Physiological effects of cocaine in the squirrel monkey.

Doses of cocaine that have previously been shown to have behavioral effects produced dose-related increases in arterial blood pressure, heart rate and core temperature in unanesthetized squirrel monkeys ($\text{Saimiri}$$\text{sciureus}$). The pressor effect was immediate, but heart rate increased more gradually after cocaine injection. The onset of hyperthermia was substantially delayed. The squirrel monkey may be a good animal model of the physiological concomitants of cocaine abuse in humans.     

Visual sensitivity in the squirrel monkey

Several indices of visual sensitivity have been obtained from behavioral experiments conducted on the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). In this species, the photopic spectral sensitivity functions determined by increment-threshold and flicker discrimination procedures are substantially different; the involvement of two different neural processes in the two tasks is suggested. When tested similarly, the thresholds for rod and cone-based vision are not substantially different for squirrel monkeys and humans; however, above cone threshold, for a 500 nm test light, increment threshold is some 0.3 to 0.4 log₁₀ units higher for the squirrel monkey. Rod saturation has also been demonstrated to occur in the squirrel monkey.     

Orthocephalization in the postweaning squirrel monkey

Twenty male squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus boliviensis) raised in captivity were allotted to one of the following groups: weanling control (C6) sampled at 6 months of age; young control (C24) fed ad libitum on a control diet and killed at 24 months of age; and malnourished (M24) fed ad libitum on a low-protein diet and sampled at 24 months of age. Cranial points and the lateral semicircular canals were marked. On each skull, a strict lateral teleradiograph was taken, and the lengths of the midsagittal chords and their angles with respect to the vestibular line were measured. Age changed the lengths in about 70% of the chords and more than 50% of the angles. Malnutrition arrested about 50% of the lengths, but the angles were practically not affected. It is concluded that the postweaning Saimiri sciureus undergoes orthocephalization according to a general pattern already observed in rodents and suggested for pongids. Postweaning malnutrition affected growth in size but not shape changes related to the orthocephalization of the Saimiri skull. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Craniorachischisis in a squirrel monkey

A stillborn squirrel monkey had craniorachischisis. The calvarium was absent and the skin and vertebral neural arches were cleft from the foramen magnum to the midlumbar region. Cranial nerves and degenerating neural tissue were attached to the cranial base and there were remnants of spinal cord in skin-covered areas of the spinal canal. The adrenal glands were normal. This is the only reported case of craniorachischisis in a monkey fetus.     

Auditory frequency discrimination in the squirrel monkey

Four squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were tested for their frequency discrimination capacity using an eyeblink classical conditioning procedure, with air puff against the eye as unconditioned stimulus and 600-ms pure tones as conditioned stimuli. Absolute frequency difference thresholds showed a minimum (20-41 Hz, mean 30 Hz) at 4,000-8,000 Hz and increased towards higher as well as lower frequencies (70-90 Hz, mean 80 Hz at 300 Hz; 44-120 Hz, mean 82 Hz at 16,000 Hz). Relative frequency difference thresholds increased from higher to lower frequencies, with values as low as 0.3-0.8% (mean 0.5%) at 16,000 Hz and as large as 24-30% (mean 27%) at 300 Hz. The squirrel monkey's frequency discrimination function thus shows a severe deviation from Weber's law. The frequency difference thresholds are comparable to human's in the 4,000-8,000 Hz range, but are 65-80 times higher in the 500- to 300-Hz range. Individuals with high auditory thresholds do not necessarily also have high frequency difference thresholds.     

Observations on the cervix uteri of the squirrel monkey

The squirrel monkey uterine cervix was studied macroscopically and microscopically in intact and ovariectomized monkeys. The effect in ovariectomized monkeys of estradiol dipropionate or progesterone of both given after estrogen priming was studied by PAS staining. The lower portion of the cervix was dilated to form a vestibule into which projected fibromuscular colliculi which arose from the isthmic end of the cervix. The stratified squamous epithelium of the vagina was continuous through the external os with a similar epithelium lining the vestibule and covering the external surfaces of the colliculi. The transitional zone between the stratified epithelium and columnar cells was variable. The colliculi were covered internally with mucosal folds of columnar epithelium continuous with those of the endocervical canal. Glycogen concentration in the smooth muscle did not fluctuate markedly, irrespective of the hormones used. Glycogen granules were more numerous in the stratified squamous epithelium. Malt-diastase-resistant material appeared to be more abundant in the columnar epithelium and glandular lumina when the monkeys received both hormones than when they received solely estrogen or progesterone.     

