Deterministic functions of cortical acetylcholine

Traditional descriptions of the basal forebrain cholinergic projection system to the cortex have focused on neuromodulatory influences, that is, mechanisms that modulate cortical information processing but are not necessary for mediating discrete behavioral responses and cognitive operations. This review summarises and conceptualises the evidence in support of more deterministic contributions of cholinergic projections to cortical information processing. Through presynaptic receptors expressed on cholinergic terminals, thalamocortical and corticocortical projections can evoke brief cholinergic release events. These acetylcholine ( AC h) release events occur on a fast, sub‐second to seconds‐long time scale (‘transients’). In rats performing a task requiring the detection of cues as well as the report of non‐cue events cholinergic transients mediate the detection of cues specifically in trials that involve a shift from a state of monitoring for cues to cue‐directed responding. Accordingly, ill‐timed cholinergic transients, generated using optogenetic methods, force false detections in trials without cues. We propose that the evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that cholinergic transients reduce detection uncertainty in such trials. Furthermore, the evidence on the functions of the neuromodulatory component of cholinergic neurotransmission suggests that higher levels of neuromodulation favor staying‐on‐task over alternative action. In other terms, higher cholinergic neuromodulation reduces opportunity costs. Evidence indicating a similar integration of other ascending projection systems, including noradrenergic and serotonergic systems, into cortical circuitry remains sparse, largely because of the limited information about local presynaptic regulation and the limitations of current techniques in measuring fast and transient neurotransmitter release events in these systems. Traditional descriptions of the basal forebrain cholinergic projection system to the cortex focused on neuromodulatory influences, that is, mechanisms that modulate cortical information processing but are not necessary for mediating discrete behavioral responses and cognitive operations. This review summarises and conceptualises the evidence in support of more deterministic contributions of cholinergic projections to cortical information processing.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107385/1/ejn12515.pd

Blood docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in vegans: Associations with age and gender and effects of an algal-derived omega-3 fatty acid supplement

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Several studies have demonstrated that vegetarians and vegans have much lower plasma concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids (i.e., docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids) when compared to those who eat fish. The purposes of this study were 1) to define the age and/or sex-specific docosahexaenoic plus eicosapentaenoic acids levels in red blood cell membranes (expressed as a percent of total fatty acids; hereafter the omega-3 index) in long-term vegans, and 2) to determine the effects of a vegetarian omega-3 supplement (254 mg docosahexaenoic plus eicosapentaenoic acids/day for 4 months) on the omega-3 index. METHODS: A sample (n = 165) of vegans was recruited, and their omega-3 index was determined using a dried blood spot methodology. A subset of 46 subjects with a baseline omega-3 index of <4% was given a vegetarian omega-3 supplement for 4 months and then retested. RESULTS: The mean ± SD omega-3 index was 3.7 ± 1.0% which was similar to that of a cohort of omnivores (deployed US soldiers) from a recently-reported study. Among the vegan cohort, the index was significantly higher in females than males (3.9 ± 1.0% vs. 3.5 ± 1.0%; p = 0.026) and was directly related to age (p for trend = 0.009). The omega-3 index increased from 3.1 ± 0.6% to 4.8 ± 0.8% (p = 0.009) in the supplementation study. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that vegans have low baseline omega-3 levels, but not lower than omnivores who also consume very little docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids. The vegans responded robustly to a relatively low dose of a vegetarian omega-3 supplement

Moving towards more sustainable aquaculture practices: a meta-analysis on the potential of plant-enriched diets to improve fish growth, immunity and disease resistance

Aquatic animal diseases are one of the major limiting factors in aquaculture development, with disease emergence forecast to increase with global change. However, in order to treat increasing diseases in a context of global emergence of antimicrobial resistance and strengthening regulations on antimicrobial use, sustainable alternatives are urgently needed. The use of plant supplements to increase fish immunity and disease resistance has gained much popularity within the last decades. The use of functional supplements, such as plants, can also improve growth and feed assimilation, contributing to a better optimization of aquaculture resources (e.g. fish meal inclusion). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to identify the research gaps in the use of plant-enriched diets in fish aquaculture and estimate, for the first time, the overall efficacy of plant-enriched diets on fish growth, immunity and disease resistance as well as the effect of intrinsic parameters (fish trophic level, type of plant material, dosage, treatment duration and pathogen species) on the treatment efficacy. We found that plant-enriched diets significantly enhanced growth, immunity and disease survival of treated fish, regardless of the fish trophic level, treatment duration and type of material used. We also show that plant supplements are a versatile alternative that can benefit different aquaculture sectors (from small-scale fish farmers to intensive productions). Finally, we observed that studies need to improve the information reported about the plant material used (e.g. origin, identification, chemical composition), in order to allow the comparison of different experiments and improve their repeatability

Communicating product user reviews and ratings in interfaces for e-commerce: a multimodal approach

This paper describes a comparative empirical evaluation study that uses multimodal presentations to communicate review messages in an e-commerce platform. Previous studies demonstrate the effective use of multimodality in different problem domains (e.g. e-learning). In this paper, multimodality and expressive avatars are used to communicate information related to product reviews messages. The data of the reviews was opportunistically collected from Facebook and Twitter. Two independent groups of users were used to evaluate two different presentations of reviews and ratings using as a basis an experimental e- commerce platform. The control group used a text-based with emojis presentation and the experimental group used a multimodal approach based on expressive avatars. Three parameters of usability were measured. These were efficiency, effectiveness, user satisfaction, and user preference. The result showed that the two approaches performed similarly. These findings provide a basis for further experiments in which text, emojis and expressive avatars can be combine to communicate a larger volume of reviews and ratings

Choline transporter gene variation is associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) plays a critical role in brain circuits mediating motor control, attention, learning and memory. Cholinergic dysfunction is associated with multiple brain disorders including Alzheimer’s Disease, addiction, schizophrenia and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The presynaptic choline transporter (CHT, SLC5A7) is the major, rate-limiting determinant of ACh production in the brain and periphery and is consequently upregulated during tasks that require sustained attention. Given the contribution of central cholinergic circuits to the control of movement and attention, we hypothesized that functional CHT gene variants might impact risk for ADHD. We performed a case-control study, followed by family-based association tests on a separate cohort, of two purportedly functional CHT polymorphisms (coding variant Ile89Val (rs1013940) and a genomic SNP 3’ of the CHT gene (rs333229), affording both a replication sample and opportunities to reduce potential population stratification biases. Initial genotyping of pediatric ADHD subjects for two purportedly functional CHT alleles revealed a 2–3 fold elevation of the Val89 allele (n = 100; P = 0.02) relative to healthy controls, as well as a significant decrease of the 3’SNP minor allele in Caucasian male subjects (n = 60; P = 0.004). In family based association tests, we found significant overtransmission of the Val89 variant to children with a Combined subtype diagnosis (OR = 3.16; P = 0.01), with an increased Odds Ratio for a haplotype comprising both minor alleles. These studies show evidence of cholinergic deficits in ADHD, particularly for subjects with the Combined subtype, and, if replicated, may encourage further consideration of cholinergic agonist therapy in the disorder

Ergonomics and sustainability: Towards and embrace of complexity and emergence

Technology offers a promising route to a sustainable future, and ergonomics can serve a vital role. The argument of this article is that the lasting success of sustainability initiatives in ergonomics hinges on an examination of ergonomics' own epistemology and ethics. The epistemology of ergonomics is fundamentally empiricist and positivist. This places practical constraints on its ability to address important issues such as sustainability, emergence and complexity. The implicit ethical position of ergonomics is one of neutrality, and its positivist epistemology generally puts value-laden questions outside the parameters of what it sees as scientific practice. We argue, by contrast, that a discipline that deals with both technology and human beings cannot avoid engaging with questions of complexity and emergence and seeking innovative ways of addressing these issues.No Full Tex

Axonal Varicosity Density as an Index of Local Neuronal Interactions

Diffuse transmission is an important non-synaptic communication mode in the cerebral neocortex, in which neurotransmitters released from en passant varicosities interact with surrounding cells. In a previous study we have shown that the cholinergic axonal segments which were in the microproximity with dopaminergic fibers possessed a greater density of en passant varicosities compared to more distant segments, suggesting an activity-dependent level of en passant varicosities in the axonal zone of interaction. To further evaluate this plastic relationship, the density of cholinergic varicosities was quantified on fiber segments within the microproximity of activated or non-activated pyramidal cells of the prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Repetitive 14 days patterned visual stimulation paired with an electrical stimulation of the cholinergic fibers projecting to the mPFC from the HDB was performed to induce persistent axonal plastic changes. The c-Fos early gene immunoreactivity was used as a neuronal activity marker of layer V pyramidal cells, labelled with anti-glutamate transporter EAAC1. Cholinergic fibers were labeled with anti-ChAT (choline acetyltransferase) immunostaining. The density of ChAT+ varicosities on and the length of fiber segments within the 3 µm microproximity of c-Fos positive/negative pyramidal cells were evaluated on confocal images. More than 50% of the pyramidal cells in the mPFC were c-Fos immunoreactive. Density of ChAT+ varicosities was significantly increased within 3 µm vicinity of activated pyramidal cells (0.50±0.01 per µm of ChAT+ fiber length) compared to non-activated cells in this group (0.34±0.001; p≤0.05) or control rats (0.32±0.02; p≤0.05). Different types of stimulation (visual, HDB or visual/HDB) induced similar increase of the density of ChAT+ varicosities within microproximity of activated pyramidal cells. This study demonstrated at the subcellular level an activity-dependent enrichment of ChAT+ varicosities in the axonal zone of interaction with other neuronal elements