RESUMEN
Introduction: Chronic use of various compounds can have long-lasting effects on animal behavior, and some of these effects can be influenced by the environment. Many environmental enrichment protocols have the potential to induce behavioral changes. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate how environmental enrichment can mitigate the effects of chronic methylphenidate consumption on the behavior of Wistar rats. Methods: The animals were housed for 20 days under either an environmental enrichment protocol (which included tubes of different shapes) or standard housing conditions. After seven days, half of the rats received 13 days of oral administration of methylphenidate (2 mg/kg). After seven days, the rats underwent behavioral tests, including the elevated plus maze (anxiety), open field (locomotion), object-in-place recognition test (spatial memory), and a test for social interaction (social behavior). Results: The results showed that the enriched environmental condition reversed the enhanced time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze induced by methylphenidate (F[1,43] = 4.275, p = 0.045). Methylphenidate also enhanced exploratory rearing in the open field (F[1,43] = 4.663, p = 0.036) and the time spent in the open area of the open field (H[3] = 8.786, p = 0.032). The enriched environment mitigated the inhibition of social interaction with peers induced by methylphenidate (H[3] = 16.755, p < 0.001) as well as the preference for single exploratory behavior (H[3] = 9.041, p = 0.029). Discussion: These findings suggest that environmental enrichment can counteract some of the effects of methylphenidate. These results are relevant for the clinical treatment of the long-lasting secondary effects associated with methylphenidate pharmacological treatment.
RESUMEN
El Inventario del Desarrollo Comunicativo MacArthur- Bates (CDI Fenson, Marchman, Thal, Dale & Reznick, 2007) es un instrumento que permite evaluar de forma válida y confiable el desarrollo comunicativo y lingüístico de niños pequeños. Este estudio da cuenta del proceso de adaptación del CDI a los usos lingüísticos y al contexto cultural colombiano, así como su primera fase de baremación en la ciudad de Bogotá y sus alrededores. Los padres de 825 niños y niñas entre 8 y 30 meses de edad de diferentes estratos socioeconómicos, residentes en la ciudad de Bogotá y poblaciones aledañas, diligenciaron los inventarios adaptados para la población. El análisis estadístico incluyó medidas de confiabilidad y validez, las cuales avalan la consistencia interna y el valor predictivo de las escalas. Los resultados del presente estudio permiten identificar el ritmo evolutivo del proceso de adquisición del lenguaje en los niños colombianos, observando reorganizaciones y discontinuidades tal y como se reporta en otras adaptaciones del CDI.
The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories- CDI (Fenson et al., 2007) is an instrument that allows a valid and reliable assessment of the communicative and linguistic development in young children. This paper describes the normalization process of the instrument to the language and cultural context of Colombia, as well as the first part of creation of the age-expected scores for the Capital city (Bogotá). The parents of 825 children, between 8 and 30 months from different socioeconomic backgrounds residing in Bogota's greater area, completed the adapted inventories. Statistical analysis included reliability and validity measures, which suggest internal consistency and a good predictive value for the scales version. Results allow the identification of developmental rhythms in language acquisition for colombian children, where discontinuities and reorganizations are the common note with different CDI adaptations around the world.
