The pioneer contribution of Luiz Marcellino de Oliveira to experimental analysis of behavior and psychobiological investigation in Brazil

Luiz Marcellino de Oliveira (1939-2008) had an influential participation in almost every moment of the history of the Department of Psychology and Education, FFCLRP, as well as at different moments of the history of the Brazilian Psychology. This paper examines issues related to his pioneer work as a teacher of experimental analysis of behavior and as a psychobiological investigator in Brazil. Emphasis is given to his dedication to the development of science and to the consolidation of a scientific approach to Psychology in Brazil at the level of teaching and of experimental investigation. He contributed with investigations on the effects of drugs and malnourishment on behavior and brain development, conducting experimental analysis of behavior and neurochemical and electrophysiological analysis of the nervous system of the malnourished organism, as well as putting emphasis on environmental stimulation as a valuable intervention. Both as a teacher and as a researcher he exerted a prime influence on numerous professionals and members of the academic community that during more than forty years had the privilege of benefiting from his friendship and knowledge.(AU)

The pioneer contribution of Luiz Marcellino de Oliveira to experimental analysis of behavior and psychobiological investigation in Brazil

Luiz Marcellino de Oliveira (1939-2008) had an influential participation in almost every moment of the history of the Department of Psychology and Education, FFCLRP, as well as at different moments of the history of the Brazilian Psychology. This paper examines issues related to his pioneer work as a teacher of experimental analysis of behavior and as a psychobiological investigator in Brazil. Emphasis is given to his dedication to the development of science and to the consolidation of a scientific approach to Psychology in Brazil at the level of teaching and of experimental investigation. He contributed with investigations on the effects of drugs and malnourishment on behavior and brain development, conducting experimental analysis of behavior and neurochemical and electrophysiological analysis of the nervous system of the malnourished organism, as well as putting emphasis on environmental stimulation as a valuable intervention. Both as a teacher and as a researcher he exerted a prime influence on numerous professionals and members of the academic community that during more than forty years had the privilege of benefiting from his friendship and knowledge.

Luiz Otávio de Seixas Queiroz: um pioneiro da análise do comportamento no Brasil / Luiz Otávio de Queiroz: a pioneer of the analysis of behavior in Brazil

O presente texto relata fatos e comentários que caracterizam Luiz Otávio Seixas de Queiroz (1938-2003) como um dos pioneiros da análise do comportamento no Brasil. Enfatiza-se a importância do âmbito de ação da sua atuação profissional, que abrangeu a instalação do curso de Psicologia com sistema de ensino programa do individualizado na Universidade de Brasília e do Laboratório de Análise Experimental do Comportamento na Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas, a formação de alunos, e a aplicação de princípios de análise comportamental à clínica e ao trabalho em hospital psiquiátrico. Como professor, pesquisador e clínico, estabeleceu as contingências efetivas para a formação de várias gerações de analistas do comportamento.(AU)

This paper examines issues relating to the work of Luiz Otávio Seixas de Queiroz (1938-2003), a pioneer of the experimental analysis of behavior in Brazil. Emphasis is given to the wide ranging influence of his work,including participation in the institution of the personalized system of teaching in the Psychology course at the University of Brasilia, the Laboratory of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior in the Pontificate Catholic Universityof Campinas, undergraduate teaching and utilization of applied behavioral analysis in the psychological clinic and to routines in a psychiatric hospital. His work as an educator, researcher and clinician was effective for shaping and maintaining several generations of behavior analysts.(AU)

Effects of hippocampal lesions in a food location task in pigeons.

This study investigated the role of the hippocampus in pigeons learning of a food-related choice task. The effects of lesions induced by ibotenic acid were analyzed in two experiments. Experiment 1 investigated the effects of hippocampal damage on postoperative memory retrieval and in reversal learning. Experiment 2 investigated the effects of hippocampal lesions on the acquisition and reversal of learning. In both experiments probe tests were used to assess the behavioral strategies underlying the choice. In Experiment 1 hippocampal lesions impaired the preoperative learned performance in terms of choice latency but not choice accuracy. Experiment 2 data showed that, in postoperative learning sessions, latency as well as choice accuracy were impaired by hippocampal damage. The probe tests, in which a curtain was placed around the chamber, revealed behavioral patterns of a non-mapping strategy. This was true in both experiments and groups (experimental and controls). Immediately after training, during the probe tests of both experiments, in which food cups were omitted, the three groups spent more time in the target quadrant. However, immediately after the reversal condition, neither hippocampal damaged nor control pigeons showed a preference for the target quadrant. This may be interpreted as evidence for a hippocampal role in stimulus location learning involving non-mapping strategies.

