FMR1 Genotype with Autoimmunity-Associated Polycystic Ovary-Like Phenotype and Decreased Pregnancy Chance

The FMR1 gene partially appears to control ovarian reserve, with a specific ovarian sub-genotype statistically associated with a polycystic ovary (PCO)- like phenotype. Some forms of PCO have been associated with autoimmunity. We, therefore, investigated in multiple regression analyses associations of ovary-specific FMR1 genotypes with autoimmunity and pregnancy chances (with in vitro fertilization, IVF) in 339 consecutive infertile women (455 IVF cycles), 75 with PCO-like phenotype, adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, medication dosage and number of oocytes retrieved. Patients included 183 (54.0%) with normal (norm) and 156 (46%) with heterozygous (het) FMR1 genotypes; 133 (39.2%) demonstrated laboratory evidence of autoimmunity: 51.1% of het-norm/low, 38.3% of norm and 24.2% het-norm/high genotype and sub-genotypes demonstrated autoimmunity (p = 0.003). Prevalence of autoimmunity increased further in PCO-like phenotype patients with het-norm/low genotype (83.3%), remained unchanged with norm (34.0%) and decreased in het-norm/high women (10.0%; P<0.0001). Pregnancy rates were significantly higher with norm (38.6%) than het-norm/low (22.2%, p = 0.001). FMR1 sub-genotype het-norm/low is strongly associated with autoimmunity and decreased pregnancy chances in IVF, reaffirming the importance of the distal long arm of the X chromosome (FMR1 maps at Xq27.3) for autoimmunity, ovarian function and, likely, pregnancy chance with IVF

HIV Risk Behavior Self-Report Reliability at Different Recall Periods

Few studies have investigated the optimal length of recall period for self-report of sex and drug-use behaviors. This meta-analysis of 28 studies examined the test-retest reliability of three commonly used recall periods: 1, 3, and 6 months. All three recall periods demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability, with the exception of recall of needle sharing behaviors and 6-months recall of some sex behaviors. For most sex behaviors, a recall period of 3 months was found to produce the most reliable data; however, 6 months was best for recalling number of sex partners. Overall, shorter periods were found to be more reliable for recall of drug-use behaviors, though the most reliable length of recall period varied for different types of drugs. Implications of the findings and future directions for research are discussed

Quantifying Individual Variation in the Propensity to Attribute Incentive Salience to Reward Cues

If reward-associated cues acquire the properties of incentive stimuli they can come to powerfully control behavior, and potentially promote maladaptive behavior. Pavlovian incentive stimuli are defined as stimuli that have three fundamental properties: they are attractive, they are themselves desired, and they can spur instrumental actions. We have found, however, that there is considerable individual variation in the extent to which animals attribute Pavlovian incentive motivational properties (“incentive salience”) to reward cues. The purpose of this paper was to develop criteria for identifying and classifying individuals based on their propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues. To do this, we conducted a meta-analysis of a large sample of rats (N = 1,878) subjected to a classic Pavlovian conditioning procedure. We then used the propensity of animals to approach a cue predictive of reward (one index of the extent to which the cue was attributed with incentive salience), to characterize two behavioral phenotypes in this population: animals that approached the cue (“sign-trackers”) vs. others that approached the location of reward delivery (“goal-trackers”). This variation in Pavlovian approach behavior predicted other behavioral indices of the propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues. Thus, the procedures reported here should be useful for making comparisons across studies and for assessing individual variation in incentive salience attribution in small samples of the population, or even for classifying single animals

Multifrequency and Multistatic Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar, with Application to FM Passive Radar

This paper deals with the imaging of a moving target using a multifrequency and multistatic radar consisting in one receiver and several narrowband transmitters. Considering two hypotheses about the studied target, we derive two multistatic inverse synthetic aperture radar processors: the first one, which models the target as a set of isotropic points, performs a coherent sum of bistatic images; the second one, which models the target as a set of nonisotropic points, performs an incoherent sum of bistatic images. Numerical simulations are done, which demonstrate the efficiency of the second processor. We also apply both processors to a multistatic passive radar scenario for which the transmitters are FM stations located in a realistic configuration. We study the system performance in terms of resolution and sidelobe levels as a function of the number of transmitters and of the integration time. Both processors are applied to similar complex targets for which the scattered fields are simulated by a numerical electromagnetic code. The resulting multistatic radar images show interesting characteristics that might be used by classification algorithms in future work

Neural responses to cues paired with methamphetamine in healthy volunteers

Drug cues, or conditioned responses to stimuli paired with drugs, are widely believed to promote drug use. The acquisition of these conditioned responses has been well characterized in laboratory animals: neutral stimuli paired with drugs elicit conditioned responses resembling the motivational and incentive properties of the drug itself. However, few studies have examined acquisition of conditioning, or the nature of the conditioned response, in humans. In this study, we used fMRI to examine neural responses to stimuli that had been paired with methamphetamine or placebo in healthy young adults. Participants first underwent four conditioning sessions in which visual-auditory stimuli were paired with either methamphetamine (20 mg, oral) or placebo. Then on a drug-free test day, the stimuli were presented during an fMRI scan to assess neural responses to the stimuli. We hypothesized that the stimuli would elicit drug-like brain activity, especially in regions related to reward. Instead, we found that the methamphetamine-paired stimuli, compared to placebo-paired stimuli, produced greater activation in regions related to visual and auditory processing, consistent with the drugs unconditioned effects on sensory processing. This is the first study to demonstrate conditioned neural responses to drug-paired stimuli after just two pairings of methamphetamine in healthy adults. The study also illustrates that conditioned responses may develop to unexpected components of the drugs effects.Funding Agencies|NIMH [T32MH020065]; [DA037011]; [S10OD018448]</p