Behav. Sci. 16, No.I, pp.98-i13 (1971).

Referiert in: Psychopharmacology Abstracts

i0, Suppl.,

p.152

(1972).

%bAO

"_ 079096 Witt. Peter N. North Carolina Department og Mental Health, Raleigh, North Carolina.Drugs alter web-building of spiders: a review and evaluation. Behavioral Science. 16(1):98-113, 1971. A review-of behavioral studies of spider web construction and the effects of drugs on such construction is presented. Most data were collected by measuring and analyzing photographs of webs built under different circumstances; groups of web data were subjected to statistical comparisons. Another approach was through analysis of motion pictures of the construction of orbs, built with or without interference. Drugs (chlorpromazine, diazepam, psilocybin), wellas as temperature and lightconditionscould prevent onset of web buildingand pentobarbitalodium s could cause end of radius constructionbefore completion. D-amphetamine caused irregular radiusand spiral spacing, but showed regularexecutionof probingmovement; the severity the of disturbancein geometry corresponded to drug concentration the body. Scopolamine caused in wide deviationof spiralspacing distinctlyifd ferentfrom amphetamine, while LSD-25 application resultedin unusuallyregularwebs. Size of catchingarea,lengthof thread,densityof structure, thread thickness,and web weight were varied in different ways through treatmentwith cholinergicand anticholinergic drugs, tranquilizers,etc. Glandular or centralnervous system points of attack for drugs are identified, and disturbedwebs regarded as the resultof interfercnce at any of severallevels which contribute to the integrated pattern. Web buildingas a biological test method_ for identificationf o pathogenic substancesin patients' ody fluids b is evaluated. 33 references. (Author abstract modified)