TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Ingo A1 - Dolch, Dietrich A1 - Ariunbold, Jargalsaikhan A1 - Stubbe, Michael A1 - Abraham, Andreas A1 - Thiele, Klaus T1 - Ectoparasites of bats in Mongolia : Part 2 (Ischnopsyllidae, Nycteribiidae, Cimicidae and Acari) N2 - This study analyses ectoparasites found on Mongolian bats between 2008 and 2011. We examined 12 different bat species, with a total of 23 ectoparasite species present. Apart from reporting distributions, we also discuss specific host-parasite relationships. Owing to recent taxonomic changes splitting the Myotis mystacinus-group into several new taxa, their corresponding ectoparasite fauna could also be addressed in detail. Introducing ectoparasitic insects at length elsewhere (SCHEFFLER et al., 2010), this paper focuses on the analysis of parasitic Acari. Additional findings for Spinturnicidae (wing mites) and Macronyssidae broadened the spectrum of known parasites. Altogether, the knowledge of bat ectoparasites from Mongolia remains very sketchy. Based on different examples, we discuss current taxonomic problems regarding the species status of parasites, and suggest avenues for future research. Y1 - 2012 SN - 0440-1298 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Abraham, Andreas A1 - Gruss, Michael T1 - Stress inoculation facilitates active avoidance learning of the semi-precocial rodent Octodon degus N2 - A growing body of evidence highlights the impact of the early social environment for the adequate development of brain and behavior in animals and humans. Disturbances of this environment were found to be both maladaptive and adaptive to emotional and cognitive function. Using the semi-precocial, biparental rodent Octodon degus, we aimed to examine (i) the impact of age (juvenile/adult), sex (male/female), and (ii) "motivation" to solve the task (by applying increasing foot-shock-intensities) on two-way active avoidance (TWA) learning in socially reared degus, and (iii) whether early life stress inoculation by 1 h daily parental separation during the first three weeks of life has maladaptive or adaptive consequences on cognitive function as measured by TWA learning. Our results showed that (i) juvenile degus, unlike altricial rats of the same age, can successfully learn the TWA task comparable to adults, and (ii) that learning performance improves with increasing "task motivation", irrespective of age and sex. Furthermore, we revealed that (iii) stress inoculation improves avoidance learning, particularly in juvenile males, quantitatively and qualitatively depending on "task motivation". In conclusion, the present study describes for the first time associative learning in O. degus and its modulation by early life stress experience as an animal model to study the underlying mechanisms of learning and memory in the stressed and unstressed brain. Although, stress is commonly viewed as being maladaptive, our data indicate that early life stress inoculation triggers developmental cascades of adaptive functioning, which may improve cognitive and emotional processing of stressors later in life. Y1 - 2010 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01664328 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2010.05.018 SN - 0166-4328 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pinkernelle, Josephine A1 - Abraham, Andreas A1 - Seidel, Katja A1 - Braun, Katharina T1 - Paternal deprivation induces dendritic and synaptic changes and hemispheric asymmetry of pyramidal neurons in the somatosensory cortex N2 - Similar to maternal care, paternal care is a source of neonatal sensory stimulation, which in primates and rodents has been shown to be essential for developing structure and function of sensory cortices. The aim of our study in the biparental rodent Octodon degus was to assess the impact of paternal deprivation on dendritic and synaptic development in the somatosensory cortex. We (i) quantified the amount of paternal care in relation to total parental investment and (ii) compared dendritic and synaptic development of pyramidal neurons in the somatosensory cortex of animals raised by a single mother or by both parents. On the behavioral level we show that paternal care comprises 37% of total parent-offspring interactions, and that the somatosensory stimulation provided by the fathers primarily consists of huddling, licking/grooming, and playing. On the morphological level we found that, compared with offspring raised by both parents (mother and father), the father-deprived animals displayed significantly reduced spine numbers on the basal dendrites of pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, paternal deprivation induces hemispheric asymmetry of the dendritic morphology of somatosensory pyramidal neurons. Father-deprived animals show shorter and less complex basal dendrites in the left somatosensory cortex compared with the right hemisphere. These findings indicate that paternal deprivation results in delayed or retarded dendritic and synaptic development of somatosensory circuits. Y1 - 2009 UR - http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/114030483 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/Dneu.20726 SN - 1932-8451 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Ingo A1 - Dolch, Dietrich A1 - Ariunbold, Jargalsaikhan A1 - Batsaikhan, Nyamsuren A1 - Abraham, Andreas A1 - Thiele, Klaus T1 - Ectoparasites of bats in Mongolia (Ischnopsyllidae, Nycteribiidae, Cimicidae and Spinturnicidae) N2 - For large parts of the world, the knowledge of bat ectoparasites is still scanty. Regarding Mongolia, only few studies exist to date. This paper analyses results from extensive captures between 2005 -2008, carried out in different sites of Mongolia. Discussed ectoparasites include bat fleas, (Ischnopsyllidae), bat flies (Nycteribiidae), and bat bugs (Cimicidae) and spinturnicid mites (Spinturnicidae). A number of species found in this study were new records for Mongolia, and for many species additional sites were reported. For some bat species, the spectrum and frequency of larger ectoparasites could be determined for the first time. Y1 - 2010 SN - 0440-1298 ER -