Leave the Screen: The Influence of Everyday Behaviors on Self-reported Interoception.

The influence of physical activity on interoception is apparent, however little is known about within-person variability following physical activity and sedentary behavior in daily life. To test this, 70 healthy adults (Mage 21.67±2.50) wore thigh-mounted accelerometers for 7-days, with self-reported interoception recorded on movement-triggered smartphones. Participants additionally reported the predominant activity type performed across the last 15minutes. Investigating this timeframe, multi-level analyses revealed that each one-unit increase in physical activity was associated with an increase in self-reported interoception (B = 0.0025, p =.013), whereas contrastingly, each one-minute increase in sedentary behavior was associated with a decrease (B = -0.06. p =.009). Investigating the influence of different activity types in comparison to screen time behavior, both partaking in exercise (B = 4.48, p <.001) and daily-life physical activity (B = 1.21, p <.001) were associated with an increase in self-reported interoception. Regarding other behavior categories, non-screen time behavior both with (B = 1.13, p <.001) and without (B = 0.67, p =.004) social interaction were also associated with an increase in self-reported interoception compared to screen-time behavior. Extending from previous laboratory-based studies, these findings indicate that physical activity influences interoceptive processes in real-life, further supplemented by the novel and contrasting findings regarding sedentary behavior. Furthermore, associations with activity type reveal important mechanistic information, highlighting the importance of reducing screen-time behavior to preserve and support interoceptive perceptions. Findings can be used to inform health recommendations for reducing screen-time behavior and guiding evidence-based physical activity interventions to promote interoceptive processes

Acute physical-activity related increases in interoceptive ability are not enhanced with simultaneous interoceptive attention.

Interoception, the sense of the internal body, is proposed to support self-regulation, and consequently influence mental health. Researchers have therefore shown interest in improving the ability to accurately monitor internal signals (i.e., interoceptive accuracy, IAcc). Research suggests that cardiac IAcc is modifiable by both manipulations of interoceptive attention (guided attention towards the internal body), and interoceptive exposure (strategically inducing somatic signals e.g., via physical activity). Whilst successful in isolation, it is unclear whether a combined approach (i.e., directing attention towards the internal body when signals are more salient) could elicit greater benefits. In a 2 × 2 within-subject design, 48 healthy adults (Mage = 25.98 ± 4.73 years, 50% female) completed four 20-min conditions varying in both attentional focus (interoceptive vs exteroceptive) and physical activity (active vs rest), with cardiac IAcc measured immediately after. Results revealed a main effect for physical activity (p < 0.001), however, there was no effect for attentional focus (p = 0.397), and no interaction effect (p = 0.797). Differential analyses showed that a higher sporting background increased sensitivity to physical activity-related increases in cardiac IAcc (p = 0.031). Findings indicate that (irrespective of attentional focus) moderate-vigorous physical activity-based interventions have the potential to increase cardiac IAcc, with certain individuals potentially benefiting more

Embodied learning in the classroom: Effects on primary school children’s attention and foreign language vocabulary learning

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of specifically designed physical activities on primary school children’s foreign language vocabulary learning and attentional performance. Design: A total of 104 children aged between 8 and 10 years were assigned to either (a) an embodied learning condition consisting of task-relevant physical activities, (b) a physical activity condition involving task-irrelevant physical activities, or (c) a control condition consisting of a sedentary teaching style. Within a 2-week teaching program, consisting of four learning sessions, children had to learn 20 foreign language words. Method: Children were tested on their memory performance (cued r

Functional role of T-cell receptor nanoclusters in signal initiation and antigen discrimination

Antigen recognition by the T-cell receptor (TCR) is a hallmark of the adaptive immune system. When the TCR engages a peptide bound to the restricting major histocompatibility complex molecule (pMHC), it transmits a signal via the associated CD3 complex. How the extracellular antigen recognition event leads to intracellular phosphorylation remains unclear. Here, we used single-molecule localization microscopy to quantify the organization of TCR–CD3 complexes into nanoscale clusters and to distinguish between triggered and nontriggered TCR–CD3 complexes. We found that only TCR–CD3 complexes in dense clusters were phosphorylated and associated with downstream signaling proteins, demonstrating that the molecular density within clusters dictates signal initiation. Moreover, both pMHC dose and TCR–pMHC affinity determined the density of TCR–CD3 clusters, which scaled with overall phosphorylation levels. Thus, TCR–CD3 clustering translates antigen recognition by the TCR into signal initiation by the CD3 complex, and the formation of dense signaling-competent clusters is a process of antigen discrimination

Congenital nephrotic syndrome

Congenital nephrotic syndrome (CNS) is a rare kidney disorder characterized by heavy proteinuria, hypoproteinemia, and edema starting soon after birth. The majority of cases are caused by genetic defects in the components of the glomerular filtration barrier, especially nephrin and podocin. CNS may also be a part of a more generalized syndrome or caused by a perinatal infection. Immunosuppressive medication is not helpful in the genetic forms of CNS, and kidney transplantation is the only curative therapy. Before the operation, management of these infants largely depends on the magnitude of proteinuria. In severe cases, daily albumin infusions are required to prevent life-threatening edema. The therapy also includes hypercaloric diet, thyroxin and mineral substitution, prevention of thrombotic episodes, and prompt management of infectious complications. The outcome of CNS patients without major extrarenal manifestations is comparable with other patient groups after kidney transplantation

The Centrosomal Kinase Plk1 Localizes to the Transition Zone of Primary Cilia and Induces Phosphorylation of Nephrocystin-1

Polo-like kinase (Plk1) plays a central role in regulating the cell cycle. Plk1-mediated phosphorylation is essential for centrosome maturation, and for numerous mitotic events. Although Plk1 localizes to multiple subcellular sites, a major site of action is the centrosomes, which supports mitotic functions in control of bipolar spindle formation. In G0 or G1 untransformed cells, the centriolar core of the centrosome differentiates into the basal body of the primary cilium. Primary cilia are antenna-like sensory organelles dynamically regulated during the cell cycle. Whether Plk1 has a role in ciliary biology has never been studied. Nephrocystin-1 (NPHP1) is a ciliary protein; loss of NPHP1 in humans causes nephronophthisis (NPH), an autosomal-recessive cystic kidney disease. We here demonstrate that Plk1 colocalizes with nephrocystin-1 to the transition zone of primary cilia in epithelial cells. Plk1 co-immunoprecipitates with NPHP1, suggesting it is part of the nephrocystin protein complex. We identified a candidate Plk1 phosphorylation motif (D/E-X-S/T-φ-X-D/E) in nephrocystin-1, and demonstrated in vitro that Plk1 phosphorylates the nephrocystin N-terminus, which includes the specific PLK1 phosphorylation motif. Further, induced disassembly of primary cilia rapidly evoked Plk1 kinase activity, while small molecule inhibition of Plk1 activity or RNAi-mediated downregulation of Plk1 limited the first and second phase of ciliary disassembly. These data identify Plk1 as a novel transition zone signaling protein, suggest a function of Plk1 in cilia dynamics, and link Plk1 to the pathogenesis of NPH and potentially other cystic kidney diseases