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Dysmenorrhea, or painful cramping, is the most common symptom associated with menses in females and its severity can hinder women's everyday lives. Here, we present an easy and inexpensive method that would be instrumental for testing new drugs decreasing uterine contractility. This method utilizes the unique ability of the entire mouse reproductive tract to exhibit spontaneous motility when maintained ex vivo in a Petri dish containing oxygenated Krebs buffer. This spontaneous motility resembles the wave-like myometrial activity of the human uterus, referred to as endometrial waves. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method, we employed a well-known uterine relaxant drug, epinephrine. We demonstrate that the spontaneous motility of the entire mouse reproductive tract can be quickly and reversibly inhibited by 1 µM epinephrine in this Petri dish model. Documenting the changes of uterine motility can be easily done using an ordinary smart phone or a sophisticated digital camera. We developed a MATLAB-based algorithm allowing motion tracking to quantify spontaneous uterine motility changes by measuring the rate of uterine horn movements. A major advantage of this ex vivo approach is that the reproductive tract remains intact throughout the entire experiment, preserving all intrinsic intrauterine cellular interactions. The major limitation of this approach is that up to 10-20% of uteri may exhibit no spontaneous motility. Thus far, this is the first quantitative ex vivo method for assessing spontaneous uterine motility in a Petri dish model.

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) imbalances are involved in the etiology of cancer, allergy, and collagen diseases. Previously, we hypothesized that FoxO and HSF-1 limit autonomic stress responses via negative feedback on the ANS. Here, we evaluated the role of AKT, a negative regulator of FoxO, during activation of the ANS by loneliness stress in mice. Spontaneous motility was increased during loneliness stress and decreased after release from stress. The AKT activator SC79 attenuated stress-induced spontaneous motility, whereas the AKT inhibitor API-2 prevented decreases in motility after stress release. Our results show that AKT activity regulates ANS responses to loneliness stress.

Spontaneous oscillations displayed by hair bundles of the bullfrog sacculus have complex temporal profiles, not fully captured by single limit-cycle descriptions. Quiescent intervals are typically interspersed with oscillations, leading to a bursting-type behavior. Temporal characteristics of the oscillation are strongly affected by imposing a mechanical load or by the application of a steady-state deflection to the resting position of the bundle. Separate spectral components of the spontaneous motility are differently affected by increases in the external calcium concentration. We use numerical modeling to explore the effects of internal parameters on the oscillatory profiles, and to reproduce the experimental modulation induced by mechanical or ionic manipulation.

Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits spontaneous motility in isotropic environments, characterized by periods of forward movements punctuated at random by turning movements. Here, we study the statistics of turning movements-deep Omega-shaped bends-exhibited by swimming worms. We show that the durations of intervals between successive Omega-turns are uncorrelated with one another and are effectively selected from a probability distribution resembling the sum of two exponentials. The worm initially exhibits frequent Omega-turns on being placed in liquid, and the mean rate of Omega-turns lessens over time. The statistics of Omega-turns is consistent with a phenomenological model involving two behavioral states governed by Poisson kinetics: a "slow" state generates Omega-turns with a low probability per unit time; a "fast" state generates Omega-turns with a high probability per unit time; and the worm randomly transitions between these slow and fast states. Our findings suggest that the statistics of spontaneous Omega-turns exhibited by swimming worms may be described using a small number of parameters, consistent with a two-state phenomenological model for the mechanisms that spontaneously generate Omega-turns.

The central noradrenergic system is widely distributed throughout the brain and is closely related to spontaneous motility and level of consciousness. The study presented here evaluated the morphological as well as neurochemical effects of diffuse brain injury on the central noradrenergic system in rat. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to impact-acceleration brain injury produced with a weight-drop device. Morphological changes in locus coeruleus (LC) neurons were examined by using immunohistochemistry for dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, and norepinephrine (NE) turnover in the cerebral cortex was measured by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The size of LC neurons increased by 11% 24 h after injury but had decreased by 27% seven days after injury. Axons of noradrenergic neurons were swollen 24 h and 48 h after injury but the swelling had dwindled in seven days. NE turnover was significantly reduced seven days after injury and remained at a low level until eight weeks after injury. These results suggest that focal impairment of axonal transport due to diffuse brain injury causes cellular changes in LC and that the neurochemical effect of injury on the central noradrenargic system lasts over an extended period of time. Chronic suppression of NE turnover may explain the sustained behavioral and psychological abnormalities observed in a clinical situation.

The methanol fraction of the root extract of Tragia involucrata was investigated for psychopharmacological activity in rodents. It produced an alteration of behavioural pattern and a reduction in spontaneous motility. A significant potentiation of pentobarbitone-induced sleep, a decrease of body temperature, suppression of the aggressive behaviour pattern and of the conditioned avoidance response (CAR) were observed with the fraction. These suggest that the methanol fraction of the T. involucrata root extract possesses significant central nervous system depressant action.

It has long been known that the chick initiates spontaneous motility early in embryogenesis, that the distribution of this activity is episodic, and that it varies both quantitatively and qualitatively with age. It is also well established that embryonic motility is controlled by spinal circuits and features of motility at early stages of development are likely the product of immature network properties. Over the course of embryonic development, however, the episodic distribution of motility becomes more variable. Because we are interested in determining whether movement experience in ovo is fundamental to the establishment of adaptive posthatching behaviors, this study examines the normal within-subject variability of episodic activity in embryos across ages under control and several experimental conditions. The distribution of activity, pause, and episode duration was obtained from video recordings of embryos prepared for electromyographic (EMG) and/or kinematic studies of motility in ovo at select ages (E9, E10, E12, E15, E18) under control conditions (control), acute reduction in buoyancy (ARB), ankle restraint (AR), thoracic spinal transection (spinal). Both control and ARB embryos exhibited significant age-related changes in the distribution of motility. Activity duration progressively increased with age and largely accounted for age-related increases in the variability of episodic behavior. Pause duration decreased markedly between E9 and E12 and did not appear to be a critical parameter in accounting for age-related changes in motility distribution. Activity duration was significantly lengthened in ARB embryos and decreased in spinal embryos. Pause duration was selectively lengthened in AR embryos. Collectively, age-related changes and selective effects of experimental preparations suggest that activity and pause duration are controlled by different mechanisms that operate independent of one another by E12. The results also suggest that the spinal network controlling motility becomes increasingly dependent on excitatory drive from supraspinal centers between E9 and E18. It is proposed that age-related increases in activity duration variability and condition-dependent effects on the distribution of activity are indicative of changing inputs weights for descending and sensory pathways and that they significantly impact spinal control of motility as the embryo's movement and posture are increasingly constrained by the fixed volume of the egg.

Several types of electrical events occur in the small intestine but their spatial and temporal contributions to overall motility are not clear. In order to quantify local motility in greater detail, a new technique of recording and analysing movements at multiple sites was developed. Use was made of isolated segments of feline duodenum superfused in a tissue bath. Multiple marker dots (20-75) were placed on the serosal surface by applying fine spots of candle soot in rectangular arrays (1-2 mm dot separation). A digital video camera was used to record spontaneous movements of the dots for periods of 10-30 min. After each experiment, 4-6 periods (10-60 s each) of video frames were transferred to a computer (25 fps, 720 x 576 pixels) and the movements of the dots was tracked every 40 ms using custom-made software. Initial results (eight experiments) show that spontaneous motility is remarkably variable, both in space and time. Three types of movement could be discerned: (i) periodic, rolling or pendular movements, with a frequency of approximately 15 min-1 occurring predominantly in the longitudinal direction; (ii) twitches, wherein a subset of dots were suddenly displaced longitudinally; and (iii) drifts of most of the dots in a circular or oblique direction. All three types of movement occurred throughout every recording session although their relative magnitudes differed greatly from moment to moment. Occasionally, it was possible to detect propagated 'contractions' with an apparent velocity of 10 mm s(-1). Immobilizing the preparation at one point by inserting a needle through the middle of the array of markers had a negligible effect on the displacements, whereas application of verapamil (10(-5) mol L(-1)) reduced or abolished motility. In summary, we present a new technique to map in detail two-dimensional motility at the surface of the intestine. Initial results seem to suggest that motility at the serosal surface is not uniform and highly anisotropic.

Panax notoginseng root is highly prized in China for its supposed hemorheological properties. Its behavioural effects are still not scientifically investigated; therefore, our preliminary study aim is to evaluate the influence of this phyto-drug on rats spontaneous behaviour. High quality P. notoginseng root dry extract has been orally administered through gastric tube for 10 days in two doses (43 and 86 mg/kg in a volume of 5 ml/kg per day) and its effects on locomotion, emotional reactivity and nutrition have been evaluated in different groups of Wistar rats (ten per group) versus animals treated with 5 ml/kg per day of saline. Actimeter test, open field test and microstructural analysis of unconditioned behaviour were carried out. The data were processed by ANOVA-test followed by the Student's one-tail t-test and a 0.05 significance level was chosen for all statistical tests. A significant increase in spontaneous motility being not associated to an increase in grooming episodes duration and number was found in all tests (P

Effects of body temperature on the immobile response and brain glucose metabolism were examined in the forced swimming test in mice. The first experiment was performed to study behavior, after initial periods of vigorous activity, a characteristic immobile posture occurred when the water was 25 and 35 degrees C. However, several minutes after forced swimming at 25 degrees C, significantly decreased spontaneous motility occurred in a time-dependent manner, but no changes was observed at 35 degrees C. Our interpretation was that mechanisms of acquisition and retention of the forced swim-induced immobile response differed. Body temperature was also significantly decreased at 25 degrees C but not at 35 degrees C in the forced swimming test. This lowering of body temperature almost paralleled the immobile response. The second experiment was a biochemical study in which the uptake of [(14)C] 2-deoxy-d-glucose into the brain significantly decreased after forced swimming at 25 degrees C but did not change in the forced swim loaded mice when the water was 35 degrees C. These results suggested two types of immobile mechanisms in the forced swimming test: (1) an early phase acquisition of the immobile response which might be related to adaptive response and (2) a late phase to retain the immobile response which might be related to the decrease in brain glucose metabolism.

A comprehensive overview is presented of the literature dealing with the development of sleep-like motility and neuronal activity patterns in non-vertebrate animals. it has been established that spontaneous, periodically modulated, neurogenic bursts of movement appear to be a universal feature of prenatal behavior. New empirical data are presented showing that such’ seismic sleep’ or ‘rapid-body-movement’ bursts in cuttlefish persist for some time after birth. Extensive ontogenetic research in both vertebrates and non-vertebrates is thus essential before current hypotheses about the phylogeny of motorically active sleep-like states can be taken seriously.

The aims of the study were to evaluate characteristics of spontaneous motility and of the ascending excitatory peristaltic reflex (AEPR) and intraluminal cross-sectional area in the isolated perfused porcine duodenum. The parameters were measured by an intraluminal catheter by use of the perfused side-hole technique and impedance planimetry. Respiratory parameters such as pH and oxygen consumption and the arterial perfusion pressure were monitored and did not vary significantly throughout the study time. Spontaneous motility was intense at the beginning but declined and disappeared within 45–90 min. It was abolished by atropine, epinephrine, and UK-14,304 (an alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist). Secondary motility was evoked by intraluminal balloon distensions by raising the balloon pressure to 1.5 kPa for 1-min periods. Reproducible results regarding the AEPR, external balloon diameters to elicit the AEPR, and intraluminal cross-sectional area were obtained. The order of potency (pD2 values) for inhibition of the AEPR was the selective M3-receptor antagonist 4-DAMP greater than atropine greater than the selective M2-receptor antagonist AFDX-116 greater than the selective M1-receptor antagonist pirenzepine greater than hexamethonium. 4-DAMP was 16 and 29 times more potent than AFDX-116 (P less than 0.02) and pirenzepine (P less than 0.02). None of the drugs altered the intraluminal cross-sectional area during the balloon distensions. The model provides the opportunity for physiological and pharmacological studies of duodenal motility and duodenal cross-sectional area devoid of extrinsic neural and endocrine effects. The abolishment of the AEPR by atropine is caused by blockade of the M3-receptor in the porcine duodenum.

Within the tripartite structure of vertebrate synapses, enwrapping astroglial processes regulate synaptic transmission by transmitter uptake and by direct transmitter release. We applied confocal and two-photon laser scanning microscopy to acutely isolated slices prepared from the brainstem of transgenic TgN(GFAP-EGFP) mice. In transversal sections fluorescently labelled astrocytes are evenly distributed throughout the tissue. Astroglial processes contacted neuronal somata and enwrapped active synaptic terminals as visualized using FM1-43 staining in situ. Here, at these synaptic regions astroglial process endings displayed a high degree of dynamic morphological changes. Two defined modes of spontaneous motility could be distinguished: (i) gliding of thin lamellipodia-like membrane protrusions along neuronal surfaces and (ii) transient extensions of filopodia-like processes into the neuronal environment. Our observations highlight the active role of astrocytes in direct modulation of synaptic transmission.

The ethanol extract of the fruit of Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae) was studied for its neuropharmacological properties on experimental animals. On intraperitoneal injection, the extract significantly prolonged pentobarbital-induced sleeping time, produced alteration in the general behavior pattern, reduced exploratory behavior pattern, suppressed the aggressive behavior, affected locomotor activity and reduced spontaneous motility. The observations suggest that the fruit of S. nigrum possesses potential CNS-depressant action.

The effects of the LHRH antagonism on the acquisition of conditioned responses (CARs) and spontaneous motility were studied in intact and ovariectomized rats. A synthetic antagonist of LHRH, [N- acetyl- D -p- chloro-Phe 1,2 , D -Trp 3 , D -Arg 6 , D -Ala 10 ]- LHRH , was injected in a single dose (10 μg/rat, SC) at noon on the day of proestrus in the normally cycling rat, and behavioral experiments were carried out on the morning of estrus or metestrus. Two procedures were followed in the ovariectomized rats: in the first, the antagonist was injected 1 h before estradiol, and the second, at noon on the day after estradiol replacement. The experiments were carried out 24 and 48 h after estradiol, respectively. The LHRH antagonist facilitated the acquisition of CARs in both experimental groups, thus reversing the impairments observed during estrus and metestrus and those induced by estradiol replacement. The antagonist decreased the number of head shakes during estrus, whereas it induced an increase in total motility and rears in ovariectomized control animals. On the other hand, the antagonist increased the number of rears and reversed the decrease in grooming behavior induced by estradiol. The results led to the idea of a role of LHRH in behaviors not apparently related to sex, which could explain the behavioral changes observed across the estrous cycle and those induced by estradiol replacement in ovariectomized rats.

SUMMARY 1. The development of tolerance to the aqueous extract of kava, and to the lipid soluble extract (kava resin) was tested in mice. 2. Tolerance to the unknown pharmacologically active ingredient(s) developed very rapidly, given parenterally, in the aqueous extract. A minimally effective daily dose (50 mg/kg) of the aqueous extract for 3 days was sufficient to produce tolerance to a test dose of 150 mg/kg, which is close to the ED50. As tolerance was evident at the first test period it can be assumed to be physiological tolerance. 3. Kava resin decreased spontaneous motility and caused a loss of muscle control. A minimally effective daily dose of kava resin (100 mg/kg) did not produce tolerance to the above effects of a weekly test dose of kava resin (166 mg/kg) within 7 weeks. In a further experiment the dose was raised to 150 mg/kg twice daily and this schedule caused partial tolerance to occur within 3 weeks, but very little further tolerance developed over the ensuing 2-week period. 4. To try to induce learned (behaviourally acquired) tolerance a dose of 166 mg/kg kava resin was injected daily and animals were tested each day while under the influence of the drug. However, even under these conditions, there was no tolerance evident within 3 weeks, when the experiment was terminated. 5. It appears difficult to induce the development of physiological or learned tolerance to kava resin in mice.

Effects of temperature and variations of the extracellular Ca 2+ content on the activity of rabbit ileum were investigated. The spasmolytic efficacy of papaverine was also studied. A rise of temperature from 25 to 42°C significantly increased the spontaneous pendular movements, whereas the contraction amplitude was not significantly altered. Reduction of the extracellular Ca 2+ to one half did not affect spontaneous motility or the tension developed at a bath temperature of 25°C. At 42°C, however, lowering of the extracellular Ca 2+ decreased the frequency of motility but increased the contraction amplitude. At the high temperature the pD 2 value of papaverine was higher than at the low temperature. This effect was partly abolished after exposure to iodoacetic acid (IAA). Ca 2+ reduction had the same effect as a temperature rise: at a low extracellular Ca 2+ content the pD 2 of papaverine increased. It is concluded, therefore, that high temperatures stimulate the energy-requiring Ca 2+ pump mechanism thus leading to a lowered concentration of free intracellular Ca 2+ . As a consequence, the concentration of papaverine required to produce relaxation is less at the higher temperature than at the lower temperature.

Summary The effect of cycloheximide (2 μg/ml), puromycin (2 μg/ml) and actinomycin D (1 μg/ml), as well as the relation between the influence of cycloheximide and prostaglandin (PG) production on the spontaneous motility of 20 days-ovariectomized rat uterus, were studied. Cycloheximide evoked a more stable motility during the experimental period (180 min) when compared with controls. Neither puromycin nor actinomycin D could madify the spontaneous activity. In the presence of cycloheximide, the rat uterus released more PGE-like material than the untreated one, and no differences were found in the generation of PGF-like material. Indomethacin, acetylsalicylic acid and eicosa-5,8,11, 14- tetraynoic acid could partially block the cycloheximide-induced constancy of motility of uterine strips. Cyproheptadine and atropine had no effect at all. It is suggested that cycloheximide prevents the spontaneoys decay of the contractile activity at least in part by influencing PGE-like material production.

Summary Male spontaneously hypertensive Wistar rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKR) were maintained on low taurine (T-) diet and high T (T+) diet (T 3 % in the drinking fluid) and their spontaneous motility and open field exploratory activity were measured at the age of three months. T+ diet decreased the spontaneous motility of the SHR when compared to controls. SHR showed significantly greater open field activity than WKR. This exploratory activity was further enhanced by both T+ and T- diets in the SHR but not in the WKR strain. There were no significant differences between total brain T and 5-HT contents due to the strain or the diet. Taurine rich diet seems to inhibit the spontaneously very intensive activity of the SHR but at the same time to decrease their reactivity to stressful stimuli.

The effects of thyrotropin releasing hormone tartrate (TRH-T) on the behavior of cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) induced ataxic mice were studied. The ataxic mice were prepared by injecting 50 mg/kg/day subcutaneously on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th postnatal days. Spontaneous motor activities were measured with a movement spectrum analyzer (ANIMEX-2) and the degree of ataxic gait determined by an open-field study. Cerebella from these animals were subjected to histopathologic examination at 4, 8 and 12 weeks of age. Ataxic gait became improved moderately and spontaneous motor activities increased slightly following administration of TRH-T. The effects of TRH-T on ataxia and spontaneous motility in the Ara-C injected mice varied with the age, and resembled those seen in weaver mice but not those in the Rolling mouse Nagoya. The results also suggest that the effects of TRH-T on the behavior of ataxic mice correlate with the extent of pathologic changes evoked in their cerebella.

Variations in the spontaneous contractile activity during 6 hours following isolation of uterine horns from proestrus, metestrus and spayed rats, were explored. In estrus and metestrus preparations the contractions declined during 60 min and between 180–200 min a progressive spontaneous recovery (abolished by indomethacin) was observed up to 360 min. Uteri from proestrus and spayed animals exhibited a continuous depression without recovery during the whole experimental period. At 60 min, uterine horns from estrus animals (which showed a marked contractile decrement) released to the suspending medium significantly less prostaglandin E-like material than at 360 min, i.e. when contractions had almost completely recovered. No modification in the amount of prostaglandin F-like material was detected accompanying these spontaneous contractile variations. In the spayed group at 60 min of functioning (i.e. when the contractile impairment was significantly smaller than at a later time) the release of PGE was greater than at 360 min. These findings suggest a possible control of rat uterine contractions by PGE, rather than by PGF.

The motility of isolated uterine horns as well as the generation of PGE and PGF-like material by uterus from spayed rats, treated or untreated with progesterone or progesterone plus estradiol-17-beta, were studied. The changes of Functional Activity (FA) with time (constancy) of control uterine horns and that preparations treated wtih 2 mg of progesterone (P) were not significantly different. However, the PGF-like material released into the bathing solution was significantly higher when the animals were treated with P. PGE-like material in the medium was similar in both groups. With higher doses to P (4 mg/day/2 days) the constancy of FA was similar to that observed in untreated animals, and the PGF-like material released into the medium was significantly higher than in the control group FA and PGs releases into the bathing medium by uterine horns from supra-renalectomized-ovariectomized animals (treated or not with P) were similar to those obtained in spayed rats with the intact suprarenal gland, but the absolute values of PGF-like material were always lower than in this group. Estradiol-17-beta injected prior or after P diminished the stimulation induced by P on the release of PGF-like material into the medium. The constancy of the contractile activity as well as the uterine release of PGE-like material was also diminished in rats treated with P plus estradiol-17-beta. The novel finding that progesterone stimulates the synthesis of PGF in uterine horns from ovariectomized rats without changing that of PGE is discussed.

Summary The spontaneous isometric developed tension (IDT) and the frequency of contractions (FC) of the implantation or linea uteri (LU) and the non implantation or myometrial region (M) from uterine horns in different stages of the sex cycle were studied. The functional activity (FA= IDT × FC) of LU and M decreased with time comparably in proestrus and metestrus whereas during estrus the stability was significantly higher in the implantation region than in M. In uterine strips isolated from proestrus animals indomethacin (2; 5 or 10 μg/ml) did not change the functional activity neither of LU nor of M; on the contrary in metestrus, indomethacin diminished significantly the functional activity of both uterine regions. When the uterine strips (M and LU) were obtained from animals in estrus, only the implantation region was depressed by indomethacin at the 3 concentrations tested. The release of PGE and PGF-like material by incubated strips of M and LU obtained from estrus rats was also studied. The PGE-like material generated by the implantation zone was significantly higher than that released by non implantation region. Regarding PGF-like material, the spontaneous release was similar in M and LU. On the other hand PGI 2 -like material generated by LU and M was not significantly different. The probable implications of the differences found in these two regions of the estrus uterus are discussed.

Piperidine is a biogenic alicyclic amine possessing potent pharmacological activity. Interest has recently been focussed on its possible role as an endogenous hypnogenic substance. Using a mass fragmentographic technique with deuterium-labelled piperidine as an internal standard, the time relations of the change in brain levels of piperidine and the anesthetic activity of urethane were determined in mice. The brain piperidine level increased prior to the loss of the righting reflex and the elevated level declined prior to the reappearance of the reflex. The change in brain piperidine level correlated with neither that in spontaneous motility nor that in body temperature. The findings favor the idea that piperidine might at least partly regulate the level of consciousness.

In the past, the development of behavior in vertebrate embryos has been interpreted in terms of two opposing viewpoints. Coghill, on the basis of his observations on the salamander Ambystoma, has maintained that behavior represents an integrated pattern from beginning to end; partial patterns segregate from total patterns by a developmental process which he calls “individuation.” The opposing view, advocated by Windle and other students of the behavior of mammalian embryos and fetuses, contends that local reflexes are the elementary units of behavior that combine secondarily to form integrated patterns

The effects of dopamine administered intraventricularly in various doses (5–100 μg) on the spontaneous motility of rats were tested. The effects of dopamine were dosedependent: doses of 5–10 μg dopamine caused a small but statistically significant (P< 0.05) increase in spontaneous motor activity 20–30 min after intra ventricular administration. Greater doses of dopamine (50–100 μg) produced initially (for 20 min) a decrease in the rat's motility with stuporous signs and assymetric body posture. During the next 20–60 min after injections of greater doses of dopamine there was an increase in the number of motions observed. Biochemical determinations showed that after the administration of 10μg dopamine to whole rat brain tissue no alterations in the levels of dopamine and noradrenaline occurred. After injection of 50 μg dopamine, a statistically significant rise in the dopamine level was found. Sixty minutes after injection of this dose the level of noradrenaline was also increased.

400 mg/kg alpha-methyldopa i.p. inhibits the convulsion facilitating effect of 2,5 mg/kg reserpine i.p. in mice and rats. The effect of reserpine potentiating narcosis and decreasing spontaneous motility was not influenced by alpha-methyldopa. In animals pretreated with alpha-methyldopa reserpine does not decrease the norepine-phrine content of the brain, but the serotonin level is as low as in animals given reserpine alone.

Previous studies of the spontaneous cyclic motility of the chick embryo were extended to incubation day 17. The activity and inactivity phases of the cycle were recorded on a polygraph, for a 15-minute observation period. The percentage of time spent in activity rises steadily from less than 10% at the beginning of motility at three and one-half days to 80% at day 13. This peak is maintained up to day 17; subsequently, motility declines. The mean duration of activity phases increases and that of the inactivity phases decreases until the high plateau is reached, though both values change independently of each other. In order to study the effect of the brain on spontaneous motility, spinal embryos were obtained by extirpation of part of the cervical cord in two-day embryos. The spinal embryos retain their capacity for cyclic motility. However, the activity is reduced by approximately 10–20% at all stages between the eighth and the seventeenth day. The brain influence asserts itself in a lengthening of the duration of the activity phases and in a shortening of the inactivity phases. An inhibitory effect was not observed at any stage.

Isolated duodenal segments, obtained from rats exposed one to three days previously to 1,000 R whole body irradiation, had increased average amplitudes of contraction compared to non-irradiated controls. Gut obtained from rats exposed to 500 R and 1,000 R showed an apparently normal response to acetylcholine but a diminished contractile response to serotonin. The period of regrowth of the mucosal epithelium four to six days after 500 R corresponded to a partial or complete recovery in the response to serotonin. These results suggest that an altered intestinal serotonin response possibly associated with mucosal damage must be considered in the aetiology of gut motility changes during the acute radiation syndrome.

These studies were performed to investigate the influence of diethyldithiocarbamate on the toxicity of amphetamine in aggregated mice. In the same mice changes in body temperature and spontaneous motility were determined. In the other experiments brain catecholamine concentrations were assayed. Diethyldithiocarbamate potentiated the toxicity of amphetamine in some experimental conditions and slightly antagonized it in others. These effects are discussed in relation to behavioral and biochemical changes observed in mice.

Prolactin (PRL) and Relaxin (RXL) are present in human decidua at term. In previous experiments we observed that the inhibition of spontaneous uterine contractions produced by decidual RLX was masked or absent if the samples were contaminated with PRL. The present study reports the effect of purified human PRL and of sera from hyperprolactinemic patients on the motility of the uterus in vitro. Also, we studied the effect of RLX on the uterus after exposure to PRL. High-PRL sera and purified human PRL produced prompt increases in the frequency and the amplitude of the spontaneous contractions of the rat uterus. PRL antagonized RLX both when the uterus was exposed first to RLX and then to PRL and when it was exposed first to PRL and then to RLX.

Guppy (Lebistes reticulatus) embryos pass through a distinct sequence of motor behaviors that leads to swimming capability during the course of their development. We have characterized these activities in order of appearance, with several corresponding morphological features, as belonging to the coil stage, tail-twitch stage, S-movement stage, and swimming stage. A primary feature of development was an increase in the amount of activity per unit of time over these four stages. The developmental pattern of motility was not interrupted by spinal transection until the onset of swimming, implying that supraspinal information is not required for the occurrence of the primitive behaviors that precede swimming. Elimination of swimming by spinal transection did not elicit a reversion to less complex activities, suggesting that once the cerebral control for swimming is developed, it represents a hardwired system not behaviorally reducible to antecedent components.

Measurements were made of spontaneous contractions and release of prostaglandin E-and F-like material into the bathing medium by uterine horns isolated from rats in different stages of the sex cycle. After 70 min of contractile activity the preparations from estrous rats released more PGF than those from proestrous or metestrous rats. On the other hand, similar amounts of PGF-like material is generated by estrous and diestrous horns. Less PGE-like material was found in the bathing solution during estrus than in metestrus or diestrus; the values obtained during proestrus were similar to those in estrus. PGI2_like material produced by chopped uterine tissue was greater during diestrus than in estrus. The initial isometric developed tension (IDT) and tension constancy varied depeding of the stage of the sex cycle. Uteri from metestrous rats exhibited greater IDT and less % change with time than preparations from estrous or proestrous rats. The initial IDT, the tension change with time and contractile frequency correlate with the PGE-like material in the bathing solution during the 4 days of the sex cycle. There was no correlation with PGF-like material.

An in vivo technique for monitoring uterine contractility has been developed and used to assess the effects of naproxen on both spontaneous motility and that due to exogenous PGF2 alpha in the hamster and the rat. Naproxen has been shown to suppress uterine motility in both situations, in both species, whether administered by parenteral or oral routes. The hamster was shown to be approximately 10 X less sensitive to naproxen than is the rat (625 mg/kg vs 62.5 mg/kg) but conversely was 100 X more sensitive than rat to uterine contractive effects of PGF 2 alpha (10 ng vs 1000 ng).

SummaryA number of anti-inflammatory agents were tested for their effect on the chemotaxis responsiveness and on the spontaneous motility of neutrophils obtained from rabbit and rat peritoneal exudates and human blood. The majority of these agents, both steroidal and nonsteroidal, inhibited the chemotactic responsiveness of neutrophils obtained from all three sources to a bacterial chemotactic factor. The effective steroidal anti-inflammatory agents tested inhibited both chemotaxis and spontaneous motility, whereas the nonsteroidal agents, with the exception of phenylbutazone, inhibited only chemotaxis and were without effect on motility.We thank Mr. Henry Showell in the laboratory of Dr. Elmer Becker at the University of Connecticut Health Center for providing us with the butanol extract of E. coli culture filtrates. We also appreciate the work of Miss Kathy Walmsley and Mrs. Barbara Cerne in typing this manuscript.

Strychnine (STR), glycine (GLY), and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were injected intravenously into 6- and 7-day chick embryos and subsequent effects upon spontaneous motility were observed. In 7-day embryos STR alone increased motility and when injected simultaneously with GLY antagonized the GLY-induced motility decrements; STR did not antagonize GABA-induced motility decrements. In 6-day embryos STR injected alone had no effect on motility, but did antagonize motility decrements induced by the simultaneous injection of GLY; again STR did not antagonize GABA-induced motility decrements.

