary caregiver and other immediate conspecifics (early social deprivation) has lasting consequences on behavioural functioning in later life. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how early social deprivation affects the motivational aspects of behaviour in the context of appetitive stimuli. Rats were reared in complete isolation from the mother and litter using the method of artificial rearing (AR). Control rats were maternally reared (MR). In adulthood, rats were tested in a series of behavioural paradigms designed to assess the motivational impact of primary food reward and reward-related cues on food-seeking behaviour. AR increased the behavioural responsiveness of rats to the motivational impact of reward-related cues, but not to primary rewards themselves. Specifically, there were no significant effects of AR on food consumption or goal-directed instrumental responding for food. However, AR enhanced instrumental responding triggered by a previously conditioned reward cue. AR also increased the expression of approach behaviour towards a localizable conditioned reward cue and instrumental responding when the same cue was used as a reinforcer. An assessment of the mediating factors during development revealed that the lack of tactile stimulation normally received from the mother, but not sustained exposure to the stress hormone corticosterone, contributed to the long-term effects of AR. These findings represent a potential link between early-life social adversity and vulnerability to the development of problems with behavioural inhibition and attention in the presence of appetitive environmental cues.

Injury can be a very stressful experience for an elite athlete. To facilitate recovery, it is important to understand the psychological dynamics involved in the injury state. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of the coach-athlete relationship on injury reporting decisions. Six varsity swimmers from a Canadian university were interviewed about their experiences of athletic injury and the coach-athlete relationship. The data also revealed additional salient factors in the athletes’ disclosure decisions. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach and several key factors were found: identity, pain, frustration, coping, power, trust, caring/openness, investment, isolation, and atmosphere. These factors were organized into three categories: individual, coach-athlete, and team. The PI-AIR (Psychosocial Influences on Athletic Injury Reporting) model was developed to organize the categories into a single framework. The model is discussed in relation to current theory along with limitations of the study and future directions.

Injury can be a very stressful experience for an elite athlete. To facilitate recovery, it is important to understand the psychological dynamics involved in the injury state. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of the coach-athlete relationship on injury reporting decisions. Six varsity swimmers from a Canadian university were interviewed about their experiences of athletic injury and the coach-athlete relationship. The data also revealed additional salient factors in the athletes’ disclosure decisions. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach and several key factors were found: identity, pain, frustration, coping, power, trust, caring/openness, investment, isolation, and atmosphere. These factors were organized into three categories: individual, coach-athlete, and team. The PI-AIR (Psychosocial Influences on Athletic Injury Reporting) model was developed to organize the categories into a single framework. The model is discussed in relation to current theory along with limitations of the study and future directions.