Effects of Posttraining Administration of Glucose on Retention of a Habituation Response in Mice: Participation of a Central Cholinergic Mechanism

Male Swiss mice were allowed to explore a novel environment, provided by an open-field activity chamber, for 10 min. The procedure was repeated twice with a 24-h interval. The difference in the exploratory activity between the first (training) and the second (testing) exposures to the chamber was taken as an index of retention of this habituation task. Posttraining intraperitoneal administration of glucose (10–300 mg/kg) enhanced retention in a dose-related manner, although only the dose of 30 mg/kg of glucose produced significant effects. Thus, the dose–response curve adopted an inverted U-shaped form. Glucose (30 mg/kg) given to untrained mice did not modify their exploratory performance when recorded 24 h later. The effects of glucose on retention were time-dependent, suggesting an action on memory storage. The memory-improving actions of glucose were prevented by the simultaneous administration of both the central acting muscarinic cholinergic antagonist atropine (0.5 mg/kg) and by the central acting nicotinic cholinergic antagonist mecamylamine (5 mg/kg). In contrast, neither methylatropine (0.5 mg/kg), a peripherally acting muscarinic receptor blocker, nor hexamethonium (5 mg/kg), a peripherally acting nicotinic receptor blocker, prevented the effects of glucose on retention. Low subeffective doses of glucose (10 mg/kg) and the central anticholinesterase physostigmine (35 μg/kg), but not neostigmine (35 μg/kg), given together, act synergistically and facilitated retention. We suggest that glucose modulates memory storage of one form of learning elicited by stimuli repeatedly presented without reinforcement, probably through an enhancement of brain acetylcholine synthesis and/or its release.     

Behavioural family therapy and the influence of a systems framework

A family approach using the techniques of behaviour modification, to a family presenting with problems of encopressis in a five-year-old boy, is described. The usefulness of taking a broader analysis of the context of the behaviours targeted for modification under the impact of systems theories is emphasized. A one-year follow-up after treatment demonstrated both symptomatic and family changes.     

Human figure drawings of gender-problem children: A comparison to sibling,psychiatric, and normal controls

The Draw-a-Person test was used to evaluate a number of questions regarding children referred for potential problems in their gender-identity development (N = 36). Sibling (N = 31), psychiatric (N = 23), and normal (N = 30) children served as comparison groups. The major results included the following: (1) The gender-referred children were more likely to draw an opposite-sex person when requested to "draw a person" than were the other three groups; (2) the gender-referred children who drew an opposite-sex person were more likely to play with opposite-sex toys and dress-up apparel on a free-play task than were the gender-referred children who drew a same-sex person; (3) the gender-referred children drew taller opposite-sex persons than same-sex persons; (4) using Koppitz's (1968) criteria, the normal children had a smaller proportion of emotional disturbance indicators in their same-sex drawings than did the other three groups. These findings were discussed with regard to psychometric and interpretive issues in the assessment of children with atypical gender-role behavior.     

Smoking cessation with behaviour therapy or acupuncture—A controlled study

Five hundred and fifty-eight cigarette smokers (mean 31 cigarettes/day) were randomized in four groups: Acupuncture, Behaviour Therapy, Placebo Medication and Waiting-list Control. The life-table analysis of smoking cessation showed, at a 12-month follow-up, no difference between Acupuncture, Behaviour Therapy and Placebo. Differences appeared only in an analysis of the abstinent subjects at each data point. Behaviour Therapy and Acupuncture accounted for significantly more abstinent subjects than Placebo at the end of the 2-week therapeutic phase. However at 9 and 12 months Acupuncture had a statistically-significant greater number of abstinent subjects than Behaviour Therapy, but there was no difference between Acupuncture and Placebo. The percentage decrease in smoking from baseline appeared significantly greater at 12 months in the first three groups than in the Control conditions. However, as in most smoking-cessation studies, the overall effect was small and non-specific. The results reflect the importance of maintenance programmes and of the prevention of addiction.     

A comparison of mothers' and fathers' speech to their 3-year-old sons

The language patterns of 10 mothers and 10 fathers with their firstborn 3-year-old sons were compared. Ten-minute mother-son and father-son conversations were recorded independently in the home during a free-play session with standard play mterials. The findings of this study indicate that although mothers and fathers used a similar number of utterances in conversing with their sons over a 10-minute period, their patterns of speech were different on a number of quantitative measures including MLU, MLU of five longest utterances, percent of imperatives, and percent of questions. In general, fathers' communication was viewed as more controlling and involving the child less, while mothers' communication was viewed as more child-centered and involving the child more.     

Psychological research on videotex

Videotex is considered to be a powerful, but simple to use, computer network available for use in homes, offices, and schools. Information in the form of text and color graphics can be requested and displayed on the user’s television set. While retrieval of information is the first service provided on videotex, many other services, including electronic mail, electronic shopping, and electronic funds transfer, will be developed. However, in order to achieve the popularity predicted for videotex, a number of human factors and social problems must be solved. Research concerning some of these problems, and the role psychologists can play in their solution, is described.