This thesis examines the relationship between individual differences in learning, personality, and social success in two groups of brown capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp.) housed at the “Living Links Centre for Human Evolution” at Edinburgh Zoo, UK. Being able to learn quickly and efficiently likely helps primates achieve social success (defined here in terms of centrality within a social network), such as acquiring knowledge of others or learning social skills. Therefore, individuals that are better at learning were predicted to have greater social success than other group members. This prediction, however, contrasts with hypotheses generated from two other disciplines at the individual level: 1) the study of behavioural innovation, and 2) the study of individual differences, i.e. “personality”. In terms of behavioural innovation, better learners should have less social success than other group members because they are expected to rely more on problem-solving, rather than physical combativeness or status, to gain access to socioecological resources. In terms of personality, learning should have little or no direct relationship with social success because other individual differences, like sociability and fearfulness, should mediate primates’ social decision making. This thesis investigates each of these hypotheses. Personality was assessed in 127 capuchins from 7 international sites using the Hominoid Personality Questionnaire, and then validated at Living Links (LL) using behavioural codings; this was the first-ever description of personality structure in brown capuchins. Brown capuchins have five personality dimensions: Assertiveness, Openness, Sociability, Neuroticism, and Attentiveness. Ratings were consistent across observers, and predicted relevant behaviours among the LL capuchins over a year later (e.g. scores on Sociability predicted time spent in close proximity to others). “Social success” in the LL capuchins was assessed in terms of centrality in spatial proximity networks. Individual scores on social network centrality were significantly correlated with scores derived from a Principal Components Analysis of eight affiliative and agonistic behaviours among the LL capuchins, indicating that spatial proximity is a reliable measure of the quality of subjects’ social embeddedness within their groups. Social rank and two personality traits (Assertiveness and Sociability) were positively related to network centrality, while another personality trait (Neuroticism) was negatively related to centrality. Sociability was a significant predictor of network centrality even after controlling for social rank and the other personality traits, highlighting the importance of this personality trait in shaping the social success of capuchins beyond that of basic social rules (e.g. kinship, sex, and rank). Individual learning was assessed in the LL capuchins by administering two operant tasks to subjects under conditions of free choice participation. In Task 1, thirteen monkeys participated, and eight individuals met learning criteria (i.e. >80% trials correct over 3 consecutive sessions). In Task 2, fifteen monkeys participated, and five individuals met learning criteria; the monkeys that learned this second task were also among those individuals that learned Task 1. For monkeys that regularly participated in both tasks (i.e. >50% of sessions), their average performances (i.e. % trials correct) were significantly correlated with individual scores on Assertiveness, but not the other four personality traits, or individual differences in attention span during testing, the percent of sessions subjects participated during testing, the amount of scrounging events subjects directed towards others within their social group, or the percent of observation time subjects spent feeding within their main indoor/outdoor enclosures. In terms of social success, relatively better learners had lower social rank and network centrality compared to relatively poor learners. Also, compared to poorer learners, better learners were generally less likely to direct affiliative acts (e.g. grooming, food sharing, coalitionary support) to other group members. Controlling for Assertiveness (i.e. the only variable related to individual differences in subjects’ average learning performance), individual differences in learning performance were no longer significantly related to social rank, network centrality, or the amount of affiliative acts subjects initiated with others. Collectively, such findings contrast the hypothesis that better learners should (concurrently) be more socially successful than poorer learners, and instead are more reflective of hypotheses pertaining to behavioural innovation and/or the study of individual differences. Social rank and certain traits of personality (Assertiveness, Openness, Neuroticism, and Sociability) appear to interact with capuchins’ patterns of social interaction, and one personality trait (Assertiveness) may mediate how individual differences in learning are associated with differences in social success.

Le système endocannabinoïde (eCB) est présent dans le système nerveux central (SNC) de mammifères, incluant la rétine, et est responsable de la régulation de nombreux processus physiologiques. Bien que la présence du récepteur cannabinoïde de type 1 (CB1R) a bien été documenté dans la rétine de rongeurs et primates, il y a encore une controverse quant à la présence du récepteur cannabinoïde de type 2 (CB2R) au niveau du SNC. En utilisant la microscopie confocale, nous sommes les premiers à signaler les patrons d’expression du CB2R dans la rétine de singe. Nos résultats démontrent que le CB2R est exprimé exclusivement dans les cellules de Müller de la rétine du singe. En outre, nous avons comparé les différents patrons d’expression du système eCB dans la rétine de la souris, du toupaye, ainsi que du singe vervet et macaque. Nous rapportons que les distributions de CB1R, FAAH (fatty acid amid hydrolase), MAGL (monoacylglycerol lipase) et DAGLα (diacylglycerol lipase alpha) sont hautement conservées parmi ces espèces alors que CB2R et NAPE-PLD (N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D) présentent différents profils d'expression. CB2R n'a pas été détecté dans les cellules neuronales de la rétine des primates. L’immunoréactivité de NAPE-PLD est présente dans les couches de la rétine de souris et toupayes, mais a été limitée à la couche des photorécepteurs des singes vervet et macaque. Pour étudier les corrélats neuronaux et le rôle de la signalisation du système eCB dans la rétine, nous avons établi un protocole standard pour l'électrorétinographie (ERG), puis enregistré la réponse ERG de la rétine après le blocage des récepteurs avec des antagonistes spécifiques pour CB1R (AM251) et CB2R (AM630). Comparé au témoin, dans des conditions photopiques, et à certaines intensités faibles du stimulus, le blocage de CB1R diminue l'amplitude de l'onde-b, alors qu’à des intensités plus élevées, le blocage de CB2R augmente l'amplitude des deux-ondes a et b. De plus, le blocage des récepteurs cannabinoïdes provoque une augmentation de la latence des deux ondes a et b. Dans des conditions d’adaptation à l'obscurité, le blocage de CB1R et CB2R réduit l’amplitudes de l'onde a seulement à des intensités plus élevées et réduit l’onde b à intensités plus faibles. Des augmentations significatives de latence ont été observées dans les deux cas. Ces résultats indiquent que les récepteurs CB1 et CB2 chez les primates non humains sont impliqués dans la fonction rétinienne conditions photopiques. En outre, nous avons évalué le profil d'expression du CB1R, de FAAH et de NAPE-PLD au-delà de la rétine dans le corps géniculé latéral des singes et nous rapportons pour la première fois que CB1R et FAAH sont exprimés davantage dans les couches magnocellulaires. La NAPE-PLD a été localisée à travers les couches magno- et parvocellulaires. Aucune de ces composantes n’est exprimée dans les couches koniocellulaires. Ces résultats nous aident à mieux comprendre les effets des cannabinoïdes sur le système visuel qui pourraient nous mener à trouver éventuellement de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques. / The endocannabinoid (eCB) system is present in the mammalian central nervous system, including the retina, and is responsible for the regulation of many physiological processes. Anatomical and functional data collected in the retina indicate that cannabinoid receptors are important mediators of retinal function. Although the presence of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) has been documented in the rodent and primate retina, there is still some controversy regarding the presence of the CB2 receptor (CB2R) within the central nervous system. By using confocal microscopy, we are the first to report the distribution patterns of CB2R in the monkey retina. Our results show that CB2R is expressed exclusively in the Müller cells of the primate retina. Furthermore, we compared the eCB system distribution patterns in the retinas of mice, tree shrews, and vervet and macaque monkeys. We report that CB1R, FAAH, MAGL, and DAGLα distributions are highly conserved among these 3 species whereas CB2R and NAPE-PLD exhibit different expression patterns. CB2R was not detected in the neuroretinal cells of primates. NAPE-PLD immunoreactivity was present in the retinal layers of mice and tree shrews but was restricted to the photoreceptor layer in both species of primates studied. To study the neural correlates and the role of eCB signaling in the retina, we first established a standard protocol for electroretinography (ERG) and then recorded the ERG response of the retina after blocking receptors with specific antagonists for CB1R (AM251) and CB2R (AM630). Compare to control, in photopic conditions, at certain low flash intensities, only the blockade of CB1R decreases the amplitude of the a-wave and b-wave, while at some high flash intensities, blockade of CB2R increase the amplitude of both a- and b-waves. Also the blockade of the cannabinoid receptors causes an increase in the latency of both a- and b-waves. In dark-adapted eyes, blockade of the CB1R and CB2R reduces the a-wave only amplitudes in the higher intensities and decrease the b-wave in lower intensities. Some significant increases in latency were observed in both cases. These results indicate that CB1 and CB2 receptors in primates are involved in retinal function under photopic and scotopic conditions. In addition, we assessed the expression pattern of eCB components CB1R, FAAH, and NAPE-PLD beyond the retina in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of primates and report for the first time that while CB1R and FAAH are more abundantly expressed in the magnocellular layer, NAPE-PLD is distributed throughout both the magno- and parvocellular layers. None of these components are expressed in the koniocellular layer. These findings augment our understanding of the effects of cannabinoids on the visual system and may lead to novel therapeutics targeted to eCB signaling.

