bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Auditory temporal-order thresholds show no gender	differences
Authors: van Kesteren Marlieke T.R. , Wiersinga-Post J. Esther C.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Several studies on auditory temporal-order processing showed gender differences. Women needed longer inter-stimulus intervals than men when indicating the temporal order of two clicks presented to the left and right ear. In this study, we examined whether we could reproduce these results in order to further investigate the differences in auditory processing between men and women.

Methods: Neurologically healthy subjects (13 males and 13 females, age range: 19 to 37 years) had to identify the temporal order of two clicks, presented monaurally to the left and right ear. Thresholds for the inter-stimulus intervals between the clicks were determined using a three step transformed up-down procedure.

Results: The results show no influence of gender in the auditory temporal-order task. Inter-individual differences were, however, large, ranging from a threshold of around 15 ms to around 90 ms.

Conclusion: Contrary to what was found in previous studies, no significant gender difference was measured in temporal-processing abilities using a task with monaurally presented clicks.
Repeated sessions of noninvasive brain DC stimulation is	associated with motor function improvement in stroke patients
Authors: Boggio Paulo S. , Nunes Alice , Rigonatti Sergio P. , Nitsche Michael A. , Pascual-Leone Alvaro , Fregni Felipe
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Recent evidence has suggested that a simple technique of noninvasive brain stimulation – transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) – is associated with a significant motor function improvement in stroke patients.

Methods: We tested the motor performance improvement in stroke patients following 4 weekly sessions of sham, anodal- and cathodal tDCS (experiment 1) and the effects of 5 consecutive daily sessions of cathodal tDCS (experiment 2). A blinded rater evaluated motor function using the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test.

Results: There was a significant main effect of stimulation condition (p=0.009) in experiment 1. Furthermore there was a significant motor function improvement after either cathodal tDCS of the unaffected hemisphere (p=0.016) or anodal tDCS of the affected hemisphere (p=0.046) when compared to sham tDCS. There was no cumulative effect associated with weekly sessions of tDCS, however consecutive daily sessions of tDCS (experiment 2) were associated with a significant effect on time (p< 0.0001) that lasted for 2 weeks after treatment.

Conclusions: The findings of our study support previous research showing that tDCS is significantly associated with motor function improvement in stroke patients; and support that consecutive daily sessions of tDCS might increase its behavioral effects. Because the technique of tDCS is simple, safe and non-expensive; our findings support further research on the use of this technique for the rehabilitation of patients with stroke.
Heterotopic, not homotopic, fetal occipital allografts in adult	hosts project to visual-related extracortical targets
Authors: Gaillard Frédéric
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Fetal occipital allografts implanted into the posterior cortex of adult mice project massively throughout the ipsilateral pallium of the host, but rarely outside this domain (Gaillard et al., 2004). The present study was undertaken to examine in detail whether this pattern is specific to graft location.

Methods: Cortical fragments corresponding to presumptive occipital areas were harvested from E15 mice fetuses expressing ubiquitously the eGFP protein, and implanted in correct (homotopic) and incorrect (heterotopic) cortical loci in wild-type adults. Two months later, efferents were detected by immunohistochemistry and quantified on selected DAB-treated sections.

Results: The present findings show (i) that robust projections are present in the ipsilateral host cortex regardless of the graft location; (ii) that 55% the grafts located in parietal and frontal cortices have obvious but sparse callosal and subcortical projections; and (iii) that grafts placed in occipital areas never contact ipsilateral subcortical targets, likely because graft-related axons are unable to cross obliquely the thalamocortical fascicles in the underlying white matter.

Conclusions: These puzzling results question the use of transplantation strategies for repairing damaged networks in adults where rewiring involves complex white matter trajectories.
Environmental enrichment improves functional and neuropathological	indices following stroke in young and aged rats
Authors: Buchhold B. , Mogoanta L. , Suofu Y. , Hamm A. , Walker L. , Kessler Ch. , Popa-Wagner A.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Aging is associated with a temporally dysregulated cellular response to ischemia as well as poor functional recovery. While environmental enrichment has been shown to improve the behavioral outcome of stroke in young animals, the effect of an enriched environment on behavioral and neuropathological recovery in aged animals is not known.

Methods: Focal cerebral ischemia was produced by electrocoagulation of the right middle cerebral artery in 3 month- and 20 month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. The functional outcome was assessed in neurobehavioral tests conducted over a period of 28 days following surgery. Brain tissue was then immunostained for proliferating astrocytes and the infarct and scar tissue volumes were measured.

Results: Aged rats showed more severe behavioral impairments and diminished functional recovery compared to young rats. Most infarcted animals had disturbances of sensorimotor function, with recovery beginning later, progressing more slowly, and reaching a lower functional endpoint in aged animals. However, the enriched environment significantly improved the rate and extent of recovery in aged animals. Correlation analysis revealed that the beneficial effect of the enriched environment on recovery, both in young and aged rats, correlated highly with a reduction in infarct size, in the number of proliferating astrocytes, and in the volume of the glial scar.

Conclusions: These results suggest that temporally modulating astrocytic proliferation and the ensuing scar formation might be a fruitful approach to improving functional recovery after stroke in aged rats.
The novel substituted pyrimidine, KP544, reduces motor deficits in	the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease
Authors: Dey Nicholas D. , Boersen Angela J. , Myers Rebecca A. , York Lynae R. , Bombard Matthew C. , Lu Ming , Sandstrom Michael I. , Hulce Verne D. , Lescaudron Laurent , Dunbar Gary L.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the potential therapeutic effects of the substituted pyrimidine, KP544, which has been shown to amplify the effects of nerve growth factor in vitro, on motor deficits in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD).

Methods: Young, female R6/2 mice were given daily oral intubation of either 10 mg/kg KP544 or vehicle (0.5% methylcellulose) at 6 weeks of age and tested from postnatal weeks 8 through 12 on a battery of motor tasks, including assessments of clasping (drawing of the limbs to the torso when suspended by the tail), motor coordination on the rotarod, and spontaneous motor activity in the open-field. Following testing, the mice were sacrificed and the brains were sectioned and stained with cresyl violet for histological examination.

Results: KP544 treatment decreased balance deficits on the rotarod task, reduced clasping, delayed the onset of hypoactivity, and reduced enlargement of the lateral ventricles in R6/2 mice.

Conclusion: These results suggest that KP544 can reduce motor deficits and anatomical alterations in R6/2 mice. Further research into the use of KP544 as a potential pharmacotherapy HD is warranted.
Axonal rearrangement without reexpression of a growth associated	marker: Evidence from the compression of the retinotectal system in adult	goldfish
Authors: Si Keyuan , Miotke Jill A. , Meyer Ronald L. , Wang Ziren
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Growing axons express a number of proteins associated with axonal growth which are thought to be critical for regeneration and sprouting. Whether these proteins are expressed during injury-induced axonal remodeling is tested in this paper.

Methods: The posterior half of the adult goldfish tectum was removed leaving the anterior half intact. This causes optic fibers from nasal retina, which project to posterior tectum, to displace temporal fibers from the anterior remnant and form a compressed retinotopic projection of the entire retina onto the anterior tectum. Immunohistochemistry using an antibody shown here to recognize growing and regenerating fibers in goldfish was used to monitor optic fibers.

Results: As expected, surgery induced reactivity in the axotomized nasal axons peaking at 1 month which returned to normal at 2 months when compression was completed. Unexpectedly, axons from temporal retina showed no detectable reactivity even though they were induced to grow anteriorly by the invading nasal fibers.

Conclusions: Extensive axonal remodeling and synaptic rearrangement can occur without reentering the growth state associated with axonal growth and regeneration.
Effects of single versus combinatorial treatment strategies on	beta II-tubulin gene expression in axotomized hamster rubrospinal motoneurons
Authors: DeLucia Tracey A. , Alexander Thomas D. , Fargo Keith N. , Jones Kathryn J.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: βII-tubulin, a regeneration-associated gene, is upregulated in injured peripheral neurons, but significantly less so in injured central neurons. Using a hamster dorsal spinal cord injury (SCI), the ability of single versus combinatorial treatment strategies to alter βII-tubulin mRNA expression in rubrospinal motoneurons (RSMN) was examined. We have shown that systemic testosterone propionate (TP) treatment in combination with peripheral nerve grafting into a SCI site produces a peripheral-like pattern of βII-tubulin mRNA expression in injured RSMN. In the present study, selected single- and combinatorial-therapy strategies were tested for their ability to promote a sustained upregulation of βII-tubulin mRNA levels in injured RSMN.

Methods: Single treatments of olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), or Schwann cells (SC) vs combinatorial treatments (SC + TP, OEC + TP, and OEC + BDNF) were administered to hamsters following a dorsal SCI. Quantitative in situ hybridization in conjunction with a βII-tubulin cDNA probe was accomplished.

Results: All of the single-therapy treatments tested were able to prevent the downregulation of βII-tubulin mRNA that occurred a week after injury alone, but only BDNF maintained high levels of βII-tubulin mRNA. In contrast, all combinatorial treatments tested maintained the upregulation of βII-tubulin mRNA expression in injured RSMN 1 week post-SCI.

Conclusions: Targeting both intrinsic and extrinsic components of CNS injury can re-program elements of the molecular response of injured central motoneurons.
Right hemisphere dominance for auditory attention and its modulation by eye position: An event related fMRI study
Authors: Petit Laurent , Simon Grégory , Joliot Marc , Andersson Frédéric , Bertin Thomas , Zago Laure , Mellet Emmanuel , Tzourio-Mazoyer Nathalie
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Previous neuroimaging studies of oddball tasks and other paradigms measuring attention processes support right hemisphere dominance for attentional processes. Using an auditory selective attention task, we studied the functional asymmetry of the human brain in response to attended or unattended deviant tones. Secondly, we examined whether a congruency or a discrepancy between audio-spatial and visuo-spatial cued attentional resources may influence the activity elicited by an auditory selective attention task.

Methods: We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study healthy adults as they performed an auditory oddball task in which a spatial-cued instruction indicated the ear to attend a monaural deviant tone. We addressed the question of congruency/discrepancy between attentional resources by using three different eye positions during the performance of the auditory oddball task.

Results: Relative to standard tones, both attended and unattended deviant tones (DTs) presented to either ear elicit the activation of a widespread bilaterally distributed cortical and subcortical network. A subset of this network, essentially frontal and temporal areas, showed not only greater right than left activity but an enhancement of this rightward asymmetry in response to attended DTs. The only cortical region that showed a leftward asymmetry in response to attended DTs overlapped Heschl gyrus and planum temporale, unmasking a left hemisphere preference of both primary and secondary auditory cortex for processing simple attended monaural stimuli. Questioning the impact of eye position during auditory oddball task, we observed a lesser activity in right integrative crossmodal areas (superior temporal sulcus, opercular part of the inferior frontal gyrus, pre-SMA) when the eye positions were contralateral to detected DTs. These regions may be tuned to best respond when both visuo-spatial and audio-spatial attentional resources work together.

Conclusion: These results support the assumption that the right hemisphere is preferentially engaged in processing audio-spatial attentional resources and underline the interest to study the crossmodal integration of attentional resources by the mean of the detection of DTs in different eye positions.
Hemispheric asymmetries in the processing of temporal acoustic cues in consonant-vowel syllables
Authors: Sandmann Pascale , Eichele Tom , Specht Karsten , Jäncke Lutz , Rimol Lars Morten , Nordby Helge , Hugdahl Kenneth
Published: December 2024

Purpose: In order to examine auditory lateralization of prelexical speech processing, a dichotic listening task was performed with concurrent EEG measurement.

Methods: Subjects were tested with dichotic pairs of six consonant-vowel (CV) syllables that initially started with a voiced (/ba/, /da/, /ga/) or a voiceless stop consonant (/pa/, /ta/, /ka/). Electrophysiological correlates were analyzed by a low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) approach to estimate the sources of N1 event-related potentials (ERP) in the 3D brain.

Results: Behavioral and electrophysiological measures revealed different ear advantages and ERP amplitude measures for voiced and voiceless syllables. Fronto-central N1 amplitudes were larger for syllables with voiced than voiceless initial consonants. LORETA source estimates revealed a lateralization effect, with stronger leftward lateralization for voiced than voiceless CV syllables.

Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that auditory lateralization is affected by temporal cues in CV syllables. The lateralization effect suggests that functional hemispheric differences exist at an early prelexical level of speech processing.
Induction of LTP-like changes in human auditory cortex by rapid auditory stimulation: An FMRI study
Authors: Zaehle Tino , Clapp Wesley C. , Hamm Jeff P. , Meyer Martin , Kirk Ian J.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Previously we have shown that rapid sensory stimulation, in this case, auditory tone pips, can induce long-lasting plastic changes akin to Long Term Potentiation (LTP) within adult human sensory cortex. In a previous study, auditory LTP was reflected as an increase in the amplitude of the N1 component of the auditory event-related potential as measured by EEG. The goal of the present study was to investigate potential effects of LTP-like changes on the hemodynamic response of the human auditory cortex.

Methods: Silent sparse-sampled fMRI recordings were obtained while subjects passively listened to tone-pips both before and after a short block of rapidly presented auditory tone-pips (auditory tetanus) was delivered.

Results: The BOLD response within the primary auditory cortex was significantly enhanced after the auditory tetanus.

Conclusion: This is the first study demonstrating LTP-like changes of the hemodynamic response in the auditory system, and thus supports the growing literature demonstrating LTP can be induced in adult human cortex. These results have implications in the fields of perceptual learning and rehabilitation.
Generalization of non-linguistic auditory perceptual training to syllable discrimination
Authors: Lakshminarayanan Kala , Tallal Paula
Published: December 2024

Purpose: The generalization of non-linguistic auditory perceptual training to syllable discrimination was investigated in two experiments.

Methods: Participants were divided into a control and training group. Both groups came for pre and post-testing sessions spaced ten days apart. Following pre- testing, the training group also participated for five consecutive days in non-linguistic auditory perceptual training. Training was adaptive and involved active sequencing of rising and falling frequency modulated sweeps for 30 minutes per day. Sweeps were passively varied in onset frequency, duration and rate of presentation. A syllable discrimination threshold (SDT) task was used as the pre and post-test measure. In experiment 1, a /ba/-/da/ syllable continuum was used. In experiment 2, the pre-test battery was expanded to include /ba/-/da/, /ba/-/wa/, and /sa/-/sta/ syllable continua and a tone sequencing task that mimicked other parameters of training.

Results: Results of experiment 1 revealed that the training group had a significantly lowered (better) SDT following training as compared to the control group. The extent of training-driven perceptual gain was significantly correlated with pre-training performance. In experiment 2, training resulted in a significantly lowered SDT for /ba/-/da/, but not for the other syllables or the tone sequencing task.

Conclusions: Results showed that task-specific attention drives generalization of auditory perceptual training from non-linguistic to linguistic contexts. Furthermore, individual differences in initial perceptual performance affect the degree of generalization following training.
Patterns of recovery following focal hemispheric lesions: Relationship between lasting deficit and damage to specialized networks
Authors: Rey Beatrice , Frischknecht Rolf , Maeder Philippe , Clarke Stephanie
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Cognitive deficits that are present in the acute stage of a focal hemispheric lesion tend to be greater and more general than residual deficits, which persist into the chronic stage. We have investigated the patterns of recovery and the relationship between deficits and damage to specialized networks taking as model auditory cognitive functions. Evidence from human psychophysical, activation and neuropsychological studies suggests that sound recognition and sound localization are processed in anatomically and functionally distinct cortical networks, the auditory “What” and “Where” processing streams, that are each present in both hemispheres. Focal left or right hemispheric lesions centred on these networks were found to be associated, in the chronic stage, with the corresponding deficits in sound recognition and/or sound localization.

Methods: We report here on recovery patterns in 24 patients who sustained focal hemispheric lesions and were deficient in sound recognition, sound localization and/or sound motion perception at a first evaluation in the acute ( n = 9), subacute ( n = 6) or early chronic stages ( n = 9).

Results: All 24 patients had initially a deficit in sound localization and/or sound motion perception. In the acute stage this deficit occurred without damage to the auditory “Where” stream in almost half of the patients, a situation which was never observed in the early chronic stage. Lack of recovery tended to be associated with damage to the specialized stream plus the persistence of deficits beyond the acute stage, and was only loosely related to the size of the lesion and to the extent of damage to a specialized network.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that different mechanisms underlie deficits and recovery at different time points.
Congenitally blind humans use different stimulus selection strategies in hearing: An ERP study of spatial and temporal attention
Authors: Röder Brigitte , Krämer Ulrike M. , Lange Kathrin
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Superior temporal processing skills, both in the auditory and tactile system have been reported in blind as compared to sighted humans. The present experiment tested whether blind people prefer, as a possible consequence, temporal rather than spatial stimulus selection strategies.

Methods: Eight congenitally blind adults were tested in a selective attention experiment that simultaneously manipulated spatial and temporal attention. Participants had to attend to an auditory offset stimulus demarcating the end of a short (600 ms) or long (1200 ms) interval. They had to detect slightly less intense offset markers at the attended point in time presented in the left (half of the trials) or right (other half of the trials) hemifield. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded throughout the experiment.

Results: Whereas the N1 was significantly enhanced by both spatial and temporal attention in the sighted (see Lange, Kramer, & Röder, 2006), only a temporal attention effect was found in the blind. Moreover, in both groups a second, longer lasting negativity was observed for offset markers presented at the attended as compared to the unattended spatial location. This negativity was modulated by temporal attention only in the blind.

Conclusion: These results are consistent with the assumption of a higher priority of time for stimulus selection in the absence of vision from birth.
Neuroplasticity of sign language: Implications from structural and functional brain imaging
Authors: Meyer Martin , Toepel Ulrike , Keller Joerg , Nussbaumer Daniela , Zysset Stefan , Friederici Angela D.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: The present study was designed to investigate the neural correlates of German Sign Language (Deutsche Gebärdensprache; DGS) processing. In particular, was expected the impact of the visuo-spatial mode in sign language on underlying neural networks compared to the impact of the interpretation of linguistic information.

Methods: For this purpose, two groups of participants took part in a functional MRI study at 3 Tesla. One group consisted of prelingually deafened users of DGS, the other group of hearing non-signers naïve to sign language. The two groups were presented with identical video sequences comprising DGS sentences in form of dialoges. To account for substantial interindividual anatomical variability observed in the group of deaf participants, the brain responses in the two groups of subjects were analyzed with two different procedures.

Results: Results from a multi-subject averaging approach were contrasted with an analysis, which can account for the considerable inter-individual variability of gross anatomical landmarks. The anatomy-based approach indicated that individuals’ responses to proper DGS processing was tied up with a leftward asymmetry in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior and middle temporal gyrus, and visual association cortices. In contrast, standard multi-subject averaging of deaf individuals during DGS perception revealed a less lateralized peri- and extrasylvian network. Furthermore, voxel-based analyses of the brains’ morphometry evidenced a white-matter deficit in the left posterior longitudinal and inferior uncinate fasciculi and a steeper slope of the posterior part of the left Sylvian Fissure (SF) in the deaf individuals.

Conclusion: These findings may imply that the cerebral anatomy of deaf individuals has undergone structural changes as a function of monomodal visual sign language perception during childhood and adolescence.
Pharmacological modulation of learning-induced plasticity in human auditory cortex
Authors: Thiel Christiane M.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Converging evidence from animals and humans indicate that the primary auditory cortex is continuously reshaped in an experience-dependent way. Reorganisation in primary auditory cortex can be observed at the level of receptive fields, topographic maps and brain activations measured with neuroimaging methods. Several neuromodulatory systems were shown to contribute to such an experience-dependent reorganization.

Methods: This paper reviews evidence addressing the cholinergic, noradrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic modulation of learning-, experience-, and injury-induced plasticity in the auditory cortex.

Results: Regarding learning-induced plasticity in the auditory cortex most studies have investigated the role of the cholinergic system and shown that ACh is essential for this form of rapid plasticity. Nevertheless there is also evidence that the catecholamines dopamine and noradrenaline might contribute to learning- and experience-induced changes in the auditory cortex.

Conclusions: I suggest, that the available experimental data on cholinergic and noradrenergic modulation of plasticity offers a promising basis for potential pharmacological interventions to aid recovery of aural functions.
Acute neglect rehabilitation using repetitive prism adaptation: A	randomized placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Nys G.M.S. , de Haan E.H.F. , Kunneman A. , de Kort P.L.M. , Dijkerman H.C.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: At present, prism adaptation is probably the most promising rehabilitation procedure for hemi-neglect. However, randomised controlled trials are lacking and no data are available on the effectiveness of prism adaptation in the treatment of acute neglect.

Methods: We followed sixteen neglect patients using a randomised controlled design in which six patients received four-day-in-a-row placebo treatment (CG) and ten patients received four-day-in-a row experimental treatment with 10° rightward deviating prisms (EG) during their stay on the stroke unit. We examined whether patients in the EG improved faster than the CG by administering three neglect tasks (Schenkenberg Line Bisection, Letter Cancellation, Gainotti Scene Copying) immediately before and after each treatment. Second, we examined whether patients in the EG demonstrated a better long-term outcome at one month post-treatment (Behavioural Inattention Test).

Results: Patients in the EG improved faster on spatial tasks (line bisection, cancellation) than the CG but not on visuo-construction. Patients in the EG showed no differences with the CG in neglect outcome at one month post-treatment.

Conclusions: Four consecutive prism sessions produced beneficial effects in patients with acute neglect. However, prism effects were either short-term, or placebo treatment with repeated pointing and/or repeated neglect testing was more helpful than we anticipated. Our results emphasize the importance of a placebo condition and a follow-up in rehabilitation studies.
TrkB gene transfer does not alter hippocampal neuronal loss and	cognitive deficits following traumatic brain injury in mice
Authors: Conte Valeria , Raghupathi Ramesh , Watson Deborah J. , Fujimoto Scott , Royo Nicolas C. , Marklund Niklas , Stocchetti Nino , McIntosh Tracy K.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: The ability of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to attenuate secondary damage and influence behavioral outcome after experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains controversial. Because TBI can result in decreased expression of the trkB receptor, thereby preventing BDNF from exerting potential neuroprotective effects, the contribution of both BDNF and its receptor trkB to hippocampal neuronal loss and cognitive dysfunction were evaluated.

Methods: Full-length trkB was overexpressed in the left hippocampus of adult C57Bl/6 mice using recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 2/5 (rAAV 2/5). EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) expression was present at two weeks after AAV-EGFP injection and remained sustained up to four weeks after the injection. At 2 weeks following gene transduction, mice were subjected to parasagittal controlled cortical impact (CCI) brain injury, followed by either BDNF or PBS infusion into the hippocampus.

Results: No differences were observed in learning ability at two weeks post-injury or in motor function from 48 hours to two weeks among treatment groups. The number of surviving pyramidal neurons in the CA2-CA3 region of the hippocampus was also not different among treatment groups.

Conclusions: These data suggest that neither overexpression of trkB, BNDF infusion or their combination affects neuronal survival or behavioral outcome following experimental TBI in mice.
Video games as a tool to train visual skills
Authors: Achtman R.L. , Green C.S. , Bavelier D.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Adult brain plasticity, although possible, is often difficult to elicit. Training regimens in adults can produce specific improvements on the trained task without leading to general enhancements that would improve quality of life. This paper considers the case of playing action video games as a way to induce widespread enhancement in vision.

Conclusions: We review the range of visual skills altered by action video game playing as well as the game components important in promoting visual plasticity. Further, we discuss what these results might mean in terms of rehabilitation for different patient populations.
Properties of the regained visual field after visual detection	training of hemianopsia patients
Authors: Bergsma D.P. , Van der Wildt G.J.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: To study the quality of the visual field areas that were regained after training. In those areas, we measured some of the elementary visual properties that make up the quality of visual functioning in daily-life. This was to provide information about whether the functional visual field had been enlarged.

Methods: Patients with visual field defects after a CVA were trained to detect stimuli presented in the border area of the visual field defect. Then, in the regained areas, we measured visual acuity as a measure for spatial properties. Secondly, to assess for temporal properties we measured critical flicker frequency (CFF). Finally, we studied color vision as a third property of the regained areas.

Results: Since we could not predict where restoration of visual fields would occur, we did not present pre-post comparisons. However, despite the fact that training was carried out with simple white light stimuli, we could assess acuity, CFF and color vision in the regained areas. The performance of the patients during testing of the elementary properties appeared to be almost normal when compared to control subjects and comparable to the patient's own ipsilesional visual field.

Conclusions: These results support the idea that the regained visual fields that emerged after training are actually used for processing additional visual stimuli other than those used during training.
Cerebral blindness and plasticity of the visual system in	children. A review of visual capacities in patients with occipital lesions,	hemispherectomy or hydranencephaly
Authors: Werth Reinhard
Published: December 2024

This paper explores whether the child's visual system is more or less vulnerable than the adult's visual system, whether the capacity of the child's visual system to recover from cerebral blindness exceeds the capacity of the adult's, and which brain structures can mediate visual functions after damage to the geniculostriate visual system. Reports about the development of visual functions in normal and in visually-deprived children and about the recovery of visual functions after incomplete damage to the occipital lobe, unilateral hemispherectomy, and in the absence of both cerebral hemispheres in early life, are reviewed. In addition, 2 new cases are reported. A child (patient 1) is described, who was blindfolded, but had normal visual experience for 2 hours daily between the 24 and the 30 months of age. Despite the daily visual experience, there was an elevation of the luminance difference threshold (LDT) in the periphery of the visual field. An adult patient (patient 2) showed a special mode of "blindsight" that may be present in brain damaged children but that cannot be tested in young children. This patient was always able to detect targets correctly only by "feeling" their presence without actually seeing them. After damage to the geniculostriate system, lost visual functions reappeared in more than half of the children during visual-field training. In many children, the enlargement of the visual field exceeded the enlargement that was reported in hemianopic adults during visual-field training. In rare cases, visual targets were reliably detected in both visual hemifields, even after hemispherectomy.
Axonal regeneration in the organotypically cultured monkey retina:	Biological aspects, dependence on substrates and age-related proteomic	profiling
Authors: Rose Karin , Schröer Uwe , Volk Gerd Fabian , Schlatt Stefan , König Simone , Feigenspan Andreas , Thanos Solon
Published: December 2024

Injury to the mature primate and subprimate optic nerve results in irreversible impairment and loss of vision, because the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) fail to regenerate their cut axons within the optic nerve interior. This study was performed to examine whether aging monkey RGCs retain the ability to regenerate their axons in organ culture and whether axonal regeneration is associated with specific proteomic profile. Retinal stripes obtained from marmoset eyes (C. jacchus) were cultured between the day of birth and adult stages on different substrates like laminin-1, laminin-2, collagen, matrigel and poly-D-lysine. No neurotrophic factors were added to the medium. Axonal growth was monitored with microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Onset and rate of growth was examined with time-lapse videography. Vigorous regeneration of axons occurred from identifiable morphological types of RGCs throughout all stages of life, although the numbers of axons decreased with age. Axonal growth occurred virtually only on laminin-1. Growth correlated with re-expression of the laminin-1 receptor α6-integrin and sustained staining for GAP-43 as shown by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. At proteomic level, there is a maturation-dependent change in the protein immunostaining within the retina. When retinal slices of the same age were compared, regeneration-specific protein staining included calmodulin, fatty acid binding protein, alpha-crystallin, IFN-gamma, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (p21), beta-hemoglobin, 60s-ribosomal protein, GAP-DH and ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF). To our knowledge these data are the first from subhuman animals to suggest that axonal regeneration of injured RGCs is correlated to expression of identifiable proteins within the retina.
The Development of Differentiation-Based Therapy for Breast Cancer Using EDAR and XEDAR Signalling Pathways: A Conceptual Framework
Authors: Wiśniewski Sławomir
Published: December 2024

Breast cancer remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat, often due to evolving resistance to conventional therapies. This article presents a conceptual framework for differentiation therapy that exploits the EDAR and XEDAR signaling pathways. A two-phase therapeutic strategy involving epigenetic restoration of XEDAR expression and synthetic ligands to activate these pathways is described. The proposed approach targets patient subgroups with aggressive breast cancer subtypes, such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and those exhibiting high XEDAR promoter methylation. By focusing on cellular differentiation rather than cytotoxicity, this therapy could transform aggressive malignancies into more manageable chronic conditions. Potential technical, biological, and clinical challenges are discussed alongside proposed solutions to overcome them.
Theoretical Study of the Regioselectivity of Some Monomers: Chitin and Chitosan
Authors: Messaoudı Boulanouar , Benykhlef Samir
Published: December 2024

Biopolymers have become more and more attractive nowadays for both experimental and theoretical studies because of their importance in our daily life. In this contribution, the electronic properties and reactivity behavior of some biomonomers; chitin and chitosan have been thoroughly investigated theoretically using density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. The regioselectivity of these molecules has been rationalized by using both Fukui and Parr indices in order to explain and show the most probable sites to be attacked towards nucleophiles and electrophiles. For the three studied monomers, the oxygen and nitrogen atoms were found to be the most reactive sites. Parr functions and Fukui functions found to be complementary while explaining the possible regioselectivity.
Legal communication as a point of contact between legal translation and comparative law
Authors: Kusik Przemysław
Published: December 2024

Abstract. The present paper aims to provide a systematic account of the links between the communicative functions of comparative law and legal translation. The role of these fields in legal communication, as well as the essential interrelationship between law and language, are well-known, making legal communication one of the several points of contact between comparative law and legal translation. Yet, it seems further elaboration is needed on how their communicative functions relate and, perhaps, how they can be helpful to each other in pursuing the common goal of improving legal communication worldwide. This research problem is also important from the perspective of the interdisciplinary encounters of both fields, which, albeit intertwined, have distinct processes and aims. To achieve the above goal, the present paper – drawing on a review of legal translation and comparative law literature – identifies the communicative functions of comparative law and legal translation and juxtaposes them. This is done in an attempt to find similarities and differences as well as point out areas where these functions can be mutually useful. Based on the results obtained, it is submitted that comparative law and legal translation can support each other, but this does not happen automatically and is influenced by the awareness of the other field’s intellectual repertoire as well as openness to interdisciplinarity, including in education. As the paper is theoretical in nature, it can be seen as providing a framework for future, empirically-oriented research into how comparative law and legal translation support each other in specific contexts.
Addition of Carrot Juice (Daucus carota) to the Shelf Life and Organoleptic of Turkey Meatballs
Authors: Tasya Rahma Deni Situmorang  , Achmad Sadeli  , Usman Budi
Published: December 2024

Turkey is a type of poultry with characteristics and tastes similar to chicken meat, so turkey has the potential to be a raw material for meatballs. Carrots are also a source of natural antioxidants, the use of carrots so far has only been for vegetables and juice. Utilization in a fresh state has limitations because fresh carrots are prone to deterioration in quality. This study aims to determine the effect of adding carrot juice on the shelf life and organoleptic of turkey meatballs. This research was conducted in April 2024 at the Production Laboratory, Animal Husbandry Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara. The design used in this study was RAL (Completely Randomized Design) with 4 treatments, namely P0 = 0 ml, P1 = 50 ml, P2 = 100 ml, P3 = 150 ml and 5 replications. The parameters used were shelf life and organoleptic color, taste, texture and aroma. The results of this study indicate that the addition of carrot juice can extend the shelf life of turkey meatballs. The best shelf life is in P3 with the addition of 150 ml of carrot juice with a shelf life of 5 days and the lowest shelf life is 1 day
ASSESSMENT OF THE FINANCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF IMPLEMENTING INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES BY ROAD TRANSPORT COMPANIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF TODAY’S CHALLENGES
Authors:   National Transport University, Riaboshtan Liudmyla
Published: December 2024

The article examines the financial possibilities of carrying out investment activities of motor transport enterprises of the Kyiv region for the period of 2019-2023. Special attention is paid to the study of sources of financing investment activities, among which own and loan funds are considered, as well as their impact on the ability of enterprises to implement investment activities. The assessment of the financial capabilities of enterprises included the analysis of such indicators as net profit, retained earnings and the level of indebtedness. It was established that most of the investigated enterprises did not have a sufficient level of own sources for financing investments. In particular, more than a third of enterprises accumulated losses or had an insignificant level of retained earnings at the end of 2023, which limited their ability to independently finance development. Regarding loan funds, the results of the study showed a low level of involvement of additional financing by motor vehicle enterprises. This creates additional restrictions for attracting loan resources and restrains investment activity in the industry. One of the important aspects of the research is the analysis of financial stability and liquidity of enterprises, which demonstrates their ability to fulfill short-term obligations. Analysis of the dynamics of the current liquidity ratio showed that 58% of enterprises had enough current assets to repay current liabilities, while 17% of companies had stable liquidity problems. This is an indicator of the low readiness of enterprises to use short-term loans to support investment activities. The obtained results allow us to conclude that the financial capabilities of motor transport enterprises for carrying out investment activities are limited due to the low level of own resources and low activity in attracting loan funds. To improve investment activity, enterprises need to increase internal reserves and consider new financing tools, including venture capital and government support programs.
ПРЕДМЕТ ГОСПОДАРСЬКО-ПРАВОВОГО РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ФУНКЦІОНУВАННЯ ТОВАРИСТВ З ОБМЕЖЕНОЮ ВІДПОВІДАЛЬНІСТЮ ТА ПРАВОВИХ ЗАСАД ЇХ ПЛАТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ
Authors: Поліщук Р. М.
Published: December 2024

Анотація. Дана наукова стаття присвячена проблематиці визначення предмету господарсько-правового регулювання функціонування товариств з обмеженою відповідальністю та правових засад їх платоспроможності. У праці досліджено визначення понять правового регулювання, предмету правового регулювання, системи права неспроможності, складовою частиною якого є інститут неплатоспроможності боржників – юридичних осіб, зокрема, товариств з обмеженою відповідальністю. Автором проаналізовано норми Кодексу України з процедур банкрутства, Господарського кодексу України, Цивільного кодексу України, праці вітчизняних науковців у розрізі досліджуваного предмету. Наголошено на тому, що з прийняттям Кодексу України з процедур банкрутства, мало місце запровадження принципу концентрації усіх спорів, у тому числі майнових, з боржниками – товариствами з обмеженою відповідальністю у межах єдиного відкритого провадження у справах про банкрутство. Охарактеризовано відносини неспроможності через аналіз досліджень вітчизняних авторів, встановлено, що вони мають комплексну публічно-приватну природу, спрямовані на встановлення умов і порядку відновлення платоспроможності товариств з обмеженою відповідальністю або ж визнання їх банкрутами через застосування ліквідаційної процедури з метою справедливого та пропорційного задоволення вимог кредиторів. У статті резюмовано, що предмет господарсько-правового регулювання функціонування товариств з обмеженою відповідальністю та правових засад їх платоспроможності складається з чотирьох елементів: суб’єктів; їхньої поведінки; об’єктів; фактів, які є безпосередніми підставами виникнення чи припинення відповідних правових відносин. Акцентовано увагу на тому, що правовідносини, які складаються між боржниками – товариствами з обмеженою відповідальністю із кредиторами у судових процедурах, відносини щодо арбітражного управління, та у самих процедурах банкрутства відповідних підприємств в цілому, припиняються з підстав зазначених у частині першій статті 90 Кодексу України з процедур, тобто з постановленням ухвали господарським судом про закриття провадження у справах про банкрутство.
ЦИФРОВІ РЕЧІ, ЦИФРОВІ АКТИВИ, ВІРТУАЛЬНІ АКТИВИ ТА ЦИФРОВІ ТОКЕНИ: РОЗМЕЖУВАТИ НЕ МОЖНА КОНСОЛІДУВАТИ
Authors: Савченко Є. Ю.
Published: December 2024

Анотація. Автором розглянуто питання співвідношення понять та сутності цифрових речей, цифрових активів, віртуальних активів та цифрових токенів через призму їх економічної та правової природи, положень актів нормативного характеру України та Європейського Союзу, міжнародних та європейських організацій, а також позицій вітчизняних вчених-правників. В цілому з’ясовано, що вітчизняні правники-науковці, законодавці та практики не мають однозначної відповіді на порушене в даній праці питання. Це зумовлено різноманітними факторами, в тому числі, унікальністю та комплексністю приватно-правової природи віртуальних активів в юридичному контексті, яка відносно донедавна була невідома вітчизняній правовій науці. У статті окреслено проблематику, яка полягає у відсутності законодавчих розмежувань дефініцій та природи цифрових речей, цифрових активів, віртуальних активів та цифрових токенів, а також комплексних цивільно-правових досліджень відносно зазначеної проблематики. На думку автора, така нормативно-правова прогалина разом з недостатнім станом наукової розробки, в результаті спричиняє правову невизначеність в аспекті розуміння природи відповідних цифрових інструментів та, як наслідок, може мати негативний вплив на можливі способи їх використання учасниками цивільних правовідносин та захисту останніми свої прав. На основі проведеного аналізу дефініцій та природи цифрових речей, цифрових активів, віртуальних активів та цифрових токенів, у статті доведено, що вказані об’єкти мають спільні риси такі як існування в цифровому середовищі та наявність економічної цінності, вимірюваної в грошовому еквіваленті. Проте, цифрові речі та цифрові активи не можуть ототожнюватись виходячи з їх сутності, а також родових та видових характеристик, з віртуальними активами та цифровими токенами. Варто зазначити, що цифрові речі та цифрові активи є тотожними категоріями за своєю сутністю, але їх можна розрізняти за природою походження: цифрові речі є юридичною категорією, яка описує дану сутність з точки зору об’єкта цивільних прав, тоді як цифрові активи мають переважно економічну природу і характеризуються, зокрема, як одиниці бухгалтерського обліку. Цифрові речі та цифрові активи, у свою чергу, є родовими категоріями по відношенню до віртуальних активів, які виступають видовою категорією в даному контексті. Аналогічно, цифрові токени можна розглядати як видову категорію віртуальних активів, які є родовою категорією у наведеному співвідношенні.