Interactions between species can vary from mutually beneficial to evolutionarily neutral to antagonistic, even when the same two species are involved. Similarly, social interactions between members of the same species can lie on a spectrum from conflict to cooperation.The aim of the present study was to investigate whether variation in the two types of social behaviour are interconnected. Is th...

Based upon repeated observations of a relationship between defensive burying (DB), ethanol intake and stress ulcer susceptibility, and recurring questions regarding what DB behaviour reflects, two experiments were performed. Experiment 1 showed that prod shock exposure per se reduced subsequent ethanol intake, as did access to burying material. In rats without burying material in the conditioni...

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are highly disabling developmental disorders with a population prevalence of 1-3%. Despite a strong genetic etiology, there are no current therapeutic options that target the core symptoms of ASD. Emerging evidence suggests that dysfunction of glutamatergic signaling, in particular through metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) receptors, may contribute to ph...

To study the neuronal deficits in neuronopathic Gaucher Disease (nGD), the chronological behavioral profiles and the age of onset of brain abnormalities were characterized in a chronic nGD mouse model (9V/null). Progressive accumulation of glucosylceramide (GC) and glucosylsphingosine (GS) in the brain of 9V/null mice were observed at as early as 6 and 3 months of age for GC and GS, respectivel...

The antidepressant agomelatine is a MT(1)/MT(2) receptor agonist and 5-HT(2C) antagonist. Its antidepressant activity is proposed to result from the synergy between these sets of receptors. Agomelatine-induced changes in the brain have been reported under basal conditions. Yet, little is known about its effects in the brain exposed to chronic stress as a risk factor for major depressive disorde...