scholarly journals Male and female cichlid fish show cognitive inhibitory control ability

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Lombardi Brandão ◽  
Ana Marina Tabah de Almeida Fernandes ◽  
Eliane Gonçalves-de-Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Nile Tilapia ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Inhibitory Ability ◽  
Spawning Site ◽  
Transparent Barrier ◽  
Males And Females

Abstract Inhibitory control is a way to infer cognitive flexibility in animals by inhibiting a behavioral propensity to obtain a reward. Here we tested whether there are differences in inhibitory control between females and males of the fish Nile tilapia owing to their distinct reproductive roles. Individuals were tested under a detour-reaching paradigm, consisting of training fish to feed behind an opaque barrier and, thereafter, testing them with a transparent one. Fish is expected to avoid trying to cross through the transparent barrier to achieve food (reward), thus showing inhibitory control by recovering the learned detour with the opaque apparatus. Both males and females learned to detour the transparent barrier with similar scores of correct responses, whereas females reached the food faster. This result is probably associated to their different sex roles in reproduction: females care for the eggs and fry inside their mouth (thus requiring a high inhibitory control not to swallow them), whereas males have to stay inside the territory defending it against intruder males, which also demands some inhibitory ability not to leave the spawning site and take the risk of losing it. Furthermore, this evidence of cognitive flexibility can enable social fish to deal with unpredictable interactions.

scholarly journals Reproductive behavior and parental roles of the cichlid fish Laetacara araguaiae

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrício Barreto Teresa ◽  
Eliane Gonçalves-de Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
South American ◽  
Territorial Defense ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Parental Roles ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Reproductive Phases

We described the reproductive behavior of the small South American cichlid Laetacara araguaiae in streams from Brazil. We predicted that this species will show reproductive cooperation and division of labor between males and females in a similar way presented by other substrate-spawner cichlids. Thus, we studied 34 pairs in the pre-spawning (n = 11), egg/wriggler (n = 11) and fry (n = 12) phases. In the pre-spawning phase both sexes become involved in nest building and territorial defense, but females emphasizes building nest (p = 0.03), while males invest more time in territorial defense (p = 0.04). After spawning, male and female alternate between rearing eggs and defending nest in the territory. In the egg/wriggler phase females devotes more time rearing the brood while males remain defending territory (p = 0.02). These differences disappear when young are in the fry stage, and parents jointly stay closer to fry (p = 0.98). However, at this phase, there is a reduction in the frequency of threats shown by males (p<0.01) and an increase in the frequency of attacks shown by female (p<0.01) that could be a response to an increased demand for parental defense. Our results indicate that the reproductive cooperation between males and females of L. araguaiae is marked by division of labor in the early reproductive phases and by sharing of parental duties as brood develops.

scholarly journals ESTIMASI HERITABILITAS DAN RESPONS SELEKSI IKAN NILA HITAM (Oreochromis niloticus) DI TAMBAK

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Robisalmi
Keyword(s):  
Nile Tilapia ◽  
Selective Breeding ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Stocking Density ◽  
Growth Strain ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Estimate Heritability ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Brackishwater Pond ◽  
Selection Of

Genetic improvement in the establishment of a rapid growth strain of Nile tilapia might be achieved through selective breeding program This research was aimed to estimate heritability and response selection of nile tilapia in brackishwater pond. Breeding  activity was carried out in fresh water in hapa 2x1x1 m. Males and females were breeding in pairs with a ratio of 1: 1. The number of established families was 19 families of 50 broodstock pairs. Harvesting of larvae was done on day 14. Larvae were collected and then kept in net 2 x 2 x1 m  with stocking density 125 fish/m2 for 60 days. The next stage was sexing  by grouping the male and female populations in each family. Grow out was carried out in net cage (3 x 5 x1.5 m ) that were placed in brackiswater pond at salinity 25–30 g/L with density 10 fish/m2.  Selection of broodstock in the male and female populations was done on weight of 250–300 g. Cut off selection was determined on weight from 316 to 382g (male) and 221–315 g (female). The results of this study showed that the estimation value for heritability of male and female were 0.42 ± 0.22 and 0.42 ± 0.23 and the estimation value for response selection were 10.66% (male) and 10.92% (female).   

scholarly journals Male and female guppies differ in problem-solving abilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato ◽  
Elia Gatto ◽  
Angelo Bisazza
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Teleost Fish ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Males And Females

Abstract In a number of species, males and females have different ecological roles and therefore might be required to solve different problems. Studies on humans have suggested that the 2 sexes often show different efficiencies in problem-solving tasks; similarly, evidence of sex differences has been found in 2 other mammalian species. Here, we assessed whether a teleost fish species, the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, displays sex differences in the ability to solve problems. In Experiment 1, guppies had to learn to dislodge a disc that occluded a feeder from which they had been previously accustomed to feed. In Experiment 2, guppies had to solve a version of the detour task that required them to learn to enter a transparent cylinder from the open sides to reach a food reward previously freely available. We found evidence of sex differences in both problem-solving tasks. In Experiment 1, females clearly outperformed males, and in Experiment 2, guppies showed a reversed but smaller sex difference. This study indicates that sex differences may play an important role in fish’s problem-solving similar to what has previously been observed in some mammalian species.

