Tool-use reshapes the boundaries of body and peripersonal space representations

Interaction with objects in the environment typically requires integrating information concerning the object location with the position and size of body parts. The former information is coded in a multisensory representation of the space around the body, a representation of peripersonal space (PPS), whereas the latter is enabled by an online, constantly updated, action-orientated multisensory representation of the body (BR). Using a tool to act upon relatively distant objects extends PPS representation. This effect has been interpreted as indicating that tools can be incorporated into BR. However, empirical data showing that tool-use simultaneously affects PPS representation and BR are lacking. To study this issue, we assessed the extent of PPS representation by means of an audio-tactile interaction task and BR by means of a tactile distance perception task and a body-landmarks localisation task, before and after using a 1-m-long tool to reach far objects. Tool-use extended the representation of PPS along the tool axis and concurrently shaped BR; after tool-use, subjects perceived their forearm narrower and longer compared to before tool-use, a shape more similar to the one of the tool. Tool-use was necessary to induce these effects, since a pointing task did not affect PPS and BR. These results show that a brief training with a tool induces plastic changes both to the perceived dimensions of the body part acting upon the tool and to the space around it, suggesting a strong overlap between peripersonal space and body representatio

Follicular versus luteal phase ovarian stimulation during the same menstrual cycle (DuoStim) in a reduced ovarian reserve population results in a similar euploid blastocyst formation rate: new insight in ovarian reserve exploitation

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Reduction of multiple pregnancies in the advanced maternal age population after implementation of an elective single embryo transfer policy coupled with enhanced embryo selection: Pre- and post-intervention study

STUDY QUESTION Is an elective single-embryo transfer (eSET) policy an efficient approach for women aged >35 years when embryo selection is enhanced via blastocyst culture and preimplantation genetic screening (PGS)? SUMMARY ANSWER Elective SET coupled with enhanced embryo selection using PGS in women older than 35 years reduced the multiple pregnancy rates while maintaining the cumulative success rate of the IVF programme. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Multiple pregnancies mean an increased risk of premature birth and perinatal death and occur mainly in older patients when multiple embryos are transferred to increase the chance of pregnancy. A SET policy is usually recommended in cases of good prognosis patients, but no general consensus has been reached for SET application in the advanced maternal age (AMA) population, defined as women older than 35 years. Our objective was to evaluate the results in terms of efficacy, efficiency and safety of an eSET policy coupled with increased application of blastocyst culture and PGS for this population of patients in our IVF programme. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION In January 2013, a multidisciplinary intervention involving optimization of embryo selection procedure and introduction of an eSET policy in an AMA population of women was implemented. This is a retrospective 4-year (January 2010-December 2013) pre- and post-intervention analysis, including 1161 and 499 patients in the pre- and post-intervention period, respectively. The primary outcome measures were the cumulative delivery rate (DR) per oocyte retrieval cycle and multiple DR. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Surplus oocytes and/or embryos were vitrified during the entire study period. In the post-intervention period, all couples with good quality embryos and less than two previous implantation failures were offered eSET. Embryo selection was enhanced by blastocyst culture and PGS (blastocyst stage biopsy and 24-chromosomal screening). Elective SET was also applied in cryopreservation cycles. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Patient and cycle characteristics were similar in the pre- and post-intervention groups [mean (SD) female age: 39.6 ± 2.1 and 39.4 ± 2.2 years; range 36-44] as assessed by logistic regression. A total of 1609 versus 574 oocyte retrievals, 937 versus 350 embryo warming and 138 versus 27 oocyte warming cycles were performed in the pre- and post-intervention periods, respectively, resulting in 1854 and 508 embryo transfers, respectively. In the post-intervention period, 289 cycles were blastocyst stage with (n = 182) or without PGS (n = 107). A mean (SD) number of 2.9 ± 1.1 (range 1-4) and 1.4 ± 0.8 (range 1-3) embryos were transferred pre- and post-intervention, respectively (P < 0.01) and similar cumulative clinical pregnancy rates per transfer and per cycle were obtained: 26.8, 30.9% and 29.7, 26.3%, respectively. The total DR per oocyte retrieval cycle (21.0 and 20.4% pre- and post-intervention, respectively) defined as efficacy was not affected by the intervention [odds ratio (OR) = 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.7-1.1; P = 0.23]. However, a significantly increased live birth rate per transferred embryo (defined as efficiency) was observed in the post-intervention group 17.0 versus 10.6% (P < 0.01). Multiple DRs decreased from 21.0 in the preintervention to 6.8% in the post-intervention group (OR = 0.3. 95% CI = 0.1-0.7; P < 0.01). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION In this study, the suitability of SET was assessed in individual women on the basis of both clinical and embryological prognostic factors and was not standardized. For the described eSET strategy coupled with an enhanced embryo selection policy, an optimized culture system, cryopreservation and aneuploidy screening programme is necessary. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Owing to the increased maternal morbidity and perinatal complications related to multiple pregnancies, it is recommended to extend the eSET policy to the AMA population. As shown in this study, enhanced embryo selection procedures might allow a reduction in the number of embryos transferred and the number of transfers to be performed without affecting the total efficacy of the treatment but increasing efficiency and safety. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Rule-dependent and stimulus-dependent visuomotor mappings of otherâs actions

My thesis aims at demonstrating the existence of two parallel networks that are involved in stimulus-dependent and rule-dependent visuomotor associations. In the first experiment we demonstrated a biphasic time-course of motor cortical excitability during a counter-imitative task: a stimulus-dependent automatic simulation at 150 ms from the stimulus onset and a rule-dependent voluntary motor preparation at 300 ms. Moreover we identified two regions involved in this biphasic pattern by means of the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). The double-dissociation between the effects of offline rTMS to the lateral prefrontal and parietal cortices, on the early and late components, allowed us to hypothesize the presence of two different anatomo-functional pathways: a parieto-(premotor) network mediating early stimulus-dependent responses and a (temporo)-prefrontal network producing late rule-dependent responses. Thus, the first experiment adds important information on the mechanisms by which the brain is both tuned to produce imitative responses in a fast automatic way but is also capable of overriding them by means of a parallel, more flexible, visuomotor coupling that follows arbitrary visuomotor associations. The fast imitative tendencies seemingly persist also during the online performance of a counter-imitative task. The two processes access the motor output by two partially independent neural substrates. We took a step forward in the second experiment where we investigated, by means of the combined rTMS and fMRI techniques, the functional connectivity in the rule-dependent executive pathway. We used the condition-and-map approach to highlight the brain regions where this pathway passes through to give a counter-imitative response. We hypothesised that this region could be the premotor cortex, and probably the dorsal part of it. Our data showed that exactly in the dorsal premotor cortex there is an interaction between the TMS stimulations and the tasks. Taken together these results allowed us to add a new piece in the puzzle of the rule-dependent visuomotor pathway. The further step will be to use the same paradigm to test the stimulus-dependent automatic pathway and finally to test where these two systems converge either in the premotor cortex or in the motor cortex

Multi- and Transgenerational Effects of Environmental Toxicants on Mammalian Reproduction

Environmental toxicants (ETs) are an exogenous chemical group diffused in the environment that contaminate food, water, air and soil, and through the food chain, they bioaccumulate into the organisms. In mammals, the exposure to ETs can affect both male and female fertility and their reproductive health through complex alterations that impact both gametogeneses, among other processes. In humans, direct exposure to ETs concurs to the declining of fertility, and its transmission across generations has been recently proposed. However, multi- and transgenerational inheritances of ET reprotoxicity have only been demonstrated in animals. Here, we review recent studies performed on laboratory model animals investigating the effects of ETs, such as BPA, phthalates, pesticides and persistent contaminants, on the reproductive system transmitted through generations. This includes multigenerational effects, where exposure to the compounds cannot be excluded, and transgenerational effects in unexposed animals. Additionally, we report on epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, histone tails and noncoding RNAs, which may play a mechanistic role in a nongenetic transmission of environmental information exposure through the germline across generations

Acute stress enhances the expression of neuroprotection- and neurogenesis-associated genes in the hippocampus of a mouse restraint model

Stress arises from an external demand placed on an organism that triggers physiological, cognitive and behavioural responses in order to cope with that request. It is thus an adaptive response useful for the survival of an organism. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize global changes in gene expression in the hippocampus in response to acute stress stimuli, by employing a mouse model of short-term restraint stress. In our experimental design mice were subjected to a one time exposure of restraint stress and the regulation of gene expression in the hippocampus was examined 3, 12 and 24 hours thereafter. Microarray analysis revealed that mice which had undergone acute restraint stress differed from non-stressed controls in global hippocampal transcriptional responses. An up-regulation of transcripts contributing directly or indirectly to neurogenesis and neuronal protection including, Ttr, Rab6, Gh, Prl, Ndufb9 and Ndufa6, was observed. Systems level analyses revealed a significant enrichment for neurogenesis, neuron morphogenesis- and cognitive functions-related biological process terms and pathways. This work further supports the hypothesis that acute stress mediates a positive action on the hippocampus favouring the formation and the preservation of neurons, which will be discussed in the context of current data from the literature