There is little knowledge about olfactory learning in primates, even though primates are known to use olfaction in several behaviors including food selection and territorial defense. Therefore I assessed the olfactory learning and memory performance in five adult spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) using a food-rewarded two-choice olfactory discrimination paradigm. The spider monkeys acquired the initial odor discrimination in 530-1102 trials and in a series of intramodal transfer tasks they needed 30-510 trials to reach the learning criterion. There was a significant negative correlation between the number of trials needed to reach the learning criterion and the number of transfer tasks completed. Thus, as a group, the animals displayed olfactory learning set formation. The number of trials that the spider monkeys needed in initial olfactory learning was comparable to that of other primate species tested previously but higher compared to that of other mammals such as dogs and rats. The learning speed of the spider monkeys in intramodal transfer tasks was similar to that of other mammals tested, suggesting that primates are less prepared to use olfactory cues in the initial solving of a problem but that once they learn the concept, their learning speed with novel odor discrimination problems is not generally slower than that of non-primate mammals. All spider monkeys tested reached the learning criterion in the memory tasks straight on the first testing day, that is: within 30 trials, suggesting similar long-term odor memory capabilities in spider monkeys and other mammals such as dogs, mice and rats.

Atualmente há uma grande preocupação ética em promover o bem-estar de animais cativos e semi-cativos. Uma das formas mais eficientes de se fazer isso é aplicar técnicas de enriquecimento ambiental. Para avaliar sua eficácia, a abordagem da etologia se encaixa ao utilizarmos estímulos ambientais e analisarmos as mudanças comportamentais causadas por eles, correlacionando com possíveis funções adaptativas. Este trabalho analisou a influência de um método de enriquecimento ambiental sequencial e cumulativo no comportamento de 27 indivíduos de um grupo de macacos-prego (Sapajus sp) semi-cativos no Parque Ecológico do Tietê, São Paulo. O fornecimento de pedras e de cocos para a tarefa de quebra de coco foi utilizado como enriquecimento cognitivo-alimentar e redes em suspensão foram utilizadas como enriquecimento físico. O delineamento experimental foi composto por quatro condições: 1) Linha de Base, observações feitas antes da introdução do enriquecimento; 2) Enriquecimento com cocos Protocolo I, os cocos eram fornecidos em apenas um sítio de quebra; 3) Enriquecimento com cocos Protocolo II, os cocos eram distribuídos igualmente em três sítios de quebra; e 4) Enriquecimento Físico, duas redes foram colocadas em clareiras da ilha, além do fornecimento de cocos em três sítios. O registro dos comportamentos foi feito pelos métodos Varredura Focal e Todas as Ocorrências. Os machos adultos subordinados foram os únicos indivíduos do grupo que apresentaram comportamentos anormais, devido ao maior estresse psicossocial que sofrem na hierarquia do grupo. A frequência de comportamentos anormais foi alterada, especialmente na condição Enriquecimento Físico, quando houve diminuição drástica desses comportamentos. A introdução das redes ofereceu refúgio e evitação de conflitos, aumentando a sensação de controle do ambiente. Além disso, alguns desses indivíduos tiveram um aumento da proximidade espacial e de interações afiliativas com outros subordinados, o que seria uma estratégia adaptativa adotada para reduzir o estresse. Houve aumento das taxas de comportamentos agonísticos no grupo ao introduzirmos o enriquecimento cognitivo-alimentar. O aumento da competição direta intragrupo já era esperado devido às características do enriquecimento oferecido e essa alteração comportamental do grupo pode ser considerada típica em primatas de vida livre. Não houve aumento significativo das taxas de catação e de brincadeira social em nenhuma condição. Houve alteração significativa da coesão grupal apenas na condição Enriquecimento Físico, onde obtivemos as maiores medidas de distância interindividual e a formação de novas relações de proximidade no grupo. O aparecimento de novas díades envolvidas em catação e a diminuição do tamanho do grupo devido à alta mortalidade explicam o aumento da coesão grupal observado nessa condição. A introdução de redes em estratos superiores eliciou menor terrestrialidade, havendo um aumento significativo da frequência do uso de substratos Acima de 1,5m em detrimento do uso de substratos ao nível do solo na condição Enriquecimento Físico, demonstrando uma preferência por substratos acima do solo pelos animais desse grupo. A técnica de enriquecimento empregada se justifica por ser um elemento novo na rotina desses animais que fez com que empregassem seu tempo, esforço e capacidade cognitiva e interagissem socialmente / Nowadays there is a big ethic concern in improving the well-being of captive and semi-captive animals. One of the most efficient forms of doing that is applying environmental enrichment techniques. To evaluate its efficiency, the ethological approach applies environmental stimuli and analyzes the behavioral changes caused by them by correlating with possible adaptive functions. This work has analyzed the influence of a sequential and cumulative environmental enrichment method on the behavior of 27 individuals of a semi-captive group of capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) at Parque Ecológico do Tietê, São Paulo. The provision of rocks and nuts for the task of nutcracking was utilized as cognitive-food enrichment, whereas suspended nets were utilized as physical enrichment. The experimental design was composed of four conditions: 1) Base Line, observations made before the introduction of the enrichment; 2) Enrichment with nuts Protocol I, the nuts were provided at a single cracking site; 3) Enrichment with nuts, Protocol II, the nuts were equally distributed at three cracking sites; and 4) Physical Enrichment, two nets were placed in open areas of the island, beside the provision of nut at three sites. The registry of behavior was made using the Focal Scan and All Occurrences methods. The adult subordinate males were the only individuals of the group that presented abnormal behaviors, as they were under great psychosocial stress in the group hierarchy. The frequency of abnormal behaviors was altered, especially in the Physical Enrichment condition, when a drastic decrease of these behaviors was seen. The introduction of nets provided refugee and enabled conflict avoidance, increasing the sensation of environment control. Besides that, some of the individuals had a increase of spatial proximity and showed affiliative behaviors with other subordinates, which would be an adaptive strategy adopted to reduce stress. The rate of agonistic behaviors was seen to have increased with the introduction of cognitive-food enrichment. The increase of intergroup direct competition was already expected due to the characteristics of the enrichment provided and this behavioral change of the group can be considered typical of wild primates. There was no significant increase in grooming and social play rates at any of the conditions. There was significant change of the group cohesion only under the Physical Enrichment condition, where the biggest interindividual distance measures and the formation of new proximity relations in the group were seen. The appearance of new dyads involved in grooming and the reduction of the group size due to high mortality explain the increased group cohesion observed under this condition. The introduction of nets on superior layers elicited less terrestriality, by having a significant increase of the frequency of use of substrates Above 1,5m in detriment of use of substrates at the ground level under the Physical Enrichment condition, showing a preference for substrates above the ground by these animals. The enrichment technique applied is justified by the fact that it is a new element on the routine of these animals, which helped them use their time, effort and cognitive capacity and interact socially

Atualmente há uma grande preocupação ética em promover o bem-estar de animais cativos e semi-cativos. Uma das formas mais eficientes de se fazer isso é aplicar técnicas de enriquecimento ambiental. Para avaliar sua eficácia, a abordagem da etologia se encaixa ao utilizarmos estímulos ambientais e analisarmos as mudanças comportamentais causadas por eles, correlacionando com possíveis funções adaptativas. Este trabalho analisou a influência de um método de enriquecimento ambiental sequencial e cumulativo no comportamento de 27 indivíduos de um grupo de macacos-prego (Sapajus sp) semi-cativos no Parque Ecológico do Tietê, São Paulo. O fornecimento de pedras e de cocos para a tarefa de quebra de coco foi utilizado como enriquecimento cognitivo-alimentar e redes em suspensão foram utilizadas como enriquecimento físico. O delineamento experimental foi composto por quatro condições: 