Performance Deficits of NK1 Receptor Knockout Mice in the 5-Choice Serial Reaction-Time Task: Effects of d-Amphetamine, Stress and Time of Day

Background: The neurochemical status and hyperactivity of mice lacking functional substance P-preferring NK1 receptors (NK1R-/-) resemble abnormalities in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Here we tested whether NK1R-/- mice express other core features of ADHD (impulsivity and inattentiveness) and, if so, whether they are diminished by d-amphetamine, as in ADHD. Prompted by evidence that circadian rhythms are disrupted in ADHD, we also compared the performance of mice that were trained and tested in the morning or afternoon.Methods and Results: The 5-Choice Serial Reaction-Time Task (5-CSRTT) was used to evaluate the cognitive performance of NK1R-/- mice and their wildtypes. After training, animals were tested using a long (LITI) and a variable (VITI) inter-trial interval: these tests were carried out with, and without, d-amphetamine pretreatment (0.3 or 1 mg/kg i.p.). NK1R-/- mice expressed greater omissions (inattentiveness), perseveration and premature responses (impulsivity) in the 5-CSRTT. In NK1R-/- mice, perseveration in the LITI was increased by injection-stress but reduced by d-amphetamine. Omissions by NK1R-/- mice in the VITI were unaffected by d-amphetamine, but premature responses were exacerbated by this psychostimulant. Omissions in the VITI were higher, overall, in the morning than the afternoon but, in the LITI, premature responses of NK1R-/- mice were higher in the afternoon than the morning.Conclusion: In addition to locomotor hyperactivity, NK1R-/- mice express inattentiveness, perseveration and impulsivity in the 5-CSRTT, thereby matching core criteria for a model of ADHD. Because d-amphetamine reduced perseveration in NK1R-/- mice, this action does not require functional NK1R. However, the lack of any improvement of omissions and premature responses in NK1R-/- mice given d-amphetamine suggests that beneficial effects of this psychostimulant in other rodent models, and ADHD patients, need functional NK1R. Finally, our results reveal experimental variables (stimulus parameters, stress and time of day) that could influence translational studies

Honey bees repellent device: preliminary experimental research with the bees hearing sensitivity

Bees are insects that attack, to protect the hive, when they feel threatened. The main objective in this paper was to build an electronic device capable of repelling bees. Thus, a study of the hearing thresholds, of honey bees, has been developed to find out the frequencies range are most sensitive. This knowledge can be important to identify a frequency or a sound capable of repealing them. We also present an electronic circuit developed to build a repelling device able to reproduce a recorded sound or periodic sound. We report also a series of laboratory behaviour experiments, where honey bees (Apis mellifera spp.) had to make the choice between a box where a sound was being played or another box without sound. The experiments were conducted using the following sound frequencies: 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 550 Hz; and also, with the sound of three natural predators: the drone, the swallow and the Asian wasp. The honey bees used in the experiments were previously conditioned to go to the box with sound that contained food in order to associate the sound to the presence of food.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The influence of test experience and NK1 receptor antagonists on the performance of NK1R-/- and wildtype mice in the 5 Choice Serial Reaction Time Task

Genetically-altered mice, lacking functional NK1 receptors (NK1R-/-), express abnormal behaviours that are prominent in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: namely, inattentiveness and impulsivity (indicated by their greater %omissions and premature responses in the 5 Choice Serial Reaction Time Task: ‘5 CSRTT’) and locomotor hyperactivity. Here, we investigated how behaviour in the 5 CSRTT is affected by repeated testing and whether the abnormalities expressed by NK1R-/- mice are mimicked by treating wildtypes with an NK1R antagonist (L 733060 or RP 67580; 5 or 10 mg/kg). Repeated testing with a variable (VITI) or fixed, prolonged (LITI) intertrial interval reduced %omissions. Premature responses also declined, but only in NK1R /- mice in the VITI test. By contrast, perseveration increased in both genotypes. RP 67580 (10 mg/kg) increased the %omissions in both genotypes in the VITI, an action which cannot be attributed to NK1R antagonism. Neither drug affected perseveration. However, for premature responses, the profile of the response suggests that the low and high doses of RP 67580 (VITI) and L 733060 (LITI) have opposing effects on this behaviour. We infer that the effect of NK1R antagonists in the 5 CSRTT is confounded by animals’ test experience and non-specific drug effects at sites other than NK1R, possibly L type Ca2+v channels

What a difference a term makes:the effect of educational attainment on marital outcomes in the UK

Abstract In the past, students in England and Wales born within the first 5 monthsof the academic year could leave school one term earlier than those born later inthe year. Focusing on women, those who were required to stay on an extra termmore frequently hold some academic qualification. Using having been required tostay on as an exogenous factor affecting academic attainment, we find that holding alow-level academic qualification has no effect on the probability of being currentlymarried for women aged 25 or above, but increases the probability of the husbandholding some academic qualification and being economically active.33 Halama

Stimulation of translation by human Unr requires cold shock domains 2 and 4, and correlates with poly(A) binding protein interaction

The RNA binding protein Unr, which contains five cold shock domains, has several specific roles in post-transcriptional control of gene expression. It can act as an activator or inhibitor of translation initiation, promote mRNA turnover, or stabilise mRNA. Its role depends on the mRNA and other proteins to which it binds, which includes cytoplasmic poly(A) binding protein 1 (PABP1). Since PABP1 binds to all polyadenylated mRNAs, and is involved in translation initiation by interaction with eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G (eIF4G), we investigated whether Unr has a general role in translational control. We found that Unr strongly stimulates translation in vitro, and mutation of cold shock domains 2 or 4 inhibited its translation activity. The ability of Unr and its mutants to stimulate translation correlated with its ability to bind RNA, and to interact with PABP1. We found that Unr stimulated the binding of PABP1 to mRNA, and that Unr was required for the stable interaction of PABP1 and eIF4G in cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of Unr reduced the overall level of cellular translation in cells, as well as that of cap-dependent and IRES-dependent reporters. These data describe a novel role for Unr in regulating cellular gene expression

Performance deficits of NK1 receptor knockout mice in the 5 choice serial reaction time task: effects of d Amphetamine, stress and time of day.

Background The neurochemical status and hyperactivity of mice lacking functional substance P-preferring NK1 receptors (NK1R-/-) resemble abnormalities in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Here we tested whether NK1R-/- mice express other core features of ADHD (impulsivity and inattentiveness) and, if so, whether they are diminished by d-amphetamine, as in ADHD. Prompted by evidence that circadian rhythms are disrupted in ADHD, we also compared the performance of mice that were trained and tested in the morning or afternoon. Methods and Results The 5-Choice Serial Reaction-Time Task (5-CSRTT) was used to evaluate the cognitive performance of NK1R-/- mice and their wildtypes. After training, animals were tested using a long (LITI) and a variable (VITI) inter-trial interval: these tests were carried out with, and without, d-amphetamine pretreatment (0.3 or 1 mg/kg i.p.). NK1R-/- mice expressed greater omissions (inattentiveness), perseveration and premature responses (impulsivity) in the 5-CSRTT. In NK1R-/- mice, perseveration in the LITI was increased by injection-stress but reduced by d-amphetamine. Omissions by NK1R-/- mice in the VITI were unaffected by d-amphetamine, but premature responses were exacerbated by this psychostimulant. Omissions in the VITI were higher, overall, in the morning than the afternoon but, in the LITI, premature responses of NK1R-/- mice were higher in the afternoon than the morning. Conclusion In addition to locomotor hyperactivity, NK1R-/- mice express inattentiveness, perseveration and impulsivity in the 5-CSRTT, thereby matching core criteria for a model of ADHD. Because d-amphetamine reduced perseveration in NK1R-/- mice, this action does not require functional NK1R. However, the lack of any improvement of omissions and premature responses in NK1R-/- mice given d-amphetamine suggests that beneficial effects of this psychostimulant in other rodent models, and ADHD patients, need functional NK1R. Finally, our results reveal experimental variables (stimulus parameters, stress and time of day) that could influence translational studies

Impact Factor: outdated artefact or stepping-stone to journal certification?

A review of Garfield's journal impact factor and its specific implementation as the Thomson Reuters Impact Factor reveals several weaknesses in this commonly-used indicator of journal standing. Key limitations include the mismatch between citing and cited documents, the deceptive display of three decimals that belies the real precision, and the absence of confidence intervals. These are minor issues that are easily amended and should be corrected, but more substantive improvements are needed. There are indications that the scientific community seeks and needs better certification of journal procedures to improve the quality of published science. Comprehensive certification of editorial and review procedures could help ensure adequate procedures to detect duplicate and fraudulent submissions.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, 6 table

Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the evolution of form and function in the amniote jaw.

The amniote jaw complex is a remarkable amalgamation of derivatives from distinct embryonic cell lineages. During development, the cells in these lineages experience concerted movements, migrations, and signaling interactions that take them from their initial origins to their final destinations and imbue their derivatives with aspects of form including their axial orientation, anatomical identity, size, and shape. Perturbations along the way can produce defects and disease, but also generate the variation necessary for jaw evolution and adaptation. We focus on molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate form in the amniote jaw complex, and that enable structural and functional integration. Special emphasis is placed on the role of cranial neural crest mesenchyme (NCM) during the species-specific patterning of bone, cartilage, tendon, muscle, and other jaw tissues. We also address the effects of biomechanical forces during jaw development and discuss ways in which certain molecular and cellular responses add adaptive and evolutionary plasticity to jaw morphology. Overall, we highlight how variation in molecular and cellular programs can promote the phenomenal diversity and functional morphology achieved during amniote jaw evolution or lead to the range of jaw defects and disease that affect the human condition

Shannon and Renyi Entropies to Classify Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Postural Sway

Background: Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) has been identified as a major public and military health concern both in the United States and worldwide. Characterizing the effects of mTBI on postural sway could be an important tool for assessing recovery from the injury. Methodology/Principal Findings: We assess postural sway by motion of the center of pressure (COP). Methods for data reduction include calculation of area of COP and fractal analysis of COP motion time courses. We found that fractal scaling appears applicable to sway power above about 0.5 Hz, thus fractal characterization is only quantifying the secondary effects (a small fraction of total power) in the sway time series, and is not effective in quantifying long-term effects of mTBI on postural sway. We also found that the area of COP sensitively depends on the length of data series over which the COP is obtained. These weaknesses motivated us to use instead Shannon and Renyi entropies to assess postural instability following mTBI. These entropy measures have a number of appealing properties, including capacity for determination of the optimal length of the time series for analysis and a new interpretation of the area of COP. Conclusions: Entropy analysis can readily detect postural instability in athletes at least 10 days post-concussion so that it appears promising as a sensitive measure of effects of mTBI on postural sway

Genetic aspects of dental disorders

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.This paper reviews past and present applications of quantitative and molecular genetics to dental disorders. Examples are given relating to craniofacial development (including malocclusion), oral supporting tissues (including periodontal diseases) and dental hard tissues (including defects of enamel and dentine as well as dental caries). Future developments and applications to clinical dentistry are discussed. Early investigations confirmed genetic bases to dental caries, periodontal diseases and malocclusion, but research findings have had little impact on clinical practice. The complex multifactorial aetiologies of these conditions, together with methodological problems, have limited progress until recently. Present studies are clarifying previously unrecognized genetic and phenotypic heterogeneities and attempting to unravel the complex interactions between genes and environment by applying new statistical modelling approaches to twin and family data. linkage studies using highly polymorphic DNA markers are providing a means of locating candidate genes, including quantitative trait loci (QTL). In future, as knowledge increases: it should be possible to implement preventive strategies for those genetically-predisposed individuals who are identified-predisposed individuals who are identified to be at risk.Grant C. Townsend, Michael J. Aldred and P. Mark Bartol