Robust penetrating microelectrodes for neural interfaces realized by titanium micromachining

Neural prosthetic interfaces based upon penetrating microelectrode devices have broadened our understanding of the brain and have shown promise for restoring neurological functions lost to disease, stroke, or injury. However, the eventual viability of such devices for use in the treatment of neurological dysfunction may be ultimately constrained by the intrinsic brittleness of silicon, the material most commonly used for manufacture of penetrating microelectrodes. This brittleness creates predisposition for catastrophic fracture, which may adversely affect the reliability and safety of such devices, due to potential for fragmentation within the brain. Herein, we report the development of titanium-based penetrating microelectrodes that seek to address this potential future limitation. Titanium provides advantage relative to silicon due to its superior fracture toughness, which affords potential for creation of robust devices that are resistant to catastrophic failure. Realization of these devices is enabled by recently developed techniques which provide opportunity for fabrication of high-aspect-ratio micromechanical structures in bulk titanium substrates. Details are presented regarding the design, fabrication, mechanical testing, in vitro functional characterization, and preliminary in vivo testing of devices intended for acute recording in rat auditory cortex and thalamus, both independently and simultaneously

Reversed flow of Atlantic deep water during the Last Glacial Maximum

The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) of the Atlantic Ocean is considered to be one of the most important components of the climate system. This is because its warm surface currents, such as the Gulf Stream, redistribute huge amounts of energy from tropical to high latitudes and influence regional weather and climate patterns, whereas its lower limb ventilates the deep ocean and affects the storage of carbon in the abyss, away from the atmosphere. Despite its significance for future climate, the operation of the MOC under contrasting climates of the past remains controversial. Nutrient-based proxies1, 2 and recent model simulations3 indicate that during the Last Glacial Maximum the convective activity in the North Atlantic Ocean was much weaker than at present. In contrast, rate-sensitive radiogenic 231Pa/230Th isotope ratios from the North Atlantic have been interpreted to indicate only minor changes in MOC strength4, 5, 6. Here we show that the basin-scale abyssal circulation of the Atlantic Ocean was probably reversed during the Last Glacial Maximum and was dominated by northward water flow from the Southern Ocean. These conclusions are based on new high-resolution data from the South Atlantic Ocean that establish the basin-scale north to south gradient in 231Pa/230Th, and thus the direction of the deep ocean circulation. Our findings are consistent with nutrient-based proxies and argue that further analysis of 231Pa/230Th outside the North Atlantic basin will enhance our understanding of past ocean circulation, provided that spatial gradients are carefully considered. This broader perspective suggests that the modern pattern of the Atlantic MOC—with a prominent southerly flow of deep waters originating in the North Atlantic—arose only during the Holocene epoch

Amygdala Atrophy and Its Functional Disconnection with the Cortico-Striatal-Pallidal-Thalamic Circuit in Major Depressive Disorder in Females

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is approximately twice as common in females than males. Furthermore, female patients with MDD tend to manifest comorbid anxiety. Few studies have explored the potential anatomical and functional brain changes associated with MDD in females. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the anatomical and functional changes underlying MDD in females, especially within the context of comorbid anxiety. Methods In this study, we recruited antidepressant-free females with MDD (N = 35) and healthy female controls (HC; N = 23). The severity of depression and anxiety were evaluated by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), respectively. Structural and resting-state functional images were acquired on a Siemens 3.0 Tesla scanner. We compared the structural volumetric differences between patients and HC with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses. Seed-based voxel-wise correlative analyses were used to identify abnormal functional connectivity. Regions with structural deficits showed a significant correlation between gray matter (GM) volume and clinical variables that were selected as seeds. Furthermore, voxel-wise functional connectivity analyses were applied to identify the abnormal connectivity relevant to seed in the MDD group. Results Decreased GM volume in patients was observed in the insula, putamen, amygdala, lingual gyrus, and cerebellum. The right amygdala was selected as a seed to perform connectivity analyses, since its GM volume exhibited a significant correlation with the clinical anxiety scores. We detected regions with disrupted connectivity relevant to seed primarily within the cortico-striatal-pallidal-thalamic circuit. Conclusions Amygdaloid atrophy, as well as decreased functional connectivity between the amygdala and the cortico-striatal-pallidal-thalamic circuit, appears to play a role in female MDD, especially in relation to comorbid anxiety

Atlantic Deep-water Response to the Early Pliocene Shoaling of the Central American Seaway

The early Pliocene shoaling of the Central American Seaway (CAS), ~4.7–4.2 million years ago (mega annum-Ma), is thought to have strengthened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The associated increase in northward flux of heat and moisture may have significantly influenced the evolution of Pliocene climate. While some evidence for the predicted increase in North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation exists in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic, similar evidence is missing in the wider Atlantic. Here, we present stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope records from the Southeast Atlantic-a key region for monitoring the southern extent of NADW. Using these data, together with other δ13C and δ18O records from the Atlantic, we assess the impact of the early Pliocene CAS shoaling phase on deep-water circulation. We find that NADW formation was vigorous prior to 4.7 Ma and showed limited subsequent change. Hence, the overall structure of the deep Atlantic was largely unaffected by the early Pliocene CAS shoaling, corroborating other evidence that indicates larger changes in NADW resulted from earlier and deeper shoaling phases. This finding implies that the early Pliocene shoaling of the CAS had no profound impact on the evolution of climate

Carbon isotope records reveal precise timing of enhanced Southern Ocean upwelling during the last deglaciation

The Southern Ocean plays a prominent role in the Earth’s climate and carbon cycle. Changes in the Southern Ocean circulation may have regulated the release of CO2 to the atmosphere from a deep-ocean reservoir during the last deglaciation. However, the path and exact timing of this deglacial CO2 release are still under debate. Here we present measurements of deglacial surface reservoir 14C age changes in the eastern Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, obtained by 14C dating of tephra deposited over the marine and terrestrial regions. These results, along with records of foraminifera benthic–planktic 14C age and δ13C difference, provide evidence for three periods of enhanced upwelling in the Southern Ocean during the last deglaciation, supporting the hypothesis that Southern Ocean upwelling contributed to the deglacial rise in atmospheric CO2. These independently dated marine records suggest synchronous changes in the Southern Ocean circulation and Antarctic climate during the last deglaciation

Characterization of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase and sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphatase from the facultative ribulose monophosphate cycle methylotroph Bacillus methanolicus

Stolzenberger J, Lindner S, Persicke M, Brautaset T, Wendisch VF. Characterization of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase and sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphatase from the facultative ribulose monophosphate cycle methylotroph Bacillus methanolicus. Journal of Bacteriology. 2013;195(22):5112-5122

Geomagnetic Field, Polarity Reversals

International audienceBernard Brunhes (1906) was the first to measure magnetization directions in rocks that were approximately antiparallel to the present Earth’s field. Brunhes (1906) recorded magnetizations in baked sedimentary rocks that were aligned with reverse magnetization directions in overlying Miocene lavas from central France (Puy de Dome). In so doing, Brunhes (1906) made first use of a field test for primary thermal remanent magnetization (TRM) that is now referred to as the “baked contact” test. Matuyama (1929) was the first to attribute reverse magnetizations in (volcanic) rocks from Japan and China to reversal of geomagnetic polarity, and to differentiate mainly Pleistocene lavas from mainly Pliocene lavas based on the polarity of the magnetization. In this respect, Matuyama (1929) was the first person to use the sequence of geomagnetic reversals as a means of ordering rock sequences. The reality of geomagnetic reversals was then progressively established with the studies of Hospers (1951, 1953) in Iceland, and Roche (1950, 1951, 1956) in the Massif Central of France. The work of Hospers on Icelandic lavas was augmented by Rutten and Wensink (1960) and Wensink (1966) who subdivided Pliocene-Pleistocene lavas in Iceland into three polarity zones from young to old: N-R-N. Magnetic remanence measurements on basaltic lavas combined with K/Ar dating, pioneered by Cox et al. (1963) and McDougall and Tarling (1963a, b, 1964), resulted in the beginning of development of the modern geomagnetic polarity timescale (GPTS). These studies, and those that followed in the mid-1960s, established that rocks of the same age carry the same magnetization polarity, at least for the last few million years. The basalt sampling sites were scattered over the globe. Polarity zones were linked by their K/Ar ages, and were usually not in stratigraphic superposition. Doell and Dalrymple (1966) designated the long intervals of geomagnetic polarity of the last 5 Myrs as magnetic epochs, and named them after pioneers of geomagnetism (Brunhes, Matuyama, Gauss, and Gilbert). Then, the discovery of marine magnetic anomalies confirmed seafloor spreading (Vine and Matthews 1963), and the GPTS was extended to older times (Vine 1966; Heirtzler et al. 1968; Lowrie and Alvarez 1981). Since then, the succession of polarity intervals has been extensively studied and used to construct magnetostratigraphic timescales linking biostratigraphies, isotope stratigraphies, and absolute ages (see Opdyke and Channell 1996, “Magnetic stratigraphy”, for a review)