Behavioral flexibility is increased by optogenetic inhibition of neurons in the nucleus accumbens shell during specific time segments

Behavioral flexibility is vital for survival in an environment of changing contingencies. The nucleus accumbens may play an important role in behavioral flexibility, representing learned stimulus–reward associations in neural activity during response selection and learning from results. To investigate the role of nucleus accumbens neural activity in behavioral flexibility, we used light-activated halorhodopsin to inhibit nucleus accumbens shell neurons during specific time segments of a bar-pressing task requiring a win–stay/lose–shift strategy. We found that optogenetic inhibition during action selection in the time segment preceding a lever press had no effect on performance. However, inhibition occurring in the time segment during feedback of results—whether rewards or nonrewards—reduced the errors that occurred after a change in contingency. Our results demonstrate critical time segments during which nucleus accumbens shell neurons integrate feedback into subsequent responses. Inhibiting nucleus accumbens shell neurons in these time segments, during reinforced performance or after a change in contingencies, increases lose–shift behavior. We propose that the activity of nucleus shell accumbens shell neurons in these time segments plays a key role in integrating knowledge of results into subsequent behavior, as well as in modulating lose–shift behavior when contingencies change

Active propagation of dendritic electrical signals in C. elegans

Active propagation of electrical signals in C. elegans neurons requires ion channels capable of regenerating membrane potentials. Here we report regenerative depolarization of a major gustatory sensory neuron, ASEL. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in vivo showed supra linear depolarization of ASEL upon current injection. Furthermore, stimulation of animal\u27s nose with NaCI evoked all-ornone membrane depolarization in ASEL. Mutant analysis showed that EGL-19, the oil subunit of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, is essential for regenerative depolarization of ASEL. ASEL-specific knock-down of EGL-19 by RNAi demonstrated that EGL-19 functions in C. elegans chemotaxis along an NaCI gradient. These results demonstrate that a natural substance induces regenerative all-or-none electrical signals in dendrites, and that these signals are essential for activation of sensory neurons for chemotaxis. As in other vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems, active information processing in dendrites occurs in C. elegans, and is necessary for adaptive behavior

Disorder-Induced Multiple Transition involving Z2 Topological Insulator

Effects of disorder on two-dimensional Z2 topological insulator are studied numerically by the transfer matrix method. Based on the scaling analysis, the phase diagram is derived for a model of HgTe quantum well as a function of disorder strength and magnitude of the energy gap. In the presence of sz non-conserving spin-orbit coupling, a finite metallic region is found that partitions the two topologically distinct insulating phases. As disorder increases, a narrow-gap topologically trivial insulator undergoes a series of transitions; first to metal, second to topological insulator, third to metal, and finally back to trivial insulator. We show that this multiple transition is a consequence of two disorder effects; renormalization of the band gap, and Anderson localization. The metallic region found in the scaling analysis corresponds roughly to the region of finite density of states at the Fermi level evaluated in the self-consistent Born approximation.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Theory of Ferromagnetism in Ca1-xLaxB6

Novel ferromagnetism in Ca$_{1-x}$La$_{x}$B$_6$ is studied in terms of the Ginzburg-Landau theory for excitonic order parameters, taking into account symmetry of the wavefunctions. We found that the minima of the free energy break both inversion and time-reversal symmetries, while the product of these two remains preserved. This explains various novelties of the ferromagnetism and predicts a number of magnetic properties, including the magnetoelectric effect, which can be tested experimentally.Comment: 5 pages, accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.Let

Chirality driven anomalous Hall effect in weak coupling regime

Anomalous Hall effect arising from non-trivial spin configuration (chirality) is studied based on the $s$-$d$ model. Considering a weak coupling case, the interaction is treated perturbatively. Scattering by normal impurities is included. Chirality is shown to drive locally Hall current and leads to overall Hall effect if there is a finite uniform chirality. This contribution is independent of the conventional spin-orbit contribution and shows distinct low temperature behavior. In mesoscopic spin glasses, chirality-induced anomalous Hall effect is expected below the spin-glass transition temperature. Measurement of Hall coefficient would be useful in experimentally confirming the chirality ordering

