The subiculum to entorhinal cortex projection is capable of sustaining both short-and long-term plastic changes

The hippocampus communicates with the neocortex via the entorhinal cortex. These areas are thought to be critically involved in the consolidation of memories. The hippocampus is considered to be the site of association of sensory information, which is then laid down for long-term storage in the neocortex. We examined the projection from the subiculum to the entorhinal cortex to determine whether it could function to transfer this hippocampally-processed information to the neocortex. Following stimulation in the subiculum we demonstrate a negative-going deflection followed by a positive-going deflection in the entorhinal cortex. This projection is capable of short-term plastic changes in the form of PPF. FIn addition, we demonstrate that long-term synaptic changes in the form of LTP and LTD could be sustained for at least 30 min on this pathway. Finally we show that PPF changes after LTP and LTD, suggesting that a presynaptic mechanism may be involved in both of these pathways

High-density event-related potentials: Current theories and practice

Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) are changes in the ongoing electrical activity of the brain (Electroencephalograms, or EEGs) which are caused by the specific occurrence of a cognitive, motor or perceptual event. Any changes in EEG due to the demands of the task are amplified, averaged and extracted as ERP waveforms (see Figure 1). These wave-forms are measured as the difference between the electrical activity of a baseline reference electrode attached to an electrically inactive site, such as the mastoid bone below the ear or the naison on the nose, and the electrical activity of the areas of the brain covered by the electrodes. These changes allow neuroscientists to determine what areas of brain are being stimulated at a given time (and therefore which brain areas are involved in a given process), precisely when these areas become activated and what happens in these areas when people make an error

DRINKING WATER QUALITY. ESRI Research Bulletin 2009/2/3

The water we drink should be safe. The cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Galway in 2007 reminded us that it sometimes is not. But bad water quality does not only cause acute health problems. It also causes chronic ailments, including cancer. Therefore, the drinking water quality is monitored by the City and County Councils, overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A recent paper by Tol et al., examines the quality of drinking water in Ireland over time

Landmark Distance Impacts the Overshadowing Effect in Spatial Learning Using a Virtual Water Maze Task with Healthy Adults

Cue competition is a key element of many associative theories of learning. Overshadowing, an important aspect of cue competition, is a phenomenon in which learning about a cue is reduced when it is accompanied by a second cue. Overshadowing has been observed across many domains, but there has been limited investigation of overshadowing in human spatial learning. This experiment explored overshadowing using two landmarks/cues (at different distances to the goal) in a virtual water maze task with young, healthy adult participants. Experiment 1 initially examined whether the cues used were equally salient. Results indicated that both gained equal control over performance. In experiment 2, overshadowing was examined using the two cues from experiment 1. Results indicated that overshadowing occurred during spatial learning and that the near cue controlled searching significantly more than the far cue. Furthermore, the far cue appeared to have been completely ignored, suggesting that learning strategies requiring the least amount of effort were employed by participants. Evidence supporting an associative account of human spatial navigation and the influence of proximal cues was discussed

Climate Policy and Corporate Behaviour. ESRI WP329. November 2009

In this paper, we study the impact of energy taxes and the EU ETS on a large number of firms in Europe between 1996 and 2007. Using company level micro-data, we examine how firms in different sectors were affected by environmental policies. Aspects of behaviour and performance studied include total factor productivity, employment levels, investment behaviour and profitability. On the whole, energy taxes increased total factor productivity and returns to capital but decreased employment, with a mixed effect on investment, for the sectors included in our analysis. However, large sectoral variation is observed, with some industries losing out in terms of productivity and profitability when faced with increased energy taxes, while others benefitted

Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk

The role of cognition is becoming increasingly central to our understanding of the complexity of walking gait. In particular, higher-level executive functions are suggested to play a key role in gait and fall-risk, but the specific underlying neurocognitive processes remain unclear. Here, we report two experiments which investigated the cognitive and neural processes underlying older adult gait and falls. Experiment 1 employed a dual-task (DT) paradigm in young and older adults, to assess the relative effects of higher-level executive function tasks (n-Back, Serial Subtraction and visuo-spatial Clock task) in comparison to non-executive distracter tasks (motor response task and alphabet recitation) on gait. All DTs elicited changes in gait for both young and older adults, relative to baseline walking. Significantly greater DT costs were observed for the executive tasks in the older adult group. Experiment 2 compared normal walking gait, seated cognitive performances and concurrent event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in healthy young and older adults, to older adult fallers. No significant differences in cognitive performances were found between fallers and non-fallers. However, an initial late-positivity, considered a potential early P3a, was evident on the Stroop task for older non-fallers, which was notably absent in older fallers. We argue that executive control functions play a prominent role in walking and gait, but the use of neurocognitive processes as a predictor of fall-risk needs further investigation

Towards Regional Environmental Accounts for Ireland. ESRI WP293. April 2009

Existing environmental accounts for the Republic of Ireland are at the national level. This is fine for continental and global environmental problems, but information at a finer spatial scale is needed for local environmental problems. Furthermore, the impact of environmental policy may differ across space. We therefore construct regional estimates of the environmental pressures posed by Irish households and the environmental problems faced by them. The basic unit of analysis is the electoral district, and the prime data source is the CSO’s Small Area Statistics, a product of the Census. We use the results of classifying regressions of the Household Budget Survey to impute domestic energy use. We use engineering relations to impute transport fuel use, and secondary data on household behaviour to impute waste arisings. We use EPA data on drinking water use and quality per county. The results show marked regional differences. Electricity use and waste arisings are higher in the East and in the cities and towns. Transport fuel use is highest in the commuter belts around the cities and towns. Other energy is relatively uniform. There is no clear pattern in estimated drinking water use, which may be due to data quality. Drinking water quality is poor across much of the country, but different counties suffer from different problems. The regional estimates are constructed using data in the public domain. However, various government agencies hold data that would allow for the construction of more detailed, more accurate, and more extensive regional environmental accounts

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) but not Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produces increased motor activity and abnormal exploratory patterns while impairing spatial learning in Balb/c mice

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent endotoxin, which produces âsickness behavioursâ including loss of weight, loss of interest in food and decreased exploration. LPS has also been shown in some studies to cause deficits in various learning and memory abilities, while in others these LPS-induced learning impairments have been attributed to performance-related deficits rather than learning deficits per se. Here, we use the novelty-preference paradigm, a task that minimises performance-related factors such as motivation, in an attempt to extract and examine the effects of LPS on spatial learning. In addition, some studies have indicated that the anti-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-10 (IL-10) can alleviate some of the symptoms induced by LPS. Here, we also examine the effect of IL-10 on feeding, motor and learning behaviours. We demonstrate that a single injection of LPS does produce a lack of interest in food and weight loss; LPS, however, does not impair habituation in the noveltypreference paradigm. Furthermore, co-injection of IL-10 with LPS does not attenuate the LPS-induced effects of weight loss and lack of food intake. Interestingly, a single injection of IL-10 produces abnormal patterns of exploration, a general increase in activity and abnormal patterns of habituation

Subtle memory and attentional deficits revealed in an Irish stroke patient sample using domain-specific cognitive tasks

Stroke disrupts motor, sensory, and cognitive systems in survivors. Unlike in physical impairments, assessment of cognitive function is often inadequate, as no standardized procedure to monitor cognitive recovery post stroke exists. We evaluated a number of novel task-orientated tools designed to assess subtle cognitive deficits (including memory, attention, and executive functioning) in a sample of stroke patients. Although unimpaired on MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination)-based indices of cognition, memory, and intelligence, stroke survivors were significantly impaired on tasks testing visual attention, spatial/relational processing, and associative memory. We recommend a standardized multidomain cognitive assessment and propose that cognitive deficits post stroke require in-depth assessment to inform patient-orientated rehabilitation

Steering in Video-Based Driving Simulation with Stereo Depth Maps: Dynamic Perspective Corrections

This paper describes a video-based driving simulator that allows the user to steer through a video sequence acquired by a mobile mapping system. This mapping system acquired geotagged stereo video at a rate of 10 Hz. The video data were collected from a standard vehicle, which was driven along a road under normal road conditions. With the use of the stereo image data, a method that allowed a participant to steer through a video was implemented. An experiment to assess a driver’s response to this steering is presented. Drivers were found to respond to the geometry of the video sequence by steering left or right when expected