UC Spark

Professor Rob Hughes

Psychology

Fields of Research

  • Exploratory behaviour and curiosity
  • Psychopharmacology (drug effects on the unborn, anti-anxiety drugs, caffeine and other recreationally-used drugs)

Researcher Summary

Research interests include behavioural pharmacology and teratology (anxiolytics, cholinergic agonists and antagonists, NMDA-receptor agonists, xanthines) and comparative psychology (invertebrate behaviour, exploratory and related behaviour).

Subject Area: Disciplines

Future Research

  • Effects of drugs on behavioural development (perinatal, adolescent)
  • Effects of memory enhancing agents
  • Effects of anxiolytic drugs

Key Methodologies

  • Exploratory behaviour and curiosity
  • Psychopharmacology (drug effects on the unborn, anti-anxiety drugs, caffeine and other recreationally-used drugs)
  • Animal models of behaviour
  • Measurement of unconditioned animal behaviour

Publications


  • Hughes, R.N. and Otto, MT. (2013) Anxiolytic effects of environmental enrichment attenuate sex-related anxiogenic effects of scopolamine in rats.. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry 40: 252-259. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.10.009. (Journal Article)
  • Kolyaduke, O.V. and Hughes, R.N. (2013) Increased anxiety-related behavior in male and female adult rats following early and late adolescent exposure to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 103: 742-749. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2012.12.004. (Journal Article)
  • Daly, F.M., Hughes, R.N. and Woodward, L.J. (2012) Subsequent anxiety-related behavior in rats exposed to low-dose methadone during gestation, lactation or both periods consecutively. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 102(2): 381-389. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2012.05.010. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2011) Adult anxiety-related behavior of rats following consumption during late adolescence of alcohol alone and in combination with caffeine. Alcohol 45(4): 365-372. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2010.10.006. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2011) Neurobehavioral Consequences of Exposure to Caffeine During Development: Important Issues and Areas of Concern. Journal of Caffeine Research 1(2): 97-99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jcr.2011.1206. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N., Lowther, C.L. and van Nobelen, M. (2011) Prolonged treatment with vitamins C and E separately and together decreases anxiety-related open-field behavior and acoustic startle in hooded rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 97: 494-499. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2010.10.010. (Journal Article)
  • Ferré, S., Bach Jensen, M ., Kempf, K., Martin, S., Kolb, H., Temple, J.L., Nardi, A.E., O'Connor, P.J., Simola, N., Morelli, M., Svikis, D.S., Lara, D.R., Hughes, R.N. and Killgore, W.D.S. (2011) What do you see as the main priorities, opportunities, and challenges in caffeine research in the next five years? Journal of Caffeine Research 1(1): 5-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jcr.2011.1203. (Journal Article)
  • Shaw, I., Rucklidge, J.J. and Hughes, R.N. (2010) A Possible Biological Mechanism for the B Vitamins Altering Behaviour in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Pharmaceutical Medicine 24(5): 289-294. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2010) A work in progress: Effects of drugs on the development of adolescent brain/behaviour processes. Rotorua, New Zealand: New Zealand Psychological Society Annual Conference 2010, 17-20 Jul 2010. (Conference Contribution - Oral presentation)
  • Hughes, R.N. and Collins, M.E. (2010) Enhanced habituation and decreased anxiety by environmental enrichment and possible attenuation of these effects by chronic alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in aging male and female rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 94(4): 534-542. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2009.11.008. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2010) Subsequent effects on open-field responses of exposing male and female hooded rats each day to alcohol, caffeine and their combination during early and mid to late adolescence, and early adulthood. Louisville, KY, USA: 34th Annual Neurobehavioral Teratology Society Meeting (NBTS), 26-30 Jun 2010. (Conference Contribution - Poster presentation)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2010) Subsequent effects on open-field responses of exposing male and female hooded rats each day to alcohol, caffeine and their combination during early and mid to late adolescence, and early adulthood (abstract). Neurotoxicology and Teratology 32: 503. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2010.04.028. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2006) Behavioural teratology: principles and research. School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand: Invited address, Jun 2006. (Oral Presentation)
  • Aitchison, L.K. and Hughes, R.N. (2006) Exposure to benzylpiperazine in adolescent rats: adulthood changes in anxiety-like behaviour. Christchurch, New Zealand: 13th Biennial Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Comparative Psychology, 31 Aug-3 Sep 2006. (Conference Contribution - Full conference paper)