1) Linha de Base, observações feitas antes da introdução do enriquecimento; 2) Enriquecimento com cocos Protocolo I, os cocos eram fornecidos em apenas um sítio de quebra; 3) Enriquecimento com cocos Protocolo II, os cocos eram distribuídos igualmente em três sítios de quebra; e 4) Enriquecimento Físico, duas redes foram colocadas em clareiras da ilha, além do fornecimento de cocos em três sítios. O registro dos comportamentos foi feito pelos métodos Varredura Focal e Todas as Ocorrências. Os machos adultos subordinados foram os únicos indivíduos do grupo que apresentaram comportamentos anormais, devido ao maior estresse psicossocial que sofrem na hierarquia do grupo. A frequência de comportamentos anormais foi alterada, especialmente na condição Enriquecimento Físico, quando houve diminuição drástica desses comportamentos. A introdução das redes ofereceu refúgio e evitação de conflitos, aumentando a sensação de controle do ambiente. Além disso, alguns desses indivíduos tiveram um aumento da proximidade espacial e de interações afiliativas com outros subordinados, o que seria uma estratégia adaptativa adotada para reduzir o estresse. Houve aumento das taxas de comportamentos agonísticos no grupo ao introduzirmos o enriquecimento cognitivo-alimentar. O aumento da competição direta intragrupo já era esperado devido às características do enriquecimento oferecido e essa alteração comportamental do grupo pode ser considerada típica em primatas de vida livre. Não houve aumento significativo das taxas de catação e de brincadeira social em nenhuma condição. Houve alteração significativa da coesão grupal apenas na condição Enriquecimento Físico, onde obtivemos as maiores medidas de distância interindividual e a formação de novas relações de proximidade no grupo. O aparecimento de novas díades envolvidas em catação e a diminuição do tamanho do grupo devido à alta mortalidade explicam o aumento da coesão grupal observado nessa condição. A introdução de redes em estratos superiores eliciou menor terrestrialidade, havendo um aumento significativo da frequência do uso de substratos Acima de 1,5m em detrimento do uso de substratos ao nível do solo na condição Enriquecimento Físico, demonstrando uma preferência por substratos acima do solo pelos animais desse grupo. A técnica de enriquecimento empregada se justifica por ser um elemento novo na rotina desses animais que fez com que empregassem seu tempo, esforço e capacidade cognitiva e interagissem socialmente / Nowadays there is a big ethic concern in improving the well-being of captive and semi-captive animals. One of the most efficient forms of doing that is applying environmental enrichment techniques. To evaluate its efficiency, the ethological approach applies environmental stimuli and analyzes the behavioral changes caused by them by correlating with possible adaptive functions. This work has analyzed the influence of a sequential and cumulative environmental enrichment method on the behavior of 27 individuals of a semi-captive group of capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) at Parque Ecológico do Tietê, São Paulo. The provision of rocks and nuts for the task of nutcracking was utilized as cognitive-food enrichment, whereas suspended nets were utilized as physical enrichment. The experimental design was composed of four conditions: 1) Base Line, observations made before the introduction of the enrichment; 2) Enrichment with nuts Protocol I, the nuts were provided at a single cracking site; 3) Enrichment with nuts, Protocol II, the nuts were equally distributed at three cracking sites; and 4) Physical Enrichment, two nets were placed in open areas of the island, beside the provision of nut at three sites. The registry of behavior was made using the Focal Scan and All Occurrences methods. The adult subordinate males were the only individuals of the group that presented abnormal behaviors, as they were under great psychosocial stress in the group hierarchy. The frequency of abnormal behaviors was altered, especially in the Physical Enrichment condition, when a drastic decrease of these behaviors was seen. The introduction of nets provided refugee and enabled conflict avoidance, increasing the sensation of environment control. Besides that, some of the individuals had a increase of spatial proximity and showed affiliative behaviors with other subordinates, which would be an adaptive strategy adopted to reduce stress. The rate of agonistic behaviors was seen to have increased with the introduction of cognitive-food enrichment. The increase of intergroup direct