Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:37:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AlineLD_DISSERT.pdf: 1012769 bytes, checksum: dbe4a7a77cff780cc71b4acb54601b4b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-11 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The physiologist H. Selye defined stress as the nonspecific response of the body to any factors that endanger homeostasis (balance of internal environment) of the individual. These factors, agents stressors, are able to activate the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, thus resulting in the physiological responses to stress by the release of glucocorticoids that leads to psychophysiological changes, including effects on cognitive functions such as learning and memory. When this axis is acutely stimulated occurs a repertoire of behavioral and physiological changes can be adaptive to the individual. Notwithstanding, when the HPA axis is chronically stimulated, changes may favor the development of, such as anxiety disorders. Some drugs used in the clinic for the treatment of anxiety disorders these can exert effects on cognitive function, on the HPA axis and on the anxiety. In this context, the aim of our study was to investigate the effects of administration i.p. acute of diazepam (DZP, 2 mg/kg), buspirone (BUS, 3 mg/kg), mirtazapine (MIR, 10 mg/kg) and fluoxetine (FLU, 10 mg/kg) in male mice submitted to acute restraint stress, and evaluated using plus-maze discriminative avoidance task (PMDAT), which simultaneously evaluates parameters such as learning, memory and anxiety. Our results demonstrated that (1) the administration of DZP and BUS, but not FLU, promoted anxiolytic effects in animals; (2) administration mirtazapine caused sedative effect to animals; (3) in the training session, the animals treated with BUS, MIR and FLU learned the task, on the other hand DZP group showed impairment in learning; (4) in the test session, animals treated with DZP, BUS, and MIR showed deficits in relation to discrimination between the enclosed arms, aversive versus non-aversive arm, demonstrating an impairment in memory, however, animals treated with FLU showed no interference in the retrieval of this memory; (5) acute stress did not interfere in locomotor activity, anxiety, or learning on the learning task, but induced impairment in retrieval memory, and the group treated with FLU did not demonstrated this deficit of memory . These results suggest that acute administration of drugs with anxiolytic and antidepressant activity does not interfere with the learning process this aversive task, but impair its retrieval, as well as the acute restraint stress. However, the antidepressant fluoxetine was able to reverse memory deficits promoted by acute stress, which may suggest that modulation, even acutely serotonergic neurotransmission, by selectively inhibiting the reuptake of this neurotransmitter, interferes on the process of retrieval of an aversive memory / O fisiologista H. Selye definiu estresse como a resposta n?o espec?fica do organismo a quaisquer fatores que coloquem em risco a homeostase (equil?brio do meio interno) do indiv?duo. Esses fatores, os agentes estressores, s?o capazes de ativar o eixo Hipot?lamo-Hip?fise-Adrenal (HPA), resultando assim na resposta fisiol?gica ao estresse. Quando esse eixo ? agudamente estimulado, ocorre um repert?rio de mudan?as comportamentais e fisiol?gicas adaptativas ao indiv?duo. Por outro lado, quando o eixo HPA ? cronicamente estimulado, podem ocorrer modifica??es psicofisiol?gicas prejudiciais ao indiv?duo, entre elas, efeitos sobre as fun??es cognitivas, como na aprendizagem e na mem?ria, al?m do desenvolvimento de patologias, como os transtornos de ansiedade. Alguns f?rmacos utilizados na cl?nica para o tratamento de transtornos de ansiedade podem exercer efeitos sobre fun??es cognitivas, sobre o eixo HPA e sobre a ansiedade. Neste contexto, o objetivo de nosso estudo foi verificar os efeitos da administra??o aguda de quatro f?rmacos, o diazepam (DZP, 2 mg/Kg), a buspirona (BUS, 3 mg/Kg), a mirtazapina (MIR, 10 mg/Kg) e a fluoxetina (FLU, 10 mg/Kg) em camundongos machos submetidos ao estresse agudo por conten??o, utilizando a tarefa de esquiva discriminativa em labirinto em cruz elevado, que avalia simultaneamente par?metros de aprendizagem, mem?ria e ansiedade. Nossos resultados demonstraram que (1) a administra??o do DZP e da BUS promoveu efeitos ansiol?ticos nos animais, mas n?o a FLU; (2) a MIR causou efeito sedativo aos animais; (3) durante a sess?o de treino, os animais tratados com BUS, MIR e FLU aprenderam a tarefa, por outro lado o grupo DZP demonstrou preju?zo na aprendizagem; (4) na sess?o teste, animais tratados com DZP, BUS, e MIR mostraram d?ficit na discrimina??o entre os bra?os fechados, aversivo versus n?o aversivo, demonstrando um preju?zo na mem?ria, entretanto, animais que receberam FLU n?o mostraram interfer?ncia na evoca??o dessa mem?ria; (5) o estresse agudo n?o interfere na aprendizagem da tarefa, mas induz preju?zo na evoca??o da mem?ria, sendo este preju?zo revertido apenas para o grupo tratado como FLU. Esses resultados sugerem que a administra??o aguda de f?rmacos com atividade ansiol?tica e antidepressiva n?o interferem no processo de aprendizagem desta tarefa aversiva, mas prejudicam sua evoca??o, bem como o estresse agudo de conten??o. Contudo, o antidepressivo fluoxetina foi capaz de reverter o d?ficit de mem?ria promovido pelo estresse agudo, o que pode sugerir que a modula??o, mesmo que agudamente da neurotransmiss?o serotonin?rgica, por inibidores seletivos da recepta??o desse neurotransmissor, interfere no processo de consolida??o de uma mem?ria aversiva