1. 1. The general pharmacological properties of musk were studied. 2. 2. After the application of musk, inhibition of acetic acid-induced writhing, hemolytic effect and excitation of spontaneous uterine motility of rats, inhibition of spontaneous motility in isolated ileum of rabbits, and anti-inflammatory effects and potentiation of β-adrenergic action in isolated preparations of guinea pig trachea were observed. 3. 3. These effects were not observed after application of muscone or allantoin, constituents of musk.

Summary. Continuous recordings of the electrical and mechanical activities of the cervix were made. Two basic patterns of electrical signal, short spike bursts and long spike bursts, showed close mechanical relationships with the record of mechanical activity. Electrical activity was organized in myoelectrical complexes including the regular alternation of phases of irregular spiking activity and phases of regular spiking activity. The myoelectrical complexes of the cervix existed independently of the sexual status although the frequency of recurrence did vary. The highest frequency was recorded during the periovulatory period around oestrus when each complex was synchronized with a similar pattern recorded from the uterine horns. At the end of the periovulatory period, the irregular spiking activity decreased, the myoelectrical complex pattern of the cervix and uterine horns consisting mainly of regular spiking activity at a high frequency until metoestrus. During the luteal phase, only the cervix remained active, with myoelectrical complexes formed mainly by phases of regular spiking activity recurring at long intervals. This pattern was also recorded after ovariectomy in the absence of hormonal treatment.

When restrained in a quasi-fetal position, infant rats (2–3 weeks old) remain for an extended period in a sleep-like state as judged by polygraphic criteria. Moreover, they become very difficult to arouse by sensory stimuli, and show a level of spontaneous motility considerably higher than is normally found at this age during sleep. Phasic generalized body movements, which are often quite stereotyped, occur in trains at regular intervals, against a low background level of neck muscle tonus. The amplitude of the cortical EEG, especially in the delta band, is negatively correlated with the frequency of spontaneous motor burst activity. It is suggested that these REM-like “rapid body movements” in immature mammals may well represent a transitional stage between fetal behavior patterns and sleep motility in the adult organism.

From the leaves of COLUBRINA ASIATICA B RONGEN (Rhamnaceae) two saponins have been isolated and structurally elucidated, mainly by (13)C-NMR-spectroscopic methods, as jujubogenin-3-O-[2-O-acetyl-3-O-(3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-4-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-alpha-L-arabinoside] (colubrinoside) and jujubogenin-3-O- [2-O-acetyl -3-O- (2-O- beta -D- xylopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-alpha-L-arabinoside] (colubrin) respectively. Both saponins inhibit the spontaneous motility of mice, even at low doses (1 mg/ kg), they show an antagonistic effect on amphetamine and exert a synergistic activity on chlordiazepoxide.

Histamine (5 X 10(-6) to 10(-3) M) depressed the spontaneous motility of the isolated rat uterus in a dose-dependent manner. Under these conditions uterine cyclic AMP was raised up to 92%. Both effects, uterine relaxation and cyclic AMP accumulation after 2 min could be inhibited dose dependently by the H2-antihistaminic compound metiamide (1.7 X 10(-6) M to 1.7 X 10(-4) M). By contrast, the H1-antagonist pheniramin (4.4 X 10(-5) M) was ineffective. It was concluded that the histamine-induced inhibition of rat uterine motility is mediated by cyclic AMP which is formed in response to stimulation of H2-histaminergic receptors.

Monkeys receiving acetylmethadol thrice weekly were more active on dosing days, and less active on between-dose days, than while drug-free. Aggressive social behaviours increased significantly on drug-dosing days, while quiescent resting behaviors were much more common on between-dose days. Tolerance to these effects was modest, and the effects were not blocked by naltrexone. These subtle but potentially disruptive behavioral effects appear to parallel many of the actions of acetylmethadol in man.

IN the course of the search for the hormone which results in inhibition of gastric secretion and motility after fat has entered the duodenum, the ability of duodenal extracts to inhibit the motility of denervated gastric pouches has become crucial. The presence of fat in the duodenum inhibits the spontaneous motility of Heidenhain pouches1, but many duodenal extracts which inhibit acid secretion will not do this. Extracts of duodenal mucosa containing secretin2 and even more conclusively extracts containing cholecystokinin/pancreozymin3 inhibit gastric acid secretion.