competition was already expected due to the characteristics of the enrichment provided and this behavioral change of the group can be considered typical of wild primates. There was no significant increase in grooming and social play rates at any of the conditions. There was significant change of the group cohesion only under the Physical Enrichment condition, where the biggest interindividual distance measures and the formation of new proximity relations in the group were seen. The appearance of new dyads involved in grooming and the reduction of the group size due to high mortality explain the increased group cohesion observed under this condition. The introduction of nets on superior layers elicited less terrestriality, by having a significant increase of the frequency of use of substrates Above 1,5m in detriment of use of substrates at the ground level under the Physical Enrichment condition, showing a preference for substrates above the ground by these animals. The enrichment technique applied is justified by the fact that it is a new element on the routine of these animals, which helped them use their time, effort and cognitive capacity and interact socially

Submitted by Leticia Schettini (leticia@ufrrj.br) on 2017-04-24T14:23:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - Carlos Augusto dos Santos Sousa.pdf: 2340153 bytes, checksum: 5ef373f242c2c4700a9a9e55280bc62c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-24T14:23:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - Carlos Augusto dos Santos Sousa.pdf: 2340153 bytes, checksum: 5ef373f242c2c4700a9a9e55280bc62c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-03 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Morphology studies provide knowledge that allow us to understand how animals interact with the natural environment or in captivity. In this context, the comparative anatomy of the formation of the brachial plexus awakens interest since the nineteenth century and remains one of the most intriguing topics of contemporary anatomy. The aim of this study was to describe the origin and the antimeric distribution of the brachial plexus nerves in Macaca mulatta, as well as the innervated muscles. Ten male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were used, from the Non-human Primates? Breeding Department at the Laboratory Animals Breeding Centre (Cecal/Fiocruz), donated to the Animal Anatomy Department of the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). The specimens were fixed in formaldehyde solution by infusion of 10% solution. They were subsequently wrapped in a low-density polythene container with 500 liters of formaldehyde 30% solution over a period of 12 months. After this period, they were washed in running water and subjected to X-ray examinations of the neck at the Small Animals Veterinary Hospital of the UFRRJ to characterize the number of cervical vertebrae. Then, they had both antimeres dissected aiming at the exposure of the origins and the nerves arising from the brachial plexus. Data were presented both in absolute frequency and in simple percentage. In 11 (55%) animals the resulting nerves were constituted by the connections between the ventral spinal branches C5, C6, C7, C8 and T1. In 5 (25%) animals, the participants roots were C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, T1 and T2. In 2 (10%) animals C5, C6, C7, C8, T1 and T2. In the other 2 (10%) animals the formation of the plexus was observed from C6, C7, C8, T1 and T2. The ventral branches formed three nerve trunks: cranial, middle and caudal. The suprascapular nerves, subscapular, axillary, musculocutaneous, radial, median, ulnar innervated the intrinsic muscles and the subclavian nerve innervated the thoracodorsal, medial cutaneous arm and forearm, long thoracic, cranial pectoral and caudal pectoral innervate extrinsic muscles. The results obtained in this study contribute to the comparative anatomy of primates and to the information for applied research, serving as basis for clinical and surgical procedures that uses this species as an animal model. / Estudos morfol?gicos fornecem conhecimentos que permitem entender o modo como os animais interagem com o ambiente natural ou em cativeiro. O objetivo desse estudo foi descrever a origem e a distribui??o antim?rica dos nervos do plexo braquial em Macaca mulatta, assim como dos m?sculos inervados. Foram utilizados 10 cad?veres de Macaca mulatta do sexo masculino, oriundos do Servi?o de Cria??o de Primatas N?o Humanos do Centro de Cria??o de Animais de Laborat?rio (Cecal/Fiocruz) doados a ?rea de Anatomia Animal da Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). Os esp?cimes foram fixados com perfus?o de solu??o de formalde?do a 10%. Posteriormente, foram acondicionados em caixas de polietileno de baixa densidade com capacidade de 500 litros contendo solu??o de formalde?do a 30% por um per?odo de 12 meses. Ap?s este per?odo, foram lavados em ?gua corrente e submetidos a exames radiogr?ficos da regi?o cervical no Hospital Veterin?rio de Pequenos Animais da UFRRJ para a caracteriza??o do n?mero de v?rtebras cervicais. Em seguida, foram dissecados at? a exposi??o das origens e dos nervos oriundos do plexo braquial. Os dados foram representados em frequ?ncia absoluta e percentual simples. Em 11 (55%) os nervos resultantes foram constitu?dos das conex?es entre os ramos espinhais ventrais de C5, C6, C7, C8 e T1. Em 5 (25%) as ra?zes participantes foram C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, T1 e T2. Em 2 (10%) de C5, C6, C7, C8, T1 e T2. Em outros 2 (10%) verificamos a constitui??o do plexo a partir de C6, C7, C8, T1 e T2. Os ramos ventrais formaram tr?s troncos nervosos: cranial, m?dio e caudal. Os nervos supraescapular, subescapulares, axilar, musculocut?neo, radial, mediano, ulnar inervaram a musculatura intr?nseca e os nervos subcl?vios, toracodorsal, tor?cico longo, peitoral cranial e peitoral caudal inervaram a musculatura extr?nseca. Tamb?m foram registrados os nervos cut?neos oriundos do plexo braquial, sendo eles o nervo cut?neo medial do bra?o, nervo cut?neo medial do antebra?o e ramos para a musculatura cut?nea do tronco. Os dados descritos neste estudo contribuem para a anatomia comparada de primatas e fornecem informa??es para a pesquisa aplicada, servindo como base para procedimentos cl?nico-cir?rgicos em que venha a se utilizar esta esp?cie como modelo experimental.

<p>The vervet monkey, Chlorocebus aethiops, an Old World monkey, has been often used in biomedical research programs (toxicological studies and fertility) because of the inaccessibility of relevant human tissues. Data from nonhuman primates have been a vital component of advances in areas such as infertility, contraception, and other reproductive processes because of the phylogenetic closeness of the primates to humans. The aims and objectives of the study were 1) to describe the gross morphology, histology and ultrastructure of the male reproductive system, 2) to describe and compare the processes of spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis of the vervet monkey to humans and other nonhuman primates, and 3) to evaluate the vervet monkey as a possible experimental model for future human reproductive studies.</p> <p>Twenty-nine adult male vervet monkeys, aged between 5 and 11 years, were used. Gross morphological features of different organs of the reproductive tract were recorded. Light and electron microscopic techniques, and methacrylate sections were used on selected tissues of the reproductive tract. The results showed that the vervet monkey has a male&nbsp / reproductive system similar to many non-human primates studied and man. The epididymis was distinctively subdivided into the caput, corpus, and the caudal regions. No significant differences were observed on the epithelial height of these three regions. Four cell types, apical, principal, and basal cells, and the intraepithelial lymphocytes were observed. The basal cell distribution showed significant differences among three regions of the epididymis (P &le / 0.01). There were numerous phagocytic vesicles found in three regions of the epididymis. The Sertoli cells showed perforated sleeve-like processes which encased elongated and mature spermatids ready for spermiation. The nuclei of the Sertoli cells were found to be multilobed (4 to 5) compared to the less lobular nuclei of the human Sertoli cells (2 to 3). The Leydig cells showed typical features of steroidogenic cells with abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, numerous large mitochondria, and few rough endoplasmic reticulum.</p> <p>It was concluded that the gross morphology and structure of the reproductive tract of the vervet monkey has many similarities to humans and other mammals. Secondly, the organization of spermatogenesis is similar to that found in humans, and is commonly known as a helical arrangement. The results further suggest that the vervet monkey could be regarded as suitable model for human male reproductive studies.</p> <p>&nbsp / </p>