In the group of reptiles, the ability to form memories is still much discussed and neuroanatomical data have suggested the existence of homologies between the areas of the hippocampus and amygdala of mammals and correlated structures of the telencephalon of reptiles. However, there is little functional evidence of these structures in reptiles to give support to this proposal homology. Faced with this situation, this study aimed to conduct a behavioral and neurobiological evaluation of memory in lizards species Tropidurus hispidus. For this, were used 50 lizards adult males, which after 4 days of accommodation were distributed in two experiments: the Experiment 1, aversive memory (n = 40); and the Experiment 2, spatial memory (n = 10). In Experiment 1, the animals were divided into three groups (Control, n = 8; Neutral Stimulus, n = 16; Aversive Stimulus, n = 16). The Control group did not participate in the behavioral steps, since the Neutral Stimulus group was exposed to an empty metal cage, while the Aversive Stimulus group was exposed to a domestic cat. Then all the animals in the Control group and half of the animals Neutral Stimulus and Stimulus Aversive groups had their brains perfused with paraformaldehyde 4% for subsequent analysis. The remaining animals of Neutral and Aversive Stimulus groups returned to the accommodation terrarium and, after 24 hours, passed by a rechallenge to local display of the stimulus, then also had their brains perfused with paraformaldehyde 4%. After fixation, brains were all collected subjected to a imustotoquímica detection technique the ZIF-268, a protein involved in mediating plasticity which occurs during memory formation. We found that during exposure to cat lizards of Aversive Stimulus group had a higher freezing time (p <0.001) and a smaller number of initiated movements (p <0.001) and visited quadrants (p <0.001) when compared with Neutral Stimulus group. Also found that during the re-exposure to aversive environment, the animals Aversive Stimulus group had a higher freezing time (p <0.001) and a smaller number of initiated movements (p <0.001) and visited quadrants (p <0.001), suggesting so that exposure to cat served adequately as an aversive stimulus. There was also an increase in the number of Zif-268 positive cells in regions of the reptilian hippocampus and amygdala lizards Stimulus Aversive group during exposure to cat (p = 0.005 and p = 0.039, respectively) and on re-exposure to aversive context (p = 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively). In experiment 2, lizards underwent an adaptation of the Morris water maze, where 3 times a day for 19 days, the animals had performed attempts to find a submerged platform. We found a negative correlation (p = 0.012) the time to reach the platform and over the days, indicating an improvement in the performance of lizards in the task. Thus, the present study provided evidence that males of T. hispidus are capable of forming aversive and spatial memories, and that there is an involvement of the hippocampus and amygdala in aversive memory. / No grupo dos répteis, a capacidade de formar memórias é ainda muito discutida e dados neuroanatômicos têm sugerido a existência de homologias entre as áreas do hipocampo e amígdala de mamíferos e estruturas correlatas no telencéfalo de répteis. Contudo, existem poucas evidências funcionais dessas estruturas reptelianas para que forneçam suporte a essa proposta de homologia. Diante de tal conjuntura, esse trabalho teve como objetivo realizar uma avaliação comportamental e neurobiológica da memória em lagartos da espécie Tropidurus hispidus. Para isso foram utilizados 50 lagartos machos adultos, que após 4 dias de acomodação, foram distribuídos em dois experimentos: o Experimento 1, de memória aversiva (n=40); e o Experimento 2, de memória espacial (n=10). No Experimento 1 os animais foram divididos em três grupos (Controle, n=8; Estímulo Neutro, n=16; Estímulo Aversivo, n=16). O grupo controle não participou das etapas comportamentais, já o grupo Estímulo Neutro foi exposto a uma gaiola metálica vazia, enquanto o grupo Estímulo Aversivo foi exposto a um gato doméstico. Em seguida, todos os animais do grupo Controle e metade dos animais dos grupos Estímulo Neutro e Estímulo Aversivo tiveram seus cérebros perfundidos com paraformaldeido 4% para posterior análise. Os animais restantes dos grupos Estímulo Neutro e Estímulo Aversivo foram colocados de volta no terrário de acomodação e após 24 horas passaram por uma reexposição ao local da exibição dos estímulos, então também tiveram seus cérebros perfundidos com paraformaldeido 4%. Após a fixação, todos os cérebros coletados foram submetidos a uma técnica de detecção imustotoquímica de Zif-268, uma proteína envolvida na mediação da plasticidade que ocorre durante a formação de memórias. Verificamos que, durante a exposição ao gato, os lagartos do grupo Estímulo Aversivo apresentaram um maior tempo de congelamento (p<0,001) e um menor número de deslocamentos iniciados (p<0,001) e de quadrantes visitados (p<0,001), quando comparados com o grupo Estímulo Neutro. Verificamos também que, durante a reexposição ao contexto aversivo, os animais do grupo Estímulo Aversivo apresentaram um maior tempo de congelamento (p<0,001) e um menor número de deslocamentos iniciados (p<0,001) e de quadrantes visitados (p<0,001), sugerindo assim que a exposição ao gato atuou adequadamente como um estímulo aversivo. Observou-se também um aumento do número de células Zif-268 positivas nas regiões do hipocampo reptiliano e na amígdala dos lagartos do grupo Estímulo Aversivo, durante a exposição ao gato (p=0,005 e p=0,039, respectivamente) e na reexposição ao contexto aversivo (p=0,001 e p=0,009, respectivamente). No experimento 2, os lagartos foram submetidos a uma adaptação do labirinto aquático de Morris, onde, 3 vezes por dia, durante 19 dias, os animais realizaram tentativas de encontrar uma plataforma submersa. Constatamos uma correlação negativa (p=0,012) do tempo para chegar à plataforma e o passar dos dias, indicando uma melhoria no desempenho dos lagartos na tarefa. Assim, o presente estudo forneceu indícios que machos de T. hispidus são capazes de formar memórias aversivas e espaciais, e que há um envolvimento do hipocampo e amígdala na memória.

The dynamic adaptation of cognitive control in the face of competition from conflicting response tendencies is one of the hallmarks of flexible human action control. Here, we suggest an alternative framework that places conflicttriggered control adaptation into the broader context of affect regulation. Specifically, we review evidence showing that (a) conflicts are inherently aversive, that (b) aversive stimuli in the absence of conflict also trigger behavioral adjustments, and, finally, that (c) conflict stimuli do trigger processes of affective counter-regulation. Together with recent findings showing that conflict-triggered control adaptation depends on the subjective experience of the conflict, we suggest that it is the subjective aversive conflict experience that originally motivates control adaptations. Such a view offers new perspectives for investigating and understanding intra- and interindividual differences in the regulation of cognitive control by differentiating between the individual sensitivity to experience and the individual ability to utilize the aversive signal.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:20:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NAGI HANNA SALM COSTA.pdf: 558747 bytes, checksum: 6d7cb5e85a8d8cff426e3b5aed8d24b1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-23 / The present study was composed of five experiments that aimed to investigate control exerted by loss of points and/or money. Each experiment had 15 university students as participants. Four experimental phases were created, three of which involved different probabilities of loss of points/money and one which did not involve losses. Experiment 1 had the objective of verifying whether points exchangeable for money, at the end of a task, would work as aversive stimuli in the present design. The results demonstrated that participants preferred phases which involved loss of points over the phase where there was no such loss. Experiment 2 had the objective of verifying whether the loss of points that were not exchangeable for money would work as aversive stimuli in the present design. Once again there was a preference for phases that involved point loss. It seems there was no difference between the loss of exchangeable or of non exchangeable points. Experiment 3 had the objective of verifying whether the presence of a cumulative counter of money, visible to participants, and exchanging points for money would increase the number of choices regarding the phase that did not involve loss. The 2nd Test showed an increase of choices towards the phase that did not involve losses. Experiment 4 had the objective of verifying whether the presence of verbal reports would change participants answers after the 2nd Test. Soliciting the report contributed in enabling participants contact with the contingencies, but this occurred only in the 3rd Test. Experiment 5 had the objective of verifying whether changes in instructions before the tests would affect responses. There was an 88.66% preference for the phase that did not involve losses in the 1st Test. Point/money loss has been shown to be effective as an aversive stimulus, especially when a cumulative counter is used, when verbal reports are solicited and when there is a new instruction before the tests. / O presente estudo foi composto de cinco experimentos que visaram investigar o controle exercido pela perda de pontos e/ou dinheiro. Cada um deles contou com 15 participantes universitários. Foram criadas quatro fases experimentais, três delas envolviam diferentes probabilidades de perda de pontos/dinheiro e uma não envolvia perdas. O Experimento 1 teve como objetivo verificar se pontos trocáveis por dinheiro, ao final da tarefa, funcionariam como estímulo aversivo, no presente delineamento. Verificou-se que os participantes preferiram as fases que envolviam perdas de pontos ao invés da fase que não envolvia perda. O Experimento 2 teve como objetivo verificar se a perda de pontos não trocáveis por dinheiro funcionaria como estímulo aversivo, no presente delineamento. Observou-se, novamente, preferência pelas fases que envolviam perda de pontos. Parece que não houve diferença entre a perda de pontos trocados por dinheiro e a perda de pontos por si só. O Experimento 3 teve como objetivo verificar se com a presença de um contador acumulado de centavos, visível aos participantes, e a troca da palavra pontos pelas palavras dinheiro e centavos , haveria um aumento no número de escolhas da fase que não envolvia perdas. Verificou-se um aumento de escolhas da fase que não envolvia perdas no 2º Teste. O Experimento 4 teve como objetivo verificar se a presença de relatos mudaria o responder dos participantes a partir do 2º Teste. A solicitação de relato contribuiu para colocar os participantes em contato com as contingências, mas isso ocorreu somente no 3º Teste. O Experimento 5 teve como objetivo verificar se com a mudança da instrução antes dos testes haveria mudança no responder. Verificou-se uma preferência de 86,66% pela fase que não envolvia perdas, já no 1º Teste. Perda de pontos/dinheiro mostrou-se eficaz como estímulo aversivo, em especial, com o uso de contador acumulado de pontos, solicitação de relato e com uso de uma nova instrução antes dos testes.