rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Competition for cofactor-dependent DNA binding underlies Hox phenotypic suppression.
Genes & development, 2011

Hox transcription factors exhibit an evolutionarily conserved functional hierarchy, termed phenotypic suppression, in which the activity of posterior Hox proteins dominates over more anterior Hox proteins. Using directly regulated Hox targeted reporter genes in Drosophila, we show that posterior Hox proteins suppress the activities of anterior ones by competing for cofactor-dependent DNA binding. Furthermore, we map a motif in the posterior Hox protein Abdominal-A (AbdA) that is required for phenotypic suppression and facilitates cooperative DNA binding with the Hox cofactor Extradenticle (Exd). Together, these results suggest that Hox-specific motifs endow posterior Hox proteins with the ability to dominate over more anterior ones via a cofactor-dependent DNA-binding mechanism.
Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in CSF from Three Patients with Meningoencephalitis by Next-Generation Sequencing.
Journal of clinical neurology (Seoul, Korea), 2016

Encephalitis caused by Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is rare but sometimes fatal. Early diagnosis is difficult using routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests, while next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly being used for the detection and characterization of pathogens.
Range-adapting representation of economic value in the orbitofrontal cortex.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2009

While making economic choices, individuals assign subjective values to the available options. Values computed in different behavioral conditions, however, can vary substantially. The same person might choose some times between goods worth a few dollars, and other times between goods worth thousands of dollars, or more. How does the brain system that computes values -- the "valuation system" -- handle this large variability? Here we show that the representation of value in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), an area implicated in value assignment during economic choice, adapts to the behavioral condition of choice and, more specifically, to the range of values available in any given condition. In the experiments, monkeys chose between different juices and their choice patterns provided a measure of subjective value. Value ranges were varied from session to session and, in each session, OFC neurons encoded values in a linear way. Across the population, the neuronal sensitivity (defined as the change in neuronal activity elicited by the increase in one value unit) was inversely proportional to the value range. Conversely, the neuronal activity range did not depend on the value range. This phenomenon of range adaptation complements that of menu invariance observed in a previous study. Indeed, the activity of each neuron adapts to the range values it encodes but does not depend on other available goods. Our results thus suggest that the representation of value in the OFC is at one time instantiative of preference transitivity (menu invariance) and computationally efficient (range adaptation).
A Self-Regulating Gap Junction Network of Amacrine Cells Controls Nitric Oxide Release in the Retina.
Neuron, 2018

Neuromodulators regulate circuits throughout the nervous system, and revealing the cell types and stimulus conditions controlling their release is vital to understanding their function. The effects of the neuromodulator nitric oxide (NO) have been studied in many circuits, including in the vertebrate retina, where it regulates synaptic release, gap junction coupling, and blood vessel dilation, but little is known about the cells that release NO. We show that a single type of amacrine cell (AC) controls NO release in the inner retina, and we report its light responses, electrical properties, and calcium dynamics. We discover that this AC forms a dense gap junction network and that the strength of electrical coupling in the network is regulated by light through NO. A model of the network offers insights into the biophysical specializations leading to auto-regulation of NO release within the network.
Alexithymia, negative emotions, and sexual behavior in heterosexual university students from Italy.
Archives of sexual behavior, 2013

Alexithymia is a construct which denotes thought characterized by pragmatic content, an inability to recognize and verbally express emotion, a difficulty in distinguishing between feelings and bodily sensations, and a limitation in fantasy life. Research has revealed a role for alexithymia in different kinds of sexual dysfunctions; it was also associated with reduced frequency of penile-vaginal intercourse but not with sexual behaviors-like masturbation-which do not include an emotional interaction in normal individuals. The aim of this research was to further investigate the association between alexithymia scores and sexual behavior in a sample of normal individuals, taking into account the role of gender differences and the possible effect of negative emotions (depression, anxiety, and anger). Participants were 300 university students (142 men and 158 women); sexual behavior was measured by the Sex and the Average Woman (or Man) Scale while alexithymia was measured with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. The findings of the study showed that higher alexithymia scores were associated with lower levels of sexual satisfaction and higher levels of sexual detachment for females, and with sexual shyness and sexual nervousness for both genders. Results also suggested that the correlations between alexithymia scores and sexual behavior are partially influenced by the effect of negative emotions. Overall, it seems that the same detachment which denotes the alexithymic interpersonal style also characterizes sexual behavior.
The permissive role of glucocorticoids in neuroinflammatory priming: mechanisms and insights.
Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity, 2015

Glucocorticoids have been universally regarded as anti-inflammatory; however, a considerable number of studies now demonstrate that under some conditions, glucocorticoids are capable of potentiating neuroinflammatory processes (i.e. priming), a permissive function of glucocorticoids. The present review addresses recent evidence that provides insight into the mechanism(s) of glucocorticoid-induced neuroinflammatory priming.
The tumor suppressor HHEX inhibits axon growth when prematurely expressed in developing central nervous system neurons.
Molecular and cellular neurosciences, 2015

Neurons in the embryonic and peripheral nervous system respond to injury by activating transcriptional programs supportive of axon growth, ultimately resulting in functional recovery. In contrast, neurons in the adult central nervous system (CNS) possess a limited capacity to regenerate axons after injury, fundamentally constraining repair. Activating pro-regenerative gene expression in CNS neurons is a promising therapeutic approach, but progress is hampered by incomplete knowledge of the relevant transcription factors. An emerging hypothesis is that factors implicated in cellular growth and motility outside the nervous system may also control axon growth in neurons. We therefore tested sixty-nine transcription factors, previously identified as possessing tumor suppressive or oncogenic properties in non-neuronal cells, in assays of neurite outgrowth. This screen identified YAP1 and E2F1 as enhancers of neurite outgrowth, and PITX1, RBM14, ZBTB16, and HHEX as inhibitors. Follow-up experiments are focused on the tumor suppressor HHEX, one of the strongest growth inhibitors. HHEX is widely expressed in adult CNS neurons, including corticospinal tract neurons after spinal injury, but is present only in trace amounts in immature cortical neurons and adult peripheral neurons. HHEX overexpression in early postnatal cortical neurons reduced both initial axonogenesis and the rate of axon elongation, and domain deletion analysis strongly implicated transcriptional repression as the underlying mechanism. These findings suggest a role for HHEX in restricting axon growth in the developing CNS, and substantiate the hypothesis that previously identified oncogenes and tumor suppressors can play conserved roles in axon extension.
Diminished Myoinositol in Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Modulates the Endophenotype of Impulsivity.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 2020

Maladaptive impulsivity manifests in a variety of disorders, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and substance use disorder. However, the etiological mechanisms of impulsivity remain poorly understood. In the present study, we used in-vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to investigate neurometabolite content in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum of rats exhibiting low- versus high-impulsive (LI, HI) behavior on a visual attentional task. We validated our 1H-MRS findings using regionally resolved ex-vivo mass spectroscopy, transcriptomics, and site-directed RNA interference in the ventromedial PFC. We report a significant reduction in myoinositol levels in the PFC but not the striatum of HI rats compared with LI rats. Reduced myoinositol content was localized to the infralimbic (IL) cortex, where significant reductions in transcript levels of key proteins involved in the synthesis and recycling of myoinositol (IMPase1) were also present. Knockdown of IMPase1in the IL cortex increased impulsivity in nonimpulsive rats when the demand on inhibitory response control was increased. We conclude that diminished myoinositol levels in ventromedial PFC causally mediate a specific form of impulsivity linked to vulnerability for stimulant addiction in rodents. Myoinositol and related signaling substrates may thus offer novel opportunities for treating neuropsychiatric disorders comorbid with impulsive symptomology.
Effect of a robotic seal on the motor activity and sleep patterns of older people with dementia, as measured by wearable technology: A cluster-randomised controlled trial.
Maturitas, 2018

The robotic seal, PARO, has been used as an alternative to animal-assisted therapies with residents with dementia in long-term care, yet understanding of its efficacy is limited by a paucity of research. We explored the effects of PARO on motor activity and sleep patterns, as measured by a wearable triaxial accelerometer.
The impact of visual distraction on episodic retrieval in older adults.
Brain research, 2012

Impairment in long-term memory is one of the most salient alterations in cognitive aging. Findings of age-related deficits in source monitoring and recollection have revealed a selective decline in memory for detailed information. The underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is not well understood. We hypothesized that the influence of task-irrelevant visual stimuli present in our environment interferes with retrieval of detailed memories more for older than younger adults. We compared memory performance on a recall test for visual details when older adult participants' eyes were closed versus performance when their eyes were open and irrelevant visual stimuli were presented. The results showed that the presence of irrelevant visual information diminished long-term memory performance based on an objective measure of recollection for visual details. Comparison of the current results to findings from our earlier study using the same experimental paradigm with younger adults revealed that visual distraction disrupted recollection of relevant details to a greater degree in older than younger adults. This result suggests that visual distraction overwhelms older adults' declining cognitive control resources that are instrumental in the retrieval and selection of mnemonic details. More generally, these findings explicate a mechanistic basis for selective impairment of recollection in normal aging.
Context-dependent relationship in high-resolution micro-ECoG studies during finger movements.
Journal of neurosurgery, 2020

The activation of the sensorimotor cortex as measured by electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals has been correlated with contralateral hand movements in humans, as precisely as the level of individual digits. However, the relationship between individual and multiple synergistic finger movements and the neural signal as detected by ECoG has not been fully explored. The authors used intraoperative high-resolution micro-ECoG (µECoG) on the sensorimotor cortex to link neural signals to finger movements across several context-specific motor tasks.
Why we are not all synesthetes (not even weakly so).
Psychonomic bulletin & review, 2013

A little over a decade ago, Martino and Marks (Current Directions in Psychological Science 10:61-65, 2001) put forward the influential claim that cases of intuitive matchings between stimuli in different sensory modalities should be considered as a weak form of synesthesia. Over the intervening years, many other researchers have agreed-at the very least, implicitly-with this position (e.g., Bien, ten Oever, Goebel, & Sack NeuroImage 59:663-672, 2012; Eagleman Cortex 45:1266-1277, 2009; Esterman, Verstynen, Ivry, & Robertson Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 18:1570-1576, 2006; Ludwig, Adachi, & Matzuzawa Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 108:20661-20665, 2011; Mulvenna & Walsh Trends in Cognitive Sciences 10:350-352, 2006; Sagiv & Ward 2006; Zellner, McGarry, Mattern-McClory, & Abreu Chemical Senses 33:211-222:2008). Here, though, we defend the separatist view, arguing that these cases are likely to form distinct kinds of phenomena despite their superficial similarities. We believe that crossmodal correspondences should be studied in their own right and not assimilated, either in terms of the name used or in terms of the explanation given, to synesthesia. To conflate these two phenomena is both inappropriate and potentially misleading. Below, we critically evaluate the evidence concerning the descriptive and constitutive features of crossmodal correspondences and synesthesia and highlight how they differ. Ultimately, we wish to provide a general definition of crossmodal correspondences as acquired, malleable, relative, and transitive pairings between sensory dimensions and to provide a framework in which to integrate the nonsystematic cataloguing of new cases of crossmodal correspondences, a tendency that has increased in recent years.
Assessment and Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.), 2018

The goal of this article is to increase clinicians' understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and improve skills in assessing risk for and diagnosing PTSD. The importance and sequelae of lifetime trauma burden are discussed, with reference to trends in prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
The tracks of my years: Personal significance contributes to the reminiscence bump.
Memory & cognition, 2017

Two studies investigated the role of the self in the reminiscence bump (heightened retrieval for events from young adulthood). Participants over the age of 40 years were presented with top-grossing films and songs, and were asked to select the five that were most personally significant. Study 1 produced reminiscence bumps for personally significant songs, when measured by both participants' age at release (AaR) and age when songs were reported as most important (AaI). This effect was not shown for films. In Study 2, participants again selected their personally significant songs but also rated all songs for whether they were known, remembered (e.g., associated with an episodic memory), or not known. Personally significant songs were significantly more likely to be associated with episodic memories, compared to personally non-significant songs. Again, only personally significant songs formed a reminiscence bump. Findings underline a critical role of personal significance in the reminiscence bump, which we argue is consistent with the formation of identity in this lifetime period.
The role of sickness absence diagnosis for the risk of future inpatient- or specialized outpatient care in a Swedish population-based twin sample.
BMC public health, 2021

Studies of consequences of sickness absence such as health and well-being have been rare whereas risk factors for sickness absence have been studied extensively. This study assumed the consequences of sickness absence would differ by diagnostic group or by patient care type. The aim was to investigate sickness absence due to various diagnosis groups as a predictor for subsequent inpatient- and specialized outpatient care while controlling for familial confounding.
Dysregulation of inflammatory responses by chronic circadian disruption.
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 2010

Circadian rhythms modulate nearly every mammalian physiological process. Chronic disruption of circadian timing in shift work or during chronic jet lag in animal models leads to a higher risk of several pathologies. Many of these conditions in both shift workers and experimental models share the common risk factor of inflammation. In this study, we show that experimentally induced circadian disruption altered innate immune responses. Endotoxemic shock induced by LPS was magnified, leading to hypothermia and death after four consecutive weekly 6-h phase advances of the light/dark schedule, with 89% mortality compared with 21% in unshifted control mice. This may be due to a heightened release of proinflammatory cytokines in response to LPS treatment in shifted animals. Isolated peritoneal macrophages harvested from shifted mice exhibited a similarly heightened response to LPS in vitro, indicating that these cells are a target for jet lag. Sleep deprivation and stress are known to alter immune function and are potential mediators of the effects we describe. However, polysomnographic recording in mice exposed to the shifting schedule revealed no sleep loss, and stress measures were not altered in shifted mice. In contrast, we observed altered or abolished rhythms in the expression of clock genes in the central clock, liver, thymus, and peritoneal macrophages in mice after chronic jet lag. We conclude that circadian disruption, but not sleep loss or stress, are associated with jet lag-related dysregulation of the innate immune system. Such immune changes might be a common mechanism for the myriad negative health effects of shift work.
Decision-making as transdiagnostic construct for mental health research.
Neuron, 2021

Transdiagnostic research and linking behavioral, neural, and symptom measures are important endeavors in clinical neuroscience and biological psychiatry. In this issue of Neuron, Moutoussis et al. (2021) describe a new cognitive construct-decision acuity-that is related to mental health symptoms and distinct resting-state networks.
Neuropeptides as neuroprotective agents: Oxytocin a forefront developmental player in the mammalian brain.
Progress in neurobiology, 2014

Oxytocin (OT) plays a major role in the establishment of social bonds. Social bonds are linked to the activation of cell signaling pathways that promote neurotrophic and synaptic maturation, plasticity and memory changes. Anti-social behavior is often associated with abnormalities of cell signaling pathways and/or defective function of brain neurotransmitters within behavioral CNS circuits due to unproper environmental and social factors, such as, diet, stress, chemical, air pollution, and noise, during gestational period or/and during early postnatal development. OT exerts an important regulatory functions in maternity and parental behaviors, lactation, attachment, bonding, trust, and sensorial functions such as: homeostatic cardiovascular control, satiety, touch, pain, analgesia and sexual behavior. Noteworthy, OT displays important neuroprotective properties against fetal programmed hypertension when administered during early postnatal life, added to its known anabolic properties shown in adult rats, e.g. body weight control, reduces blood pressure, and increases analgesia. This review focuses on the new evidences supporting OT's role as a major neuroprotective nonapeptide provided by its quality to reverse hypertension programmed in utero by undernutrition.
Comparison of Operating Time between Stand-alone Cage and a Standard Method for a Single Level Cervical Disc Disease.
Korean Journal of Spine, 2012

Autologous bone graft with anterior plating had been a standard method for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Drawbacks of a standard method were donor site problem and problem associated with anterior plate. The stand-alone cage was introduced to reduce such problems. However, problems associated with subsidence and local kyphosis at the index level (segmental kyphosis) still persist with stand-alone cage and a standard method would be required in some cases. It seems that harvest of autologous bone and anterior plating procedure is time consuming, but this has not been verified. The aim of this study was to compare the operating time between patients operated on with stand-alone cage versus a standard method for single-level cervical disc disease.
Is there an association between peripheral immune markers and structural/functional neuroimaging findings?
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2014

There is mounting evidence that inflammatory processes play a key role in emotional as well as cognitive dysfunctions. In this context, research employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MR spectroscopy) suggests a possible link between structural/functional anomalies in the brain and an increase of circulating inflammation markers. The present paper reviews this research, with particular focus on major depressive disorder (MDD), cognitive impairment in older adults, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and schizophrenia.
Accuracy and complication rates of external ventricular drain placement with twist drill and bolt system versus standard trephine and tunnelation: a retrospective population-based study.
Acta neurochirurgica, 2020

An external ventricular drain (EVD) is typically indicated in the presence of hydrocephalus and increased intracranial pressure (ICP). Procedural challenges have prompted the development of different methods to improve accuracy, safety, and logistics.
Long-interval intracortical inhibition in a human hand muscle.
Experimental brain research, 2011

When two motor cortical stimuli are delivered with an interstimulus interval of 50-200 ms, the response (motor evoked potential; MEP) to the second stimulus is typically suppressed. This phenomenon is termed long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI), although data from one subject suggest that facilitation is possible. Moreover, we recently showed that suppression can be mediated at a spinal level. We characterized LICI more fully by exploring a broad range of contraction strengths and test stimulus intensities. MEPs were evoked in first dorsal interosseous by transcranial magnetic stimulation over the motor cortex. Single test and paired (conditioning-test interval of 100 ms) stimuli at intensities of 100-160% resting motor threshold were delivered at rest or during brief contractions of 10, 25, or 100% maximal voluntary force. Inhibition or facilitation was quantified with the standard ratio in which conditioned MEPs were expressed as a percentage of unconditioned MEPs. Inhibition was greatest at weak-moderate contraction strengths and least at rest and during maximal efforts. Both at rest and during maximal efforts, MEPs evoked by strong stimuli were facilitated. In a subset of subjects, cervicomedullary stimulation was used to activate the corticospinal tract to identify possible spinal influences on changes to MEPs. Contraction strength and test stimulus intensity each had different effects on unconditioned and conditioned MEP size, and hence, LICI is highly dependent on both factors. Further, because motoneurons are facilitated during contraction but disfacilitated after a strong conditioning stimulus, the standard ratio of LICI is of questionable validity during voluntary contractions.