Asymmetric vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in unilateral Menière patients

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) were measured in 22 unilateral Menière patients with monaural and binaural stimulation with 250 and 500 Hz tone bursts. For all measurement situations significantly lower VEMP amplitudes were on average measured at the affected side compared to the unaffected side. Unilateral Menière patients have, in contrast to normal subjects, asymmetric VEMPs, indicating a permanently affected vestibular (most likely otolith) system at the side of hearing loss. The diagnostic value of VEMP amplitude asymmetry measurement in individual patients is low, because of the large overlap of the VEMP amplitude asymmetry range for unilateral Menière patients with that for normal subjects

Vestibular evoked myogenic potential: recording methods in humans and guinea pigs

O potencial miogênico evocado vestibular (VEMP) é um teste clínico que avalia a função vestibular através de um reflexo vestíbulo-cervical inibitório captado nos músculos do corpo em resposta à estimulação acústica de alta intensidade. OBJETIVO: Verificar e analisar os diversos métodos de registro dos potenciais miogênicos evocados vestibulares no homem e em cobaias. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Realizou-se busca eletrônica nas bases de dados MEDLINE, LILACS, SCIELO e COCHRANE. RESULTADOS: Foram verificadas divergências quanto às formas de registro dos potenciais miogênicos evocados vestibulares, relacionadas com os seguintes fatores: posição do paciente no momento do registro, tipo de estímulo sonoro utilizado (clicks ou tone bursts), parâmetros para a promediação dos estímulos (intensidade, freqüência, tempo de apresentação, filtros, ganho de amplificação das respostas e janelas para captação dos estímulos), tipo de fone utilizado e forma de apresentação dos estímulos (monoaural ou binaural, ipsi ou contralateral). CONCLUSÃO: Não existe consenso na literatura quanto ao melhor método de registro dos potenciais evocados miogênicos vestibulares, havendo necessidade de pesquisas mais específicas para comparação entre estes registros e a definição de um modelo padrão para a utilização na prática clínica

Pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 2: a neuropathological update

Pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 2 (PCH-2; MIM 277470), an autosomal recessive neurodegeneration with fetal onset, was studied in six autopsies with ages at death ranging between 1 and 22 years. Three patients were distantly related. A case of olivopontocerebellar hypoplasia (OPCH; MIM 225753) was studied for comparison. Typical findings are: short cerebellar folia with poor branching (“hypoplasia”), relative sparing of the vermis, sharply demarcated areas of full thickness loss of cerebellar cortex probably resulting from regression at an early stage of development, segmental loss of dentate nuclei with preserved islands and reactive changes, segmental loss in the inferior olivary nucleus with reactive changes, loss of ventral pontine nuclei with near absence of transverse pontine fibers and sparing of spinal anterior horn cells. Variable findings are: cystic cerebellar degeneration, found in two, with vascular changes limited to the cerebellum in one. Comparison to olivopontocerebellar hypoplasia (OPCH) strongly suggests a continuum of pathology between this disorder and PCH-2. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress response is negative. We conclude that the neuropathological findings in PCH-2 are sufficiently specific to enable an unequivocal diagnosis based on neuropathology

The benefit of symbols: monkeys show linear, human-like, accuracy when using symbols to represent scalar value

When humans and animals estimate numbers of items, their error rate is proportional to the number. To date, however, only humans show the capacity to represent large numbers symbolically, which endows them with increased precision, especially for large numbers, and with tools for manipulating numbers. This ability depends critically on our capacity to acquire and represent explicit symbols. Here we show that when rhesus monkeys are trained to use an explicit symbol system, they too show more precise, and linear, scaling than they do using a one-to-one corresponding numerosity representation. We also found that when taught two different types of representations for reward amount, the monkeys systematically undervalued the less precise representation. The results indicate that monkeys, like humans, can learn alternative mechanisms for representing a single value scale and that performance variability and relative value depend on the distinguishability of each representation

Ontogeny of Numerical Abilities in Fish

Background: It has been hypothesised that human adults, infants, and non-human primates share two non-verbal systems for enumerating objects, one for representing precisely small quantities (up to 3–4 items) and one for representing approximately larger quantities. Recent studies exploiting fish’s spontaneous tendency to join the larger group showed that their ability in numerical discrimination closely resembles that of primates but little is known as to whether these capacities are innate or acquired. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used the spontaneous tendency to join the larger shoal to study the limits of the quantity discrimination of newborn and juvenile guppies. One-day old fish chose the larger shoal when the choice was between numbers in the small quantity range, 2 vs. 3 fish, but not when they had to choose between large numbers, 4 vs. 8 or 4 vs. 12, although the numerical ratio was larger in the latter case. To investigate the relative role of maturation and experience in large number discrimination, fish were raised in pairs (with no numerical experience) or in large social groups and tested at three ages. Forty-day old guppies from both treatments were able to discriminate 4 vs. 8 fish while at 20 days this was only observed in fish grown in groups. Control experiments showed that these capacities were maintained after guppies were prevented from using non numerical perceptual variables that co-vary with numerosity. Conclusions/Significance: Overall, our results suggest the ability of guppies to discriminate small numbers is innate and i

Back on track – On the role of the microtubule for kinesin motility and cellular function

The evolution of cytoskeletal filaments (actin- and intermediate-filaments, and the microtubules) and their associated motor- and non-motor-proteins has enabled the eukaryotic cell to achieve complex organizational and structural tasks. This ability to control cellular transport processes and structures allowed for the development of such complex cellular organelles like cilia or flagella in single-cell organisms and made possible the development and differentiation of multi-cellular organisms with highly specialized, polarized cells. Also, the faithful segregation of large amounts of genetic information during cell division relies crucially on the reorganization and control of the cytoskeleton, making the cytoskeleton a key prerequisite for the development of highly complex genomes. Therefore, it is not surprising that the eukaryotic cell continuously invests considerable resources in the establishment, maintenance, modification and rearrangement of the cytoskeletal filaments and the regulation of its interaction with accessory proteins. Here we review the literature on the interaction between microtubules and motor-proteins of the kinesin-family. Our particular interest is the role of the microtubule in the regulation of kinesin motility and cellular function. After an introduction of the kinesin–microtubule interaction we focus on two interrelated aspects: (1) the active allosteric participation of the microtubule during the interaction with kinesins in general and (2) the possible regulatory role of post-translational modifications of the microtubule in the kinesin–microtubule interaction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42588/1/10974_2005_Article_9052.pd

A Multicriteria Approach for the Evaluation of the Sustainability of Re-Use of Historic Buildings in Venice

The paper presents a multiple criteria model for the evaluation of the sustainability of projects for the economic re-use of historical buildings in Venice. The model utilises the relevant parameters for the appraisal of sustainability, aggregated into three macro-indicators: intrinsic sustainability, context sustainability and economic-financial feasibility. The model has been calibrated by a panel of experts and tested on two reuse hypotheses of the Old Arsenal in Venice. The tests have proven the model to be a useful support in the early stages of evaluation of re-use projects, where economic improvements are to be combined with conservation, as it supports the identification of critical points and the selection of projects, thus providing not only a check-list of variables to be considered, but an appraisal of trade-offs between economic uses and requirements of conservation