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Deniges Maurel Regis Neto.pdf: 596409 bytes, checksum: 66d18ae3780210e2f35957e33476f53b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The present work intended to create some conditions for the study of the conditional suppression with human beings. Counting on seven participants, the study involved an activity in the computer in which the participants would have to click with the mouse s cursor on a small circle that moved through the screen of a computer in sessions lasting 15 minutes. Two conditions had been simultaneously presented: one produced reinforces for clicks in mouse in VI 60 s schedule of reinforcement, and another reinforcer was provided for participation in the session under FT 1 s schedule. Two arrangements had been conducted: for four participants R$0,50 were produced and accumulated in a counter presented the screen of the computer under the schedule VI 60 s and 0,01 point was accumulated in another counter under schedule FT 1 s. To the others three participants 1,00 point was produced under schedule VI 60 s for the clicks and R$0,01 was produced under schedule FT1 s. After the stabilization of the rates of responses or a maximum of four sessions, over the schedules already presented was added to the sessions an association between a tone and three events: the appearance of a person smiling and pointing in the direction of the participant, a sound of laugh (both with 3 s of duration) and the loss of 50% of the value of the reinforcement accumulated for the FT schedule (whose decrease lasted 1 s). The duration of the tone had been manipulated differently for two groups of participants. In the last session just the presentation of the tone was maintained in a respondent extinction. The data had shown to clear or occasional suppressions during the tone for four participants; two of them showed an induction of responses when the duration of the tone raised and an alteration in the stability of the suppression rates during shorter presentations of the tone / O presente trabalho pretendeu criar algumas condições para o estudo da supressão condicionada com humanos. Contando com sete participantes, o estudo envolvia uma atividade no computador na qual os participantes deveriam clicar com o cursor do mouse sobre um pequeno círculo em movimento na tela de um computador em sessões de 15 minutos. Dois reforçadores foram utilizados: um era produzido por cliques no mouse em esquema de VI 60 s, e outro reforçador era ganho ao longo da sessão esquema de FT 1 s. Dois arranjos foram criados: para quatro participantes R$0,50 eram produzidos e acumulados em um contador na tela do computador no esquema de VI 60 e 0,01 ponto era acumulado em outro contador em esquema de FT 1 s. Para outros três participantes 1,00 ponto era produzido em esquema de VI 60 s pelos cliques e R$0,01 era produzido pelo esquema de FT 1s. Após a estabilização das taxas de respostas ou um máximo de quatro sessões, era adicionado às sessões um pareamento entre um tom e três eventos: a aparição de uma pessoa sorrindo e apontando na direção do participante, um som de risada (ambos com duração de 3 s) e a perda de 50% do valor do reforço acumulado pelo esquema de FT 1s (cujo decréscimo durava 1 s). As durações do tom foram manipuladas diferentemente para dois grupos de participantes. Na sessão última sessão o pareamento era desfeito. Os dados mostraram evidentes ou ocasionais supressões de respostas durante o tom para quatro participantes; observou-se uma indução de respostas na duração mais elevada do tom e uma alteração na estabilidade das taxas de supressão durante apresentações mais curtas do tom

目前國內對同性戀的態度似乎日益正面，但同性戀歧視的事件仍層出不窮，顯示探討影響同性戀歧視因素的重要性。本論文擬探討過往學者較少關注的因素，即情境對歧視同性戀者的影響。本論文探討兩種情境：缺少明確行為準則的情境與訊息呈現不同順序的情境。根據過去研究種族歧視的學者對嫌惡型歧視（Gaertner & Dovidio, 1986）的探討，他們主張嫌惡型歧視者只有當情境缺少明確行為準則時，才會表現出對特定族群的負面行為（即歧視）。由於黑人族群與同志族群有些共通點，本論文根據嫌惡型歧視理論假設：缺乏明確行為準則的情境容易引發對同性戀者的歧視。除此之外，延伸嫌惡型歧視理論的看法，本論文嫌惡型歧視者雖信奉族群平等，卻無法控制其未意識到的負面情緒，而較容易受到情境中訊息呈現順序的影響（Krosnick, 1999）。當訊息呈現順序加強族群間對立，或凸顯族群特性，就會造成歧視行為（McConahay, 1983; Wilson, 2010）。研究一以實驗法操弄多位目標人物的職業與性傾向以及人物呈現順序，預期在評價刻板印象中同性戀不適合的職業（老師）時，參與者會因為缺乏工作平等對待的行為準則，降低對同性戀工作者的工作評價，不過未獲得支持證據。訊息呈現順序效果則發現支持證據，若先評異性戀再評同性戀，會引發群際比較，降低對同性戀的評價。研究二改採判決目標人物是否有罪的情境，以犯罪證據是否矛盾操弄情境是否有明確準則，並同樣操弄性傾向呈現順序，加入態度內隱測驗以分辨嫌惡型歧視者與無歧視者。研究二符合預期，發現在證據矛盾時才會認為同性戀有罪程度高於比異性戀，證據相符時則否。性傾向呈現順序則重複驗證研究一發現。本論文延伸嫌惡型歧視理論以瞭解對男同性戀的歧視，並發現特定訊息呈現順序可能引發男同性戀歧視行為，這些結果可以提供發展性別平等教育方案，以有效降低這些歧視行為，促進社會平等。 / In Taiwan, people’s attitudes toward gay men and lesbians have become more and more positive. However, gay men and lesbians are still suffer discrimination, suggesting that it is important to study the causes of discrimination against gay men and lesbians. In this thesis, I investigated the impact of context on discrimination against gay men because 1) gay men suffer more hostile and overt discrimination than lesbians and 2) impact of context is rarely studied. I targeted two kinds of context: context norm and information order. According to aversive racism theory (Gaertner & Dovidio, 1986), individuals may discriminate against a person when they do not have to follow a norm. Thus, I hypothesized that people discriminate gay men only when there is no specific norm to follow. Furthermore, I applied the basic principle underlying aversive racism theory to order effect. That is, according to aversive racism theory, individuals may believe in social equality but may discriminate when they have no control over their negative emotions unconsciously aroused by some subordinate group member (e.g., Blacks). Because it is not possible for individuals to be aware of the order effect (Krosnick, 1999), I hypothesized that individuals may discriminate against gay men when the information order makes intergroup comparisons salient (McConahay, 1983; Wilson, 2010). In Study 1, I manipulated the target person’s job title and sex orientation, expecting that when the job was generally considered unsuitable for gay men, participants might believe that equal employment rights did not apply to gay men. As a result, they derogated against gay men. The result was not substantiated. However, I did find supporting evidence for the order effect. When judging a heterosexual male applicant before a gay male applicant, intergroup comparisons became salient, people would derogate against the gay male applicant. In Study 2, I adopted a crime judgment paradigm to address several potential problems in Study 1. I also applied the affect misattribution procedure to measure participants’ implicit attitude against gay men. This procedure allows me to distinguish aversive discriminators from non-discriminators. The results were consistent with the hypotheses derived from aversive racism theory. Participants derogated against a gay male suspect only when there was no consistent evidence in a criminal case; they treated a gay male suspect and a heterosexual male suspect equally when there was consistent evidence. Also, when participants judged a heterosexual male suspect before a gay male suspect, they would consider the gay male suspect to be guiltier than the heterosexual male suspect. The findings extend aversive racism theory to the understanding of discrimination against gay men and in the context of information order that makes intergroup comparisons salient. With the knowledge of context effects on discrimination against gay men, we are able to develop education programs for gender equality and offer insight on how to best guard against discrimination against gay men so that social equality may become possible.

Callous and unemotional (CU) traits in children with conduct problems have been indicated as precursors to adult psychopathy. The analysis of the sensitivity to rewards and punishment in this population may be useful in the identification of effective behavior modification programs and particularly the delineation of ineffective punishment procedures. Scores on the Child Psychopathy Scale, Inventory of Callous and Unemotional Traits, Contingency Response Rating Scale and the Sensitivity to Reward Sensitivity to Punishment – Children Revised scale were used to evaluate 20 children, aged 7-13, recruited from FIU’s Center for Children and Families. The sample comprised 14 males and 6 females displaying a range of psychopathic traits measured by the CPS, with scores from 9 to 46 (M = 28.45, SD = 10.73). Sensitivity to punishment was examined using a behavioral task in which children endured various amounts of either white noise (type I punishment) or time-out from positive reinforcement (type II punishment) in order to gain access to a demonstrated reinforcer. The sample was stratified on the basis of the magnitude of psychopathy scores, and sensitivity to rewards and punishment were evaluated using a Behavioral Activation / Behavioral Inhibition framework by examining task performance: the frequency and duration of punishment conditions selected, electrodermal activity (skin conductance response), and parent-reported measures of child sensitivity to reward and punishment. Results indicated that the magnitude of CU traits was directly proportional to hyposensitivity to punishment and hypersensitivity to reward. Children with elevated levels of CU traits elected to endure a greater frequency and duration type I punishment in order to maintain continued access to the reinforcer. Significant differences were not found between high- and low-psychopathy children in the selection of type II punishment. The findings indicate that although there may be a hyporeactivity to type I punishment in children with CU traits, the use of a type II punishment by the removal of a positive stimulus has demonstrated treatment efficacy. The difference in sensitivity to rewards and the types of effective punishment in children with CU traits may affect reinforcement based learning, leading to the ineffectiveness of traditional methods informing the development of social responses.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:46:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissGSR.pdf: 961318 bytes, checksum: 7b39d151a447d6d3d4af505baacc134b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-02-21 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The dental treatment and all its components (behaviors and the clinical environment) frequently acquire aversive functions. The objective of this study was to describe strategies used by the dentist and its effects on children s escape or avoidance behaviors during the dental treatment. Participants were a dentist and six children with previous history of traumatic dental treatment. Two studies were carried out. In first study the procedure consisted of eight sessions separated by two Experimental Conditions. In the First Condition, treatment should be conducted at the first 4 sessions with an explicit requirement of not using children s Physical Restraint. This requirement was suspended for the Second Condition. In the other study, two dental treatments were carried out without any special requirement, separated by an interval of two years. For both studies, all the sessions were recorded in VHS and behavioral events sequentially analyzed. Children and professional s behaviors were recorded in a formal protocol. The treatments were analyzed session by session and in each dental routine. Records were made by independent observers. Results showed that children with a history of non-cooperative behaviors when exposed to the same type of situation presented a reduction in the frequency of non-cooperative behaviors, what can be supposed to be a result of an extinction process. Extinction also occurred concerning dentist´s interactive responses. Dentist used Physical Restraint to manage dental treatment. Participant 1 showed cooperative behaviors during almost all treatment sessions. When the dentist used Physical Restraint, this child emitted escape responses. For Participant 2, Physical Restraint worked as punition, because it suppressed non-cooperative behaviors. Considering the treatment of Participants 3, 4, 5 and 6 data reveals the possibility of an extinction process of non-cooperative behaviors. Results suggest that the dentist and child learn with each other during dental treatment, and this situation is important not only for the dental health, but also for the promotion and development of coping repertoires with situations that involve aversive events. / A situação de tratamento odontológico, os comportamentos do cirurgião-dentista e o ambiente do consultório freqüentemente adquirem funções aversivas, passando a fazer parte de relações funcionais definidas como comportamentos de medo e ansiedade. O objetivo desse trabalho foi descrever as estratégias comportamentais empregadas pelo cirurgião-dentista e seus possíveis efeitos na modificação dos comportamentos de fuga ou esquiva de crianças durante o atendimento odontológico. Os participantes foram um dentista e seis crianças com história prévia de dificuldades em atendimentos. Foram realizados dois estudos. No primeiro estudo o procedimento geral consistiu em oito sessões de tratamento separadas em duas condições experimentais. Na Primeira Condição Experimental o atendimento era conduzido de acordo com procedimento padrão, exceto pela exigência explícita de não usar contenção física e ameaça contingente a comportamentos de não colaboração. Esta exigência foi suspensa para a Segunda Condição Experimental. No segundo estudo foram realizados dois momentos de atendimento sem qualquer exigência, separados por um intervalo de dois anos. Nos dois estudos, todas as sessões foram gravadas em VHS e analisadas seqüencialmente. Nas gravações foram inseridos sinais sonoros a cada 15 segundos. A cada sinal a resposta da criança e do profissional era registrada segundo categorias previamente definidas em um protocolo de registro. Os tratamentos foram analisados por sessão e por rotina odontológica realizada. Os registros foram feitos por observadores independentes e mostraram confiabilidade adequada. Os resultados mostraram que crianças com história comportamental de não colaboração, quando expostas, repetidamente, ao mesmo tipo de situação apresentam diminuição na freqüência de suas respostas não colaborativas, que podem ser interpretadas como resultantes de um processo de extinção. A extinção ocorreu para as respostas interativas do dentista no decorrer das sessões. Frente a não colaboração das crianças o dentista utiliza-se da Contenção Física para realizar o tratamento. O Participante 1 colaborou com o tratamento. No momento em que o dentista utilizou-se da Contenção Física e essa criança emitiu respostas de fuga (contracontrole). Para o Participante 2, a Contenção Física pode ser considerada como punitiva, pois suprimiu os comportamentos não cooperativos. Com relação ao atendimento do Participante 3, 4, 5 e 6 é possível inferir que o uso da restrição só pode considerada uma estratégia de manejo eficiente quando foi empregada contingente à resposta não cooperativa. Os resultados sugerem que o dentista e a criança aprendem a se comportar um em relação ao outro durante o tratamento odontológico, e que essa situação é importante não apenas para a saúde bucal, mas, também, para a promoção do desenvolvimento de repertórios de enfrentamento de situações que envolvam eventos aversivos.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:37:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 IsabellaMOP_DISSERT.pdf: 1986488 bytes, checksum: 1f1b995fa77d662628cf94f2e167faf0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-09 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Lithium (Li) is the first choice to treat bipolar disorder, a psychiatric illness characterized by mood oscillations between mania and depression. However, studies have demonstrated that this drug might influence mnemonic process due to its neuroprotector, antiapoptotic and neurogenic effects. The use of Li in the treatment of cognitive deficits caused by brain injury or neurodegenerative disorders have been widely studied, and this drug shows to be effective in preventing or even alleviating the memory impairment. The effects of Li on anxiety and depression are controversial and the relationship of the effects of lithium on memory, anxiety and depression remain unknown. In this context, this study aims to: evaluate the effects of acute and chronic administration of lithium carbonate in aversive memory and anxiety, simultaneously, using the plus maze discriminative avoidance task (PMDAT); test the antidepressant effect of the drug through the forced swimming test (FS) and analyze brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in structures related to memory and emotion. To evaluation of the acute effects, male Wistar rats were submitted to i.p. administration of lithium carbonate (50, 100 or 200 mg/kg) one hour before the training session (PMDAT) or lithium carbonate (50 or 100 mg/kg) one hour before the test session (FS). To evaluation of the chronic effects, the doses administered were 50 or 100 mg/kg or vehicle once a day for 21 days before the beginning of behavioral tasks (PMDAT and FS). Afterwards, the animals were euthanized and their brains removed and submitted to immunohistochemistry procedure to quantify BDNF. The animals that received acute treatment with 100 and 200 mg/kg of Li did not discriminated between the enclosed arms (aversive and non-aversive) in the training session of PMDAT, showing that these animal did not learned the task. This lack of discrimination was also observed in the test session, showing that the animals did not recall the aversive task. We also observed an increased exploration of the open arms of these same groups, indicating an anxiolytic effect. The same groups showed a reduction of locomotor activity, however, this effect does not seem to be related with the anxiolytic effect of the drug. Chronic treatment with Li did not promote alterations on learning or memory processes. Nevertheless, we observed a reduction of open arms exploration by animals treated with 50 mg/kg when compared to the other groups, showing an anxiogenic effect caused by this dose. This effect it is not related to locomotor alterations since there were no alterations in these parameters. Both acute and chronic treatment were ineffective in the FS. Chronic treatment with lithium was not able to modify BDNF expression in hippocampus, amygdala and pre-frontal cortex. These results suggest that acute administration of lithium promote impairments on learning in an aversive task, blocking the occurrence of memory consolidation and retrieval. The reduction of anxiety following acute treatment may have prevented the learning of the aversive task, as it has been found that optimum levels of anxiety are necessary for the occurrence of learning with emotional context. With continued, treatment the animals recover the ability to learn and recall the task. Indeed, they do not show differences in relation to control group, and the lack of alterations on BDNF expression corroborates this result. Possibly, the regimen of treatment used was not able to promote cognitive improvement. Li showed acute anxiolytic effect, however chronic administration 4 promoted the opposite effect. More studies are necessary to clarify the potential beneficial effect of Li on aversive memory / L?tio (Li) ? o f?rmaco de escolha para o tratamento do transtorno bipolar, doen?a psiqui?trica caracterizada por oscila??es de humor entre mania e depress?o. Entretanto, estudos mostram que essa droga pode ter influ?ncia sobre os processos mnem?nicos devido a seu car?ter neuroprotetor, antiapopt?tico e neurog?nico. O emprego no l?tio para o tratamento de d?ficits cognitivos provocados por les?es cerebrais ou doen?as neurodegenerativas vem sendo amplamente estudado, visto que esse f?rmaco mostra-se capaz de prevenir ou at? mesmo aliviar preju?zos na mem?ria. Os efeitos do Li na ansiedade e depress?o s?o controversos e a rela??o entre os efeitos do Li na mem?ria, ansiedade e depress?o s?o ainda desconhecidos. Neste contexto, os objetivos deste estudo foram: avaliar os efeitos da administra??o aguda e cr?nica de carbonato de l?tio na mem?ria aversiva e ansiedade, simultaneamente, utilizando a esquiva discriminativa no labirinto em cruz elevado (ED); testar o efeito antidepressivo do f?rmaco atrav?s do teste do nado for?ado (NF); avaliar a express?o de fator neurotr?fico derivado do enc?falo (BDNF) em estruturas relacionadas com mem?ria e emo??o. Para a avalia??o do efeito agudo, ratos Wistar machos foram submetidos ? administra??o intraperitoneal de carbonato de l?tio 50, 100 ou 200 mg/kg uma hora antes do treino (ED) ou carbonato de l?tio 50 ou 100 mg/kg uma hora antes do teste (NF). Para a avalia??o cr?nica, foram administradas as doses de 50 ou 100 mg/kg ou ve?culo por 21 dias antes do in?cio das tarefas comportamentais (ED e NF). Ap?s o t?rmino dessas tarefas, os animais foram eutanasiados e seus enc?falos removidos para realiza??o de imunohistoqu?mica para quantificar BDNF. Os animais que receberam tratamento agudo com Li nas doses de 100 e 200 mg/kg n?o demonstraram discrimina??o entre os bra?os fechados (aversivo e n?o-aversivo) na sess?o treino da ED, mostrando que esses animais n?o