Enhancement of latent inhibition by chronic mild stress in rats submitted to emotional response conditioning.

This work evaluated the influence of chronic mild stress on latent inhibition (LI) in rats, using a conditioned emotional response (CER) procedure. Rats were assigned to four groups: a non pre-exposed control group (NPC), a non pre-exposed stressed group (NPS), a pre-exposed control group (PC), and a pre-exposed stressed group (PS). Stressed animals were submitted to a chronic mild stress (CMS) regimen for three weeks. The off-baseline conditioned emotional response procedure had four phases: licking response training, tone-shock conditioning, retraining, and testing. Conditioning consisted of 2 tone (30 s) and shock (0.5 s) associations. Tone-shock conditioning evidenced by NPS and NPC groups suggests that stress did not interfere with the expression of a conditioned emotional response. Pre-exposure was carried out using 6 tones (30 s) during 2 sessions before conditioning. Prior exposure to the tone resulted in a decrease in learning that was greater in stressed animals. The results indicate an increase in latent inhibition induced by chronic mild stress. Such LI potentiation after CMS may be related to dopamine (DA) neurotransmission reduction in the central nervous system.

Plasticidade neural: relações com o comportamento e abordagens experimentais / Neural plasticity: relations with behavior and experimental approaches

As interações entre os estímulos ambientais e as respostas de um organismo determinam as propriedades comportamentais que lhe garantem adaptação a diferentes situações e individualidade comportamental. A interação organismo-ambiente também diferencia e molda os circuitos neurais, que caracterizam a plasticidade e a individualidade neural do organismo. Os estudos sobre plasticidade neural incluem aqueles que manipulam o ambiente e analisam mudanças em circuitos neurais e outros que enfatizam recuperação comportamental após lesão do sistema nervoso. Diferentes questões relativas à fisiologia e ao comportamento, como também à morfologia, à bioquímica e à genética, são abordadas. Este trabalho procura caracterizar diferentes abordagens no estudo da plasticidade neural, indicando as suas relações com a análise do comportamento e da aprendizagem. A investigação dos efeitos que a interação organismo-ambiente produz sobre os sistemas neurais subjacentes ao comportamento é enfatizada como interessante(AU)

Plasticidade neural: relações com o comportamento e abordagens experimentais / Neural plasticity: relations with behavior and experimental approaches

As interações entre os estímulos ambientais e as respostas de um organismo determinam as propriedades comportamentais que lhe garantem adaptação a diferentes situações e individualidade comportamental. A interação organismo-ambiente também diferencia e molda os circuitos neurais, que caracterizam a plasticidade e a individualidade neural do organismo. Os estudos sobre plasticidade neural incluem aqueles que manipulam o ambiente e analisam mudanças em circuitos neurais e outros que enfatizam recuperação comportamental após lesão do sistema nervoso. Diferentes questões relativas à fisiologia e ao comportamento, como também à morfologia, à bioquímica e à genética, são abordadas. Este trabalho procura caracterizar diferentes abordagens no estudo da plasticidade neural, indicando as suas relações com a análise do comportamento e da aprendizagem. A investigação dos efeitos que a interação organismo-ambiente produz sobre os sistemas neurais subjacentes ao comportamento é enfatizada como interessante

Ritmicidade biológica e a organizaçäo temporal da aprendizagem / Biological rhythmicity and the temporal organization of the learning

O presente trabalho levanta questöes referentes à análise de diferentes aprendizagens no contexto da organizaçäo temporal do comportamento. A análise fundamenta-se em literatura sobre a ritmicidade endógena de todos os sistemas fisiológicos. Especificamente, a influência de ritmicidade circadiana na aquisiçäo e manutençäo de respostas condicionais e na modulaçäo comportamental é revista em estudos com diferentes espécies animais. Também säo abordadas pesquisas recentes sobre sincronizaçäo de ritmos circadianos à administraçäo de melatonina exógena, questionando o papel deste hormônio na organizaçäo circadiana em geral. No conjunto, tais evidências enfatizam o interesse em análises das relaçöes entre variaçäo circadiana da aprendizagem e níveis plasmáticos de melatonina como um possível meio para o entendimento da organizaçäo temporal da aprendizagem.