Histochemical studies on the olfactory glomeruli of squirrel monkey

Summary Detailed histochemical studies on the distribution of various oxidative and dephosphorylating groups of enzymes have been made in the olfactory glomeruli of the squirrel monkey. The olfactory glomeruli showed strongly positive activity for succinic dehydrogenase, lactic dehydrogenase, monoamine oxidase, alkaline phosphatase, adenosinetriphosphatase and simple esterase. They showed moderately positive activity for cytochrome oxidase, specific cholinesterase, 5'nucleotidase; mildly positive activity for acid phosphatase; and negligible activity for nonspecific cholinesterase and glucose-6-phosphatase. The glomeruli did not show the presence of any thiamine pyrophosphatase-positive Golgi apparatus. The blood vessels surrounding the glomeruli were strongly positive for the nonspecific cholinesterase test. The significance of these results are discussed briefly.     

Cholesterol metabolism in rhesus monkey, squirrel monkey, and baboon

The metabolism of cholesterol was studied in baboons, rhesus monkeys, and squirrel monkeys while they were being fed either a low fat, low cholesterol (basal) diet or the basal diet supplemented with saturated fat and cholesterol (atherogenic diet). When the diet was changed from basal to atherogenic, the mean total serum cholesterol concentration increased from 70 to 180 mg/dl in the baboon, from 168 to 283 mg/dl in the squirrel monkey, and from 144 to 608 mg/dl in the rhesus monkey. In animals fed the atherogenic diet, the percentage of dietary cholesterol absorbed was greatest in the rhesus monkey and least in the baboon. The fraction of the total body pool of cholesterol that was derived from the diet was greatest in the squirrel monkey and least in the baboon. The turnover of the body pool of cholesterol was several times faster in the squirrel monkey than in the baboon or the rhesus monkey when either dict was fed. The mean total fecal excretion of endogenous cholesterol and bile acid increased in all species on transition to the atherogenic diet; however, the relative contributions of the neutral and acidic fractions to the increase in total excretion differed among species. The difference in percentage of dietary cholesterol absorbed may, in part, account for the large differences in serum cholesterol during the atherogenic diet period. Comparison with other published results indicates that of these species cholesterol metabolism in the baboon is most like that in the human.     

Respiratory movements during vocalization in the squirrel monkey

Respiratory abdominal movements during vocalization were measured in awake squirrel monkeys during spontaneous and playback-induced vocal activity. Large vocalization-correlated respiratory movements (VCRM) starting before vocalization were observed during several call types, such as peeping, trilling, cackling and err-chuck. Purring, in contrast, was accompanied by only small VCRM that started late after vocal onset. VCRM during trilling, a call with marked frequency modulation, showed a modulation in the rhythm of the frequency changes. A correlation with amplitude modulation was also present but more variable. As high frequencies need a higher lung pressure for production than low frequencies, the modulation of VCRM seems to serve to optimize the lung pressure in relation to the vocalization frequency. The modulation, furthermore, may act as a mechanism to produce different trill variants. During err-chucks and staccato peeps, which show a large amplitude modulation, a non-modulated VCRM occurred. This indicates the existence of a laryngeal amplitude-controlling mechanism that is independent of respiration.Electronic supplementary material Electronic supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users.     

Intravenous alpha-MSH reduces fever in the squirrel monkey

alpha-MSH reduces fever in rabbits when administered IV, ICV, or by gavage; however, the applicability of this finding to higher species, specifically to primates, has not been determined. In this study, we chose the squirrel monkey as an appropriate primate model since it responds reliably to peripheral administration of bacterial endotoxins that cause fever in man. From pilot studies, doses of S. typhosa endotoxin necessary to produce maximum fever and doses of alpha-MSH which did not cause hypothermia were determined for each animal. In the main experiments endotoxin was given via an indwelling catheter in the saphenous vein, followed by alpha-MSH injections when the rectal temperature increased 0.3 degrees C. alpha-MSH (100-400 micrograms) reduced the area under the fever curve an average of 50.0%, but had no effect on afebrile temperature. Molar equivalent amounts of the antipyretic drug acetaminophen had little effect on fever. These findings support the idea, based on research on rabbits, that alpha-MSH has a role in central modulation of fever.