Glucocorticoid-cholinergic interactions in the dorsal striatum in memory consolidation of inhibitory avoidance training

Extensive evidence indicates that glucocorticoid hormones act in a variety of brain regions to enhance the consolidation of memory of emotionally motivated training experiences. We previously reported that corticosterone, the major glucocorticoid in the rat, administered into the dorsal striatum immediately after inhibitory avoidance training dose-dependently enhances memory consolidation of this training. There is also abundant evidence that the intrinsic cholinergic system of the dorsal striatum is importantly involved in memory consolidation of inhibitory avoidance training. However, it is presently unknown whether these two neuromodulatory systems interact within the dorsal striatum in the formation of long-term memory. To address this issue, we first investigated in male Wistar rats whether the muscarinic receptor agonist oxotremorine administered into the dorsal striatum immediately after inhibitory avoidance training enhances 48 h retention of the training. Subsequently, we examined whether an attenuation of glucocorticoid signaling by either a systemic administration of the corticosterone-synthesis inhibitor metyrapone or an intra-striatal infusion of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU 38486 would block the memory enhancement induced by oxotremorine. Our findings indicate that oxotremorine dose-dependently enhanced 48 h retention latencies, but that the administration of either metyrapone or RU 38486 prevented the memory-enhancing effect of oxotremorine. In the last experiment, corticosterone was infused into the dorsal striatum together with the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine immediately after inhibitory avoidance training. Scopolamine blocked the enhancing effect of corticosterone on 48 h retention performance. These findings indicate that there are mutual interactions between glucocorticoids and the striatal cholinergic system in enhancing the consolidation of memory of inhibitory avoidance training

Extinction procedure induces pruning of dendritic spines in CA1 hippocampal field depending on strength of training in rats

Numerous reports indicate that learning and memory of conditioned responses are accompanied by genesis of dendritic spines in the hippocampus, although there is a conspicuous lack of information regarding spine modifications after behavioral extinction. There is ample evidence that treatments that typically produce amnesia become innocuous when animals are submitted to a procedure of enhanced training. We now report that extinction of inhibitory avoidance (IA), trained with relatively low foot-shock intensities, induces pruning of dendritic spines along the length of the apical dendrites of hippocampal CA1 neurons. When animals are trained with a relatively high foot-shock there is a high resistance to extinction, and pruning in the proximal and medial segments of the apical dendrite are seen, while spine count in the distal dendrite remains normal. These results indicate that pruning is involved in behavioral extinction, while maintenance of spines is a probable mechanism that mediates the protecting effect against amnesic treatments produced by enhanced training

Morris water maze overtraining increases the density of thorny excrescences in the basal dendrites of CA3 pyramidal neurons

The hippocampus plays a fundamental role in spatial learning and memory. Dentate gyrus (DG) granular neurons project mainly to proximal apical dendrites of neurons in the CA3 stratum lucidum and also, to some extent, to the basal dendrites of CA3 pyramidal cells in the stratum oriens. The terminal specializations of DG neurons are the mossy fibers (MF), and these huge axon terminals show expansion in the CA3 stratum oriens after the animals undergo overtraining in the Morris Water Maze task (MWM). However, to our knowledge there are no reports regarding the possible changes in density of post-synaptic targets of these terminals in the basal dendrites of CA3 neurons after overtraining in the MWM. The purpose of this work was to study the density of thorny excrescences (TE) and other dendritic spine types (stubby, thin, and mushroom) in the CA3 stratum oriens in animals overtrained in the MWM for three consecutive days and in animals trained for only one day. Seven days after MWM training, the animals were sacrificed, and their brains removed and processed for rapid Golgi staining to visualize the different types of dendritic protrusions. Our results revealed that the relative quantity of stubby, thin, and mushroom dendritic spines did not change, regardless of amount of training. However, a significant increase in the density of TE was detected in the overtrained animals. These results strongly suggest that spatial water maze overtraining induces an increased density of MF–TE connections, which might be functionally relevant for long-term spatial memory formation.Fil: Gómez Padilla, Eurídice. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro.; MéxicoFil: Bello Medina, Paola C.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: León Jacinto, Uriel. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Orta Salazar, Erika. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Quirarte, Gina L.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Ramirez Amaya, Victor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro.; MéxicoFil: Prado Alcalá, Roberto A.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Díaz Cintra, Sofía. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Méxic

Estradiol valerate and alcohol intake: dose-response assessments

BACKGROUND: An injection of estradiol valerate (EV) provides estradiol for a prolonged period. Recent research indicates that a single 2.0 mg injection of EV modifies a female rat's appetite for alcoholic beverages. This research extends the initial research by assessing 8 doses of EV (from .001 to 2.0 mg/female rat), as well assessing the effects of 2.0 mg EV in females with ovariectomies. RESULTS: With the administration of EV, there was a dose-related loss of bodyweight reaching the maximum loss, when it occurred, at about 4 days after injections. Subsequently, rats returned to gaining weight regularly. Of the doses tested, only the 2.0 mg dose produced a consistent increase in intake of ethanol during the time previous research indicated that the rats would show enhanced intakes. There was, however, a dose-related trend for smaller doses to enhance intakes. Rats with ovariectomies showed a similar pattern of effects, to intact rats, with the 2 mg dose. After extensive histories of intake of alcohol, both placebo and EV-treated females had estradiol levels below the average measured in females without a history of alcohol-intake. CONCLUSION: The data support the conclusion that pharmacological doses of estradiol can produce enduring changes that are manifest as an enhanced appetite for alcoholic beverages. The effect can occur among females without ovaries

Medical students maintain their humanistic and patient‑centred vocation throughout Medicine Degree in Spain: a study based on narratives

Narrative medicine has great educational potential in the degree of medicine. This study explores for the frst time the use of narrative medicine in relation to longitudinal evolution of medical vocation for the same group of students. In the context of the Degree in Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), students wrote narratives about what it meant to them to be a doctor at the beginning and end of their studies. The narratives of 338 students of the academic years 2012/13– 2017/18 and 2013/14–2018/19 were analysed and compared. Students mostly pursued a degree in medicine on account of humanistic motivations, which are reinforced throughout their degree. In contrast, up to 10% of students reference to have experienced vocational crises and sufered frustration, with up to 25% of the references pertaining to having made signifcant sacrifces. Students maintain and evolve their humanistic, patient-centred vision throughout their degree studies, despite the difculties they appear to encounter. We suggest that eforts must be made to include more humanistic perspectives in the medical degree to keep this trend, which may improve both the educational experience created in universities and the health care given to patient

EL APRENDIZAJE INCREMENTADO PROTEGE A LA MEMORIA CONTRA TRATAMIENTOS AMNÉSICOS

Se hace una descripción somera de las técnicas clásicas utilizadas en el estudiode la neurobiología de la memoria, y de los resultados experimentalesque dieron base a la teoría de la consolidación de la memoria. Asimismo,se describen los experimentos que han dado lugar a una reinterpretaciónde dicha teoría, aplicable a la formación de la memoria de altos niveles deaprendizaje. Los datos derivados de estudios neurobiológicos en los que sehan utilizado diseños que implican aprendizajes mediados por niveles relativamente bajos de reforzamiento o de número de ensayos o de sesionesde entrenamiento, así como los derivados de situaciones de aprendizaje incrementadopueden se explicados en forma sencilla por dos modelos quehemos propuesto: la del procesamiento en serie y la del procesamiento enparalelo, que se discuten en el texto

Cancer impact prognosis on mortality in patients with acute heart failure: analysis of the epicter study

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) and cancer are currently the leading causes of death worldwide, with an increasing incidence with age. Little is known about the treatment received and the prognosis of patients with acute HF and a prior cancer diagnosis. Objective: to determine the clinical characteristics, palliative treatment received, and prognostic impact of patients with acute HF and a history of solid tumor. Methods: The EPICTER study ('Epidemiological survey of advanced heart failure') is a cross-sectional, multicenter project that consecutively collected patients admitted for acute HF in 74 Spanish hospitals. Patients were classified into two groups according to whether they met criteria for acute HF with and without solid cancer, and the groups were subsequently compared. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted, using the forward stepwise method. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of solid tumor on prognosis in patients with acute HF. Results: A total of 3127 patients were included, of which 394 patients (13%) had a prior diagnosis of some type of solid cancer. Patients with a history of cancer presented a greater frequency of weight loss at admission: 18% vs. 12% (p = 0.030). In the cancer group, functional impairment was noted more frequently: 43% vs. 35%, p = 0.039). Patients with a history of solid cancer more frequently presented with acute HF with preserved ejection fraction (65% vs. 58%, p = 0.048) than reduced or mildly reduced. In-hospital and 6-month follow-up mortality was 31% (110/357) in patients with solid cancer vs. 26% (637/2466), p = 0.046. Conclusion: Our investigation demonstrates that in-hospital mortality and mortality during 6-month follow-up in patients with acute HF were higher in those subjects with a history of concomitant solid tumor cancer diagnosis

Perinatal exposure to genistein, a soy phytoestrogen, improves spatial learning and memory but impairs passive avoidance learning and memory in offspring

This study investigated the effects of perinatal genistein (GEN) exposure on the central nervous system of rat offspring. Pregnant dams orally received GEN (1 or 10. mg/kg/day) or vehicle (1. ml/kg/day) from gestation day 10 to postnatal day 14. In order to assess the effects of GEN on rat offspring, we used a battery of behavioral tests, including the open-field, elevated plus-maze, MAZE and step-through passive avoidance tests. MAZE test is an appetite-motivation test, and we used this mainly for assessing spatial learning and memory. In the MAZE test, GEN groups exhibited shorter latency from start to goal than the vehicle-treated group in both sexes. On the other hand, performances in the step-through passive avoidance test were non-monotonically inhibited by GEN in both sexes, and a significant difference was observed in low dose of the GEN-treated group compared to the vehicle-treated group in female rats. Furthermore, we found that perinatal exposure to GEN did not significantly alter locomotor activity or emotionality as assessed by the open-field and elevated-plus maze tests. These results suggest that perinatal exposure to GEN improved spatial learning and memory of rat offspring, but impaired their passive avoidance learning and memory

TFG 2015/2016

Amb aquesta publicació, EINA, Centre universitari de Disseny i Art adscrit a la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, dóna a conèixer el recull dels Treballs de Fi de Grau presentats durant el curs 2015-2016. Voldríem que un recull com aquest donés una idea més precisa de la tasca que es realitza a EINA per tal de formar nous dissenyadors amb capacitat de respondre professionalment i intel·lectualment a les necessitats i exigències de la nostra societat. El treball formatiu s’orienta a oferir resultats que responguin tant a paràmetres de rigor acadèmic i capacitat d’anàlisi del context com a l’experimentació i la creació de nous llenguatges, tot fomentant el potencial innovador del disseny.Con esta publicación, EINA, Centro universitario de diseño y arte adscrito a la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, da a conocer la recopilación de los Trabajos de Fin de Grado presentados durante el curso 2015-2016. Querríamos que una recopilación como ésta diera una idea más precisa del trabajo que se realiza en EINA para formar nuevos diseñadores con capacidad de responder profesional e intelectualmente a las necesidades y exigencias de nuestra sociedad. El trabajo formativo se orienta a ofrecer resultados que respondan tanto a parámetros de rigor académico y capacidad de análisis, como a la experimentación y la creación de nuevos lenguajes, al tiempo que se fomenta el potencial innovador del diseño.With this publication, EINA, University School of Design and Art, affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona, brings to the public eye the Final Degree Projects presented during the 2015-2016 academic year. Our hope is that this volume might offer a more precise idea of the task performed by EINA in training new designers, able to speak both professionally and intellectually to the needs and demands of our society. The educational task is oriented towards results that might respond to the parameters of academic rigour and the capacity for contextual analysis, as well as to considerations of experimentation and the creation of new languages, all the while reinforcing design’s innovative potential