aprenderam a tarefa. Essa aus?ncia na discrimina??o foi observada tamb?m na sess?o teste, mostrando que n?o houve evoca??o da mem?ria aversiva. Foi ainda observado um aumento da explora??o dos bra?os abertos para essas mesmas doses, apontando um efeito ansiol?tico do f?rmaco. Os mesmos grupos apresentaram ainda uma redu??o na atividade locomotora, no entanto, esse efeito parece n?o estar relacionado com o efeito ansiol?tico do f?rmaco. O tratamento cr?nico com l?tio n?o promoveu altera??es nos processos de aprendizado e mem?ria. No entanto, foi observado uma redu??o da explora??o dos bra?os abertos pelos animais tratados com a dose de 50 mg/kg em rela??o aos outros grupos, mostrando um efeito ansiog?nico causado pelo tratamento cr?nico. Esse efeito n?o est? relacionado a altera??es locomotoras, visto que n?o foi detectado altera??es nesses par?metros. Ambos os tratamentos (agudo e cr?nico) foram ineficazes em demonstrar o efeito antidepressivo do l?tio na tarefa do NF. O tratamento cr?nico com l?tio tamb?m n?o foi capaz de alterar a express?o de BDNF no hipocampo, am?gdala e c?rtex pr?-frontal. Esses resultados sugerem que a administra??o aguda de l?tio promove preju?zos no aprendizado em uma tarefa aversiva, impedindo a ocorr?ncia de consolida??o e evoca??o da mem?ria. A redu??o da ansiedade no tratamento agudo pode ter impedido o aprendizado da tarefa aversiva, visto que j? foi verificado que n?veis adequados de ansiedade s?o necess?rios para que ocorra aprendizado com contexto 2 emocional. Com a continuidade do tratamento os animais recuperam a capacidade de aprender e evocar a tarefa, mas n?o apresentam altera??es em rela??o ao grupo controle e a aus?ncia de altera??o na express?o de BDNF corrobora esse resultado. Possivelmente, o regime de tratamento utilizado n?o foi capaz de promover melhora cognitiva nos animais. O l?tio demonstrou efeito ansiol?tico agudo, todavia a administra??o cr?nica promoveu efeito oposto. Mais estudos s?o necess?rios para esclarecer o potencial efeito ben?fico do l?tio sobre a mem?ria

La prise volontaire de nicotine augmente l'excitabilité de la voie ILCx-BNST, entraînant une hyperactivité des neurones DA de l’ATV. Dans une première partie, l'objectif était d’étudier les neuroadaptations de la voie ILCx-BNST induites par l'auto-administration intraveineuse (AAIV) de nicotine. Les récepteurs cannabinoides CB1 contrôlent les propriétés renforçantes de la nicotine. Par conséquent, nous avons examiné le rôle des récepteurs CB1 du BNST. Nous montrons que l'acquisition de l’AAIV de nicotine est associée à une facilitation persistante de l'induction d’une potentialisation à long terme (LTP) CB1-dépendantes des synapses ILCx-BNST. La stimulation électrique du ILCx favorise également la persistance du comportement de recherche de nicotine pendant les périodes où la drogue n'est pas disponible. En outre, en utilisant la pharmacologie intra-BNST, nous montrons que la stimulation des récepteurs CB1 du BNST au cours de l’acquisition de lAAIV augmente la sensibilité aux stimuli associés à la nicotine. L’idée qu’il existe un appétit incontrôlable pour les aliments palatables, en dépit des conséquences négatives. Dans une seconde partie, notre projet a porté sur le rôle des neurones dopaminergiques (DA) de l’ATV dans la perception d’un stimulus aversif chez l’animal exposé au sucrose. Nos résultats indiquent que le sucrose augmente l'activité spontanée des neurones DA de la VTA. En outre, si un choc électrique provoque une inhibition presque complète de l'activité de VTA neurones DA chez les rats témoins, le sucrose perturbe la signalisation d'un stimulus aversif, indépendamment de l’état calorique du rat. / Learning mechanisms associated with active responding for nicotine enhanced the excitability of the ILCx-BNST pathway. The objective of this project was to better understand the involvement of the ILCx-BNST pathway in nicotine self-administration. Since the endocannabinoid system controls nicotine reinforcement and nicotine-induced synaptic modifications, we examined the role of CB1 receptors in the BNST. We showed that acquisition of nicotine IVSA was associated with a persistent facilitation of LTP induction at ILCx-BNST synapses. Behaviorally, electrical stimulation temporarily increased excessive responding to nicotine when nicotine was not available. Moreover, using intra-BNST pharmacology, we revealed that stimulation of BNST CB1 receptors enhanced sensitivity to nicotine-paired cue. In contrast, after a prolonged history of nicotine intake, it blocked drug-seeking in a reinstatement model of relapse. Drug addiction is partly due to the inability to stop using despite negative consequences. The hypothesis that palatable food induces similar uncontrolled consumption is becoming more widespread. As drug addiction is known to increases activity of VTA DA neurons, we aimed to examine whether exposure to sucrose would induce similar neuronal modifications and impair the capacity to respond to an aversive stimulus. We found that sucrose enhanced spontaneous activity of DA VTA neurons. In addition, while a footshock caused a nearly complete inhibition of activity of VTA DA neurons in control rats, sucrose disrupted signaling of an aversive stimulus. These modifications were independent from the caloric state of the rats.