Discrimination of foreign speech pitch and autistic traits in non-clinical population

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) are widely suggested to show enhanced perceptual discrimination but inconsistent findings have been reported for pitch discrimination. Given the high variability in ASC, this study investigated whether ASC traits were correlated with pitch discrimination in an undergraduate sample when musical and language experiences were taken into consideration. Results indicated that the Social Skills subscale of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was associated with foreign speech pitch discrimination, suggesting that individuals who were less sociable and socially skillful were less able to discriminate foreign speech pitch. Current findings have an implication in investigating individual differences in ASC and further investigation is needed for spelling out the relationship between the non-social and social aspects of ASC

Retrieval Contexts and the Concreteness Effect: Dissociations in Memory of Concrete and Abstract Words

Decades of research on the concreteness effect, namely better memory for concrete as compared with abstract words, suggest it is a fairly robust phenomenon. Nevertheless, little attention has been given to limiting retrieval contexts. Two experiments evaluated intentional memory for concrete and abstract word lists in three retrieval contexts: free recall, explicit word-stem completion, and implicit word-stem completion. Concreteness effects were observed in free recall and in explicit word-stem completion, but not in implicit word-stem completion. These findings are consistent with both a bidirectional version of the relational-distinctiveness processing framework (Ruiz-Vargas, Cuevas, & Marschark, 1996) and a second framework combining insights from dual coding theory (Paivio, 1971, 1986) and the transfer appropriate processing framework (Roediger, Weldon, & Challis, 1989). Also, consistent with the relational-distinctiveness framework, the second experiment suggested that concreteness effects might depend on relational processing at encoding: Concreteness effects were observed in explicit memory for related word lists but not for unrelated word lists. © 2005 Psychology Press Ltd

Cyclin-dependent kinase 18 controls trafficking of aquaporin-2 and its abundance through ubiquitin ligase STUB1, which functions as an AKAP

Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) facilitates water reabsorption in renal collecting duct principal cells through regulation of the water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2). The hormone binds to vasopressin V2 receptors (V2R) on the surface of the cells and stimulates cAMP synthesis. The cAMP activates protein kinase A (PKA), which initiates signaling that causes an accumulation of AQP2 in the plasma membrane of the cells facilitating water reabsorption from primary urine and fine-tuning of body water homeostasis. AVP-mediated PKA activation also causes an increase in the AQP2 protein abundance through a mechanism that involves dephosphorylation of AQP2 at serine 261 and a decrease in its poly-ubiquitination. However, the signaling downstream of PKA that controls the localization and abundance of AQP2 is incompletely understood. We carried out an siRNA screen targeting 719 kinase-related genes, representing the majority of the kinases of the human genome and analyzed the effect of the knockdown on AQP2 by high-content imaging and biochemical approaches. The screening identified 13 hits whose knockdown inhibited the AQP2 accumulation in the plasma membrane. Amongst the candidates was the so far hardly characterized cyclin-dependent kinase 18 (CDK18). Our further analysis revealed a hitherto unrecognized signalosome comprising CDK18, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, STUB1 (CHIP), PKA and AQP2 that controls the localization and abundance of AQP2. CDK18 controls AQP2 through phosphorylation at serine 261 and STUB1-mediated ubiquitination. STUB1 functions as an A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP) tethering PKA to the protein complex and bridging AQP2 and CDK18. The modulation of the protein complex may lead to novel concepts for the treatment of disorders which are caused or are associated with dysregulated AQP2 and for which a satisfactory treatment is not available, e.g., hyponatremia, liver cirrhosis, diabetes insipidus, ADPKD or heart failure

Keep an eye on your hands: on the role of visual mechanisms in processing of haptic space

The present paper reviews research on a haptic orientation processing. Central is a task in which a test bar has to be set parallel to a reference bar at another location. Introducing a delay between inspecting the reference bar and setting the test bar leads to a surprising improvement. Moreover, offering visual background information also elevates performance. Interestingly, (congenitally) blind individuals do not or to a weaker extent show the improvement with time, while in parallel to this, they appear to benefit less from spatial imagery processing. Together this strongly points to an important role for visual processing mechanisms in the perception of haptic inputs

Defensive properties of pyrrolizidine alkaloids against microorganisms

The understanding of the selection factors that drive chemical diversification of secondary metabolites of constitutive defence systems in plants, such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), is still incomplete. Historically, plants always have been confronted with microorganisms. Long before herbivores existed on this planet, plants had to cope with microbial pathogens. Therefore, plant pathogenic microorganisms may have played an important role in the early evolution of the secondary metabolite diversity. In this review, we discuss the impact that plant-produced PAs have on plant-associated microorganisms. The objective of the review is to present the current knowledge on PAs with respect to anti-microbial activities, adaptation and detoxification by microorganisms, pathogenic fungi, root protection and PA induction. Many in vitro experiments showed effects of PAs on microorganisms. These results point to the potential of microorganisms to be important for the evolution of PAs. However, only a few in vivo studies have been published and support the results of the in vitro studies. In conclusion, the topics pointed out in this review need further exploration by carrying out ecological experiments and field studies

Stress granules, RNA-binding proteins and polyglutamine diseases: too much aggregation?

Stress granules (SGs) are membraneless cell compartments formed in response to different stress stimuli, wherein translation factors, mRNAs, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and other proteins coalesce together. SGs assembly is crucial for cell survival, since SGs are implicated in the regulation of translation, mRNA storage and stabilization and cell signalling, during stress. One defining feature of SGs is their dynamism, as they are quickly assembled upon stress and then rapidly dispersed after the stress source is no longer present. Recently, SGs dynamics, their components and their functions have begun to be studied in the context of human diseases. Interestingly, the regulated protein self-assembly that mediates SG formation contrasts with the pathological protein aggregation that is a feature of several neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, aberrant protein coalescence is a key feature of polyglutamine (PolyQ) diseases, a group of nine disorders that are caused by an abnormal expansion of PolyQ tract-bearing proteins, which increases the propensity of those proteins to aggregate. Available data concerning the abnormal properties of the mutant PolyQ disease-causing proteins and their involvement in stress response dysregulation strongly suggests an important role for SGs in the pathogenesis of PolyQ disorders. This review aims at discussing the evidence supporting the existence of a link between SGs functionality and PolyQ disorders, by focusing on the biology of SGs and on the way it can be altered in a PolyQ disease context.ALG-01-0145-FEDER-29480, SFRH/BD/133192/2017, SFRH/BD/133192/2017, SFRH/BD/148533/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio