@article{WalzMuehlbergerPauli2016,
  author    = {Walz, Nora and M{\"u}hlberger, Andreas and Pauli, Paul},
  title     = {A human open field test reveals thigmotaxis related to agoraphobic fear},
  series = {Biological Psychiatry},
  volume    = {80},
  journal   = {Biological Psychiatry},
  number    = {5},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.12.016},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-187607},
  pages     = {390-397},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {BACKGROUND: Thigmotaxis refers to a specific behavior of animals (i.e., to stay close to walls when exploring an open space). Such behavior can be assessed with the open field test (OFT), which is a well-established indicator of animal fear. The detection of similar open field behavior in humans may verify the translational validity of this paradigm. Enhanced thigmotaxis related to anxiety may suggest the relevance of such behavior for anxiety disorders, especially agoraphobia. METHODS: A global positioning system was used to analyze the behavior of 16 patients with agoraphobia and 18 healthy individuals with a risk for agoraphobia (i.e., high anxiety sensitivity) during a human OFT and compare it with appropriate control groups (n = 16 and n = 19). We also tracked 17 patients with agoraphobia and 17 control participants during a city walk that involved walking through an open market square. RESULTS: Our human OFT triggered thigmotaxis in participants; patients with agoraphobia and participants with high anxiety sensitivity exhibited enhanced thigmotaxis. This behavior was evident in increased movement lengths along the wall of the natural open field and fewer entries into the center of the field despite normal movement speed and length. Furthermore, participants avoided passing through the market square during the city walk, indicating again that thigmotaxis is related to agoraphobia. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to our knowledge to verify the translational validity of the OFT and to reveal that thigmotaxis, an evolutionarily adaptive behavior shown by most species, is related to agoraphobia, a pathologic fear of open spaces, and anxiety sensitivity, a risk factor for agoraphobia.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WestermaierStetterRaslanetal.2012,
  author    = {Westermaier, Thomas and Stetter, Christian and Raslan, Furat and Vinc, Giles Hamilton and Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo},
  title     = {Brain edema formation correlates with perfusion deficit during the first six hours after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-75765},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Background: Severe brain edema is observed in a number of patients suffering from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Little is known about its pathogenesis and time-course in the first hours after SAH. This study was performed to investigate the development of brain edema and its correlation with brain perfusion after experimental SAH. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats, randomly assigned to one of six groups (n = 8), were subjected to SAH using the endovascular filament model or underwent a sham operation. Animals were sacrificed 15, 30, 60, 180 or 360 minutes after SAH. Intracranial pressure (ICP), mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and bilateral local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) were continuously measured. Brain water content (BWC) was determined by the wet/dry-weight method. Results: After SAH, CPP and LCBF rapidly decreased. The decline of LCBF markedly exceeded the decline of CPP and persisted until the end of the observation period. BWC continuously increased. A significant correlation was observed between the BWC and the extent of the perfusion deficit in animals sacrificed after 180 and 360 minutes. Conclusions: The significant correlation with the perfusion deficit after SAH suggests that the development of brain edema is related to the extent of ischemia and acute vasoconstriction in the first hours after SAH.},
  subject      = {Medizin},
  language  = {en}
}