  • Aitchison, L.K. and Hughes, R.N. (2006) Treatment of adolescent rats with 1-benzylpiperazine: A preliminary study of subsequent behavioral effects. Neurotoxicology and Teratology 28(4): 453-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2006.05.005. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2006) Variety: The very stuff of life. University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand: Public Lecture, Jul 2006. (Oral Presentation)
  • Hughes, R.N. and Maginnity, M. (2005) Sex-dependent use by rats of intra- and extra-maze visual cues in their detection of a brightness change. Wellington, New Zealand: Conference of the New Zealand Association for Behaviour Analysis, Aug 2005. (Conference Contribution - Oral presentation)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2004) Responsiveness to brightness change in male and female rats following treatment with the partial agonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, D-cycloserine. Behavioural Brain Research 152(2): 199-207. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N., Desmond, C.S. and Fisher, L.C.E. (2004) Room novelty, sex, scopolamine and their interactions as determinants of general activity and rearing, and light–dark preferences in rats. Behavioural Processes 67(2): 173-181. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2004) Sex differences in the salience of spatial cues used by rats in detection of a brightness change. Australian Journal of Psychology 56: 118. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2004) Sex differences in the salience of spatial cues used by rats in detection of a brightness change. Dunedin, New Zealand: 31st Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference (EPC'04), 16-18 Apr 2004. http://psy.otago.ac.nz/epc/saturday040305.htm. (Conference Contribution - Full conference paper)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2004) Sex does matter: Differences between male and female rats in responsiveness to experimental treatments. Oviedo, Spain: Joint conference of the International Society for Comparative Psychology and the Sociedad Española Psicología Comparada, Sep 2004. (Conference Contribution - Full conference paper)
  • Hughes, R.N. and Kleindienst, H.F. (2004) Sex-related responsiveness to changes in tactile stimulation in hooded rats. International Journal of Comparative Psychology 17: 339-350. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2004) Sweet memories: enhancement of memorial processes by d-glucose. Christchurch: Brain Research Forum, Jun 2004. (Oral Presentation)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2004) The value of spontaneous alternation behavior (SAB) as a test of retention in pharmacological investigations of memory. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 28(5): 497-505. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2003) Effects of glucose on responsiveness to change in young adult and middle-aged rats. Physiology & Behavior 78(4-5): 529-534. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. and Neeson, L.T. (2003) Prevention of memory loss for a brightness change in adult and middle-aged rats by postacquisition treatment with glucose. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 76(1): 119-123. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2003) The categorisation of male and female laboratory animals in terms of "gender". Brain Research Bulletin 60(3): 189-190. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2002) Responsiveness to change in rats: an unlearned measure of visual recognition memory? Dunedin: NZ Behaviour Symposium, August, 2002. (Conference Contribution - Full conference paper)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2002) Sex-related effects of glucose on responsiveness to brightness change in middle-aged rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 73: 485-490. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2001) Responsiveness to brightness change in hooded rats: effects of sex and procedure. Behavioural Processes 55(3): 143-155. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2000) Behavioural teratology: Some postnatal effects of perinatal exposure to caffeine. University of Edinburgh: Invited address to the Roslin Institute, Dec 2000. (Oral Presentation)
  • Hughes, R.N. (2000) Pharmacologically modified responsiveness to change in rats: Effects on memory? Sydney, Australia: 27th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASSAB 2000), 27-30 Apr 2000. http://www.assab.org/. (Conference Contribution - Full conference paper)
  • Hughes, R.N. (1999) Sex differences in novelty-related preferences of hooded rats. The Quarterly J. Experimental Psychology. Section B: Comparative and Psychological Psychology 52B: 235-252. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (1998) An analysis of the response-to-change phenomenon in hooded rats. International Journal of Comparative Psychology 11: 50. (Journal Article)
  • Hughes, R.N. (1998) Spontaneous alternation behavior in animals: Mechanisms, motives and applications. In R.B. Hoffman, M.F. Scherrick, and J.S. Warm (Ed.), Viewing psychology as a whole: The integrative science of William N. Dember: 269-286. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. (Chapter in Book)
  • Hughes, R.N. (1997) Intrinsic exploration in animals: Motives and measurement. Behavioural Processes 41: 213--226. (Journal Article)