Quantum Spin Pump in S=1/2 antiferromagnetic chains -Holonomy of phase operators in sine-Gordon theory-

In this paper, we propose the quantum spin pumping in quantum spin systems where an applied electric field ($E$) and magnetic field ($H$) cause a finite spin gap to its critical ground state. When these systems are subject to alternating electromangetic fields; $(E,H)=(\sin\frac{2\pi t}{T},\cos\frac{2\pi t}{T})$ and travel along the {\it{loop}} $\Gamma_{\rm{loop}}$ which encloses their critical ground state in this $E$-$H$ phase diagram, the locking potential in the sine-Gordon model slides and changes its minimum. As a result, the phase operator acquires $2\pi$ holonomy during one cycle along $\Gamma_{\rm{loop}}$, which means that the quantized spin current has been transported through the bulk systems during this adiabatic process. The relevance to real systems such as Cu-benzoate and ${\rm{Yb}}_4{\rm{As}}_3$ is also discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 74 (2005) no. 4. Typos corrected in the revised versio

Orbital ferromagnetism and anomalous Hall effect in antiferromagnets on distorted fcc lattice

The Berry phase due to the spin wavefunction gives rise to the orbital ferromagnetism and anomalous Hall effect in the non-coplanar antiferromagnetic ordered state on face centered cubic (fcc) lattice once the crystal is distorted perpendicular to (1,1,1) or (1,1,0)- plane. The relevance to the real systems $\gamma$-FeMn and NiS$_2$ is also discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Exploring the neutrino mass matrix at M_R scale

We discuss the neutrino mass matrix which predicts zero or small values of |V_{13}| in MSSM and found the inequality, sin^2 2theta_{12} <= sin^2 2theta_sol, where sin^2 2theta_{12} is the mixing angle at M_R scale and sin^2 2theta_{sol} is the value determined by the solar neutrino oscillation. This constraint says that the model which predicts a larger value of tan^2 theta_{sol} at M_R than the experimental value is excluded. In particular, the bi-maximal mixing scheme at M_R scale is excluded, from the experimental value tan^2 theta_sol<1. In this model, |V_{13}| and a Dirac phase at m_Z are induced radiatively and turn out to be not small. The effective neutrino mass is expected to be of order 0.05 eV.Comment: revtex4, 20 pages, 6 figure

Anomalous Hall effect in ferromagnetic semiconductors

We present a theory of the anomalous Hall effect in ferromagnetic (Mn,III)V semiconductors. Our theory relates the anomalous Hall conductance of a homogeneous ferromagnet to the Berry phase acquired by a quasiparticle wavefunction upon traversing closed paths on the spin-split Fermi surface of a ferromagnetic state. It can be applied equally well to any itinerant electron ferromagnet. The quantitative agreement between our theory and experimental data in both (In,Mn)As and (Ga,Mn)As systems suggests that this disorder independent contribution to the anomalous Hall conductivity dominates in diluted magnetic semiconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Exploring Flavor Structure of Supersymmetry Breaking at B factories

We investigate quark flavor signals in three different supersymmetric models, the minimal supergravity, the SU(5) SUSY GUT with right handed neutrinos, and the minimal supersymmetric standard model with U(2) flavor symmetry, in order to study physics potential of the present and future $B$ factories. We evaluate CP asymmetries in various B decay modes, $\Delta m_{B_s}$, $\Delta m_{B_d}$, and $\epsilon_K$. The allowed regions of the CP asymmetry in $B\to J/\psi K_S$ and $\Delta m_{B_s}/\Delta m_{B_d}$ are different for the three models so that precise determinations of these observables in near future experiments are useful to distinguish the three models. We also investigate possible deviations from the standard model predictions of CP asymmetries in other B decay modes. In particular, a large deviation is possible for the U(2) model. The consistency check of the unitarity triangle including $B\to \pi\pi,\rho\pi,D^{(*)}K^{(*)},D^{(*)}\pi,D^{*}\rho$, and so on, at future high luminosity $e^+e^-$ $B$ factories and hadronic $B$ experiments is therefore important to distinguish flavor structures of different supersymmetric models.Comment: revtex4, 31 pages, 7 figure