151 research outputs found
Vision After Early-Onset Lesions of the Occipital Cortex: I. Neuropsychological and Psychophysical Studies
We analyzed the visual functions of two
patients (MS, FJ) with bilateral lesion of the
primary visual cortex, which occurred at gestational
age 33 wk in MS and at postnatal month 7
in FJ. In both patients basic visual functionsâ
visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, color, form,
motion perceptionâare similarly preserved or
modestly impaired. Functions requiring higher
visual processing, particularly figure-ground
segregation based on textural cues, are severely
impaired. In MS, studied longitudinally, the
deficits attenuated between the ages of 4.5 and 8
y, suggesting that the developing visual system
can display a considerable degree of adaptive
plasticity several years after the occurrence of a
lesion. In FJ (age 18:9 to 20:6 y), who is more
impaired, the recovery, if any, was less
Vision After Early-Onset Lesions of the Occipital Cortex: II. Physiological Studies
In one of two patients (MS and FJ) with
bilateral, early-onset lesion of the primary
visual cortex, Kiper et al. (2002) observed
a considerable degree of functional recovery. To
clarify the physiological mechanisms involved
in the recovery, we used fMRI and quantitative
EEG to study both patients. The fMRI
investigations indicated that in both patients,
isolated islands of the primary visual cortex are
functioning, in the right hemisphere in MS and
in the left in FJ. The functional recovery
observed in MS roughly correlated with the
functional maturation of interhemispheric
connections and might reflect the role of corticocortical connectivity in visual perception. The
functionality of interhemispheric connections
was assessed by analyzing the changes in
occipital inter-hemispheric coherence of EEG
signals (ICoh) evoked by moving gratings. In
the patient MS, this ICoh response was present
at 7:11 y and was more mature at 9:2 y. In the
more visually mpaired patient, FJ, a consistent
increase in ICoh to visual stimuli could not be
obtained, possibly because of the later occurrence
of the lesion
Dangerous Speech: A Cross-Cultural Study of Dehumanization and Revenge
Dehumanization is routinely invoked in social science and law as the primary factor in explaining how propaganda encourages support for, or participation in, violence against targeted outgroups. Yet the primacy of dehumanization is increasingly challenged by the apparent influence of revenge on collective violence. This study examines critically how various propaganda influence audiences. Although previous research stresses the dangers of dehumanizing propaganda, a recently published study found that only revenge propaganda significantly lowered outgroup empathy. Given the importance of these findings for law and the behavioral sciences, this research augments that recent study with two additional samples that were culturally distinct from the prior findings, showing again that only revenge propaganda was significant. To explore this effect further, we also conducted a facial electromyography (fEMG) among a small set of participants, finding that revenge triggered significantly stronger negative emotions against outgroups than dehumanization
The Chicagoland Observatory Underground for Particle Physics cosmic ray veto system
A photomultiplier (PMT) readout system has been designed for use by the cosmic ray veto systems of two warm liquid bubble chambers built at Fermilab by the Chicagoland Observatory Underground for Particle Physics (COUPP) collaboration. The systems are designed to minimize the infrastructure necessary for installation. Up to five PMTs can be daisy-chained on a single data link using standard Category 5 network cable. The cables is also serve distribute to low voltage power. High voltage is generated locally on each PMT base. Analog and digital signal processing is also performed locally. The PMT base and system controller design and performance measurements are presented
Low-Cost Data Acquisition Card for School-Network Cosmic Ray Detectors
The Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP) at University of Nebraska/Lincoln
and the Washington Area Large-scale Time coincidence Array (WALTA) at
University of Washington/Seattle are among several outreach projects siting
cosmic-ray detectors at local high schools in cities around North America, to
study the origins and interactions of high-energy cosmic rays. In a
collaboration between QuarkNet, the outreach program based at Fermilab, CROP,
and WALTA, a low-cost data acquisition electronics card has been developed to
collect and synchronize the data from each detector site. The cost for each
card is under US$500 for parts, functionally replacing much more expensive
electronics crates and modules at each high school site. The card has 4 analog
discriminator inputs for photo-multiplier tube signals, a 4-channel
Time-to-Digital converter for local coincidence and time-over-threshold
measurements at 0.75 ns resolution, programmable trigger logic via a CPLD and
microcontroller, and a built-in low-cost GPS receiver/antenna module (via
external cable) to provide event trigger time stamps at better than 100 ns
accuracy. Temperature sensors and a barometer are also integrated to record
environmental data along with the counter data. The card connects to any PC or
laptop via a standard RS-232 serial port for data output and control. The
microcontroller and CPLD are field programmable and therefore make the card
functionality flexible and easy to upgrade.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Presented by R. J. Wilkes at "IEEE-NSS
2003", Paper N8-1, Portland, OR, November 2003. Submitted to Trans. IEE
Hydrostatic Level Sensors as High Precision Ground Motion Instrumentation for Tevatron and Other Energy Frontier Accelerators
Particle accelerators pushed the limits of our knowledge in search of the
answers to most fundamental questions about micro-world and our Universe. In
these pursuits, accelerators progressed to higher and higher energies and
particle beam intensities as well as increasingly smaller and smaller beam
sizes. As the result, modern existing and planned energy frontier accelerators
demand very tight tolerances on alignment and stability of their elements:
magnets, accelerating cavities, vacuum chambers, etc. In this article we
describe the instruments developed for and used in such accelerators as
Fermilab's Tevatron (FNAL, Batavia, IL USA) and for the studies toward an
International Linear Collider (ILC). The instrumentation includes Hydrostatic
Level Sensors (HLS) for very low frequency measurements. We present design
features of the sensors, outline their technical parameters, describe test and
calibration procedures and discuss different regimes of operation. Experimental
results of the ground motion measurements with these detectors will be
presented in subsequent paper
Enhanced firing of locus coeruleus neurons and SK channel dysfunction are conserved in distinct models of prodromal Parkinson's disease
Parkinsonâs disease (PD) is clinically defined by the presence of the cardinal motor symptoms, which are associated with a loss of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). While SNpc neurons serve as the prototypical cell-type to study cellular vulnerability in PD, there is an unmet need to extent our efforts to other neurons at risk. The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) represents one of the first brain structures affected in Parkinsonâs disease (PD) and plays not only a crucial role for the evolving non-motor symptomatology, but it is also believed to contribute to disease progression by efferent noradrenergic deficiency. Therefore, we sought to characterize the electrophysiological properties of LC neurons in two distinct PD models: (1) in an in vivo mouse model of focal α-synuclein overexpression; and (2) in an in vitro rotenone-induced PD model. Despite the fundamental differences of these two PD models, α-synuclein overexpression as well as rotenone exposure led to an accelerated autonomous pacemaker frequency of LC neurons, accompanied by severe alterations of the afterhyperpolarization amplitude. On the mechanistic side, we suggest that Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (SK) channels are mediators of the increased LC neuronal excitability, as pharmacological activation of these channels is sufficient to prevent increased LC pacemaking and subsequent neuronal loss in the LC following in vitro rotenone exposure. These findings suggest a role of SK channels in PD by linking α-synuclein- and rotenone-induced changes in LC firing rate to SK channel dysfunction
Al-Gazali skeletal dysplasia constitutes the lethal end of ADAMTSL2-related disorders
First published: 10 March 2023.