Comparative research on event memory has typically focused on the binding of spatial and temporal information in memory, but much less is known about how animals remember information about the source of their memories (i.e., whether the event is something they performed themselves or whether they observed it). The purpose of the present study was to examine how rhesus monkeys (n = 8) and 3- to 4- year-old children (n = 20) remember this information along with other relevant event features (object identity, spatial location, temporal properties and contextual features) in working memory. In Experiment 1, rhesus monkeys completed five different delayed matching-to-sample tasks to assess independent encoding of these five event components. In Experiment 2, the monkeys either performed or observed an event and then had to respond to a randomly selected pair of memory tests used in the previous experiment. In Experiment 3, children were presented with the same memory task, but were given a brief demonstration to learn how to perform the task. Both children and monkeys responded to these tests using photos and shapes (for the identity and spatial tests) and icons (for the temporal, agency and context tests). The monkeys demonstrated significantly above-chance performance on the identity, spatial, temporal and agency tasks. The children were above chance on the one component the monkeys had difficulty with (context), but conversely demonstrated difficulty on the temporal memory test. There was evidence of feature integration in both monkeys and children. Specifically, the children were significantly more likely to respond correctly to the second memory test if they had also been correct on the first memory test. Two of five rhesus monkeys also showed this effect, indicating that for these individuals, the features were integrated in working memory. Implications of this research are discussed in relation to self-awareness and episodic memory research in children and nonhuman species.

<p>The vervet monkey, Chlorocebus aethiops, an Old World monkey, has been often used in biomedical research programs (toxicological studies and fertility) because of the inaccessibility of relevant human tissues. Data from nonhuman primates have been a vital component of advances in areas such as infertility, contraception, and other reproductive processes because of the phylogenetic closeness of the primates to humans. The aims and objectives of the study were 1) to describe the gross morphology, histology and ultrastructure of the male reproductive system, 2) to describe and compare the processes of spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis of the vervet monkey to humans and other nonhuman primates, and 3) to evaluate the vervet monkey as a possible experimental model for future human reproductive studies.</p> <p>Twenty-nine adult male vervet monkeys, aged between 5 and 11 years, were used. Gross morphological features of different organs of the reproductive tract were recorded. Light and electron microscopic techniques, and methacrylate sections were used on selected tissues of the reproductive tract. The results showed that the vervet monkey has a male&nbsp / reproductive system similar to many non-human primates studied and man. The epididymis was distinctively subdivided into the caput, corpus, and the caudal regions. No significant differences were observed on the epithelial height of these three regions. Four cell types, apical, principal, and basal cells, and the intraepithelial lymphocytes were observed. The basal cell distribution showed significant differences among three regions of the epididymis (P &le / 0.01). There were numerous phagocytic vesicles found in three regions of the epididymis. The Sertoli cells showed perforated sleeve-like processes which encased elongated and mature spermatids ready for spermiation. The nuclei of the Sertoli cells were found to be multilobed (4 to 5) compared to the less lobular nuclei of the human Sertoli cells (2 to 3). The Leydig cells showed typical features of steroidogenic cells with abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, numerous large mitochondria, and few rough endoplasmic reticulum.</p> <p>It was concluded that the gross morphology and structure of the reproductive tract of the vervet monkey has many similarities to humans and other mammals. Secondly, the organization of spermatogenesis is similar to that found in humans, and is commonly known as a helical arrangement. The results further suggest that the vervet monkey could be regarded as suitable model for human male reproductive studies.</p> <p>&nbsp / </p>

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal