How Do Gifted Children Of Various Ages Perceive Their Situation In Heterogeneous Classes And What Can Pre-Service Teachers Learn From Them?

During their teaching program, pre-service teachers participated in a course concerning teaching in the heterogeneous classroom. As an introduction to the issue of ‘gifted children’, the pre-service teachers were given an assignment: (1) to interview gifted children (identified as gifted by the Ministry of Education, according to IQ level) in their own classes or schools, about their situation in the heterogeneous class or school. (2) To write a personal reflection about what they learned from these interviews. These data provided the basis for the study of the unique needs of ‘gifted children’ and the responses of pre-service teachers to these issues. The present study is based on the analysis of these collective results. On the one hand, it presents the picture obtained by the pre-service teachers from analysis of their interviews (Part I). On the other, the study presents the analysis of the pre-service teachers’ responses to Part II of the assignment.&nbsp

Amygdala inputs to prefrontal cortex guide behavior amid conflicting cues of reward and punishment

Orchestrating appropriate behavioral responses in the face of competing signals that predict either rewards or threats in the environment is crucial for survival. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) and prelimbic (PL) medial prefrontal cortex have been implicated in reward-seeking and fear-related responses, but how information flows between these reciprocally connected structures to coordinate behavior is unknown. We recorded neuronal activity from the BLA and PL while rats performed a task wherein competing shock- and sucrose-predictive cues were simultaneously presented. The correlated firing primarily displayed a BLA→PL directionality during the shock-associated cue. Furthermore, BLA neurons optogenetically identified as projecting to PL more accurately predicted behavioral responses during competition than unidentified BLA neurons. Finally photostimulation of the BLA→PL projection increased freezing, whereas both chemogenetic and optogenetic inhibition reduced freezing. Therefore, the BLA→PL circuit is critical in governing the selection of behavioral responses in the face of competing signals.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award 1R25-MH092912-01)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (Grant R01- MH102441-01)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award DP2- DK-102256-01

Basal ganglia dysfunction in OCD: subthalamic neuronal activity correlates with symptoms severity and predicts high-frequency stimulation efficacy

Functional and connectivity changes in corticostriatal systems have been reported in the brains of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD); however, the relationship between basal ganglia activity and OCD severity has never been adequately established. We recently showed that deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), a central basal ganglia nucleus, improves OCD. Here, single-unit subthalamic neuronal activity was analysed in 12 OCD patients, in relation to the severity of obsessions and compulsions and response to STN stimulation, and compared with that obtained in 12 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). STN neurons in OCD patients had lower discharge frequency than those in PD patients, with a similar proportion of burst-type activity (69 vs 67%). Oscillatory activity was present in 46 and 68% of neurons in OCD and PD patients, respectively, predominantly in the low-frequency band (1–8 Hz). In OCD patients, the bursty and oscillatory subthalamic neuronal activity was mainly located in the associative–limbic part. Both OCD severity and clinical improvement following STN stimulation were related to the STN neuronal activity. In patients with the most severe OCD, STN neurons exhibited bursts with shorter duration and interburst interval, but higher intraburst frequency, and more oscillations in the low-frequency bands. In patients with best clinical outcome with STN stimulation, STN neurons displayed higher mean discharge, burst and intraburst frequencies, and lower interburst interval. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis of a dysfunction in the associative–limbic subdivision of the basal ganglia circuitry in OCD's pathophysiology

Neuronal diversity of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

The amygdala complex is a diverse group of more than 13 nuclei, segregated in five major groups: the basolateral (BLA), central (CeA), medial (MeA), cortical (CoA), and basomedial (BMA) amygdala nuclei. These nuclei can be distinguished depending on their cytoarchitectonic properties, connectivity, genetic, and molecular identity, and most importantly, on their functional role in animal behavior. The extended amygdala includes the CeA and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Both CeA and the BNST share similar cellular organization, including common neuron types, reciprocal connectivity, and many overlapping downstream targets. In this section, we describe the advances of our knowledge on neuronal diversity in the amygdala complex and the BNST, based on recent functional studies, performed at genetic, molecular, physiological, and anatomical levels in rodent models, especially rats and mice. Molecular and connection property can be used separately, or in combinations, to define neuronal populations, leading to a multiplexed neuronal diversity-supporting different functional roles. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Cognitive and Behavioral Patterns across Psychiatric Conditions

Psychiatric conditions represent a highly heterogeneous group of disorders associated with chronic distress and a sharp decline in quality of life [...

Problems of conservation and modern use of country manorial estates

Russian manorial estate, the importance of which for the Russian culture can scarcely be exaggerated, is an original and many-sided phenomenon, in which all socio-economic, historical and cultural processes of Russia are focused. Having come into being as dwelling and house-hold complexes, the estates gradually formed cultural framework of Russia in the period from the middle 18th to the end of 19th centuries. In connection with changing social conditions taking place in the 20th century and the loss of their primary meaning only the small part of the estates is conserved today and we are standing at the edge of loosing this invaluable layer of our cultural heritage. In recent years the attempts to revise our history have given positive improvement of public treatment of our historical and architectural heritage. As a result the public interest to the national phenomenon of estates provoked strong impulse to study and to accumulate information about them, but unfortunately did not answer the question how to use this heritage under present-day conditions. The legislation changes recently and the creation of programs and nonstate charitable funds give the hope for the positive improvement in the reconstruction of estates and involving them in the contemporary life. Possible variants of usage of historical settlements as well as estate and park complexes having the great scientific and cognitive and architectural value are considered. The revival of the historical estates together with the national cultural traditions is still not developed enough, but it is an inexhaustible source for the economical and cultural development of Russian regions