Influence of gender and age on cognitive inhibition in late-onset depression: a case-control study

ObjectiveTo compare cognitive inhibition performance between people with early-onset (EOD) or late-onset depression (LOD) and controls, and between women and men with LOD.MethodsOn the basis of a case-control design, global executive performance (Frontal Assessment Battery); verbal (Hayling), attention (Stroop), and motor (Go/No-Go) components of cognitive inhibition; mental shifting (Trail Making Test parts A and B); and updating in working memory (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) were assessed in 40 participants (10 depressed women with LOD (i.e., 60years old), 10 depressed women with EOD (i.e., <60years old), 10 healthy women and 10 depressed men with LOD (i.e., 60years old)). ResultsOlder depressed women, irrespective of age of depression onset, had greater cognitive inhibition impairments (attention and verbal component) compared with healthy women. LOD was significantly associated with the attention component of cognitive inhibition impairment, unlike EOD (p=0.026). No executive differences were found regarding age of first-onset depression in older depressed women, and between women and men with LOD. ConclusionCognitive inhibition impairment, and more specifically its attention component, was the main characteristic of depression in the studied sample of older adults, independently of gender and age of depression onset. It is essential to perform similar studies in both genders in view of future tailor-made therapeutic modalities. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Implications of a comparison of the stratigraphy and depositional environments of the Argana (Morocco) and Fundy (Nova Scotia, Canada) Permian-Jurassic basins

The Argana rift basin of Morocco and the Fundy rift basin of the Maritime Provinces of Eastern Canada are on the conjugate margins of the central Atlantic Ocean. In the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic these basins lie at similar paleolatitudes within the same great rift system. A comparison of the depositional- and tectono-stratigraphy reveal strong similarities, much greater that those shared between the Fundy basin and other rifts in eastern North America. Both the Argana and Fundy basins are comprised of four, mostly unconformity-bound, tectonostratigraphic sequences (TS I-IV) probably controlled by pulses of extension: TS I, is Permian in age and the depositional facies of the Argana basin looks more humid than the age equivalent in the Fundy basin and the latter may not be a rift sequence; TS II, is early Late Triassic (Carnian) in age and is the most humid looking facies in both basins; TS III, is late Late Triassic (Norian and Rhaetian) in age and is much more arid in both basins with abundant aeolianites and evaporites; TS IV, is latest Triassic and earliest Jurassic (late Rhaetian - early Hettangian) and shows an increase in the range of variability in climate-sensitive facies - its basal part contains the Triassic-Jurassic boundary an overlying basalt flow sequence and additional fluvial and lacustrine strata on top. The dramatic similarity in both facies and sequence stratigraphy between the Argana and Fundy basins, at least during the Triassic, argues for similar tectonic control, restricted to that latitudinal swath of Pangea, as well as similar paleoclimate

Recent developments on micrometric fission chambers for high neutron fluxes

ISBN 9781424452071International audiencewith the development of innovative nuclear systems and new generation neutron sources, the nuclear instrumentation should be adapted. Since several years, we developed microscopic fission chambers to study the transmutation of minor actinides in high thermal-neutron fluxes. The recent developments done to fulfill the drastic conditions of irradiations are described in this paper together with the feedback from the measurements. Two installations were used: the HFR of the ILL for its highest thermal neutron flux of the world and the MEGAPIE target which was the first 1 MW liquid Pb-Bi spallation target in the world

Neural changes associated with appetite information processing in schizophrenic patients after 16 weeks of olanzapine treatment

There is evidence that some atypical antipsychotics, including olanzapine, can produce unwanted metabolic side effects, weight gain and diabetes. However, neuronal correlates of change related to food information processing have not been investigated with these medications. We studied the effect of a pharmacological manipulation with an antipsychotic known to cause weight gain on metabolites, cognitive tasks and neural correlates related to food regulation. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging in conjunction with a task requiring visual processing of appetitive stimuli in schizophrenic patients and healthy controls before and after 16 weeks of antipsychotic medication with olanzapine. In patients, the psychological and neuronal changes associated following the treatment correlated with appetite control measures and metabolite levels in fasting blood samples. After 16 weeks of olanzapine treatment, the patients gained weight, increased their waist circumference, had fewer positive schizophrenia symptoms, a reduced ghrelin plasma concentration and an increased concentration of triglycerides, insulin and leptin. In premotor area, somatosensory cortices as well as bilaterally in the fusiform gyri, the olanzapine treatment increased the neural activity related to appetitive information in schizophrenic patients to similar levels relative to healthy individuals. However, a higher increase in sensitivity to appetitive stimuli after the treatment was observed in insular cortices, amygdala and cerebellum in schizophrenic patients as compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, these changes in neuronal activity correlated with changes in some metabolites and cognitive measurements related to appetite regulation

