Neural and Cognitive Mechanisms of Real-World Interaction during Adult Learning

The goal of this thesis is to understand what makes a social interaction successful, and whether it supports learning of conceptual knowledge. Crucially, it distinguishes learning via the social from learning about the social, and asks the question of how social interaction supports declarative processing of non-social material. In doing so, it priorities ecological validity: all experiments involve relatively unconstrained teacher-learner interaction, and learning material resembled documentary-like content. The first half of the thesis shows a series of studies on how adults learn in online contexts (Study 1 and 2): Study 1 presents two online experiments, where social contingency (i.e. being part of a live interaction vs observing a pre-recorded one) and social cues (i.e. teacher’s webcam on vs off vs showing a slide only) were manipulated. Results showed that learning in live interaction was associated with the best performance, and live social interaction with a full view of the teacher provided the optimal setting for learning, while seeing a slide had greater benefit during recorded sessions specifically. Study 2 replicates the live-learning advantage across three experiments and a large sample of adults with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC). The second half of this thesis (Study 3 and 4) investigates face-to-face interaction, using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning and wavelet transform coherence (WTC) analysis, to measure brain synchrony in naturalistic interactions. Study 3 tests the hypothesis that being in the same room and engaging in conversation affects people’s brain response to later novel stimuli. Study 4 asks whether teacher-student brain synchrony can be a marker of learning success and, if so, how it is modulated by social behaviours. Findings reveal a complex dynamic between neural responses and behavioural metrics, in particular mutual gaze and joint attention. Results are discussed in the frame of the mutual-prediction hypothesis, and advocate for a multi-modal investigation of social learning to fully understand its underlying cognitive mechanisms. Overall, this work advances the current understanding of naturalistic social interaction and has theoretical implications for cognitive models of information exchange and mutual prediction, as well as practical significance for educational policies. The novel multi-modal and highly ecological approach used in this thesis makes this work an important example for real-world second person social neuroscience

Speed of processing and executive functions in adults with phenylketonuria:quick in finding the word, but not the ladybird

A reduction in processing speed is widely reported in phenylketonuria (PKU), possibly due to white matter pathology. We investigated possible deficits and their relationships with executive functions in a sample of 37 early-treated adults with PKU (AwPKUs). AwPKUs were not characterized by a generalized speed deficit, but instead their performance could be explained by two more specific impairments: (a) a deficit in the allocation of visuo-spatial attention that reduced speed in visual search tasks, in some reading conditions and visuo-motor coordination tasks; and (b) a more conservative decision mechanism that slowed down returning an answer across domains. These results suggest that the impairments in executive functions seen in AwPKUs are not the consequence of a generalized speed deficit. They also suggest that processing speed is linked to the efficiency of a particular cognitive component and cannot be considered a general function spanning domains. Similarities with patterns in ageing are discussed

Dampening the DAMPs: how plants maintain the homeostasis of cell wall molecular patterns and avoid hyper-immunity

Several oligosaccharide fragments derived from plant cell walls activate plant immunity and behave as typical damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Some of them also behave as negative regulators of growth and development, and due to their antithetic effect on immunity and growth, their concentrations, activity, time of formation, and localization is critical for the so-called “growth-defense trade-off.” Moreover, like in animals, over accumulation of DAMPs in plants provokes deleterious physiological effects and may cause hyper-immunity if the cellular mechanisms controlling their homeostasis fail. Recently, a mechanism has been discovered that controls the activity of two well-known plant DAMPs, oligogalacturonides (OGs), released upon hydrolysis of homogalacturonan (HG), and cellodextrins (CDs), products of cellulose breakdown. The potential homeostatic mechanism involves specific oxidases belonging to the family of berberine bridge enzyme-like (BBE-like) proteins. Oxidation of OGs and CDs not only inactivates their DAMP activity, but also makes them a significantly less desirable food source for microbial pathogens. The evidence that oxidation and inactivation of OGs and CDs may be a general strategy of plants for controlling the homeostasis of DAMPs is discussed. The possibility exists of discovering additional oxidative and/or inactivating enzymes targeting other DAMP molecules both in the plant and in animal kingdoms

Clinical predictive factors of pathologic complete response in locally advanced rectal cancer

Background: Predictive factors of pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) are still not identified. The purpose of this study was to define them. Materials and Methods: Data from consecutive LARC patients treated between January 2008 and June 2014 at our Institution were included in the analysis. All patients were treated with a long course of nCRT. Demographics, initial diagnosis and tumor extension details, as well as treatment modalities characteristics were included in the univariate and logistic regression analysis. Results: In total 99 patients received nCRT, of whom 23 patients (23.2%) achieved pCR. Patients with and without pCR were similar in term of age, sex, comobidities, BMI and tumor characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that pre-treatment tumor size <= 5 cm was a significant predictor for pCR (p = 0.035), whereas clinical N stage only showed a positive trend (p = 0.084). Conclusions: Tumor size at diagnosis could be used to predict pCR, and thus to individualize therapy in LARC patients management. Validation in other studies is needed

