Differential electrographic signatures generated by mechanistically-diverse seizurogenic compounds in the larval zebrafish brain.

This is the final version. Available from the Society for Neuroscience via the DOI in this record. We assessed similarities and differences in the electrographic signatures of local field potentials (LFPs) evoked by different pharmacological agents in zebrafish larvae. We then compared and contrasted these characteristics with what is known from electrophysiological studies of seizures and epilepsy in mammals, including humans. Ultimately, our aim was to phenotype neurophysiological features of drug-induced seizures in larval zebrafish for expanding knowledge on the translational potential of this valuable alternative to mammalian models. LFPs were recorded from the midbrain of 4-d-old zebrafish larvae exposed to a pharmacologically diverse panel of seizurogenic compounds, and the outputs of these recordings were assessed using frequency domain analysis. This included analysis of changes occurring within various spectral frequency bands of relevance to mammalian CNS circuit pathophysiology. From these analyses, there were clear differences in the frequency spectra of drug-exposed LFPs, relative to controls, many of which shared notable similarities with the signatures exhibited by mammalian CNS circuits. These similarities included the presence of specific frequency components comparable to those observed in mammalian studies of seizures and epilepsy. Collectively, the data presented provide important information to support the value of larval zebrafish as an alternative model for the study of seizures and epilepsy. These data also provide further insight into the electrophysiological characteristics of seizures generated in nonmammalian species by the action of neuroactive drugs.National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs

Constant Transmission Properties of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in 5 Countries

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has been reported in 12 countries. We hypothesized that a common strain of agent is responsible for all vCJD cases, regardless of geographic origin. To test this hypothesis, we inoculated strain-typing panels of wild-type mice with brain material from human vCJD case-patients from France, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States. Mice were assessed for clinical disease, neuropathologic changes, and glycoform profile; results were compared with those for 2 reference vCJD cases from the United Kingdom. Transmission to mice occurred from each sample tested, and data were similar between non-UK and UK cases, with the exception of the ranking of mean clinical incubation times of mouse lines. These findings support the hypothesis that a single strain of infectious agent is responsible for all vCJD infections. However, differences in incubation times require further subpassage in mice to establish any true differences in strain properties between cases

Employment opportunities for the older library and information worker Policy and practice

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:2113.56F(BLRD-R--6145) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Employment opportunities for the older library and information worker Policy and practice

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:2113.56F(BLRD-R--6145) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Audiovisual resources in Sheffield

SHEMROC occasional paper 3SIGLEAvailable from British Library Lending Division - LD:OP-LG/752 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo