fMRI evidence of ‘mirror’ responses to geometric shapes

Mirror neurons may be a genetic adaptation for social interaction [1]. Alternatively, the associative hypothesis [2], [3] proposes that the development of mirror neurons is driven by sensorimotor learning, and that, given suitable experience, mirror neurons will respond to any stimulus. This hypothesis was tested using fMRI adaptation to index populations of cells with mirror properties. After sensorimotor training, where geometric shapes were paired with hand actions, BOLD response was measured while human participants experienced runs of events in which shape observation alternated with action execution or observation. Adaptation from shapes to action execution, and critically, observation, occurred in ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Adaptation from shapes to execution indicates that neuronal populations responding to the shapes had motor properties, while adaptation to observation demonstrates that these populations had mirror properties. These results indicate that sensorimotor training induced populations of cells with mirror properties in PMv and IPL to respond to the observation of arbitrary shapes. They suggest that the mirror system has not been shaped by evolution to respond in a mirror fashion to biological actions; instead, its development is mediated by stimulus-general processes of learning within a system adapted for visuomotor control

Single Neurons in M1 and Premotor Cortex Directly Reflect Behavioral Interference

Some motor tasks, if learned together, interfere with each other's consolidation and subsequent retention, whereas other tasks do not. Interfering tasks are said to employ the same internal model whereas noninterfering tasks use different models. The division of function among internal models, as well as their possible neural substrates, are not well understood. To investigate these questions, we compared responses of single cells in the primary motor cortex and premotor cortex of primates to interfering and noninterfering tasks. The interfering tasks were visuomotor rotation followed by opposing visuomotor rotation. The noninterfering tasks were visuomotor rotation followed by an arbitrary association task. Learning two noninterfering tasks led to the simultaneous formation of neural activity typical of both tasks, at the level of single neurons. In contrast, and in accordance with behavioral results, after learning two interfering tasks, only the second task was successfully reflected in motor cortical single cell activity. These results support the hypothesis that the representational capacity of motor cortical cells is the basis of behavioral interference and division between internal models

A Fluctuation-Driven Mechanism for Slow Decision Processes in Reverberant Networks

The spike activity of cells in some cortical areas has been found to be correlated with reaction times and behavioral responses during two-choice decision tasks. These experimental findings have motivated the study of biologically plausible winner-take-all network models, in which strong recurrent excitation and feedback inhibition allow the network to form a categorical choice upon stimulation. Choice formation corresponds in these models to the transition from the spontaneous state of the network to a state where neurons selective for one of the choices fire at a high rate and inhibit the activity of the other neurons. This transition has been traditionally induced by an increase in the external input that destabilizes the spontaneous state of the network and forces its relaxation to a decision state. Here we explore a different mechanism by which the system can undergo such transitions while keeping the spontaneous state stable, based on an escape induced by finite-size noise from the spontaneous state. This decision mechanism naturally arises for low stimulus strengths and leads to exponentially distributed decision times when the amount of noise in the system is small. Furthermore, we show using numerical simulations that mean decision times follow in this regime an exponential dependence on the amplitude of noise. The escape mechanism provides thus a dynamical basis for the wide range and variability of decision times observed experimentally

ПІДГОТОВКА МАЙБУТНІХ ЛІКАРІВ-СТОМАТОЛОГІВ У КОНТЕКСТІ РЕФОРМИ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ

The work of scientific and pedagogical staff of the departments of training dentists in the light of changes in legislation is an urgent task of today. The training of pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical staff through their participation in seminars, workshops, trainings, webinars, workshops, etc. is carried out in accordance with the annual plan of professional development of the educational institution. The aim of the Faculty of Dentistry is to prepare for the structured practical (clinical) exam as a component of the USQE, taking into account the requirements of the Higher Education Standard of the second (master’s) level in dentistry, in particular the list of laboratory and instrumental methods of research, medical and dental manipulations. Scientists are trying to crystallize students’ personalities, talents, intellectual creative and physical abilities, and educate responsible citizens who are capable of conscious public choice for the benefit of the state of Ukraine. Getting a quality education is aimed at a high level of training for dental care professionals. The doctor is able to apply theoretical knowledge and practical skills in his practical activity. A modern specialist must meet the competitive conditions of today. On the basis of the resolution on the continuous professional development of physicians, take an active part in thematic courses, advanced training courses, workshops, conventions, conferences, congresses and undergo physician certification.Робота науково-педагогічних працівників кафедр з підготовки лікарів-стоматологів у світлі змін законодавства є актуальним завданням сьогодення. Підвищення кваліфікації педагогічних і науково-педагогічних працівників шляхом їх участі у семінарах, практикумах, тренінгах, вебінарах, майстер-класах тощо здійснюється відповідно до річного плану підвищення кваліфікації закладу освіти. Метою викладачів стоматологічного факультету є підготовка до проведення структурованого практичного (клінічного) іспиту як складової ЄДКІ з урахуванням вимог Стандарту вищої освіти другого (магістерського) рівня зі стоматології, зокрема переліку лабораторних та інструментальних методів дослідження, медичних і стоматологічних маніпуляцій. Науковці намагаються викристалізувати у студентів особистості, таланти, інтелектуальні творчі та фізичні здібності, виховати відповідальних громадян, які здатні до свідомого суспільного вибору на користь держави України. Отримання якісної освіти спрямоване на високий рівень підготовки фахівців з надання стоматологічної допомоги. Теоретичні знання та практичні навички лікар здатний застосувати у своїй практичній діяльності. Сучасний фахівець повинен відповідати конкурентним умовам сьогодення. На підставі постанови про безперервний професійний розвиток лікарів брати активну участь у тематичних курсах, курсах підвищення кваліфікації, майстер-класах, зʼїздах, конференціях, конгресах та проходити атестацію лікарів