Stereotaxic cutting of post-mortem human brains for neuroanatomical studies

Stereotaxis is widely used in clinical neurosurgery, neuroradiosurgery, and neuroimaging. Yet, maps of brain structures obtained from post-mortem human brains are not usually presented in known stereotaxic coordinates. Post-mortem brain data given in stereotaxic coordinates would facilitate comparisons with in vivo human neuroimages and would also facilitate intra and inter-experiment comparisons. In this article, we present a crafted instrument for stereotaxic cutting of post-mortem human brain hemispheres. The instrument consists of a transparent methacrylate plate facing a mirror, four legs, and lateral regularly spaced columns permitting the insertion of large knives in-between the columns. This instrument can be built in any laboratory to obtain human brain slabs in the stereotaxic space of Talairach and Tournoux. We explain in detail the procedure for stereotaxic cutting of human brain hemispheres in the coronal plane, as well as the basis for calculating stereotaxic coordinates of histological sections obtained following the stereotaxic cutting protoco

Mapping the primate thalamus: systematic approach to analyze the distribution of subcortical neuromodulatory afferents

Neuromodulatory afferents to thalamic nuclei are key for information transmission and thus play critical roles in sensory, motor, and limbic processes. Over the course of the last decades, diverse attempts have been made to map and describe subcortical neuromodulatory afferents to the primate thalamus, including axons using acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, and histamine. Our group has been actively involved in this endeavor. The published descriptions on neuromodulatory afferents to the primate thalamus have been made in different laboratories and are not fully comparable due to methodological divergences (for example, fixation procedures, planes of cutting, techniques used to detect the afferents, different criteria for identification of thalamic nuclei…). Such variation affects the results obtained. Therefore, systematic methodological and analytical approaches are much needed. The present article proposes reproducible methodological and terminological frameworks for primate thalamic mapping. We suggest the use of standard stereotaxic planes to produce and present maps of the primate thalamus, as well as the use of the Anglo-American school terminology (vs. the German school terminology) for identification of thalamic nuclei. Finally, a public repository of the data collected under agreed-on frameworks would be a useful tool for looking up and comparing data on the structure and connections of primate thalamic nuclei. Important and agreed-on efforts are required to create, manage, and fund a unified and homogeneous resource of data on the primate thalamus. Likewise, a firm commitment of the institutions to preserve experimental brain material is much needed because neuroscience work with non-human primates is becoming increasingly rare, making earlier material still more valuableOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. CC and IP-S were the recipients of grants from Chair in Neuroscience UAM-Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, Spain. MAG-C was the recipient of a Beatriz Galindo senior research position in the School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (BEAGAL18/00098) and of a Grant for I+D Projects to the Beatriz Galindo Program Researchers at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (SI2/PBG/2020–00014) from the Madrid Government (Comunidad de Madrid-Spain) under the Multiannual Agreement with Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in the line of action encouraging young research doctors, in the context of the V PRICIT (Regional Programme of Research and Technological Innovation

The epic of the thalamus in anatomical language

Understanding the origin of Greek and Latin words used as metaphors to label brain structures gives a unique window into how scientific and medical knowledge was produced, preserved, and transmitted through generations. The history of the term thalamus exemplifies the complex historical process that led to the current anatomical terminology. From its first mention by Galen of Pergamon in the 2nd century A.D. to its definitive and current use by Thomas Willis in 1664, the thalamus had an epical journey through 1500 years across Europe, the Middle East, and the North of Africa. The thalamus was confusingly described by Galen, in the Greek language, as a chamber to the brain ventricles. The term thalamus was transferred from Greek to Syriac through the translations of Galen’s books done in Baghdad and also from Syriac to Arabic. Then, it was translated in Europe during the Middle Ages from the Arabic versions of Galen’s books to Latin. Later, during the Early Renaissance, it was translated again to Latin directly from the Greek versions of Galen’s books. Along this epical journey through languages, the term thalamus switched from referring to a hollow structure connected to brain ventricles to naming a solid structure at the rostral end of the brainstem. Finally, the thalamus was translated from Latin to modern languages, where it is used, until today, to name a nuclear complex of subcortical gray matter in the lateral walls of the third ventricl

Mapping the primate thalamus: historical perspective and modern approaches for defining nuclei

