Dynamic Grouping of Hippocampal Neural Activity During Cognitive Control of Two Spatial Frames

Hippocampal neurons represent two concurrent streams of spatial information by transiently organizing into subpopulations of coactive neurons and can reflect the most behaviorally relevant information at any given time

Minocycline Synergizes with N-Acetylcysteine and Improves Cognition and Memory Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

Background: There are no drugs presently available to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI). A variety of single drugs have failed clinical trials suggesting a role for drug combinations. Drug combinations acting synergistically often provide the greatest combination of potency and safety. The drugs examined (minocycline (MINO), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), simvastatin, cyclosporine A, and progesterone) had FDA-approval for uses other than TBI and limited brain injury in experimental TBI models. Methodology/Principal Findings: Drugs were dosed one hour after injury using the controlled cortical impact (CCI) TBI model in adult rats. One week later, drugs were tested for efficacy and drug combinations tested for synergy on a hierarchy of behavioral tests that included active place avoidance testing. As monotherapy, only MINO improved acquisition of the massed version of active place avoidance that required memory lasting less than two hours. MINO-treated animals, however, were impaired during the spaced version of the same avoidance task that required 24-hour memory retention. Coadministration of NAC with MINO synergistically improved spaced learning. Examination of brain histology 2 weeks after injury suggested that MINO plus NAC preserved white, but not grey matter, since lesion volume was unaffected, yet myelin loss was attenuated. When dosed 3 hours before injury, MINO plus NAC as single drugs had no effect on interleukin-1 formation; together they synergistically lowered interleukin-1 levels. This effect on interleukin-1 was not observed when th

Characterization of cider by its hydrophobicproteinprofile and foamparameters

This paper describes the characterization of ciders (both “natural” and sparkling cider) from the Principality of Asturias (northwest region of Spain) through the analysis of their protein content, based on their hydrophobic properties, and their foam characteristics. A reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was applied to the protein analysis, and the foamparameters were measured with Bikerman’s method. Multivariate techniques allowed the authors to differentiate ciders on the basis of the press and foam taking technologies, and foam sensory quality. Feasible and robust models were constructed for classifying purposes. Higher than 95% correct classifications were obtained for differentiating ciders on the basis of the factors studied (cider making technology and foam sensory quality). The multivariate regression model computed allowed the authors to predict (correlation coefficients higher than 0.8) the foamparameters related to foam stability and bubble average lifetime in “natural” cider

MnemoCity Task: Assessment of Childrens Spatial Memory Using Stereoscopy and Virtual Environments

[EN] This paper presents the MnemoCity task, which is a 3D application that introduces the user into a totally 3D virtual environment to evaluate spatial short-term memory. A study has been carried out to validate the MnemoCity task for the assessment of spatial short-term memory in children, by comparing the children s performance in the developed task with current approaches. A total of 160 children participated in the study. The task incorporates two types of interaction: one based on standard interaction and another one based on natural interaction involving physical movement by the user. There were no statistically significant differences in the results of the task using the two types of interaction. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were not found in relation to gender. The correlations between scores were obtained using the MnemoCity task and a traditional procedure for assessing spatial short-term memory. Those results revealed that the type of interaction used did not affect the performance of children in the MnemoCity task.This work was funded mainly by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the CHILDMNEMOS project (TIN2012-37381-C02-01) and confinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Other financial support was received from the Gobierno de Aragon (Departamento de Industria e Innovacion), and Fondo Social Europeo for Aragon.Rodríguez-Andrés, D.; Juan, M.; Mendez Lopez, M.; Pérez Hernández, E.; Lluch Crespo, J. (2016). MnemoCity Task: Assessment of Childrens Spatial Memory Using Stereoscopy and Virtual Environments. PLoS ONE. 11(8):1-28. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161858S12811

Memoria espacial y cuerpos mamilares

This review critically analyses the implication of the mamillary bodies (MB) in the spatial learning and memory processes. It shows the current controver­sies in this field and its clinical implica­tions. The experimental works about this subject shown that MB is one of the diencephalic structures that form part of the cerebral circuitry or circuitries underlying memory processes. This review is focused on results from clinical and experimental investigations, that shown the involvement of MB on learning and memory tasks. lt is mainly analysed the behavioral tasks that involve spatial infor­mation.En esta revisión se analiza críticamente la implicación de los cuerpos mamilares (CCMM) en procesos de aprendizaje y memoria espacial, poniendo de manifiesto las controversias actuales existentes y sus implicaciones clínicas. La literatura existente sobre el tema parece indicar que los CCMM forman parte de las estructuras diencefáli­cas relacionadas con el circuito o circuitos cerebrales que subyacen a los procesos de memoria. Esta revi­sión se centra fundamentalmente en los resultados ofrecidos por la investigación clínica y experimental, que revelan las implicaciones que los CCMM tie­nen en numerosas tareas de memoria y aprendizaje. Se ha prestado especial atención a aquellas pruebas comportarnentales que requieren el empleo de información espacial

Sex differences in spatial memory: Comparison of three tasks using the same virtual context

Spatial memory has been studied through different instruments and tools with different modalities of administration. The cognitive load varies depending on the measure used and it should be taken into account to correctly interpret results. The aim of this research was to analyze how men and women perform three different spatial memory tasks with the same spatial context but with different cognitive demands. A total of 287 undergraduate students from the University of Almeria (Spain) and the University of L’Aquila (Italy) participated in the study. They were divided into three groups balanced by sex according to the spatial memory test they performed: the Walking Space Boxes Room Task (WSBRT), the Almeria Spatial Memory Recognition Test (ASMRT) and the Non-Walking Space Boxes Room Task (NWSBRT). Time spent and number of errors/correct answers were registered for analysis. In relation to the WSBRT and the ASMRT, men were faster and reached the optimal level of performance before women. In the three tests, familiarity with the spatial context helped to reduce the number of errors, regardless of the level of difficulty. In conclusion, sex differences were determined by the familiarity with the spatial context, the difficulty level of the task, the active or passive role of the participant and the amount of visual information provided in each screen shot