Root Exudates Alter the Expression of Diverse Metabolic, Transport, Regulatory, and Stress Response Genes In Rhizosphere \u3ci\u3ePseudomonas\u3c/i\u3e

Plants live in association with microorganisms that positively influence plant development, vigor, and fitness in response to pathogens and abiotic stressors. The bulk of the plant microbiome is concentrated belowground at the plant root-soil interface. Plant roots secrete carbon-rich rhizodeposits containing primary and secondary low molecular weight metabolites, lysates, and mucilages. These exudates provide nutrients for soil microorganisms and modulate their affinity to host plants, but molecular details of this process are largely unresolved. We addressed this gap by focusing on the molecular dialog between eight well-characterized beneficial strains of the Pseudomonas fluorescens group and Brachypodium distachyon, a model for economically important food, feed, forage, and biomass crops of the grass family. We collected and analyzed root exudates of B. distachyon and demonstrated the presence of multiple carbohydrates, amino acids, organic acids, and phenolic compounds. The subsequent screening of bacteria by Biolog Phenotype MicroArrays revealed that many of these metabolites provide carbon and energy for the Pseudomonas strains. RNA-seq profiling of bacterial cultures amended with root exudates revealed changes in the expression of genes encoding numerous catabolic and anabolic enzymes, transporters, transcriptional regulators, stress response, and conserved hypothetical proteins. Almost half of the differentially expressed genes mapped to the variable part of the strains’ pangenome, reflecting the importance of the variable gene content in the adaptation of P. fluorescens to the rhizosphere lifestyle. Our results collectively reveal the diversity of cellular pathways and physiological responses underlying the establishment of mutualistic interactions between these beneficial rhizobacteria and their plant hosts

Stronger diversity effects with increased environmental stress : a study of multitrophic interactions between oak, powdery mildew and ladybirds

Recent research has suggested that increasing neighbourhood tree species diversity may mitigate the impact of pests or pathogens by supporting the activities of their natural enemies and/or reducing the density of available hosts. In this study, we attempted to assess these mechanisms in a multitrophic study system of young oak (Quercus), oak powdery mildew (PM, caused by Erysiphe spp.) and a mycophagous ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduo-punctata). We assessed ladybird mycophagy on oak PM in function of different neighbourhood tree species compositions. We also evaluated whether these species interactions were modulated by environmental conditions as suggested by the Stress Gradient Hypothesis. We adopted a complementary approach of a field experiment where we monitored oak saplings subjected to a reduced rainfall gradient in a young planted forest consisting of different tree species mixtures, as well as a lab experiment where we independently evaluated the effect of different watering treatments on PM infections and ladybird mycophagy. In the field experiment, we found effects of neighbourhood tree species richness on ladybird mycophagy becoming more positive as the target trees received less water. This effect was only found as weather conditions grew drier. In the lab experiment, we found a preference of ladybirds to graze on infected leaves from trees that received less water. We discuss potential mechanisms that might explain this preference, such as emissions of volatile leaf chemicals. Our results are in line with the expectations of the Natural Enemies Hypothesis and support the hypothesis that biodiversity effects become stronger with increased environmental stress

Light Sterile Neutrinos: A White Paper

This white paper addresses the hypothesis of light sterile neutrinos based on recent anomalies observed in neutrino experiments and the latest astrophysical data

Colloids as Mobile Substrates for the Implantation and Integration of Differentiated Neurons into the Mammalian Brain

Neuronal degeneration and the deterioration of neuronal communication lie at the origin of many neuronal disorders, and there have been major efforts to develop cell replacement therapies for treating such diseases. One challenge, however, is that differentiated cells are challenging to transplant due to their sensitivity both to being uprooted from their cell culture growth support and to shear forces inherent in the implantation process. Here, we describe an approach to address these problems. We demonstrate that rat hippocampal neurons can be grown on colloidal particles or beads, matured and even transfected in vitro, and subsequently transplanted while adhered to the beads into the young adult rat hippocampus. The transplanted cells have a 76% cell survival rate one week post-surgery. At this time, most transplanted neurons have left their beads and elaborated long processes, similar to the host neurons. Additionally, the transplanted cells distribute uniformly across the host hippocampus. Expression of a fluorescent protein and the light-gated glutamate receptor in the transplanted neurons enabled them to be driven to fire by remote optical control. At 1-2 weeks after transplantation, calcium imaging of host brain slice shows that optical excitation of the transplanted neurons elicits activity in nearby host neurons, indicating the formation of functional transplant-host synaptic connections. After 6 months, the transplanted cell survival and overall cell distribution remained unchanged, suggesting that cells are functionally integrated. This approach, which could be extended to other cell classes such as neural stem cells and other regions of the brain, offers promising prospects for neuronal circuit repair via transplantation of in vitro differentiated, genetically engineered neurons