scholarly journals Fish perform like mammals and birds in inhibitory motor control tasks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato ◽  
Elia Gatto ◽  
Angelo Bisazza
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Transparent Barrier ◽  
The Social ◽  
Inhibitory Motor Control ◽  
A Performance

AbstractInhibitory control is an executive function that positively predicts performance in several cognitive tasks and has been considered typical of vertebrates with large and complex nervous systems such as primates. However, evidence is growing that some fish species have evolved complex cognitive abilities in spite of their relatively small brain size. We tested whether fish might also show enhanced inhibitory control by subjecting guppies, Poecilia reticulata, to the motor task used to test warm-blooded vertebrates. Guppies were trained to enter a horizontal opaque cylinder to reach a food reward; then, the cylinder was replaced by a transparent one, and subjects needed to inhibit the response to pass thought the transparency to reach the food. Guppies performed correctly in 58 % of trials, a performance fully comparable to that observed in most birds and mammals. In experiment 2, we tested guppies in a task with a different type of reward, a group of conspecifics. Guppies rapidly learned to detour a transparent barrier to reach the social reward with a performance close to that of experiment 1. Our study suggests that efficient inhibitory control is shown also by fish, and its variation between-species is only partially explained by variation in brain size.

GONADOTROPHIN PATTERNS IN MALE AND FEMALE RATS:

1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Donald C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Prostate Weight ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Normal Males

ABSTRACT The effects of various doses of testosterone propionate (TP) upon the release of luteinizing hormone (LH or ICSH) from the hypophysis of a gonadectomized male or female rat were compared. Prostate weight in hypophysectomized male parabiotic partners was used to evaluate the quantity of circulating LH. Hypophyseal LH was measured by the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion method. Males castrated when 45 days old secreted significantly more LH and had three times the amount of pituitary LH as ovariectomized females. Administration of 25 μg TP daily reduced the amount of LH in the plasma, and increased the amount in the pituitary gland, in both sexes. Treatment with 50 μg caused a further reduction in plasma LH in males, but not in females, while pituitary levels in both were equal to that of their respective controls. LH fell to the same low level in partners of males or females receiving 100 μg TP. When gonadectomized at 39 days, males and females had the same amount of plasma LH, but males had more stored hormone. Pituitary levels were unchanged from controls following treatment with 12.5, 25 or 50 μg TP daily, but plasma values dropped an equal amount in both sexes with the latter two doses. Androgenized males or females, gonadectomized when 39 days old, were very sensitive to the effects of TP and plasma LH was significantly reduced with 12.5 μg daily. Pituitary LH in androgenized males was higher than that of normal males but was reduced to normal by small amounts of TP. The amount of stored LH in androgenized females was not different from that of normal females and it was unchanged by any dose of TP tested. Results are consistent with the conclusion that the male hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis is at least as sensitive as the female axis to the negative feedback effects of TP. Androgenization increases the sensitivity to TP in both males and females.

Gender Differences in Clothing Worn in Current Popular Comic Books

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Landon Jossy
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Comic Books ◽  
Book Industry ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Female Characters ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Males And Females

This study looked at how males and females were portrayed, based on the amount of skin shown in the clothing worn.  A Content analysis was performed on a sample of 20 randomly selected popular comics from the last 3 years.  Both male and female characters were rated on how much skin they showed in three clothing categories; neck line, sleeve length, and lower body.  Results showed that in all 3 categories, women consistently wore more revealing clothing.  The findings demonstraetd that the comic book industry is comparable to other forms of media, in the sexualization of female characters, by having them wear more revealing clothing.

scholarly journals Spinal Muscular Atrophy after Nusinersen Therapy: Improved Physiology in Pediatric Patients with No Significant Change in Urine, Serum, and Liquor 1H-NMR Metabolomes in Comparison to an Age-Matched, Healthy Cohort

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Leon Deutsch ◽  
Damjan Osredkar ◽  
Janez Plavec ◽  
Blaž Stres
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
1H Nmr ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Healthy Cohort ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Urine Serum

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases and was until recently the most common genetic cause of death in children. The effects of 2-month nusinersen therapy on urine, serum, and liquor 1H-NMR metabolomes in SMA males and females were not explored yet, especially not in comparison to the urine 1H-NMR metabolomes of matching male and female cohorts. In this prospective, single-centered study, urine, serum, and liquor samples were collected from 25 male and female pediatric patients with SMA before and after 2 months of nusinersen therapy and urine samples from a matching healthy cohort (n = 125). Nusinersen intrathecal application was the first therapy for the treatment of SMA by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Metabolomes were analyzed using targeted metabolomics utilizing 600 MHz 1H-NMR, parametric and nonparametric multivariate statistical analyses, machine learning, and modeling. Medical assessment before and after nusinersen therapy showed significant improvements of movement, posture, and strength according to various medical tests. No significant differences were found in metabolomes before and after nusinersen therapy in urine, serum, and liquor samples using an ensemble of statistical and machine learning approaches. In comparison to a healthy cohort, 1H-NMR metabolomes of SMA patients contained a reduced number and concentration of urine metabolites and differed significantly between males and females as well. Significantly larger data scatter was observed for SMA patients in comparison to matched healthy controls. Machine learning confirmed urinary creatinine as the most significant, distinguishing SMA patients from the healthy cohort. The positive effects of nusinersen therapy clearly preceded or took place devoid of significant rearrangements in the 1H-NMR metabolomic makeup of serum, urine, and liquor. Urine creatinine was successful at distinguishing SMA patients from the matched healthy cohort, which is a simple systemic novelty linking creatinine and SMA to the physiology of inactivity and diabetes, and it facilitates the monitoring of SMA disease in pediatric patients through non-invasive urine collection.

scholarly journals Stem cell treatment improves post stroke neurological outcomes: a comparative study in male and female rats

2021 ◽  
pp. svn-2020-000834
Author(s):  
Koteswara Rao Nalamolu ◽  
Bharath Chelluboina ◽  
Casimir A Fornal ◽  
Siva Reddy Challa ◽  
David M Pinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Infarct Volume ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Human Umbilical Cord ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females

Background and purposeThe therapeutic potential of different stem cells for ischaemic stroke treatment is intriguing and somewhat controversial. Recent results from our laboratory have demonstrated the potential benefits of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in a rodent stroke model. We hypothesised that MSC treatment would effectively promote the recovery of sensory and motor function in both males and females, despite any apparent sex differences in post stroke brain injury.MethodsTransient focal cerebral ischaemia was induced in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Following the procedure, male and female rats of the untreated group were euthanised 1 day after reperfusion and their brains were used to estimate the resulting infarct volume and tissue swelling. Additional groups of stroke-induced male and female rats were treated with MSC or vehicle and were subsequently subjected to a battery of standard neurological/neurobehavioral tests (Modified Neurological Severity Score assessment, adhesive tape removal, beam walk and rotarod). The tests were administered at regular intervals (at days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14) after reperfusion to determine the time course of neurological and functional recovery after stroke.ResultsThe infarct volume and extent of swelling of the ischaemic brain were similar in males and females. Despite similar pathological stroke lesions, the clinical manifestations of stroke were more pronounced in males than females, as indicated by the neurological scores and other tests. MSC treatment significantly improved the recovery of sensory and motor function in both sexes, and it demonstrated efficacy in both moderate stroke (females) and severe stroke (males).ConclusionsDespite sex differences in the severity of post stroke outcomes, MSC treatment promoted the recovery of sensory and motor function in male and female rats, suggesting that it may be a promising treatment for stroke.

Caregiving adversity during infancy and preschool cognitive function: adaptations to context?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Anne Rifkin-Graboi ◽  
Shaun Kok-Yew Goh ◽  
Hui Jun Chong ◽  
Stella Tsotsi ◽  
Lit Wee Sim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Maternal Sensitivity ◽  
Wald Test ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Framework Approach

Abstract From a conditional adaptation vantage point, early life caregiving adversity likely enhances aspects of cognition needed to manage interpersonal threats. Yet, research examining early life care and offspring cognition predominantly relies upon experiments including affectively neutral stimuli, with findings generally interpreted as “early-life caregiving adversity is, de facto, ‘bad’ for cognitive performance.” Here, in a Southeast Asian sample, we examined observed maternal sensitivity in infancy and cognitive performance 3 years later as preschoolers took part in three tasks, each involving both a socioemotional (SE) and non-socioemotional (NSE) version: relational memory (n = 236), cognitive flexibility (n = 203), and inhibitory control (n = 255). Results indicate the relation between early life caregiving adversity and memory performance significantly differs (Wald test = 7.67, (1), P = 0.006) depending on the SE versus NSE context, with maternal sensitivity in infancy highly predictive of worse memory for SE stimuli, and amongst girls, also predictive of better memory when NSE stimuli are used. Results concerning inhibitory control, as well as cognitive flexibility in girls, also tentatively suggest the importance of considering the SE nature of stimuli when assessing relations between the caregiving environment and cognitive performance. As not all approaches to missing data yielded similar results, implications for statistical approaches are elaborated. We conclude by considering how an adaptation-to-context framework approach may aid in designing pedagogical strategies and well-being interventions that harness pre-existing cognitive strengths.

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