Breathers on quantized superfluid vortices

We consider the propagation of breathers along a quantized superfluid vortex. Using the correspondence between the local induction approximation (LIA) and the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we identify a set of initial conditions corresponding to breather solutions of vortex motion governed by the LIA. These initial conditions, which give rise to a long-wavelength modulational instability, result in the emergence of large amplitude perturbations that are localized in both space and time. The emergent structures on the vortex filament are analogous to loop solitons but arise from the dual action of bending and twisting of the vortex. Although the breather solutions we study are exact solutions of the LIA equations, we demonstrate through full numerical simulations that their key emergent attributes carry over to vortex dynamics governed by the Biot-Savart law and to quantized vortices described by the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The breather excitations can lead to self-reconnections, a mechanism that can play an important role within the crossover range of scales in superfluid turbulence. Moreover, the observation of breather solutions on vortices in a field model suggests that these solutions are expected to arise in a wide range of other physical contexts from classical vortices to cosmological strings

Spatiotemporal Properties of the Action Potential Propagation in the Mouse Visual Cortical Slice Analyzed by Calcium Imaging

The calcium ion (Ca2+) is an important messenger for signal transduction, and the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) changes in response to an excitation of the cell. To reveal the spatiotemporal properties of the propagation of an excitatory signal with action potentials in the primary visual cortical circuit, we conducted a Ca2+ imaging study on slices of the mouse visual cortex. Electrical stimulation of layer 4 evoked [Ca2+]i transients around the stimulus electrode. Subsequently, the high [Ca2+]i region mainly propagated perpendicular to the cortical layer (vertical propagation), with horizontal propagation being restricted. When the excitatory synaptic transmission was blocked, only weak and concentric [Ca2+]i transients were observed. When the action potential was blocked, the [Ca2+]i transients disappeared almost completely. These results suggested that the action potential contributed to the induction of the [Ca2+]i transients, and that excitatory synaptic connections were involved in the propagation of the high [Ca2+]i region in the primary visual cortical circuit. To elucidate the involvement of inhibitory synaptic connections in signal propagation in the primary visual cortex, the GABAA receptor inhibitor bicuculline was applied. In this case, the evoked signal propagated from layer 4 to the entire field of view, and the prolonged [Ca2+]i transients were observed compared with the control condition. Our results suggest that excitatory neurons are widely connected to each other over the entire primary visual cortex with recurrent synapses, and inhibitory neurons play a fundamental role in the organization of functional sub-networks by restricting the propagation of excitation signals

Anterior ectosylvian visual area (AEV) of the cat: Physiological properties.

This chapter discusses the physiological properties of the anterior ectosylvian visual area (AEV) of the cat. AEV area was found and described practically simultaneously by Olson and Graybiel. The cells in AEV area exhibit extraordinary visual properties. They are particularly sensitive to small stimuli moving at a fairly high speed in a particular direction in a rather large receptive field. Movement opposite to the preferred direction causes an inhibition of neuronal activity. Another peculiar feature of the AEV cells is their very high directional selectivity (DS). The proportion of direction selective cells is higher in the AEV than in any other feline visual area. The role of the AEV in orienting movement is supported by its sensitivity to small flashing spots, or to the on or off effect of stationary light stimuli. The output of the AEV towards the frontal eye fields and the limbic system provides further evidence for the participation of AEV in eye movements and in limbic functions