The primate thalamus has been subdivided into multiple nuclei and nuclear groups based on cytoarchitectonic, myeloarchitectonic, connectional, histochemical, and genoarchitectonic differences. Regarding parcellation and terminology, two main schools prevailed in the twentieth century: the German and the Anglo-American Schools, which proposed rather different schemes. The German parcellation and terminology has been mostly used for the human thalamus in neurosurgery atlases; the Anglo-American parcellation and terminology is the most used in experimental research on the primate thalamus. In this article, we review the historical development of terminological and parcellation schemes for the primate thalamus over the last 200 years. We trace the technological innovations and conceptual advances in thalamic research that underlie each parcellation, from the use of magnifying lenses to contemporary genoarchitectonic stains during ontogeny. We also discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and practical use of each parcellationCC and IP-S were the recipients of grants from Chair in Neuroscience UAM-Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, Spain. MAG-C was the recipient of a Beatriz Galindo senior research position in the School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (BEAGAL18/00098) and of a Grant for I + D Projects for the Beatriz Galindo Program Researchers at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (SI2/PBG/2020-00014) from the Madrid Government (Comunidad de Madrid-Spain) under the Multiannual Agreement with Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in the line of action encouraging youth research doctors, in the context of the V PRICIT (Regional Programme of Research and Technological Innovation

Spider diversity (Arachnida: Araneae) in two different coffee management systems and surrounding tropical forest during two contrasting seasons in Oaxaca, Mexico

This study focuses on species richness, abundance, diversity, and seasonal variation of spiders in two coffee plantations with different crop management and a portion of tropical forest in two municipalities of La Costa region of Oaxaca, Mexico, using manual collection, foliage beating and pitfall traps. We collected 2,210 spiders belonging to 35 families, 100 genera and 146 species. The inventory includes 51 new species records for Oaxaca. Completeness values for two estimators indicate that the level of representation of inventories range from 68.25% to 78.44%, and the proportion of singletons range from 33.72% to 38.14%. Spider abundance in the rainy season was significantly lower than during the dry season. Spider abundance in the Tropical Forest was significantly lower than Monoculture site with the foliage beating method. Polyculture was the site with the lowest spider abundance with the pitfall traps. Rarefaction curves did not show significant differences in species richness between the sites and seasons. Hutcheson t-test showed that spider diversity was significantly lower in Monoculture than Tropical Forest during the rainy season. This study contributes to the knowledge of the arachnofauna of Mexico and particularly of the state of Oaxaca.Este estudio se enfoca en la riqueza de especies, abundancia, diversidad y variación estacional de las arañas en dos cultivos de café con diferente manejo y una porción de bosque tropical en dos municipios de la región Costa de Oaxaca, México, utilizando la colecta manual, agitación del follaje y trampas de caída. Se recolectaron 2,210 arañas pertenecientes a 35 familias, 100 géneros y 146 especies. El inventario incluye 51 nuevos registros de especies para Oaxaca. Los valores de completitud de dos estimadores indican que el nivel de representación de los inventarios oscila entre el 68.25 % y el 78.44 %, mientras que la proporción de singletons fue de 33.72 % y 38.14 %. La abundancia de arañas en la estación lluviosa fue significativamente menor que durante la estación secas. La abundancia de arañas en el Bosque Tropical fue significativamente menor que en el Monocultivo con el método de agitación de follaje. El Policultivo fue el sitio con menor abundancia de arañas con el método de trampas de caída. Las curvas de rarefacción no mostraron diferencias significativas en la riqueza de especies entre los sitios y estaciones. La prueba t de Hutcheson mostró que la diversidad de arañas fue significativamente menor en el Monocultivo que en el Bosque Tropical durante la estación lluviosa. Este estudio contribuye al conocimiento de la aracnofauna de México y particularmente del estado de Oaxaca

Evolución clínica y electroencefalográfica en pacientes con infarto cerebral sometidos a ejercicios de movimientos oculares sacádicos

Introducción: La enfermedad cerebrovascular es la primera causa de discapacidad en personas adultas. La rehabilitación con ejercicios oculares es de gran utilidad en este grupo de pacientes. Objetivo: Describir el estado neurológico y electroencefalográfico antes y después de la realización de los ejercicios oculares, en pacientes con infarto de la arteria cerebral media. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, analítico de casos y controles en el período de enero a diciembre de 2022, en 17 pacientes con infarto cerebral de la arteria cerebral media. La investigación quedó constituida en dos fases: evaluación clínica y registro electroencefalográfico previo a la realización de ejercicios y la reevaluación electroclínica posterior a los tres meses de ejectutados estos. Se evaluaron las variables edad, sexo, hábito de fumar, hipertensión arterial, diabetes mellitus, tiempo desde la ocurrencia del ictus, hemisferio cerebral afectado, estado neurológico, deterioro cognitivo, Índice Delta/Alfa, Índice de los Poderes absolutos.Resultados: Predominó el sexo masculino (76,4 %). La media de edad fue de 61,94 años. La principal comorbilidad fue la hipertensión arterial (47,0 %). El 58,8 % de pacientes tuvo infarto cerebral en el hemisferio derecho. Presentaron mejoría, según la puntuación de la escala de Health Stroke Scale, en la miniprueba del estado mental de Folstein y una disminución del Índice Delta / Alfa, en pacientes con infarto de la arteria cerebral media que realizaron ejercicios con movimientos oculares.Conclusiones: La rehabilitación con ejercicios de movimientos oculares en pacientes con infarto cerebral de la arteria cerebral media mostró mejoría clínica y electroencefalográfica, en relación al grupo control

Autoevaluación mediante la reflexión en la práctica educativa y el pensamiento crítico

El propósito de este estudio consiste en potenciar el proceso de autoevaluación del alumnado mediante la aplicación de la reflexión en la práctica educativa y el pensamiento crítico. Asimismo, con este fin, se diseñó e implementó un documento específico para la autoevaluación. El documento elaborado constaba de tres grandes bloques con subapartados específicos para cada uno de ellos. El primer bloque destinado a la reflexión sobre el proceso de enseñanza- aprendizaje, el segundo relacionado con las fortalezas y debilidades y un tercero vinculado con el pensamiento crítico del proceso de autoevaluación. Los participantes del estudio fueron los alumnos de tercero y cuarto cuso del grado de enfermería y los alumnos del máster de investigación en Ciencias de la enfermería. Los principales resultados obtenidos son: la principal dificultad en el aprendizaje la relacionan con los contenidos teóricos de la asignatura en determinados temas, así mismo generalmente suele coincidir los conocimientos más significativos con aquellos que más grado de dificultad le atribuyen. El 95% de los alumnos puntúan su rendimiento académico con la nota más elevada paradójicamente coinciden en afirmar que no le han dedicado suficiente tiempo debido al exceso de actividades por parte de los profesores

Impact of real and simulated flights on psychophysiological response of military pilots

Objective: The present research aimed to analyse the autonomic, anxiety, perceived exertion, and self-confidence response during real and simulated flights. Methods: This cross-sectional study participated 12 experienced male pilots (age = 33.08 (5.21)) from the Spanish Air Force. Participants had to complete a real and a simulated flight mission randomly. The heart rate variability (HRV), anxiety, self-confidence, and rating of perceived exertion were collected before and after both manoeuvres, and HRV was also collected during both simulated and real flights. Results: When studying the acute effects of real and simulated flights, the mean heart rate, the R-to-R interval, the cognitive anxiety and the perceived exertion were significantly impacted only by real flights. Furthermore, significant differences in the mean heart rate and RR interval were found when compared to the acute effects of real and simulated flights (with higher acute effects observed in real flights). Additionally, when compared the HRV values during simulated and real flights, significant differences were observed in the RR and heart rate mean (with lower RR interval and higher heart rate mean observed during real flights). Conclusion: Real flights significantly reduced the RR interval and cognitive anxiety while increased the heart rate mean and the rating of perceived exertion, whereas simulated flights did not induce any significant change in the autonomic modulation

La rehabilitación de mujeres delincuentes en la perspectiva de la educación moral

In this article we present a program of pedagogical intervention for the development, among others, of values in women internal in penitentiary centres. It deals with the development of values in imprisoned women from the application of strategies of pedagogical intervention directed to the development of the prosocial thought; these strategies are concentrated on a program of delinquent rehabilitation from the cognitive training, basing itself on a comprehensive model. This program (Prosocial Thought) was put into practice experimentally to a group of women internal in a penitentiary centre in Galicia. The evaluation of the program allows us to assure the efficacy of the same to develop among the inmates the skills and attitudes necessary for their reeducation and social rehabilitationS

Use of different food classification systems to assess the association between ultra-processed food consumption and cardiometabolic health in an elderly population with metabolic syndrome (PREDIMED-plus cohort)

The association between ultra-processed food (UPF) and risk of cardiometabolic disorders is an ongoing concern. Different food processing-based classification systems have originated discrepancies in the conclusions among studies. To test whether the association between UPF consumption and cardiometabolic markers changes with the classification system, we used baseline data from 5636 participants (48.5% female and 51.5% male, mean age 65.1 ± 4.9) of the PREDIMED Plus (“PREvention with MEDiterranean DIet”) trial. Subjects presented with overweight or obesity and met at least three metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria. Food consumption was classified using a 143-item food frequency questionnaire according to four food processing-based classifications: NOVA, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), International Food Information Council (IFIC) and University of North Carolina (UNC). Mean changes in nutritional and cardiometabolic markers were assessed according to quintiles of UPF consumption for each system. The association between UPF consumption and cardiometabolic markers was assessed using linear regression analysis. The concordance of the different classifications was assessed with intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC3, overall = 0.51). The highest UPF consumption was obtained with the IARC classification (45.9%) and the lowest with NOVA (7.9%). Subjects with high UPF consumption showed a poor dietary profile. We detected a direct association between UPF consumption and BMI (p = 0.001) when using the NOVA system, and with systolic (p = 0.018) and diastolic (p = 0.042) blood pressure when using the UNC system. Food classification methodologies markedly influenced the association between UPF consumption and cardiometabolic risk markers