Supereste ut pugnatis (pugnatis) ut supereste.

The title of the work discussed in this paper, 'Supereste ut Pugnatis (Pugnatis) ut Supereste', is derived from the motto (Fight to Live) of the Chemical Defense Establishment located at Porton Down in the UK. The work is a mixed media installation that examines the intersection between the Visual Arts and Bio-Sciences and is conceptually focussed upon the development of metaphors that address the membrane in terms of biology, politics, language and culture

Unifying the Midbrain: The Commissure of the Inferior Colliculus

Commissural fibres that interconnect the two sides of the brain are found at severalpoints along the auditory pathway, thus suggesting their fundamental importance for theanalysis of sound. This chapter presents an overview of what is currently known aboutthe anatomy, physiology, and behavioral influences of the commissure of the inferiorcolliculus (CoIC)—the most prominent brainstem auditory commissure—that reciprocallyinterconnects the principal nuclei of the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculi (IC). Theprimary contribution to the CoIC originates from neurons projecting from one inferiorcolliculus to the other, with the dorsal cortex and central nucleus providing the mostextensive connections. In addition, many ascending and descending auditory centers sendprojections to IC via the CoIC, together with a diverse range of sources located outsidethe classically defined auditory pathway. The degree of interconnection between the twoICs suggests they function as a single entity. Recent in vivo evidence has established thatCoIC projections modulate the neural representation of sound frequency, level, andlocation in IC, thus indicating an important role for the CoIC in auditory processing. However, there is limited evidence for the influence of the CoIC on auditory behavior. This, together with the diversity of sources projecting via CoIC, suggest unknown rolesthat warrant further exploration

Auditory and visual hallucination prevalence in Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), such as auditory hallucinations (AH), contribute to disease burden but are not well understood. Methods: Systematic review and random-effects meta-analyses of studies reporting AH associated with PD or DLB. Prevalence of visual hallucinations (VH) in identified studies meeting eligibility criteria were included in meta-analyses, facilitating comparison with AH. Synthesis of qualitative descriptions of AH was performed. PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched for primary journal articles, written in English, published from 1970 to 2017. Studies reporting AH prevalence in PD or DLB were screened using PRISMA methods. Results: Searches identified 4,542 unique studies for consideration, of which, 26 met inclusion criteria. AH pooled prevalence in PD was estimated to be 8.9% (95% CI=5.3-14.5), while in DLB was estimated to be 30.8% (±23.4-39.3). Verbal hallucinations, perceived as originating outside the head, were the most common form of AH. Non-verbal AH were also common while musical AH were rare. VH were more prevalent, with an estimated pooled prevalence in PD of 28.2% (±19.1-39.5), while in DLB they were estimated to be 61.8% (±49.1-73.0). Meta-regression determined that the use of validated methodologies to identify hallucinations produced higher prevalence estimates. Conclusions: AH and VH present in a substantial proportion of PD and DLB cases, with VH reported more frequently in both conditions. Both AH and VH are more prevalent in DLB than PD. There is a need for standardised use of validated methods to detect and monitor hallucinations

Intercollicular modulation of auditory processing in the inferior colliculus

PhD ThesisThe inferior colliculi (ICs) are the principal nuclei of the auditory midbrain. Each IC processes converging inputs from numerous brainstem nuclei as well as from thalamus and cortex. The ICs are interconnected in mirror image by one of the largest afferent inputs to each IC, the commissure of the inferior colliculus. There is exiguous knowledge about how each IC influences the processing of auditory information in its contralateral counterpart. This thesis investigates how one IC modulates the neural representation of sounds in the contralateral IC. To this end, I established and validated an experimental model in anaesthetised guinea pig whereby neuronal activity in one IC was selectively and reversibly deactivated. Cryoloop cooling produced temperature changes sufficient to deactivate spiking activity in the dorsal half of one IC, whilst leaving other centres in the auditory pathway unaffected. Single units were recorded in one IC before, during and after deactivation of the other IC. The characteristic frequency (CF) of IC neurons was unaffected during cooling, but the threshold of the population was raised. The area of non-V-shaped frequency response areas (FRAs) changed more than V-shaped FRAs. Differential changes were also observed in the firing rate of units with different temporal response patterns. Onset responders increased their firing rate whilst the firing of Chopper units was reduced. The temporal firing patterns of all neurons were unchanged by cooling. Changes in first spike latency (FSL) were negatively correlated with changes in firing rate. These data indicate that each IC differentially modulates the frequency selectivity, sensitivity, firing rate and FSL, but not the temporal firing pattern or CF of neurons in the contralateral IC. These findings demonstrate that the analysis of auditory stimuli in each IC is dependent on intercollicular processing. The ICs should therefore be viewed as working cooperatively rather than independently

The involvement of CaMKII in myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury

CaMKII acts as a second messenger to Ca2+ signals within the cardiac myocyte. Cellular stresses such as ischaemia and subsequent reperfusion perturb the normal physiological oscillations of Ca2+ to cause an escalating concentration which damages the cell. CaMKII has been implicated as an injury signal during such cellular conditions. However, there are discrepancies as to whether CaMKII is a possible mechanism of ischaemic preconditioning as its inhibition can abrogate or improve the protective effect of preconditioning. This thesis investigated the effects of CaMKII inhibition in models of ischaemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury. It was hypothesised that CaMKII promotes irreversible injury caused by acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but would also have a beneficial role in mediating cardioprotection by ischaemic preconditioning. This work has demonstrated that: i) in an ex vivo rat heart model of regional I-R injury, CaMKII promoted irreversible injury but is not a feasible target for reperfusion therapy as only a pre-ischaemic intervention reduced myocardial infarction; ii) CaMKII activation was not a pre-requisite for protection with ischaemic preconditioning, although an additive protective effect of CaMKII inhibition and ischaemic preconditioning was possible; iii) models of simulated I-R or oxidative stress in the H9c2 cells did not involve CaMKII activity; iv) isolated cardiac myocytes paced at 1Hz and subjected to simulated I-R do not engage a significant amount of CaMKII activity. These studies substantiate the involvement of CaMKII during ischaemic injury and establish that it does not play a substantial role in ischaemic preconditioning. It highlights the characteristics of the kinase within in vitro models of I-R injury. Understanding CaMKII role in I-R may underpin the development of future therapeutic strategies for the management of AMI