Metastability, Criticality and Phase Transitions in brain and its Models

This essay extends the previously deposited paper "Oscillations, Metastability and Phase Transitions" to incorporate the theory of Self-organizing Criticality. The twin concepts of Scaling and Universality of the theory of nonequilibrium phase transitions is applied to the role of reentrant activity in neural circuits of cerebral cortex and subcortical neural structures

An investigation of the functional and treatment mechanisms relating to anger in emotional disorders

In the context of emotional (e.g., anxiety, depression, and related) disorders, dysregulated anger (i.e., associated with functional impairment) is frequently present, but under recognized. Notably, it is associated with a lower likelihood of responding to treatment. The factors important to the development and maintenance of this anger as well as the most useful ways to treat it remain unexplored. This project consisted of two studies that aimed to begin addressing these gaps in the literature. The first was a qualitative study of a diagnostically heterogeneous sample (N = 15, 8 male, mean age 40.5, range 24-76 years), each of whom endorsed dysregulated anger. This study examined a theoretical model describing dysregulated anger. It was hypothesized that the four-function model, an existing framework that identifies processes maintaining unhelpful behaviors, would describe dysregulated anger well. Patients completed questionnaires about their anger daily. The results did not support the four-function model, suggesting instead that anger was better characterized by an operant model, which describes whether a behavior is rewarding or punishing. The second study explored the effects of two treatment skills (mindfulness and behavior change) in isolation and combination as interventions for anger using single-case experimental design. Patients were a subsample from the first study (N = 10; 3 male, mean age 35.5, range 24 - 67 years). The hypotheses were that each intervention would produce a meaningful reduction in anger, and that patients who did not respond to the first skill would experience reductions in anger after the second skill, with order of first skill randomized. No patients responded to the first intervention alone, allowing for an assessment of whether the order of skill delivery impacted outcomes. Results indicated that patients who received the behavior change module followed by mindfulness fared better in treatment than those who received the reverse skill order. Together, these two studies provide guidance for addressing dysregulated anger in emotional disorders by aiding in its conceptualization and suggesting an order in which to provide treatment skills

Oscillations, metastability and phase transitions in brain and models of cognition

Neuroscience is being practiced in many different forms and at many different organizational levels of the Nervous System. Which of these levels and associated conceptual frameworks is most informative for elucidating the association of neural processes with processes of Cognition is an empirical question and subject to pragmatic validation. In this essay, I select the framework of Dynamic System Theory. Several investigators have applied in recent years tools and concepts of this theory to interpretation of observational data, and for designing neuronal models of cognitive functions. I will first trace the essentials of conceptual development and hypotheses separately for discerning observational tests and criteria for functional realism and conceptual plausibility of the alternatives they offer. I will then show that the statistical mechanics of phase transitions in brain activity, and some of its models, provides a new and possibly revealing perspective on brain events in cognition

Neuroethology of olfactory-guided behavior and its potential application in the control of harmful insects

Harmful insects include pests of crops and storage goods, and vectors of human and animal diseases. Throughout their history, humans have been fighting them using diverse methods. The fairly recent development of synthetic chemical insecticides promised efficient crop and health protection at a relatively low cost. However, the negative effects of those insecticides on human health and the environment, as well as the development of insect resistance, have been fueling the search for alternative control tools. New and promising alternative methods to fight harmful insects include the manipulation of their behavior using synthetic versions of "semiochemicals", which are natural volatile and non-volatile substances involved in the intra-and/or inter-specific communication between organisms. Synthetic semiochemicals can be used as trap baits to monitor the presence of insects, so that insecticide spraying can be planned rationally (i.e., only when and where insects are actually present). Other methods that use semiochemicals include insect annihilation by mass trapping, attract-and-kill techniques, behavioral disruption, and the use of repellents. In the last decades many investigations focused on the neural bases of insect's responses to semiochemicals. Those studies help understand how the olfactory system detects and processes information about odors, which could lead to the design of efficient control tools, including odor baits, repellents or ways to confound insects. Here we review our current knowledge about the neural mechanisms controlling olfactory responses to semiochemicals in harmful insects. We also discuss how this neuroethology approach can be used to design or improve pest/vector management strategies.Fil: Reisenman, Carolina Esther. University of California at Berkeley; Estados UnidosFil: Lei, Hong. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Guerenstein, Pablo Gustavo. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentin