Effects of chronic kombucha ingestion on open-field behaviors, longevity, appetitive behaviors, and organs in c57-bl/6 mice: a pilot study.

Kombucha is a lightly fermented tea beverage popularly consumed as a self-prescribed folk-remedy for numerous ailments. Kombucha is claimed to enhance cognition, aid weight loss, and prolong life. This pilot study reports longevity, general health, and open-field exploratory behavioral outcomes from a 3-y longitudinal study of 64 C57-BL/6 mice (males and females), half of which chronically drank kombucha, and all of which experienced natural mortality. Compared by MANOVA to controls, mice that drank kombucha showed greater vertical exploration (P = 0.001) and a sex-interactive effect in novel object manipulation (P = 0.049). MANOVA of kombucha-drinking mice compared to controls detected differences in appetitive behaviors (food consumption, P < 0.001; beverage consumption, P = 0. 008), and gross body weight (P < 0.001). Appetitive behaviors changed with the addition of voluntary exercise on a running wheel, with differing patterns of change noted for males and females. Both male and female mice who drank kombucha lived longer than controls (P < 0.001), with the greatest variability among the male mice (sex interactive effect, P < 0.001). Comparable effects and mechanisms in humans remain uncertain, as do health safety issues, because serious health problems and fatalities have been reported and attributed to drinking kombucha.

Effect of exposure to photographs of thin models on self-consciousness in female college students.

The purpose of this study was to assess the immediate influence of brief exposure to images taken from print media on the general self-consciousness and body self-consciousness of 67 college women. After viewing photographs of either thin female models or control photographs, the women completed the Self-consciousness Scale and the Body Self-consciousness Questionnaire. Although alpha was .45, the college women who looked at images of thin female models gave immediate ratings significantly (p < .001) higher on both general Self-consciousness and Body Self-consciousness than those who looked at control images.

Lavender aromatherapy in recovery from exercise.

20 men were randomly assigned to a control or an experimental group. After baseline screening, all subjects performed moderate physical exercise for 2 min., then rested for 10 min., during which the experimental group was exposed to lavender aromatherapy. Recovery measures included diastolic and systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, pulse pressure, and heart rate. As the mean difference in diastolic blood pressure fell just short of statistical significance, further study with larger groups is required.

Effects of second language study of phonemic discrimination and auditory event-related potentials in adults.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of acquisition of a second language on auditory even-related brain potentials and discrimination of foreign language phonemes by 36 women (ages 18 to 47 years), and 25 men (ages 18 to 36 years) and of varying linguistic background, in response to synthetic versions of Japanese phonemes. Subjects were subsequently tested on discrimination between spoken Japanese phonemes. Analysis indicated that the men and women differed in phonological processing and in the way acquisition of the second language affected phonological processing.

Event-related brain potentials and psychology course mean examination grades.

Since 1965 research into the event-related brain potentials of the human electroencephalogram suggests that these EEG components are closely related to human information-processing activities. In this study were tested 21 normal adult university students (12 women, 9 men, ages 19 to 51 years) from the Alaskan subarctic, using both the auditory and visual event-related potential oddball paradigms. The event-related brain potential recordings were analyzed as explanatory variables of academic performance, as measured by the mean of a series of multiple-choice examinations covering lecture and text material. No high association between these brain electrophysiological measures and students' academic performance was observed. At best, one component explained 27.6% of the variation in mean examination grades.

Geophysical variables and behavior: LXX. Testing electromagnetic explanations for a possible psychokinetic effect of therapeutic touch on germinating corn seed.

Designs used to test claims for psychic healing of living systems not amenable to suggestion may produce artifact in the results when there is failure to control for other possible explanations. Some experimental methods in psychokinesis may produce electromagnetic field flux which could lead to erroneous conclusions. This study adds electrical and magnetic controls to assess their effect, leading to the conclusion that therapeutically touched corn seeds did not recover from saline injury significantly better than untreated controls.

A comparison of the psychological characteristics of smokers, ex-smokers, and nonsmokers.

The present investigation was designed to ascertain differences among smokers (n = 51), ex-smokers (n = 46), and nonsmokers (n = 138) in self-control and needs for affiliation, order, and endurance. Ex-smokers were found to have significantly greater self-control, as well as considerably higher needs for order and endurance, than smokers or nonsmokers, and a markedly greater need for affiliation than smokers. Furthermore, nonsmokers exhibited significantly more self-control than smokers. It was concluded that ex-smokers, rather than being intermediate between smokers and nonsmokers, comprised a distinct group on the scales examined.

Behavioral effects following rehabilitation from postnatal exposure to lead acetate.

At 21 days of age three groups of male hooded rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain were exposed to either untreated water or lead acetate at concentrations of 25 or 50 ppm provided ad lib. in the drinking water for 40 days. When tested for spontaneous alternation, the subjects receiving both 50 ppm and 25 ppm lead acetate exhibited significantly reduced rates of alternation below those of untreated control subjects. Immediately subsequent to testing, lead was removed from the diet of the experimental groups and water substituted which was provided ad lib. for the duration of the experiment. This regimen of rehabilitation was continued for 70 days at which time all subjects were tested on the problems of the Hebb-Williams closed-field maze-learning task. No significant differences were found in the time taken to traverse the maze enclosure, the number of squares traversed, or in the total number of error zones entered over the 12 test problems, although significantly increased latencies to leave the start box were noted for subjects previously exposed to lead acetate. These data indicate that some deficits produced by postweaning lead acetate exposure may be reversible and not persist beyond a period of rehabilitation.

Learning impairments following postnatal exposure to benzene.

Two groups of male hooded rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain were administered 550 mg/kg of benzene in corn oil or pure corn oil on Days 9, 11, and 13 postpartum. When tested on problems of the Hebb-Williams closed-field maze-learning task, the rats previously exposed to benzene manifest significantly impaired learning ability when compared to control rats in the total number of error zones entered over the 12 test problems. No significant differences were found in food consumption, water consumption, or weight gain. Moreover, none of the overt manifestations characteristic of acute or chronic benzene exposure were observed. Learning deficits were exhibited at levels of exposure previously considered subtoxic.

Social avoidance and distress: its relationship to self-confidence, and needs for affiliation, change, dominance, and deference.

Introductory psychology students (N = 289) completed questionnaires to assess levels of Social Avoidance and Distress (SAD), as well as scales to measure self-confidence (S-Cfd), need for Affiliation (nAff), need for Change (nCha), need for Dominance (nDom), and need for Deference (nDef). As a function of SAD, significant differences were revealed on all dependent measures. Persons who exhibited higher levels of SAD had lower levels of S-Cfd, nAff, nCha, and nDom, while they exhibited higher levels of nDef. People distressed by social interaction are likely to be less self-confident and to exhibit lower needs for affiliation, change, and dominance, while they exhibited a stronger need to defer to others' judgments and opinions.

Chronic lead exposure of rats: open-field performance.

Three groups of male hooded rats were chronically exposed to lead in the acetate form prenatally, as well as postnatally via the dam's milk and in the drinking water, at concentrations of 0 ppm, 19 ppm, and 38 ppm for 35 days. No significant differences were found in weight gain, although significant increases in food consumption were noted in animals receiving 19 ppm lead acetate and increased ingestion of lead acetate in animals receiving 19 ppm and 38 ppm. When subjects were tested in an open-field task, no significant differences were found in emotionality, the number of squares traversed, frequency and duration of rearing, or in frequency of grooming. However, subjects receiving 38 ppm lead displayed a significant reduction in duration of grooming when compared to animals receiving either 19 ppm or 0 ppm. The results suggest that prenatal lead exposure, followed by postnatal exposure, may affect some elements of activity, while having little effect on others.

Social avoidance and distress as a predictor of perceived locus of control and level of self-esteem.

Proposed the degree of social discomfort to be indicative of an individual's perceived locus of control and level of self-esteem. Introductory psychology students (N = 143) at the University of Alaska completed questionnaires for Social Avoidance and Distress (SAD), Rotter's Internal versus External Control of Reinforcement Scale, and Janis-Field Personality Inventory. There were significant differences in locus of control and level of self-esteem among those Ss rated as high SAD, moderate SAD, and low SAD. High SAD Ss were found to have significantly greater external locus of control and lower self-esteem than either the moderate or low SAD Ss. Individuals who experience social anxiety, as opposed to those who are comfortable in social situations, are likely to feel that they have less control over the rewards in life and experience less positive self-regard.