OnlinePublLethal short-limb skeletal dysplasia Al-Gazali type (OMIM %601356) is an ultra-rare disorder previously reported in only three unrelated individuals. The genetic etiology for Al-Gazali skeletal dysplasia has up until now been unknown. Through international collaborative efforts involving seven clinical centers worldwide, a cohort of nine patients with clinical and radiographic features consistent with short-limb skeletal dysplasia Al-Gazali type was collected. The affected individuals presented with moderate intrauterine growth restriction, relative macrocephaly, hypertrichosis, large anterior fontanelle, short neck, short and stiff limbs with small hands and feet, severe brachydactyly, and generalized bone sclerosis with mild platyspondyly. Biallelic disease-causing variants in ADAMTSL2 were detected using massively parallel sequencing (MPS) and Sanger sequencing techniques. Six individuals were compound heterozygous and one individual was homozygous for pathogenic variants in ADAMTSL2. In one of the families pathogenic variants were detected in parental samples only. Overall, this study sheds light on the genetic cause of Al-Gazali skeletal dysplasia and identifies it as a semi-lethal part of the spectrum of ADAMTSL2-related disorders. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of meticulous analysis of the pseudogene region of ADAMTSL2 where disease-causing variants might be located.Dominyka Batkovskyte, Fiona McKenzie, Fulya Taylan, Pelin Ozlem Simsek-Kiper, Sarah M Nikkel, Hirofumi Ohashi, Roger E Stevenson, Thuong Ha, Denise P Cavalcanti, Hiroyuki Miyahara, Steven A Skinner, Miguel A Aguirre, ZĂŒhal Akçören, Gulen Eda Utine, Tillie Chiu, Kenji Shimizu, Anna Hammarsjö, Koray Boduroglu, Hannah W Moore, Raymond J Louie, Peer Arts, Allie N Merrihew, Milena Babic, Matilda R Jackson, Nikos Papadogiannakis, Anna Lindstrand, Ann Nordgren, Christopher P Barnett, Hamish S Scott, Andrei S Chagin, Gen Nishimura, and Giedre Grigelionien
Observing Virtual Arms that You Imagine Are Yours Increases the Galvanic Skin Response to an Unexpected Threat
Multi-modal visuo-tactile stimulation of the type performed in the rubber hand illusion can induce the brain to temporarily incorporate external objects into the body image. In this study we show that audio-visual stimulation combined with mental imagery more rapidly elicits an elevated physiological response (skin conductance) after an unexpected threat to a virtual limb, compared to audio-visual stimulation alone. Two groups of subjects seated in front of a monitor watched a first-person perspective view of slow movements of two virtual arms intercepting virtual balls rolling towards the viewer. One group was instructed to simply observe the movements of the two virtual arms, while the other group was instructed to observe the virtual arms and imagine that the arms were their own. After 84 seconds the right virtual arm was unexpectedly âstabbedâ by a knife and began âbleedingâ. This aversive stimulus caused both groups to show a significant increase in skin conductance. In addition, the observation-with-imagery group showed a significantly higher skin conductance (p<0.05) than the observation-only group over a 2-second period shortly after the aversive stimulus onset. No corresponding change was found in subjects' heart rates. Our results suggest that simple visual input combined with mental imagery may induce the brain to measurably temporarily incorporate external objects into its body image
Testing the potential of a virtual reality neurorehabilitation system during performance of observation, imagery and imitation of motor actions recorded by wireless functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
Background
Several neurorehabilitation strategies have been introduced over the last decade based on the so-called simulation hypothesis. This hypothesis states that a neural network located in primary and secondary motor areas is activated not only during overt motor execution, but also during observation or imagery of the same motor action. Based on this hypothesis, we investigated the combination of a virtual reality (VR) based neurorehabilitation system together with a wireless functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) instrument. This combination is particularly appealing from a rehabilitation perspective as it may allow minimally constrained monitoring during neurorehabilitative training.
Methods
fNIRS was applied over F3 of healthy subjects during task performance in a virtual reality (VR) environment: 1) 'unilateral' group (N = 15), contralateral recording during observation, motor imagery, observation & motor imagery, and imitation of a grasping task performed by a virtual limb (first-person perspective view) using the right hand; 2) 'bilateral' group (N = 8), bilateral recording during observation and imitation of the same task using the right and left hand alternately.
Results
In the unilateral group, significant within-condition oxy-hemoglobin concentration Î[O2Hb] changes (mean ± SD ÎŒmol/l) were found for motor imagery (0.0868 ± 0.5201 ÎŒmol/l) and imitation (0.1715 ± 0.4567 ÎŒmol/l). In addition, the bilateral group showed a significant within-condition Î[O2Hb] change for observation (0.0924 ± 0.3369 ÎŒmol/l) as well as between-conditions with lower Î[O2Hb] amplitudes during observation compared to imitation, especially in the ipsilateral hemisphere (p < 0.001). Further, in the bilateral group, imitation using the non-dominant (left) hand resulted in larger Î[O2Hb] changes in both the ipsi- and contralateral hemispheres as compared to using the dominant (right) hand.
Conclusions
This study shows that our combined VR-fNIRS based neurorehabilitation system can activate the action-observation system as described by the simulation hypothesis during performance of observation, motor imagery and imitation of hand actions elicited by a VR environment. Further, in accordance with previous studies, the findings of this study revealed that both inter-subject variability and handedness need to be taken into account when recording in untrained subjects. These findings are of relevance for demonstrating the potential of the VR-fNIRS instrument in neurofeedback applications
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