Tissue- and Cell Type-Specific Expression of the Long Noncoding RNA Klhl14-AS in Mouse

lncRNAs are acquiring increasing relevance as regulators in a wide spectrum of biological processes. The extreme heterogeneity in the mechanisms of action of these molecules, however, makes them very difficult to study, especially regarding their molecular function. A novel lncRNA has been recently identified as the most enriched transcript in mouse developing thyroid. Due to its genomic localization antisense to the protein-encoding Klhl14 gene, we named it Klhl14-AS. In this paper, we highlight that mouse Klhl14-AS produces at least five splicing variants, some of which have not been previously described. Klhl14-AS is expressed with a peculiar pattern, characterized by diverse relative abundance of its isoforms in different mouse tissues. We examine the whole expression level of Klhl14-AS in a panel of adult mouse tissues, showing that it is expressed in the thyroid, lung, kidney, testis, ovary, brain, and spleen, although at different levels. In situ hybridization analysis reveals that, in the context of each organ, Klhl14-AS shows a cell type-specific expression. Interestingly, databases report a similar expression profile for human Klhl14-AS. Our observations suggest that this lncRNA could play cell type-specific roles in several organs and pave the way for functional characterization of this gene in appropriate biological contexts

Distribution of Engraulis encrasicolus eggs and larvae in relation to coastal oceanographic conditions (the South-western Adriatic Sea case study)

Identification of potential spawning and nursery areas of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) represents an essential step in the management of a resource which is of fundamental importance both for fishery and pelagic trophic web. Egg and larvae occurrence from ichthyoplankton surveys (2012 - 2015) in the South Western Adriatic Sea were examined to understand the mechanisms that control their distribution. Egg and larvae densities varied through the years with the highest values recorded in 2012 and the lowest in 2014. Positive correlations between eggs and larvae with zooplankton were observed. When quotient analysis was used to find relations with environmental and biological variables, the results pointed out an egg preference for depth between 91 and 120 m and an avoidance between 11 and 30 m. Moreover, egg avoidances for high values of chlorophyll-a (> 0.52 mg m-3) and low values of zooplankton biomass ( 151 m; preference for high zooplankton biomass (> 1000 mg m-2) and avoidance for low biomass (< 299 mg m-2). These correlations and the quotient values suggest that egg and larvae distribution in the South-Western Adriatic Sea is mainly driven by food availability and depth

First Bronze Age Human Mitogenomes from Calabria (Grotta Della Monaca, Southern Italy)

The Italian peninsula was host to a strong history of migration processes that shaped its genomic variability since prehistoric times. During the Metal Age, Sicily and Southern Italy were the protagonists of intense trade networks and settlements along the Mediterranean. Nonetheless, ancient DNA studies in Southern Italy are, at present, still limited to prehistoric and Roman Apulia. Here, we present the first mitogenomes from a Middle Bronze Age cave burial in Calabria to address this knowledge gap. We adopted a hybridization capture approach, which enabled the recovery of one complete and one partial mitochondrial genome. Phylogenetic analysis assigned these two individuals to the H1e and H5 subhaplogroups, respectively. This preliminary phylogenetic analysis supports affinities with coeval Sicilian populations, along with Linearbandkeramik and Bell Beaker cultures maternal lineages from Central Europe and Iberia. Our work represents a starting point which contributes to the comprehension of migrations and population dynamics in Southern Italy, and highlights this knowledge gap yet to be filled by genomic studies

Identification of p130Cas/ErbB2-dependent invasive signatures in transformed mammary epithelial cells

Understanding transcriptional changes during cancer progression is of crucial importance to develop new and more efficacious diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. It is well known that ErbB2 is overexpressed in about 25% of human invasive breast cancers. We have previously demonstrated that p130Cas overexpression synergizes with ErbB2 in mammary cell transformation and promotes ErbB2-dependent invasion in three-dimensional (3D) cultures of human mammary epithelial cells. Here, by comparing coding and non-coding gene expression profiles, we define the invasive signatures associated with concomitant p130Cas overexpression and ErbB2 activation in 3D cultures of mammary epithelial cells. Specifically, we have found that genes involved in amino acids synthesis (CBS, PHGDH), cell motility, migration (ITPKA, PRDM1), and angiogenesis (HEY1) are upregulated, while genes involved in inflammatory response (SAA1, S100A7) are downregulated. In parallel, we have shown that the expression of specific miRNAs is altered. Among these, miR-200b, miR-222, miR-221, miR-R210, and miR-424 are upregulated, while miR-27a, miR-27b, and miR-23b are downregulated. Overall, this study presents, for the first time, the gene expression changes underlying the invasive behavior following p130Cas overexpression in an ErbB2 transformed mammary cell model