The effects of the novel DA D3 receptor antagonist SR 21502 on cocaine reward, cocaine seeking and cocaine-induced locomotor activity in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Galaj, E; Ananthan, S; Saliba, M; Ranaldi, Robert

2014-02-01

There is a focus on developing D3 receptor antagonists as cocaine addiction treatments. We investigated the effects of a novel selective D3 receptor antagonist, SR 21502, on cocaine reward, cocaine-seeking, food reward, spontaneous locomotor activity and cocaine-induced locomotor activity in rats. In Experiment 1, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement and tested with vehicle or one of three doses of SR 21502. In Experiment 2, animals were trained to self-administer cocaine under a fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement followed by extinction of the response. Then, animals were tested with vehicle or one of the SR 21502 doses on cue-induced reinstatement of responding. In Experiment 3, animals were trained to lever press for food under a PR schedule and tested with vehicle or one dose of the compound. In Experiments 4 and 5, in separate groups of animals, the vehicle and three doses of SR 21502 were tested on spontaneous or cocaine (10 mg/kg, IP)-induced locomotor activity, respectively. SR 21502 produced significant, dose-related (3.75, 7.5 and 15 mg/kg) reductions in breakpoint for cocaine self-administration, cue-induced reinstatement (3.75, 7.5 and 15 mg/kg) and cocaine-induced locomotor activity (3.75, 7.5 and 15 mg/kg) but failed to reduce food self-administration and spontaneous locomotor activity. SR 21502 decreases cocaine reward, cocaine-seeking and locomotor activity at doses that have no effect on food reward or spontaneous locomotor activity. These data suggest SR 21502 may selectively inhibit cocaine's rewarding, incentive motivational and stimulant effects.

Blockade of cannabinoid CB receptor function protects against in vivo disseminating brain damage following NMDA-induced excitotoxicity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, H.H.; Ramos, J.A.; Fernández-Ruiz, J.

2002-01-01

-induced excitotoxic damage in the ipsilateral forebrain was not influenced by agonist-stimulated CB receptor function. In contrast, blockade of CB, but not CB, receptor activity evoked a robust neuroprotective response by reducing the infarct area and the number of cortical degenerating neurons. These results suggest...... receptor function on NMDA-induced excitotoxicity. Neonatal (6-day-old) rat pups received a systemic injection of a mixed CB/CB receptor agonist (WIN55,212-2) or their respective antagonists (SR141716A for CB and SR144528 for CB) prior to an unilateral intrastriatal microinjection of NMDA. The NMDA...... a critical involvement of CB receptor tonus on neuronal survival following NMDA receptor-induced excitotoxicity in vivo....

Cue-induced craving among inhalant users: Development and preliminary validation of a visual cue paradigm.

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Jain, Shobhit; Dhawan, Anju; Kumaran, S Senthil; Pattanayak, Raman Deep; Jain, Raka

2017-12-01

Cue-induced craving is known to be associated with a higher risk of relapse, wherein drug-specific cues become conditioned stimuli, eliciting conditioned responses. Cue-reactivity paradigm are important tools to study psychological responses and functional neuroimaging changes. However, till date, there has been no specific study or a validated paradigm for inhalant cue-induced craving research. The study aimed to develop and validate visual cue stimulus for inhalant cue-associated craving. The first step (picture selection) involved screening and careful selection of 30 cue- and 30 neutral-pictures based on their relevance for naturalistic settings. In the second step (time optimization), a random selection of ten cue-pictures each was presented for 4s, 6s, and 8s to seven adolescent male inhalant users, and pre-post craving response was compared using a Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) for each of the picture and time. In the third step (validation), craving response for each of 30 cue- and 30 neutral-pictures were analysed among 20 adolescent inhalant users. Findings revealed a significant difference in before and after craving response for the cue-pictures, but not neutral-pictures. Using ROC-curve, pictures were arranged in order of craving intensity. Finally, 20 best cue- and 20 neutral-pictures were used for the development of a 480s visual cue paradigm. This is the first study to systematically develop an inhalant cue picture paradigm which can be used as a tool to examine cue induced craving in neurobiological studies. Further research, including its further validation in larger study and diverse samples, is required. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Effects of odor cue on morphine-induced dependence and craving in mice].

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Liu, Xiao-Fen; Yang, Guang; Yang, Rui; Jia, Qiang; Guan, Su-Dong

2012-04-01

The olfactory system may play a pivotal role in drug addiction. To clarify the issues, we investigated the morphine dependence and psychological craving in morphine addicted mice using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm by taking an only odor cue as the conditioned stimulus (CS). The results showed that by pairing morphine with odor, the CPP could be induced in mice. When the morphine addicted mice were exposed to a novel environment during morphine withdrawal, they spent significantly longer time in the chamber with morphine-paired odor than in the control chamber. The effects of odor cue on the morphine CPP were blocked by the administration of dopamine D1 or D2 antagonists. The studies indicated that olfactory system plays an important role in drug addiction.

Retrieval-induced forgetting and interference between cues:Training a cue-outcome association attenuates retrieval by alternative cues

OpenAIRE

Ortega-Castro, Nerea; Vadillo Nistal, Miguel

2013-01-01

Some researchers have attempted to determine whether situations in which a single cue is paired with several outcomes (A-B, A-C interference or interference between outcomes) involve the same learning and retrieval mechanisms as situations in which several cues are paired with a single outcome (A-B, C-B interference or interference between cues). Interestingly, current research on a related effect, which is known as retrieval-induced forgetting, can illuminate this debate. Most retrieval-indu...

What causes IOR? Attention or perception? - manipulating cue and target luminance in either blocked or mixed condition.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yuanyuan; Heinke, Dietmar

2014-12-01

Inhibition of return (IOR) refers to the performance disadvantage when detecting a target presented at a previously cued location. The current paper contributes to the long-standing debate whether IOR is caused by attentional processing or perceptual processing. We present a series of four experiments which varied the cue luminance in mixed and blocked conditions. We hypothesised that if inhibition was initialized by an attentional process the size of IOR should not vary in the blocked condition as participants should be able to adapt to the level of cue luminance. However, if a perceptual process triggers inhibition both experimental manipulations should lead to varying levels of IOR. Indeed, we found evidence for the latter hypothesis. In addition, we also varied the target luminance in blocked and mixed condition. Both manipulations, cue luminance and target luminance, affected IOR in an additive fashion suggesting that the two stimuli affect human behaviour on different processing stages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acupuncture inhibits cue-induced heroin craving and brain activation.

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Cai, Xinghui; Song, Xiaoge; Li, Chuanfu; Xu, Chunsheng; Li, Xiliang; Lu, Qi

2012-11-25

Previous research using functional MRI has shown that specific brain regions associated with drug dependence and cue-elicited heroin craving are activated by environmental cues. Craving is an important trigger of heroin relapse, and acupuncture may inhibit craving. In this study, we performed functional MRI in heroin addicts and control subjects. We compared differences in brain activation between the two groups during heroin cue exposure, heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point (ST36) without twirling of the needle, and heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle. Heroin cue exposure elicited significant activation in craving-related brain regions mainly in the frontal lobes and callosal gyri. Acupuncture without twirling did not significantly affect the range of brain activation induced by heroin cue exposure, but significantly changed the extent of the activation in the heroin addicts group. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle significantly decreased both the range and extent of activation induced by heroin cue exposure compared with heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture without twirling of the needle. These experimental findings indicate that presentation of heroin cues can induce activation in craving-related brain regions, which are involved in reward, learning and memory, cognition and emotion. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point can rapidly suppress the activation of specific brain regions related to craving, supporting its potential as an intervention for drug craving.

Blood cues induce antipredator behavior in Nile tilapia conspecifics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Egydio Barreto

Full Text Available In this study, we show that the fish Nile tilapia displays an antipredator response to chemical cues present in the blood of conspecifics. This is the first report of alarm response induced by blood-borne chemical cues in fish. There is a body of evidence showing that chemical cues from epidermal 'club' cells elicit an alarm reaction in fish. However, the chemical cues of these 'club' cells are restricted to certain species of fish. Thus, as a parsimonious explanation, we assume that an alarm response to blood cues is a generalized response among animals because it occurs in mammals, birds and protostomian animals. Moreover, our results suggest that researchers must use caution when studying chemically induced alarm reactions because it is difficult to separate club cell cues from traces of blood.

Individual differences in food cue responsivity are associated with acute and repeated cocaine-induced vocalizations, but not cue-induced vocalizations.

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Tripi, Jordan A; Dent, Micheal L; Meyer, Paul J

2017-02-01

Individuals prone to attribute incentive salience to food-associated stimuli ("cues") are also more sensitive to cues during drug seeking and drug taking. This may be due in part to a difference in sensitivity to the affective or other stimulus properties of the drug. In rats, these properties are associated with 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), in that they are elicited during putative positive affective and motivational states, including in response to drugs of abuse. We sought to determine whether individual differences in the tendency to attribute incentive salience to a food cue (as measured by approach) were associated with differences in cocaine-induced USVs. We also tested whether the food cue would elicit USVs and if this response was related to approach to the food cue. In experiment 1, rats underwent Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) training where they learned to associate a cue (an illuminated lever) with the delivery of a food pellet into a food cup. Subjects were categorized based on their approach to the cue ("sign-trackers") or to the food cup ("goal-trackers"). Rats subsequently underwent nine testing days in which they were given saline or cocaine (10 mg/kg i.p) and placed into a locomotor chamber. In experiment 2, rats were first tested in the locomotor chambers for one saline-treated day followed by one cocaine-treated day and then trained in PavCA. USVs were recorded from a subset of individuals during the last day of PavCA to determine if the food cue would elicit USVs. Sign-trackers produced 5-24 times more cocaine-induced 50 kHz USVs compared to goal-trackers for all days of experiment 1, and this response sensitized with repeated cocaine, only in sign-trackers. Similarly in experiment 2, individuals that produced the most cocaine-induced USVs on a single exposure also showed the greatest tendency to sign-track during PavCA. Lastly, while sign-trackers produced more USVs during PavCA generally, the cue itself did not elicit

Inhibition of protein synthesis but not β-adrenergic receptors blocks reconsolidation of a cocaine-associated cue memory.

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Dunbar, Amber B; Taylor, Jane R

2016-08-01

Previously consolidated memories have the potential to enter a state of lability upon memory recall, during which time the memory can be altered before undergoing an additional consolidation-like process and being stored again as a long-term memory. Blocking reconsolidation of aberrant memories has been proposed as a potential treatment for psychiatric disorders including addiction. Here we investigated of the effect of systemically administering the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide or the β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol on reconsolidation. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine, during which each lever press resulted in the presentation of a cue paired with an intravenous infusion of cocaine. After undergoing lever press extinction to reduce operant responding, the cue memory was reactivated and rats were administered systemic injections of propranolol, cycloheximide, or vehicle. Post-reactivation cycloheximide, but not propranolol, resulted in a reactivation-dependent decrease in cue-induced reinstatement, indicative of reconsolidation blockade by protein synthesis inhibition. The present data indicate that systemically targeting protein synthesis as opposed to the β-adrenergic system may more effectively attenuate the reconsolidation of a drug-related memory and decrease drug-seeking behavior. © 2016 Dunbar and Taylor; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

T-type calcium channel antagonism decreases motivation for nicotine and blocks nicotine- and cue-induced reinstatement for a response previously reinforced with nicotine.

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Uslaner, Jason M; Vardigan, Joshua D; Drott, Jason M; Uebele, Victor N; Renger, John J; Lee, Ariel; Li, Zhaoxia; Lê, A D; Hutson, Pete H

2010-10-15

Recent evidence suggests an involvement of T-type calcium channels in the effects of drugs of abuse. We examined the influence of the novel, potent, and selective T-type calcium channel antagonist [2-(4-cyclopropylphenyl)-N-((1R)-1-{5-[2,2,2-trifluoroethyl]oxo}pyridine-2-yl)ethyl]acetamide] (TTA-A2) (.3, 1, or 3 mg/kg) on motivation for nicotine, as measured by nicotine self-administration on a progressive ratio (PR) schedule, and nicotine- and cue-induced reinstatement for a response previously reinforced with nicotine delivery (n = 11 or 12 Long Evans rats/group). Furthermore, we examined the specificity of the TTA-A2 effects by characterizing its influence on PR responding for food (in the absence or presence of nicotine-potentiated responding), food- versus nicotine-induced cue-potentiated reinstatement for a response previously reinforced by food administration (n = 11 or 12 Wistar Hannover rats/group), and its ability to induce a conditioned place aversion. TTA-A2 dose-dependently decreased self-administration of nicotine on a PR schedule and the ability of both nicotine and a cue paired with nicotine to reinstate responding. The effects were specific for nicotine's incentive motivational properties, as TTA-A2 did not influence responding for food on a PR schedule but did attenuate the ability of nicotine to potentiate responding for food. Likewise, TTA-A2 did not alter food-induced cue-potentiated reinstatement for a response previously reinforced by food but did decrease nicotine-induced cue-potentiated reinstatement. Finally, TTA-A2 did not produce an aversive state, as indicated by a lack of ability to induce conditioned place aversion. These data suggest that T-type calcium channel antagonists have potential for alleviating nicotine addiction by selectively decreasing the incentive motivational properties of nicotine. Copyright © 2010 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cue-induced craving for marijuana in cannabis-dependent adults.

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Lundahl, Leslie H; Johanson, Chris-Ellyn

2011-06-01

Recent interest in the development of medications for treatment of cannabis-use disorders indicates the need for laboratory models to evaluate potential compounds prior to undertaking clinical trials. To investigate whether a cue-reactivity paradigm could induce marijuana craving in cannabis-dependent adults, 16 (eight female) cannabis-dependent and 16 (eight female) cannabis-naïve participants were exposed to neutral and marijuana-related cues, and subsequent changes in mood, self-reported craving, and physiologic function were assessed. Significant Group X cue interactions were found on all three VAS craving indices as well as on the Compulsivity scale of the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire-Brief Form (MCQ-BF). Cannabis-dependent individuals responded to marijuana-related cues with significantly increased reports of marijuana craving compared to neutral cue exposure, although there were no cue-induced changes in any of the physiological measures. There were no significant gender differences on any of the measures. These results indicate that marijuana craving can be induced and assessed in cannabis-dependent, healthy adults within a laboratory setting, and support the need for further research of the cue reactivity paradigm in the development of medications to treat cannabis-use disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

Does acute tobacco smoking prevent cue-induced craving?

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Schlagintweit, Hera E; Barrett, Sean P

2016-05-01

Smoking cessation aids appear to be limited in their ability to prevent craving triggered by exposure to smoking-associated stimuli; however, the extent to which cue-induced cravings persist following denicotinized or nicotine-containing tobacco smoking is not known. Thirty (17 male) ⩾12-hour abstinent dependent smokers completed two sessions during which they smoked a nicotine-containing or denicotinized cigarette. Instructions regarding the nicotine content of the cigarette varied across sessions, and all participants were exposed to a neutral cue followed by a smoking cue after cigarette consumption. Craving was assessed before and after cigarette consumption and cue exposure. Reduced intentions to smoke were associated with both nicotine expectancy (pSmoking-associated stimuli increased craving regardless of nicotine expectancy or administration (p-valuessmoking, neither smoking-related nicotine administration nor expectation prevents increases in craving following exposure to smoking-associated stimuli. These findings suggest that cue-induced craving may be resistant to various pharmacological and psychological interventions. © The Author(s) 2016.

Retrieval-induced forgetting and interference between cues: training a cue-outcome association attenuates retrieval by alternative cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega-Castro, Nerea; Vadillo, Miguel A

2013-03-01

Some researchers have attempted to determine whether situations in which a single cue is paired with several outcomes (A-B, A-C interference or interference between outcomes) involve the same learning and retrieval mechanisms as situations in which several cues are paired with a single outcome (A-B, C-B interference or interference between cues). Interestingly, current research on a related effect, which is known as retrieval-induced forgetting, can illuminate this debate. Most retrieval-induced forgetting experiments are based on an experimental design that closely resembles the A-B, A-C interference paradigm. In the present experiment, we found that a similar effect may be observed when items are rearranged such that the general structure of the task more closely resembles the A-B, C-B interference paradigm. This result suggests that, as claimed by other researchers in the area of contingency learning, the two types of interference, namely A-B, A-C and A-B, C-B interference, may share some basic mechanisms. Moreover, the type of inhibitory processes assumed to underlie retrieval-induced forgetting may also play a role in these phenomena. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

β-Adrenergic induced SR Ca2+ leak is mediated by an Epac-NOS pathway.

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Pereira, Laëtitia; Bare, Dan J; Galice, Samuel; Shannon, Thomas R; Bers, Donald M

2017-07-01

Cardiac β-adrenergic receptors (β-AR) and Ca 2+ -Calmodulin dependent protein kinase (CaMKII) regulate both physiological and pathophysiological Ca 2+ signaling. Elevated diastolic Ca 2+ leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) contributes to contractile dysfunction in heart failure and to arrhythmogenesis. β-AR activation is known to increase SR Ca 2+ leak via CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation of the ryanodine receptor. Two independent and reportedly parallel pathways have been implicated in this β-AR-CaMKII cascade, one involving exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac2) and another involving nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1). Here we tested whether Epac and NOS function in a single series pathway to increase β-AR induced and CaMKII-dependent SR Ca 2+ leak. Leak was measured as both Ca 2+ spark frequency and tetracaine-induced shifts in SR Ca 2+ , in mouse and rabbit ventricular myocytes. Direct Epac activation by 8-CPT (8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2'-O-methyl-cAMP) mimicked β-AR-induced SR Ca 2+ leak, and both were blocked by NOS inhibition. The same was true for myocyte CaMKII activation (assessed via a FRET-based reporter) and ryanodine receptor phosphorylation. Inhibitor and phosphorylation studies also implicated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (Akt) downstream of Epac and above NOS activation in this pathway. We conclude that these two independently characterized parallel pathways function mainly via a single series arrangement (β-AR-cAMP-Epac-PI3K-Akt-NOS1-CaMKII) to mediate increased SR Ca 2+ leak. Thus, for β-AR activation the cAMP-PKA branch effects inotropy and lusitropy (by effects on Ca 2+ current and SR Ca 2+ -ATPase), this cAMP-Epac-NOS pathway increases pathological diastolic SR Ca 2+ leak. This pathway distinction may allow novel SR Ca 2+ leak therapeutic targeting in treatment of arrhythmias in heart failure that spare the inotropic and lusitropic effects of the PKA branch. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All

Reward dependence moderates smoking-cue- and stress-induced cigarette cravings.

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Michalowski, Alexandra; Erblich, Joel

2014-12-01

Cigarette cravings following exposure to smoking cues in a smoker's environment are thought to play an important role in cessation failure. The possibility that dispositional factors may impact cue-induced cravings, though intriguing, has received little attention. According to Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Theory, factors such as reward dependence (RD), harm avoidance (HA), and novelty seeking (NS) may figure prominently in risk for addiction, as well as relapse, in individuals attempting to abstain from drug and alcohol use. Particularly interesting in this regard is the possibility that smokers with higher levels of RD, who are especially sensitive to reward signals, will have heightened craving reactions to smoking cues. To that end, non-treatment-seeking nicotine dependent smokers (n=96, mean age=41.1, 47% African American, 17% Caucasian, 22% Hispanic, 19.3cigs/day, FTND=7.5) underwent a classic experimental cue-induction, during which they were exposed to imagery of: (1) smoking, (2) neutral, and (3) stress cues, and reported their cigarette cravings (0-100) before and after each exposure. Participants also completed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. Not surprisingly, smoking and stress cues (but not neutral cues) elicited significant elevations in craving (p'scues (pcues (pcues. Furthermore, the similar effects of RD on stress-induced craving suggest that both cue-and stress-induced cravings may be influenced by a common underlying disposition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Smoking-Cue Induced Brain Activation In Adolescent Light Smokers

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Rubinstein, Mark L.; Luks, Tracy L.; Moscicki, Anna-Barbara; Dryden, Wendy; Rait, Michelle A.; Simpson, Gregory V.

2010-01-01

Purpose Using fMRI, we examined whether or not adolescents with low levels of nicotine exposure (light smokers) display neural activation in areas shown to be involved with addiction in response to smoking-related stimuli. Design/Setting/Participants Twelve adolescent light smokers (aged 13 to17, smoked 1 to 5 cigarettes per day) and 12 non-smokers (ages 13 to 17, never smoked a cigarette) from the San Francisco Bay Area underwent fMRI scanning. During scanning they viewed blocks of photographic smoking and control cues. Smoking cues consisted of pictures of people smoking cigarettes and smoking-related objects such as lighters and ashtrays. Neutral cues consisted of everyday objects and people engaged in everyday activities. Findings For smokers, smoking cues elicited greater activation than neutral cues in the mesolimbic reward circuit (left anterior cingulate (T=7.88, pbrain regions seen in adult and heavy teen smokers suggests that even at low levels of smoking, adolescents exhibit heightened reactivity to smoking cues. This paper adds to the existing literature suggesting that nicotine dependence may begin with exposure to low levels of nicotine, underscoring the need for early intervention among adolescent smokers. PMID:21185518

Acupuncture suppresses reinstatement of morphine-seeking behavior induced by a complex cue in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Bong Hyo; Lim, Sung Chul; Jeon, Hyeon Jeong; Kim, Jae Su; Lee, Yun Kyu; Lee, Hyun Jong; In, Sunghyun; Kim, Hee Young; Yoon, Seong Shoon; Yang, Chae Ha

2013-08-26

Morphine causes physical and psychological dependence for individuals after repeated-use. Above all, our previous study showed that acupuncture attenuated reinstatement of morphine-seeking behavior induced by pharmacological cue. In this study, we investigated whether acupuncture could suppress the reinstatement of morphine-seeking behavior induced by the combination of environmental and pharmacological cues and the possible neuronal involvement. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer morphine (1.0 mg/kg) for 3 weeks. Following the withdrawal phase (7 days), the effects of acupuncture on reinstatement of morphine-seeking behavior were investigated. For the investigation of neuronal involvement, the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline and the GABAB receptor antagonist SCH 50911 were pre-treated. Morphine-seeking behavior induced by combination of re-exposure to the operant chamber and morphine injection was suppressed perfectly by acupuncture at SI5, but not at the control acupoint LI5 and this effect was blocked by pre-treatment with the GABA receptor antagonists. This study suggests that acupuncture at SI5 can be considered as a predominant therapy for the reinstatement of morphine-seeking behavior in humans. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental cues induce changes of steviol glycosides contents and transcription of corresponding biosynthetic genes in Stevia rebaudiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yongheng; Huang, Suzhen; Han, Yulin; Yuan, Haiyan; Gu, Chunsun; Wang, Zhongwei

2015-01-01

Plant growth and secondary metabolism are commonly regulated by external cues such as light, temperature and water availability. In this study, the influences of low and high temperatures, dehydration, photoperiods, and different growing stages on the changes of steviol glycosides (SGs) contents and transcription levels of fifteen genes involved in SGs biosynthesis of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni were examined using HPLC and RT-PCR. The observations showed that the transcript levels of all the fifteen genes were maximum under 25 °C treatment, and the transcription of SrDXS, SrDXR, SrMCT, SrCMK, SrMDS, SrHDS, SrHDR, SrIDI, SrGGDPS, SrCPPS1, SrUGT85C2 and SrUGT76G1 were restrained both in low temperature (15 °C) and high temperature (35 °C). Most genes in SGs biosynthesis pathway exhibited down-regulation in dehydration. To elucidate the effect of photoperiods, the plants were treated by different simulated photoperiods (8 L/16 D, 1 0L/14 D, 14 L/10 D and 16 L/8 D), but no significant transcription changes were observed. In the study of growing stages, there were evident changes of SGs contents, and the transcript levels of all the fifteen genes were minimal in fast growing period, and exhibited evident increase both in flower-bud appearing stage and flowering stage. The obtained results strongly suggest that the effect of environmental cues on steviol glycosides contents and transcription of corresponding biosynthetic genes in S. rebaudiana is significant. It is worth to study deeply. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Gender and Impulsivity: Effects on Cue-Induced Alcohol Craving.

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Yarmush, Devorah E; Manchery, Linda; Luehring-Jones, Peter; Erblich, Joel

2016-05-01

Numerous studies have demonstrated that trait impulsivity is linked to increased risk of developing alcohol-use disorders and other substance abuse. Impulsivity has also been shown in some studies to potentiate cue-induced drug cravings. Despite considerable evidence of gender differences in impulsivity and drug craving among individuals suffering from alcohol dependence and other drug use, little research has focused on these processes in healthy young men and women who may be at risk for developing alcohol-use disorders. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between impulsivity and cue-induced craving, as well as possible gender differences in these effects among healthy young adults. To that end, female (n = 22) and male (n = 14) social drinkers aged 18 to 25, recruited from an urban university campus, completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and reported their alcohol cravings immediately before and after laboratory exposure to alcohol cues. Findings indicated that exposure to cues elicited increased alcohol cravings, but these effects did not differ by gender. Interestingly, a significant interaction of impulsivity and gender revealed that impulsivity predicted significantly higher cue-induced cravings in women, but not men. Findings underscore the importance of better understanding the interaction of situational factors (e.g., exposure to alcohol cues) and dispositional factors (e.g., impulsivity) as potential contributors to drinking motivation. Future prospective research is needed to identify gender-specific risk factors for the development of problem drinking. Copyright © 2016 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Impulsivity moderates the relationship between previous quit failure and cue-induced craving.

Science.gov (United States)

Erblich, Joel; Michalowski, Alexandra

2015-12-01

Poor inhibitory control has been shown to be an important predictor of relapse to a number of drugs, including nicotine. Indeed, smokers who exhibit higher levels of impulsivity are thought to have impaired regulation of urges to smoke, and previous research has suggested that impulsivity may moderate cue-induced cigarette cravings. To that end, we conducted a study to evaluate the interplay between failed smoking cessation, cue-induced craving, and impulsivity. Current smokers (n=151) rated their cigarette cravings before and after laboratory to exposure to smoking cues, and completed questionnaires assessing impulsivity and previous failed quit attempts. Findings indicated that shorter duration of previous failed quit attempts was related to higher cue-induced cigarette craving, especially among smokers with higher levels of impulsivity. Results underscore the importance of considering trait impulsivity as a factor in better understanding the management of cue-induced cravings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Binaural noise reduction via cue-preserving MMSE filter and adaptive-blocking-based noise PSD estimation

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Azarpour, Masoumeh; Enzner, Gerald

2017-12-01

Binaural noise reduction, with applications for instance in hearing aids, has been a very significant challenge. This task relates to the optimal utilization of the available microphone signals for the estimation of the ambient noise characteristics and for the optimal filtering algorithm to separate the desired speech from the noise. The additional requirements of low computational complexity and low latency further complicate the design. A particular challenge results from the desired reconstruction of binaural speech input with spatial cue preservation. The latter essentially diminishes the utility of multiple-input/single-output filter-and-sum techniques such as beamforming. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive and effective signal processing configuration with which most of the aforementioned criteria can be met suitably. This relates especially to the requirement of efficient online adaptive processing for noise estimation and optimal filtering while preserving the binaural cues. Regarding noise estimation, we consider three different architectures: interaural (ITF), cross-relation (CR), and principal-component (PCA) target blocking. An objective comparison with two other noise PSD estimation algorithms demonstrates the superiority of the blocking-based noise estimators, especially the CR-based and ITF-based blocking architectures. Moreover, we present a new noise reduction filter based on minimum mean-square error (MMSE), which belongs to the class of common gain filters, hence being rigorous in terms of spatial cue preservation but also efficient and competitive for the acoustic noise reduction task. A formal real-time subjective listening test procedure is also developed in this paper. The proposed listening test enables a real-time assessment of the proposed computationally efficient noise reduction algorithms in a realistic acoustic environment, e.g., considering time-varying room impulse responses and the Lombard effect. The listening test outcome

The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and caudate pathway: New evidence for cue-induced craving of smokers.

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Yuan, Kai; Yu, Dahua; Bi, Yanzhi; Wang, Ruonan; Li, Min; Zhang, Yajuan; Dong, Minghao; Zhai, Jinquan; Li, Yangding; Lu, Xiaoqi; Tian, Jie

2017-09-01

Although the activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the striatum had been found in smoking cue induced craving task, whether and how the functional interactions and white matter integrity between these brain regions contribute to craving processing during smoking cue exposure remains unknown. Twenty-five young male smokers and 26 age- and gender-matched nonsmokers participated in the smoking cue-reactivity task. Craving related brain activation was extracted and psychophysiological interactions (PPI) analysis was used to specify the PFC-efferent pathways contributed to smoking cue-induced craving. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and probabilistic tractography was used to explore whether the fiber connectivity strength facilitated functional coupling of the circuit with the smoking cue-induced craving. The PPI analysis revealed the negative functional coupling of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the caudate during smoking cue induced craving task, which positively correlated with the craving score. Neither significant activation nor functional connectivity in smoking cue exposure task was detected in nonsmokers. DTI analyses revealed that fiber tract integrity negatively correlated with functional coupling in the DLPFC-caudate pathway and activation of the caudate induced by smoking cue in smokers. Moreover, the relationship between the fiber connectivity integrity of the left DLPFC-caudate and smoking cue induced caudate activation can be fully mediated by functional coupling strength of this circuit in smokers. The present study highlighted the left DLPFC-caudate pathway in smoking cue-induced craving in smokers, which may reflect top-down prefrontal modulation of striatal reward processing in smoking cue induced craving processing. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4644-4656, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Consumption Simulations Induce Salivation to Food Cues.

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Mike Keesman

Full Text Available Salivation to food cues is typically explained in terms of mere stimulus-response links. However, food cues seem to especially increase salivation when food is attractive, suggesting a more complex psychological process. Adopting a grounded cognition perspective, we suggest that perceiving a food triggers simulations of consuming it, especially when attractive. These simulations then induce salivation, which effectively prepares the body for eating the food. In two experiments, we systematically examined the role of simulations on salivation to food cues. As stimuli, both experiments used an attractive, a neutral, and a sour food, as well as a non-food control object. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed to simulate eating every object they would be exposed to. We then exposed them to each object separately. Salivation was assessed by having participants spit their saliva into a cup after one minute of exposure. In Experiment 2, we instructed half of participants to simulate eating each object, and half to merely look at them, while measuring salivation as in Experiment 1. Afterwards, participants rated their simulations and desire to eat for each object separately. As predicted, foods increased salivation compared to the non-food control object, especially when they were attractive or sour (Exp. 1 and 2. Importantly, attractive and sour foods especially increased salivation when instructed to simulate (Exp. 2. These findings suggest that consumption simulations play an important role in inducing salivary responses to food cues. We discuss directions for future research as well as the role of simulations for other appetitive processes.

Anandamide inhibits adhesion and migration of breast cancer cells

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Grimaldi, Claudia; Pisanti, Simona; Laezza, Chiara; Malfitano, Anna Maria; Santoro, Antonietta; Vitale, Mario; Caruso, Maria Gabriella; Notarnicola, Maria; Iacuzzo, Irma; Portella, Giuseppe; Di Marzo, Vincenzo; Bifulco, Maurizio

2006-01-01

The endocannabinoid system regulates cell proliferation in human breast cancer cells. We reasoned that stimulation of cannabinoid CB 1 receptors could induce a non-invasive phenotype in breast mtastatic cells. In a model of metastatic spreading in vivo, the metabolically stable anandamide analogue, 2-methyl-2'-F-anandamide (Met-F-AEA), significantly reduced the number and dimension of metastatic nodes, this effect being antagonized by the selective CB 1 antagonist SR141716A. In MDA-MB-231 cells, a highly invasive human breast cancer cell line, and in TSA-E1 cells, a murine breast cancer cell line, Met-F-AEA inhibited adhesion and migration on type IV collagen in vitro without modifying integrin expression: both these effects were antagonized by SR141716A. In order to understand the molecular mechanism involved in these processes, we analyzed the phosphorylation of FAK and Src, two tyrosine kinases involved in migration and adhesion. In Met-F-AEA-treated cells, we observed a decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of both FAK and Src, this effect being attenuated by SR141716A. We propose that CB 1 receptor agonists inhibit tumor cell invasion and metastasis by modulating FAK phosphorylation, and that CB 1 receptor activation might represent a novel therapeutic strategy to slow down the growth of breast carcinoma and to inhibit its metastatic diffusion in vivo

Individual Differences in Cue-Induced Motivation and Striatal Systems in Rats Susceptible to Diet-Induced Obesity.

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Robinson, Mike J F; Burghardt, Paul R; Patterson, Christa M; Nobile, Cameron W; Akil, Huda; Watson, Stanley J; Berridge, Kent C; Ferrario, Carrie R

2015-08-01

Pavlovian cues associated with junk-foods (caloric, highly sweet, and/or fatty foods), like the smell of brownies, can elicit craving to eat and increase the amount of food consumed. People who are more susceptible to these motivational effects of food cues may have a higher risk for becoming obese. Further, overconsumption of junk-foods leading to the development of obesity may itself heighten attraction to food cues. Here, we used a model of individual susceptibility to junk-foods diet-induced obesity to determine whether there are pre-existing and/or diet-induced increases in attraction to and motivation for sucrose-paired cues (ie, incentive salience or 'wanting'). We also assessed diet- vs obesity-associated alterations in mesolimbic function and receptor expression. We found that rats susceptible to diet-induced obesity displayed heightened conditioned approach prior to the development of obesity. In addition, after junk-food diet exposure, those rats that developed obesity also showed increased willingness to gain access to a sucrose cue. Heightened 'wanting' was not due to individual differences in the hedonic impact ('liking') of sucrose. Neurobiologically, Mu opioid receptor mRNA expression was lower in striatal 'hot-spots' that generate eating or hedonic impact only in those rats that became obese. In contrast, prolonged exposure to junk-food resulted in cross-sensitization to amphetamine-induced locomotion and downregulation of striatal D2R mRNA regardless of the development of obesity. Together these data shed light on individual differences in behavioral and neurobiological consequences of exposure to junk-food diets and the potential contribution of incentive sensitization in susceptible individuals to greater food cue-triggered motivation.

Individual Differences in Cue-Induced Motivation and Striatal Systems in Rats Susceptible to Diet-Induced Obesity

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Robinson, Mike JF; Burghardt, Paul R; Patterson, Christa M; Nobile, Cameron W; Akil, Huda; Watson, Stanley J; Berridge, Kent C; Ferrario, Carrie R

2015-01-01

Pavlovian cues associated with junk-foods (caloric, highly sweet, and/or fatty foods), like the smell of brownies, can elicit craving to eat and increase the amount of food consumed. People who are more susceptible to these motivational effects of food cues may have a higher risk for becoming obese. Further, overconsumption of junk-foods leading to the development of obesity may itself heighten attraction to food cues. Here, we used a model of individual susceptibility to junk-foods diet-induced obesity to determine whether there are pre-existing and/or diet-induced increases in attraction to and motivation for sucrose-paired cues (ie, incentive salience or ‘wanting’). We also assessed diet- vs obesity-associated alterations in mesolimbic function and receptor expression. We found that rats susceptible to diet-induced obesity displayed heightened conditioned approach prior to the development of obesity. In addition, after junk-food diet exposure, those rats that developed obesity also showed increased willingness to gain access to a sucrose cue. Heightened ‘wanting’ was not due to individual differences in the hedonic impact (‘liking’) of sucrose. Neurobiologically, Mu opioid receptor mRNA expression was lower in striatal ‘hot-spots’ that generate eating or hedonic impact only in those rats that became obese. In contrast, prolonged exposure to junk-food resulted in cross-sensitization to amphetamine-induced locomotion and downregulation of striatal D2R mRNA regardless of the development of obesity. Together these data shed light on individual differences in behavioral and neurobiological consequences of exposure to junk-food diets and the potential contribution of incentive sensitization in susceptible individuals to greater food cue-triggered motivation. PMID:25761571

Phencyclidine-induced social withdrawal results from deficient stimulation of cannabinoid CB₁ receptors: implications for schizophrenia.

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Seillier, Alexandre; Martinez, Alex A; Giuffrida, Andrea

2013-08-01

The neuronal mechanisms underlying social withdrawal, one of the core negative symptoms of schizophrenia, are not well understood. Recent studies suggest an involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and, in particular, of negative symptoms. We used biochemical, pharmacological, and behavioral approaches to investigate the role played by the endocannabinoid system in social withdrawal induced by sub-chronic administration of phencyclidine (PCP). Pharmacological enhancement of endocannabinoid levels via systemic administration of URB597, an inhibitor of endocannabinoid degradation, reversed social withdrawal in PCP-treated rats via stimulation of CB1 receptors, but reduced social interaction in control animals through activation of a cannabinoid/vanilloid-sensitive receptor. In addition, the potent CB agonist CP55,940 reversed PCP-induced social withdrawal in a CB₁-dependent manner, whereas pharmacological blockade of CB₁ receptors by either AM251 or SR141716 reduced the time spent in social interaction in control animals. PCP-induced social withdrawal was accompanied by a decrease of anandamide (AEA) levels in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, and these deficits were reversed by URB597. As CB₁ receptors are predominantly expressed on GABAergic interneurons containing the anxiogenic peptide cholecystokinin (CCK), we also examined whether the PCP-induced social withdrawal resulted from deficient CB₁-mediated modulation of CCK transmission. The selective CCK2 antagonist LY225910 blocked both PCP- and AM251-induced social withdrawal, but not URB597 effect in control rats. Taken together, these findings indicate that AEA-mediated activation of CB₁ receptors is crucial for social interaction, and that PCP-induced social withdrawal results from deficient endocannabinoid transmission.

Geochronological studies by Rb/Sr method in rocks of the Jundiai block and surroundings. [Ampario group

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Wernick, E [Faculdade de Filosofia Ciencias e Letras de Rio Claro; Oliveira, M A.F. de; Kawashita, K; Cordani, U G [Sao Paulo Univ. (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias; Delhal, J [Musee Royal de l' Afrique Centrale, Belgica

1976-01-01

Field and petrological data, as well as radiometric results performed in granulitic, gneissic, migmatitic, and granitic rocks from the 'Jundiai tectonic block' (States of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais), show for that region the existence of two superposed orogeneses. To the older, of transamazonian age whole rock Rb-Sr isochron 2,010 m.y. Rb/sup 87//Sr/sup 86/ initial = 0.702), belongs the Amparo Group, composed of gneisses, migmatites, and granulites, with intercalation of quartzites, schists and calc-silicate rocks. To the younger, of brazilian age whole rock Rb-Sr isochron 690 m.y. (Sr/sup 87//Sr/sup 86/ initial = 0.702), are related the feldspathization and migmatization of the Amparo Group, as well as the intrusion of granitic bodies. Possibly, also the metasediments around Jacarei belong to the brazilian cycle. This pattern of geologic evolution is similar to that observed for the Serra dos Orgaos region (States of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais).

The effects of varied extinction procedures on contingent cue-induced reinstatement in Sprague-Dawley rats.

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Buffalari, Deanne M; Feltenstein, Matthew W; See, Ronald E

2013-11-01

Cue exposure therapy, which attempts to limit relapse by reducing reactivity to cocaine-paired cues through repeated exposures, has had limited success. The current experiments examined cocaine cue-induced anxiogenesis and investigated whether a model of cue exposure therapy would reduce reinstatement of cocaine seeking in rats with a history of cocaine self-administration. Male rats experienced daily intravenous cocaine self-administration. Rats then experienced exposure to either the self-administration context or the context plus noncontingent presentations of cocaine-paired cues. Immediately following exposure, anxiety-like behavior was measured using elevated plus maze and defensive burying tests. In a second group of rats, self-administration was followed by 7 days of exposure to the context, context + noncontingent cue exposure, lever extinction, or cue + lever extinction. All animals then underwent two contingent cue-induced reinstatement tests separated by 7 days of lever extinction. Exposure to noncontingent cocaine-paired cues in the self-administration context increased anxiety-like behavior on the defensive burying test. Animals that experienced lever + cue extinction displayed the least cocaine seeking on the first reinstatement test, and lever extinction reduced cocaine seeking below context exposure or context + noncontingent cue exposure. All animals had similar levels of cocaine seeking on the second reinstatement test. Noncontingent cue exposure causes anxiety, and noncontingent cue and context exposure are less effective at reducing contingent cue-induced reinstatement than lever or lever + cue extinction. These data indicate that active extinction of the drug-taking response may be critical for reduction of relapse proclivity in former cocaine users.

Effect of oral THC pretreatment on marijuana cue-induced responses in cannabis dependent volunteers.

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Lundahl, Leslie H; Greenwald, Mark K

2015-04-01

The current study tested whether oral Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC: 0-, 10-, and 20-mg) pretreatment would attenuate polysensory cue-induced craving for marijuana. Cannabis dependent participants (7 males and 7 females, who smoked on average 5.4 ± 1.1 blunts daily) completed 3 experimental sessions (oral THC pretreatment dose; counterbalanced order) using a placebo-controlled within-subject crossover design. During each session, participants completed a baseline evaluation and were first exposed to neutral cues then marijuana cues while physiological measures and subjective ratings of mood, craving, and drug effect were recorded. Following placebo oral THC pretreatment, marijuana (vs. neutral) cues significantly increased ratings of marijuana craving (desire and urge to use, Marijuana Craving Questionnaire (MCQ)-Compulsivity scale), anxious mood and feeling hungry. Males also reported feeling more "Down" during marijuana cues relative to females. Pretreatment with oral THC (10-mg and/or 20-mg vs. placebo) significantly attenuated marijuana cue-induced increases in craving and anxiety but not hunger. Oral THC attenuation of the cue-induced increase in MCQ-Compulsivity ratings was observed in females only. Oral THC produced statistically (but not clinically) significant increases in heart rate and decreases in diastolic blood pressure, independent of cues. These marijuana-cue findings replicate earlier results and further demonstrate that oral THC can attenuate selected effects during marijuana multi-cue exposure, and that some of these effects may be sex-related. Results of this study suggest oral THC may be effective for reducing marijuana cue-elicited (conditioned) effects. Further study is needed to determine whether females may selectively benefit from oral THC for this purpose. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Repeated restraint stress exposure during early withdrawal accelerates incubation of cue-induced cocaine craving.

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Glynn, Ryan M; Rosenkranz, J Amiel; Wolf, Marina E; Caccamise, Aaron; Shroff, Freya; Smith, Alyssa B; Loweth, Jessica A

2018-01-01

A major challenge for treating cocaine addiction is the propensity for abstinent users to relapse. Two important triggers for relapse are cues associated with prior drug use and stressful life events. To study their interaction in promoting relapse during abstinence, we used the incubation model of craving and relapse in which cue-induced drug seeking progressively intensifies ('incubates') during withdrawal from extended-access cocaine self-administration. We tested rats for cue-induced cocaine seeking on withdrawal day (WD) 1. Rats were then subjected to repeated restraint stress or control conditions (seven sessions held between WD6 and WD14). All rats were tested again for cue-induced cocaine seeking on WD15, 1 day after the last stress or control session. Although controls showed a time-dependent increase in cue-induced cocaine seeking (incubation), rats exposed to repeated stress in early withdrawal exhibited a more robust increase in seeking behavior between WD1 and WD15. In separate stressed and control rats, equivalent cocaine seeking was observed on WD48. These results indicate that repeated stress in early withdrawal accelerates incubation of cocaine craving, although craving plateaus at the same level were observed in controls. However, 1 month after the WD48 test, rats subjected to repeated stress in early withdrawal showed enhanced cue-induced cocaine seeking following acute (24 hours) food deprivation stress. Together, these data indicate that chronic stress exposure enhances the initial rate of incubation of craving during early withdrawal, resulting in increased vulnerability to cue-induced relapse during this period, and may lead to a persistent increase in vulnerability to the relapse-promoting effects of stress. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Strength cues and blocking at test promote reliable within-list criterion shifts in recognition memory.

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Hicks, Jason L; Starns, Jeffrey J

2014-07-01

In seven experiments, we explored the potential for strength-based, within-list criterion shifts in recognition memory. People studied a mix of target words, some presented four times (strong) and others studied once (weak). In Experiments 1, 2, 4A, and 4B, the test was organized into alternating blocks of 10, 20, or 40 trials. Each block contained lures intermixed with strong targets only or weak targets only. In strength-cued conditions, test probes appeared in a unique font color for strong and weak blocks. In the uncued conditions of Experiments 1 and 2, similar strength blocks were tested, but strength was not cued with font color. False alarms to lures were lower in blocks containing strong target words, as compared with lures in blocks containing weak targets, but only when strength was cued with font color. Providing test feedback in Experiment 2 did not alter these results. In Experiments 3A-3C, test items were presented in a random order (i.e., not blocked by strength). Of these three experiments, only one demonstrated a significant shift even though strength cues were provided. Overall, the criterion shift was larger and more reliable as block size increased, and the shift occurred only when strength was cued with font color. These results clarify the factors that affect participants' willingness to change their response criterion within a test list.

Neural correlates of stress-induced and cue-induced drug craving: influences of sex and cocaine dependence.

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Potenza, Marc N; Hong, Kwang-ik Adam; Lacadie, Cheryl M; Fulbright, Robert K; Tuit, Keri L; Sinha, Rajita

2012-04-01

Although stress and drug cue exposure each increase drug craving and contribute to relapse in cocaine dependence, no previous research has directly examined the neural correlates of stress-induced and drug cue-induced craving in cocaine-dependent women and men relative to comparison subjects. Functional MRI was used to assess responses to individualized scripts for stress, drug/alcohol cue and neutral-relaxing-imagery conditions in 30 abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals (16 women, 14 men) and 36 healthy recreational-drinking comparison subjects (18 women, 18 men). Significant three-way interactions between diagnostic group, sex, and script condition were observed in multiple brain regions including the striatum, insula, and anterior and posterior cingulate. Within women, group-by-condition interactions were observed involving these regions and were attributable to relatively increased regional activations in cocaine-dependent women during the stress and, to a lesser extent, neutral-relaxing conditions. Within men, group main effects were observed involving these same regions, with cocaine-dependent men demonstrating relatively increased activation across conditions, with the main contributions from the drug and neutral-relaxing conditions. In men and women, subjective drug-induced craving measures correlated positively with corticostriatal-limbic activations. In cocaine dependence, corticostriatal-limbic hyperactivity appears to be linked to stress cues in women, drug cues in men, and neutral-relaxing conditions in both. These findings suggest that sex should be taken into account in the selection of therapies in the treatment of addiction, particularly those targeting stress reduction.

Cognition and balance control: does processing of explicit contextual cues of impending perturbations modulate automatic postural responses?

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Coelho, Daniel Boari; Teixeira, Luis Augusto

2017-08-01

Processing of predictive contextual cues of an impending perturbation is thought to induce adaptive postural responses. Cueing in previous research has been provided through repeated perturbations with a constant foreperiod. This experimental strategy confounds explicit predictive cueing with adaptation and non-specific properties of temporal cueing. Two experiments were performed to assess those factors separately. To perturb upright balance, the base of support was suddenly displaced backwards in three amplitudes: 5, 10 and 15 cm. In Experiment 1, we tested the effect of cueing the amplitude of the impending postural perturbation by means of visual signals, and the effect of adaptation to repeated exposures by comparing block versus random sequences of perturbation. In Experiment 2, we evaluated separately the effects of cueing the characteristics of an impending balance perturbation and cueing the timing of perturbation onset. Results from Experiment 1 showed that the block sequence of perturbations led to increased stability of automatic postural responses, and modulation of magnitude and onset latency of muscular responses. Results from Experiment 2 showed that only the condition cueing timing of platform translation onset led to increased balance stability and modulation of onset latency of muscular responses. Conversely, cueing platform displacement amplitude failed to induce any effects on automatic postural responses in both experiments. Our findings support the interpretation of improved postural responses via optimized sensorimotor processes, at the same time that cast doubt on the notion that cognitive processing of explicit contextual cues advancing the magnitude of an impending perturbation can preset adaptive postural responses.

Designing and Evaluation of Reliability and Validity of Visual Cue-Induced Craving Assessment Task for Methamphetamine Smokers

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Hamed Ekhtiari

2010-08-01

Full Text Available A B S T R A C TIntroduction: Craving to methamphetamine is a significant health concern and exposure to methamphetamine cues in laboratory can induce craving. In this study, a task designing procedure for evaluating methamphetamine cue-induced craving in laboratory conditions is examined. Methods: First a series of visual cues which could induce craving was identified by 5 discussion sessions between expert clinicians and 10 methamphetamine smokers. Cues were categorized in 4 main clusters and photos were taken for each cue in studio, then 60 most evocative photos were selected and 10 neutral photos were added. In this phase, 50 subjects with methamphetamine dependence, had exposure to cues and rated craving intensity induced by the 72 cues (60 active evocative photos + 10 neutral photos on self report Visual Analogue Scale (ranging from 0-100. In this way, 50 photos with high levels of evocative potency (CICT 50 and 10 photos with the most evocative potency (CICT 10 were obtained and subsequently, the task was designed. Results: The task reliability (internal consistency was measured by Cronbach’s alpha which was 91% for (CICT 50 and 71% for (CICT 10. The most craving induced was reported for category Drug use procedure (66.27±30.32 and least report for category Cues associated with drug use (31.38±32.96. Difference in cue-induced craving in (CICT 50 and (CICT 10 were not associated with age, education, income, marital status, employment and sexual activity in the past 30 days prior to study entry. Family living condition was marginally correlated with higher scores in (CICT 50. Age of onset for (opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine was negatively correlated with (CICT 50 and (CICT 10 and age of first opiate use was negatively correlated with (CICT 50. Discussion: Cue-induced craving for methamphetamine may be reliably measured by tasks designed in laboratory and designed assessment tasks can be used in cue reactivity paradigm, and

On the Status of Cue Independence as a Criterion for Memory Inhibition: Evidence against the Covert Blocking Hypothesis

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Weller, Peter D.; Anderson, Michael C.; Gómez-Ariza, Carlos J.; Bajo, M. Teresa

2013-01-01

Retrieving memories can impair recall of other related traces. Items affected by this retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) are often less accessible when tested with independent probes, a characteristic known as cue independence. Cue independence has been interpreted as evidence for inhibitory mechanisms that suppress competing items during…

Novel Peripherally Restricted Cannabinoid 1 Receptor Selective Antagonist TXX-522 with Prominent Weight-Loss Efficacy in Diet Induced Obese Mice

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Wei Chen

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The clinical development of the first generation of globally active cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R antagonists was suspended because of their adverse neuropsychiatric effects. Selective blockade of peripheral CB1Rs has the potential to provide a viable strategy for the treatment of severe obesity while avoiding these central nervous system side effects. In the current study, a novel compound (TXX-522 was rationally designed based on the parent nucleus of a classical CB1R-selective antagonist/inverse agonist, rimonabant (SR141716A. Docking assays indicate that TXX-522 was bound with the CB1R in a mode similar to that of SR141716A. TXX-522 showed good binding, CB1R-selectivity (over the CB2R, and functional antagonist activities in a range of in vitro molecular and cellular assays. In vivo analysis of the steady state distribution of TXX-522 in the rat brain and blood tissues and the assay of its functional effects on CB1R activity collectively showed that TXX-522 showed minimal brain penetration. Moreover, the in vivo pharmacodynamic study further revealed that TXX-522 had good oral bioavailability and a potent anti-obesity effect, and ameliorated insulin resistance in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. No impact on food intake was observed in this model, confirming the limited brain penetration of this compound. Thus, the current study indicates that TXX-522 is a novel and potent peripherally acting selective CB1R antagonist with the potential to control obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Contextual Cueing Effect in Spatial Layout Defined by Binocular Disparity

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Zhao, Guang; Zhuang, Qian; Ma, Jie; Tu, Shen; Liu, Qiang; Sun, Hong-jin

2017-01-01

Repeated visual context induces higher search efficiency, revealing a contextual cueing effect, which depends on the association between the target and its visual context. In this study, participants performed a visual search task where search items were presented with depth information defined by binocular disparity. When the 3-dimensional (3D) configurations were repeated over blocks, the contextual cueing effect was obtained (Experiment 1). When depth information was in chaos over repeated configurations, visual search was not facilitated and the contextual cueing effect largely crippled (Experiment 2). However, when we made the search items within a tiny random displacement in the 2-dimentional (2D) plane but maintained the depth information constant, the contextual cueing was preserved (Experiment 3). We concluded that the contextual cueing effect was robust in the context provided by 3D space with stereoscopic information, and more importantly, the visual system prioritized stereoscopic information in learning of spatial information when depth information was available. PMID:28912739

Incubation of Cue-Induced Craving in Adults Addicted to Cocaine Measured by Electroencephalography.

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Parvaz, Muhammad A; Moeller, Scott J; Goldstein, Rita Z

2016-11-01

A common trigger for relapse in drug addiction is the experience of craving via exposure to cues previously associated with drug use. Preclinical studies have consistently demonstrated incubation of cue-induced drug-seeking during the initial phase of abstinence, followed by a decline over time. In humans, the incubation effect has been shown for alcohol, nicotine, and methamphetamine addictions, but not for heroin or cocaine addiction. Understanding the trajectory of cue-induced craving during abstinence in humans is of importance for addiction medicine. To assess cue-induced craving for cocaine in humans using both subjective and objective indices of cue-elicited responses. Seventy-six individuals addicted to cocaine with varying durations of abstinence (ie, 2 days, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year) participated in this laboratory-based cross-sectional study from June 19, 2007, to November 26, 2012. The late positive potential component of electroencephalography, a recognized marker of incentive salience, was used to track motivated attention to drug cues across these self-selected groups. Participants also completed subjective ratings of craving for cocaine before presentation of a cue, and ratings of cocaine "liking" (hedonic feelings toward cocaine) and "wanting" (craving for cocaine) after presentation of cocaine-related pictures. Data analysis was conducted from June 5, 2015, to March 30, 2016. The late positive potential amplitudes and ratings of liking and wanting cocaine in response to cocaine-related pictures were quantified and compared across groups. Among the 76 individuals addicted to cocaine, 19 (25%) were abstinent for 2 days, 20 (26%) were abstinent for 1 week, 15 (20%) were abstinent for 1 month, 12 (16%) were abstinent for 6 months, and 10 (13%) were abstinent for 1 year. In response to drug cues, the mean (SD) late positive potential amplitudes showed a parabolic trajectory that was higher at 1 (1.26 [1.36] µV) and 6 (1.17 [1.19] µ

Phencyclidine-Induced Social Withdrawal Results from Deficient Stimulation of Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors: Implications for Schizophrenia

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Seillier, Alexandre; Martinez, Alex A; Giuffrida, Andrea

2013-01-01

The neuronal mechanisms underlying social withdrawal, one of the core negative symptoms of schizophrenia, are not well understood. Recent studies suggest an involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and, in particular, of negative symptoms. We used biochemical, pharmacological, and behavioral approaches to investigate the role played by the endocannabinoid system in social withdrawal induced by sub-chronic administration of phencyclidine (PCP). Pharmacological enhancement of endocannabinoid levels via systemic administration of URB597, an inhibitor of endocannabinoid degradation, reversed social withdrawal in PCP-treated rats via stimulation of CB1 receptors, but reduced social interaction in control animals through activation of a cannabinoid/vanilloid-sensitive receptor. In addition, the potent CB agonist CP55,940 reversed PCP-induced social withdrawal in a CB1-dependent manner, whereas pharmacological blockade of CB1 receptors by either AM251 or SR141716 reduced the time spent in social interaction in control animals. PCP-induced social withdrawal was accompanied by a decrease of anandamide (AEA) levels in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, and these deficits were reversed by URB597. As CB1 receptors are predominantly expressed on GABAergic interneurons containing the anxiogenic peptide cholecystokinin (CCK), we also examined whether the PCP-induced social withdrawal resulted from deficient CB1-mediated modulation of CCK transmission. The selective CCK2 antagonist LY225910 blocked both PCP- and AM251-induced social withdrawal, but not URB597 effect in control rats. Taken together, these findings indicate that AEA-mediated activation of CB1 receptors is crucial for social interaction, and that PCP-induced social withdrawal results from deficient endocannabinoid transmission. PMID:23563893

Drug-related cue induced craving and the correlation between the activation in nucleus accumbens and drug craving: a fMRI study on heroin addicts

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Wang Yarong; Yang Lanying; Li Qiang; Yang Weichuan; Du Pang; Wang Wei

2010-01-01

Objective: To explore the neural mechanism underlying the craving of heroin addicts induced by picture-cue and the correlation between the brain activation degree in nucleus accumbens (NAc)/ the ventral striatum and the scores of patients self-report craving. Methods: Twelve active heroin addicts and 12 matched healthy controls underwent fMRI scan while viewing drug-related pictures and neutral pictures presented in a block design paradigm after anatomical scanning in GE 3.0 T scanner. The fMRI data were analyzed with SPM 5. The change of craving scores was tested by Wilcoxon signed rank test. The Pearson correlation between the activation of NAc/the ventral striatum and the heroin craving score was tested by SPSS 13.0. Results: The craving scores of heroin addicts ranged from 0 to 3.70 (median 0.15) before exposed to drug cue and 0 to 5.10 (median 3.25) after viewing drug-related pictures and showed statistical significance (Z=-2.666, P<0.05). There were 16 activated brain areas when heroin dependent patients exposed to visual drug-related cue vs. neutral visual stimuli. The activation brain regions belonged to two parts, one was limbic system (amygdale, hippocampus, putamen, anterior cingulate cortex and caudate), another was brain cortex (middle frontal cortex, inferior frontal cortex, precentral gyrus, middle temporal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, fusiform gyrus, precuneus and middle occipital gyrus). The MR signal activation magnitude of heroin addicts ranged from 0.19 to 3.50. The result displayed a significant positive correlation between the cue-induced fMRI activation in NAc/the ventral striatum and heroin craving severity (r=0.829, P<0.05). Conclusion: Heroin shared the same neural circuitry in part with other drugs of abuse for cue-induced craving, including brain reward circuitry, visualspatial attention circuit and working memory region. In addition, the dysfunction of NAc/the ventral striatum may attribute to heroin-related cue induced craving

Global Repetition Influences Contextual Cueing

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Zang, Xuelian; Zinchenko, Artyom; Jia, Lina; Li, Hong

2018-01-01

Our visual system has a striking ability to improve visual search based on the learning of repeated ambient regularities, an effect named contextual cueing. Whereas most of the previous studies investigated contextual cueing effect with the same number of repeated and non-repeated search displays per block, the current study focused on whether a global repetition frequency formed by different presentation ratios between the repeated and non-repeated configurations influence contextual cueing effect. Specifically, the number of repeated and non-repeated displays presented in each block was manipulated: 12:12, 20:4, 4:20, and 4:4 in Experiments 1–4, respectively. The results revealed a significant contextual cueing effect when the global repetition frequency is high (≥1:1 ratio) in Experiments 1, 2, and 4, given that processing of repeated displays was expedited relative to non-repeated displays. Nevertheless, the contextual cueing effect reduced to a non-significant level when the repetition frequency reduced to 4:20 in Experiment 3. These results suggested that the presentation frequency of repeated relative to the non-repeated displays could influence the strength of contextual cueing. In other words, global repetition statistics could be a crucial factor to mediate contextual cueing effect. PMID:29636716

Dieting and food cue-related working memory performance

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Adrian Meule

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Executive functioning (e.g., working memory is tightly intertwined with self-regulation. For example, food cue-elicited craving has been found to impair working memory performance. Furthermore, current dieters have been found to show lower working memory performance than non-dieters. Recent research, however, suggests that it is crucial to consider dieting success in addition to current dieting status or restrained eating in order to reveal cognitive mechanisms that are associated with successful eating-related self-regulation. The current study investigated food cue-related working memory performance as a function of dieting status and dieting success in female students. Participants performed an n-back task with pictures of food and neutral objects. Reaction time in response to food pictures was slower than in response to neutral pictures, whereas omission errors did not differ between picture types. Current food craving was increased after performing the food block, but not after the neutral block. There was an indirect effect of current dieting status on higher food craving after the food block, which was mediated by slower reaction time to food vs. neutral pictures. Furthermore, higher dieting success was associated with fewer omission errors in the food vs. neutral block in current dieters. There were no relationships of restrained eating with current food craving and task performance. Results further highlight the need to differentiate between successful and unsuccessful dieting in addition to current dieting status or restrained eating when examining possible mechanisms of overeating or successful restraint. Although palatable food cues induce food craving regardless of dieting success, they may boost executive functioning in successful dieters, which helps them to overcome these temptations.

Dieting and Food Cue-Related Working Memory Performance.

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Meule, Adrian

2016-01-01

Executive functioning (e.g., working memory) is tightly intertwined with self-regulation. For example, food cue-elicited craving has been found to impair working memory performance. Furthermore, current dieters have been found to show lower working memory performance than non-dieters. Recent research, however, suggests that it is crucial to consider dieting success in addition to current dieting status or restrained eating in order to reveal cognitive mechanisms that are associated with successful eating-related self-regulation. The current study investigated food cue-related working memory performance as a function of dieting status and dieting success in female students. Participants performed an n -back task with pictures of food and neutral objects. Reaction time in response to food pictures was slower than in response to neutral pictures, whereas omission errors did not differ between picture types. Current food craving was increased after performing the food block, but not after the neutral block. There was an indirect effect of current dieting status on higher food craving after the food block, which was mediated by slower reaction time to food vs. neutral pictures. Furthermore, higher dieting success was associated with fewer omission errors in the food vs. neutral block in current dieters. There were no relationships of restrained eating with current food craving and task performance. Results further highlight the need to differentiate between successful and unsuccessful dieting in addition to current dieting status or restrained eating when examining possible mechanisms of overeating or successful restraint. Although palatable food cues induce food craving regardless of dieting success, they may boost executive functioning in successful dieters, which helps them to overcome these temptations.

A role for SR proteins in plant stress responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Duque, Paula

2011-01-01

Members of the SR (serine/arginine-rich) protein gene family are key players in the regulation of alternative splicing, an important means of generating proteome diversity and regulating gene expression. In plants, marked changes in alternative splicing are induced by a wide variety of abiotic stresses, suggesting a role for this highly versatile gene regulation mechanism in the response to environmental cues. In support of this notion, the expression of plant SR proteins is stress-regulated at multiple levels, with environmental signals controlling their own alternative splicing patterns, phosphorylation status and subcellular distribution. Most importantly, functional links between these RNA-binding proteins and plant stress tolerance are beginning to emerge, including a role in the regulation of abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. Future identification of the physiological mRNA targets of plant SR proteins holds much promise for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying their role in the response to abiotic stress.

Rb-Sr geochronolgy of the Jervois Range area in the eastern part of the Arunta Block, NT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, L.P.

1980-01-01

New Rb-Sr isotopic data are presented for the Jervois Range area in the eastern part of the Arunta Block. The post-metamorphic Jinka and Jervois Granites yield an age of about 1750 m.y. An alaskitic granite is dated at about 1460 m.y. Pegmatite formation occurred about 1660 m.y. ago. Mineral ages are generally younger than total-rock ages, but no values significantly less than that of the alaskitic granite were found. This means that the Alice Springs Orogeny, which extensively reset large areas of the Arunta Block to the west, did not effect the Jervois area. In this and other geochronological comparisons, the Jervois area seems more akin to the rocks of the Tennant Creek Block, 400 km to the northwest, than to those of the Arunta Block

Individual differences in anticipatory activity to food rewards predict cue-induced appetitive 50-kHz calls in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenes, Juan C; Schwarting, Rainer K W

2015-10-01

Reward-related stimuli come to acquire incentive salience through Pavlovian learning and become capable of controlling reward-oriented behaviors. Here, we examined individual differences in anticipatory activity elicited by reward-related cues as indicative of how animals attribute incentive salience to otherwise neutral stimuli. Since adult rats can signal incentive motivation states through ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) at around 50-kHz, such calls were recorded in food-deprived rats trained to associate cues with food rewards, which were subsequently devalued by satiation.We found that the extent to which animals developed conditioned anticipatory activity to food cues while food deprived determined the level of cue-induced appetitive USVs while sated. Re-exposure to reward cues after a free-testing period reinstated USVs, invigorated reward seeking and consumption, and again, increases in calling occurred only in animals with high levels of cue-induced anticipatory activity. Reward-experienced rats systemically challenged with the catecholamine agonist amphetamine or with the dopamine receptor antagonist flupenthixol showed attenuated responses to these drugs, especially for USVs and in subjects with high levels of cue-induced anticipatory activity. Our results suggest that individuals prone to attribute incentive salience to reward cues showed heightened reward-induced USVs which were reliably expressed over time and persisted despite physiological needs being fulfilled. Also, prone subjects seemed to undergo particular adaptations in their dopaminergic system related with incentive learning. Our findings may have translational relevance in preclinical research modeling compulsive disorders, which may be due to excessive attribution of incentive salience to reward cues, such as overeating, pathological gambling, and drug addiction.

Strain Induced Magnetism in SrRuO3 Epitaxial Thin Films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grutter, A.; Wong, F.; Arenholz, E.; Liberati, M.; Suzuki, Y.

2010-01-10

Epitaxial SrRuO{sub 3} thin films were grown on SrTiO{sub 3}, (LaAlO{sub 3}){sub 0.3}(SrAlO{sub 3}){sub 0.7} and LaAlO{sub 3} substrates inducing different biaxial compressive strains. Coherently strained SrRuO{sub 3} films exhibit enhanced magnetization compared to previously reported bulk and thin film values of 1.1-1.6 {micro}{sub B} per formula unit. A comparison of (001) and (110) SrRuO{sub 3} films on each substrate indicates that films on (110) oriented have consistently higher saturated moments than corresponding (001) films. These observations indicate the importance of lattice distortions in controlling the magnetic ground state in this transitional metal oxide.

Transient inactivation of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus enhances cue-induced reinstatement in goal-trackers, but not sign-trackers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhn, Brittany N; Klumpner, Marin S; Covelo, Ignacio R; Campus, Paolo; Flagel, Shelly B

2018-04-01

The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been shown to mediate cue-motivated behaviors, such as sign- and goal-tracking, as well as reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. However, the role of the PVT in mediating individual variation in cue-induced drug-seeking behavior remains unknown. This study aimed to determine if inactivation of the PVT differentially mediates cue-induced drug-seeking behavior in sign-trackers and goal-trackers. Rats were characterized as sign-trackers (STs) or goal-trackers (GTs) based on their Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior. Rats were then exposed to 15 days of cocaine self-administration, followed by a 2-week forced abstinence period and then extinction training. Rats then underwent tests for cue-induced reinstatement and general locomotor activity, prior to which they received an infusion of either saline (control) or baclofen/muscimol (B/M) to inactivate the PVT. Relative to control animals of the same phenotype, GTs show a robust increase in cue-induced drug-seeking behavior following PVT inactivation, whereas the behavior of STs was not affected. PVT inactivation did not affect locomotor activity in either phenotype. In GTs, the PVT appears to inhibit the expression of drug-seeking, presumably by attenuating the incentive value of the drug cue. Thus, inactivation of the PVT releases this inhibition in GTs, resulting in an increase in cue-induced drug-seeking behavior. PVT inactivation did not affect cue-induced drug-seeking behavior in STs, suggesting that the role of the PVT in encoding the incentive motivational value of drug cues differs between STs and GTs.

Photo-Induced Micellization of Block Copolymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoshi Kuwayama

2010-11-01

Full Text Available We found novel photo-induced micellizations through photolysis, photoelectron transfer, and photo-Claisen rearrangement. The photolysis-induced micellization was attained using poly(4-tert-butoxystyrene-block-polystyrene diblock copolymer (PBSt-b-PSt. BSt-b-PSt showed no self-assembly in dichloromethane and existed as isolated copolymers. Dynamic light scattering demonstrated that the copolymer produced spherical micelles in this solvent due to irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp in the presence of photo-acid generators, such as bis(alkylphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate, diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate, and triphenylsulfonium triflate. The 1H NMR analysis confirmed that PBSt-b-PSt was converted into poly(4-vinylphenol-block-PSt by the irradiation, resulting in self-assembly into micelles. The irradiation in the presence of the photo-acid generator also induced the micellization of poly(4-pyridinemethoxymethylstyrene-block-polystyrene diblock copolymer (PPySt-b-PSt. Micellization occurred by electron transfer from the pyridine to the photo-acid generator in their excited states and provided monodispersed spherical micelles with cores of PPySt blocks. Further, the photo-Claisen rearrangement caused the micellization of poly(4-allyloxystyrene-block-polystyrene diblock copolymer (PASt-b-PSt. Micellization was promoted in cyclohexane at room temperature without a catalyst. During micellization, the elimination of the allyl groups competitively occurred along with the photorearrangement of the 4-allyloxystyrene units into the 3-allyl-4-hydroxystyrene units.

Incubation of extinction responding and cue-induced reinstatement, but not context- or drug priming-induced reinstatement, after withdrawal from methamphetamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Adhikary, Sweta; Caprioli, Daniele; Venniro, Marco; Kallenberger, Paige; Shaham, Yavin; Bossert, Jennifer M

2017-07-01

In rats trained to self-administer methamphetamine, extinction responding in the presence of drug-associated contextual and discrete cues progressively increases after withdrawal (incubation of methamphetamine craving). The conditioning factors underlying this incubation are unknown. Here, we studied incubation of methamphetamine craving under different experimental conditions to identify factors contributing to this incubation. We also determined whether the rats' response to methamphetamine priming incubates after withdrawal. We trained rats to self-administer methamphetamine in a distinct context (context A) for 14 days (6 hours/day). Lever presses were paired with a discrete light cue. We then tested groups of rats in context A or a different non-drug context (context B) after 1 day, 1 week or 1 month for extinction responding with or without the discrete cue. Subsequently, we tested the rats for reinstatement of drug seeking induced by exposure to contextual, discrete cue, or drug priming (0, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg). Operant responding in the extinction sessions in contexts A or B was higher after 1 week and 1 month of withdrawal than after 1 day; this effect was context-independent. Independent of the withdrawal period, operant responding in the extinction sessions was higher when responding led to contingent delivery of the discrete cue. After extinction, discrete cue-induced reinstatement, but not context- or drug priming-induced reinstatement, progressively increased after withdrawal. Together, incubation of methamphetamine craving, as assessed in extinction tests, is primarily mediated by time-dependent increases in non-reinforced operant responding, and this effect is potentiated by exposure to discrete, but not contextual, cues. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Cue-induced Behavioral and Neural Changes among Excessive Internet Gamers and Possible Application of Cue Exposure Therapy to Internet Gaming Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yongjun; Ndasauka, Yamikani; Hou, Juan; Chen, Jiawen; Yang, Li Zhuang; Wang, Ying; Han, Long; Bu, Junjie; Zhang, Peng; Zhou, Yifeng; Zhang, Xiaochu

2016-01-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) may lead to many negative consequences in everyday life, yet there is currently no effective treatment for IGD. Cue-reactivity paradigm is commonly used to evaluate craving for substance, food, and gambling; cue exposure therapy (CET) is applied to treating substance use disorders (SUDs) and some other psychological disorders such as pathological gambling (PG). However, no study has explored CET's application to the treatment of IGD except two articles having implied that cues' exposure may have therapeutic effect on IGD. This paper reviews studies on cue-induced behavioral and neural changes in excessive Internet gamers, indicating that behavioral and neural mechanisms of IGD mostly overlap with those of SUD. The CET's effects in the treatment of SUDs and PG are also reviewed. We finally propose an optimized CET paradigm, which future studies should consider and investigate as a probable treatment of IGD.

A summary of Rb-Sr isotope studies in the Archean Hopedale Block and the adjacent proterozoic Makkovik subprovince, Labrador

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grant, N.K.; Hickman, M.H.; Marzano, M.S.; Ermanovics, I.F.

1983-01-01

Rb-Sr isotope study of thirteen whole-rock suites of Archean and Proterozoic rocks from Hopedale block and Makkovik Subprovince shows that the crustal history began about 3115 Ma ago. We tentatively recognize younger crustal segments that formed 2920 Ma ago, from which Kanairktok intrusives were derived at 2832 +- 178 Ma. In Makkovik Subprovince the Island Harbour granites range in age from 1843 +- 90 to 1794 +- 71 Ma. These ages overlap with the 1847 +-87 Ma age for Kanairktok shear zone mylonites. The Island Harbour granodiorites from inland localities to the southwest are contaminated with Archean rocks in Makkovik Subprovince and their initial 87 Sr/ 86 ratios imply a crustal contribution to their source. In contrast, the Island Harbour granites of Striped Island were derived from a mantle source. The sills of Striped Island are 1635 +- 47 Ma old. An undeformed northeast trending Kikkertavak dolerite dyke from Hopedale block is 1206 +- 120 Ma

Comparison of histomorphometry and 85Sr uptake in induced heterotopic bone in rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Solheim, E; Pinholt, E M; Bang, G

1992-01-01

Heterotopic bone formation in the abdominal muscle of 45 male 8-week-old Wistar rats induced by implantation of 5, 10, or 15 mg demineralized bone (DBM) powder was evaluated at 4 weeks by 85Sr uptake of the implants and area histomorphometry of the induced bone. Two indices of 85Sr uptake were...... with increasing mass of implanted DBM, whereas the osteogenic index did not change....

The influence of imagery vividness on cognitive and perceptual cues in circular auditorily-induced vection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksander eVäljamäe

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In the absence of other congruent multisensory motion cues, sound contribution to illusions of self-motion (vection is relatively weak and often attributed to purely cognitive, top-down processes. The present study addressed the influence of cognitive and perceptual factors in the experience of circular, yaw auditorily-induced vection (AIV, focusing on participants’ imagery vividness scores. We used different rotating sound sources (acoustic landmark vs. movable types and their filtered versions that provided different binaural cues (interaural time or level differences, ITD vs. ILD when delivering via loudspeaker array. The significant differences in circular vection intensity showed that 1 AIV was stronger for rotating sound fields containing auditory landmarks as compared to movable sound objects; 2 ITD based acoustic cues were more instrumental than ILD based ones for horizontal AIV; and 3 individual differences in imagery vividness significantly influenced the effects of contextual and perceptual cues. While participants with high scores of kinesthetic and visual imagery were helped by vection ``rich cues, i.e. acoustic landmarks and ITD cues, the participants from the low-vivid imagery group did not benefit from these cues automatically. Only when specifically asked to use their imagination intentionally did these external cues start influencing vection sensation in similar way to high-vivid imagers. These findings are in line with the recent fMRI work which suggested that high-vivid imagers employ automatic, almost unconscious mechanisms in imagery generation, while low-vivid imagers rely on more schematic and conscious framework. Consequently, our results provide an additional insight into the interaction between perceptual and contextual cues when experiencing purely auditorily or multisensorily induced vection.

The endocannabinoid anandamide regulates the peristaltic reflex by reducing neuro-neuronal and neuro-muscular neurotransmission in ascending myenteric reflex pathways in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Sibaev, Andrei; Yuece, Birol; Allescher, Hans Dieter; Saur, Dieter; Storr, Martin; Kurjak, Manfred

2014-04-01

Endocannabinoids (EC) and the cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptor are involved in the regulation of motility in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms are not completely resolved. The purpose of this work was to study the physiological influence of the endocannabinoid anandamide, the putative endogenous CB1 active cannabinoid, and of the CB1 receptor on ascending peristaltic activity and to identify the involved neuro-neuronal, neuro-muscular and electrophysiological mechanisms. The effects of anandamide and the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716A were investigated on contractions of the circular smooth muscle of rat ileum and in longitudinal rat ileum segments where the ascending myenteric part of the peristaltic reflex was studied in a newly designed organ bath. Additionally intracellular recordings were performed in ileum and colon. Anandamide significantly reduced cholinergic twitch contractions of ileum smooth muscle whereas SR141716A caused an increase. Anandamide reduced the ascending peristaltic contraction by affecting neuro-neuronal and neuro-muscular neurotransmission. SR141716A showed opposite effects and all anandamide effects were antagonized by SR141716A (1 μM). Anandamide reduced excitatory junction potentials (EJP) and inhibitory junction potentials (IJP), whereas intestinal slow waves were not affected. CB1 receptors regulate force and timing of the intestinal peristaltic reflex and these actions involve interneurons and motor-neurons. The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide mediates these effects by activation of CB1 receptors. The endogenous cannabinoid system is permanently active, suggesting the CB1 receptor being a possible target for the treatment of motility related disorders. Copyright © 2014 Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens shell attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of both cocaine and sucrose seeking in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Guercio, Leonardo A; Schmidt, Heath D; Pierce, R Christopher

2015-03-15

Stimuli previously associated with drug taking can become triggers that can elicit craving and lead to relapse of drug-seeking behavior. Here, we examined the influence of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the nucleus accumbens shell on cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking, an animal model of relapse. Rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine (0.254 mg, i.v.) for 2 h daily for 21 days, with each infusion of cocaine being paired with a cue light. After 21 days of self-administration, cocaine-taking behavior was extinguished by replacing cocaine with saline in the absence of the cue light. Next, during the reinstatement phase, DBS was administered bilaterally into the nucleus accumbens shell through bipolar stainless steel electrodes immediately prior to re-exposure to cues previously associated with cocaine reinforcement. DBS continued throughout the 2 h reinstatement session. Parallel studies examined the influence of accumbens shell DBS on reinstatement induced by cues previously associated with sucrose reinforcement. Results indicated that DBS of the nucleus accumbens shell significantly attenuated cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine and sucrose seeking. Together, these results indicate that DBS of the accumbens shell disrupts cue-induced reinstatement associated with both a drug and a natural reinforcer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ghrelin enhances cue-induced bar pressing for high fat food.

Science.gov (United States)

St-Onge, Veronique; Watts, Alexander; Abizaid, Alfonso

2016-02-01

Ghrelin is an orexigenic hormone produced by the stomach that acts on growth hormone secretagogue receptors (GHSRs) both peripherally and centrally. The presence of GHSRs in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) suggests that ghrelin signaling at this level may increase the incentive value of palatable foods as well as other natural and artificial rewards. The present investigation sought to determine if ghrelin plays a role in relapse to such foods following a period of abstinence. To achieve this, thirty-six male Long Evans rats were trained to press a lever to obtain a high fat chocolate food reward on a fixed ratio schedule of 1. Following an extinction period during which lever presses were not reinforced, rats were implanted with a cannula connected to a minipump that continuously delivered ghrelin, a GHSR antagonist ([d-Lys-3]-GHRP-6), or saline in the VTA for 14days. One week later, food reward-associated cues, food reward priming, and an overnight fast were used to induce reinstatement of the lever pressing response. Our results indicate that intra-VTA ghrelin enhances cue-induced reinstatement of responses for palatable food pellets. To the extent that the reinstatement paradigm is considered a valid model of relapse in humans, this suggests that ghrelin signaling facilitates relapse to preferred foods in response to food cues through GHSR signaling in the VTA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dopamine D2/3- and μ-opioid receptor antagonists reduce cue-induced responding and reward impulsivity in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, S C; Beck-Schimmer, B; Kajdi, M-E; Müller, D; Tobler, P N; Quednow, B B

2016-07-05

Increased responding to drug-associated stimuli (cue reactivity) and an inability to tolerate delayed gratification (reward impulsivity) have been implicated in the development and maintenance of drug addiction. Whereas data from animal studies suggest that both the dopamine and opioid system are involved in these two reward-related processes, their role in humans is less clear. Moreover, dopaminergic and opioidergic drugs have not been directly compared with regard to these functions, even though a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms might inform the development of specific treatments for elevated cue reactivity and reward impulsivity. In a randomized, double-blind, between-subject design we administered the selective dopamine D2/D3 receptor antagonist amisulpride (400 mg, n=41), the unspecific opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone (50 mg, n=40) or placebo (n=40) to healthy humans and measured cue-induced responding with a Pavlovian-instrumental transfer task and reward impulsivity with a delay discounting task. Mood was assessed using a visual analogue scale. Compared with placebo, amisulpride significantly suppressed cue-induced responding and reward impulsivity. The effects of naltrexone were similar, although less pronounced. Both amisulpride and naltrexone decreased average mood ratings compared with placebo. Our results demonstrate that a selective blockade of dopamine D2/D3 receptors reduces cue-induced responding and reward impulsivity in healthy humans. Antagonizing μ-opioid receptors has similar effects for cue-induced responding and to a lesser extent for reward impulsivity.

Neurofeedback Effects on Evoked and Induced EEG Gamma Band Reactivity to Drug-related Cues in Cocaine Addiction

Science.gov (United States)

Horrell, Timothy; El-Baz, Ayman; Baruth, Joshua; Tasman, Allan; Sokhadze, Guela; Stewart, Christopher; Sokhadze, Estate

2010-01-01

Introduction Preoccupation with drug and drug-related items is a typical characteristic of cocaine addicted individuals. It has been shown in multiple accounts that prolonged drug use has a profound effect on the EEG recordings of drug addicts when compared to controls during cue reactivity tests. Cue reactivity refers to a phenomenon in which individuals with a history of drug abuse exhibit excessive psychophysiological responses to cues associated with their drug of choice. One of the aims of this pilot study was to determine the presence of an attentional bias to preferentially process drug-related cues using evoked and induced gamma reactivity measures in cocaine addicts before and after biobehavioral treatment based on neurofeedback. Another aim was to show that central SMR amplitude increase and frontal theta control is possible in an experimental outpatient drug users group over 12 neurofeedback sessions. Method Ten current cocaine abusers participated in this pilot research study using neurofeedback combined with Motivational Interviewing sessions. Eight of them completed all planned pre- and post –neurofeedback cue reactivity tests with event-related EEG recording and clinical evaluations. Cue reactivity test represented a visual oddball task with images from the International Affective Picture System and drug-related pictures. Evoked and induced gamma responses to target and non-target drug cues were analyzed using wavelet analysis. Results Outpatient subjects with cocaine addiction completed the biobehavioral intervention and successfully increased SMR while keeping theta practically unchanged in 12 sessions of neurofeedback training. The addition of Motivational Interviewing helped retain patients in the study. Clinical evaluations immediately after completion of the treatment showed decreased self-reports on depression and stress scores, and urine tests collaborated reports of decreased use of cocaine and marijuana. Effects of neurofeedback resulted

Extinction of avoidance behavior by safety learning depends on endocannabinoid signaling in the hippocampus.

Science.gov (United States)

Micale, Vincenzo; Stepan, Jens; Jurik, Angela; Pamplona, Fabricio A; Marsch, Rudolph; Drago, Filippo; Eder, Matthias; Wotjak, Carsten T

2017-07-01

The development of exaggerated avoidance behavior is largely responsible for the decreased quality of life in patients suffering from anxiety disorders. Studies using animal models have contributed to the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the acquisition of avoidance responses. However, much less is known about its extinction. Here we provide evidence in mice that learning about the safety of an environment (i.e., safety learning) rather than repeated execution of the avoided response in absence of negative consequences (i.e., response extinction) allowed the animals to overcome their avoidance behavior in a step-down avoidance task. This process was context-dependent and could be blocked by pharmacological (3 mg/kg, s.c.; SR141716) or genetic (lack of cannabinoid CB1 receptors in neurons expressing dopamine D1 receptors) inactivation of CB1 receptors. In turn, the endocannabinoid reuptake inhibitor AM404 (3 mg/kg, i.p.) facilitated safety learning in a CB1-dependent manner and attenuated the relapse of avoidance behavior 28 days after conditioning. Safety learning crucially depended on endocannabinoid signaling at level of the hippocampus, since intrahippocampal SR141716 treatment impaired, whereas AM404 facilitated safety learning. Other than AM404, treatment with diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) impaired safety learning. Drug effects on behavior were directly mirrored by drug effects on evoked activity propagation through the hippocampal trisynaptic circuit in brain slices: As revealed by voltage-sensitive dye imaging, diazepam impaired whereas AM404 facilitated activity propagation to CA1 in a CB1-dependent manner. In line with this, systemic AM404 enhanced safety learning-induced expression of Egr1 at level of CA1. Together, our data render it likely that AM404 promotes safety learning by enhancing information flow through the trisynaptic circuit to CA1. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visual cue-specific craving is diminished in stressed smokers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cochran, Justinn R; Consedine, Nathan S; Lee, John M J; Pandit, Chinmay; Sollers, John J; Kydd, Robert R

2017-09-01

Craving among smokers is increased by stress and exposure to smoking-related visual cues. However, few experimental studies have tested both elicitors concurrently and considered how exposures may interact to influence craving. The current study examined craving in response to stress and visual cue exposure, separately and in succession, in order to better understand the relationship between craving elicitation and the elicitor. Thirty-nine smokers (21 males) who forwent smoking for 30 minutes were randomized to complete a stress task and a visual cue task in counterbalanced orders (creating the experimental groups); for the cue task, counterbalanced blocks of neutral, motivational control, and smoking images were presented. Self-reported craving was assessed after each block of visual stimuli and stress task, and after a recovery period following each task. As expected, the stress and smoking images generated greater craving than neutral or motivational control images (p smokers are stressed, visual cues have little additive effect on craving, and different types of visual cues elicit comparable craving. These findings may imply that once stressed, smokers will crave cigarettes comparably notwithstanding whether they are exposed to smoking image cues.

Imaging When Acting: Picture but Not Word Cues Induce Action-Related Biases of Visual Attention

Science.gov (United States)

Wykowska, Agnieszka; Hommel, Bernhard; Schubö, Anna

2012-01-01

In line with the Theory of Event Coding (Hommel et al., 2001a), action planning has been shown to affect perceptual processing – an effect that has been attributed to a so-called intentional weighting mechanism (Wykowska et al., 2009; Memelink and Hommel, 2012), whose functional role is to provide information for open parameters of online action adjustment (Hommel, 2010). The aim of this study was to test whether different types of action representations induce intentional weighting to various degrees. To meet this aim, we introduced a paradigm in which participants performed a visual search task while preparing to grasp or to point. The to-be performed movement was signaled either by a picture of a required action or a word cue. We reasoned that picture cues might trigger a more concrete action representation that would be more likely to activate the intentional weighting of perceptual dimensions that provide information for online action control. In contrast, word cues were expected to trigger a more abstract action representation that would be less likely to induce intentional weighting. In two experiments, preparing for an action facilitated the processing of targets in an unrelated search task if they differed from distractors on a dimension that provided information for online action control. As predicted, however, this effect was observed only if action preparation was signaled by picture cues but not if it was signaled by word cues. We conclude that picture cues are more efficient than word cues in activating the intentional weighting of perceptual dimensions, presumably by specifying not only invariant characteristics of the planned action but also the dimensions of action-specific parameters. PMID:23087656

Imaging when acting: picture but not word cues induce action-related biases of visual attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Wykowska, Agnieszka; Hommel, Bernhard; Schubö, Anna

2012-01-01

In line with the Theory of Event Coding (Hommel et al., 2001a), action planning has been shown to affect perceptual processing - an effect that has been attributed to a so-called intentional weighting mechanism (Wykowska et al., 2009; Memelink and Hommel, 2012), whose functional role is to provide information for open parameters of online action adjustment (Hommel, 2010). The aim of this study was to test whether different types of action representations induce intentional weighting to various degrees. To meet this aim, we introduced a paradigm in which participants performed a visual search task while preparing to grasp or to point. The to-be performed movement was signaled either by a picture of a required action or a word cue. We reasoned that picture cues might trigger a more concrete action representation that would be more likely to activate the intentional weighting of perceptual dimensions that provide information for online action control. In contrast, word cues were expected to trigger a more abstract action representation that would be less likely to induce intentional weighting. In two experiments, preparing for an action facilitated the processing of targets in an unrelated search task if they differed from distractors on a dimension that provided information for online action control. As predicted, however, this effect was observed only if action preparation was signaled by picture cues but not if it was signaled by word cues. We conclude that picture cues are more efficient than word cues in activating the intentional weighting of perceptual dimensions, presumably by specifying not only invariant characteristics of the planned action but also the dimensions of action-specific parameters.

Dominance dynamics of competition between intrinsic and extrinsic grouping cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Luna, Dolores; Villalba-García, Cristina; Montoro, Pedro R; Hinojosa, José A

2016-10-01

In the present study we examined the dominance dynamics of perceptual grouping cues. We used a paradigm in which participants selectively attended to perceptual groups based on several grouping cues in different blocks of trials. In each block, single and competing grouping cues were presented under different exposure durations (50, 150 or 350ms). Using this procedure, intrinsic vs. intrinsic cues (i.e. proximity and shape similarity) were compared in Experiment 1; extrinsic vs. extrinsic cues (i.e. common region and connectedness) in Experiment 2; and intrinsic vs. extrinsic cues (i.e. common region and shape similarity) in Experiment 3. The results showed that in Experiment 1, no dominance of any grouping cue was found: shape similarity and proximity grouping cues showed similar reaction times (RTs) and interference effects. In contrast, in Experiments 2 and 3, common region dominated processing: (i) RTs to common region were shorter than those to connectedness (Exp. 2) or shape similarity (Exp. 3); and (ii) when the grouping cues competed, common region interfered with connectedness (Exp. 2) and shape similarity (Exp. 3) more than vice versa. The results showed that the exposure duration of stimuli only affected the connectedness grouping cue. An important result of our experiments indicates that when two grouping cues compete, both the non-attended intrinsic cue in Experiment 1, and the non-dominant extrinsic cue in Experiments 2 and 3, are still perceived and they are not completely lost. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cue-induced Behavioral and Neural Changes among Excessive Internet Gamers and Possible Application of Cue Exposure Therapy to Internet Gaming Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongjun eZhang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Internet gaming disorder (IGD may lead to many negative consequences in everyday life, yet there is currently no effective treatment for IGD. Cue-reactivity paradigm is commonly used to evaluate craving for substance, food, and gambling; cue exposure therapy (CET is applied to treating substance use disorders (SUDs and some other psychological disorders such as pathological gambling (PG. However, no study has explored CET’s application to the treatment of IGD except two articles having implied that cues’ exposure may have therapeutic effect on IGD. This paper reviews studies on cue-induced behavioral and neural changes in excessive Internet gamers, indicating that behavioral and neural mechanisms of IGD mostly overlap with those of SUD. The CET’s effects in the treatment of SUDs and PG are also reviewed. We finally propose an optimized CET paradigm, which future studies should consider and investigate as a probable treatment of IGD.

Measurement of Cue-Induced Craving in Human Methamphetamine- Dependent Subjects New Methodological Hopes for Reliable Assessment of Treatment Efficacy

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Zahra Alam Mehrjerdi

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Methamphetamine (MA is a highly addictive psychostimulant drug with crucial impacts on individuals on various levels. Exposure to methamphetamine-associated cues in laboratory can elicit measureable craving and autonomic reactivity in most individuals with methamphetamine dependence and the cue reactivity can model how craving would result in continued drug seeking behaviors and relapse in real environments but study on this notion is still limited. In this brief article, the authors review studies on cue-induced craving in human methamphetamine- dependent subjects in a laboratory-based approach. Craving for methamphetamine is elicited by a variety of methods in laboratory such as paraphernalia, verbal and visual cues and imaginary scripts. In this article, we review the studies applying different cues as main methods of craving incubation in laboratory settings. The brief reviewed literature provides strong evidence that craving for methamphetamine in laboratory conditions is significantly evoked by different cues. Cue-induced craving has important treatment and clinical implications for psychotherapists and clinicians when we consider the role of induced craving in evoking intense desire or urge to use methamphetamine after or during a period of successful craving prevention program. Elicited craving for methamphetamine in laboratory conditions is significantly influenced by methamphetamine-associated cues and results in rapid craving response toward methamphetamine use. This notion can be used as a main core for laboratory-based assessment of treatment efficacy for methamphetamine-dependent patients. In addition, the laboratory settings for studying craving can bridge the gap between somehow-non-reliable preclinical animal model studies and budget demanding randomized clinical trials.

Transfer Appropriate Forgetting: The Cue-Dependent Nature of Retrieval-Induced Forgetting

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Perfect, Timothy J.; Stark, Louisa-Jayne; Tree, Jeremy J.; Moulin, Christopher J. A.; Ahmed, Lubna; Hutter, Russell

2004-01-01

Retrieval-induced forgetting is the failure to recall a previously studied word following repeated retrieval of a related item. It has been argued that this is due to retrieval competition between practiced and unpracticed items, which results in inhibition of the non-recalled item, detectable with an independent cue at final test. Three…

Cannabis cue-induced brain activation correlates with drug craving in limbic and visual salience regions: Preliminary results

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Charboneau, Evonne J.; Dietrich, Mary S.; Park, Sohee; Cao, Aize; Watkins, Tristan J; Blackford, Jennifer U; Benningfield, Margaret M.; Martin, Peter R.; Buchowski, Maciej S.; Cowan, Ronald L.

2013-01-01

Craving is a major motivator underlying drug use and relapse but the neural correlates of cannabis craving are not well understood. This study sought to determine whether visual cannabis cues increase cannabis craving and whether cue-induced craving is associated with regional brain activation in cannabis-dependent individuals. Cannabis craving was assessed in 16 cannabis-dependent adult volunteers while they viewed cannabis cues during a functional MRI (fMRI) scan. The Marijuana Craving Questionnaire was administered immediately before and after each of three cannabis cue-exposure fMRI runs. FMRI blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal intensity was determined in regions activated by cannabis cues to examine the relationship of regional brain activation to cannabis craving. Craving scores increased significantly following exposure to visual cannabis cues. Visual cues activated multiple brain regions, including inferior orbital frontal cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, amygdala, superior temporal pole, and occipital cortex. Craving scores at baseline and at the end of all three runs were significantly correlated with brain activation during the first fMRI run only, in the limbic system (including amygdala and hippocampus) and paralimbic system (superior temporal pole), and visual regions (occipital cortex). Cannabis cues increased craving in cannabis-dependent individuals and this increase was associated with activation in the limbic, paralimbic, and visual systems during the first fMRI run, but not subsequent fMRI runs. These results suggest that these regions may mediate visually cued aspects of drug craving. This study provides preliminary evidence for the neural basis of cue-induced cannabis craving and suggests possible neural targets for interventions targeted at treating cannabis dependence. PMID:24035535

Effects of craving behavioral intervention on neural substrates of cue-induced craving in Internet gaming disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin-Tao Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Internet gaming disorder (IGD is characterized by high levels of craving for online gaming and related cues. Since addiction-related cues can evoke increased activation in brain areas involved in motivational and reward processing and may engender gaming behaviors or trigger relapse, ameliorating cue-induced craving may be a promising target for interventions for IGD. This study compared neural activation between 40 IGD and 19 healthy control (HC subjects during an Internet-gaming cue-reactivity task and found that IGD subjects showed stronger activation in multiple brain areas, including the dorsal striatum, brainstem, substantia nigra, and anterior cingulate cortex, but lower activation in the posterior insula. Furthermore, twenty-three IGD subjects (CBI+ group participated in a craving behavioral intervention (CBI group therapy, whereas the remaining 17 IGD subjects (CBI− group did not receive any intervention, and all IGD subjects were scanned during similar time intervals. The CBI+ group showed decreased IGD severity and cue-induced craving, enhanced activation in the anterior insula and decreased insular connectivity with the lingual gyrus and precuneus after receiving CBI. These findings suggest that CBI is effective in reducing craving and severity in IGD, and it may exert its effects by altering insula activation and its connectivity with regions involved in visual processing and attention bias.

Effects of craving behavioral intervention on neural substrates of cue-induced craving in Internet gaming disorder.

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Zhang, Jin-Tao; Yao, Yuan-Wei; Potenza, Marc N; Xia, Cui-Cui; Lan, Jing; Liu, Lu; Wang, Ling-Jiao; Liu, Ben; Ma, Shan-Shan; Fang, Xiao-Yi

2016-01-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is characterized by high levels of craving for online gaming and related cues. Since addiction-related cues can evoke increased activation in brain areas involved in motivational and reward processing and may engender gaming behaviors or trigger relapse, ameliorating cue-induced craving may be a promising target for interventions for IGD. This study compared neural activation between 40 IGD and 19 healthy control (HC) subjects during an Internet-gaming cue-reactivity task and found that IGD subjects showed stronger activation in multiple brain areas, including the dorsal striatum, brainstem, substantia nigra, and anterior cingulate cortex, but lower activation in the posterior insula. Furthermore, twenty-three IGD subjects (CBI + group) participated in a craving behavioral intervention (CBI) group therapy, whereas the remaining 17 IGD subjects (CBI - group) did not receive any intervention, and all IGD subjects were scanned during similar time intervals. The CBI + group showed decreased IGD severity and cue-induced craving, enhanced activation in the anterior insula and decreased insular connectivity with the lingual gyrus and precuneus after receiving CBI. These findings suggest that CBI is effective in reducing craving and severity in IGD, and it may exert its effects by altering insula activation and its connectivity with regions involved in visual processing and attention bias.

Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) enhances cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior in mice.

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Trigo, Jose M; Le Foll, Bernard

2016-05-01

Tobacco smoking is still a major population health issue. The endocannabinoid system has been shown to control drug-seeking behaviors. There are two main endocannabinoids: anandamide degraded by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) degraded by monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). The role of MAGL has only been explored recently, and so far, no study have been performed to evaluate the effects of MAGL inhibitor on nicotine reinforcing properties and cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking. Here, we investigated the effects of the MAGL inhibitor JZL184 on nicotine self-administration under fixed and progressive-ratio schedules of reinforcement and on cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking in mice. We also evaluated the effects of JZL184 on food self-administration for possible non-specific effects. JZL184 (0, 8, and 16 mg/kg) did not affect food taking, nicotine taking, or motivation for nicotine. MAGL inhibition by JZL184 (16 mg/kg) increased reinstatement of previously extinguished nicotine seeking induced by presentation of nicotine-associated cues, but did not produce reinstatement on its own. This study implicates involvement of 2-AG in nicotine-seeking behaviors.

Laughter-induced left bundle branch block.

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Chow, Grant V; Desai, Dipan; Spragg, David D; Zakaria, Sammy

2012-10-01

We present the case of a patient with ischemic heart disease and intermittent left bundle branch block, reproducibly induced by laughter. Following treatment of ischemia with successful deployment of a drug-eluting stent, no further episodes of inducible LBBB were seen. Transient ischemia, exacerbated by elevated intrathoracic pressure during laughter, may have contributed to onset of this phenomenon. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The chemical cue tetrabromopyrrole from a biofilm bacterium induces settlement of multiple Caribbean corals.

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Sneed, Jennifer M; Sharp, Koty H; Ritchie, Kimberly B; Paul, Valerie J

2014-07-07

Microbial biofilms induce larval settlement for some invertebrates, including corals; however, the chemical cues involved have rarely been identified. Here, we demonstrate the role of microbial biofilms in inducing larval settlement with the Caribbean coral Porites astreoides and report the first instance of a chemical cue isolated from a marine biofilm bacterium that induces complete settlement (attachment and metamorphosis) of Caribbean coral larvae. Larvae settled in response to natural biofilms, and the response was eliminated when biofilms were treated with antibiotics. A similar settlement response was elicited by monospecific biofilms of a single bacterial strain, Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5, isolated from the surface biofilm of a crustose coralline alga. The activity of Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5 was attributed to the production of a single compound, tetrabromopyrrole (TBP), which has been shown previously to induce metamorphosis without attachment in Pacific acroporid corals. In addition to inducing settlement of brooded larvae (P. astreoides), TBP also induced larval settlement for two broadcast-spawning species, Orbicella (formerly Montastraea) franksi and Acropora palmata, indicating that this compound may have widespread importance among Caribbean coral species. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Stress-induced and cue-induced craving for alcohol in heavy drinkers: Preliminary evidence of genetic moderation by the OPRM1 and CRH-BP genes.

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Ray, Lara A

2011-01-01

Neurobiological theories of addiction have highlighted disruption in stress pathways as a central feature of addictive disorders, and pharmacological treatments targeting stress mechanisms hold great promise. This study examines genetic determinants of stress-induced and cue-induced craving in heavy drinkers by testing single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the corticotrophin-releasing hormone binding protein (CRH-BP) gene and the mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene. This study combines guided imagery stress exposure and in vivo alcohol cue exposure in a sample of 64 (23 women) non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers. Analyses, uncorrected for multiple comparisons, revealed that a tag SNP of the CRH-BP gene (rs10055255) moderated stress-induced craving in this sample. The same SNP predicted greater affective responses to the stress manipulation, including greater levels of subjective tension and negative mood. The Asp40 allele of the OPRM1 was associated with greater cue-induced alcohol craving following the neutral imagery condition. These initial results extend recent preclinical and clinical findings implicating the CRH-BP in stress-related alcoholism and confirm the role of the Asp40 allele of the OPRM1 gene in reward-driven alcohol phenotypes. Human laboratory models of stress and cue-induced craving may be useful in pharmacotherapy development targeting dysregulation of stress systems. Larger studies are needed to validate these preliminary findings, which should also be extended to clinical samples. Copyright © 2010 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Effects of cue-exposure treatment on neural cue reactivity in alcohol dependence: a randomized trial.

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Vollstädt-Klein, Sabine; Loeber, Sabine; Kirsch, Martina; Bach, Patrick; Richter, Anne; Bühler, Mira; von der Goltz, Christoph; Hermann, Derik; Mann, Karl; Kiefer, Falk

2011-06-01

In alcohol-dependent patients, alcohol-associated cues elicit brain activation in mesocorticolimbic networks involved in relapse mechanisms. Cue-exposure based extinction training (CET) has been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of alcoholism; however, it has remained unexplored whether CET mediates its therapeutic effects via changes of activity in mesolimbic networks in response to alcohol cues. In this study, we assessed CET treatment effects on cue-induced responses using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In a randomized controlled trial, abstinent alcohol-dependent patients were randomly assigned to a CET group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). All patients underwent an extended detoxification treatment comprising medically supervised detoxification, health education, and supportive therapy. The CET patients additionally received nine CET sessions over 3 weeks, exposing the patient to his/her preferred alcoholic beverage. Cue-induced fMRI activation to alcohol cues was measured at pretreatment and posttreatment. Compared with pretreatment, fMRI cue-reactivity reduction was greater in the CET relative to the control group, especially in the anterior cingulate gyrus and the insula, as well as limbic and frontal regions. Before treatment, increased cue-induced fMRI activation was found in limbic and reward-related brain regions and in visual areas. After treatment, the CET group showed less activation than the control group in the left ventral striatum. The study provides first evidence that an exposure-based psychotherapeutic intervention in the treatment of alcoholism impacts on brain areas relevant for addiction memory and attentional focus to alcohol-associated cues and affects mesocorticolimbic reward pathways suggested to be pathophysiologically involved in addiction. Copyright © 2011 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrocardiographic characteristics of atrioventricular block induced by tilt testing.

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Zyśko, Dorota; Gajek, Jacek; Koźluk, Edward; Mazurek, Walentyna

2009-02-01

The electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics of atrioventricular (AV) block during reflex syncope may be unique due to the presence of hypervagotonia. The aim of the present study was to define the ECG characteristics of the AV block induced by neurocardiogenic reflex provoked by tilt testing (TT). A series of 31 patients with presumed vasovagal syncope and AV block provoked by TT was studied. The duration of PP and PR interval, AV block grade and type, concomitant arrhythmias, and timing of the AV block occurrence were assessed. The AV block occurred at TT termination in 26 patients, in the recovery in 4 patients, and in both periods in 1 patient. Atrioventricular block was preceded by sinus slowing, and sinus rhythm during AV block was slow and instable. Mobitz I, 2:1 second-degree AV block, and advanced second-degree AV block were recognized in 35.5, 48.4, and 67.8% of patients, respectively. Third-degree AV block was diagnosed in 41.9% of patients. Twenty-one patients had at least two AV block forms. The most prevalent concomitant arrhythmia was junctional escape rhythm (61.3%). (i) The occurrence of the AV block during neurocardiogenic reaction induced by TT is always preceded by sinus rhythm slowing and usually by PR interval prolongation. (ii) The AV block provoked by TT usually occurs at TT termination, but may occur even in the recovery period in a supine position. Sometimes the AV block may be present both at TT termination and during the recovery period.

MCPIP1-induced autophagy mediates ischemia/reperfusion injury in endothelial cells via HMGB1 and CaSR.

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Xie, Xiaolong; Zhu, Tiebing; Chen, Lulu; Ding, Shuang; Chu, Han; Wang, Jing; Yao, Honghong; Chao, Jie

2018-01-29

Monocyte chemotactic protein-1-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1) plays a important role in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Autophagy is involved in activating endothelial cells in response to I/R. However, researchers have not clearly determined whether MCPIP1 mediates I/R injury in endothelial cells via autophagy, and its downstream mechanism remains unclear. Western blotting analyses and immunocytochemistry were applied to detect protein levels were detected in HUVECs. An in vitro scratch assay was used to detect cell migration. Cells were transfected with siRNAs to knockdown MCPIP1 and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) expression. The pharmacological activator of autophagy rapamycin and the specific calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) inhibitor NPS-2143 were used to confirm the roles of autophagy and CaSR in I/R injury. I/R induced HMGB1 and CaSR expression, which subsequently upreguated the migration and apoptosis of HUVECs and coincided with the increase of autophagy. HMGB1 was involved in cell migration, whereas CaSR specifically participated in I/R-induced HUVEC apoptosis. Based on these findings, I/R-induced MCPIP1 expression regulates the migration and apoptosis of HUVECs via HMGB1 and CaSR, respectively, suggesting a new therapeutic targetof I/R injury.

Effects of dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) and transporter (SLC6A3) polymorphisms on smoking cue-induced cigarette craving among African-American smokers.

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Erblich, J; Lerman, C; Self, D W; Diaz, G A; Bovbjerg, D H

2005-04-01

Cue-induced craving for addictive substances has long been known to contribute to the problem of persistent addiction in humans. Research in animals over the past decade has solidly established the central role of dopamine in cue-induced craving for addictive substances, including nicotine. Analogous studies in humans, however, are lacking, especially among African-American smokers, who have lower quit rates than Caucasian smokers. Based on the animal literature, the study's objective was to test the hypothesis that smokers carrying specific variants in dopamine-related genes previously associated with risk for addictive behaviors would exhibit heightened levels of cigarette craving following laboratory exposure to cues. To this end, cigarette craving was induced in healthy African-American smokers (n=88) through laboratory exposure to smoking cues. Smokers carrying either the DRD2 (D2 dopamine receptor gene) TaqI A1 RFLP or the SLC6A3 (dopamine transporter gene) 9-repeat VNTR polymorphisms had stronger cue-induced cravings than noncarriers (Ps cue-induced craving in humans, and suggest a possible genetic risk factor for persistent smoking behavior in African-American smokers.

The origin of current blocking in interfacial conduction in Sr-doped lanthanum gallates

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Park, Hee Jung

2018-02-01

The grain boundary transport of lanthanum gallate has been studied with various doping concentrations, and the origins of blocking on the grain boundary are compared. La1-xSrxGaO3 samples (x = 0.005, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1) have been prepared and their bulk (grain) and grain boundary resistances been experimentally measured as a function of temperature (T: 200-550 °C) and oxygen partial pressure (Po2) using ac-impedance measurements. In addition, Hebb-Wagner polarization measurements have been conducted to investigate the electrical conductivity of minor charge carriers in the lanthanum gallates. The grain boundary resistance in the low-doped materials (x = 0.005 and 0.01) increases with increasing Po2 while in the highly-doped materials (x = 0.05, 0.1) it hardly depended on Po2. At lower concentrations conduction is mixed and at higher concentrations is found to be predominantly ionic conductivity. The space charge model successfully describes the mixed conduction at the grain boundary at low-doping, but does not explain the predominant ionic conductivity at high-doping. The origin of blocking at high-doping is explained by the crystallographic asymmetry of the grain boundary with respect to the bulk and/or Sr-segregation.

Exposure to histone deacetylase inhibitors during Pavlovian conditioning enhances subsequent cue-induced reinstatement of operant behavior.

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Ploense, Kyle L; Kerstetter, Kerry A; Wade, Matthew A; Woodward, Nicholas C; Maliniak, Dan; Reyes, Michael; Uchizono, Russell S; Bredy, Timothy W; Kippin, Tod E

2013-06-01

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) strengthen memory following fear conditioning and cocaine-induced conditioned place preference. Here, we examined the effects of two nonspecific HDACIs, valproic acid (VPA) and sodium butyrate (NaB), on appetitive learning measured by conditioned stimulus (CS)-induced reinstatement of operant responding. Rats were trained to lever press for food reinforcement and then injected with VPA (50-200 mg/kg, i.p.), NaB (250-1000 mg/kg, i.p.), or saline vehicle (1.0 ml/kg), 2 h before receiving pairings of noncontingent presentation of food pellets preceded by a tone+light cue CS. Rats next underwent extinction of operant responding followed by response-contingent re-exposure to the CS. Rats receiving VPA (100 mg/kg) or NaB (1000 mg/kg) before conditioning displayed significantly higher cue-induced reinstatement than did saline controls. Rats that received either vehicle or VPA (100 mg/kg) before a conditioning session with a randomized relation between presentation of food pellets and the CS failed to show subsequent cue-induced reinstatement with no difference between the two groups. These findings indicate that, under certain contexts, HDACIs strengthen memory formation by specifically increasing the associative strength of the CS, not through an increasing motivation to seek reinforcement. © 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Mindful attention reduces neural and self-reported cue-induced craving in smokers

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Creswell, John David; Tabibnia, Golnaz; Julson, Erica; Kober, Hedy; Tindle, Hilary A.

2013-01-01

An emerging body of research suggests that mindfulness-based interventions may be beneficial for smoking cessation and the treatment of other addictive disorders. One way that mindfulness may facilitate smoking cessation is through the reduction of craving to smoking cues. The present work considers whether mindful attention can reduce self-reported and neural markers of cue-induced craving in treatment seeking smokers. Forty-seven (n = 47) meditation-naïve treatment-seeking smokers (12-h abstinent from smoking) viewed and made ratings of smoking and neutral images while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were trained and instructed to view these images passively or with mindful attention. Results indicated that mindful attention reduced self-reported craving to smoking images, and reduced neural activity in a craving-related region of subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC). Moreover, a psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed that mindful attention reduced functional connectivity between sgACC and other craving-related regions compared to passively viewing smoking images, suggesting that mindfulness may decouple craving neurocircuitry when viewing smoking cues. These results provide an initial indication that mindful attention may describe a ‘bottom-up’ attention to one’s present moment experience in ways that can help reduce subjective and neural reactivity to smoking cues in smokers. PMID:22114078

Less we forget: retrieval cues and release from retrieval-induced forgetting.

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Jonker, Tanya R; Seli, Paul; Macleod, Colin M

2012-11-01

Retrieving some items from memory can impair the subsequent recall of other related but not retrieved items, a phenomenon called retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF). The dominant explanation of RIF-the inhibition account-asserts that forgetting occurs because related items are suppressed during retrieval practice to reduce retrieval competition. This item inhibition persists, making it more difficult to recall the related items on a later test. In our set of experiments, each category was designed such that each exemplar belonged to one of two subcategories (e.g., each BIRD exemplar was either a bird of prey or a pet bird), but this subcategory information was not made explicit during study or retrieval practice. Practicing retrieval of items from only one subcategory led to RIF for items from the other subcategory when cued only with the overall category label (BIRD) at test. However, adapting the technique of Gardiner, Craik, and Birtwistle (Journal of Learning and Verbal Behavior 11:778-783, 1972), providing subcategory cues during the final test eliminated RIF. The results challenge the inhibition account's fundamental assumption of cue independence but are consistent with a cue-based interference account.

Regulation of Alcohol Extinction and Cue-Induced Reinstatement by Specific Projections among Medial Prefrontal Cortex, Nucleus Accumbens, and Basolateral Amygdala.

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Keistler, Colby R; Hammarlund, Emma; Barker, Jacqueline M; Bond, Colin W; DiLeone, Ralph J; Pittenger, Christopher; Taylor, Jane R

2017-04-26

The ability to inhibit drinking is a significant challenge for recovering alcoholics, especially in the presence of alcohol-associated cues. Previous studies have demonstrated that the regulation of cue-guided alcohol seeking is mediated by the basolateral amygdala (BLA), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, given the high interconnectivity between these structures, it is unclear how mPFC projections to each subcortical structure, as well as projections between BLA and NAc, mediate alcohol-seeking behaviors. Here, we evaluate how cortico-striatal, cortico-amygdalar, and amygdalo-striatal projections control extinction and relapse in a rat model of alcohol seeking. Specifically, we used a combinatorial viral technique to express diphtheria toxin receptors in specific neuron populations based on their projection targets. We then used this strategy to create directionally selective ablations of three distinct pathways after acquisition of ethanol self-administration but before extinction and reinstatement. We demonstrate that ablation of mPFC neurons projecting to NAc, but not BLA, blocks cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking and neither pathway is necessary for extinction of responding. Further, we show that ablating BLA neurons that project to NAc disrupts extinction of alcohol approach behaviors and attenuates reinstatement. Together, these data provide evidence that the mPFC→NAc pathway is necessary for cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking, expand our understanding of how the BLA→NAc pathway regulates alcohol behavior, and introduce a new methodology for the manipulation of target-specific neural projections. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The vast majority of recovering alcoholics will relapse at least once and understanding how the brain regulates relapse will be key to developing more effective behavior and pharmacological therapies for alcoholism. Given the high interconnectivity of cortical, striatal, and limbic

Immune System Modifications Induced in a Mouse Model of Chronic Exposure to (90)Sr.

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Synhaeve, Nicholas; Musilli, Stefania; Stefani, Johanna; Nicolas, Nour; Delissen, Olivia; Dublineau, Isabelle; Bertho, Jean-Marc

2016-03-01

Strontium 90 ((90)Sr) remains in the environment long after a major nuclear disaster occurs. As a result, populations living on contaminated land are potentially exposed to daily ingesting of low quantities of (90)Sr. The potential long-term health effects of such chronic contamination are unknown. In this study, we used a mouse model to evaluate the effects of (90)Sr ingestion on the immune system, the animals were chronically exposed to (90)Sr in drinking water at a concentration of 20 kBq/l, for a daily ingestion of 80-100 Bq/day. This resulted in a reduced number of CD19(+) B lymphocytes in the bone marrow and spleen in steady-state conditions. In contrast, the results from a vaccine experiment performed as a functional test of the immune system showed that in response to T-dependent antigens, there was a reduction in IgG specific to tetanus toxin (TT), a balanced Th1/Th2 response inducer antigen, but not to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), a strong Th2 response inducer antigen. This was accompanied by a reduction in Th1 cells in the spleen, consistent with the observed reduction in specific IgG concentration. The precise mechanisms by which (90)Sr acts on the immune system remain to be elucidated. However, our results suggest that (90)Sr ingestion may be responsible for some of the reported effects of internal contamination on the immune system in civilian populations exposed to the Chernobyl fallout.

The tendency to sign-track predicts cue-induced reinstatement during nicotine self-administration, and is enhanced by nicotine but not ethanol.

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Versaggi, Cassandra L; King, Christopher P; Meyer, Paul J

2016-08-01

Some individuals are particularly responsive to reward-associated stimuli ("cues"), including the effects of these cues on craving and relapse to drug-seeking behavior. In the cases of nicotine and alcohol, cues may acquire these abilities via the incentive-enhancing properties of the drug. To determine the interaction between cue-responsivity and nicotine reinforcement, we studied the patterns of nicotine self-administration in rats categorized based on their tendency to approach a food-predictive cue ("sign-trackers") or a reward-delivery location ("goal-trackers"). In a second experiment, we determined whether nicotine and ethanol altered the incentive value of a food cue. Rats were classified as sign- or goal-trackers during a Pavlovian conditioned approach paradigm. Rats then self-administered intravenous nicotine (0.03 mg/kg infusions) followed by extinction and cue-induced reinstatement tests. We also tested the effects of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg base s.c.) or ethanol (0.7 g/kg i.p.) on the approach to, and reinforcing efficacy of, a food cue. Sign-trackers showed greater reinstatement in response to a nicotine cue. Further, nicotine enhanced sign-tracking but not goal-tracking to a food cue and also enhanced responding for the food cue during the conditioned reinforcement test. Conversely, ethanol reduced sign-tracking and increased goal-tracking, but had no effect on conditioned reinforcement. Our studies demonstrate that the tendency to attribute incentive value to a food cue predicts enhanced cue-induced reinstatement. Additionally, the incentive value of food cues is differentially modulated by nicotine and ethanol, which may be related to the reinforcing effects of these drugs.

The brain activations for both cue-induced gaming urge and smoking craving among subjects comorbid with Internet gaming addiction and nicotine dependence.

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Ko, Chih-Hung; Liu, Gin-Chung; Yen, Ju-Yu; Yen, Cheng-Fang; Chen, Cheng-Sheng; Lin, Wei-Chen

2013-04-01

Internet gaming addiction (IGA) has been classified as an addictive disorder in the proposed DSM 5 draft. However, whether its underlying addiction mechanism is similar to other substance use disorders has not been confirmed. The present functional magnetic resonance images study is aimed at evaluating the brain correlates of cue-induced gaming urge or smoking craving in subjects with both IGA and nicotine dependence to make a simultaneous comparison of cue induced brain reactivity for gaming and smoking. For this purpose, 16 subjects with both IGA and nicotine dependence (comorbid group) and 16 controls were recruited from the community. All subjects were made to undergo 3-T fMRIs scans while viewing images associated with online games, smoking, and neutral images, which were arranged according to an event-related design. The resultant image data was analyzed with full factorial and conjunction analysis of SPM5. The results demonstrate that anterior cingulate, and parahippocampus activates higher for both cue-induced gaming urge and smoking craving among the comorbid group in comparison to the control group. The conjunction analysis demonstrates that bilateral parahippocampal gyrus activates to a greater degree for both gaming urge and smoking craving among the comorbid group in comparison to the control group. Accordingly, the study demonstrates that both IGA and nicotine dependence share similar mechanisms of cue-induced reactivity over the fronto-limbic network, particularly for the parahippocampus. The results support that the context representation provided by the parahippocampus is a key mechanism for not only cue-induced smoking craving, but also for cue-induced gaming urge. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The tendency to sign-track predicts cue-induced reinstatement during nicotine self-administration, and is enhanced by nicotine but not ethanol

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Versaggi, Cassandra L.; King, Christopher P.; Meyer, Paul J.

2016-01-01

Rationale Some individuals are particularly responsive to reward-associated stimuli (“cues”), including the effects of these cues on craving and relapse to drug-seeking behavior. In the cases of nicotine and alcohol, cues may acquire these abilities via the incentive-enhancing properties of the drug. Objectives To determine the interaction between cue-responsivity and nicotine reinforcement, we studied the patterns of nicotine self-administration in rats categorized based on their tendency to approach a food predictive cue (“sign-trackers”) or a reward-delivery location (“goal-trackers”). In a second experiment, we determined whether nicotine and ethanol altered the incentive value of a food cue. Methods Rats were classified as sign- or goal-trackers during a Pavlovian conditioned approach paradigm. Rats then self-administered intravenous nicotine (0.03 mg/kg infusions) followed by extinction and cue induced reinstatement tests. We also tested the effects of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg base s.c.) or ethanol (0.7 g/kg i.p.) on the approach to, and reinforcing efficacy of, a food cue. Results Sign-trackers showed greater reinstatement in response to a nicotine cue. Further, nicotine enhanced sign-tracking but not goal-tracking to a food cue, and also enhanced responding for the food cue during the conditioned reinforcement test. Conversely, ethanol reduced sign-tracking and increased goal-tracking, but had no effect on conditioned reinforcement. Conclusions Our studies demonstrate that the tendency to attribute incentive value to a food cue predicts enhanced cue-induced reinstatement. Additionally, the incentive value of food cues is differentially modulated by nicotine and ethanol, which may be related to the reinforcing effects of these drugs. PMID:27282365

Effects of the timing and identity of retrieval cues in individual recall: an attempt to mimic cross-cueing in collaborative recall.

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Andersson, Jan; Hitch, Graham; Meudell, Peter

2006-01-01

Inhibitory effects in collaborative recall have been attributed to cross-cueing among partners, in the same way that part-set cues are known to impair recall in individuals. However, studies of part-set cueing in individuals typically involve presenting cues visually at the start of recall, whereas cross-cueing in collaboration is likely to be spoken and distributed over time. In an attempt to bridge this gap, three experiments investigated effects of presenting spoken part-set or extra-list cues at different times during individual recall. Cues had an inhibitory effect on recollection in the early part of the recall period, especially when presented in immediate succession at the start of recall. There was no difference between the effects of part-set and extra-list cues under these presentation conditions. However, more inhibition was generated by part-set than extra-list cues when cue presentation was distributed throughout recall. These results are interpreted as suggesting that cues presented during recall disrupt memory in two ways, corresponding to either blocking or modifying retrieval processes. Implications for explaining and possibly ameliorating inhibitory effects in collaborative recall are discussed.

Cannabidiol inhibits paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain through 5-HT(1A) receptors without diminishing nervous system function or chemotherapy efficacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Sara Jane; McAllister, Sean D; Kawamura, Rumi; Murase, Ryuchi; Neelakantan, Harshini; Walker, Ellen A

2014-02-01

Paclitaxel (PAC) is associated with chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CIPN) that can lead to the cessation of treatment in cancer patients even in the absence of alternate therapies. We previously reported that chronic administration of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) prevents PAC-induced mechanical and thermal sensitivity in mice. Hence, we sought to determine receptor mechanisms by which CBD inhibits CIPN and whether CBD negatively effects nervous system function or chemotherapy efficacy. The ability of acute CBD pretreatment to prevent PAC-induced mechanical sensitivity was assessed, as was the effect of CBD on place conditioning and on an operant-conditioned learning and memory task. The potential interaction of CBD and PAC on breast cancer cell viability was determined using the MTT assay. PAC-induced mechanical sensitivity was prevented by administration of CBD (2.5 - 10 mg·kg⁻¹) in female C57Bl/6 mice. This effect was reversed by co-administration of the 5-HT(1A) antagonist WAY 100635, but not the CB₁ antagonist SR141716 or the CB₂ antagonist SR144528. CBD produced no conditioned rewarding effects and did not affect conditioned learning and memory. Also, CBD + PAC combinations produce additive to synergistic inhibition of breast cancer cell viability. Our data suggest that CBD is protective against PAC-induced neurotoxicity mediated in part by the 5-HT(1A) receptor system. Furthermore, CBD treatment was devoid of conditioned rewarding effects or cognitive impairment and did not attenuate PAC-induced inhibition of breast cancer cell viability. Hence, adjunct treatment with CBD during PAC chemotherapy may be safe and effective in the prevention or attenuation of CIPN. © 2013 The British Pharmacological Society.

Observation of field-induced long-range order in disordered Sr14Cu24O41

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohsugi, S.; Matsumoto, S.; Kitaoka, Y.; Matsuda, M.; Uehara, M.; Nagata, T.; Akimitsu, J.

2004-01-01

Field-induced magnetic order in a structural disordered single-crystal Sr 14 Cu 24 O 41 (Sr 14 -B) has been observed in the Cu-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements for the ladder sites below 20 K under the magnetic field H∼11 T. For the Zhang Rice (ZR) sites in the chains, the spectrum splits below 20 K due to an appearance of the internal field, whereas that of less disordered Sr 14 -A does not. This gives an evidence of three-dimensional (3D) long-range (LR) ordering in Sr 14 -B below T N ∼20 K under H∼11 T

Ultraviolet laser-induced voltages in LaSrAlO4 single crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhi-Qing, Lü; Kun, Zhao; Song-Qing, Zhao; Hui, Zhao; Qing-Li, Zhou

2009-01-01

Laser-induced ultrafast photovoltaic effect is observed in LaSrAlO 4 single crystal at ambient temperature without any applied bias. An open-circuit photovoltage is obtained when the wafer is irradiated by a 248-nm-KrF laser pulse of 20 ns duration. The response time and full width at half maximum of the photovoltage pulse are 6 ns and 19 ns, respectively, indicating that LaSrAlO 4 single crystal has potential application in ultraviolet detector. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Sensory modality of smoking cues modulates neural cue reactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Yalachkov, Yavor; Kaiser, Jochen; Görres, Andreas; Seehaus, Arne; Naumer, Marcus J

2013-01-01

Behavioral experiments have demonstrated that the sensory modality of presentation modulates drug cue reactivity. The present study on nicotine addiction tested whether neural responses to smoking cues are modulated by the sensory modality of stimulus presentation. We measured brain activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 15 smokers and 15 nonsmokers while they viewed images of smoking paraphernalia and control objects and while they touched the same objects without seeing them. Haptically presented, smoking-related stimuli induced more pronounced neural cue reactivity than visual cues in the left dorsal striatum in smokers compared to nonsmokers. The severity of nicotine dependence correlated positively with the preference for haptically explored smoking cues in the left inferior parietal lobule/somatosensory cortex, right fusiform gyrus/inferior temporal cortex/cerebellum, hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and supplementary motor area. These observations are in line with the hypothesized role of the dorsal striatum for the expression of drug habits and the well-established concept of drug-related automatized schemata, since haptic perception is more closely linked to the corresponding object-specific action pattern than visual perception. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that with the growing severity of nicotine dependence, brain regions involved in object perception, memory, self-processing, and motor control exhibit an increasing preference for haptic over visual smoking cues. This difference was not found for control stimuli. Considering the sensory modality of the presented cues could serve to develop more reliable fMRI-specific biomarkers, more ecologically valid experimental designs, and more effective cue-exposure therapies of addiction.

Cueing and Anxiety in a Visual Concept Learning Task.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Philip M.

This study investigated the relationship of two anxiety measures (the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait Form and the S-R Inventory of Anxiousness-Exam Form) to performance on a visual concept-learning task with embedded criterial information. The effect on anxiety reduction of cueing criterial information was also examined, and two levels of…

Smad7 induces tumorigenicity by blocking TGF-beta-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Halder, Sunil K; Beauchamp, R Daniel; Datta, Pran K

2005-07-01

Smad proteins play a key role in the intracellular signaling of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily of extracellular polypeptides that initiate signaling to regulate a wide variety of biological processes. The inhibitory Smad, Smad7, has been shown to function as intracellular antagonists of TGF-beta family signaling and is upregulated in several cancers. To determine the effect of Smad7-mediated blockade of TGF-beta signaling, we have stably expressed Smad7 in a TGF-beta-sensitive, well-differentiated, and non-tumorigenic cell line, FET, that was derived from human colon adenocarcinoma. Smad7 inhibits TGF-beta-induced transcriptional responses by blocking complex formation between Smad 2/3 and Smad4. While Smad7 has no effect on TGF-beta-induced activation of p38 MAPK and ERK, it blocks the phosphorylation of Akt by TGF-beta and enhances TGF-beta-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun. FET cells expressing Smad7 show anchorage-independent growth and enhance tumorigenicity in athymic nude mice. Smad7 blocks TGF-beta-induced growth inhibition by preventing TGF-beta-induced G1 arrest. Smad7 inhibits TGF-beta-mediated downregulation of c-Myc, CDK4, and Cyclin D1, and suppresses the expression of p21(Cip1). As a result, Smad7 inhibits TGF-beta-mediated downregulation of Rb phosphorylation. Furthermore, Smad7 inhibits the apoptosis of these cells. Together, Smad7 may increase the tumorigenicity of FET cells by blocking TGF-beta-induced growth inhibition and by inhibiting apoptosis. Thus, this study provides a mechanism by which a portion of human colorectal tumors may become refractory to tumor-suppressive actions of TGF-beta that might result in increased tumorigenicity.

Self-reported cue-induced physical symptoms of craving as an indicator of cocaine dependence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vorspan, Florence; Fortias, Maeva; Zerdazi, El-Hadi; Karsinti, Emily; Bloch, Vanessa; Lépine, Jean-Pierre; Bellivier, Frank; Brousse, Georges; van den Brink, Wim; Derks, Eske M.

2015-01-01

The presence of cocaine dependence is under-recognized by cocaine users and requires a careful standardized interview to be ascertained by clinicians. To test if past experiences of cue-induced physical symptoms of craving (nausea, vomiting, sweating, shaking, nervousness) before cocaine use could

The effects of subanesthetic ketamine infusions on motivation to quit and cue-induced craving in cocaine-dependent research volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Dakwar, Elias; Levin, Frances; Foltin, Richard W; Nunes, Edward V; Hart, Carl L

2014-07-01

Cocaine dependence involves problematic neuroadaptations that might be responsive to modulation of glutamatergic circuits. This investigation examined the effects of subanesthetic ketamine infusions on motivation for quitting cocaine and on cue-induced craving in cocaine-dependent participants, 24 hours postinfusion. Eight volunteers with active DSM-IV cocaine dependence not seeking treatment or abstinence were entered into this crossover, double-blind trial. Three 52-min intravenous infusions were administered: ketamine (.41 mg/kg or .71 mg/kg) or lorazepam 2 mg, counterbalanced into three orderings in which ketamine .41 mg/kg always preceded the .71 mg/kg dose. Infusions were separated by 48 hours, and assessments occurred at baseline and at 24 hours postinfusion. Outcomes were change between postinfusion and preinfusion values for: 1) motivation to quit cocaine scores with the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment; and 2) sums of visual analogue scale craving ratings administered during cue exposure. Compared with the active control lorazepam, a single ketamine infusion (.41 mg/kg) led to a mean 3.9-point gain in University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (p = .012), which corresponds to an approximately 60% increase over preceding values. There was a reduction of comparable magnitude in cue-induced craving (p = .012). A subsequent ketamine infusion (.71 mg/kg) led to further reductions in cue-induced craving compared with the control. Infusions were well-tolerated. Subanesthetic ketamine demonstrated promising effects on motivation to quit cocaine and on cue-induced craving, 24 hours postinfusion. Research is needed to expand on these preliminary results and to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention in clinical settings. Copyright © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synergetic topography and chemistry cues guiding osteogenic differentiation in bone marrow stromal cells through ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinran; Li, Haotian; Lin, Chucheng; Ning, Congqin; Lin, Kaili

2018-01-30

Both the topographic surface and chemical composition modification can enhance rapid osteogenic differentiation and bone formation. Till now, the synergetic effects of topography and chemistry cues guiding biological responses have been rarely reported. Herein, the ordered micro-patterned topography and classically essential trace element of strontium (Sr) ion doping were selected to imitate topography and chemistry cues, respectively. The ordered micro-patterned topography on Sr ion-doped bioceramics was successfully duplicated using the nylon sieve as the template. Biological response results revealed that the micro-patterned topography design or Sr doping could promote cell attachment, ALP activity, and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Most importantly, the samples both with micro-patterned topography and Sr doping showed the highest promotion effects, and could synergistically activate the ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. The results suggested that the grafts with both specific topography and chemistry cues have synergetic effects on osteogenic activity of BMSCs and provide an effective approach to design functional bone grafts and cell culture substrates.

Study of atomic and molecular emission spectra of Sr by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, Chet R; Alfarraj, Bader; Ayyalasomayajula, Krishna K; Ghany, Charles; Yueh, Fang Y; Singh, Jagdish P

2015-12-01

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is an ideal analytical technique for in situ analysis of elemental composition. We have performed a comparative study of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of atomic and molecular emission from LIBS spectra. In our experiments, a mixture of SrCl2 and Al2O3 in powder form was used as a sample. The atomic emission from Sr and molecular emission from SrCl and SrO observed in LIBS spectra were analyzed. The optimum laser energies, gate delays, and gate widths for selected atomic lines and molecular bands were determined from spectra recorded at various experimental parameters. These optimum experimental conditions were used to collect calibration data, and the calibration curves were used to predict the Sr concentration. Limits of detection (LODs) for selected atomic and molecular emission spectra were determined.

Acute stress blocks the caffeine-induced enhancement of contextual memory retrieval in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierard, Chistophe; Krazem, Ali; Henkous, Nadia; Decorte, Laurence; Béracochéa, Daniel

2015-08-15

This study investigated in mice the dose-effect of caffeine on memory retrieval in non-stress and stress conditions. C57 Bl/6 Jico mice learned two consecutive discriminations (D1 and D2) in a four-hole board which involved either distinct contextual (CSD) or similar contextual (SSD) cues. All mice received an i.p. injection of vehicle or caffeine (8, 16 or 32mg/kg) 30min before the test session. Results showed that in non-stress conditions, the 16mg/kg caffeine dose induced a significant enhancement of D1 performance in CSD but not in SSD. Hence, we studied the effect of an acute stress (electric footshocks) administered 15min before the test session on D1 performance in caffeine-treated mice. Results showed that stress significantly decreased D1 performance in vehicle-treated controls and the memory-enhancing effect induced by the 16mg/kg caffeine dose in non-stress condition is no longer observed. Interestingly, whereas caffeine-treated mice exhibited weaker concentrations of plasma corticosterone as compared to vehicles in non-stress condition, stress significantly increased plasma corticosterone concentrations in caffeine-treated mice which reached similar level to that of controls. Overall, the acute stress blocked both the endocrinological and memory retrieval enhancing effects of caffeine. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electronic properties and surface reactivity of SrO-terminated SrTiO3 and SrO-terminated iron-doped SrTiO3.

Science.gov (United States)

Staykov, Aleksandar; Tellez, Helena; Druce, John; Wu, Ji; Ishihara, Tatsumi; Kilner, John

2018-01-01

Surface reactivity and near-surface electronic properties of SrO-terminated SrTiO 3 and iron doped SrTiO 3 were studied with first principle methods. We have investigated the density of states (DOS) of bulk SrTiO 3 and compared it to DOS of iron-doped SrTiO 3 with different oxidation states of iron corresponding to varying oxygen vacancy content within the bulk material. The obtained bulk DOS was compared to near-surface DOS, i.e. surface states, for both SrO-terminated surface of SrTiO 3 and iron-doped SrTiO 3 . Electron density plots and electron density distribution through the entire slab models were investigated in order to understand the origin of surface electrons that can participate in oxygen reduction reaction. Furthermore, we have compared oxygen reduction reactions at elevated temperatures for SrO surfaces with and without oxygen vacancies. Our calculations demonstrate that the conduction band, which is formed mainly by the d-states of Ti, and Fe-induced states within the band gap of SrTiO 3 , are accessible only on TiO 2 terminated SrTiO 3 surface while the SrO-terminated surface introduces a tunneling barrier for the electrons populating the conductance band. First principle molecular dynamics demonstrated that at elevated temperatures the surface oxygen vacancies are essential for the oxygen reduction reaction.

Cannabidiol inhibits paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain through 5-HT1A receptors without diminishing nervous system function or chemotherapy efficacy

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Sara Jane; McAllister, Sean D; Kawamura, Rumi; Murase, Ryuchi; Neelakantan, Harshini; Walker, Ellen A

2014-01-01

Background and Purpose Paclitaxel (PAC) is associated with chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CIPN) that can lead to the cessation of treatment in cancer patients even in the absence of alternate therapies. We previously reported that chronic administration of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) prevents PAC-induced mechanical and thermal sensitivity in mice. Hence, we sought to determine receptor mechanisms by which CBD inhibits CIPN and whether CBD negatively effects nervous system function or chemotherapy efficacy. Experimental Approach The ability of acute CBD pretreatment to prevent PAC-induced mechanical sensitivity was assessed, as was the effect of CBD on place conditioning and on an operant-conditioned learning and memory task. The potential interaction of CBD and PAC on breast cancer cell viability was determined using the MTT assay. Key Results PAC-induced mechanical sensitivity was prevented by administration of CBD (2.5 – 10 mg·kg−1) in female C57Bl/6 mice. This effect was reversed by co-administration of the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY 100635, but not the CB1 antagonist SR141716 or the CB2 antagonist SR144528. CBD produced no conditioned rewarding effects and did not affect conditioned learning and memory. Also, CBD + PAC combinations produce additive to synergistic inhibition of breast cancer cell viability. Conclusions and Implications Our data suggest that CBD is protective against PAC-induced neurotoxicity mediated in part by the 5-HT1A receptor system. Furthermore, CBD treatment was devoid of conditioned rewarding effects or cognitive impairment and did not attenuate PAC-induced inhibition of breast cancer cell viability. Hence, adjunct treatment with CBD during PAC chemotherapy may be safe and effective in the prevention or attenuation of CIPN. PMID:24117398

Effect of naltrexone and ondansetron on alcohol cue-induced activation of the ventral striatum in alcohol-dependent people.

Science.gov (United States)

Myrick, Hugh; Anton, Raymond F; Li, Xingbao; Henderson, Scott; Randall, Patrick K; Voronin, Konstantin

2008-04-01

Medication for the treatment of alcoholism is currently not particularly robust. Neuroimaging techniques might predict which medications could be useful in the treatment of alcohol dependence. To explore the effect of naltrexone, ondansetron hydrochloride, or the combination of these medications on cue-induced craving and ventral striatum activation. Functional brain imaging was conducted during alcohol cue presentation. Participants were recruited from the general community following media advertisement. Experimental procedures were performed in the magnetic resonance imaging suite of a major training hospital and medical research institute. Ninety non-treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent (by DSM-IV criteria) and 17 social drinking (analysis but intermediate in a region-specific analysis. Consistent with animal data that suggest that both naltrexone and ondansetron reduce alcohol-stimulated dopamine output in the ventral striatum, the current study found evidence that these medications, alone or in combination, could decrease alcohol cue-induced activation of the ventral striatum, consistent with their putative treatment efficacy.

Induced radioactivity in Bevatron concrete radiation shielding blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moeller, G.C.; Donahue, R.J.

1994-07-01

The Bevatron accelerated protons up to 6.2 GeV and heavy ions up to 2.1 GeV/amu. It operated from 1954 to 1993. Radioactivity was induced in some concrete radiation shielding blocks by prompt radiation. Prompt radiation is primarily neutrons and protons that were generated by the Bevatron's primary beam interactions with targets and other materials. The goal was to identify the gamma-ray emitting nuclides (t 1/2 > 0.5 yr) that could be present in the concrete blocks and estimate the depth at which the maximum radioactivity presently occurs. It is shown that the majority of radioactivity was produced via thermal neutron capture by trace elements present in concrete. The depth of maximum thermal neutron flux, in theory, corresponds with the depth of maximum induced activity. To estimate the depth at which maximum activity occurs in the concrete blocks, the LAHET Code System was used to calculate the depth of maximum thermal neutron flux. The primary beam interactions that generate the neutrons are also modeled by the LAHET Code System

White sucker Catostomus commersonii respond to conspecific and sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus alarm cues but not potential predator cues

Science.gov (United States)

Jordbro, Ethan J.; Di Rocco, Richard T.; Imre, Istvan; Johnson, Nicholas; Brown, Grant E.

2016-01-01

Recent studies proposed the use of chemosensory alarm cues to control the distribution of invasive sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes and necessitate the evaluation of sea lamprey chemosensory alarm cues on valuable sympatric species such as white sucker. In two laboratory experiments, 10 replicate groups (10 animals each) of migratory white suckers were exposed to deionized water (control), conspecific whole-body extract, heterospecific whole-body extract (sea lamprey) and two potential predator cues (2-phenylethylamine HCl (PEA HCl) and human saliva) during the day, and exposed to the first four of the above cues at night. White suckers avoided the conspecific and the sea lamprey whole-body extract both during the day and at night to the same extent. Human saliva did not induce avoidance during the day. PEA HCl did not induce avoidance at a higher concentration during the day, or at night at the minimum concentration that was previously shown to induce maximum avoidance by sea lamprey under laboratory conditions. Our findings suggest that human saliva and PEA HCl may be potential species-specific predator cues for sea lamprey.

An accessory to the 'Trinity': SR-As are essential pathogen sensors of extracellular dsRNA, mediating entry and leading to subsequent type I IFN responses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie J DeWitte-Orr

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Extracellular RNA is becoming increasingly recognized as a signaling molecule. Virally derived double stranded (dsRNA released into the extracellular space during virus induced cell lysis acts as a powerful inducer of classical type I interferon (IFN responses; however, the receptor that mediates this response has not been identified. Class A scavenger receptors (SR-As are likely candidates due to their cell surface expression and ability to bind nucleic acids. In this study, we investigated a possible role for SR-As in mediating type I IFN responses induced by extracellular dsRNA in fibroblasts, a predominant producer of IFNbeta. Fibroblasts were found to express functional SR-As, even SR-A species thought to be macrophage specific. SR-A specific competitive ligands significantly blocked extracellular dsRNA binding, entry and subsequent interferon stimulated gene (ISG induction. Candidate SR-As were systematically investigated using RNAi and the most dramatic inhibition in responses was observed when all candidate SR-As were knocked down in unison. Partial inhibition of dsRNA induced antiviral responses was observed in vivo in SR-AI/II(-/- mice compared with WT controls. The role of SR-As in mediating extracellular dsRNA entry and subsequent induced antiviral responses was observed in both murine and human fibroblasts. SR-As appear to function as 'carriers', facilitating dsRNA entry and delivery to the established dsRNA sensing receptors, specifically TLR3, RIGI and MDA-5. Identifying SR-As as gatekeepers of the cell, mediating innate antiviral responses, represents a novel function for this receptor family and provides insight into how cells recognize danger signals associated with lytic virus infections. Furthermore, the implications of a cell surface receptor capable of recognizing extracellular RNA may exceed beyond viral immunity to mediating other important innate immune functions.

Effect of the change in the interface structure of Pd(100)/SrTiO{sub 3} for quantum-well induced ferromagnetism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakuragi, Shunsuke, E-mail: sakuragi@az.appi.keio.ac.jp [Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Yokohama 223-0061 (Japan); Ogawa, Tomoyuki [Department of Electronic Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aza-Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Sato, Tetsuya [Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Yokohama 223-0061 (Japan)

2017-02-01

Measurements of temperature dependent magnetization of Pd(100) ultrathin films on SrTiO{sub 3}(100) substrates which shows quantum-well induced ferromagnetism were performed. We observed the jump in magnetization of Pd(100) due to the structural phase transition of SrTiO{sub 3}, and then, the disappearance of ferromagnetism after temperature-cycle repetition. X-ray reflectivity measurement revealed that the density of a few layers in the Pd film decreased near the Pd/SrTiO{sub 3} interface after temperature cycles. This suggests that the structural change affects the quantum-well induced ferromagnetism, and lowering of the crystallinity of Pd at the interface has a negative effect on quantum-well induced ferromagnetism of Pd(100) ultrathin films. - Highlights: • Interface manipulation of quantum-well induced ferromagnetism was performed. • Ferromagnetic Pd(100) ultrathin films on SrTiO{sub 3} substrate were prepared. • The structural phase transition of SrTiO{sub 3} degraded gradually the interface structure. • Change in the interface structure caused change in the magnetic moment of Pd. • Magnetic change was interpreted by modulation in the effective thickness of the film.

Hyperkalemia-induced complete heart block

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Baratloo

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Potassium, as an extracellular ion, plays an important role in the electrophysiologic function of the myocardium and any change in extracellular concentration of this ion might have a marked impression upon myocyte electrophysiologic gain. High serum potassium levels are thought to impair pulse conduction in Purkinje fibers and ventricles more than that in the Atrioventricular (AV node. Therefore, although complete AV block can occur, it is a rare initial presentation. Case Report: We describe a 62-year-old man with a history of diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease and previous Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG, who came to our emergency department due to generalized weakness starting 2 days before admission. The patient also had decreased force in lower limbs, exacerbating from the morning, and was finally diagnosed as a hyperkalemia-induced Complete Heart Block (CHB. It should also be noted that the patient responded dramatically to the administration of 10 mL of 10% calcium gluconate along with external pacing until potassium level correction became effective. Conclusion: In spite of the fact that Hyperkalemia can be associated with frequent Electrocardiogram (ECG abnormality, advanced heart blocks (second- and third-degree AV blocks are usually found only in patients with pre-existing heart failure, conduction abnormalities, or other cardiac diseases. Institution of effective treatment rapidly and forgiveness of traditional non-effective, time consumptive and sometimes risking full-adjustment modalities, such as sodium bicarbonate infusion or exchange resins that prevent their use in the emergent phase, can help minimize patient morbidity and mortality.

Medial septal dysfunction by Aβ-induced KCNQ channel-block in glutamatergic neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leão, Richardson N.; Colom, Luis V.; Borgius, Lotta

2012-01-01

(MS) neurons in mice. In glutamatergic neurons Aβ increases firing frequency and blocks the A- and the M-current (IA and IM, respectively). While the IA block is similar in other MS neuron classes, the block of IM is specific to glutamatergic neurons. IM block and a simulated Aβ block mimic the Aβ......-induced increase in spontaneous firing in glutamatergic neurons. Calcium imaging shows that under control conditions glutamatergic neurons rarely fire while nonglutamatergic neurons fire coherently at theta frequencies. Aβ increases the firing rate of glutamatergic neurons while nonglutamatergic neurons lose theta...... firing coherence. Our results demonstrate that Aβ-induced dysfunction of glutamatergic neurons via IM decrease diminishes MS rhythmicity, which may negatively affect hippocampal rhythmogenesis and underlie the memory loss observed in Alzheimer's disease....

Decrease of the Curie temperature in La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 thin films induced by Au capping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brivio, S.; Cantoni, M.; Petti, D.; Cattoni, A.; Bertacco, R.; Finazzi, M.; Ciccacci, F.; Sidorenko, A.; Allodi, G.; Ghidini, M.; De Renzi, R.

2007-01-01

Ferromagnetism of La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 is extremely sensitive to external perturbations like substrate-induced strain, charge injection and chemical interactions with neighbour layers. In this paper we discuss the perturbation induced by the presence of a metallic overlayer, typically deposited for electric contacts, in the prototypical case of the Au/La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 interface. In particular we found a sizable decrease of the Curie temperature in thin films of La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 after gold capping: 65 K for 5 nm thickness of the manganite. Apart from chemical reactions at the interface, charge injection-depletion induced by the difference in the work function between Au and La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 could partially explain this phenomenon

Reversal of rocuronium-induced profound neuromuscular block by sugammadex in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, H.D. de; Egmond, J. van; Booij, L.H.D.J.; Driessen, J.J.

2009-01-01

A case is reported in which a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy received a dose of sugammadex to reverse a rocuronium-induced profound neuromuscular block. Sugammadex is the first selective relaxant binding agent and reverses rocuronium- and vecuronium-induced neuromuscular block. A fast and

Study on Sr-Nd isotopes of mesozoic-cenozoic granites in Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu Ruizhao; Deng Jinfu; Zhou Su; Xiao Qinghui; Cai Zhiyong

2003-01-01

Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatic activities were intensive in Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Nd-Sr isotopic compositions of representative granitic plutons in western Qinghai-Tibetan plateau are reported in this paper. Combining with past isotopic data, which has reported in eastern Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, Sr-Nd isotopic compositions and material source and genesis of Mesozoic and Cenozoic granites in Qinghai-Tibetan plateau have been studied. The research result indicates there are three types of granite existing in Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, the granites of Late stage of Yanshan Period which distributing on north and south boundary of Gandes block (namely in north and south granitic belts of Dangdes) and cause of oceanic crust subduction, have ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i of 0.7041-0.7064, ε (Nd) t of +2.5 - +5.7 and TDM age of 312-562 Ma, positive ε Nd, low ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i ratio and young Nd model ages suggest relatively high contents of mantle-derived components in their sources, and this type granite might melt from subduction oceanic crust. The granites occurred intra-Gangdes block which were caused by collision of continent and post-collision, have ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i of 0.706-0.719, ε (Nd) t of -5.3 - -8.3 and TDM age of 1323-1496 Ma, negative ε Nd, relative high ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i ratio with an mid-Proterozoic Nd model ages, suggest granite has the mixing genesis of mantle-derived components and old crustal components in their sources. With relatively small variation range in ε (Nd) t and TDM age, it might imply granitic isotopic source in Gandes block to keep relative homogenization in long period. The granites in Himalayan block which there is not oceanic material to join in melting and to cause of intra-continental subduction, has most ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i ratio more than 0.720, ε (Nd) t of -10.3 - -16.3 and TDM age of 1792-2206 Ma, high ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i ratio, low negative ε (Nd)t with old Nd isotopic model ages and consistent with the Sr, Nd isotopic compositions of basement

Attentional bias for craving-related (chocolate) food cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Kemps, Eva; Tiggemann, Marika

2009-12-01

In this study, we investigated attentional biases for craving-related food cues. A pictorial dot probe task was used to assess selective attentional processing of one particular highly desired food, namely chocolate, relative to that of other highly desired foods. In Experiment 1, we examined biased processing of chocolate cues in habitual (trait) chocolate cravers, whereas in Experiment 2 we investigated the effect of experimentally induced (state) chocolate cravings on such processing. As predicted, habitual chocolate cravers (Experiment 1) and individuals in whom a craving for chocolate was temporarily induced (Experiment 2) showed speeded detection of probes replacing chocolate-related pictures, demonstrating an attentional bias for chocolate cues. Subsequent examination indicated that in both experiments the observed attentional biases stemmed from difficulty in disengaging attention from chocolate cues rather than from a shift of attention toward such cues. The findings have important theoretical and practical implications.

Extinction of conditioned cues attenuates incubation of cocaine craving in adolescent and adult rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Madsen, Heather B; Zbukvic, Isabel C; Luikinga, Sophia J; Lawrence, Andrew J; Kim, Jee Hyun

2017-09-01

Relapse to drug use is often precipitated by exposure to drug associated cues that evoke craving. Cue-induced drug craving has been observed in both animals and humans to increase over the first few weeks of abstinence and remain high over extended periods, a phenomenon known as 'incubation of craving'. As adolescence represents a period of vulnerability to developing drug addiction, potentially due to persistent reactivity to drug associated cues, we first compared incubation of cocaine craving in adolescent and adult rats. Adolescent (P35) and adult (P70) rats were trained to lever press to obtain intravenous cocaine, with each drug delivery accompanied by a light cue that served as the conditioned stimulus (CS). Following acquisition of stable responding, rats were tested for cue-induced cocaine-seeking after either 1 or 30days of abstinence. Additional groups of rats were also tested after 30days of abstinence, however these rats were subjected to a cue extinction session 1week into the abstinence period. Rats were injected with aripiprazole, a dopamine 2 receptor (D2R)-like partial agonist, or vehicle, 30min prior to cue extinction. We found that adolescent and adult rats acquired and maintained a similar level of cocaine self-administration, and rats of both ages exhibited a higher level of cue-induced cocaine-seeking if they were tested after 30days of abstinence compared to 1day. Incubation of cocaine craving was significantly reduced to 1day levels in both adults and adolescents that received cue extinction training. Administration of aripiprazole prior to cue extinction did not further reduce cue-induced drug-seeking. These results indicate that cue extinction training during abstinence may effectively reduce cue-induced relapse at a time when cue-induced drug craving is usually high. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavioural responses of two-spotted spider mites induced by predator-borne and prey-borne cues.

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Gyuris, Enikő; Szép, Erna; Kontschán, Jenő; Hettyey, Attila; Tóth, Zoltán

2017-11-01

Applying predatory mites as biological control agents is a well established method against spider mites which are major pests worldwide. Although antipredator responses can influence the outcome of predator-prey interactions, we have limited information about what cues spider mites use to adjust their behavioural antipredator responses. We experimentally exposed two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) to different predator-borne cues (using a specialist predator, Phytoseiulus persimilis, or a generalist predator, Amblyseius swirskii), conspecific prey-borne cues, or both, and measured locomotion and egg-laying activity. The reactions to predator species compared to each other manifested in reversed tendencies: spider mites increased their locomotion activity in the presence of P. persimilis, whereas they decreased it when exposed to A. swirskii. The strongest response was triggered by the presence of a killed conspecific: focal spider mites decreased their locomotion activity compared to the control group. Oviposition activity was not affected by either treatment. Our results point out that spider mites may change their behaviour in response to predators, and also to the presence of killed conspecifics, but these effects were not enhanced when both types of cues were present. The effect of social contacts among prey conspecifics on predator-induced behavioural defences is discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

BOLD data representing activation and connectivity for rare no-go versus frequent go cues

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Harma Meffert

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The neural circuitry underlying response control is often studied using go/no-go tasks, in which participants are required to respond as fast as possible to go cues and withhold from responding to no-go stimuli. In the current task, response control was studied using a fully counterbalanced design in which blocks with a low frequency of no-go cues (75% go, 25% no-go were alternated with blocks with a low frequency of go cues (25% go, 75% no-go; see also “Segregating attention from response control when performing a motor inhibition task: Segregating attention from response control” [1]. We applied a whole brain corrected, paired t-test to the data assessing for regions differentially activated by low frequency no-go cues relative to high frequency go cues. In addition, we conducted a generalized psychophysiological interaction analysis on the data using a right inferior frontal gyrus seed region. This region was identified through the BOLD response t-test and was chosen because right inferior gyrus is highly implicated in response inhibition.

Effect of the CB1 cannabinoid agonist WIN 55212-2 on the acquisition and reinstatement of MDMA-induced conditioned place preference in mice

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Miñarro José

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Numerous reports indicate that MDMA users consume other psychoactive drugs, among which cannabis is one of the most common. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, using the conditioned place preference, the effect of the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 on the rewarding effects of MDMA in mice. Methods In the first experiment adolescent mice were initially conditioned with 1.25, 2.5 or 5 mg/kg of MDMA or 0.1 or 0.5 mg/kg of WIN and subsequently with both drugs. Reinstatement of the extinguished preference by priming doses was performed in the groups that showed CPP. In the second experiment, animals were conditioned with 2.5 or 5 mg/kg of MDMA and, after extinction, reinstatement of the preference was induced by 0.5 or 0.1 mg/kg of WIN. Results A low dose of WIN 55212-2 (0.1 mg/kg increased the rewarding effects of low doses of MDMA (1.25 mg/kg, although a decrease in the preference induced by MDMA (5 and 2.5 mg/kg was observed when the dose of WIN 55212-2 was raised (0.5 mg/kg. The CB1 antagonist SR 141716 also increased the rewarding effects of the lowest MDMA dose and did not block the effects of WIN. Animals treated with the highest WIN dose plus a non-neurotoxic dose of MDMA exhibited decreases of striatal DA and serotonin in the cortex. On the other hand, WIN 55212-2-induced CPP was reinstated by priming injections of MDMA, although WIN did not reinstate the MDMA-induced CPP. Conclusions These results confirm that the cannabinoid system plays a role in the rewarding effects of MDMA and highlights the risks that sporadic drug use can pose in terms of relapse to dependence. Finally, the potential neuroprotective action of cannabinoids is not supported by our data; on the contrary, they are evidence of the potential neurotoxic effect of said drugs when administered with MDMA.

Hippocampal Regulation of Contextual Cue-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine-Seeking Behavior

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Atkins, Alison L.; Mashhoon, Yasmin; Kantak, Kathleen M.

2008-01-01

Associations between cocaine and cues facilitate development and maintenance of addiction. We hypothesized that the ventral hippocampus is important for acquisition of these associations. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine, with or without pre-exposure to distinct sets of cocaine- and saline-paired contextual cues. Next, rats were conditioned for 3 days with the distinct sets of contextual cues paired with cocaine and saline along with distinct discrete cues. Vehicle or lidocaine wa...

Are lesions induced by ionizing radiation direct blocks to DNA chain elongation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Painter, R.B.

1983-01-01

Ionizing radiation blocks DNA chain elongation in normal diploid fibroblasts but not in fibroblasts from patients with ataxia-telangiectasia, even though there are no differences in the damage induced between the two cell types. This difference suggests that radiation-induced lesions in DNA are not themselves blocks to chain elongation in ataxia cells and raises the possibility that in normal cells a mediator exists between DNA damage and chain termination

Cue-induced craving in pathological buying: empirical evidence and clinical implications.

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Trotzke, Patrick; Starcke, Katrin; Pedersen, Anya; Brand, Matthias

2014-01-01

Pathological buying is associated with marked distress and impaired functioning in important life domains. It is currently under debate whether pathological buying can be considered a behavioral addiction. In analogy to results reported in addicted individuals, craving reactions elicited by addiction-related cues might be an underlying mechanism for the etiology and pathogenesis of pathological buying. In the present study, 30 pathological buyers and 30 matched control participants were examined with a cue-reactivity paradigm consisting of shopping and control cues. Skin conductance responses, as well as subjective ratings for arousal, valence, and urge to buy, were assessed. Subjective craving reactions were measured before and after the cue-reactivity paradigm. On a physiological level, skin conductance responses toward shopping cues were higher in pathological buyers (mean [M; standard deviation {SD}] = 0.26 [0.13]) compared with control participants (M [SD] = 0.19 [0.09]; t(58) = 2.29, p = .025, d = 0.60). On a behavioral level, the individuals with pathological buying rated the shopping cues as more arousing and more positive, and reported a greater urge to buy compared with control participants and with control cues. An increase in subjective craving after completing the cue-reactivity paradigm was observed only in the pathological buyers (Mpre [SD] = 1.95 [1.47], Mpost [SD] = 2.87 [1.79]; t(29) = 5.07, p buying. The results demonstrate similarities between pathological buying and substance or behavioral addictions and provide implications for clinical treatment.

Radiation-Induced Neoplasms in Beagles after Administrations of {sup 90}Sr and {sup 226}Ra

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Goldman, M.; Dungworth, D. L.; Bulgin, M. S.; Rosenblatt, L. S.; Richards, W. P.C.; Bustad, L. K. [Radiobiology Laboratory and Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of California, Davis, CA (United States)

1969-11-15

The comparative carcinogenic efficiency of two bone-seeking radionuclides is under study in a colony of several hundred beagles. The toxicity of internally deposited alpha emitters ({sup 226}Ra and its daughters) and of beta irradiation ({sup 90}Sr) at comparable dosage rates indicates marked differences in site of appearance and mode of action in litters studied up to 7 years of age. Radiation carcinogenesis in beagles exposed to {sup 90}Sr daily from midgestation to adulthood (1.5 yr) is at present confined to dogs fed 4 {mu}Ci {sup 90}Sr/d or higher. The 20 cases constitute a spectrum of myeloproliferative disorders characterized by terminal anaemias, and ranging from myeloid metaplasia to granulocytic leukaemia. Continuous high-level {sup 90}Sr irradiation to bone and marrow from early life onward causes a thickened hypocellular bone ('pachyostosis'), some instances of myelofibrosis, and persistent mild leukopenia on which the final spectrum of terminal disoideis is superimposed. In contrast, up to 100 {mu}Cl {sup 226}Ra given intravenously (8 equally spaced injections at 14 to 18 months of age) to young adults is not a potent marrow cell carcinogen. The higher LET, shorter-range alpha particles are efficient in inducing bone cancers (14 cases) and skeletal lesions similar to those documented in watch-dial luminizers exposed to {sup 226}Ra in the early 1900's. The incidence of haematopoietic and skeletal neoplasms observed is dose-rate related, and the morphologic characteristics have several analogues in human cancer. The use of identically treated litters rather than individuals affords additional opportunity to study possible familial factors in the distribution of the neoplasms. Pathogenic evaluation at this juncture strongly indicates that continued bone and marrow irradiation in early life is more likely to induce haematopoietic neoplasms than is skeletal irradiation starting in young adulthood, which induces osseous neoplasms. (author)

Associative cueing of attention through implicit feature-location binding.

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Girardi, Giovanna; Nico, Daniele

2017-09-01

In order to assess associative learning between two task-irrelevant features in cueing spatial attention, we devised a task in which participants have to make an identity comparison between two sequential visual stimuli. Unbeknownst to them, location of the second stimulus could be predicted by the colour of the first or a concurrent sound. Albeit unnecessary to perform the identity-matching judgment the predictive features thus provided an arbitrary association favouring the spatial anticipation of the second stimulus. A significant advantage was found with faster responses at predicted compared to non-predicted locations. Results clearly demonstrated an associative cueing of attention via a second-order arbitrary feature/location association but with a substantial discrepancy depending on the sensory modality of the predictive feature. With colour as predictive feature, significant advantages emerged only after the completion of three blocks of trials. On the contrary, sound affected responses from the first block of trials and significant advantages were manifest from the beginning of the second. The possible mechanisms underlying the associative cueing of attention in both conditions are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Context Modulates Congruency Effects in Selective Attention to Social Cues

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Andrea Ravagli

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Head and gaze directions are used during social interactions as essential cues to infer where someone attends. When head and gaze are oriented toward opposite directions, we need to extract socially meaningful information despite stimulus conflict. Recently, a cognitive and neural mechanism for filtering-out conflicting stimuli has been identified while performing non-social attention tasks. This mechanism is engaged proactively when conflict is anticipated in a high proportion of trials and reactively when conflict occurs infrequently. Here, we investigated whether a similar mechanism is at play for limiting distraction from conflicting social cues during gaze or head direction discrimination tasks in contexts with different probabilities of conflict. Results showed that, for the gaze direction task only (Experiment 1, inverse efficiency (IE scores for distractor-absent trials (i.e., faces with averted gaze and centrally oriented head were larger (indicating worse performance when these trials were intermixed with congruent/incongruent distractor-present trials (i.e., faces with averted gaze and tilted head in the same/opposite direction relative to when the same distractor-absent trials were shown in isolation. Moreover, on distractor-present trials, IE scores for congruent (vs. incongruent head-gaze pairs in blocks with rare conflict were larger than in blocks with frequent conflict, suggesting that adaptation to conflict was more efficient than adaptation to infrequent events. However, when the task required discrimination of head orientation while ignoring gaze direction, performance was not impacted by both block-level and current trial congruency (Experiment 2, unless the cognitive load of the task was increased by adding a concurrent task (Experiment 3. Overall, our study demonstrates that during attention to social cues proactive cognitive control mechanisms are modulated by the expectation of conflicting stimulus information at both

Brain fMRI study of crave induced by cue pictures in online game addicts (male adolescents).

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Sun, Yueji; Ying, Huang; Seetohul, Ravi M; Xuemei, Wang; Ya, Zheng; Qian, Li; Guoqing, Xu; Ye, Sun

2012-08-01

To study crave-related cerebral regions induced by game figure cues in online game addicts. fMRI brain imaging was done when the subjects were shown picture cues of the WoW (World of Warcraft, Version: 4.1.014250) game. 10 male addicts of WoW were selected as addicts' group, and 10 other healthy male non-addicts who were matched by age, were used as non-game addicts' group. All volunteers participated in fMRI paradigms. WoW associated cue pictures and neutral pictures were shown. We examined functional cerebral regions activated by the pictures with 3.0 T Philips MRI. The imaging signals' database was analyzed by SPM5. The correlation between game craving scores and different image results were assessed. When the game addicts watch the pictures, some brain areas show increased signal activity namely: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral temporal cortex, cerebellum, right inferior parietal lobule, right cuneus, right hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, left caudate nucleus. But in these same brain regions we did not observe remarkable activities in the control group. Differential image signal densities of the addict group were subtracted from the health control group, results of which were expressed in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, inferior parietal lobe and inferior temporal gyrus, cerebellum, right insular and the right angular gyrus. The increased imaging signal densities were significant and positively correlated with the craving scale scores in the bilateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and right inferior parietal lobe. Craving of online game addicts was successfully induced by game cue pictures. Crave related brain areas are: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and right inferior parietal lobe. The brain regions are overlapped with cognitive and emotion related processing brain areas. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The inverse F-BAR domain protein srGAP2 acts through srGAP3 to modulate neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth of mouse neuroblastoma cells.

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Yue Ma

Full Text Available The inverse F-BAR (IF-BAR domain proteins srGAP1, srGAP2 and srGAP3 are implicated in neuronal development and may be linked to mental retardation, schizophrenia and seizure. A partially overlapping expression pattern and highly similar protein structures indicate a functional redundancy of srGAPs in neuronal development. Our previous study suggests that srGAP3 negatively regulates neuronal differentiation in a Rac1-dependent manner in mouse Neuro2a cells. Here we show that exogenously expressed srGAP1 and srGAP2 are sufficient to inhibit valporic acid (VPA-induced neurite initiation and growth in the mouse Neuro2a cells. While ectopic- or over-expression of RhoGAP-defective mutants, srGAP1(R542A and srGAP2(R527A exert a visible inhibitory effect on neuronal differentiation. Unexpectedly, knockdown of endogenous srGAP2 fails to facilitate the neuronal differentiation induced by VPA, but promotes neurite outgrowth of differentiated cells. All three IF-BAR domains from srGAP1-3 can induce filopodia formation in Neuro2a, but the isolated IF-BAR domain from srGAP2, not from srGAP1 and srGAP3, can promote VPA-induced neurite initiation and neuronal differentiation. We identify biochemical and functional interactions of the three srGAPs family members. We propose that srGAP3-Rac1 signaling may be required for the effect of srGAP1 and srGAP2 on attenuating neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, inhibition of Slit-Robo interaction can phenocopy a loss-of-function of srGAP3, indicating that srGAP3 may be dedicated to the Slit-Robo pathway. Our results demonstrate the interplay between srGAP1, srGAP2 and srGAP3 regulates neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth. These findings may provide us new insights into the possible roles of srGAPs in neuronal development and a potential mechanism for neurodevelopmental diseases.

Eliciting nicotine craving with virtual smoking cues.

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Gamito, Pedro; Oliveira, Jorge; Baptista, André; Morais, Diogo; Lopes, Paulo; Rosa, Pedro; Santos, Nuno; Brito, Rodrigo

2014-08-01

Craving is a strong desire to consume that emerges in every case of substance addiction. Previous studies have shown that eliciting craving with an exposure cues protocol can be a useful option for the treatment of nicotine dependence. Thus, the main goal of this study was to develop a virtual platform in order to induce craving in smokers. Fifty-five undergraduate students were randomly assigned to two different virtual environments: high arousal contextual cues and low arousal contextual cues scenarios (17 smokers with low nicotine dependency were excluded). An eye-tracker system was used to evaluate attention toward these cues. Eye fixation on smoking-related cues differed between smokers and nonsmokers, indicating that smokers focused more often on smoking-related cues than nonsmokers. Self-reports of craving are in agreement with these results and suggest a significant increase in craving after exposure to smoking cues. In sum, these data support the use of virtual environments for eliciting craving.

Defect formation and carrier doping in epitaxial films of the ''parent'' compound SrCuO2: Synthesis of two superconductors descendants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feenstra, R.; Norton, D.P.; Budai, J.D.; Jones, E.C.; Christen, D.K.; Kawai, T.

1995-04-01

The infinite layer or parent compounds ACuO 2 (A: Ca-Sr-Ba) constitute the simplest copper oxygen perovskites that contain the CuO 2 sheets essential for superconductivity. The stabilization of these basic ''building blocks'' as epitaxial films, therefore, provides alluring opportunities towards the search for new superconducting compounds and elucidation of the underlying mechanisms. In this work, general trends of the defect formation and carrier doping for epitaxial films of the intermediate endmember SrCuO 2 are reviewed. First results are presented from successful attempts to induce hole-doped superconductivity via the processing-controlled incorporation of charge reservoir layers

Atomic layer epitaxy of Ruddlesden-Popper SrO(SrTiO3)n films by means of metalorganic aerosol deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jungbauer, M.; Hühn, S.; Moshnyaga, V.; Egoavil, R.; Tan, H.; Verbeeck, J.; Van Tendeloo, G.

2014-01-01

We report an atomic layer epitaxial growth of Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) thin films of SrO(SrTiO 3 ) n (n = ∞, 2, 3, 4) by means of metalorganic aerosol deposition (MAD). The films are grown on SrTiO 3 (001) substrates by means of a sequential deposition of Sr-O/Ti-O 2 atomic monolayers, monitored in-situ by optical ellipsometry. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal the RP structure with n = 2–4 in accordance with the growth recipe. RP defects, observed by TEM in a good correlation with the in-situ ellipsometry, mainly result from the excess of SrO. Being maximal at the film/substrate interface, the SrO excess rapidly decreases and saturates after 5–6 repetitions of the SrO(SrTiO 3 ) 4 block at the level of 2.4%. This identifies the SrTiO 3 substrate surface as a source of RP defects under oxidizing conditions within MAD. Advantages and limitations of MAD as a solution-based and vacuum-free chemical deposition route were discussed in comparison with molecular beam epitaxy

Blocking of conditioned taste avoidance induced by wheel running.

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Pierce, W David; Heth, C Donald

2010-01-01

In Experiment 1, compared to non-reinforced presentation of a food stimulus (A-->no US), the association of a food stimulus with wheel running (A-->US) blocked subsequent avoidance of a distinctive flavor (X), when both the food and flavor were followed by wheel running (AX-->US). Experiment 2 replicated and extended the blocking effect, demonstrating that the amount of avoidance of X after AX-->wheel training depended on the correlation between A-alone trials and wheel running-the predictiveness of the A stimulus. The present study is the first to demonstrate associative blocking of conditioned taste avoidance (CTA) induced by wheel running and strongly implicates associative learning as the basis for this kind of avoidance. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Accelerated Right Prefrontal High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS on Cue-Reactivity: An fMRI Study on Craving in Recently Detoxified Alcohol-Dependent Patients.

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Sarah C Herremans

Full Text Available In alcohol-dependent patients craving is a difficult-to-treat phenomenon. It has been suggested that high-frequency (HF repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS may have beneficial effects. However, exactly how this application exerts its effect on the underlying craving neurocircuit is currently unclear. In an effort to induce alcohol craving and to maximize detection of HF-rTMS effects to cue-induced alcohol craving, patients were exposed to a block and event-related alcohol cue-reactivity paradigm while being scanned with fMRI. Hence, we assessed the effect of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC stimulation on cue-induced and general alcohol craving, and the related craving neurocircuit. Twenty-six recently detoxified alcohol-dependent patients were included. First, we evaluated the impact of one sham-controlled stimulation session. Second, we examined the effect of accelerated right DLPFC HF-rTMS treatment: here patients received 15 sessions in an open label accelerated design, spread over 4 consecutive days. General craving significantly decreased after 15 active HF-rTMS sessions. However, cue-induced alcohol craving was not altered. Our brain imaging results did not show that the cue-exposure affected the underlying craving neurocircuit after both one and fifteen active HF-rTMS sessions. Yet, brain activation changes after one and 15 HF-rTMS sessions, respectively, were observed in regions associated with the extended reward system and the default mode network, but only during the presentation of the event-related paradigm. Our findings indicate that accelerated HF-rTMS applied to the right DLPFC does not manifestly affect the craving neurocircuit during an alcohol-related cue-exposure, but instead it may influence the attentional network.

Assessing cue-induced brain response as a function of abstinence duration in heroin-dependent individuals: an event-related fMRI study.

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Qiang Li

Full Text Available The brain activity induced by heroin-related cues may play a role in the maintenance of heroin dependence. Whether the reinforcement or processing biases construct an everlasting feature of heroin addiction remains to be resolved. We used an event-related fMRI paradigm to measure brain activation in response to heroin cue-related pictures versus neutral pictures as the control condition in heroin-dependent patients undergoing short-term and long-term abstinence. The self-reported craving scores were significantly increased after cue exposure in the short-term abstinent patients (t = 3.000, P = 0.008, but no increase was found in the long-term abstinent patients (t = 1.510, P = 0.149. However, no significant differences in cue-induced craving changes were found between the two groups (t = 1.193, P = 0.850. Comparing between the long-term abstinence and short-term abstinence groups, significant decreases in brain activation were detected in the bilateral anterior cingulated cortex, left medial prefrontal cortex, caudate, middle occipital gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and right precuneus. Among all of the heroin dependent patients, the abstinence duration was negatively correlated with brain activation in the left medial prefrontal cortex and left inferior parietal lobule. These findings suggest that long-term abstinence may be useful for heroin-dependent patients to diminish their saliency value of heroin-related cues and possibly lower the relapse vulnerability to some extent.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for the real-time analysis of mixed waste samples containing Sr

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barefield, J.E. II; Koskelo, A.C.; Multari, R.A.; Cremers, D.A.; Gamble, T.K.; Han, C.Y.

1995-01-01

In this report, the use of Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to analyze mixed waste samples containing Sr is discussed. The mixed waste samples investigated include vitrified waste glass and contaminated soil. Compared to traditional analysis techniques, the laser-based method is fast (i.e., analysis times on the order of minutes) and essentially waste free since little or no sample preparation is required. Detection limits on the order of pmm Sr were determined. Detection limits obtained using a fiber optic cable to deliver laser pulses to soil samples containing Cr, Zr, Pb, Be, Cu, and Ni will also be discussed

Putative Epigenetic Involvement of the Endocannabinoid System in Anxiety- and Depression-Related Behaviors Caused by Nicotine as a Stressor.

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Tamaki Hayase

Full Text Available Like various stressors, the addictive use of nicotine (NC is associated with emotional symptoms such as anxiety and depression, although the underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated due to the complicated involvement of target neurotransmitter systems. In the elicitation of these emotional symptoms, the fundamental involvement of epigenetic mechanisms such as histone acetylation has recently been suggested. Furthermore, among the interacting neurotransmitter systems implicated in the effects of NC and stressors, the endocannabinoid (ECB system is considered to contribute indispensably to anxiety and depression. In the present study, the epigenetic involvement of histone acetylation induced by histone deacetylase (HDAC inhibitors was investigated in anxiety- and depression-related behavioral alterations caused by NC and/or immobilization stress (IM. Moreover, based on the contributing roles of the ECB system, the interacting influence of ECB ligands on the effects of HDAC inhibitors was evaluated in order to examine epigenetic therapeutic interventions. Anxiety-like (elevated plus-maze test and depression-like (forced swimming test behaviors, which were observed in mice treated with repeated (4 days NC (subcutaneous 0.8 mg/kg and/or IM (10 min, were blocked by the HDAC inhibitors sodium butyrate (SB and valproic acid (VA. The cannabinoid type 1 (CB1 agonist ACPA (arachidonylcyclopropylamide; AC also antagonized these behaviors. Conversely, the CB1 antagonist SR 141716A (SR, which counteracted the effects of AC, attenuated the anxiolytic-like effects of the HDAC inhibitors commonly in the NC and/or IM groups. SR also attenuated the antidepressant-like effects of the HDAC inhibitors, most notably in the IM group. From these results, the combined involvement of histone acetylation and ECB system was shown in anxiety- and depression-related behaviors. In the NC treatment groups, the limited influence of SR against the HDAC inhibitor-induced

Cue-Induced Brain Activation in Chronic Ketamine-Dependent Subjects, Cigarette Smokers, and Healthy Controls: A Task Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

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Yanhui Liao

2018-03-01

Full Text Available BackgroundObservations of drug-related cues may induce craving in drug-dependent patients, prompting compulsive drug-seeking behavior. Sexual dysfunction is common in drug users. The aim of the study was to examine regional brain activation to drug (ketamine, cigarette smoking associated cues and natural (sexual rewards.MethodsA sample of 129 [40 ketamine use smokers (KUS, 45 non-ketamine use smokers (NKUS and 44 non-ketamine use non-smoking healthy controls (HC] participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI while viewing ketamine use related, smoking and sexual films.ResultsWe found that KUS showed significant increased activation in anterior cingulate cortex and precuneus in response to ketamine cues. Ketamine users (KUS showed lower activation in cerebellum and middle temporal cortex compared with non-ketamine users (NKUS and HC in response to sexual cues. Smokers (KUS and NKUS showed higher activation in the right precentral frontal cortex in response to smoking cues. Non-ketamine users (NKUS and HC showed significantly increased activation of cerebellum and middle temporal cortex while viewing sexual cues.ConclusionThese findings clearly show the engagement of distinct neural circuitry for drug-related stimuli in chronic ketamine users. While smokers (both KUS and NKUS showed overlapping differences in activation for smoking cues, the former group showed a specific neural response to relevant (i.e., ketamine-related cues. In particular, the heightened response in anterior cingulate cortex may have important implications for how attentionally salient such cues are in this group. Ketamine users (KUS showed lower activation in response to sexual cues may partly reflect the neural basis of sexual dysfunction.

Atomic layer epitaxy of Ruddlesden-Popper SrO(SrTiO{sub 3}){sub n} films by means of metalorganic aerosol deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jungbauer, M.; Hühn, S.; Moshnyaga, V. [Erstes Physikalisches Institut, Universität Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen (Germany); Egoavil, R.; Tan, H.; Verbeeck, J.; Van Tendeloo, G. [EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp (Belgium)

2014-12-22

We report an atomic layer epitaxial growth of Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) thin films of SrO(SrTiO{sub 3}){sub n} (n = ∞, 2, 3, 4) by means of metalorganic aerosol deposition (MAD). The films are grown on SrTiO{sub 3}(001) substrates by means of a sequential deposition of Sr-O/Ti-O{sub 2} atomic monolayers, monitored in-situ by optical ellipsometry. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal the RP structure with n = 2–4 in accordance with the growth recipe. RP defects, observed by TEM in a good correlation with the in-situ ellipsometry, mainly result from the excess of SrO. Being maximal at the film/substrate interface, the SrO excess rapidly decreases and saturates after 5–6 repetitions of the SrO(SrTiO{sub 3}){sub 4} block at the level of 2.4%. This identifies the SrTiO{sub 3} substrate surface as a source of RP defects under oxidizing conditions within MAD. Advantages and limitations of MAD as a solution-based and vacuum-free chemical deposition route were discussed in comparison with molecular beam epitaxy.

Investigating Hemispheric Lateralization of Reflexive Attention to Gaze and Arrow Cues

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Marotta, Andrea; Lupianez, Juan; Casagrande, Maria

2012-01-01

Recent studies have demonstrated that central cues, such as eyes and arrows, reflexively trigger attentional shifts. However, it is not clear whether the attentional mechanisms induced by these two cues are similar or rather differ in some important way. We investigated hemispheric lateralization of the orienting effects induced by the two cue…

Depigmented Allergoids Reveal New Epitopes with Capacity to Induce IgG Blocking Antibodies

OpenAIRE

L?pez-Matas, M. Angeles; Gallego, Mayte; Iraola, V?ctor; Robinson, Douglas; Carn?s, Jer?nimo

2013-01-01

Background. The synthesis of allergen-specific blocking IgGs that interact with IgE after allergen immunotherapy (SIT) has been related to clinical efficacy. The objectives were to investigate the epitope specificity of IgG-antibodies induced by depigmented-polymerized (Dpg-Pol) allergoids and unmodified allergen extracts, and examine IgE-blocking activity of induced IgG-antibodies. Methods. Rabbits were immunized with native and Dpg-Pol extracts of birch pollen, and serum samples were obtain...

Cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking in Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Maccioni, Paola; Orrú, Alessandro; Korkosz, Agnieszka; Gessa, Gian Luigi; Carai, Mauro A M; Colombo, Giancarlo; Bienkowski, Przemyslaw

2007-02-01

The purpose of the present study was to characterize cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking in selectively bred Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) rats trained to lever press for ethanol in 30-min self-administration sessions. Four responses on an "active" lever led to presentation of 0.1 ml of 15% (vol/vol) ethanol by a liquid dipper and concurrent activation of a set of discrete light and auditory cues. In a 70-min extinction/reinstatement session, responding was first extinguished for 60 min. Subsequently, different stimuli were delivered in a noncontingent manner and reinstatement of nonreinforced responding was assessed. Fifteen presentations of the ethanol-predictive stimulus complex, including the dipper cup containing 5 or 15% ethanol, potently reinstated responding on the previously active lever. The magnitude of reinstatement increased with the number of stimulus presentations and concentration of ethanol presented by the dipper cup. Fifteen presentations of the ethanol-predictive stimulus complex, including the dipper cup filled with water (0% ethanol), did not produce any reinstatement. These results indicate that (1) noncontingent presentations of the ethanol-predictive stimulus complex may reinstate ethanol seeking in sP rats and (2) the orosensory properties of ethanol may play an important role in reinstatement of ethanol seeking in sP rats. The latter finding concurs with clinical observations that odor and taste of alcoholic beverages elicit immediate craving responses in abstinent alcoholics.

General Syntheses of Nanotubes Induced by Block Copolymer Self-Assembly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Jianming; Huang, Wei; Si, Pengchao

2018-01-01

Amphiphilic block copolymer templating strategies are extensively used for syntheses of mesoporous materials. However, monodisperse tubular nanostructures are limited. Here, a general method is developed to synthesize monodisperse nanotubes with narrow diameter distribution induced by self...

Does predictability matter? Effects of cue predictability on neurocognitive mechanisms underlying prospective memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Cona, Giorgia; Arcara, Giorgio; Tarantino, Vincenza; Bisiacchi, Patrizia S

2015-01-01

Prospective memory (PM) represents the ability to successfully realize intentions when the appropriate moment or cue occurs. In this study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the impact of cue predictability on the cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting PM. Participants performed an ongoing task and, simultaneously, had to remember to execute a pre-specified action when they encountered the PM cues. The occurrence of the PM cues was predictable (being signaled by a warning cue) for some participants and was completely unpredictable for others. In the predictable cue condition, the behavioral and ERP correlates of strategic monitoring were observed mainly in the ongoing trials wherein the PM cue was expected. In the unpredictable cue condition they were instead shown throughout the whole PM block. This pattern of results suggests that, in the predictable cue condition, participants engaged monitoring only when subjected to a context wherein the PM cue was expected, and disengaged monitoring when the PM cue was not expected. Conversely, participants in the unpredictable cue condition distributed their resources for strategic monitoring in more continuous manner. The findings of this study support the most recent views-the "Dynamic Multiprocess Framework" and the "Attention to Delayed Intention" (AtoDI) model-confirming that strategic monitoring is a flexible mechanism that is recruited mainly when a PM cue is expected and that may interact with bottom-up spontaneous processes.

A configural dominant account of contextual cueing: Configural cues are stronger than colour cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunar, Melina A; John, Rebecca; Sweetman, Hollie

2014-01-01

Previous work has shown that reaction times to find a target in displays that have been repeated are faster than those for displays that have never been seen before. This learning effect, termed "contextual cueing" (CC), has been shown using contexts such as the configuration of the distractors in the display and the background colour. However, it is not clear how these two contexts interact to facilitate search. We investigated this here by comparing the strengths of these two cues when they appeared together. In Experiment 1, participants searched for a target that was cued by both colour and distractor configural cues, compared with when the target was only predicted by configural information. The results showed that the addition of a colour cue did not increase contextual cueing. In Experiment 2, participants searched for a target that was cued by both colour and distractor configuration compared with when the target was only cued by colour. The results showed that adding a predictive configural cue led to a stronger CC benefit. Experiments 3 and 4 tested the disruptive effects of removing either a learned colour cue or a learned configural cue and whether there was cue competition when colour and configural cues were presented together. Removing the configural cue was more disruptive to CC than removing colour, and configural learning was shown to overshadow the learning of colour cues. The data support a configural dominant account of CC, where configural cues act as the stronger cue in comparison to colour when they are presented together.

Reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block by the selective relaxant binding agent sugammadex: a dose-finding and safety study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sorgenfrei, Iben F; Norrild, Kathrine; Larsen, Per Bo

2006-01-01

Sugammadex (Org 25969) forms a complex with steroidal neuromuscular blocking agents, thereby reversing neuromuscular block. This study investigated the dose-response relation, safety, and pharmacokinetics of sugammadex to reverse rocuronium-induced block.......Sugammadex (Org 25969) forms a complex with steroidal neuromuscular blocking agents, thereby reversing neuromuscular block. This study investigated the dose-response relation, safety, and pharmacokinetics of sugammadex to reverse rocuronium-induced block....

Cue-it? We say: Block-it!

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cooreman, Bart; Wiegand, Iris Michaela; Petersen, Anders

2015-01-01

A bilateral change detection paradigm is often used to measure lateralized ERP-components, such as the Contralateral Delay Activity (CDA), believed to be associated with visual short-term memory (e.g. Vogel and Machizawa, 2004; Alvarez and Cavanagh, 2004; McCollough et al., 2007 ). Recently......, Wiegand et al. (2014) developed a similar whole report paradigm in which participants reported the identity of four letters, presented in a pre-cued hemifield, showing a correlation between CDA amplitude and visual short-term memory capacity when modeled using Bundesen' s Theory of Visual Attention (TVA...... modelled by TVA, providing an estimate of perceptual threshold, processing speed, and visual short-term memory capacity for each participant. Our results show that the blocked design compared with the intermixed pre-cued design provided an equally good estimate of participants' TVA...

The dynamics of ultraviolet-induced oxygen vacancy at the surface of insulating SrTiO_3(0 0 1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suwanwong, S.; Eknapakul, T.; Rattanachai, Y.; Masingboon, C.; Rattanasuporn, S.; Phatthanakun, R.; Nakajima, H.; King, P.D.C.; Hodak, S.K.; Meevasana, W.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The dynamics of UV-induced oxygen vacancy is studied from the change of surface resistance. • The formation of 2DEG at the insulating surface of SrTiO_3 is confirmed by ARPES. • The UV-induced change in resistance responds differently to oxygen/gas exposure. • The behavior of resistance recovery suggests an alternative method of low-pressure sensing. - Abstract: The effect of ultra-violet (UV) irradiation on the electronic structure and the surface resistance of an insulating SrTiO_3(0 0 1) crystal is studied in this work. Upon UV irradiation, we show that the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) emerges at the insulating SrTiO_3 surface and there is a pronounced change in the surface resistance. By combining the observations of the change in valance band and the resistance change under different environments of gas pressure and gas species, we find that UV-induced oxygen vacancies at the surface plays a major role in the resistance change. The dynamic of the resistance change at different oxygen pressures also suggests an alternative method of low-pressure sensing.

Emulsion Solvent Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers Containing pH-Sensitive Block.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yuqing; Wang, Ke; Tan, Haiying; Xu, Jiangping; Zhu, Jintao

2017-09-26

A simple yet efficient method is developed to manipulate the self-assembly of pH-sensitive block copolymers (BCPs) confined in emulsion droplets. Addition of acid induces significant variation in morphological transition (e.g., structure and surface composition changes) of the polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) assemblies, due to the hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition of the pH-sensitive P4VP block via protonation. In the case of pH > pKa (P4VP) (pKa (P4VP) = 4.8), the BCPs can self-assemble into pupa-like particles because of the nearly neutral wetting of PS and P4VP blocks at the oil/water interface. As expected, onion-like particles obtained when pH is slightly lower than pKa (P4VP) (e.g., pH = 3.00), due to the interfacial affinity to the weakly hydrophilic P4VP block. Interestingly, when pH was further decreased to ∼2.5, interfacial instability of the emulsion droplets was observed, and each emulsion droplet generated nanoscale assemblies including vesicles, worm-like and/or spherical micelles rather than a nanostructured microparticle. Furthermore, homopolymer with different molecular weights and addition ratio are employed to adjust the interactions among copolymer blocks. By this means, particles with hierarchical structures can be obtained. Moreover, owing to the kinetically controlled processing, we found that temperature and stirring speed, which can significantly affect the kinetics of the evaporation of organic solvent and the formation of particles, played a key role in the morphology of the assemblies. We believe that manipulation of the property for the aqueous phase is a promising strategy to rationally design and fabricate polymeric assemblies with desirable shapes and internal structures.

Geological and Geochemical Characteristics of Skarn Type Lead-Zinc Deposit in Baoshan Block, Yunnan Province

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Xue; Wang, Peng

2017-11-01

Baoshan block is an important Pb-Zn-Fe-Cu polymetallic ore-concentration area which is located in southern of the Sanjiang metallogenic belt in western Yunnan. The article is studying about the geological and geochemical characteristics of the skarn type lead-zinc deposit in Baoshan block. The skarn-type lead-zinc deposit Baoshan block is characterized by skarn and skarn marble, and the orebodies are layered, or bedded along the interlayer fault, which are significantly controlled by structure. The research about Stable isotope S, H and O indicates that the ore-forming fluids are mainly derived from magmatic water, partly mixed with parts of metamorphic water and atmospheric precipitation. The initial Sr isotopic Sr87/Sr86 ratio suggests that the ore-forming materials derived from deep concealed magmatic rock, age of Rb-Sr mineralization is similar to that of Yanshanian granite. In conclusion, the Yanshanian tectonic-magmatic-fluid coupling mineralization of Yanshan formation is the main reason for the skarn-type lead-zinc deposit in the Baoshan block.

Retention and Extinction of Delay Eyeblink Conditioning Are Modulated by Central Cannabinoids

Science.gov (United States)

Steinmetz, Adam B.; Freeman, John H.

2011-01-01

Rats administered the cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2 or the antagonist SR141716A exhibit marked deficits during acquisition of delay eyeblink conditioning, as noted by Steinmetz and Freeman in an earlier study. However, the effects of these drugs on retention and extinction of eyeblink conditioning have not been assessed. The present study…

Magnitude and duration of cue-induced craving for marijuana in volunteers with cannabis use disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundahl, Leslie H; Greenwald, Mark K

2016-09-01

Evaluate magnitude and duration of subjective and physiologic responses to neutral and marijuana (MJ)-related cues in cannabis dependent volunteers. 33 volunteers (17 male) who met DSM-IV criteria for Cannabis Abuse or Dependence were exposed to neutral (first) then MJ-related visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile cues. Mood, drug craving and physiology were assessed at baseline, post-neutral, post-MJ and 15-min post MJ cue exposure to determine magnitude of cue- responses. For a subset of participants (n=15; 9 male), measures of craving and physiology were collected also at 30-, 90-, and 150-min post-MJ cue to examine duration of cue-effects. In cue-response magnitude analyses, visual analog scale (VAS) items craving for, urge to use, and desire to smoke MJ, Total and Compulsivity subscale scores of the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire, anxiety ratings, and diastolic blood pressure (BP) were significantly elevated following MJ vs. neutral cue exposure. In cue-response duration analyses, desire and urge to use MJ remained significantly elevated at 30-, 90- and 150-min post MJ-cue exposure, relative to baseline and neutral cues. Presentation of polysensory MJ cues increased MJ craving, anxiety and diastolic BP relative to baseline and neutral cues. MJ craving remained elevated up to 150-min after MJ cue presentation. This finding confirms that carry-over effects from drug cue presentation must be considered in cue reactivity studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Magnitude and duration of cue-induced craving for marijuana in volunteers with cannabis use disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Lundahl, Leslie H.; Greenwald, Mark K.

2016-01-01

Aims Evaluate magnitude and duration of subjective and physiologic responses to neutral and marijuana (MJ)–related cues in cannabis dependent volunteers. Methods 33 volunteers (17 male) who met DSM-IV criteria for Cannabis Abuse or Dependence were exposed to neutral (first) then MJ-related visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile cues. Mood, drug craving and physiology were assessed at baseline, post-neutral, post-MJ and 15-min post MJ cue exposure to determine magnitude of cue- responses. For a subset of participants (n=15; 9 male), measures of craving and physiology were collected also at 30-, 90-, and 150-min post-MJ cue to examine duration of cue-effects. Results In cue-response magnitude analyses, visual analog scale (VAS) items craving for, urge to use, and desire to smoke MJ, Total and Compulsivity subscale scores of the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire, anxiety ratings, and diastolic blood pressure (BP) were significantly elevated following MJ vs. neutral cue exposure. In cue-response duration analyses, desire and urge to use MJ remained significantly elevated at 30-, 90- and 150-min post MJ-cue exposure, relative to baseline and neutral cues. Conclusions Presentation of polysensory MJ cues increased MJ craving, anxiety and diastolic BP relative to baseline and neutral cues. MJ craving remained elevated up to 150-min after MJ cue presentation. This finding confirms that carry-over effects from drug cue presentation must be considered in cue reactivity studies. PMID:27436749

Cue competition in evaluative conditioning as a function of the learning process.

Science.gov (United States)

Kattner, Florian; Green, C Shawn

2015-11-01

Evaluative conditioning (EC) is the change in the valence of a stimulus resulting from pairings with an affective (unconditioned) stimulus (US). With some exceptions, previous work has indicated that this form of conditioning might be insensitive to cue competition effects such as blocking and overshadowing. Here we assessed whether the extent of cue competition in EC depends upon the type of contingency learning during conditioning. Specifically, we contrasted a learning task that biased participants toward cognitive/inferential learning (i.e., predicting the US) with a learning task that prevented prolonged introspection (i.e., a rapid response made to the US). In all cases, standard EC effects were observed, with the subjective liking of stimuli changed in the direction of the valence of the US. More importantly, when inferential learning was likely, larger EC effects occurred for isolated stimuli than for compounds (indicating overshadowing). No blocking effects on explicit evaluations were observed for either learning task. Contingency judgments and implicit evaluations, however, were sensitive to blocking, indicating that the absence of a blocking effect on explicit evaluations might be due to inferences that occur during testing.

Retention of 137Cs and 90Sr by mineral sorbents surrounding vitrified nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyon, K.E.; Patterson, R.J.

1985-01-01

In June 1960, twenty-five 14-cm diameter hemispheres of vitrified nuclear waste (glass blocks) were buried in a shallow sand aquifer in the lower Perch Lake Basin, Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, Ontario, Canada. Almost all leaching of the glass blocks occurred during the first 18 months of emplacement, and consequently the burial experiment approximated a single-injection source of 137 Cs and 90 Sr. After about 11 years, most of the 90 Sr that was released had been advected and dispersed from the site, whereas the bulk of the 137 Cs had travelled no more than 0.3 m from the blocks. Three piezometers were installed and five cores of sediment were collected at the glass block site in 1978. Mineralogically pure segregates of sand grains were prepared by hand and characterized using binocular, petrographic and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A technique also was developed to measure very low levels of 137 Cs and 90 Sr by counting small (10-100 mg) sediment samples directly with a thin window, flow proportional counter. Results show that sand-sized grains of altered biotite (biotite-vermiculite), biotite, muscovite, hornblende and serictized feldspar are able to retain 137 Cs over a period of 18 years, and that grains of biotite-vermiculite, biotite and hematite-bearing feldspar (largely microline) can retain low levels of 90 Sr over the same period of time. The amounts of 137 Cs and 90 Sr sorbed by the mineral grains ranged from undetectable levels to approximately 380 and 35 becquerels/gram sediment, respectively. This report contains the complete series of mineral segregates ranked on a weight basis according to the amounts of retained 137 Cs and 90 Sr. Ground-water quality data indicate that none of the retention is the result of the precipitation of strontium or cesium minerals

NESS038C6, a novel selective CB1 antagonist agent with anti-obesity activity and improved molecular profile.

Science.gov (United States)

Mastinu, Andrea; Pira, Marilena; Pani, Luca; Pinna, Gérard Aimè; Lazzari, Paolo

2012-10-01

The present work aims to study the effects induced by a chronic treatment with a novel CB1 antagonist (NESS038C6) in C57BL/6N diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice. Mice treated with NESS038C6 and fed with a fat diet (NESS038C6 FD) were compared with the following three reference experimental groups: DIO mice fed with the same fat diet used for NESS038C6 and treated with vehicle or the reference CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist rimonabant, "VH FD" and "SR141716 FD", respectively; DIO mice treated with vehicle and switched to a normal diet (VH ND). NESS038C6 chronic treatment (30 mg/kg/day for 31 days) determined a significant reduction in DIO mice weight relative to that of VH FD. The entity of the effect was comparable to that detected in both SR141716 FD and VH ND groups. Moreover, if compared to VH FD, NESS038C6 FD evidenced: (i) improvement of cardiovascular risk factors; (ii) significant decrease in adipose tissue leptin expression; (iii) increase in mRNA expression of hypothalamic orexigenic peptides and a decrease of anorexigenic peptides; (iv) expression increase of metabolic enzymes and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α in the liver; (v) normalization of monoaminergic transporters and neurotrophic expression in mesolimbic area. However, in contrast to the case of rimonabant, the novel CB1 antagonist improved the disrupted expression profile of genes linked to the hunger-satiety circuit, without altering monoaminergic transmission. In conclusion, the novel CB1 antagonist compound NESS038C6 may represent a useful candidate agent for the treatment of obesity and its metabolic complications, without or with reduced side effects relative to those instead observed with rimonabant. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of endocannabinoids in regulating drug dependence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Parolaro

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Daniela Parolaro, Daniela Vigano’, Natalia Realini, Tiziana RubinoNeuroscience Center, DBSF, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizio, ItalyAbstract: This review will discuss the latest knowledge of how the endocannabinoid system might be involved in treating addiction to the most common illicit drugs. Experimental models are providing increasing evidence for the pharmacological management of endocannabinoid signaling not only to block the direct reinforcing effects of cannabis, opioids, nicotine and ethanol, but also for preventing relapse to the various drugs of abuse, including opioids, cocaine, nicotine, alcohol and metamphetamine. Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that the endocannabinoid system can be manipulated by the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716A, that might constitute a new generation of compounds for treating addiction across different classes of abused drugs.Keywords: Endocannabinoids, drug dependence, opioids, nicotine, alcohol, psychostimulants

Individual differences in using geometric and featural cues to maintain spatial orientation: cue quantity and cue ambiguity are more important than cue type.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Jonathan W; McNamara, Timothy P; Bodenheimer, Bobby; Carr, Thomas H; Rieser, John J

2009-02-01

Two experiments explored the role of environmental cues in maintaining spatial orientation (sense of self-location and direction) during locomotion. Of particular interest was the importance of geometric cues (provided by environmental surfaces) and featural cues (nongeometric properties provided by striped walls) in maintaining spatial orientation. Participants performed a spatial updating task within virtual environments containing geometric or featural cues that were ambiguous or unambiguous indicators of self-location and direction. Cue type (geometric or featural) did not affect performance, but the number and ambiguity of environmental cues did. Gender differences, interpreted as a proxy for individual differences in spatial ability and/or experience, highlight the interaction between cue quantity and ambiguity. When environmental cues were ambiguous, men stayed oriented with either one or two cues, whereas women stayed oriented only with two. When environmental cues were unambiguous, women stayed oriented with one cue.

Does predictability matter? Effects of cue predictability on neurocognitive mechanisms underlying Prospective Memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giorgia eCona

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Prospective memory (PM represents the ability to successfully realize intentions when the appropriate moment or cue occurs. In this study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs to explore the impact of cue predictability on the cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting PM. Participants performed an ongoing task and, simultaneously, had to remember to execute a pre-specified action when they encountered the PM cues. The occurrence of the PM cues was predictable (being signalled by a warning cue for some participants and was completely unpredictable for others. In the predictable cue condition, the behavioural and ERP correlates of strategic monitoring were observed mainly in the ongoing trials wherein the PM cue was expected. In the unpredictable cue condition they were instead shown throughout the whole PM block. This pattern of results suggests that, in the predictable cue condition, participants engaged monitoring only when subjected to a context wherein the PM cue was expected, and disengaged monitoring when the PM cue was not expected. Conversely, participants in the unpredictable cue condition distributed their resources for strategic monitoring in more continuous manner. The findings of this study support the most recent views – the ‘Dynamic Multiprocess Framework’ and the ‘Attention to Delayed Intention’ (AtoDI model – confirming that strategic monitoring is a flexible mechanism that is recruited mainly when a PM cue is expected and that may interact with bottom-up spontaneous processes.

Cue reactivity is associated with duration and severity of alcohol dependence: an FMRI study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zsuzsika Sjoerds

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: With the progression of substance dependence, drug cue-related brain activation is thought to shift from motivational towards habit pathways. However, a direct association between cue-induced brain activation and dependence duration has not yet been shown. We therefore examined the relationship between alcohol cue-reactivity in the brain, cue-induced subjective craving and alcohol dependence duration and severity. Since alcohol dependence is highly comorbid with depression/anxiety, which may modulate brain responses to alcohol cues, we also examined the relation between comorbid depression/anxiety and cue-reactivity. METHODS: We compared 30 alcohol dependent patients with 15 healthy controls and 15 depression/anxiety patients during a visual alcohol cue-reactivity task using functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygenated level-dependent responses and subjective craving as outcomes. Within the alcohol dependent group we correlated cue-reactivity with alcohol dependence severity and duration, with cue-induced craving and with depression/anxiety levels. RESULTS: Alcohol dependent patients showed greater cue-reactivity in motivational brain pathways and stronger subjective craving than depression/anxiety patients and healthy controls. Depression/anxiety was not associated with cue-reactivity, but depression severity in alcohol dependent patients was positively associated with craving. Within alcohol dependence, longer duration of alcohol dependence was associated with stronger cue-related activation of the posterior putamen, a structure involved in habits, whereas higher alcohol dependence severity was associated with lower cue-reactivity in the anterior putamen, an area implicated in goal-directed behavior preceding habit formation. CONCLUSION: Cue-reactivity in alcohol dependence is not modulated by comorbid depression or anxiety. More importantly, the current data confirm the hypothesis of a ventral to dorsal striatal shift

The dynamics of ultraviolet-induced oxygen vacancy at the surface of insulating SrTiO{sub 3}(0 0 1)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suwanwong, S. [School of Physics, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); Program in General Science Teaching, Faculty of Education, Vongchavalitkul University, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); Eknapakul, T. [School of Physics, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); Rattanachai, Y. [Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); Masingboon, C. [School of Physics, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kasetsart University, Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, Sakon Nakhon 47000 (Thailand); Rattanasuporn, S.; Phatthanakun, R.; Nakajima, H. [Synchrotron Light Research Institute, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); King, P.D.C. [SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS (United Kingdom); Hodak, S.K. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Meevasana, W., E-mail: worawat@g.sut.ac.th [School of Physics, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); NANOTEC-SUT Center of Excellence on Advanced Functional Nanomaterials, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, CHE, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand)

2015-11-15

Highlights: • The dynamics of UV-induced oxygen vacancy is studied from the change of surface resistance. • The formation of 2DEG at the insulating surface of SrTiO{sub 3} is confirmed by ARPES. • The UV-induced change in resistance responds differently to oxygen/gas exposure. • The behavior of resistance recovery suggests an alternative method of low-pressure sensing. - Abstract: The effect of ultra-violet (UV) irradiation on the electronic structure and the surface resistance of an insulating SrTiO{sub 3}(0 0 1) crystal is studied in this work. Upon UV irradiation, we show that the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) emerges at the insulating SrTiO{sub 3} surface and there is a pronounced change in the surface resistance. By combining the observations of the change in valance band and the resistance change under different environments of gas pressure and gas species, we find that UV-induced oxygen vacancies at the surface plays a major role in the resistance change. The dynamic of the resistance change at different oxygen pressures also suggests an alternative method of low-pressure sensing.

ApoA-I induces S1P release from endothelial cells through ABCA1 and SR-BI in a positive feedback manner.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xing; Ren, Kun; Suo, Rong; Xiong, Sheng-Lin; Zhang, Qing-Hai; Mo, Zhong-Cheng; Tang, Zhen-Li; Jiang, Yue; Peng, Xiao-Shan; Yi, Guang-Hui

2016-12-01

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which has emerged as a pivotal signaling mediator that participates in the regulation of multiple cellular processes, is derived from various cells, including vascular endothelial cells. S1P accumulates in lipoproteins, especially HDL, and the majority of free plasma S1P is bound to HDL. We hypothesized that HDL-associated S1P is released through mechanisms associated with the HDL maturation process. ApoA-I, a major HDL apolipoprotein, is a critical factor for nascent HDL formation and lipid trafficking via ABCA1. Moreover, apoA-I is capable of promoting bidirectional lipid movement through SR-BI. In the present study, we confirmed that apoA-I can facilitate the production and release of S1P by HUVECs. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ERK1/2 and SphK activation induced by apoA-I is involved in the release of S1P from HUVECs. Inhibitor and siRNA experiments showed that ABCA1 and SR-BI are required for S1P release and ERK1/2 phosphorylation induced by apoA-I. However, the effects triggered by apoA-I were not suppressed by inhibiting ABCA1/JAK2 or the SR-BI/Src pathway. S1P released due to apoA-I activation can stimulate the (ERK1/2)/SphK1 pathway through S1PR (S1P receptor) 1/3. These results indicated that apoA-I not only promotes S1P release through ABCA1 and SR-BI but also indirectly activates the (ERK1/2)/SphK1 pathway by releasing S1P to trigger their receptors. In conclusion, we suggest that release of S1P induced by apoA-I from endothelial cells through ABCA1 and SR-BI is a self-positive-feedback process: apoA-I-(ABCA1 and SR-BI)-(S1P release)-S1PR-ERK1/2-SphK1-(S1P production)-(more S1P release induced by apoA-I).

Rb-Sr geochronology of coarse-grained greywackes and argillites from the Coffs Harbour Block, eastern Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graham, I.J.; Korsch, R.J.

1985-01-01

The Coffs Harbour Block, eastern Australia, includes a sequence of turbidity-current-deposited greywackes and argillites dominated by quartz-poor to quartz-intermediate, volcanic-lithic and feldspathic types. The rocks have a common provenance consisting of dacite with minor andesite and rhyolite, derived from a continental margin volcanic arc. Rb-Sr whole-rock dating of coarse-grained greywackes and argillites suggests that low-grade regional metamorphism (prehnite-pumpellyite to lowest greenschist facies) has completely equilibrated sediments of all grain sizes, giving an age of 318 +- 8 Ma. A subsequent metamorphism which produced thermal biotite on a regional scale over the southern part of the area, re-equilibrated only the fine-grained sediments 238 +- 5 Ma ago; the coarse-grained sediments were unaffected isotopically and still lie on the older isochron. The wide variations in sandstone petrographic modes imply that the older isochron represents neither the age of volcanism in the magmatic arc nor the age of sedimentation at the deposition site, but rather dates the time of earlier metamorphism. (orig.)

Effect of Sr/Ti Ratio on the Photocatalytic Properties of SrTiO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulaeman, U; Yin, S; Sato, T

2011-01-01

Since strontium titanate is a wide gap semiconductor, it requires UV light to generate the photocatalytic activities. Modification of strontium titanate to show photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation is the essential work to efficiently utilize the sun light energy for environmental application. It is expected that the synthesis of SrTiO 3 with variation of Sr/Ti atomic ratio could induce the defect crystals having unique photocatalytic properties. The SrTiO 3 with various Sr/Ti atomic ratios were synthesized by microwave-assisted solvothermal reaction of SrCl 2 .6H 2 O and Ti(OC 3 H 7 ) 4 in KOH aqueous solutions with different atomic ratios of Sr/Ti. The products were characterized by TG-DTA, XRD and DRS. The photocatalytic activity was determined by DeNO x ability using LED lamps with the wavelengths of 627 nm (red), 530 nm (green), 445 nm (blue) and 390 nm (UV). The nanoparticles of perovskite type SrTiO 3 with the particle size of 30-40 nm were successfully synthesized. The visible light responsive photocatalytic activity was generated by adding excess amount of Sr. The photocatalytic activity in visible light could be enhanced by an increase in the Sr/Ti atomic ratio up to 1.25, indicating that the visible light responsive photocatalytic activity is due to the generation of new band gap between the conduction band and valence band of SrTiO 3 by the formation of oxygen vacancy.

Alcohol-cue exposure effects on craving and attentional bias in underage college-student drinkers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramirez, Jason J; Monti, Peter M; Colwill, Ruth M

2015-06-01

The effect of alcohol-cue exposure on eliciting craving has been well documented, and numerous theoretical models assert that craving is a clinically significant construct central to the motivation and maintenance of alcohol-seeking behavior. Furthermore, some theories propose a relationship between craving and attention, such that cue-induced increases in craving bias attention toward alcohol cues, which, in turn, perpetuates craving. This study examined the extent to which alcohol cues induce craving and bias attention toward alcohol cues among underage college-student drinkers. We designed within-subject cue-reactivity and visual-probe tasks to assess in vivo alcohol-cue exposure effects on craving and attentional bias on 39 undergraduate college drinkers (ages 18-20). Participants expressed greater subjective craving to drink alcohol following in vivo cue exposure to a commonly consumed beer compared with water exposure. Furthermore, following alcohol-cue exposure, participants exhibited greater attentional biases toward alcohol cues as measured by a visual-probe task. In addition to the cue-exposure effects on craving and attentional bias, within-subject differences in craving across sessions marginally predicted within-subject differences in attentional bias. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Depigmented allergoids reveal new epitopes with capacity to induce IgG blocking antibodies.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Matas, M Angeles; Gallego, Mayte; Iraola, Víctor; Robinson, Douglas; Carnés, Jerónimo

2013-01-01

The synthesis of allergen-specific blocking IgGs that interact with IgE after allergen immunotherapy (SIT) has been related to clinical efficacy. The objectives were to investigate the epitope specificity of IgG-antibodies induced by depigmented-polymerized (Dpg-Pol) allergoids and unmodified allergen extracts, and examine IgE-blocking activity of induced IgG-antibodies. Rabbits were immunized with native and Dpg-Pol extracts of birch pollen, and serum samples were obtained. Recognition of linear IgG-epitopes of Bet v 1 and Bet v 2 and the capacity of these IgG-antibodies to block binding of human-IgE was determined. Serum from rabbits immunized with native extracts recognised 11 linear epitopes from Bet v 1, while that from Dpg-Pol-immunized animals recognised 8. For Bet v 2, 8 epitopes were recognized by IgG from native immunized animals, and 9 from Dpg-Pol immunized one. Dpg-Pol and native immunized serum did not always recognise the same epitopes, but specific-IgG from both could block human-IgE binding sites for native extract. Depigmented-polymerized birch extract stimulates the synthesis of specific IgG-antibodies which recognize common but also novel epitopes compared with native extracts. IgG-antibodies induced by Dpg-Pol effectively inhibit human-IgE binding to allergens which may be part of the mechanism of action of SIT.

Changes in cue-induced, prefrontal cortex activity with video-game play.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Doug Hyun; Kim, Yang Soo; Lee, Yong Sik; Min, Kyung Joon; Renshaw, Perry F

2010-12-01

Brain responses, particularly within the orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices, to Internet video-game cues in college students are similar to those observed in patients with substance dependence in response to the substance-related cues. In this study, we report changes in brain activity between baseline and following 6 weeks of Internet video-game play. We hypothesized that subjects with high levels of self-reported craving for Internet video-game play would be associated with increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, particularly the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex. Twenty-one healthy university students were recruited. At baseline and after a 6-week period of Internet video-game play, brain activity during presentation of video-game cues was assessed using 3T blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging. Craving for Internet video-game play was assessed by self-report on a 7-point visual analogue scale following cue presentation. During a standardized 6-week video-game play period, brain activity in the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex of the excessive Internet game-playing group (EIGP) increased in response to Internet video-game cues. In contrast, activity observed in the general player group (GP) was not changed or decreased. In addition, the change of craving for Internet video games was positively correlated with the change in activity of the anterior cingulate in all subjects. These changes in frontal-lobe activity with extended video-game play may be similar to those observed during the early stages of addiction.

Retrieval-induced NMDA receptor-dependent Arc expression in two models of cocaine-cue memory

OpenAIRE

Alaghband, Yasaman; O'Dell, Steven J.; Azarnia, Siavash; Khalaj, Anna J.; Guzowski, John F.; Marshall, John F.

2014-01-01

The association of environmental cues with drugs of abuse results in persistent drug-cue memories. These memories contribute significantly to relapse among addicts. While conditioned place preference (CPP) is a well-established paradigm frequently used to examine the modulation of drug-cue memories, very few studies have used the non-preference-based model conditioned activity (CA) for this purpose. Here, we used both experimental approaches to investigate the neural substrates of cocaine-cue...

Evaluative Conditioning is Insensitive to Blocking

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Tom Beckers

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Evaluative conditioning has been claimed to have a number of functional characteristics that set it apart from other forms of associative learning in humans, such as insensitivity to extinction and contingency, independence of contingency awareness, and insensitivity to modulation. Despite its potential theoretical importance, until now few data are available concerning the susceptibility of evaluative conditioning to cue competition effects such as blocking. In the present study, we assessed the susceptibility of acquired preferences and evaluations to blocking in a candy game. Results suggest that evaluative conditioning is not susceptible to blocking. We discuss this observation in the light of theoretical accounts of evaluative conditioning and associative learning in humans.

Temperature-induced delocalization of charge carriers and semiconductor to metal-like phase in SrFeO{sub 3-δ}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manimuthu, P.; Venkateswaran, C. [University of Madras, Department of Nuclear Physics, Guindy Campus, Chennai (India); Murugaraj, R. [Anna University, Department of Physics, MIT Campus, Chennai (India)

2015-04-01

Perovskite SrFeO{sub 3-δ}, a Ruddlesden-Popper class of system exhibits interesting electronic and magnetic properties. Influence of oxygen vacancies on the electrical response of nanocrystalline SrFeO{sub 2.91} as a function of temperature is investigated using impedance spectroscopy technique. A change observed in the Nyquist plot at 383 K has been analyzed in terms of localized and delocalized e{sub g} electrons. An unusual and interesting temperature-induced semiconductor to metal-like transition is observed in the frequency-dependent real part of dielectric permittivity. Dependence of frequency on the real and imaginary parts of impedance with respect to temperature supports the presence of semiconductor to metal-like transition in SrFeO{sub 2.91}. (orig.)

Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol prevents methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity.

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M Paola Castelli

Full Text Available Methamphetamine (METH is a potent psychostimulant with neurotoxic properties. Heavy use increases the activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS, production of peroxynitrites, microglia stimulation, and induces hyperthermia and anorectic effects. Most METH recreational users also consume cannabis. Preclinical studies have shown that natural (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, Δ9-THC and synthetic cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor agonists exert neuroprotective effects on different models of cerebral damage. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of Δ9-THC on METH-induced neurotoxicity by examining its ability to reduce astrocyte activation and nNOS overexpression in selected brain areas. Rats exposed to a METH neurotoxic regimen (4 × 10 mg/kg, 2 hours apart were pre- or post-treated with Δ9-THC (1 or 3 mg/kg and sacrificed 3 days after the last METH administration. Semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry was performed using antibodies against nNOS and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP. Results showed that, as compared to corresponding controls (i METH-induced nNOS overexpression in the caudate-putamen (CPu was significantly attenuated by pre- and post-treatment with both doses of Δ9-THC (-19% and -28% for 1 mg/kg pre- and post-treated animals; -25% and -21% for 3 mg/kg pre- and post-treated animals; (ii METH-induced GFAP-immunoreactivity (IR was significantly reduced in the CPu by post-treatment with 1 mg/kg Δ9-THC1 (-50% and by pre-treatment with 3 mg/kg Δ9-THC (-53%; (iii METH-induced GFAP-IR was significantly decreased in the prefrontal cortex (PFC by pre- and post-treatment with both doses of Δ9-THC (-34% and -47% for 1 mg/kg pre- and post-treated animals; -37% and -29% for 3 mg/kg pre- and post-treated animals. The cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716A attenuated METH-induced nNOS overexpression in the CPu, but failed to counteract the Δ9-THC-mediated reduction of METH-induced GFAP-IR both in the PFC and CPu. Our

Hydrogen Bond Induces Hierarchical Self-Assembly in Liquid-Crystalline Block Copolymers.

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Huang, Shuai; Pang, Linlin; Chen, Yuxuan; Zhou, Liming; Fang, Shaoming; Yu, Haifeng

2018-03-01

Microphase-separated structures of block copolymers (BCs) with a size of sub-10 nm are usually obtained by hydrogen-bond-induced self-assembly of BCs through doping with small molecules as functional additives. Here, fabrication of hierarchically self-assembled sub-10 nm structures upon microphase separation of amphiphilic liquid-crystalline BCs (LCBCs) at the existence of hydrogen bonds but without any dopants is reported. The newly introduced urethane groups in the side chain of the hydrophobic block of LCBCs interact with the ether groups of the hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block, leading to imperfect crystallization of the PEO blocks. Both crystalline and amorphous domains coexist in the separated PEO phase, enabling a lamellar structure to appear inside the PEO nanocylinders. This provides an elegant method to fabricate controllable sub-10 nm microstructures in well-defined polymer systems without the introduction of any dopants. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ferromagnetism and half metallicity induced by oxygen vacancies in the double perovskite BaSrNiWO{sub 6}: DFT study

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Aharbil, Y. [Laboratoire de Chimie Physique des Matériaux LCPM, Faculté des Sciences Ben M' Sik, Casablanca (Morocco); Labrim, H. [Unité Science de la Matière/DERS/Centre National de l’Energie, des Sciences et des Techniques Nucléaires (CNESTEN), Rabat (Morocco); Benmokhtar, S.; Haddouch, M. Ait [Laboratoire de Chimie Physique des Matériaux LCPM, Faculté des Sciences Ben M' Sik, Casablanca (Morocco); Bahmad, L., E-mail: bahmad@fsr.ac.ma [Mohammed V University in Rabat, Laboratoire de Magnétisme et Physique des Hautes Energies L.M.P.H.E. URAC-12, B.P. 1014, Rabat (Morocco); Belhaj, A. [LIRST, Département de Physique, Faculté Poly-disciplinaire, Université Sultan Moulay Slimane, Béni Mellal (Morocco); Ez-Zahraouy, H.; Benyoussef, A. [Mohammed V University in Rabat, Laboratoire de Magnétisme et Physique des Hautes Energies L.M.P.H.E. URAC-12, B.P. 1014, Rabat (Morocco)

2016-11-01

Using the spin polarized density functional theory (DFT) and exploring the Plane-Wave Self-Consistent Field (PWscf) code implemented in Quantum-ESPRESSO package, we investigate the effect of the Oxygen vacancies (V{sub O}) and the Oxygen interstitial (O{sub i}) on the double perovskite BaSrNiWO{sub 6}. This deals with the magnetic ordering and the electronic structure in such a pure sample exhibiting the insulating anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) state. This study shows that the presence of oxygen deficient defects converts the insulating to half metal with ferromagnetic or anti-ferromagnetic states. The magnetic ordering in BaSrNiWO{sub 6−δ} depends on the position of the Oxygen vacancy in the unit cell. However, it has been shown that the Oxygen interstitial preserves the anti-ferromagnetic propriety. We have computed the formation energies of different positions of the Oxygen vacancy (V{sub O}) and the Oxygen interstitial (O{sub i}) in the BaSrNiWO{sub 6} compound. We showed that the formation of V{sub O} is easier and vice versa for the O{sub i} formation. The obtained results reveal(V{sub O}) and the Oxygen interstitial (O{sub i}) that the anti-ferromagnetic can be converted to ferromagnetic in the double perovskite BaSrNiWO{sub 6} induced by Oxygen vacancies V{sub O}. - Highlights: • We have studied the ferromagnetism and Half Metallicity in Double Perovskite BaSrNiWO{sub 6}. • We have applied the Ab-inito calculations using the DFT approach. • We showed the effects induced by Oxygen Vacancies and Oxygen interstitial. • We found that the magnetic ordering in BaSrNiWO{sub 6−δ} depends on the position of the Oxygen vacancy in the unit cell.

Peak provoked craving: an alternative to smoking cue-reactivity.

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Sayette, Michael A; Tiffany, Stephen T

2013-06-01

Smoking cue-exposure research has provided a powerful tool for examining cravings in the laboratory. A key attraction of this method is that tightly controlled experimental procedures can model craving experiences that are presumed to relate to addiction. Despite its appeal, key assumptions underlying the clinical relevance of smoking cue-reactivity studies have been questioned recently. For both conceptual and methodological reasons it may be difficult to tease apart cue-based and abstinence-based cravings. Moreover, conventional cue-reactivity procedures typically generate levels of craving with only minimal clinical relevance. We argue here that sometimes it is unfeasible-and in some instances conceptually misguided-to disentangle abstinence-based and cued components of cigarette cravings. In light of the challenges associated with cue-reactivity research, we offer an alternative approach to smoking cue-exposure experimental research focusing on peak provoked craving (PPC) states. The PPC approach uses nicotine-deprived smokers and focuses on urges during smoking cue-exposure without subtracting out urge ratings during control cue or baseline assessments. This design relies on two factors found in many cue-exposure studies-nicotine deprivation and exposure to explicit smoking cues-which, when combined, can create powerful craving states. The PPC approach retains key aspects of the cue-exposure method, and in many circumstances may be a viable design for studies examining robust laboratory-induced cravings. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Epitaxial growth and thermodynamic stability of SrIrO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Groenendijk, D. J.; Manca, N.; Mattoni, G.; Kootstra, L.; Gariglio, S.; Huang, Y.; van Heumen, E.; Caviglia, A. D.

2016-07-01

Obtaining high-quality thin films of 5d transition metal oxides is essential to explore the exotic semimetallic and topological phases predicted to arise from the combination of strong electron correlations and spin-orbit coupling. Here, we show that the transport properties of SrIrO3 thin films, grown by pulsed laser deposition, can be optimized by considering the effect of laser-induced modification of the SrIrO3 target surface. We further demonstrate that bare SrIrO3 thin films are subject to degradation in air and are highly sensitive to lithographic processing. A crystalline SrTiO3 cap layer deposited in-situ is effective in preserving the film quality, allowing us to measure metallic transport behavior in films with thicknesses down to 4 unit cells. In addition, the SrTiO3 encapsulation enables the fabrication of devices such as Hall bars without altering the film properties, allowing precise (magneto)transport measurements on micro- and nanoscale devices.

Depigmented Allergoids Reveal New Epitopes with Capacity to Induce IgG Blocking Antibodies

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M. Angeles López-Matas

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The synthesis of allergen-specific blocking IgGs that interact with IgE after allergen immunotherapy (SIT has been related to clinical efficacy. The objectives were to investigate the epitope specificity of IgG-antibodies induced by depigmented-polymerized (Dpg-Pol allergoids and unmodified allergen extracts, and examine IgE-blocking activity of induced IgG-antibodies. Methods. Rabbits were immunized with native and Dpg-Pol extracts of birch pollen, and serum samples were obtained. Recognition of linear IgG-epitopes of Bet v 1 and Bet v 2 and the capacity of these IgG-antibodies to block binding of human-IgE was determined. Results. Serum from rabbits immunized with native extracts recognised 11 linear epitopes from Bet v 1, while that from Dpg-Pol-immunized animals recognised 8. For Bet v 2, 8 epitopes were recognized by IgG from native immunized animals, and 9 from Dpg-Pol immunized one. Dpg-Pol and native immunized serum did not always recognise the same epitopes, but specific-IgG from both could block human-IgE binding sites for native extract. Conclusions. Depigmented-polymerized birch extract stimulates the synthesis of specific IgG-antibodies which recognize common but also novel epitopes compared with native extracts. IgG-antibodies induced by Dpg-Pol effectively inhibit human-IgE binding to allergens which may be part of the mechanism of action of SIT.

The Effects of Spatial Endogenous Pre-cueing across Eccentricities.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jing; Spence, Ian

2017-01-01

Frequently, we use expectations about likely locations of a target to guide the allocation of our attention. Despite the importance of this attentional process in everyday tasks, examination of pre-cueing effects on attention, particularly endogenous pre-cueing effects, has been relatively little explored outside an eccentricity of 20°. Given the visual field has functional subdivisions that attentional processes can differ significantly among the foveal, perifoveal, and more peripheral areas, how endogenous pre-cues that carry spatial information of targets influence our allocation of attention across a large visual field (especially in the more peripheral areas) remains unclear. We present two experiments examining how the expectation of the location of the target shapes the distribution of attention across eccentricities in the visual field. We measured participants' ability to pick out a target among distractors in the visual field after the presentation of a highly valid cue indicating the size of the area in which the target was likely to occur, or the likely direction of the target (left or right side of the display). Our first experiment showed that participants had a higher target detection rate with faster responses, particularly at eccentricities of 20° and 30°. There was also a marginal advantage of pre-cueing effects when trials of the same size cue were blocked compared to when trials were mixed. Experiment 2 demonstrated a higher target detection rate when the target occurred at the cued direction. This pre-cueing effect was greater at larger eccentricities and with a longer cue-target interval. Our findings on the endogenous pre-cueing effects across a large visual area were summarized using a simple model to assist in conceptualizing the modifications of the distribution of attention over the visual field. We discuss our finding in light of cognitive penetration of perception, and highlight the importance of examining attentional process across

The Effects of Spatial Endogenous Pre-cueing across Eccentricities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Feng

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Frequently, we use expectations about likely locations of a target to guide the allocation of our attention. Despite the importance of this attentional process in everyday tasks, examination of pre-cueing effects on attention, particularly endogenous pre-cueing effects, has been relatively little explored outside an eccentricity of 20°. Given the visual field has functional subdivisions that attentional processes can differ significantly among the foveal, perifoveal, and more peripheral areas, how endogenous pre-cues that carry spatial information of targets influence our allocation of attention across a large visual field (especially in the more peripheral areas remains unclear. We present two experiments examining how the expectation of the location of the target shapes the distribution of attention across eccentricities in the visual field. We measured participants’ ability to pick out a target among distractors in the visual field after the presentation of a highly valid cue indicating the size of the area in which the target was likely to occur, or the likely direction of the target (left or right side of the display. Our first experiment showed that participants had a higher target detection rate with faster responses, particularly at eccentricities of 20° and 30°. There was also a marginal advantage of pre-cueing effects when trials of the same size cue were blocked compared to when trials were mixed. Experiment 2 demonstrated a higher target detection rate when the target occurred at the cued direction. This pre-cueing effect was greater at larger eccentricities and with a longer cue-target interval. Our findings on the endogenous pre-cueing effects across a large visual area were summarized using a simple model to assist in conceptualizing the modifications of the distribution of attention over the visual field. We discuss our finding in light of cognitive penetration of perception, and highlight the importance of examining

Cue reactivity towards shopping cues in female participants.

Science.gov (United States)

Starcke, Katrin; Schlereth, Berenike; Domass, Debora; Schöler, Tobias; Brand, Matthias

2013-03-01

Background and aims It is currently under debate whether pathological buying can be considered as a behavioural addiction. Addictions have often been investigated with cue-reactivity paradigms to assess subjective, physiological and neural craving reactions. The current study aims at testing whether cue reactivity towards shopping cues is related to pathological buying tendencies. Methods A sample of 66 non-clinical female participants rated shopping related pictures concerning valence, arousal, and subjective craving. In a subgroup of 26 participants, electrodermal reactions towards those pictures were additionally assessed. Furthermore, all participants were screened concerning pathological buying tendencies and baseline craving for shopping. Results Results indicate a relationship between the subjective ratings of the shopping cues and pathological buying tendencies, even if baseline craving for shopping was controlled for. Electrodermal reactions were partly related to the subjective ratings of the cues. Conclusions Cue reactivity may be a potential correlate of pathological buying tendencies. Thus, pathological buying may be accompanied by craving reactions towards shopping cues. Results support the assumption that pathological buying can be considered as a behavioural addiction. From a methodological point of view, results support the view that the cue-reactivity paradigm is suited for the investigation of craving reactions in pathological buying and future studies should implement this paradigm in clinical samples.

Modulation of radiation-induced apoptosis and G2/M block in murine T-lymphoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palayoor, S.T.; Macklis, R.M.; Bump, E.A.; Coleman, C.N.

1995-01-01

Radiation-induced apoptosis in lymphocyte-derived cell lines is characterized by endonucleolytic cleavage of cellular DNA within hours after radiation exposure. We have studied this phenomenon qualitatively (DNA gel electrophoresis) and quantitatively (diphenylamine reagent assay) in murine EL4 T-lymphoma cells exposed to 137 Cs γ irradiation. Fragmentation was discernible within 18-24 h after exposure. It increased with time and dose and reached a plateau after 8 Gy of γ radiation. We studied the effect of several pharmacological agents on the radiation-induced G 2 /M block and DNA fragmentation. The agents which reduced the radiation-induced G 2 /M-phase arrest (caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and 2-aminopurine) enhanced the degree of DNA fragmentation at 24 h. In contrast, the agents which sustained the radiation-induced G 2 /M-phase arrest (TPA, DBcAMP, IBMX and 3-aminobenzamide) inhibited the DNA fragmentation at 24 h. These studies on EL4 lymphoma cells are consistent with the hypothesis that cells with radiation-induced genetic damage are eliminated by apoptosis subsequent to a G 2 /M block. Furthermore, it may be possible to modulate the process of radiation-induced apoptosis in lymphoma cells with pharmacological agents that modify the radiation-induced G 2 /M block, and to use this effect in the treatment of patients with malignant disease. 59 refs., 7 figs

Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands

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Kray, Jutta; Gaspard, Hanna; Karbach, Julia; Blaye, Agnès

2013-01-01

In this study we examined whether developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing for task-goal maintenance are dependent on the amount of task practice and task-sequencing demands. To measure task-goal maintenance we applied a switching paradigm in which children either performed only task A or B in single-task blocks or switched between them on every second trial in mixed-task blocks. Task-goal maintenance was determined by comparing the performance between both blocks (mixing costs). The influence of verbal self-cueing was measured by instructing children to either name the next task aloud or not to verbalize during task preparation. Task-sequencing demands were varied between groups whereas one group received spatial task cues to support keeping track of the task sequence, while the other group did not. We also varied by the amount of prior practice in task switching while one group of participants practiced task switching first, before performing the task naming in addition, and the other group did it vice versa. Results of our study investigating younger (8–10 years) and older children (11–13 years) revealed no age differences in beneficial effects of verbal self-cueing. In line with previous findings, children showed reduced mixing costs under task-naming instructions and under conditions of low task-sequence demands (with the presence of spatial task cues). Our results also indicated that these benefits were only obtained for those groups of children that first received practice in task switching alone with no additional verbalization instruction. These findings suggest that internal task-cueing strategies can be efficiently used in children but only if they received prior practice in the underlying task so that demands on keeping and coordinating various instructions are reduced. Moreover, children benefitted from spatial task cues for better task-goal maintenance only if no verbal task-cueing strategy was introduced first. PMID:24381566

Plant surface cues prime Ustilago maydis for biotrophic development.

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Daniel Lanver

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Infection-related development of phytopathogenic fungi is initiated by sensing and responding to plant surface cues. This response can result in the formation of specialized infection structures, so-called appressoria. To unravel the program inducing filaments and appressoria in the biotrophic smut fungus Ustilago maydis, we exposed cells to a hydrophobic surface and the cutin monomer 16-hydroxy hexadecanoic acid. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling at the pre-penetration stage documented dramatic transcriptional changes in almost 20% of the genes. Comparisons with the U. maydis sho1 msb2 double mutant, lacking two putative sensors for plant surface cues, revealed that these plasma membrane receptors regulate a small subset of the surface cue-induced genes comprising mainly secreted proteins including potential plant cell wall degrading enzymes. Targeted gene deletion analysis ascribed a role to up-regulated GH51 and GH62 arabinofuranosidases during plant penetration. Among the sho1/msb2-dependently expressed genes were several secreted effectors that are essential for virulence. Our data also demonstrate specific effects on two transcription factors that redirect the transcriptional regulatory network towards appressorium formation and plant penetration. This shows that plant surface cues prime U. maydis for biotrophic development.

Alterations to melanocortinergic, GABAergic and cannabinoid neurotransmission associated with olanzapine-induced weight gain.

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Katrina Weston-Green

Full Text Available BACKGROUND/AIM: Second generation antipsychotics (SGAs are used to treat schizophrenia but can cause serious metabolic side-effects, such as obesity and diabetes. This study examined the effects of low to high doses of olanzapine on appetite/metabolic regulatory signals in the hypothalamus and brainstem to elucidate the mechanisms underlying olanzapine-induced obesity. METHODOLOGY/RESULTS: Levels of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC, neuropeptide Y (NPY and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD(65, enzyme for GABA synthesis mRNA expression, and cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R binding density (using [(3H]SR-141716A were examined in the arcuate nucleus (Arc and dorsal vagal complex (DVC of female Sprague Dawley rats following 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg olanzapine or vehicle (3×/day, 14-days. Consistent with its weight gain liability, olanzapine significantly decreased anorexigenic POMC and increased orexigenic NPY mRNA expression in a dose-sensitive manner in the Arc. GAD(65 mRNA expression increased and CB1R binding density decreased in the Arc and DVC. Alterations to neurotransmission signals in the brain significantly correlated with body weight and adiposity. The minimum dosage threshold required to induce weight gain in the rat was 0.5 mg/kg olanzapine. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine-induced weight gain is associated with reduced appetite-inhibiting POMC and increased NPY. This study also supports a role for the CB1R and GABA in the mechanisms underlying weight gain side-effects, possibly by altering POMC transmission. Metabolic dysfunction can be modelled in the female rat using low, clinically-comparable olanzapine doses when administered in-line with the half-life of the drug.

Cue-independent forgetting by intentional suppression - Evidence for inhibition as the mechanism of intentional forgetting.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yingying; Cao, Zhijun; Zhu, Zijian; Cai, Huaqian; Wu, Yanhong

2015-10-01

People are able to intentionally forget unwanted memories through voluntary suppression, as revealed by the Think/No-think (TNT) paradigm. However, the nature of intentional forgetting is controversial. Findings that forgetting is independent of retrieval cues suggest that inhibitory control underlies intentional forgetting, but this result is also in line with an interference account. To resolve this controversy, we have directly contrasted the cue-independent characteristic of suppression versus interference. A double-cue paradigm was used, in which two different cues were associated with the same target during initial memory formation. Only one cue-target association received further interference/suppression training. In the test phase, when both cues were used to retrieve the target, we found that interference caused memory impairment that was restricted to the trained cue-target association, while suppression induced forgetting that generalized to the independent cue-target association. Therefore, the effect of suppression differs from that of interference. The cue-independent forgetting by voluntary suppression indicates that the target memory itself is inhibited, providing evidence that the underlying mechanism of suppression-induced forgetting is inhibitory control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oxytocin differentially modulates pavlovian cue and context fear acquisition.

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Cavalli, Juliana; Ruttorf, Michaela; Pahi, Mario Rosero; Zidda, Francesca; Flor, Herta; Nees, Frauke

2017-06-01

Fear acquisition and extinction have been demonstrated as core mechanisms for the development and maintenance of mental disorders, with different contributions of processing cues vs contexts. The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) may have a prominent role in this context, as it has been shown to affect fear learning. However, investigations have focused on cue conditioning, and fear extinction. Its differential role for cue and context fear acquisition is still not known. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PLC)-controlled design, we administered an intranasal dose of OXT or PLC before the acquisition of cue and context fear conditioning in healthy individuals (n = 52), and assessed brain responses, skin conductance responses and self-reports (valence/arousal/contingency). OXT compared with PLC significantly induced decreased responses in the nucleus accumbens during early cue and context acquisition, and decreased responses of the anterior cingulate cortex and insula during early as well as increased hippocampal response during late context, but not cue acquisition. The OXT group additionally showed significantly higher arousal in late cue and context acquisition. OXT modulates various aspects of cue and context conditioning, which is relevant from a mechanism-based perspective and might have implications for the treatment of fear and anxiety. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

La interstitial defect-induced insulator-metal transition in the oxide heterostructures LaAl O3 /SrTi O3

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jun; Yang, Ming; Feng, Yuan Ping; Rusydi, Andrivo

2017-11-01

Perovskite oxide interfaces have attracted tremendous research interest for their fundamental physics and promising all-oxide electronic applications. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we propose a surface La interstitial promoted interface insulator-metal transition in LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110). Compared with surface oxygen vacancies, which play a determining role on the insulator-metal transition of LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (001) interfaces, we find that surface La interstitials can be more experimentally realistic and accessible for manipulation and more stable in an ambient atmospheric environment. Interestingly, these surface La interstitials also induce significant spin-splitting states with a Ti dy z/dx z character at a conducting LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) interface. On the other hand, for insulating LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) (<4 unit cells LaAl O3 thickness), a distortion between La (Al) and O atoms is found at the LaAl O3 side, partially compensating the polarization divergence. Our results reveal the origin of the metal-insulator transition in LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) heterostructures, and also shed light on the manipulation of the superior properties of LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) for different possibilities in electronic and magnetic applications.

Blocking CHK1 Expression Induces Apoptosis and Abrogates the G2 Checkpoint Mechanism

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Yan Luo

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chki is a checkpoint gene that is activated after DNA damage. It phosphorylates and inactivates the Cdc2 activating phosphatase Cdc25C. This in turn inactivates Cdc2, which leads to G2/M arrest. We report that blocking Chki expression by antisense or ribozymes in mammalian cells induces apoptosis and interferes with the G2/M arrest induced by adriamycin. The Chki inhibitor UCN-01 also blocks the G2 arrest after DNA damage and renders cells more susceptible to adriamycin. These results indicate that Chki is an essential gene for the checkpoint mechanism during normal cell proliferation as well as in the DNA damage response.

Dopamine D4 receptor polymorphism modulates cue-elicited heroin craving in Chinese.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Chunhong; Li, Yifeng; Jiang, Kaida; Zhang, Dandan; Xu, Yifeng; Lin, Ling; Wang, Qiuying; Zhao, Min; Jin, Li

2006-06-01

Subjective craving, which contributes to the continuation of drug use in active abuser and the occurrence of relapse in detoxified abusers, is considered to be a central phenomenon in addiction. Dopamine pathway has been implicated in the mechanism underlying the cue-elicited craving for a variety of addictive substances. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that heroin addicts carrying D4 dopamine receptor gene (DRD4) variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) long type allele would have higher craving after exposure to a heroin-related cue. Craving was induced by a series of exposure to neutral and heroin-related cue and were assessed in a cohort of Chinese heroin abusers (n=420) recruited from the Voluntary Drug Dependence Treatment Center at Shanghai. Significantly stronger cue-elicited heroin craving was found in individuals carrying DRD4 VNTR long type allele than the non-carriers (F=31.040, pcue-elicited craving in heroin dependence, indicating DRD4 VNTR represents one of potential genetic risk factors for cue-induced craving.

Electric-field-induced monoclinic phase in (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anokhin, A. S.; Yuzyuk, Yu. I.; Golovko, Yu. I.; Mukhortov, V. M.; El Marssi, M.

2011-01-01

We have studied electric-field-induced symmetry lowering in the tetragonal (001)-oriented heteroepitaxial (Ba 0.8 Sr 0.2 )TiO 3 thin film deposited on (001)MgO substrate. Polarized micro-Raman spectra were recorded from the film area in between two planar electrodes deposited on the film surface. Presence of c domains with polarization normal to the substrate was confirmed from polarized Raman study under zero field, while splitting and hardening of the E(TO) soft mode and polarization changes in the Raman spectra suggest monoclinic symmetry under external electric field.

Visual form Cues, Biological Motions, Auditory Cues, and Even Olfactory Cues Interact to Affect Visual Sex Discriminations

OpenAIRE

Rick Van Der Zwan; Anna Brooks; Duncan Blair; Coralia Machatch; Graeme Hacker

2011-01-01

Johnson and Tassinary (2005) proposed that visually perceived sex is signalled by structural or form cues. They suggested also that biological motion cues signal sex, but do so indirectly. We previously have shown that auditory cues can mediate visual sex perceptions (van der Zwan et al., 2009). Here we demonstrate that structural cues to body shape are alone sufficient for visual sex discriminations but that biological motion cues alone are not. Interestingly, biological motions can resolve ...

Efficiency of solution-processed multilayer polymer light-emitting diodes using charge blocking layers

Science.gov (United States)

Kasparek, Christian; Rörich, Irina; Blom, Paul W. M.; Wetzelaer, Gert-Jan A. H.

2018-01-01

By blending semiconducting polymers with the cross-linkable matrix ethoxylated-(4)-bisphenol-a-dimethacrylate (SR540), an insoluble layer is acquired after UV-illumination. Following this approach, a trilayer polymer light-emitting diode (PLED) consisting of a blend of poly[N,N'-bis(4-butylphenyl)-N,N'-bis(phenyl)-benzidine] (poly-TPD) and SR540 as an electron-blocking layer, Super Yellow-Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (SY-PPV) blended with SR540 as an emissive layer, and poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) as a hole-blocking layer is fabricated from solution. The trilayer PLED shows a 23% increase in efficiency at low voltage as compared to a single layer SY-PPV PLED. However, at higher voltage, the advantage in current efficiency gradually decreases. A combined experimental and modelling study shows that the increased efficiency is not only due to the elimination of exciton quenching at the electrodes but also due to suppressed nonradiative trap-assisted recombination due to carrier confinement. At high voltages, holes can overcome the hole-blocking barrier, which explains the efficiency roll-off.

Surface structural reconstruction of SrVO3 thin films on SrTiO3 (001)

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Gaomin; Saghayezhian, Mohammad; Chen, Lina; Guo, Hangwen; Zhang, Jiandi

Paramagnetic metallic oxide SrVO3>(SVO) is an itinerant system known to undergo thickness-induced metal-insulator-transition (MIT) in ultrathin film form, which makes it a prototype system for the study of the mechanism behind metal-insulator-transition like structure distortion, electron correlations and disorder-induced localization. We have grown SrVO3 thin film with atomically flat surface through the layer-by-layer deposition by laser Molecular Beam Epitaxy (laser-MBE) on SrTiO3 (001) surface. Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) measurements reveal that there is a (√2X √2) R45°surface reconstruction independent of film thickness. By using LEED-I(V) structure refinement, we determine the surface structure. In combination with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), we discuss the implication on the MIT in ultrathin films below 2-3 unit cell thickness. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under the NSF EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement No. EPS-1003897 with additional support from the Louisiana Board of Regents.

More than a feeling: Emotional cues impact the access and experience of autobiographical memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheldon, Signy; Donahue, Julia

2017-07-01

Remembering is impacted by several factors of retrieval, including the emotional content of a memory cue. Here we tested how musical retrieval cues that differed on two dimensions of emotion-valence (positive and negative) and arousal (high and low)-impacted the following aspects of autobiographical memory recall: the response time to access a past personal event, the experience of remembering (ratings of memory vividness), the emotional content of a cued memory (ratings of event arousal and valence), and the type of event recalled (ratings of event energy, socialness, and uniqueness). We further explored how cue presentation affected autobiographical memory retrieval by administering cues of similar arousal and valence levels in a blocked fashion to one half of the tested participants, and randomly to the other half. We report three main findings. First, memories were accessed most quickly in response to musical cues that were highly arousing and positive in emotion. Second, we observed a relation between a cue and the elicited memory's emotional valence but not arousal; however, both the cue valence and arousal related to the nature of the recalled event. Specifically, high cue arousal led to lower memory vividness and uniqueness ratings, but cues with both high arousal and positive valence were associated with memories rated as more social and energetic. Finally, cue presentation impacted both how quickly and specifically memories were accessed and how cue valence affected the memory vividness ratings. The implications of these findings for views of how emotion directs the access to memories and the experience of remembering are discussed.

SR 144528, the first potent and selective antagonist of the CB2 cannabinoid receptor.

Science.gov (United States)

Rinaldi-Carmona, M; Barth, F; Millan, J; Derocq, J M; Casellas, P; Congy, C; Oustric, D; Sarran, M; Bouaboula, M; Calandra, B; Portier, M; Shire, D; Brelière, J C; Le Fur, G L

1998-02-01

Based on both binding and functional data, this study introduces SR 144528 as the first, highly potent, selective and orally active antagonist for the CB2 receptor. This compound which displays subnanomolar affinity (Ki = 0.6 nM) for both the rat spleen and cloned human CB2 receptors has a 700-fold lower affinity (Ki = 400 nM) for both the rat brain and cloned human CB1 receptors. Furthermore it shows no affinity for any of the more than 70 receptors, ion channels or enzymes investigated (IC50 > 10 microM). In vitro, SR 144528 antagonizes the inhibitory effects of the cannabinoid receptor agonist CP 55,940 on forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in cell lines permanently expressing the h CB2 receptor (EC50 = 10 nM) but not in cells expressing the h CB1 (no effect at 10 microM). Furthermore, SR 144528 is able to selectively block the mitogen-activated protein kinase activity induced by CP 55,940 in cell lines expressing h CB2 (IC50 = 39 nM) whereas in cells expressing h CB1 an IC50 value of more than 1 microM is found. In addition, SR 144528 is shown to antagonize the stimulating effects of CP 55,940 on human tonsillar B-cell activation evoked by cross-linking of surface Igs (IC50 = 20 nM). In vivo, after oral administration SR 144528 totally displaced the ex vivo [3H]-CP 55,940 binding to mouse spleen membranes (ED50 = 0.35 mg/kg) with a long duration of action. In contrast, after the oral route it does not interact with the cannabinoid receptor expressed in the mouse brain (CB1). It is expected that SR 144528 will provide a powerful tool to investigate the in vivo functions of the cannabinoid system in the immune response.

Preparation of Sr adsorptive fiber by impregnating with crown ether derivative for 90Sr measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horita, Takuma; Asai, Shiho; Hanzawa, Yukiko; Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro; Konda, Miki; Saito, Kyoichi; Fujiwara, Kunio; Sugo, Takanobu

2017-01-01

A Sr adsorption fiber was prepared for rapid analysis of 90 Sr content in the fiber using radiation-induced emulsion graft polymerization and subsequent chemical modification. A polyethylene fiber with a diameter of 13 μm was first immersed in a methanol solution of an epoxy-group-containing vinyl monomer, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), and polyoxyethylene sorbitol ester (Tween20) as a surfactant for the graft-polymerization of GMA. Octadecylamine was then bound to a polymer chain extending from the fiber surface, providing hydrophobicity to the polymer chain. Dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6) was finally impregnated onto the polymer chain via a hydrophobic interaction between the octadecyl moiety of the polymer chain and the cyclohexyl moiety of DCH18C6. The fiber surface structure, characterized by DCH18C6 molecules loosely entangled with polymer chains, allowed for the rapid adsorption of Sr ions at an adsorption rate of approximately 100-times higher than that of a commercially available Sr-selective resin (Sr Resin ® ). (author)

Cue-induced alcohol-seeking behaviour is reduced by disrupting the reconsolidation of alcohol-related memories.

Science.gov (United States)

von der Goltz, Christoph; Vengeliene, Valentina; Bilbao, Ainhoa; Perreau-Lenz, Stephanie; Pawlak, Cornelius R; Kiefer, Falk; Spanagel, Rainer

2009-08-01

In humans, the retrieval of memories associated with an alcohol-related experience frequently evokes alcohol-seeking behaviour. The reconsolidation hypothesis states that a consolidated memory could again become labile and susceptible to disruption after memory retrieval. The aim of our study was to examine whether retrieval of alcohol-related memories undergoes a reconsolidation process. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were trained to self-administer ethanol in the presence of specific conditioned stimuli. Thereafter, animals were left undisturbed in their home cages for the following 21 days. Memory retrieval was performed in a single 5-min exposure to all alcohol-associated stimuli. The protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin, the non-competitive N-methyl-D: -aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 and acamprosate, a clinically used drug known to reduce a hyper-glutamatergic state, were given immediately after retrieval of alcohol-related memories. The impact of drug treatment on cue-induced alcohol-seeking behaviour was measured on the following day and 7 days later. Administration of both anisomycin and MK-801 reduced cue-induced alcohol-seeking behaviour, showing that memory reconsolidation was disrupted by these compounds. However, acamprosate had no effect on the reconsolidation process, suggesting that this process is not dependent on a hyper-glutamatergic state but is more related to protein synthesis and NMDA receptor activity. Pharmacological disruption of reconsolidation of alcohol-associated memories can be achieved by the use of NMDA antagonists and protein synthesis inhibitors and may thus provide a potential new therapeutic strategy for the prevention of relapse in alcohol addiction.

Global cue inconsistency diminishes learning of cue validity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tony Wang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available We present a novel two-stage probabilistic learning task that examines the participants’ ability to learn and utilize valid cues across several levels of probabilistic feedback. In the first stage, participants sample from one of three cues that gives predictive information about the outcome of the second stage. Participants are rewarded for correct prediction of the outcome in stage two. Only one of the three cues gives valid predictive information and thus participants can maximise their reward by learning to sample from the valid cue. The validity of this predictive information, however, is reinforced across several levels of probabilistic feedback. A second manipulation involved changing the consistency of the predictive information in stage one and the outcome in stage two. The results show that participants, with higher probabilistic feedback, learned to utilise the valid cue. In inconsistent task conditions, however, participants were significantly less successful in utilising higher validity cues. We interpret this result as implying that learning in probabilistic categorization is based on developing a representation of the task that allows for goal-directed action.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole Blocks the Occurrence of Tumor Associated Macrophages in Tobacco Smoke Carcinogen-Induced Lung Tumorigenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yan; Choksi, Swati; Liu, Zheng-Gang

2013-01-01

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote tumorigenesis because of their proangiogenic and immune-suppressive functions. Here, we report that butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) blocks occurrence of tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) in tobacco smoke carcinogen-induced lung tumorigenesis. Continuous administration of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a ROS inhibitor, before or after NNK treatment significantly blocked tumor development, although less effectively when BHA is administered after NNK treatment. Strikingly, BHA abolished the occurrence of F4/80 + macrophages with similar efficiency no matter whether it was administered before or after NNK treatment. Detection of cells from bronchioalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) confirmed that BHA markedly inhibited the accumulation of macrophages while slightly reducing the number of lymphocytes that were induced by NNK. Immunohistological staining showed that BHA specifically abolished the occurrence of CD206 + TAMs when it was administered before or after NNK treatment. Western blot analysis of TAMs markers, arginase I and Ym-1, showed that BHA blocked NNK-induced TAMs accumulation. Our study clearly demonstrated that inhibiting the occurrence of TAMs by BHA contributes to the inhibition of tobacco smoke carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis, suggesting ROS inhibitors may serve as a therapeutic target for treating smoke-induced lung cancer

Drug- and cue-induced reinstatement of cannabinoid-seeking behaviour in male and female rats: influence of ovarian hormones.

Science.gov (United States)

Fattore, L; Spano, M S; Altea, S; Fadda, P; Fratta, W

2010-06-01

Animal and human studies have shown that sex and hormones are key factors in modulating addiction. Previously, we have demonstrated that self-administration of the cannabinoid CB(1) receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (WIN; 12.5 microg.kg(-1) per infusion) is dependent on sex, intact female rats being more sensitive than males to the reinforcing properties of cannabinoids, and on the oestrous cycle, ovariectomized (OVX) females being less responsive than intact females. This follow-up study investigated whether sex and ovarian function also affect reinstatement of cannabinoid-seeking in rats after exposure to drug or cue priming. After priming with 0.15 or 0.3 mg.kg(-1) WIN, intact female rats exhibited stronger reinstatement than males and OVX females. Responses of intact female rats were higher than those of male and OVX rats even after priming with a drug-associated visual (Light) or auditory (Tone) cue, or a WIN + Light combination. However, latency to the first response did not differ between intact and OVX female rats, and males showed the longest latency to initiate lever-pressing activity. Our study provides compelling evidence for a pivotal role of sex and the oestrous cycle in modulating cannabinoid-seeking, with ovariectomy diminishing drug and cue-induced reinstatement. However, it is possible that sex differences during self-administration training are responsible for sex differences in reinstatement. Finding that not only drug primings but also acute exposure to drug-associated cues can reinstate responding in rats could have significant implications for the development of pharmacological and behavioural treatments of abstinent female and male marijuana smokers.

Cue integration vs. exemplar-based reasoning in multi-attribute decisions from memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arndt Broeder

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Inferences about target variables can be achieved by deliberate integration of probabilistic cues or by retrieving similar cue-patterns (exemplars from memory. In tasks with cue information presented in on-screen displays, rule-based strategies tend to dominate unless the abstraction of cue-target relations is unfeasible. This dominance has also been demonstrated --- surprisingly --- in experiments that demanded the retrieval of cue values from memory (M. Persson and J. Rieskamp, 2009. In three modified replications involving a fictitious disease, binary cue values were represented either by alternative symptoms (e.g., fever vs. hypothermia or by symptom presence vs. absence (e.g., fever vs. no fever. The former representation might hinder cue abstraction. The cues were predictive of the severity of the disease, and participants had to infer in each trial who of two patients was sicker. Both experiments replicated the rule-dominance with present-absent cues but yielded higher percentages of exemplar-based strategies with alternative cues. The experiments demonstrate that a change in cue representation may induce a dramatic shift from rule-based to exemplar-based reasoning in formally identical tasks.

Structural and chemical reactivity modifications of a cobalt perovskite induced by Sr-substitution. An in situ XAS study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hueso, Jose L.; Holgado, Juan P.; Pereñíguez, Rosa; Gonzalez-DelaCruz, V.M.; Caballero, Alfonso

2015-01-01

LaCoO 3 and La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3−δ perovskites have been studied by in situ Co K-edge XAS. Although the partial substitution of La(III) by Sr(II) species induces an important increase in the catalytic oxidation activity and modifies the electronic state of the perovskite, no changes could be detected in the oxidation state of cobalt atoms. So, maintaining the electroneutrality of the perovskite requires the generation of oxygen vacancies in the network. The presence of these vacancies explains that the substituted perovskite is now much more reducible than the original LaCoO 3 perovskite. As detected by in situ XAS, after a consecutive reduction and oxidation treatment, the original crystalline structure of the LaCoO 3 perovskite is maintained, although in a more disordered state, which is not the case for the Sr doped perovskite. So, the La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3−δ perovskite submitted to the same hydrogen reduction treatment produces metallic cobalt, while as determined by in situ XAS spectroscopy the subsequent oxidation treatment yields a Co(III) oxide phase with spinel structure. Surprisingly, no Co(II) species are detected in this new spinel phase. - Highlights: • A Sr-substituted lanthanum cobalt perovskite has been prepared by spray pyrolysis. • It has been established that Co(III) cations are present in both perovskites. • LaCoO 3 is a less reducible phase than the substituted La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3−δ . • After reoxidation of reduced La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3−δ , a 100% Co(III) spinel is obtained

Disease-modifying effect of atipamezole in a model of post-traumatic epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Nissinen, Jari; Andrade, Pedro; Natunen, Teemu; Hiltunen, Mikko; Malm, Tarja; Kanninen, Katja; Soares, Joana I; Shatillo, Olena; Sallinen, Jukka; Ndode-Ekane, Xavier Ekolle; Pitkänen, Asla

2017-10-01

Treatment of TBI remains a major unmet medical need, with 2.5 million new cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year in Europe and 1.5 million in the USA. This single-center proof-of-concept preclinical study tested the hypothesis that pharmacologic neurostimulation with proconvulsants, either atipamezole, a selective α 2 -adrenoceptor antagonist, or the cannabinoid receptor 1 antagonist SR141716A, as monotherapy would improve functional recovery after TBI. A total of 404 adult Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomized into two groups: sham-injured or lateral fluid-percussion-induced TBI. The rats were treated with atipamezole (started at 30min or 7 d after TBI) or SR141716A (2min or 30min post-TBI) for up to 9 wk. Total follow-up time was 14 wk after treatment initiation. Outcome measures included motor (composite neuroscore, beam-walking) and cognitive performance (Morris water-maze), seizure susceptibility, spontaneous seizures, and cortical and hippocampal pathology. All injured rats exhibited similar impairment in the neuroscore and beam-walking tests at 2 d post-TBI. Atipamezole treatment initiated at either 30min or 7 d post-TBI and continued for 9 wk via subcutaneous osmotic minipumps improved performance in both the neuroscore and beam-walking tests, but not in the Morris water-maze spatial learning and memory test. Atipamezole treatment initiated at 7 d post-TBI also reduced seizure susceptibility in the pentylenetetrazol test 14 wk after treatment initiation, although it did not prevent the development of epilepsy. SR141716A administered as a single dose at 2min post-TBI or initiated at 30min post-TBI and continued for 9 wk had no recovery-enhancing or antiepileptogenic effects. Mechanistic studies to assess the α 2 -adrenoceptor subtype specificity of the disease-modifying effects of atipametzole revealed that genetic ablation of α 2A -noradrenergic receptor function in Adra2A mice carrying an N79P point mutation had antiepileptogenic effects

Modulation of radiation-induced apoptosis and G{sub 2}/M block in murine T-lymphoma cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palayoor, S.T.; Macklis, R.M.; Bump, E.A.; Coleman, C.N. [Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States)

1995-03-01

Radiation-induced apoptosis in lymphocyte-derived cell lines is characterized by endonucleolytic cleavage of cellular DNA within hours after radiation exposure. We have studied this phenomenon qualitatively (DNA gel electrophoresis) and quantitatively (diphenylamine reagent assay) in murine EL4 T-lymphoma cells exposed to {sup 137}Cs {gamma} irradiation. Fragmentation was discernible within 18-24 h after exposure. It increased with time and dose and reached a plateau after 8 Gy of {gamma} radiation. We studied the effect of several pharmacological agents on the radiation-induced G{sub 2}/M block and DNA fragmentation. The agents which reduced the radiation-induced G{sub 2}/M-phase arrest (caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and 2-aminopurine) enhanced the degree of DNA fragmentation at 24 h. In contrast, the agents which sustained the radiation-induced G{sub 2}/M-phase arrest (TPA, DBcAMP, IBMX and 3-aminobenzamide) inhibited the DNA fragmentation at 24 h. These studies on EL4 lymphoma cells are consistent with the hypothesis that cells with radiation-induced genetic damage are eliminated by apoptosis subsequent to a G{sub 2}/M block. Furthermore, it may be possible to modulate the process of radiation-induced apoptosis in lymphoma cells with pharmacological agents that modify the radiation-induced G{sub 2}/M block, and to use this effect in the treatment of patients with malignant disease. 59 refs., 7 figs.

COH-SR4 reduces body weight, improves glycemic control and prevents hepatic steatosis in high fat diet-induced obese mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Lester Figarola

Full Text Available Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, and is one of the principal causative factors in the development of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cancer. COH-SR4 ("SR4" is a novel investigational compound that has anti-cancer and anti-adipogenic properties. In this study, the effects of SR4 on metabolic alterations in high fat diet (HFD-induced obese C57BL/J6 mice were investigated. Oral feeding of SR4 (5 mg/kg body weight. in HFD mice for 6 weeks significantly reduced body weight, prevented hyperlipidemia and improved glycemic control without affecting food intake. These changes were associated with marked decreases in epididymal fat mass, adipocyte hypertrophy, increased plasma adiponectin and reduced leptin levels. SR4 treatment also decreased liver triglycerides, prevented hepatic steatosis, and normalized liver enzymes. Western blots demonstrated increased AMPK activation in liver and adipose tissues of SR4-treated HFD obese mice, while gene analyses by real time PCR showed COH-SR4 significantly suppressed the mRNA expression of lipogenic genes such as sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (Srebf1, acetyl-Coenzyme A carboxylase (Acaca, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparg, fatty acid synthase (Fasn, stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase 1 (Scd1, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (Cpt1a and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (Hmgcr, as well as gluconeogenic genes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (Pck1 and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6pc in the liver of obese mice. In vitro, SR4 activates AMPK independent of upstream kinases liver kinase B1 (LKB1 and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ. Together, these data suggest that SR4, a novel AMPK activator, may be a promising therapeutic compound for treatment of obesity, fatty liver disease, and related metabolic disorders.

Evidence for cue-independent spatial representation in the human auditory cortex during active listening.

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins, Nathan C; McLaughlin, Susan A; Rinne, Teemu; Stecker, G Christopher

2017-09-05

Few auditory functions are as important or as universal as the capacity for auditory spatial awareness (e.g., sound localization). That ability relies on sensitivity to acoustical cues-particularly interaural time and level differences (ITD and ILD)-that correlate with sound-source locations. Under nonspatial listening conditions, cortical sensitivity to ITD and ILD takes the form of broad contralaterally dominated response functions. It is unknown, however, whether that sensitivity reflects representations of the specific physical cues or a higher-order representation of auditory space (i.e., integrated cue processing), nor is it known whether responses to spatial cues are modulated by active spatial listening. To investigate, sensitivity to parametrically varied ITD or ILD cues was measured using fMRI during spatial and nonspatial listening tasks. Task type varied across blocks where targets were presented in one of three dimensions: auditory location, pitch, or visual brightness. Task effects were localized primarily to lateral posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) and modulated binaural-cue response functions differently in the two hemispheres. Active spatial listening (location tasks) enhanced both contralateral and ipsilateral responses in the right hemisphere but maintained or enhanced contralateral dominance in the left hemisphere. Two observations suggest integrated processing of ITD and ILD. First, overlapping regions in medial pSTG exhibited significant sensitivity to both cues. Second, successful classification of multivoxel patterns was observed for both cue types and-critically-for cross-cue classification. Together, these results suggest a higher-order representation of auditory space in the human auditory cortex that at least partly integrates the specific underlying cues.

Tuning of Block Copolymer Membrane Morphology through Water Induced Phase Inversion Technique

KAUST Repository

Madhavan, Poornima

2016-06-01

Isoporous membranes are attractive for the regulation and detection of transport at the molecular level. A well-defined asymmetric membranes from diblock copolymers with an ordered nanoporous membrane morphologies were fabricated by the combination of block copolymer self-assembly and non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. This is a straightforward and fast one step procedure to develop integrally anisotropic (“asymmetric”) membranes having isoporous top selective layer. Membranes prepared via this method exhibit an anisotropic cross section with a thin separation layer supported from underneath a macroporous support. These membrane poses cylindrical pore structure with ordered nanopores across the entire membrane surfaces with pore size in the range from 20 to 40 nm. Tuning the pore morphology of the block copolymer membranes before and after fabrication are of great interest. In this thesis, we first investigated the pore morphology tuning of asymmetric block copolymer membrane by complexing with small organic molecules. We found that the occurrence of hydrogen-bond formation between PS-b-P4VP block copolymer and –OH/ –COOH functionalized organic molecules significantly tunes the pore morphology of asymmetric nanoporous membranes. In addition, we studied the complexation behavior of ionic liquids with PS-b-P4VP block copolymer in solutions and investigated their effect on final membrane morphology during the non-solvent induced phase separation process. We found that non-protic ionic liquids facilitate the formation of hexagonal nanoporous block copolymer structure, while protic ionic liquids led to a lamella-structured membrane. Secondly, we demonstrated the catalytic activity of the gold nanoparticle-enhanced hollow fiber membranes by the reduction of nitrophenol. Also, we systematically investigated the pore morphology of isoporous PS-b-P4VP using 3D imaging technique. Thirdly, we developed well-distributed silver nanoparticles on the

Visuospatial information processing load and the ratio between parietal cue and target P3 amplitudes in the Attentional Network Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Abramov, Dimitri M; Pontes, Monique; Pontes, Adailton T; Mourao-Junior, Carlos A; Vieira, Juliana; Quero Cunha, Carla; Tamborino, Tiago; Galhanone, Paulo R; deAzevedo, Leonardo C; Lazarev, Vladimir V

2017-04-24

In ERP studies of cognitive processes during attentional tasks, the cue signals containing information about the target can increase the amplitude of the parietal cue P3 in relation to the 'neutral' temporal cue, and reduce the subsequent target P3 when this information is valid, i.e. corresponds to the target's attributes. The present study compared the cue-to-target P3 ratios in neutral and visuospatial cueing, in order to estimate the contribution of valid visuospatial information from the cue to target stages of the task performance, in terms of cognitive load. The P3 characteristics were also correlated with the results of individuals' performance of the visuospatial tasks, in order to estimate the relationship of the observed ERP with spatial reasoning. In 20 typically developing boys, aged 10-13 years (11.3±0.86), the intelligence quotient (I.Q.) was estimated by the Block Design and Vocabulary subtests from the WISC-III. The subjects performed the Attentional Network Test (ANT) accompanied by EEG recording. The cued two-choice task had three equiprobable cue conditions: No cue, with no information about the target; Neutral (temporal) cue, with an asterisk in the center of the visual field, predicting the target onset; and Spatial cues, with an asterisk in the upper or lower hemifield, predicting the onset and corresponding location of the target. The ERPs were estimated for the mid-frontal (Fz) and mid-parietal (Pz) scalp derivations. In the Pz, the Neutral cue P3 had a lower amplitude than the Spatial cue P3; whereas for the target ERPs, the P3 of the Neutral cue condition was larger than that of the Spatial cue condition. However, the sums of the magnitudes of the cue and target P3 were equal in the spatial and neutral cueing, probably indicating that in both cases the equivalent information processing load is included in either the cue or the target reaction, respectively. Meantime, in the Fz, the analog ERP components for both the cue and target

Targeting extinction and reconsolidation mechanisms to combat the impact of drug cues on addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Jane R; Olausson, Peter; Quinn, Jennifer J; Torregrossa, Mary M

2009-01-01

Drug addiction is a progressive and compulsive disorder, where recurrent craving and relapse to drug-seeking occur even after long periods of abstinence. A major contributing factor to relapse is drug-associated cues. Here we review behavioral and pharmacological studies outlining novel methods of effective and persistent reductions in cue-induced relapse behavior in animal models. We focus on extinction and reconsolidation of cue-drug associations as the memory processes that are the most likely targets for interventions. Extinction involves the formation of new inhibitory memories rather than memory erasure; thus, it should be possible to facilitate the extinction of cue-drug memories to reduce relapse. We propose that context-dependency of extinction might be altered by mnemonic agents, thereby enhancing the efficacy of cue-exposure therapy as treatment strategy. In contrast, interfering with memory reconsolidation processes can disrupt the integrity or strength of specific cue-drug memories. Reconsolidation is argued to be a distinct process that occurs over a brief time period after memory is reactivated/retrieved - when the memory becomes labile and vulnerable to disruption. Reconsolidation is thought to be an independent, perhaps opposing, process to extinction and disruption of reconsolidation has recently been shown to directly affect subsequent cue-drug memory retrieval in an animal model of relapse. We hypothesize that a combined approach aimed at both enhancing the consolidation of cue-drug extinction and interfering with the reconsolidation of cue-drug memories will have a greater potential for persistently inhibiting cue-induced relapse than either treatment alone.

Sugammadex, a new reversal agent for neuromuscular block induced by rocuronium in the anaesthetized Rhesus monkey.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, H.D. de; Egmond, J. van; Pol, F. van de; Bom, A.; Booij, L.H.D.J.

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: Binding of the steroidal molecule of rocuronium by a cyclodextrin is a new concept for reversal of neuromuscular block. The present study evaluated the ability of Sugammadex Org 25969, a synthetic gamma-cyclodextrin derivative, to reverse constant neuromuscular block of about 90% induced

Eating 'Junk-Food' Produces Rapid and Long-Lasting Increases in NAc CP-AMPA Receptors: Implications for Enhanced Cue-Induced Motivation and Food Addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Oginsky, Max F; Goforth, Paulette B; Nobile, Cameron W; Lopez-Santiago, Luis F; Ferrario, Carrie R

2016-12-01

Urges to eat are influenced by stimuli in the environment that are associated with food (food cues). Obese people are more sensitive to food cues, reporting stronger craving and consuming larger portions after food cue exposure. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) mediates cue-triggered motivational responses, and activations in the NAc triggered by food cues are stronger in people who are susceptible to obesity. This has led to the idea that alterations in NAc function similar to those underlying drug addiction may contribute to obesity, particularly in obesity-susceptible individuals. Motivational responses are mediated in part by NAc AMPA receptor (AMPAR) transmission, and recent work shows that cue-triggered motivation is enhanced in obesity-susceptible rats after 'junk-food' diet consumption. Therefore, here we determined whether NAc AMPAR expression and function is increased by 'junk-food' diet consumption in obesity-susceptible vs -resistant populations using both outbred and selectively bred models of susceptibility. In addition, cocaine-induced locomotor activity was used as a general 'read out' of mesolimbic function after 'junk-food' consumption. We found a sensitized locomotor response to cocaine in rats that gained weight on a 'junk-food' diet, consistent with greater responsivity of mesolimbic circuits in obesity-susceptible groups. In addition, eating 'junk-food' increased NAc calcium-permeable-AMPAR (CP-AMPAR) function only in obesity-susceptible rats. This increase occurred rapidly, persisted for weeks after 'junk-food' consumption ceased, and preceded the development of obesity. These data are considered in light of enhanced cue-triggered motivation and striatal function in obesity-susceptible rats and the role of NAc CP-AMPARs in enhanced motivation and addiction.

Retrieval of bilingual autobiographical memories: effects of cue language and cue imageability.

Science.gov (United States)

Mortensen, Linda; Berntsen, Dorthe; Bohn, Ocke-Schwen

2015-01-01

An important issue in theories of bilingual autobiographical memory is whether linguistically encoded memories are represented in language-specific stores or in a common language-independent store. Previous research has found that autobiographical memory retrieval is facilitated when the language of the cue is the same as the language of encoding, consistent with language-specific memory stores. The present study examined whether this language congruency effect is influenced by cue imageability. Danish-English bilinguals retrieved autobiographical memories in response to Danish and English high- or low-imageability cues. Retrieval latencies were shorter to Danish than English cues and shorter to high- than low-imageability cues. Importantly, the cue language effect was stronger for low-than high-imageability cues. To examine the relationship between cue language and the language of internal retrieval, participants identified the language in which the memories were internally retrieved. More memories were retrieved when the cue language was the same as the internal language than when the cue was in the other language, and more memories were identified as being internally retrieved in Danish than English, regardless of the cue language. These results provide further evidence for language congruency effects in bilingual memory and suggest that this effect is influenced by cue imageability.

Cross-modal prediction changes the timing of conscious access during the motion-induced blindness.

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Chang, Acer Y C; Kanai, Ryota; Seth, Anil K

2015-01-01

Despite accumulating evidence that perceptual predictions influence perceptual content, the relations between these predictions and conscious contents remain unclear, especially for cross-modal predictions. We examined whether predictions of visual events by auditory cues can facilitate conscious access to the visual stimuli. We trained participants to learn associations between auditory cues and colour changes. We then asked whether congruency between auditory cues and target colours would speed access to consciousness. We did this by rendering a visual target subjectively invisible using motion-induced blindness and then gradually changing its colour while presenting congruent or incongruent auditory cues. Results showed that the visual target gained access to consciousness faster in congruent than in incongruent trials; control experiments excluded potentially confounding effects of attention and motor response. The expectation effect was gradually established over blocks suggesting a role for extensive training. Overall, our findings show that predictions learned through cross-modal training can facilitate conscious access to visual stimuli. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Competitive Stem Cell Recruitment by Multiple Cytotactic Cues

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Mendelson, Avital; Cheung, Yukkee; Paluch, Kamila; Chen, Mo; Kong, Kimi; Tan, Jiali; Dong, Ziming; Sia, Samuel K.; Mao, Jeremy J.

2014-01-01

A multitude of cytotactic cues direct cell migration in development, cancer metastasis and wound healing. However, our understanding of cell motility remains fragmented partially because current migration devices only allow the study of independent factors. We developed a cell motility assay that allows competitive recruitment of a given cell population simultaneously by gradients of multiple cytotactic cues, observable under real-time imaging. Well-defined uniform gradients of cytotactic cues can be independently generated and sustained in each channel. As a case study, bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) were exposed to 15 cytokines that are commonly present in arthritis. Cytokines that induced robust recruitment of MSCs in multiple groups were selected to ‘compete’ in a final round to yield the most chemotactic factor(s) based on cell migration numbers, distances, migration indices and motility over time. The potency of a given cytokine in competition frequently differed from its individual action, substantiating the need to test multiple cytokines concurrently due to synergistic or antagonistic effects. This new device has the rare capacity to screen molecules that induce cell migration in cancer therapy, drug development and tissue regeneration. PMID:23364311

Atomic structures of Ruddlesden-Popper faults in LaCoO3/SrRuO3 multilayer thin films induced by epitaxial strain

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Zhang, Hui; Shen, Xi; Guan, Xiangxiang; Yao, Yuan; Wang, Yanguo; Sun, Jirong; Yu, Richeng

2018-05-01

In this paper, scanning transmission electron microscopy is used to study the microstructures of the defects in LaCoO3/SrRuO3 multilayer films grown on the SrTiO3 substrates, and these films have different thickness of SrRuO3 (SRO) layers. Several types of Ruddlesden-Popper (R.P.) faults at an atomic level are found, and these chemical composition fluctuations in the growth process are induced by strain fields originating from the film-film and film-substrate lattice mismatches. Furthermore, we propose four types of structural models based on the atomic arrangements of the R.P. planar faults, which severely affect the functional properties of the films.

A role for endocannabinoids in viral-induced dyskinetic and convulsive phenomena.

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Solbrig, Marylou V; Adrian, Russell; Baratta, Janie; Piomelli, Daniele; Giuffrida, Andrea

2005-08-01

Dyskinesias and seizures are both medically refractory disorders for which cannabinoid-based treatments have shown early promise as primary or adjunctive therapy. Using the Borna disease (BD) virus rat, an animal model of viral encephalopathy with spontaneous hyperkinetic movements and seizure susceptibility, we identified a key role for endocannabinoids in the maintenance of a balanced tone of activity in extrapyramidal and limbic circuits. BD rats showed significant elevations of the endocannabinoid anandamide in subthalamic nucleus, a relay nucleus compromised in hyperkinetic disorders. While direct and indirect cannabinoid agonists had limited motor effects in BD rats, abrupt reductions of endocannabinoid tone by the CB1 antagonist SR141716A (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) caused seizures characterized by myoclonic jerks time-locked to periodic spike/sharp wave discharges on hippocampal electroencephalography. The general opiate antagonist naloxone (NLX) (1 mg/kg, s.c.), another pharmacologic treatment with potential efficacy in dyskinesias or L-DOPA motor complications, produced similar seizures. No changes in anandamide levels in hippocampus and amygdala were found in convulsing NLX-treated BD rats. In contrast, NLX significantly increased anandamide levels in the same areas of normal uninfected animals, possibly protecting against seizures. Pretreatment with the anandamide transport blocker AM404 (20 mg/kg, i.p.) prevented NLX-induced seizures. These findings are consistent with an anticonvulsant role for endocannabinoids, counteracting aberrant firing produced by convulsive agents, and with a functional or reciprocal relation between opioid and cannabinoid tone with respect to limbic convulsive phenomena.

The role of temporal delay and repeated prospective memory cue exposure on the deactivation of completed intentions.

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Walser, Moritz; Plessow, Franziska; Goschke, Thomas; Fischer, Rico

2014-07-01

Previous studies have shown that completed prospective memory (PM) intentions entail aftereffects in terms of ongoing-task-performance decrements in trials containing repeated PM cues which previously served as PM cues triggering the intended action. Previous research reported that PM aftereffects decrease over time, thus revealing a specific time course of PM aftereffects. In the present study, we tested two accounts for this pattern, assuming either that the decline of aftereffects is related to the temporal distance to PM task completion or may be a result of the repeated exposure of repeated PM cues in the ongoing task. In three experiments, we manipulated both the temporal distance to PM task completion and the frequency of repeated PM cues and demonstrated that aftereffects of completed intentions declined with repeated exposure of formerly relevant PM cues. In addition, effects of repeated exposure were not only limited to the repetition of specific PM-cue exemplars but also generalized to other semantically related PM cues within the PM-cue category. Together, findings show that decreased aftereffects of completed intentions are not related to the temporal duration of the subsequent test block, but crucially depend on the repeated exposure of the previously relevant PM cues.

The F-BAR domains from srGAP1, srGAP2 and srGAP3 regulate membrane deformation differently

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Coutinho-Budd, Jaeda; Ghukasyan, Vladimir; Zylka, Mark J.; Polleux, Franck

2012-01-01

Summary Coordination of membrane deformation and cytoskeletal dynamics lies at the heart of many biological processes critical for cell polarity, motility and morphogenesis. We have recently shown that Slit-Robo GTPase-activating protein 2 (srGAP2) regulates neuronal morphogenesis through the ability of its F-BAR domain to regulate membrane deformation and induce filopodia formation. Here, we demonstrate that the F-BAR domains of two closely related family members, srGAP1 and srGAP3 [designated F-BAR(1) and F-BAR(3), respectively] display significantly different membrane deformation properties in non-neuronal COS7 cells and in cortical neurons. F-BAR(3) induces filopodia in both cell types, though less potently than F-BAR(2), whereas F-BAR(1) prevents filopodia formation in cortical neurons and reduces plasma membrane dynamics. These three F-BAR domains can heterodimerize, and they act synergistically towards filopodia induction in COS7 cells. As measured by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, F-BAR(2) displays faster molecular dynamics than F-BAR(3) and F-BAR(1) at the plasma membrane, which correlates well with its increased potency to induce filopodia. We also show that the molecular dynamic properties of F-BAR(2) at the membrane are partially dependent on F-Actin. Interestingly, acute phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] depletion in cells does not interfere with plasma membrane localization of F-BAR(2), which is compatible with our result showing that F-BAR(2) binds to a broad range of negatively-charged phospholipids present at the plasma membrane, including phosphatidylserine (PtdSer). Overall, our results provide novel insights into the functional diversity of the membrane deformation properties of this subclass of F-BAR-domains required for cell morphogenesis. PMID:22467852

Nonmonotonic anisotropy in charge conduction induced by antiferrodistortive transition in metallic SrTiO3

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Tao, Qian; Loret, Bastien; Xu, Bin; Yang, Xiaojun; Rischau, Carl Willem; Lin, Xiao; Fauqué, Benoît; Verstraete, Matthieu J.; Behnia, Kamran

2016-07-01

Cubic SrTiO3 becomes tetragonal below 105 K. The antiferrodistortive (AFD) distortion leads to clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of adjacent TiO6 octahedra. This insulator becomes a metal upon the introduction of extremely low concentration of n -type dopants. However, signatures of the structural phase transition in charge conduction have remained elusive. Employing the Montgomery technique, we succeed in resolving the anisotropy of charge conductivity induced by the AFD transition, in the presence of different types of dopants. We find that the slight lattice distortion (liquids, the anisotropy has opposite signs for elastic and inelastic scattering. Increasing the concentration of dopants leads to a drastic shift in the temperature of the AFD transition either upward or downward. The latter result puts strong constraints on any hypothetical role played by the AFD soft mode in the formation of Cooper pairs and the emergence of superconductivity in SrTiO3.

Contrasting pressure effects in Sr2VFeAsO3 and Sr2ScFePO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotegawa, Hisashi; Kawazoe, Takayuki; Tou, Hideki; Murata, Keizo; Ogino, Hiraku; Kishio, Kohji; Shimoyama, Jun-ichi

2009-01-01

We report the resistivity measurements under pressure of two Fe-based superconductors with a thick perovskite oxide layer, Sr 2 VFeAsO 3 and Sr 2 ScFePO 3 . The superconducting transition temperature T c of Sr 2 VFeAsO 3 markedly increases with increasing pressure. Its onset value, which was T c onset =36.4 K at ambient pressure, increases to T c onset =46.0 K at ∼4 GPa, ensuring the potential of the '21113' system as a high-T c material. However, the superconductivity of Sr 2 ScFePO 3 is strongly suppressed under pressure. The T c onset of ∼16 K decreases to ∼5 K at ∼4 GPa, and the zero-resistance state is almost lost. We discuss the factor that induces this contrasting pressure effect. (author)

The Effect of Tactile Cues on Auditory Stream Segregation Ability of Musicians and Nonmusicians

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Slater, Kyle D.; Marozeau, Jeremy

2016-01-01

Difficulty perceiving music is often cited as one of the main problems facing hearing-impaired listeners. It has been suggested that musical enjoyment could be enhanced if sound information absent due to impairment is transmitted via other sensory modalities such as vision or touch. In this study...... the random melody. Tactile cues were applied to the listener’s fingers on half of the blocks. Results showed that tactile cues can significantly improve the melodic segregation ability in both musician and nonmusician groups in challenging listening conditions. Overall, the musician group performance...... was always better; however, the magnitude of improvement with the introduction of tactile cues was similar in both groups. This study suggests that hearing-impaired listeners could potentially benefit from a system transmitting such information via a tactile modality...

The medial prefrontal cortex is involved in spatial memory retrieval under partial-cue conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Jo, Yong Sang; Park, Eun Hye; Kim, Il Hwan; Park, Soon Kwon; Kim, Hyun; Kim, Hyun Taek; Choi, June-Seek

2007-12-05

Brain circuits involved in pattern completion, or retrieval of memory from fragmented cues, were investigated. Using different versions of the Morris water maze, we explored the roles of the CA3 subregion of the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in spatial memory retrieval under various conditions. In a hidden platform task, both CA3 and mPFC lesions disrupted memory retrieval under partial-cue, but not under full-cue, conditions. For a delayed matching-to-place task, CA3 lesions produced a deficit in both forming and recalling spatial working memory regardless of extramaze cue conditions. In contrast, damage to mPFC impaired memory retrieval only when a fraction of cues was available. To corroborate the lesion study, we examined the expression of the immediate early gene c-fos in mPFC and the hippocampus. After training of spatial reference memory in full-cue conditions for 6 d, the same training procedure in the absence of all cues except one increased the number of Fos-immunoreactive cells in mPFC and CA3. Furthermore, mPFC inactivation with muscimol, a GABA agonist, blocked memory retrieval in the degraded-cue environment. However, mPFC-lesioned animals initially trained in a single-cue environment had no difficulty in retrieving spatial memory when the number of cues was increased, demonstrating that contextual change per se did not impair the behavioral performance of the mPFC-lesioned animals. Together, these findings strongly suggest that pattern completion requires interactions between mPFC and the hippocampus, in which mPFC plays significant roles in retrieving spatial information maintained in the hippocampus for efficient navigation.

Cue-induced striatal dopamine release in Parkinson's disease-associated impulsive-compulsive behaviours.

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O'Sullivan, Sean S; Wu, Kit; Politis, Marios; Lawrence, Andrew D; Evans, Andrew H; Bose, Subrata K; Djamshidian, Atbin; Lees, Andrew J; Piccini, Paola

2011-04-01

Impulsive-compulsive behaviours are a significant source of morbidity for patients with Parkinson's disease receiving dopaminergic therapy. The development of these behaviours may reflect sensitization of the neural response to non-drug rewards, similar to that proposed for sensitization to drug rewards in addiction. Here, by using (11)C-raclopride positron emission tomography imaging, we investigated the effects of reward-related cues and L-dopa challenge in patients with Parkinson's disease with and without impulsive-compulsive behaviours on striatal levels of synaptic dopamine. Eighteen patients (11 with and seven without impulsive-compulsive behaviours) underwent three (11)C-raclopride positron emission tomography scans. The impulsive-compulsive behaviours included hypersexuality, binge eating, punding, compulsive use of dopamine replacement therapy, compulsive buying and pathological gambling, with eight patients exhibiting more than one impulsive-compulsive behaviour. There were no significant differences in baseline dopamine D2 receptor availability between the Parkinson's disease groups. No differences were found when comparing the percentage change of raclopride binding potential between the two Parkinson's disease groups following L-dopa challenge with neutral cues. The group with Parkinson's disease with impulsive-compulsive behaviours had a greater reduction of ventral striatum (11)C-raclopride binding potential following reward-related cue exposure, relative to neutral cue exposure, following L-dopa challenge (16.3% compared with 5.8% in Parkinson's disease controls, P = 0.016). The heightened response of striatal reward circuitry to heterogeneous reward-related visual cues among a group of patients with different impulsive-compulsive behaviours is consistent with a global sensitization to appetitive behaviours with dopaminergic therapy in vulnerable individuals. Our findings are relevant for the broader debate on the relation between impulsive

The Effect of an Extinction Cue on ABA-Renewal: Does Valence Matter?

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Dibbets, Pauline; Maes, Joseph H. R.

2011-01-01

The present human fear conditioning study examined whether the valence of an extinction cue has a differential effect on attenuating renewal that is induced by removal of the extinction context. Additionally, the study aimed to assess whether such attenuating effect is based on a modulatory or safety-signal role of the cue. In acquisition,…

Reversal of profound vecuronium-induced neuromuscular block under sevoflurane anesthesia: sugammadex versus neostigmine.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lemmens Hendrikus JM

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors cannot rapidly reverse profound neuromuscular block. Sugammadex, a selective relaxant binding agent, reverses the effects of rocuronium and vecuronium by encapsulation. This study assessed the efficacy of sugammadex compared with neostigmine in reversal of profound vecuronium-induced neuromuscular block under sevoflurane anesthesia. Methods Patients aged ≥18 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists class 1-4, scheduled to undergo surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled in this phase III, multicenter, randomized, safety-assessor blinded study. Sevoflurane anesthetized patients received vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg for intubation, with maintenance doses of 0.015 mg/kg as required. Patients were randomized to receive sugammadex 4 mg/kg or neostigmine 70 μg/kg with glycopyrrolate 14 μg/kg at 1-2 post-tetanic counts. The primary efficacy variable was time from start of study drug administration to recovery of the train-of-four ratio to 0.9. Safety assessments included physical examination, laboratory data, vital signs, and adverse events. Results Eighty three patients were included in the intent-to-treat population (sugammadex, n = 47; neostigmine, n = 36. Geometric mean time to recovery of the train-of-four ratio to 0.9 was 15-fold faster with sugammadex (4.5 minutes compared with neostigmine (66.2 minutes; p Conclusions Recovery from profound vecuronium-induced block is significantly faster with sugammadex, compared with neostigmine. Neostigmine did not rapidly reverse profound neuromuscular block (Trial registration number: NCT00473694.

Eating ‘Junk-Food' Produces Rapid and Long-Lasting Increases in NAc CP-AMPA Receptors: Implications for Enhanced Cue-Induced Motivation and Food Addiction

Science.gov (United States)

Oginsky, Max F; Goforth, Paulette B; Nobile, Cameron W; Lopez-Santiago, Luis F; Ferrario, Carrie R

2016-01-01

Urges to eat are influenced by stimuli in the environment that are associated with food (food cues). Obese people are more sensitive to food cues, reporting stronger craving and consuming larger portions after food cue exposure. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) mediates cue-triggered motivational responses, and activations in the NAc triggered by food cues are stronger in people who are susceptible to obesity. This has led to the idea that alterations in NAc function similar to those underlying drug addiction may contribute to obesity, particularly in obesity-susceptible individuals. Motivational responses are mediated in part by NAc AMPA receptor (AMPAR) transmission, and recent work shows that cue-triggered motivation is enhanced in obesity-susceptible rats after ‘junk-food' diet consumption. Therefore, here we determined whether NAc AMPAR expression and function is increased by ‘junk-food' diet consumption in obesity-susceptible vs -resistant populations using both outbred and selectively bred models of susceptibility. In addition, cocaine-induced locomotor activity was used as a general ‘read out' of mesolimbic function after ‘junk-food' consumption. We found a sensitized locomotor response to cocaine in rats that gained weight on a ‘junk-food' diet, consistent with greater responsivity of mesolimbic circuits in obesity-susceptible groups. In addition, eating ‘junk-food' increased NAc calcium-permeable-AMPAR (CP-AMPAR) function only in obesity-susceptible rats. This increase occurred rapidly, persisted for weeks after ‘junk-food' consumption ceased, and preceded the development of obesity. These data are considered in light of enhanced cue-triggered motivation and striatal function in obesity-susceptible rats and the role of NAc CP-AMPARs in enhanced motivation and addiction. PMID:27383008

Exposure to retrieval cues improves retention performance and induces changes in ACTH and corticosterone release.

Science.gov (United States)

Gisquet-Verrier, Pascale; Botreau, Fanny; Venero, Cesar; Sandi, Carmen

2004-05-01

Memory retrieval can be facilitated by pretest exposure to cues associated with the original training. The present series of experiments was aimed at investigating whether the effectiveness of the retrieval cues might be due to their emotional value and thus be associated to a particular pattern of activation of stress systems. Therefore, the effects of exposing rats to different cueing conditions were investigated both on retention performance and on the level of different stress hormones (ACTH, corticosterone and glucose; the latter as an indirect index of adrenergic/sympathetic nervous system activation). Rats trained in a brightness avoidance discrimination task exhibited an enhancement of the retention performance following exposure to the light discriminative stimulus when delivered 1-day after training and not after 21 days, while exposure to contextual cues led to opposite effects on the retention performance, confirming our previous results. Analyses of the level of stress hormones at the time of testing indicated that when the retrieval cues were effective at the behavioral level, cued rats exhibited higher ACTH plasmatic levels than controls, but did not differ in their glucose or corticosterone levels. Further experiments showed that one day after training, both ACTH and corticosterone levels were elevated in light-cued rats if hormone samples were taken 15 min after cueing. These results show that exposure to an effective retrieval cue is accompanied by the activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. The possible involvement of the Corticotropin Releasing Factor at the level of the hypothalamus and amygdala (particularly the central nucleus) on the facilitating effect on retention performance following exposure to aversive training-associated cues is discussed. The present results strengthen the notion that emotion can interact with retrieval processes.

Effects of GABA(B) receptor agents on cocaine priming, discrete contextual cue and food induced relapses.

Science.gov (United States)

Filip, Małgorzata; Frankowska, Małgorzata

2007-10-01

In the present study we investigated the effects of the GABA(B) receptor antagonist (2S)-(+)-5,5-dimethyl-2-morpholineacetic acid (SCH 50911), the agonists baclofen and 3-aminopropyl(methyl)phosphinic acid (SKF 97541), and the allosteric positive modulator 3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-hydroxy-beta,beta-dimethylbenzenepropanol (CGP 7930) on cocaine seeking behavior. The effects of the above drugs on the reinstatement of responding induced by natural reinforcer (food) were also studied. Male Wistar rats were trained to self-administer either cocaine (0.5 mg/kg/infusion) or food (sweet milk) and responding on the reinforcer-paired lever was extinguished. Reinstatement of responding was induced by a noncontingent presentation of the self-administered reinforcer (10 mg/kg cocaine, i.p.), a discrete contextual cue, or a contingent presentation of food. SCH 50911 (3-10 mg/kg) dose-dependently attenuated responding on the previously cocaine-paired lever during both reinstatement conditions, with slightly greater efficacy at reducing conditioned cue reinstatement. At the same time, it failed to alter reinstatement of food-seeking behavior. Baclofen (1.25-5 mg/kg) and SKF 97541 (0.03-0.3 mg/kg) attenuated cocaine- or food-seeking behavior; the effect of the drug appeared more effective for cocaine-seeking than food-seeking. CGP 7930 (10-30 mg/kg) reduced cocaine seeking without affecting food-induced reinstatement on reward seeking. Our results indicate that tonic activation of GABA(B) receptors is required for cocaine seeking behavior in rats. Moreover, the GABA(B) receptor antagonist SCH 50911 was effective in reducing relapse to cocaine at doses that failed to alter reinstatement of food-seeking behavior (present study), basal locomotor activity, cocaine and food self-administration (Filip et al., submitted for publication), suggesting its selective effects on motivated drug-seeking behavior. The potent inhibitory responses on cocaine seeking behavior were also seen

Spatial orienting around the fovea: exogenous and endogenous cueing effects.

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Yang, Taoxi; Zhang, Jiyuan; Bao, Yan

2015-09-01

The effect of covert attention in perifoveal and peripheral locations has been studied extensively. However, it is less clear whether attention operates similarly in the foveal area itself. The present study aims to investigate whether the attentional orienting elicited by an exogenous or endogenous cue can operate within the foveal area and whether attentional orienting operates similarly between foveal and perifoveal regions. By manipulating exogenous orienting in Experiment 1 and endogenous orienting in Experiment 2, we observed both forms of cueing in the foveal area. Specifically, we observed a larger exogenous cue-induced inhibitory effect (i.e., inhibition of return effect) and a similar endogenous cue-elicited facilitatory effect for the perifoveal relative to the foveal targets. We conclude that exogenous and endogenous orienting subject to two independent attentional systems with distinct modulation patterns in the foveal area.

Single- and Multilayered Nanostructures via Laser-Induced Block Copolymer Self-Assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Majewski, Pawel; Yager, Kevin; Rahman, Atikur; Black, Charles

We present a novel method of accelerated self-assembly of block copolymer thin films utilizing laser light, called Laser Zone Annealing (LZA). In our approach, steep temperature transients are induced in block copolymer films by rastering narrowly focused laser line over the light-absorbing substrate. Extremely steep temperature gradients accelerate the process of self-assembly by several orders-of-magnitude compared to conventional oven annealing, and, when coupled to photo-thermal shearing, lead to global alignment of block copolymer domains assessed by GISXAS diffraction studies and real-space SEM imaging. We demonstrate monolithic alignment of various block-copolymer thin films including PS-b-PMMA, PS-b-PEO, PS-b-P2VP, PS-b-PI and observe different responsiveness to the shearing rate depending on the characteristic relaxation timescale of the particular material. Subsequently, we use the aligned polymeric films as templates for synthesis of single- and multi-layered arrays of inorganic, metallic or semiconducting nanowires and nanomeshes and investigate their anisotropic electro-optical properties. Research carried out in part at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.

The hidden cost of coaching: intentional training of shot adequacy discrimination in basketball hampers utilization of informative incidental cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez Cadenas, Ernesto; Cárdenas, David; Sánchez Delgado, Guillermo; Perales, José C

2015-02-01

The goal was to identify the advantages and disadvantages of using intentional guidance to teach to discriminate between good and bad circumstances to shoot in basketball. A simulated shot-adequacy learning task was developed, in which participants were asked to decide, in each trial, whether the player in possession of the ball should shoot or not. After each decision, they received feedback on their response (determined by five cues: Opposition, Rebound, Balance, Alternative, and Distance). 65 naïve participants (M age = 18.6 yr., SD = 1.3) were divided into two groups. The Incidental group received no guiding instructions. The Intentional group was instructed to utilize four of the five cues. The Distance cue was kept incidental for both groups. Participants effectively incorporated the cues into their decisions. Guidance had a markedly different effect across cues. The Intentional group utilized Distance less efficiently than the Incidental group, i.e., intentional instructions on the other four cues nearly blocked the utilization of Distance.

Cue reactivity is associated with duration and severity of alcohol dependence: an FMRI study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sjoerds, Zsuzsika; van den Brink, Wim; Beekman, Aartjan T. F.; Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.; Veltman, Dick J.

2014-01-01

With the progression of substance dependence, drug cue-related brain activation is thought to shift from motivational towards habit pathways. However, a direct association between cue-induced brain activation and dependence duration has not yet been shown. We therefore examined the relationship

Methylphenidate attenuates limbic brain inhibition after cocaine-cues exposure in cocaine abusers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nora D Volkow

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Dopamine (phasic release is implicated in conditioned responses. Imaging studies in cocaine abusers show decreases in striatal dopamine levels, which we hypothesize may enhance conditioned responses since tonic dopamine levels modulate phasic dopamine release. To test this we assessed the effects of increasing tonic dopamine levels (using oral methylphenidate on brain activation induced by cocaine-cues in cocaine abusers. Brain metabolism (marker of brain function was measured with PET and (18FDG in 24 active cocaine abusers tested four times; twice watching a Neutral video (nature scenes and twice watching a Cocaine-cues video; each video was preceded once by placebo and once by methylphenidate (20 mg. The Cocaine-cues video increased craving to the same extent with placebo (68% and with methylphenidate (64%. In contrast, SPM analysis of metabolic images revealed that differences between Neutral versus Cocaine-cues conditions were greater with placebo than methylphenidate; whereas with placebo the Cocaine-cues decreased metabolism (p<0.005 in left limbic regions (insula, orbitofrontal, accumbens and right parahippocampus, with methylphenidate it only decreased in auditory and visual regions, which also occurred with placebo. Decreases in metabolism in these regions were not associated with craving; in contrast the voxel-wise SPM analysis identified significant correlations with craving in anterior orbitofrontal cortex (p<0.005, amygdala, striatum and middle insula (p<0.05. This suggests that methylphenidate's attenuation of brain reactivity to Cocaine-cues is distinct from that involved in craving. Cocaine-cues decreased metabolism in limbic regions (reflects activity over 30 minutes, which contrasts with activations reported by fMRI studies (reflects activity over 2-5 minutes that may reflect long-lasting limbic inhibition following activation. Studies to evaluate the clinical significance of methylphenidate's blunting of cue-induced limbic

Methylphenidate attenuates limbic brain inhibition after cocaine-cues exposure in cocaine abusers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkow, N.D.; Wang, G.-J.; Tomasi, D.; Telang, F.; Fowler, J.S.; Pradhan, K.; Jayne, M.; Logan, J.; Goldstein, R.Z.; Alia-Klein, N.; Wong, C.T.

2010-01-01

Dopamine (phasic release) is implicated in conditioned responses. Imaging studies in cocaine abusers show decreases in striatal dopamine levels, which we hypothesize may enhance conditioned responses since tonic dopamine levels modulate phasic dopamine release. To test this we assessed the effects of increasing tonic dopamine levels (using oral methylphenidate) on brain activation induced by cocaine-cues in cocaine abusers. Brain metabolism (marker of brain function) was measured with PET and 18 FDG in 24 active cocaine abusers tested four times; twice watching a Neutral video (nature scenes) and twice watching a Cocaine-cues video; each video was preceded once by placebo and once by methylphenidate (20 mg). The Cocaine-cues video increased craving to the same extent with placebo (68%) and with methylphenidate (64%). In contrast, SPM analysis of metabolic images revealed that differences between Neutral versus Cocaine-cues conditions were greater with placebo than methylphenidate; whereas with placebo the Cocaine-cues decreased metabolism (p<0.005) in left limbic regions (insula, orbitofrontal, accumbens) and right parahippocampus, with methylphenidate it only decreased in auditory and visual regions, which also occurred with placebo. Decreases in metabolism in these regions were not associated with craving; in contrast the voxel-wise SPM analysis identified significant correlations with craving in anterior orbitofrontal cortex (p<0.005), amygdala, striatum and middle insula (p<0.05). This suggests that methylphenidate's attenuation of brain reactivity to Cocaine-cues is distinct from that involved in craving. Cocaine-cues decreased metabolism in limbic regions (reflects activity over 30 minutes), which contrasts with activations reported by fMRI studies (reflects activity over 2-5 minutes) that may reflect long-lasting limbic inhibition following activation. Studies to evaluate the clinical significance of methylphenidate's blunting of cue-induced limbic

Plant responsiveness to root-root communication of stress cues.

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Falik, Omer; Mordoch, Yonat; Ben-Natan, Daniel; Vanunu, Miriam; Goldstein, Oron; Novoplansky, Ariel

2012-07-01

Phenotypic plasticity is based on the organism's ability to perceive, integrate and respond to multiple signals and cues informative of environmental opportunities and perils. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that plants are able to adapt to imminent threats by perceiving cues emitted from their damaged neighbours. Here, the hypothesis was tested that unstressed plants are able to perceive and respond to stress cues emitted from their drought- and osmotically stressed neighbours and to induce stress responses in additional unstressed plants. Split-root Pisum sativum, Cynodon dactylon, Digitaria sanguinalis and Stenotaphrum secundatum plants were subjected to osmotic stress or drought while sharing one of their rooting volumes with an unstressed neighbour, which in turn shared its other rooting volume with additional unstressed neighbours. Following the kinetics of stomatal aperture allowed testing for stress responses in both the stressed plants and their unstressed neighbours. In both P. sativum plants and the three wild clonal grasses, infliction of osmotic stress or drought caused stomatal closure in both the stressed plants and in their unstressed neighbours. While both continuous osmotic stress and drought induced prolonged stomatal closure and limited acclimation in stressed plants, their unstressed neighbours habituated to the stress cues and opened their stomata 3-24 h after the beginning of stress induction. The results demonstrate a novel type of plant communication, by which plants might be able to increase their readiness to probable future osmotic and drought stresses. Further work is underway to decipher the identity and mode of operation of the involved communication vectors and to assess the potential ecological costs and benefits of emitting and perceiving drought and osmotic stress cues under various ecological scenarios.

Effects of cues in a binary categorization task on dual-task performance, mental workload, and effort.

Science.gov (United States)

Botzer, Assaf; Meyer, Joachim; Parmet, Yisrael

2016-09-01

Binary cues help operators perform binary categorization tasks, such as monitoring for system failures. They may also allow them to attend to other tasks they concurrently perform. If the time saved by using cues is allocated to other concurrent tasks, users' overall effort may remain unchanged. In 2 experiments, participants performed a simulated quality control task, together with a tracking task. In half the experimental blocks cues were available, and participants could use them in their decisions about the quality of products (intact or faulty). In Experiment 1, the difficulty of tracking was constant, while in Experiment 2, tracking difficulty differed in the 2 halves of the experiment. In both experiments, participants reported on the NASA Task Load Index that cues improved their performance and reduced their frustration. Consequently, their overall score on mental workload (MWL) was lower with cues. They also reported, however, that cues did not reduce their effort. We conclude that cues and other forms of automation may support task performance and reduce overall MWL, but this will not necessarily mean that users will work less hard. Thus, effort and overall MWL should be evaluated separately, if one wants to obtain a full picture of the effects of automation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Compass cues used by a nocturnal bull ant, Myrmecia midas.

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Freas, Cody A; Narendra, Ajay; Cheng, Ken

2017-05-01

Ants use both terrestrial landmarks and celestial cues to navigate to and from their nest location. These cues persist even as light levels drop during the twilight/night. Here, we determined the compass cues used by a nocturnal bull ant, Myrmecia midas , in which the majority of individuals begin foraging during the evening twilight period. Myrmecia midas foragers with vectors of ≤5   m when displaced to unfamiliar locations did not follow the home vector, but instead showed random heading directions. Foragers with larger home vectors (≥10   m) oriented towards the fictive nest, indicating a possible increase in cue strength with vector length. When the ants were displaced locally to create a conflict between the home direction indicated by the path integrator and terrestrial landmarks, foragers oriented using landmark information exclusively and ignored any accumulated home vector regardless of vector length. When the visual landmarks at the local displacement site were blocked, foragers were unable to orient to the nest direction and their heading directions were randomly distributed. Myrmecia midas ants typically nest at the base of the tree and some individuals forage on the same tree. Foragers collected on the nest tree during evening twilight were unable to orient towards the nest after small lateral displacements away from the nest. This suggests the possibility of high tree fidelity and an inability to extrapolate landmark compass cues from information collected on the tree and at the nest site to close displacement sites. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Radiation defects in SrB4O7:Eu2+ crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yavetskiy, R.P.; Dolzhenkova, E.F.; Tolmachev, A.V.; Parkhomenko, S.V.; Baumer, V.N.; Prosvirnin, A.L.

2007-01-01

Radiation-induced defects in SrB 4 O 7 :Eu 2+ (0.033 at.%) single crystal irradiated with γ and X-ray quanta has been studied. The induced optical absorption in the 400-700 nm region has been ascribed to F + centers. The Eu 2+ ions have been shown to act simultaneously as traps and as radiative recombination centers of charge carriers. Basing on the thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL), optical absorption and photoluminescence studies of SrB 4 O 7 :Eu 2+ crystals, a TSL mechanism has been proposed associated with the decay of F + centers being in non-equivalent crystallographic positions followed by radiative recombination of charge carriers on europium ions. Various positions of localization of the radiation-induced defects in the SrB 4 O 7 crystal structure have been discussed

Prefrontal gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor insertion controls cue-induced relapse to nicotine seeking.

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Lubbers, Bart R; van Mourik, Yvar; Schetters, Dustin; Smit, August B; De Vries, Taco J; Spijker, Sabine

2014-11-01

Current smoking cessation therapies offer limited success, as relapse rates remain high. Nicotine, which is the major component of tobacco smoke, is thought to be primarily responsible for the addictive properties of tobacco. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying nicotine relapse, hampering development of more effective therapies. The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic receptors in controlling relapse to nicotine seeking. Using an intravenous self-administration model, we studied glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor regulation in the synaptic membrane fraction of the rat mPFC following extinction and cue-induced relapse to nicotine seeking. Subsequently, we locally intervened at the level of GABAergic signaling by using a mimetic peptide of the GABA receptor associated protein-interacting domain of GABA type A (GABAA) receptor subunit γ2 (TAT-GABAγ2) and muscimol, a GABAA receptor agonist. Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors were not regulated after the 30-min relapse test. However, GABAA receptor subunits α1 and γ2 were upregulated, and interference with GABAA receptor insertion in the cell membrane using the TAT-GABAγ2 peptide in the dorsal mPFC, but not the ventral mPFC, significantly increased responding during relapse. Increasing GABAA transmission with muscimol in the dorsal and ventral mPFC attenuated relapse. These data indicate that cue-induced relapse entails a GABAergic plasticity mechanism that limits nicotine seeking by restoring inhibitory control in the dorsal mPFC. GABAA receptor-mediated neurotransmission in the dorsal mPFC constitutes a possible future therapeutic target for maintaining smoking abstinence. Copyright © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Retrieval-induced NMDA receptor-dependent Arc expression in two models of cocaine-cue memory.

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Alaghband, Yasaman; O'Dell, Steven J; Azarnia, Siavash; Khalaj, Anna J; Guzowski, John F; Marshall, John F

2014-12-01

The association of environmental cues with drugs of abuse results in persistent drug-cue memories. These memories contribute significantly to relapse among addicts. While conditioned place preference (CPP) is a well-established paradigm frequently used to examine the modulation of drug-cue memories, very few studies have used the non-preference-based model conditioned activity (CA) for this purpose. Here, we used both experimental approaches to investigate the neural substrates of cocaine-cue memories. First, we directly compared, in a consistent setting, the involvement of cortical and subcortical brain regions in cocaine-cue memory retrieval by quantifying activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated (Arc) protein expression in both the CPP and CA models. Second, because NMDA receptor activation is required for Arc expression, we investigated the NMDA receptor dependency of memory persistence using the CA model. In both the CPP and CA models, drug-paired animals showed significant increases in Arc immunoreactivity in regions of the frontal cortex and amygdala compared to unpaired controls. Additionally, administration of a NMDA receptor antagonist (MK-801 or memantine) immediately after cocaine-CA memory reactivation impaired the subsequent conditioned locomotion associated with the cocaine-paired environment. The enhanced Arc expression evident in a subset of corticolimbic regions after retrieval of a cocaine-context memory, observed in both the CPP and CA paradigms, likely signifies that these regions: (i) are activated during retrieval of these memories irrespective of preference-based decisions, and (ii) undergo neuroplasticity in order to update information about cues previously associated with cocaine. This study also establishes the involvement of NMDA receptors in maintaining memories established using the CA model, a characteristic previously demonstrated using CPP. Overall, these results demonstrate the utility of the CA model for studies of cocaine

Can Victoria's Secret Change the Future? A Subjective Time Perception Account of Sexual-Cue Effects on Impatience

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, B. Kyu; Zauberman, Gal

2013-01-01

Sexual cues influence decisions not only about sex, but also about unrelated outcomes such as money. In the presence of sexual cues, individuals are more "impatient" when making intertemporal monetary tradeoffs, choosing smaller immediate amounts over larger delayed amounts. Previous research has emphasized the power of sexual cues to induce a…

Targeting extinction and reconsolidation mechanisms to combat the impact of drug cues on addiction

OpenAIRE

Taylor, Jane R.; Olausson, Peter; Quinn, Jennifer J.; Torregrossa, Mary M.

2008-01-01

Drug addiction is a progressive and compulsive disorder, where recurrent craving and relapse to drug seeking occur even after long periods of abstinence. A major contributing factor to relapse is drug-associated cues. Here we review behavioral and pharmacological studies outlining novel methods of effective and persistent reductions in cue-induced relapse behavior in animal models. We focus on extinction and reconsolidation of cue-drug associations as the memory processes that are the most li...

Small molecule inhibitors block Gas6-inducible TAM activation and tumorigenicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimani, Stanley G; Kumar, Sushil; Bansal, Nitu; Singh, Kamalendra; Kholodovych, Vladyslav; Comollo, Thomas; Peng, Youyi; Kotenko, Sergei V; Sarafianos, Stefan G; Bertino, Joseph R; Welsh, William J; Birge, Raymond B

2017-03-08

TAM receptors (Tyro-3, Axl, and Mertk) are a family of three homologous type I receptor tyrosine kinases that are implicated in several human malignancies. Overexpression of TAMs and their major ligand Growth arrest-specific factor 6 (Gas6) is associated with more aggressive staging of cancers, poorer predicted patient survival, acquired drug resistance and metastasis. Here we describe small molecule inhibitors (RU-301 and RU-302) that target the extracellular domain of Axl at the interface of the Ig-1 ectodomain of Axl and the Lg-1 of Gas6. These inhibitors effectively block Gas6-inducible Axl receptor activation with low micromolar IC 50s in cell-based reporter assays, inhibit Gas6-inducible motility in Axl-expressing cell lines, and suppress H1299 lung cancer tumor growth in a mouse xenograft NOD-SCIDγ model. Furthermore, using homology models and biochemical verifications, we show that RU301 and 302 also inhibit Gas6 inducible activation of Mertk and Tyro3 suggesting they can act as pan-TAM inhibitors that block the interface between the TAM Ig1 ectodomain and the Gas6 Lg domain. Together, these observations establish that small molecules that bind to the interface between TAM Ig1 domain and Gas6 Lg1 domain can inhibit TAM activation, and support the further development of small molecule Gas6-TAM interaction inhibitors as a novel class of cancer therapeutics.

Conditioned craving cues elicit an automatic approach tendency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Gucht, D.; Vansteenwegen, D.; Van den Bergh, O.; Beckers, T.

2008-01-01

In two experiments, we used a Pavlovian differential conditioning procedure to induce craving for chocolate. As a result of repeated pairing with chocolate intake, initially neutral cues came to elicit an automatic approach tendency in a speeded stimulus-response compatibility reaction time task.

Neural correlates of stress and favorite-food cue exposure in adolescents: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

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Hommer, Rebecca E; Seo, Dongju; Lacadie, Cheryl M; Chaplin, Tara M; Mayes, Linda C; Sinha, Rajita; Potenza, Marc N

2013-10-01

Adolescence is a critical period of neurodevelopment for stress and appetitive processing, as well as a time of increased vulnerability to stress and engagement in risky behaviors. This study was conducted to examine brain activation patterns during stress and favorite-food-cue experiences relative to a neutral-relaxing condition in adolescents. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was employed using individualized script-driven guided imagery to compare brain responses with such experiences in 43 adolescents. Main effects of condition and gender were found, without a significant gender-by-condition interaction. Stress imagery, relative to neutral, was associated with activation in the caudate, thalamus, left hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, midbrain, left superior/middle temporal gyrus, and right posterior cerebellum. Appetitive imagery of favorite food was associated with caudate, thalamus, and midbrain activation compared with the neutral-relaxing condition. To understand neural correlates of anxiety and craving, subjective (self-reported) measures of stress-induced anxiety and favorite-food-cue-induced craving were correlated with brain activity during stress and appetitive food-cue conditions, respectively. High self-reported stress-induced anxiety was associated with hypoactivity in the striatum, thalamus, hippocampus, and midbrain. Self-reported favorite-food-cue-induced craving was associated with blunted activity in cortical-striatal regions, including the right dorsal and ventral striatum, medial prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, and left anterior cingulate cortex. These findings in adolescents indicate the activation of predominantly subcortical-striatal regions in the processing of stressful and appetitive experiences and link hypoactive striatal circuits to self-reported stress-induced anxiety and cue-induced favorite-food craving. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Influence of stoichiometry on the magnetic disaccommodation in M-type Sr hexaferrites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez-Gomez, Pablo; Torres, Carlos; Francisco, Carlos de; Munoz, J.M.; Alejos, Oscar; Iniguez, J.I.; Raposo, Victor

2004-01-01

The relaxation of the initial permeability has been measured in polycrystalline Sr hexaferrites with the initial composition SrO·nFe 2 O 3 (n=5.7, 6), prepared by means of standard ceramic techniques in air as well as CO 2 sintering atmospheres. The isochronal disaccommodation spectra show the presence of different relaxation processes, depending on both the sintering atmosphere and especially the initial composition, and associated to ionic reorientations of ferrous cations and lattice vacancies in the different metallic sites within the spinel (S) and hexagonal (R) blocks of the close packed lattice

An isotopic study of granitoids in the Litchfield Block, Northern Territory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Page, R.W.; Bower, M.J.; Guy, D.B.

1984-01-01

The Litchfield Block contains a variety of granitoids, gneissic rocks, and migmatites that are intrusive into metasediments of probable Early Proterozoic age at the western margin of the Pine Creek Inlier. Isotopic data, which include U-Pb measurements on cogenetic zircon and xenotime and Rb-Sr total-rock measurements on the least metamorphosed granodiorites, show that these rocks crystallised from mantle-derived melts between 1840 Ma and 1850 Ma ago. Radiogenic Pb was lost from zircon in the early Palaeozoic (about 435 Ma), but xenotime remained a closed system until recent time. Many granitoids in the Litchfield Block have a gneissic fabric imposed during greenschist to amphibolite-grade regional metamorphism. This disturbance allowed partial isotopic re-equilibration of Rb-Sr total-rock systems, at about 1770 +- 16 Ma. As this igneous and metamorphic evolution is mirrored in other parts of the Pine Creek Inlier, the Halls Creek Inlier, and many other orogenic belts in northern Australia, its recognition and isotopic definition in the Litchfield Block further emphasise the magnitude and chronological integrity of this early Proterozoic tectonic event

Cue Reactivity Is Associated with Duration and Severity of Alcohol Dependence: An fMRI Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sjoerds, Z.; van den Brink, W.; Beekman, A.T.F.; Penninx, B.W.J.H.; Veltman, D.J.

2014-01-01

Introduction: With the progression of substance dependence, drug cue-related brain activation is thought to shift from motivational towards habit pathways. However, a direct association between cue-induced brain activation and dependence duration has not yet been shown. We therefore examined the

Cue Reactivity Is Associated with Duration and Severity of Alcohol Dependence : An fMRI Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sjoerds, Zsuzsika; van den Brink, Wim; Beekman, Aartjan T. F.; Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.; Veltman, Dick J.

2014-01-01

Introduction: With the progression of substance dependence, drug cue-related brain activation is thought to shift from motivational towards habit pathways. However, a direct association between cue-induced brain activation and dependence duration has not yet been shown. We therefore examined the

Adapting to the destitute situations: poverty cues lead to short-term choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lei; Feng, Tingyong; Suo, Tao; Lee, Kang; Li, Hong

2012-01-01

Why do some people live for the present, whereas others save for the future? The evolutionary framework of life history theory predicts that preference for delay of gratification should be influenced by social economic status (SES). However, here we propose that the decision to choose alternatives in immediate and delayed gratification in poverty environments may have a psychological dimension. Specifically, the perception of environmental poverty cues may induce people alike to favor choices with short-term, likely smaller benefit than choices with long-term, greater benefit. The present study was conducted to explore how poverty and affluence cues affected individuals' intertemporal choices. In our first two experiments, individuals exposed explicitly (Experiment 1) and implicitly (Experiment 2) to poverty pictures (the poverty cue) were induced to prefer immediate gratification compared with those exposed to affluence pictures (the affluence cue). Furthermore, by the manipulation of temporary perceptions of poverty and affluence status using a lucky draw game; individuals in the poverty state were more impulsive in a manner, which made them pursue immediate gratification in intertemporal choices (Experiment 3). Thus, poverty cues can lead to short-term choices. Decision makers chose more frequently the sooner-smaller reward over the later-larger reward as they were exposed to the poverty cue. This indicates that it is that just the feeling of poverty influences intertemporal choice - the actual reality of poverty (restricted resources, etc.) is not necessary to get the effect. Furthermore, our findings emphasize that it is a change of the poverty-affluence status, not a trait change, can influence individual preference in intertemporal choice.

Sex differences in smoking cue reactivity: craving, negative affect, and preference for immediate smoking.

Science.gov (United States)

Doran, Neal

2014-01-01

Female smokers have greater difficulty quitting, possibly due to increased reactivity to smoking-related cues. This study assessed sex differences in craving, affect, and preference for immediate smoking after cue exposure. Regular smokers (n = 60; 50% female) were exposed to smoking and neutral cues in separate, counterbalanced sessions. Outcomes included changes in craving and affect and preference for immediate smoking following cue exposure. Findings indicated that women exhibited greater preference for immediate smoking (p = .004), and reported greater cue-induced increases in cigarette craving (p = .046) and negative affect (p = .025). These data suggest that women may have greater difficulty inhibiting smoking after cue exposure, possibly as a consequence of greater increases in craving and negative affect. Findings suggest a mechanism that may contribute to greater cessation failure among female smokers. © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Oxytocin enhances the appropriate use of human social cues by the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in an object choice task.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliva, J L; Rault, J-L; Appleton, B; Lill, A

2015-05-01

It has been postulated that the neuropeptide, oxytocin, is involved in human-dog bonding. This may explain why dogs, compared to wolves, are such good performers on object choice tasks, which test their ability to attend to, and use, human social cues in order to find hidden food treats. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of intranasal oxytocin administration, which is known to increase social cognition in humans, on domestic dogs' ability to perform such a task. We hypothesised that dogs would perform better on the task after an intranasal treatment of oxytocin. Sixty-two (31 males and 31 females) pet dogs completed the experiment over two different testing sessions, 5-15 days apart. Intranasal oxytocin or a saline control was administered 45 min before each session. All dogs received both treatments in a pseudo-randomised, counterbalanced order. Data were collected as scores out of ten for each of the four blocks of trials in each session. Two blocks of trials were conducted using a momentary distal pointing cue and two using a gazing cue, given by the experimenter. Oxytocin enhanced performance using momentary distal pointing cues, and this enhanced level of performance was maintained over 5-15 days time in the absence of oxytocin. Oxytocin also decreased aversion to gazing cues, in that performance was below chance levels after saline administration but at chance levels after oxytocin administration.

Post-cueing deficits with maintained cueing benefits in patients with Parkinson's disease dementia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanne eGräber

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In Parkinson’s disease (PD internal cueing mechanisms are impaired leading to symptoms such as like hypokinesia. However external cues can improve movement execution by using cortical resources. These cortical processes can be affected by cognitive decline in dementia.It is still unclear how dementia in PD influences external cueing. We investigated a group of 25 PD patients with dementia (PDD and 25 non-demented PD patients (PDnD matched by age, sex and disease duration in a simple reaction time (SRT task using an additional acoustic cue. PDD patients benefited from the additional cue in similar magnitude as did PDnD patients. However, withdrawal of the cue led to a significantly increased reaction time in the PDD group compared to the PDnD patients. Our results indicate that even PDD patients can benefit from strategies using external cue presentation but the process of cognitive worsening can reduce the effect when cues are withdrawn.

Field burial results and SIMS analysis of the Chalk River glass blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tait, J.C.; Hocking, W.H.; Betteridge, J.S.; Bart, G.

1986-01-01

In 1959, 25 2-kg hemispherical blocks of aluminosilicate glass, each containing ∼90 MBq/g of mixed fission products, were buried in a sandy soil aquifer in the waste management area at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories. A second set of blocks, containing ∼260 MBq/g mixed fission products, was buried in 1960. One block from each test was retrieved in 1978 to undergo chemical and surface analysis. This report reviews the migration of the 90 Sr and 137 Cs plume in the soil and presents the results of SIMS depth profiling of the surface of a glass block. (author)

Sad facial cues inhibit temporal attention: evidence from an event-related potential study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Xianxian; Chen, Xiaoqiang; Tan, Bo; Zhao, Dandan; Jin, Zhenlan; Li, Ling

2013-06-19

We examined the influence of different emotional cues (happy or sad) on temporal attention (short or long interval) using behavioral as well as event-related potential recordings during a Stroop task. Emotional stimuli cued short and long time intervals, inducing 'sad-short', 'sad-long', 'happy-short', and 'happy-long' conditions. Following the intervals, participants performed a numeric Stroop task. Behavioral results showed the temporal attention effects in the sad-long, happy-long, and happy-short conditions, in which valid cues quickened the reaction times, but not in the sad-short condition. N2 event-related potential components showed sad cues to have decreased activity for short intervals compared with long intervals, whereas happy cues did not. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for different modulation of sad and happy facial cues on temporal attention. Furthermore, sad cues inhibit temporal attention, resulting in longer reaction time and decreased neural activity in the short interval by diverting more attentional resources.

Environmental and biological cues for spawning in the crown-of-thorns starfish.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ciemon Frank Caballes

Full Text Available Sporadic outbreaks of the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish are likely to be due, at least in part, to spatial and temporal variation in reproductive and settlement success. For gonochoric and broadcast spawning species such as crown-of-thorns starfish, spawning synchrony is fundamental for achieving high rates of fertilization. Highly synchronized gamete release within and among distinct populations is typically the result of the entrainment of neurohormonal endogenous rhythms by cues from the environment. In this study, we conducted multiple spawning assays to test the effects of temperature change, reduced salinity and nutrient enrichment of seawater, phytoplankton, gametes (sperm and eggs, and the combined effect of sperm and phytoplankton on the likelihood of spawning in male and female crown-of-thorns starfish. We also investigated sex-specific responses to each of these potential spawning cues. We found that (1 abrupt temperature change (an increase of 4°C induced spawning in males, but less so in females; (2 males often spawned in response to the presence of phytoplankton, but none of the females spawned in response to these cues; (3 the presence of sperm in the water column induced males and females to spawn, although additive and synergistic effects of sperm and phytoplankton were not significant; and (4 males are more sensitive to the spawning cues tested and most likely spawn prior to females. We propose that environmental cues act as spawning 'inducers' by causing the release of hormones (gonad stimulating substance in sensitive males, while biological cues (pheromones from released sperm, in turn, act as spawning 'synchronizers' by triggering a hormonal cascade resulting in gamete shedding by conspecifics. Given the immediate temporal linkage between the timing of spawning and fertilization events, variability in the extent and synchronicity of gamete release will significantly influence reproductive success and may account

Persistence of a hyperthermic sign-reversal during nitrous oxide inhalation despite cue-exposure treatment with and without a drug-onset cue.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaiyala, Karl J; Woods, Stephen C; Ramsay, Douglas S

2014-01-01

We asked whether chronic tolerance and the hyperthermic sign-reversal induced by repeated 60% N 2 O exposures could be extinguished using a cue-exposure paradigm. Rats received 18 N 2 O administrations in a total calorimetry system that simultaneously measures core temperature (Tc), metabolic heat production (HP), and body heat loss (HL). Each exposure entailed a 2-h baseline period followed by a 1.5-h N 2 O exposure. The 18 drug exposures induced a robust intra-administration hyperthermia in which the initial hypothermic effect of N 2 O inverted to a significant hyperthermic sign-reversal during N 2 O inhalation due primarily to an acquired robust increase in HP. The rats were then randomized to one of three extinction procedures (n=8/procedure) over a 20-d interval: 1) a N 2 O-abstinent home-cage group (HC) that received only the usual animal care; 2) a cue-exposure group (CEXP) in which the animals were placed in the calorimeter 8 times but received no N 2 O; and 3) a drug-onset-cue group (DOC) in which animals received a brief N 2 O exposure in the calorimeter that mimicked the first 3 min of an actual 60% N 2 O trial. Following the extinction sessions, all rats received a 60% N 2 O test trial and Tc, HP and HL were assessed. The hyperthermic sign-reversal remained fully intact during the test trial, with no significant differences observed among groups in any post-baseline change in any thermal outcome. These data suggest that cue exposure may not be an efficacious strategy to reduce sign-reversals that develop with chronic drug use.

The SPECT study on the regional cerebral blood flow of heroin addicts during cue-induced heroin craving

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhengqing; Liu Qinglong; Wang Yuhua; Wang Jinmin; Wang Shuo; Zhao Geyuan

2003-01-01

Objective: To explore the character of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of heroin addicts during the exposure to the heroin-related cues. Methods: Twenty-five heroin dependent individuals undergoing detoxification for more than one month were enrolled in the present study. All subjects were exposed to the heroin-related cues for 15 min. The rCBF was measured in these patients before and after exposure to heroin-related cues. Result: The rCBF in the frontal, temporal cortex and amygdala was significantly increased during the exposure to heroin-related cues. Conclusion: The findings indicate that drug-related cues play a critical role in the relapse of drug dependence; and the frontal, temporal cortex and amygdala are involved in the relapsing process

Competitive radiation-induced carcinogenesis: an analysis of data from beagle dogs exposed to 226Ra and 90Sr

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Momeni, M.H.

1979-01-01

The incidence of radiation-induced primary bone sarcoma and myeloproliferative diseases was studied as a function of dose rate and time in beagles that were fed diets containing 90 SrCl 2 in equilibrium with 90 Y from midgestation to 1.5 yr of age or that were administered eight intravenous injections of 226 RaCl 2 (one injection every 2 weeks for 4 months) starting at 14 months of age. Analysis of incidence of each disease in 776 beagles showed a normal probability density function with respect to time. Median incidence time and standard deviation from the mean of distribution were calculated for primary osteosarcoma at each level of administered radioactivity. The median incidence age (T) for mortality from primary osteosarcoma increased from 4.1 yr of age, 2.6 yr after final injection of radium, for beagles injected (A 0 ) with 83.6 μCi 226 Ra, to 11.5 yr of age for beagles given A 0 = 3.14 μCi 226 Ra. A similar increase in T was observed for beagles that ingested a daily diet containing 90 Sr + 90 Y, from T = 2.8 yr of age at 36 μCi 90 Sr/day to 12.6 yr at 4 μCi 90 Sr/day. Tumor yield was calculated assuming that the causes of death from competing diseases were mutually exclusive with respect to individual diseases. Incidence and cumulative incidence for each of the diseases were calculated as a function of time and maximum dose rate. These analyses were extended to beagles administered 226 Ra by a single injection or 90 Sr by injection and inhalation. Extrapolation of the observed dose effects to lower levels of administered radioactivity (comparable to maximum permissible body burden) is discussed within the framework of a competitive mortality. (author)

Food-cue affected motor response inhibition and self-reported dieting success: a pictorial affective shifting task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian eMeule

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Behavioral inhibition is one of the basic facets of executive functioning and is closely related to self-regulation. Impulsive reactions, i.e. low inhibitory control, have been associated with higher body-mass-index (BMI, binge eating, and other problem behaviors (e.g. substance abuse, pathological gambling, etc.. Nevertheless, studies which investigated the direct influence of food-cues on behavioral inhibition have been fairly inconsistent. In the current studies, we investigated food-cue affected behavioral inhibition in young women. For this purpose, we used a go/no-go task with pictorial food and neutral stimuli in which stimulus-response mapping is reversed after every other block (affective shifting task. In study 1, hungry participants showed faster reaction times to and omitted fewer food than neutral targets. Low dieting success and higher BMI were associated with behavioral disinhibition in food relative to neutral blocks. In study 2, both hungry and satiated individuals were investigated. Satiation did not influence overall task performance, but modulated associations of task performance with dieting success and self-reported impulsivity. When satiated, increased food craving during the task was associated with low dieting success, possibly indicating a preload-disinhibition effect following food intake. Food-cues elicited automatic action and approach tendencies regardless of dieting success, self-reported impulsivity, or current hunger levels. Yet, associations between dieting success, impulsivity, and behavioral food-cue responses were modulated by hunger and satiation. Future research investigating clinical samples and including other salient non-food stimuli as control category is warranted.

Baclofen blocks the acquisition and expression of mitragynine-induced conditioned place preference in rats.

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Yusoff, Nurul H M; Mansor, Sharif M; Müller, Christian P; Hassan, Zurina

2018-06-01

Mitragynine is the major alkaloid found in the leaves of M. speciosa Korth (Rubiaceae), a plant that is native to Southeast Asia. This compound has been used, either traditionally or recreationally, due to its psychostimulant and opioid-like effects. Recently, mitragynine has been shown to exert conditioned place preference (CPP), indicating the rewarding and motivational properties of M. speciosa. Here, the involvement of GABA B receptors in mediating mitragynine reward is studied using a CPP paradigm in rats. First, we examined the effects of GABA B receptor agonist baclofen (1.25, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg) on the acquisition of mitragynine (10 mg/kg)-induced CPP. Second, the involvement of GABA B receptors in the expression of mitragynine-induced CPP was tested. We found that the acquisition of mitragynine-induced CPP could be blocked by higher doses (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) of baclofen. Baclofen at a high dose inhibited locomotor activity and caused a CPP. Furthermore, we found that baclofen (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) also blocked the expression of mitragynine-induced CPP. These findings suggest that both, the acquisition and expression of mitragynine's reinforcing properties is controlled by the GABA B receptor. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation and characterization of Sr-Ti-hardystonite (Sr-Ti-HT nanocomposite for bone repair application

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Hossein Mohammadi

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: Hardystonite (HT is Zn-modified silicate bioceramics with promising results for bone tissue regeneration. However, HT possesses no obvious apatite formation. Thus, in this study we incorporated Sr and Ti into HT to prepare Sr-Ti-hardystonite (Sr-Ti-HT nanocomposite and evaluated its in vitro bioactivity with the purpose of developing a more bioactive bone substitute material. Materials and methods:The HT and Sr-Ti-HT were prepared by mechanical milling and subsequent heat treatment. Calcium oxide (CaO, zinc oxide (ZnO and silicon dioxide (SiO2 (all from Merck were mixed with molar ratio of 2:1:2. The mixture of powders mixture was then milled in a planetary ball mill for 20 h. In the milling run, the ball-to-powder weight ratio was 10:1 and the rotational speed was 200 rpm. After synthesis of HT, 3% nanotitanium dioxide (TiO2, Degussa and 3% strontium carbonate (SrCO3, Merck were added to HT and then the mixture was ball milled and calcined at 1150°C for 6 h. Simultaneous thermal analysis (STA, X-ray diffraction (XRD, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR performed to characterize the powders. Results:XRD and FT-IR confirmed the crystal phase and silicate structure of HT and TEM images demonstrated the nanostructure of powders. Further, Sr-Ti-HT induced apatite formation and showed a higher human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSCs adhesion and proliferation compared to HT. Conclusion:Our study revealed that Sr-Ti-HT with a nanostructured crystal structure of 50 nm, can be prepared by mechanical activation to use as biomaterials for orthopedic applications.

Optimization of 90Sr/89Sr measurements

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Legarda F.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available One of the key points in the double measurement method for the measurement of both, 89Sr and 90Sr, by using a proportional counter is the choice of the times at which the measurements should be done. In this paper, the formulae to calculate the 89Sr and 90Sr detection limits in conditions of radioactive equilibrium between 90Y and 90Sr are derived, and an analysis of them as a function of the time between the two measurements is done. The choice for the time of the second measurement is going to depend on the desired quality of the results to be obtained.

Neural correlates of stress- and food cue-induced food craving in obesity: association with insulin levels.

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Jastreboff, Ania M; Sinha, Rajita; Lacadie, Cheryl; Small, Dana M; Sherwin, Robert S; Potenza, Marc N

2013-02-01

Obesity is associated with alterations in corticolimbic-striatal brain regions involved in food motivation and reward. Stress and the presence of food cues may each motivate eating and engage corticolimibic-striatal neurocircuitry. It is unknown how these factors interact to influence brain responses and whether these interactions are influenced by obesity, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity. We hypothesized that obese individuals would show greater responses in corticolimbic-striatal neurocircuitry after exposure to stress and food cues and that brain activations would correlate with subjective food craving, insulin levels, and HOMA-IR. Fasting insulin levels were assessed in obese and lean subjects who were exposed to individualized stress and favorite-food cues during functional MRI. Obese, but not lean, individuals exhibited increased activation in striatal, insular, and hypothalamic regions during exposure to favorite-food and stress cues. In obese but not lean individuals, food craving, insulin, and HOMA-IR levels correlated positively with neural activity in corticolimbic-striatal brain regions during favorite-food and stress cues. The relationship between insulin resistance and food craving in obese individuals was mediated by activity in motivation-reward regions including the striatum, insula, and thalamus. These findings demonstrate that obese, but not lean, individuals exhibit increased corticolimbic-striatal activation in response to favorite-food and stress cues and that these brain responses mediate the relationship between HOMA-IR and food craving. Improving insulin sensitivity and in turn reducing corticolimbic-striatal reactivity to food cues and stress may diminish food craving and affect eating behavior in obesity.

The behavioural response of adult Petromyzon marinus to damage-released alarm and predator cues

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Imre, István; Di Rocco, Richard; Belanger, Cowan; Brown, Grant; Johnson, Nicholas S.

2014-01-01

Using semi-natural enclosures, this study investigated (1) whether adult sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus show avoidance of damage-released conspecific cues, damage-released heterospecific cues and predator cues and (2) whether this is a general response to injured heterospecific fishes or a specific response to injured P. marinus. Ten replicate groups of 10 adult P. marinus, separated by sex, were exposed to one of the following nine stimuli: deionized water (control), extracts prepared from adult P. marinus, decayed adult P. marinus (conspecific stimuli), sympatric white sucker Catostomus commersonii, Amazon sailfin catfish Pterygoplichthys pardalis (heterospecific stimuli), 2-phenylethylamine (PEA HCl) solution, northern water snake Nerodia sipedon washing, human saliva (predator cues) and an adult P. marinus extract and human saliva combination (a damage-released conspecific cue and a predator cue). Adult P. marinus showed a significant avoidance response to the adult P. marinus extract as well as to C. commersonii, human saliva, PEA and the adult P. marinus extract and human saliva combination. For mobile P. marinus, the N. sipedon washing induced behaviour consistent with predator inspection. Exposure to the P. pardalis extract did not induce a significant avoidance response during the stimulus release period. Mobile adult female P. marinus showed a stronger avoidance behaviour than mobile adult male P. marinus in response to the adult P. marinus extract and the adult P. marinus extract and human saliva combination. The findings support the continued investigation of natural damage-released alarm cue and predator-based repellents for the behavioural manipulation of P. marinus populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes.

Compressed normalized block difference for object tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yun; Zhang, Dengzhuo; Cai, Donglan; Zhou, Hao; Lan, Ge

2018-04-01

Feature extraction is very important for robust and real-time tracking. Compressive sensing provided a technical support for real-time feature extraction. However, all existing compressive tracking were based on compressed Haar-like feature, and how to compress many more excellent high-dimensional features is worth researching. In this paper, a novel compressed normalized block difference feature (CNBD) was proposed. For resisting noise effectively in a highdimensional normalized pixel difference feature (NPD), a normalized block difference feature extends two pixels in the original formula of NPD to two blocks. A CNBD feature can be obtained by compressing a normalized block difference feature based on compressive sensing theory, with the sparse random Gaussian matrix as the measurement matrix. The comparative experiments of 7 trackers on 20 challenging sequences showed that the tracker based on CNBD feature can perform better than other trackers, especially than FCT tracker based on compressed Haar-like feature, in terms of AUC, SR and Precision.

Juvenile exposure to predator cues induces a larger egg size in fish

Science.gov (United States)

Segers, Francisca H. I. D.; Taborsky, Barbara

2012-01-01

When females anticipate a hazardous environment for their offspring, they can increase offspring survival by producing larger young. Early environmental experience determines egg size in different animal taxa. We predicted that a higher perceived predation risk by juveniles would cause an increase in the sizes of eggs that they produce as adults. To test this, we exposed juveniles of the mouthbrooding cichlid Eretmodus cyanostictus in a split-brood experiment either to cues of a natural predator or to a control situation. After maturation, females that had been confronted with predators produced heavier eggs, whereas clutch size itself was not affected by the treatment. This effect cannot be explained by a differential female body size because the predator treatment did not influence growth trajectories. The observed increase of egg mass is likely to be adaptive, as heavier eggs gave rise to larger young and in fish, juvenile predation risk drops sharply with increasing body size. This study provides the first evidence that predator cues perceived by females early in life positively affect egg mass, suggesting that these cues allow her to predict the predation risk for her offspring. PMID:21976689

Blocking in children's causal learning depends on working memory and reasoning abilities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

McCormack, T.; Simms, V.; McGourty, J.; Beckers, T.

2013-01-01

A sample of 99 children completed a causal learning task that was an analogue of the food allergy paradigm used with adults. The cue competition effects of blocking and unovershadowing were assessed under forward and backward presentation conditions. Children also answered questions probing their

Ag loading induced visible light photocatalytic activity for pervoskite SrTiO3 nanofibers

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yeqiu; He, Tao

2018-06-01

The synthesis and photocatalytic activities of Ag-SrTiO3 nanofibers were reported in this work. The fabricated Ag-SrTiO3 nanofibers were characterized by TG-DSC, XRD, IR, XPS, SEM, TEM, DRS and ESR techniques. The XRD and IR results show that Ag-SrTiO3 nanofibers have a perovskite structure after the heat treatment at 700 °C. The XPS result shows that Ag element exists as Ag0 in the fabricated Ag-SrTiO3 nanofibers. The SEM and TEM images indicate the obtaining of nanofibers with porous structure. The photocatalytic activity of Ag-SrTiO3 nanofibers was evaluated by degrading RhB and MB under visible light irradiation. The Ag-SrTiO3 nanofibers show excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation because of the surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag0. In the photocatalysis process of RhB and MB, lots of hydroxyl radicals were generated, which plays the key role in the decomposition of organic pollutants.

The synthetic cannabinoid HU210 induces spatial memory deficits and suppresses hippocampal firing rate in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, L; Goonawardena, A V; Pertwee, R G; Hampson, R E; Riedel, G

2007-07-01

Previous work implied that the hippocampal cannabinoid system was particularly important in some forms of learning, but direct evidence for this hypothesis is scarce. We therefore assessed the effects of the synthetic cannabinoid HU210 on memory and hippocampal activity. HU210 (100 microg kg(-1)) was administered intraperitoneally to rats under three experimental conditions. One group of animals were pre-trained in spatial working memory using a delayed-matching-to-position task and effects of HU210 were assessed in a within-subject design. In another, rats were injected before acquisition learning of a spatial reference memory task with constant platform location. Finally, a separate group of animals was implanted with electrode bundles in CA1 and CA3 and single unit responses were isolated, before and after HU210 treatment. HU210 treatment had no effect on working or short-term memory. Relative to its control Tween 80, deficits in acquisition of a reference memory version of the water maze were obtained, along with drug-related effects on anxiety, motor activity and spatial learning. Deficits were not reversed by the CB(1) receptor antagonists SR141716A (3 mg kg(-1)) or AM281 (1.5 mg kg(-1)). Single unit recordings from principal neurons in hippocampal CA3 and CA1 confirmed HU210-induced attenuation of the overall firing activity lowering both the number of complex spikes fired and the occurrence of bursts. These data provide the first direct evidence that the underlying mechanism for the spatial memory deficits induced by HU210 in rats is the accompanying abnormality in hippocampal cell firing.

Reversal of rocuronium-induced (1.2 mg kg-1) profound neuromuscular block by accidental high dose of sugammadex (40 mg kg-1).

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Molina, A.L.; Boer, H.D. de; Klimek, M.; Heeringa, M.; Klein, J.

2007-01-01

Sugammadex is the first selective relaxant binding agent and reverses rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block. A case is reported in which a patient accidentally received a high dose of sugammadex (40 mg kg-1) to reverse a rocuronium-induced (1.2 mg kg-1) profound neuromuscular block. A fast and

Oleic acid blocks EGF-induced [Ca2+]i release without altering cellular metabolism in fibroblast EGFR T17.

Science.gov (United States)

Zugaza, J L; Casabiell, X A; Bokser, L; Casanueva, F F

1995-02-06

EGFR-T17 cells were pretreated with oleic acid and 5-10 minutes later stimulated with EGF, to study if early ionic signals are instrumental in inducing metabolic cellular response. Oleic acid blocks EGF-induced [Ca2+]i rise and Ca2+ influx without altering 2-deoxyglucose and 2-aminobutiryc acid uptake nor acute, nor chronically. Oleic acid it is shown, in the first minutes favors the entrance of both molecules to modify the physico-chemical membrane state. On the other hand, oleic acid is unable to block protein synthesis. The results suggest that EGF-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3/Ca2+ pathway does not seem to be decisive in the control of cellular metabolic activity.

Task Irrelevant External Cues Can Influence Language Selection in Voluntary Object Naming: Evidence from Hindi-English Bilinguals.

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Divya Bhatia

Full Text Available We examined if external cues such as other agents' actions can influence the choice of language during voluntary and cued object naming in bilinguals in three experiments. Hindi-English bilinguals first saw a cartoon waving at a color patch. They were then asked to either name a picture in the language of their choice (voluntary block or to name in the instructed language (cued block. The colors waved at by the cartoon were also the colors used as language cues (Hindi or English. We compared the influence of the cartoon's choice of color on naming when speakers had to indicate their choice explicitly before naming (Experiment 1 as opposed to when they named directly on seeing the pictures (Experiment 2 and 3. Results showed that participants chose the language indicated by the cartoon greater number of times (Experiment 1 and 3. Speakers also switched significantly to the language primed by the cartoon greater number of times (Experiment 1 and 2. These results suggest that choices leading to voluntary action, as in the case of object naming can be influenced significantly by external non-linguistic cues. Importantly, these symbolic influences can work even when other agents are merely indicating their choices and are not interlocutors in bilingual communication.

Spiny lobsters detect conspecific blood-borne alarm cues exclusively through olfactory sensilla.

Science.gov (United States)

Shabani, Shkelzen; Kamio, Michiya; Derby, Charles D

2008-08-01

When attacked by predators, diverse animals actively or passively release molecules that evoke alarm and related anti-predatory behavior by nearby conspecifics. The actively released molecules are alarm pheromones, whereas the passively released molecules are alarm cues. For example, many insects have alarm-signaling systems that involve active release of alarm pheromones from specialized glands and detection of these signals using specific sensors. Many crustaceans passively release alarm cues, but the nature of the cues, sensors and responses is poorly characterized. Here we show in laboratory and field experiments that injured Caribbean spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus, passively release alarm cues via blood (hemolymph) that induce alarm responses in the form of avoidance and suppression of feeding. These cues are detected exclusively through specific olfactory chemosensors, the aesthetasc sensilla. The alarm cues for Caribbean spiny lobsters are not unique to the species but do show some phylogenetic specificity: P. argus responds primarily with alarm behavior to conspecific blood, but with mixed alarm and appetitive behaviors to blood from the congener Panulirus interruptus, or with appetitive behaviors to blood from the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. This study lays the foundation for future neuroethological studies of alarm cue systems in this and other decapod crustaceans.

Pharmacological activation/inhibition of the cannabinoid system affects alcohol withdrawal-induced neuronal hypersensitivity to excitotoxic insults.

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Marina Rubio

Full Text Available Cessation of chronic ethanol consumption can increase the sensitivity of the brain to excitotoxic damages. Cannabinoids have been proposed as neuroprotectants in different models of neuronal injury, but their effect have never been investigated in a context of excitotoxicity after alcohol cessation. Here we examined the effects of the pharmacological activation/inhibition of the endocannabinoid system in an in vitro model of chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal followed by an excitotoxic challenge. Ethanol withdrawal increased N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA-evoked neuronal death, probably by altering the ratio between GluN2A and GluN2B NMDA receptor subunits. The stimulation of the endocannabinoid system with the cannabinoid agonist HU-210 decreased NMDA-induced neuronal death exclusively in ethanol-withdrawn neurons. This neuroprotection could be explained by a decrease in NMDA-stimulated calcium influx after the administration of HU-210, found exclusively in ethanol-withdrawn neurons. By contrast, the inhibition of the cannabinoid system with the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant (SR141716 during ethanol withdrawal increased death of ethanol-withdrawn neurons without any modification of NMDA-stimulated calcium influx. Moreover, chronic administration of rimonabant increased NMDA-stimulated toxicity not only in withdrawn neurons, but also in control neurons. In summary, we show for the first time that the stimulation of the endocannabinoid system is protective against the hyperexcitability developed during alcohol withdrawal. By contrast, the blockade of the endocannabinoid system is highly counterproductive during alcohol withdrawal.

D-cycloserine Reduces the Context-Specificity of Pavlovian Extinction of Cocaine Cues Through Actions in the Nucleus Accumbens

OpenAIRE

Torregrossa, Mary M.; Sanchez, Hayde; Taylor, Jane R.

2010-01-01

Extinction therapy has been proposed as a method to reduce the motivational impact of drug-associated cues to prevent relapse. Cue extinction therapy, however, takes place in a novel context (e.g., treatment facility), and is unlikely to be effective due to the context specificity of extinction. We tested the hypothesis that d-cycloserine (DCS), which enhances extinction in other procedures, would enhance extinction of cocaine-associated cues in a novel context to reduce cue-induced reinstate...

High-T{sub c} superconductivity in monolayer FeSe on SrTiO{sub 3} via interface-induced small-q electron-phonon coupling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aperis, Alexandros; Oppeneer, Peter M. [Uppsala University (Sweden)

2016-07-01

A monolayer of FeSe deposited on SrTiO{sub 3} becomes superconducting at temperatures that exceed T{sub c}=100 K, as compared to a bulk T{sub c} of 8 K. Recent ARPES measurements have provided strong evidence that an interfaced-induced electron-phonon interaction between FeSe electrons and SrTiO{sub 3} phonons plays a decisive role in this phenomenon. However, the mechanism that drives this tantalizing high-T{sub c} boost is still unclear. Here, we examine the recent experimental findings using fully anisotropic, full bandwidth multiband Eliashberg calculations focusing on the superconducting state of FeSe/STO. We use a realistic ten band tight-binding band structure for the electrons of monolayer FeSe and study how the suggested interface-induced small-q electron-phonon interaction mediates superconductivity. Our calculations produce a high-T{sub c} s-wave superconducting state with the experimentally resolved momentum dependence. Further, we calculate the normal metal/insulator/superconductor tunneling spectrum and identify fingerprints of the interface-induced phonon mechanism.

Acute effects of nicotine amplify accumbal neural responses during nicotine-taking behavior and nicotine-paired environmental cues.

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Karine Guillem

Full Text Available Nicotine self-administration (SA is maintained by several variables, including the reinforcing properties of nicotine-paired cues and the nicotine-induced amplification of those cue properties. The nucleus accumbens (NAc is implicated in mediating the influence of these variables, though the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are not yet understood. In the present study, Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer nicotine. During SA sessions each press of a lever was followed by an intravenous infusion of nicotine (30 µg/kg paired with a combined light-tone cue. Extracellular recordings of single-neuron activity showed that 20% of neurons exhibited a phasic change in firing during the nicotine-directed operant, the light-tone cue, or both. The phasic change in firing for 98% of neurons was an increase. Sixty-two percent of NAc neurons additionally or alternatively showed a sustained decrease in average firing during the SA session relative to a presession baseline period. These session decreases in firing were significantly less prevalent in a group of neurons that were activated during either the operant or the cue than in a group of neurons that were nonresponsive during those events (referred to as task-activated and task-nonactivated neurons, respectively. Moreover, the session decrease in firing was dose-dependent for only the task-nonactivated neurons. The data of the present investigation provide supportive correlational evidence for two hypotheses: (1 excitatory neurophysiological mechanisms mediate the NAc role in cue-maintenance of nicotine SA, and (2 a differential nicotine-induced inhibition of task-activated and task-nonactivated neurons mediates the NAc role in nicotine-induced amplification of cue effects on nicotine SA.

Reduction of radiation-induced cell cycle blocks by caffeine does not necessarily lead to increased cell killing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Musk, S.R. (Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey (England))

1991-03-01

The effect of caffeine upon the radiosensitivities of three human tumor lines was examined and correlated with its action upon the radiation-induced S-phase and G2-phase blocks. Caffeine was found to reduce at least partially the S-phase and G2-phase blocks in all the cell lines examined but potentiated cytotoxicity in only one of the three tumor lines. That reductions have been demonstrated to occur in the absence of increased cell killing provides supporting evidence for the hypothesis that reductions may not be causal in those cases when potentiation of radiation-induced cytotoxicity is observed in the presence of caffeine.

The strategic control of prospective memory monitoring in response to complex and probabilistic contextual cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Bugg, Julie M; Ball, B Hunter

2017-07-01

Participants use simple contextual cues to reduce deployment of costly monitoring processes in contexts in which prospective memory (PM) targets are not expected. This study investigated whether this strategic monitoring pattern is observed in response to complex and probabilistic contextual cues. Participants performed a lexical decision task in which words or nonwords were presented in upper or lower locations on screen. The specific condition was informed that PM targets ("tor" syllable) would occur only in words in the upper location, whereas the nonspecific condition was informed that targets could occur in any location or word type. Context was blocked such that word type and location changed every 8 trials. In Experiment 1, the specific condition used the complex contextual cue to reduce monitoring in unexpected contexts relative to the nonspecific condition. This pattern largely was not evidenced when the complex contextual cue was probabilistic (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 confirmed that strategic monitoring is observed for a complex cue that is deterministic, but not one that is probabilistic. Additionally, Experiments 1 and 3 demonstrated a disadvantage associated with strategic monitoring-namely, that the specific condition was less likely to respond to a PM target in an unexpected context. Experiment 3 provided evidence that this disadvantage is attributable to impaired noticing of the target. The novel findings suggest use of a complex contextual cue per se is not a boundary condition for the strategic, context-specific allocation of monitoring processes to support prospective remembering; however, strategic monitoring is constrained by the predictive utility of the complex contextual cue.

Cue-Elicited Increases in Incentive Salience for Marijuana: Craving, Demand, and Attentional Bias

Science.gov (United States)

Metrik, Jane; Aston, Elizabeth R.; Kahler, Christopher W.; Rohsenow, Damaris J.; McGeary, John E.; Knopik, Valerie S.; MacKillop, James

2016-01-01

Background Incentive salience is a multidimensional construct that includes craving, drug value relative to other reinforcers, and implicit motivation such as attentional bias to drug cues. Laboratory cue reactivity (CR) paradigms have been used to evaluate marijuana incentive salience with measures of craving, but not with behavioral economic measures of marijuana demand or implicit attentional processing tasks. Methods This within-subjects study used a new CR paradigm to examine multiple dimensions of marijuana’s incentive salience and to compare CR-induced increases in craving and demand. Frequent marijuana users (N=93, 34% female) underwent exposure to neutral cues then to lit marijuana cigarettes. Craving, marijuana demand via a marijuana purchase task, and heart rate were assessed after each cue set. A modified Stroop task with cannabis and control words was completed after the marijuana cues as a measure of attentional bias. Results Relative to neutral cues, marijuana cues significantly increased subjective craving and demand indices of intensity (i.e., drug consumed at $0) and Omax (i.e., peak drug expenditure). Elasticity significantly decreased following marijuana cues, reflecting sustained purchase despite price increases. Craving was correlated with demand indices (r’s: 0.23–0.30). Marijuana users displayed significant attentional bias for cannabis-related words after marijuana cues. Cue-elicited increases in intensity were associated with greater attentional bias for marijuana words. Conclusions Greater incentive salience indexed by subjective, behavioral economic, and implicit measures was observed after marijuana versus neutral cues, supporting multidimensional assessment. The study highlights the utility of a behavioral economic approach in detecting cue-elicited changes in marijuana incentive salience. PMID:27515723

The Influence of Cue Reliability and Cue Representation on Spatial Reorientation in Young Children

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Ian M.; Huttenlocher, Janellen; Ratliff, Kristin R.

2014-01-01

Previous studies of children's reorientation have focused on cue representation (e.g., whether cues are geometric) as a predictor of performance but have not addressed cue reliability (the regularity of the relation between a given cue and an outcome) as a predictor of performance. Here we address both factors within the same series of…

Lithium blocks ethanol-induced modulation of protein kinases in the developing brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakraborty, Goutam; Saito, Mitsuo; Mao, Rui-Fen; Wang, Ray; Vadasz, Csaba; Saito, Mariko

2008-01-01

Lithium has been shown to be neuroprotective against various insults including ethanol exposure. We previously reported that ethanol-induced apoptotic neurodegeneration in the postnatal day 7 (P7) mice is associated with decreases in phosphorylation levels of Akt, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and alteration in lipid profiles in the brain. Here, P7 mice were injected with ethanol and lithium, and the effects of lithium on ethanol-induced alterations in phosphorylation levels of protein kinases and lipid profiles in the brain were examined. Immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses showed that lithium significantly blocked ethanol-induced caspase-3 activation and reduction in phosphorylation levels of Akt, GSK-3β, and AMPK. Further, lithium inhibited accumulation of cholesterol ester (ChE) and N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE) triggered by ethanol in the brain. These results suggest that Akt, GSK-3β, and AMPK are involved in ethanol-induced neurodegeneration and the neuroprotective effects of lithium by modulating both apoptotic and survival pathways

Block-induced Complex Structures Building the Flare-productive Solar Active Region 12673

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Shuhong; Zhang, Jun [CAS Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Zhu, Xiaoshuai [Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, D-37077 Göttingen (Germany); Song, Qiao, E-mail: shuhongyang@nao.cas.cn [Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Center for Space Weather, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081 (China)

2017-11-10

Solar active region (AR) 12673 produced 4 X-class, 27 M-class, and numerous lower-class flares during its passage across the visible solar disk in 2017 September. Our study is to answer the questions why this AR was so flare-productive and how the X9.3 flare, the largest one of the past decade, took place. We find that there was a sunspot in the initial several days, and then two bipolar regions emerged nearby it successively. Due to the standing of the pre-existing sunspot, the movement of the bipoles was blocked, while the pre-existing sunspot maintained its quasi-circular shaped umbra only with the disappearance of a part of penumbra. Thus, the bipolar patches were significantly distorted, and the opposite polarities formed two semi-circular shaped structures. After that, two sequences of new bipolar regions emerged within the narrow semi-circular zone, and the bipolar patches separated along the curved channel. The new bipoles sheared and interacted with the previous ones, forming a complex topological system, during which numerous flares occurred. At the highly sheared region, a great deal of free energy was accumulated. On September 6, one negative patch near the polarity inversion line began to rapidly rotate and shear with the surrounding positive fields, and consequently the X9.3 flare erupted. Our results reveal that the block-induced complex structures built the flare-productive AR and the X9.3 flare was triggered by an erupting filament due to the kink instability. To better illustrate this process, a block-induced eruption model is proposed for the first time.

Use of Sr and Pb isotopes in gneissic-migmatic rocks in Itacambira-Barrocao, MG, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siga Junior, O.; Cordani, U.G.; Basei, M.A.S.; Kawashita, K.

1987-01-01

This work tries to show the potential of the Rb-Sr, Pb-Pb and K-Ar methods applied to basic geological mapping. The different interpretative values of these methodologies contribute to the understanding of the tectonic processes developed in the southeastern border of the Sao Francisco Craton. The Rb-Sr and Pb-Pb isotopic data for the gneissic-migmatitic unit of this sector indicates their generation during the Archean (-2.7 Ga) and Early Proterozoic (-2.1 Ga.). The high (Sr 87 /Sr 86 ) and μ 1 values also suggest an origin through reworking of older crustal rocks. The K-Ar data (and one fission track age) allow the thermal history of this domain to be delineated and suggest a vertical tectonic in the Late Brazilian Cycle, putting side by side blocks formed in different depths. (M.V.M.)

Override of the radiation-induced mitotic block in human tumour cells by methylxanthines and its relationship to the potentiation of cytotoxicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musk, S.R.R.; Steel, G.G.

1990-01-01

Caffeine, theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine, were tested for ability to override mitotic block induced by ionizing radiation in the human bladder carcinoma cell line RT112. All were found to partially override the block, at a concentration of 1mM in the order caffeine > theophylline > theobromine = paraxanthine. At a concentration of 1 mM only caffeine was found to potentiate cell killing as well as causing block override; at higher concentrations all had a significant effect on survival but little or no further influence on the degree of block override. It is concluded that override of a mitotic block is not in itself sufficient to cause increased killing when irradiated cells are incubated in the presence of caffeine, and that caffeine exerts its potentiating effect by directly inhibiting repair of damage in DNA or by causing override of radiation-induced inhibition of DNA synthesis. (author)

Override of the radiation-induced mitotic block in human tumour cells by methylxanthines and its relationship to the potentiation of cytotoxicity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Musk, S.R.R.; Steel, G.G. (Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton (UK). Surrey Branch)

1990-06-01

Caffeine, theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine, were tested for ability to override mitotic block induced by ionizing radiation in the human bladder carcinoma cell line RT112. All were found to partially override the block, at a concentration of 1mM in the order caffeine > theophylline > theobromine = paraxanthine. At a concentration of 1 mM only caffeine was found to potentiate cell killing as well as causing block override; at higher concentrations all had a significant effect on survival but little or no further influence on the degree of block override. It is concluded that override of a mitotic block is not in itself sufficient to cause increased killing when irradiated cells are incubated in the presence of caffeine, and that caffeine exerts its potentiating effect by directly inhibiting repair of damage in DNA or by causing override of radiation-induced inhibition of DNA synthesis. (author).

Testing the influence of external and internal cues on smoking motivation using a community sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Litvin, Erika B; Brandon, Thomas H

2010-02-01

Exposing smokers to either external cues (e.g., pictures of cigarettes) or internal cues (e.g., negative affect induction) can induce urge to smoke and other behavioral and physiological responses. However, little is known about whether the two types of cues interact when presented in close proximity, as is likely the case in the real word. Additionally, potential moderators of cue reactivity have rarely been examined. Finally, few cue-reactivity studies have used representative samples of smokers. In a randomized 2 x 2 crossed factorial between-subjects design, the current study tested the effects of a negative affect cue intended to produce anxiety (speech preparation task) and an external smoking cue on urge and behavioral reactivity in a community sample of adult smokers (N = 175), and whether trait impulsivity moderated the effects. Both types of cues produced main effects on urges to smoke, despite the speech task failing to increase anxiety significantly. The speech task increased smoking urge related to anticipation of negative affect relief, whereas the external smoking cues increased urges related to anticipation of pleasure; however, the cues did not interact. Impulsivity measures predicted urge and other smoking-related variables, but did not moderate cue-reactivity. Results suggest independent rather than synergistic effects of these contributors to smoking motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Antisite disorder-induced low-field magnetoresistance in some frustrated Sr2FeMoO6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Tianyi; Ju Sheng; Li Zhenya

2006-01-01

Considering the existence of antiferromagnetic patches induced by the antisite disorder in ferrimagnetic Sr 2 FeMoO 6 , we have developed a resistor network model to account for the effects of the antisite disorder on the magnetoresistance in this material. It is proposed that the magnetic disorder resulting from the existence of frustration around the antiferromagnetic patches will be suppressed under the applied magnetic field and low-field magnetoresistance will be observed. For samples with low levels of antisite defects, the magnetoresistive behaviour may be strongly affected by the different degrees of magnetic inhomogeneity. Our calculated results are in agreement with experimental observations

Dual-state modulation of the contextual cueing effect: Evidence from eye movement recordings.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Guang; Liu, Qiang; Jiao, Jun; Zhou, Peiling; Li, Hong; Sun, Hong-jin

2012-06-08

The repeated configurations of random elements induce a better search performance than that of the displays of novel random configurations. The mechanism of such contextual cueing effect has been investigated through the use of the RT × Set Size function. There are divergent views on whether the contextual cueing effect is driven by attentional guidance or facilitation of initial perceptual processing or response selection. To explore this question, we used eye movement recording in this study, which offers information about the substages of the search task. The results suggest that the contextual cueing effect is contributed mainly by attentional guidance, and facilitation of response selection also plays a role.

Cue-induced striatal activity in frequent cannabis users independently predicts cannabis problem severity three years later

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vingerhoets, W.A.M.; Koenders, L.; van den Brink, W.P.; Wiers, R.W.; Goudriaan, A.E.; van Amelsvoort, T.; de Haan, L.; Cousijn, J.

2016-01-01

Cannabis is the most frequently used illicit drug worldwide, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying continued cannabis use. Cue-reactivity (the physical, psychological, behavioural and neural reaction to substance-related cues) might be related to continued cannabis use. In this 3-year

Magnetic-Field-Induced Soft-Mode Quantum Phase Transition in the High-Temperature Superconductor La1.855Sr0.145CuO4

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chang, J.; Christensen, Niels Bech; Niedermayer, C.

2009-01-01

Inelastic neutron-scattering experiments on the high-temperature superconductor La1.855Sr0.145CuO4 reveal a magnetic excitation gap Delta that decreases continuously upon application of a magnetic field perpendicular to the CuO2 planes. The gap vanishes at the critical field required to induce long...

Peripheral Visual Cues: Their Fate in Processing and Effects on Attention and Temporal-Order Perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Tünnermann, Jan; Scharlau, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Peripheral visual cues lead to large shifts in psychometric distributions of temporal-order judgments. In one view, such shifts are attributed to attention speeding up processing of the cued stimulus, so-called prior entry. However, sometimes these shifts are so large that it is unlikely that they are caused by attention alone. Here we tested the prevalent alternative explanation that the cue is sometimes confused with the target on a perceptual level, bolstering the shift of the psychometric function. We applied a novel model of cued temporal-order judgments, derived from Bundesen's Theory of Visual Attention. We found that cue-target confusions indeed contribute to shifting psychometric functions. However, cue-induced changes in the processing rates of the target stimuli play an important role, too. At smaller cueing intervals, the cue increased the processing speed of the target. At larger intervals, inhibition of return was predominant. Earlier studies of cued TOJs were insensitive to these effects because in psychometric distributions they are concealed by the conjoint effects of cue-target confusions and processing rate changes.

Use of induced chlorophyll deficient mutants to identify 'heterotic blocks' in pearl millet chromosomes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, G.W.

1989-01-01

Full text: Chlorophyll deficient mutant stocks induced in 'Tift 23' of pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum L. Leeke) were crossed with 'Tift 23' and 5 other normal inbreds to study the effect of these deleterious recessive genes on yield. The difference between near-isogenic S 1 (F 2 ) populations homozygous or heterozygous for the chlorophyll deficiency was not significant. However among 69 S 1 progenies from crosses with other inbreds the heterozygotes were higher yielding than the homozygotes in 53 cases, 15 of which were significant. A mutant like 'M5' identified a high yield 'heterotic block' in 'Inbred 104' and a very low yield 'heterotic block' in 'Inbred 186'. (author)

Inhibition of histone deacetylase 3 via RGFP966 facilitates cortical plasticity underlying unusually accurate auditory associative cue memory for excitatory and inhibitory cue-reward associations.

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Andrea; Bylipudi, Sooraz; Bieszczad, Kasia M

2018-05-31

Epigenetic mechanisms are key for regulating long-term memory (LTM) and are known to exert control on memory formation in multiple systems of the adult brain, including the sensory cortex. One epigenetic mechanism is chromatin modification by histone acetylation. Blocking the action of histone de-acetylases (HDACs) that normally negatively regulate LTM by repressing transcription, has been shown to enable memory formation. Indeed, HDAC-inhibition appears to facilitate memory by altering the dynamics of gene expression events important for memory consolidation. However less understood are the ways in which molecular-level consolidation processes alter subsequent memory to enhance storage or facilitate retrieval. Here we used a sensory perspective to investigate whether the characteristics of memory formed with HDAC inhibitors are different from naturally-formed memory. One possibility is that HDAC inhibition enables memory to form with greater sensory detail than normal. Because the auditory system undergoes learning-induced remodeling that provides substrates for sound-specific LTM, we aimed to identify behavioral effects of HDAC inhibition on memory for specific sound features using a standard model of auditory associative cue-reward learning, memory, and cortical plasticity. We found that three systemic post-training treatments of an HDAC3-inhibitor (RGPF966, Abcam Inc.) in rats in the early phase of training facilitated auditory discriminative learning, changed auditory cortical tuning, and increased the specificity for acoustic frequency formed in memory of both excitatory (S+) and inhibitory (S-) associations for at least 2 weeks. The findings support that epigenetic mechanisms act on neural and behavioral sensory acuity to increase the precision of associative cue memory, which can be revealed by studying the sensory characteristics of long-term associative memory formation with HDAC inhibitors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Naltrexone pretreatment blocks microwave-induced changes in central cholinergic receptors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lai, H.; Carino, M.A.; Wen, Y.F.; Horita, A.; Guy, A.W. (Univ. of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (USA))

1991-01-01

Repeated exposure of rats to pulsed, circularly polarized microwaves (2,450-MHz, 2-microseconds pulses at 500 pps, power density 1 mW/cm2, at an averaged, whole-body SAR of 0.6 W/kg) induced biphasic changes in the concentration of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the central nervous system. An increase in receptor concentration occurred in the hippocampus of rats subjected to ten 45-min sessions of microwave exposure, whereas a decrease in concentration was observed in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of rats exposed to ten 20-min sessions. These findings, which confirm earlier work in the authors' laboratory, were extended to include pretreatment of rats with the narcotic antagonist naltrexone (1 mg/kg, IP) before each session of exposure. The drug treatment blocked the microwave-induced changes in cholinergic receptors in the brain. These data further support the authors' hypothesis that endogenous opioids play a role in the effects of microwaves on central cholinergic systems.

Electronic structures of (Pb sub 2 Cu)Sr sub 2 Eu sub x Ce sub n sub - sub x Cu sub 2 O sub 2 sub n sub + sub 6 (n=2, 3): Effect of fluorite blocks between adjacent CuO sub 2 layers

CERN Document Server

Arai, M

2003-01-01

The electronic structures of (Pb sub 2 Cu)Sr sub 2 Eu sub x Ce sub n sub - sub x Cu sub 2 O sub 2 sub n sub + sub 6 (n = 2, 3) compounds which have fluorite blocks between two adjacent CuO sub 2 layers have been studied by using ab-initio method. It is found that the anisotropy is enhanced by inserting the fluorite blocks. The Fermi velocity perpendicular to the CuO sub 2 layers decreases as the thickness of fluorite blocks increases. The Eu substitution is found to affect both the atomic positions and electronic structures. The distance between apical oxygen and copper becomes shorter by the Eu substitution. The energy bands derived from oxygens in the fluorite blocks approach Fermi energy as the content of Eu substitution increases. (author)

Impurity induced antiferromagnetic order in Haldane gap compound SrNi2-xMgxV2O8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pahari, B.; Ghoshray, K.; Ghoshray, A.; Samanta, T.; Das, I.

2007-01-01

The effect of nonmagnetic Mg 2+ doping in SrNi 2 V 2 O 8 , a Haldane gap system with a disordered ground state, was investigated using DC magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity measurements in polycrystalline samples of SrNi 2-x Mg x V 2 O 8 with x=0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.1 and 0.14. The results clearly reveal that the substitution of Ni 2+ (S=1) ion by Mg 2+ (S=0) ion induces a magnetic phase transition with the ordering temperatures lying in the range 3.4-4.3K, for the samples with lowest and highest value of x. The intrachain exchange constant (J/k B ) and the Haldane gap (Δ) for all the compounds were estimated to be ∼98+/-2 and 25K, respectively, which are close to that of the undoped compound. The magnetization data further suggest that the compounds exhibit metamagnetic behavior below T N , supporting a picture of antiferromagnet with significant magnetic anisotropy and competing intrachain and interchain interactions

Effects of self-relevant cues and cue valence on autobiographical memory specificity in dysphoria.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Noboru; Mochizuki, Satoshi

2017-04-01

Reduced autobiographical memory specificity (rAMS) is a characteristic memory bias observed in depression. To corroborate the capture hypothesis in the CaRFAX (capture and rumination, functional avoidance, executive capacity and control) model, we investigated the effects of self-relevant cues and cue valence on rAMS using an adapted Autobiographical Memory Test conducted with a nonclinical population. Hierarchical linear modelling indicated that the main effects of depression and self-relevant cues elicited rAMS. Moreover, the three-way interaction among valence, self-relevance, and depression scores was significant. A simple slope test revealed that dysphoric participants experienced rAMS in response to highly self-relevant positive cues and low self-relevant negative cues. These results partially supported the capture hypothesis in nonclinical dysphoria. It is important to consider cue valence in future studies examining the capture hypothesis.

Gallic acid prevents nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced gastropathy in rat by blocking oxidative stress and apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Chinmay; Bindu, Samik; Dey, Sumanta; Alam, Athar; Goyal, Manish; Iqbal, Mohd Shameel; Maity, Pallab; Adhikari, Susanta S; Bandyopadhyay, Uday

2010-07-15

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced oxidative stress plays a critical role in gastric mucosal cell apoptosis and gastropathy. NSAIDs induce the generation of hydroxyl radical ((*)OH) through the release of free iron, which plays an important role in developing gastropathy. Thus, molecules having both iron-chelating and antiapoptotic properties will be beneficial in preventing NSAID-induced gastropathy. Gallic acid (GA), a polyphenolic natural product, has the capacity to chelate free iron. Here, we report that GA significantly prevents, as well as heals, NSAID-induced gastropathy. In vivo, GA blocks NSAID-mediated mitochondrial oxidative stress by preventing mitochondrial protein carbonyl formation, lipid peroxidation, and thiol depletion. In vitro, GA scavenges free radicals and blocks (*)OH-mediated oxidative damage. GA also attenuates gastric mucosal cell apoptosis in vivo as well as in vitro in cultured gastric mucosal cells as evident from the TUNEL assay. GA prevents NSAID-induced activation of caspase-9, a marker for the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, and restores NSAID-mediated collapse of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and dehydrogenase activity. Thus, the inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative stress by GA is associated with the inhibition of NSAID-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of apoptosis in gastric mucosal cells, which are responsible for gastric injury or gastropathy. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in neural responses to stress and alcohol context cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Dongju; Jia, Zhiru; Lacadie, Cheryl M; Tsou, Kristen A; Bergquist, Keri; Sinha, Rajita

2011-11-01

Stress and alcohol context cues are each associated with alcohol-related behaviors, yet neural responses underlying these processes remain unclear. This study investigated the neural correlates of stress and alcohol context cue experiences and examined sex differences in these responses. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, brain responses were examined while 43 right-handed, socially drinking, healthy individuals (23 females) engaged in brief guided imagery of personalized stress, alcohol-cue, and neutral-relaxing scenarios. Stress and alcohol-cue exposure increased activity in the cortico-limbic-striatal circuit (P left anterior insula, striatum, and visuomotor regions (parietal and occipital lobe, and cerebellum). Activity in the left dorsal striatum increased during stress, while bilateral ventral striatum activity was evident during alcohol-cue exposure. Men displayed greater stress-related activations in the mPFC, rostral ACC, posterior insula, amygdala, and hippocampus than women, whereas women showed greater alcohol-cue-related activity in the superior and middle frontal gyrus (SFG/MFG) than men. Stress-induced anxiety was positively associated with activity in emotion-modulation regions, including the medial OFC, ventromedial PFC, left superior-mPFC, and rostral ACC in men, but in women with activation in the SFG/MFG, regions involved in cognitive processing. Alcohol craving was significantly associated with the striatum (encompassing dorsal, and ventral) in men, supporting its involvement in alcohol "urge" in healthy men. These results indicate sex differences in neural processing of stress and alcohol-cue experiences and have implications for sex-specific vulnerabilities to stress- and alcohol-related psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

90Y/90 Sr electron induced damages in an essential eucalyptus oil related to the absorbed dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heredia Cardona, J.A.; Diaz Rizo, O.; Martinez Luzardo, F.; Quert, R.

2007-01-01

A good irradiation geometry was achieved in order to carry out the irradiation of an essential eucalyptus oil with a 90 Y/ 90 Sr electron source. The Monte Carlo simulation code MCNP-4C was employed to determine the absorbed doses in this particular experimental configuration. It also helped us to understand which electrons (from an energetic point of view) were responsible for the damages. In order to identify the induced damages, the irradiated samples were studied by mass spectrometry. The obtained results were related to the absorbed doses determined by the computational simulation

Sorption (Kd) measurements on cinder block and grout in support of dose assessments for Zion Nuclear Station decommissioning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milian L.; Sullivan T.

2014-06-24

The Zion Nuclear Power Station is being decommissioned. ZionSolutions proposes to leave much of the below grade structures in place and to fill them with a backfill to provide structural support. Backfills under consideration include “clean” concrete demolition debris from the above grade parts of the facility, a flowable grout, cinder block construction debris and sand. A previous study (Yim, 2012) examined the sorption behavior of five nuclides (Fe-55, Co-60, Ni-63, Sr-85, and Cs-137) on concrete and local soils. This study, commissioned by ZionSolutions and conducted by the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) examines the sorption behavior on cinder block and grout materials. Specifically, this study measured the distribution coefficient for four radionuclides of concern using site-groundwater and cinder block from the Zion site and a flowable grout. The distributions coefficient is a measure of the amount of the radionuclide that will remain sorbed to the solid material that is present relative to the amount that will remain in solution. A high distribution coefficient indicates most of the radionuclide will remain on the solid material and will not be available for transport by the groundwater. The radionuclides examined in this set of tests were Co-60, Ni-63, Sr-85, and Cs-137. Tests were performed following ASTM C1733-10, Standard Test Methods for Distribution Coefficients of Inorganic Species by the Batch Method. Sr-85 was used in the testing as an analogue for Sr-90 because it behaves similarly with respect to sorption and has a gamma emission that is easier to detect than the beta emission from Sr-90.

A role for the high-density lipoprotein receptor SR-B1 in synovial inflammation via serum amyloid-A.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Mullan, Ronan Hugh

2012-02-01

Acute phase apoprotein Serum Amyloid A (A-SAA), which is strongly expressed in rheumatoid arthritis synovial membrane (RA SM), induces angiogenesis, adhesion molecule expression, and matrix metalloproteinase production through the G-coupled receptor FPRL-1. Here we report alternative signaling through the high-density lipoprotein receptor scavenger receptor-class B type 1 (SR-B1). Quantitative expression\\/localization of SR-B1 in RA SM, RA fibroblast-like cells (FLCs), and microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) was assessed by Western blotting and immunohistology\\/fluorescence. A-SAA-mediated effects were examined using a specific antibody against SR-B1 or amphipathic alpha-Helical Peptides (the SR-B1 antagonists L-37pA and D-37pA), in RA FLCs and ECs. Adhesion molecule expression and cytokine production were quantified using flow cytometry and ELISA. SR-B1 was strongly expressed in the RA SM lining layer and endothelial\\/perivascular regions compared with osteoarthritis SM or normal control synovium. Differential SR-B1 expression in RA FLC lines (n = 5) and ECs correlated closely with A-SAA, but not tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced intercellular adhesion molecule-1 upregulation. A-SAA-induced interleukin-6 and -8 production was inhibited in the presence of anti-SR-B1 in human microvascular endothelial cells and RA FLCs. Moreover, D-37pA and L-37pA inhibited A-SAA-induced vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and intercellular adhesion molecule expression from ECs in a dose-dependent manner. As SR-B1 is expressed in RA synovial tissue and mediates A-SAA-induced pro-inflammatory pathways, a better understanding of A-SAA-mediated inflammatory pathways may lead to novel treatment strategies for RA.

Epitaxial growth and electronic structure of oxyhydride SrVO2H thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Katayama, Tsukasa; Chikamatsu, Akira; Yamada, Keisuke; Shigematsu, Kei; Onozuka, Tomoya; Minohara, Makoto; Kumigashira, Hiroshi; Ikenaga, Eiji; Hasegawa, Tetsuya

2016-08-01

Oxyhydride SrVO2H epitaxial thin films were fabricated on SrTiO3 substrates via topotactic hydridation of oxide SrVO3 films using CaH2. Structural and composition analyses suggested that the SrVO2H film possessed one-dimensionally ordered V-H--V bonds along the out-of-plane direction. The synthesis temperature could be lowered by reducing the film thickness, and the SrVO2H film was reversible to SrVO3 by oxidation through annealing in air. Photoemission and X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements revealed the V3+ valence state in the SrVO2H film, indicating that the hydrogen existed as hydride. Furthermore, the electronic density of states was highly suppressed at the Fermi energy, consistent with the prediction that tetragonal distortion induces metal to insulation transition.

SR-B1 Is a Silica Receptor that Mediates Canonical Inflammasome Activation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Misato Tsugita

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The inhalation of silica dust is associated with fibrosis and lung cancer, which are triggered by macrophage inflammatory responses; however, how macrophages recognize silica remains largely unknown. Here, we identify by functional expression cloning the class B scavenger receptor SR-B1 as a silica receptor. Through an extracellular α-helix, both mouse and human SR-B1 specifically recognized amorphous and crystalline silica, but not titanium dioxide nanoparticles, latex nanoparticles, or monosodium urate crystals, although all particles exhibited negative surface potentials. Genetic deletion of SR-B1 and masking of SR-B1 by monoclonal antibodies showed that SR-B1-mediated recognition of silica is associated with caspase-1-mediated inflammatory responses in mouse macrophages and human peripheral blood monocytes. Furthermore, SR-B1 was involved in silica-induced pulmonary inflammation in mice. These results indicate that SR-B1 is a silica receptor associated with canonical inflammasome activation.

Electron color centers in SrF2-Na crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachan, S.I.; Chornij, Z.P.

2006-01-01

A radiation-induced memory effect in SrF 2 -Na crystals is studied. It was shown that optical bleaching of M + A color centers at 80 K in SrF 2 -Na crystals causes the core of an M + A -center to transform into the V + a Me + V + a configuration, in which all three point defects are arranged diagonally in the cube cell. Reirradiation of an optically bleached crystal by X-rays generates F D centers in it. The F D →M + A transformation in SrF 2 -Na crystals occurs at T = 135 K, in contrast to the F A →M + A transformations, which take place at T > 200 K [ru

Effects of Chronic Alcohol Exposure on the Modulation of Ischemia-Induced Glutamate Release via Cannabinoid Receptors in the Dorsal Hippocampus.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Lei; Wu, Xiaoda; Dong, Xiao; Ding, Xinli; Song, Cunfeng

2015-10-01

Chronic alcohol consumption is a critical contributing factor to ischemic stroke, as it enhances ischemia-induced glutamate release, leading to more severe excitotoxicity and brain damage. But the neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. We evaluated the effects of chronic alcohol exposure on the modulation of ischemia-induced glutamate release via CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors during middle cerebral artery occlusion, using in vivo microdialysis coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography, in alcohol-naïve rats or rats after 1 or 30 days of withdrawal from chronic ethanol intake (6% v/v for 14 days). Intra-dorsal hippocampus (DH) infusions of ACEA or JWH133, selective CB1 or CB2 receptor agonists, respectively, decreased glutamate release in the DH in alcohol-naïve rats in a dose-dependent manner. Such an effect was reversed by co-infusions of SR141716A or AM630, selective CB1 or CB2 receptor antagonists, respectively. After 30 days, but not 1 day of withdrawal, ischemia induced an enhancement in glutamate release in the DH, as compared with non-alcohol-treated control group. Intra-DH infusions of JWH133, but not ACEA, inhibited ischemia-induced glutamate release in the DH after 30 days of withdrawal. Finally, 1 day of withdrawal did not alter the protein level of CB1 or CB2 receptors in the DH, as compared to non-alcohol-treated control rats. Whereas 30 days of withdrawal robustly decreased the protein level of CB1 receptors, but failed to alter the protein level of CB2 receptors, in the DH, as compared to non-alcohol-treated control rats. Together, these findings suggest that loss of expression/function of CB1 receptors, but not CB2 receptors in the DH, is correlated with the enhancement of ischemia-induced glutamate release after prolonged alcohol withdrawal. Copyright © 2015 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Overexpression of Thioredoxin-1 Blocks Morphine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference Through Regulating the Interaction of γ-Aminobutyric Acid and Dopamine Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiang; Huang, Mengbing; Yang, Lihua; Guo, Ningning; Yang, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Zhimin; Bai, Ming; Ge, Lu; Zhou, Xiaoshuang; Li, Ye; Bai, Jie

2018-01-01

Morphine is one kind of opioid, which is currently the most effective widely utilized pain relieving pharmaceutical. Long-term administration of morphine leads to dependence and addiction. Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) is an important redox regulating protein and works as a neurotrophic cofactor. Our previous study showed that geranylgeranylaceton, an inducer of Trx-1 protected mice from rewarding effects induced by morphine. However, whether overexpression of Trx-1 can block morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice is still unknown. In this study, we first examined whether overexpression of Trx-1 affects the CPP after morphine training and further examined the dopamine (DA) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) systems involved in rewarding effects. Our results showed that morphine-induced CPP was blocked in Trx-1 overexpression transgenic (TG) mice. Trx-1 expression was induced by morphine in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in wild-type (WT) mice, which was not induced in Trx-1 TG mice. The DA level and expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and D1 were induced by morphine in WT mice, which were not induced in Trx-1 TG mice. The GABA level and expression of GABA B R were decreased by morphine, which were restored in Trx-1 TG mice. Therefore, Trx-1 may play a role in blocking CPP induced by morphine through regulating the expressions of D1, TH, and GABA B R in the VTA and NAc.

Overexpression of Thioredoxin-1 Blocks Morphine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference Through Regulating the Interaction of γ-Aminobutyric Acid and Dopamine Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang Li

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Morphine is one kind of opioid, which is currently the most effective widely utilized pain relieving pharmaceutical. Long-term administration of morphine leads to dependence and addiction. Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1 is an important redox regulating protein and works as a neurotrophic cofactor. Our previous study showed that geranylgeranylaceton, an inducer of Trx-1 protected mice from rewarding effects induced by morphine. However, whether overexpression of Trx-1 can block morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP in mice is still unknown. In this study, we first examined whether overexpression of Trx-1 affects the CPP after morphine training and further examined the dopamine (DA and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA systems involved in rewarding effects. Our results showed that morphine-induced CPP was blocked in Trx-1 overexpression transgenic (TG mice. Trx-1 expression was induced by morphine in the ventral tegmental area (VTA and nucleus accumbens (NAc in wild-type (WT mice, which was not induced in Trx-1 TG mice. The DA level and expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH and D1 were induced by morphine in WT mice, which were not induced in Trx-1 TG mice. The GABA level and expression of GABABR were decreased by morphine, which were restored in Trx-1 TG mice. Therefore, Trx-1 may play a role in blocking CPP induced by morphine through regulating the expressions of D1, TH, and GABABR in the VTA and NAc.

Multiple reward-cue contingencies favor expectancy over uncertainty in shaping the reward-cue attentional salience.

Science.gov (United States)

De Tommaso, Matteo; Mastropasqua, Tommaso; Turatto, Massimo

2018-01-25

Reward-predicting cues attract attention because of their motivational value. A debated question regards the conditions under which the cue's attentional salience is governed more by reward expectancy rather than by reward uncertainty. To help shedding light on this relevant issue, here, we manipulated expectancy and uncertainty using three levels of reward-cue contingency, so that, for example, a high level of reward expectancy (p = .8) was compared with the highest level of reward uncertainty (p = .5). In Experiment 1, the best reward-cue during conditioning was preferentially attended in a subsequent visual search task. This result was replicated in Experiment 2, in which the cues were matched in terms of response history. In Experiment 3, we implemented a hybrid procedure consisting of two phases: an omission contingency procedure during conditioning, followed by a visual search task as in the previous experiments. Crucially, during both phases, the reward-cues were never task relevant. Results confirmed that, when multiple reward-cue contingencies are explored by a human observer, expectancy is the major factor controlling both the attentional and the oculomotor salience of the reward-cue.

CD14 is a key mediator of both lysophosphatidic acid and lipopolysaccharide induction of foam cell formation.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Dong; Hao, Feng; Zhang, Fuqiang; Kong, Wei; Chun, Jerold; Xu, Xuemin; Cui, Mei-Zhen

2017-09-01

Macrophage uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) plays an important role in foam cell formation and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We report here that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) enhances lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced oxLDL uptake in macrophages. Our data revealed that both LPA and LPS highly induce the CD14 expression at messenger RNA and protein levels in macrophages. The role of CD14, one component of the LPS receptor cluster, in LPA-induced biological functions has been unknown. We took several steps to examine the role of CD14 in LPA signaling pathways. Knockdown of CD14 expression nearly completely blocked LPA/LPS-induced oxLDL uptake in macrophages, demonstrating for the first time that CD14 is a key mediator responsible for both LPA- and LPS-induced oxLDL uptake/foam cell formation. To determine the molecular mechanism mediating CD14 function, we demonstrated that both LPA and LPS significantly induce the expression of scavenger receptor class A type I (SR-AI), which has been implicated in lipid uptake process, and depletion of CD14 levels blocked LPA/LPS-induced SR-AI expression. We further showed that the SR-AI-specific antibody, which quenches SR-AI function, blocked LPA- and LPS-induced foam cell formation. Thus, SR-AI is the downstream mediator of CD14 in regulating LPA-, LPS-, and LPA/LPS-induced foam cell formation. Taken together, our results provide the first experimental evidence that CD14 is a novel connecting molecule linking both LPA and LPS pathways and is a key mediator responsible for LPA/LPS-induced foam cell formation. The LPA/LPS-CD14-SR-AI nexus might be the new convergent pathway, contributing to the worsening of atherosclerosis. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Reversal of alcohol dependence-induced deficits in cue-guided behavior via mGluR2/3 signaling in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, Jacqueline M; Lench, Daniel H; Chandler, L Judson

2016-01-01

Alcohol use disorders are associated with deficits in adaptive behavior. While some behavioral impairments that are associated with alcohol use disorders may predate exposure to drugs of abuse, others may result directly from exposure to drugs of abuse, including alcohol. Identifying a causal role for how alcohol exposure leads to these impairments will enable further investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms by which it acts to dysregulate adaptive behavior. In the present study, we examined the effects of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure (CIE) on the use of reward-paired cues to guide consummatory behaviors in a mouse model, and further, how manipulations of mGluR2/3 signaling-known to be dysregulated after chronic alcohol exposure-may alter the expression of this behavior. Adult male C57B/6J mice were trained to self-administer 10 % ethanol and exposed to CIE via vapor inhalation. After CIE exposure, mice were trained in a Pavlovian task wherein a cue (tone) was paired with the delivery of a 10 % sucrose unconditioned stimulus. The use of the reward-paired cue to guide licking behavior was determined across training. The effect of systemic mGluR2/3 manipulation on discrimination between cue-on and cue-off intervals was assessed by administration of the mGluR2/3 agonist LY379268 or the antagonist LY341495 prior to a testing session. Exposure to CIE resulted in reductions in discrimination between cue-on and cue-off intervals, with CIE-exposed mice exhibiting significantly lower consummatory behavior during reward-paired cues than air controls. In addition, systemic administration of an mGluR2/3 agonist restored the use of reward-paired cues in CIE-exposed animals without impacting behavior in air controls. Conversely, administration of an mGluR2/3 antagonist mimicked the effects of CIE on cue-guided licking behavior, indicating that mGluR2/3 signaling can bidirectionally regulate the ability to use reward-paired cues to guide behavior. Together

Sintering, microstructure and electrical conductivity of gadolinia-doped ceria with SrO, TiO2 and SrTiO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Maria Cely Freitas

2013-01-01

Ceria containing trivalent rare-earths is a solid electrolyte with higher ionic conductivity than the standard yttria fully-stabilized zirconia ionic conductor. This property turns these ceria-based ionic conductors promising materials for application in solid oxide fuel cells operating at intermediate temperatures (500-700 deg C). One of the most utilized approaches to optimize the electrical conductivity and other properties of these materials is the introduction of a second additive. In this work, ceria-20 mol% gadolinia with additions of 1, 2.5 and 5 mol% of SrO, TiO 2 and SrTiO 3 as co-additives were prepared by solid state reaction. The main purpose was to investigate the effects of the co-additives on densification, microstructure and electrical conductivity of the solid electrolyte. Sintered pellets were characterized by apparent density, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electrical conductivity by impedance spectroscopy. The additives were found to exert different influences in all studied properties. The way they influence the solid electrolyte properties depends on the type and content of the additive. SrO addition to doped ceria improves the intergranular conductivity, but decreases the apparent density of the pellets. Increase of densification was obtained with TiO 2 addition. This additive promotes increase of the blocking of charge carriers at the grain boundaries due to solute exsolution and formation of the pyrochlore Gd 2 Ti 2 O 7 phase at grain boundaries for contents in excess of the solubility limit. No influence on densification was found for SrTiO 3 additions. (author)

Cocaine-conditioned odor cues without chronic exposure: Implications for the development of addiction vulnerability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven B. Lowen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Adolescents are highly vulnerable to addiction and are four times more likely to become addicted at first exposure than at any other age. The dopamine D1 receptor, which is typically overexpressed in the normal adolescent prefrontal cortex, is involved in drug cue responses and is associated with relapse in animal models. In human drug addicts, imaging methods have detected increased activation in response to drug cues in reward- and habit-associated brain regions. These same methods can be applied more quantitatively to rodent models. Here, changes in neuronal activation in response to cocaine-conditioned cues were observed using functional magnetic resonance imaging in juvenile rats that were made to over-express either D1 receptors or green fluorescent protein by viral-mediated transduction. Reduced activation was observed in the amygdala and dopamine cell body regions in the low cue-preferring/control juvenile rats in response to cocaine cues. In contrast, increased activation was observed in the dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, and dopamine cell bodies in high cue-preferring/D1 juveniles. The increase in cue salience that is mediated by increased D1 receptor density, rather than excessive cocaine experience, appears to underlie the transition from aversion to reward in cue-induced neural response and may form the basis for habit-forming vulnerability.

Cocaine-conditioned odor cues without chronic exposure: Implications for the development of addiction vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowen, Steven B; Rohan, Michael L; Gillis, Timothy E; Thompson, Britta S; Wellons, Clara B W; Andersen, Susan L

2015-01-01

Adolescents are highly vulnerable to addiction and are four times more likely to become addicted at first exposure than at any other age. The dopamine D1 receptor, which is typically overexpressed in the normal adolescent prefrontal cortex, is involved in drug cue responses and is associated with relapse in animal models. In human drug addicts, imaging methods have detected increased activation in response to drug cues in reward- and habit-associated brain regions. These same methods can be applied more quantitatively to rodent models. Here, changes in neuronal activation in response to cocaine-conditioned cues were observed using functional magnetic resonance imaging in juvenile rats that were made to over-express either D1 receptors or green fluorescent protein by viral-mediated transduction. Reduced activation was observed in the amygdala and dopamine cell body regions in the low cue-preferring/control juvenile rats in response to cocaine cues. In contrast, increased activation was observed in the dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, and dopamine cell bodies in high cue-preferring/D1 juveniles. The increase in cue salience that is mediated by increased D1 receptor density, rather than excessive cocaine experience, appears to underlie the transition from aversion to reward in cue-induced neural response and may form the basis for habit-forming vulnerability.

Metformin and phenformin block the peripheral antinociception induced by diclofenac and indomethacin on the formalin test.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, Mario I

2012-01-02

Recent evidence has shown that systemic administration of sulfonylureas and biguanides block the diclofenac-induced antinociception, but not the effect produced by indomethacin. However, there are no reports about the peripheral interaction between analgesics and the biguanides metformin and phenformin. Therefore, this work was undertaken to determine whether glibenclamide and glipizide and the biguanides metformin and phenformin have any effect on the peripheral antinociception induced by diclofenac and indomethacin. Diclofenac and indomethacin were administered locally in the formalin-injured rat paw, and the antinociceptive effect was evaluated using the 1% formalin test. To determine whether peripheral antinociception induced by diclofenac or indomethacin was mediated by either the ATP-sensitive K(+) channels or biguanides-induced mechanisms, the effect of pretreatment with the appropriates vehicles or glibenclamide, glipizide, metformin and phenformin on the antinociceptive effect induced by local peripheral diclofenac and indomethacin was assessed. Local peripheral injections of diclofenac (50-200 μg/paw) and indomethacin (200-800 μg/paw) produced a dose-dependent antinociception during the second phase of the test. Local pretreatment with glibenclamide, glipizide, metformin and phenformin blocked the diclofenac-induced antinociception. On the other hand, the pretreatment with glibenclamide and glipizide did not prevent the local antinociception produced by indomethacin. Nonetheless, metformin and phenformin reversed the local antinociception induced by indomethacin. Data suggest that diclofenac could activate the K(+) channels and biguanides-dependent mechanisms to produce its peripheral antinociceptive effects in the formalin test. Likewise, a biguanides-dependent mechanism could be activated by indomethacin consecutively to generate its peripheral antinociceptive effect. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

N-Terminal Prodomain of Pfs230 Synthesized Using a Cell-Free System Is Sufficient To Induce Complement-Dependent Malaria Transmission-Blocking Activity▿

Science.gov (United States)

Tachibana, Mayumi; Wu, Yimin; Iriko, Hideyuki; Muratova, Olga; MacDonald, Nicholas J.; Sattabongkot, Jetsumon; Takeo, Satoru; Otsuki, Hitoshi; Torii, Motomi; Tsuboi, Takafumi

2011-01-01

The aim of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine is to block the development of malaria parasites in the mosquito and thus prevent subsequent infection of the human host. Previous studies have demonstrated that the gametocyte/gamete surface protein Pfs230 can induce transmission-blocking immunity and have evaluated Escherichia coli-produced Pfs230 as a transmission-blocking vaccine candidate. In this study, we used the wheat germ cell-free expression system to produce N-terminal fragments of Pfs230 and evaluated the transmission-blocking activity of antisera raised against the recombinant Pfs230 protein. The rabbit antisera reacted to the surface of cultured gametocytes and gametes of the Plasmodium falciparum NF54 line, recognized the 360-kDa form of parasite-produced Pfs230 by Western blot assay, and reduced the infectivity of NF54 parasites to Anopheles stefensi mosquitoes in the presence of complement in a standard membrane feeding assay. Thus, our data demonstrate that the N-terminal pro domain of Pfs230 is sufficient to induce complement-dependent transmission-blocking activity against P. falciparum. PMID:21715579

N-terminal prodomain of Pfs230 synthesized using a cell-free system is sufficient to induce complement-dependent malaria transmission-blocking activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Tachibana, Mayumi; Wu, Yimin; Iriko, Hideyuki; Muratova, Olga; MacDonald, Nicholas J; Sattabongkot, Jetsumon; Takeo, Satoru; Otsuki, Hitoshi; Torii, Motomi; Tsuboi, Takafumi

2011-08-01

The aim of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine is to block the development of malaria parasites in the mosquito and thus prevent subsequent infection of the human host. Previous studies have demonstrated that the gametocyte/gamete surface protein Pfs230 can induce transmission-blocking immunity and have evaluated Escherichia coli-produced Pfs230 as a transmission-blocking vaccine candidate. In this study, we used the wheat germ cell-free expression system to produce N-terminal fragments of Pfs230 and evaluated the transmission-blocking activity of antisera raised against the recombinant Pfs230 protein. The rabbit antisera reacted to the surface of cultured gametocytes and gametes of the Plasmodium falciparum NF54 line, recognized the 360-kDa form of parasite-produced Pfs230 by Western blot assay, and reduced the infectivity of NF54 parasites to Anopheles stefensi mosquitoes in the presence of complement in a standard membrane feeding assay. Thus, our data demonstrate that the N-terminal pro domain of Pfs230 is sufficient to induce complement-dependent transmission-blocking activity against P. falciparum.

Cross-modal cueing in audiovisual spatial attention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blurton, Steven Paul; Greenlee, Mark W.; Gondan, Matthias

2015-01-01

effects have been reported for endogenous visual cues while exogenous cues seem to be mostly ineffective. In three experiments, we investigated cueing effects on the processing of audiovisual signals. In Experiment 1 we used endogenous cues to investigate their effect on the detection of auditory, visual......, and audiovisual targets presented with onset asynchrony. Consistent cueing effects were found in all target conditions. In Experiment 2 we used exogenous cues and found cueing effects only for visual target detection, but not auditory target detection. In Experiment 3 we used predictive exogenous cues to examine...

Effect of pictorial depth cues, binocular disparity cues and motion parallax depth cues on lightness perception in three-dimensional virtual scenes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michiteru Kitazaki

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Surface lightness perception is affected by scene interpretation. There is some experimental evidence that perceived lightness under bi-ocular viewing conditions is different from perceived lightness in actual scenes but there are also reports that viewing conditions have little or no effect on perceived color. We investigated how mixes of depth cues affect perception of lightness in three-dimensional rendered scenes containing strong gradients of illumination in depth.Observers viewed a virtual room (4 m width x 5 m height x 17.5 m depth with checkerboard walls and floor. In four conditions, the room was presented with or without binocular disparity (BD depth cues and with or without motion parallax (MP depth cues. In all conditions, observers were asked to adjust the luminance of a comparison surface to match the lightness of test surfaces placed at seven different depths (8.5-17.5 m in the scene. We estimated lightness versus depth profiles in all four depth cue conditions. Even when observers had only pictorial depth cues (no MP, no BD, they partially but significantly discounted the illumination gradient in judging lightness. Adding either MP or BD led to significantly greater discounting and both cues together produced the greatest discounting. The effects of MP and BD were approximately additive. BD had greater influence at near distances than far.These results suggest the surface lightness perception is modulated by three-dimensional perception/interpretation using pictorial, binocular-disparity, and motion-parallax cues additively. We propose a two-stage (2D and 3D processing model for lightness perception.

Food and drug cues activate similar brain regions: a meta-analysis of functional MRI studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, D W; Fellows, L K; Small, D M; Dagher, A

2012-06-06

In healthy individuals, food cues can trigger hunger and feeding behavior. Likewise, smoking cues can trigger craving and relapse in smokers. Brain imaging studies report that structures involved in appetitive behaviors and reward, notably the insula, striatum, amygdala and orbital frontal cortex, tend to be activated by both visual food and smoking cues. Here, by carrying out a meta-analysis of human neuro-imaging studies, we investigate the neural network activated by: 1) food versus neutral cues (14 studies, 142 foci) 2) smoking versus neutral cues (15 studies, 176 foci) 3) smoking versus neutral cues when correlated with craving scores (7 studies, 108 foci). PubMed was used to identify cue-reactivity imaging studies that compared brain response to visual food or smoking cues to neutral cues. Fourteen articles were identified for the food meta-analysis and fifteen articles were identified for the smoking meta-analysis. Six articles were identified for the smoking cue correlated with craving analysis. Meta-analyses were carried out using activation likelihood estimation. Food cues were associated with increased blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response in the left amygdala, bilateral insula, bilateral orbital frontal cortex, and striatum. Smoking cues were associated with increased BOLD signal in the same areas, with the exception of the insula. However, the smoking meta-analysis of brain maps correlating cue-reactivity with subjective craving did identify the insula, suggesting that insula activation is only found when craving levels are high. The brain areas identified here are involved in learning, memory and motivation, and their cue-induced activity is an index of the incentive salience of the cues. Using meta-analytic techniques to combine a series of studies, we found that food and smoking cues activate comparable brain networks. There is significant overlap in brain regions responding to conditioned cues associated with natural and drug rewards

Enhanced carrier density in Nb-doped SrTiO3 thermoelectrics

KAUST Repository

Ozdogan, K.

2012-03-08

We study epitaxial SrTiO3 interfaced with Nb-doped SrTi1-x Nb x O3 (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.375, and 0.5) by full-potential density functional theory. From the electronic band structures obtained by our ab-initio calculations we determine the dependence of the induced metallicity on the Nb concentration. We obtain a monotonous increase of the carrier density with the Nb concentration. The results are confirmed by experiments for SrTi0.88Nb0.12O3 and SrTi0.8Nb0.2O3, demonstrating the predictive power and limitations of our theoretical approach. We also show that the Seebeck coefficient decreases monotonously with increasing temperature.

Enhanced carrier density in Nb-doped SrTiO3 thermoelectrics

KAUST Repository

Ozdogan, K.; Upadhyay Kahaly, M.; Sarath Kumar, S. R.; Alshareef, Husam N.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2012-01-01

We study epitaxial SrTiO3 interfaced with Nb-doped SrTi1-x Nb x O3 (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.375, and 0.5) by full-potential density functional theory. From the electronic band structures obtained by our ab-initio calculations we determine the dependence of the induced metallicity on the Nb concentration. We obtain a monotonous increase of the carrier density with the Nb concentration. The results are confirmed by experiments for SrTi0.88Nb0.12O3 and SrTi0.8Nb0.2O3, demonstrating the predictive power and limitations of our theoretical approach. We also show that the Seebeck coefficient decreases monotonously with increasing temperature.

High-strain-induced deformation mechanisms in block-graft and multigraft copolymers

KAUST Repository

Schlegel, Ralf

2011-12-13

The molecular orientation behavior and structural changes of morphology at high strains for multigraft and block-graft copolymers based on polystyrene (PS) and polyisoprene (PI) were investigated during uniaxial monotonic loading via FT-IR and synchrotron SAXS. Results from FT-IR revealed specific orientations of PS and PI segments depending on molecular architecture and on the morphology, while structural investigations revealed a typical decrease in long-range order with increasing strain. This decrease was interpreted as strain-induced dissolution of the glassy blocks in the soft matrix, which is assumed to affect an additional enthalpic contribution (strain-induced mixing of polymer chains) and stronger retracting forces of the network chains during elongation. Our interpretation is supported by FT-IR measurements showing similar orientation of rubbery and glassy segments up to high strains. It also points to highly deformable PS domains. By synchrotron SAXS, we observed in the neo-Hookean region an approach of glassy domains, while at higher elongations the intensity of the primary reflection peak was significantly decreasing. The latter clearly verifies the assumption that the glassy chains are pulled out from the domains and are partly mixed in the PI matrix. Results obtained by applying models of rubber elasticity to stress-strain and hysteresis data revealed similar correlations between the softening behavior and molecular and morphological parameters. Further, an influence of the network modality was observed (random grafted branches). For sphere forming multigraft copolymers the domain functionality was found to be less important to achieve improved mechanical properties but rather size and distribution of the domains. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Can species-specific prey responses to chemical cues explain prey susceptibility to predation?

Science.gov (United States)

Šmejkal, Marek; Ricard, Daniel; Sajdlová, Zuzana; Čech, Martin; Vejřík, Lukáš; Blabolil, Petr; Vejříková, Ivana; Prchalová, Marie; Vašek, Mojmír; Souza, Allan T; Brönmark, Christer; Peterka, Jiří

2018-05-01

The perception of danger represents an essential ability of prey for gaining an informational advantage over their natural enemies. Especially in complex environments or at night, animals strongly rely on chemoreception to avoid predators. The ability to recognize danger by chemical cues and subsequent adaptive responses to predation threats should generally increase prey survival. Recent findings suggest that European catfish ( Silurus glanis ) introduction induce changes in fish community and we tested whether the direction of change can be attributed to differences in chemical cue perception. We tested behavioral response to chemical cues using three species of freshwater fish common in European water: rudd ( Scardinius erythrophthalmus ), roach ( Rutilus rutilus ), and perch ( Perca fluviatilis ). Further, we conducted a prey selectivity experiment to evaluate the prey preferences of the European catfish. Roach exhibited the strongest reaction to chemical cues, rudd decreased use of refuge and perch did not alter any behavior in the experiment. These findings suggest that chemical cue perception might be behind community data change and we encourage collecting more community data of tested prey species before and after European catfish introduction to test the hypothesis. We conclude that used prey species can be used as a model species to verify whether chemical cue perception enhances prey survival.

Preconditioning of Spatial and Auditory Cues: Roles of the Hippocampus, Frontal Cortex, and Cue-Directed Attention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew C. Talk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Loss of function of the hippocampus or frontal cortex is associated with reduced performance on memory tasks, in which subjects are incidentally exposed to cues at specific places in the environment and are subsequently asked to recollect the location at which the cue was experienced. Here, we examined the roles of the rodent hippocampus and frontal cortex in cue-directed attention during encoding of memory for the location of a single incidentally experienced cue. During a spatial sensory preconditioning task, rats explored an elevated platform while an auditory cue was incidentally presented at one corner. The opposite corner acted as an unpaired control location. The rats demonstrated recollection of location by avoiding the paired corner after the auditory cue was in turn paired with shock. Damage to either the dorsal hippocampus or the frontal cortex impaired this memory ability. However, we also found that hippocampal lesions enhanced attention directed towards the cue during the encoding phase, while frontal cortical lesions reduced cue-directed attention. These results suggest that the deficit in spatial sensory preconditioning caused by frontal cortical damage may be mediated by inattention to the location of cues during the latent encoding phase, while deficits following hippocampal damage must be related to other mechanisms such as generation of neural plasticity.

Preconditioning of Spatial and Auditory Cues: Roles of the Hippocampus, Frontal Cortex, and Cue-Directed Attention

Science.gov (United States)

Talk, Andrew C.; Grasby, Katrina L.; Rawson, Tim; Ebejer, Jane L.

2016-01-01

Loss of function of the hippocampus or frontal cortex is associated with reduced performance on memory tasks, in which subjects are incidentally exposed to cues at specific places in the environment and are subsequently asked to recollect the location at which the cue was experienced. Here, we examined the roles of the rodent hippocampus and frontal cortex in cue-directed attention during encoding of memory for the location of a single incidentally experienced cue. During a spatial sensory preconditioning task, rats explored an elevated platform while an auditory cue was incidentally presented at one corner. The opposite corner acted as an unpaired control location. The rats demonstrated recollection of location by avoiding the paired corner after the auditory cue was in turn paired with shock. Damage to either the dorsal hippocampus or the frontal cortex impaired this memory ability. However, we also found that hippocampal lesions enhanced attention directed towards the cue during the encoding phase, while frontal cortical lesions reduced cue-directed attention. These results suggest that the deficit in spatial sensory preconditioning caused by frontal cortical damage may be mediated by inattention to the location of cues during the latent encoding phase, while deficits following hippocampal damage must be related to other mechanisms such as generation of neural plasticity. PMID:27999366

A synthetic peptide blocking TRPV1 activation inhibits UV-induced skin responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, So Min; Han, Sangbum; Oh, Jang-Hee; Lee, Young Mee; Park, Chi-Hyun; Shin, Chang-Yup; Lee, Dong Hun; Chung, Jin Ho

2017-10-01

Transient receptor potential type 1 (TRPV1) can be activated by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and mediates UV-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and proinflammatory cytokines in keratinocytes. Various chemicals and compounds targeting TRPV1 activation have been developed, but are not in clinical use mostly due to their safety issues. We aimed to develop a novel TRPV1-targeting peptide to inhibit UV-induced responses in human skin. We designed and generated a novel TRPV1 inhibitory peptide (TIP) which mimics the specific site in TRPV1 (aa 701-709: Gln-Arg-Ala-Ile-Thr-Ile-Leu-Asp-Thr, QRAITILDT), Thr 705 , and tested its efficacy of blocking UV-induced responses in HaCaT, mouse, and human skin. TIP effectively inhibited capsaicin-induced calcium influx and TRPV1 activation. Treatment of HaCaT with TIP prevented UV-induced increases of MMP-1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. In mouse skin in vivo, TIP inhibited UV-induced skin thickening and prevented UV-induced expression of MMP-13 and MMP-9. Moreover, TIP attenuated UV-induced erythema and the expression of MMP-1, MMP-2, IL-6, and IL-8 in human skin in vivo. The novel synthetic peptide targeting TRPV1 can ameliorate UV-induced skin responses in vitro and in vivo, providing a promising therapeutic approach against UV-induced inflammation and photoaging. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional block copolymer nanostructures by the solvent-annealing-induced wetting in anodic aluminum oxide templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Chiang-Jui; Chung, Pei-Yun; Chi, Mu-Huan; Kao, Yi-Huei; Chen, Jiun-Tai

2014-09-01

Block copolymers have been extensively studied over the last few decades because they can self-assemble into well-ordered nanoscale structures. The morphologies of block copolymers in confined geometries, however, are still not fully understood. In this work, the fabrication and morphologies of three-dimensional polystyrene-block-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-b-PDMS) nanostructures confined in the nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates are studied. It is discovered that the block copolymers can wet the nanopores using a novel solvent-annealing-induced nanowetting in templates (SAINT) method. The unique advantage of this method is that the problem of thermal degradation can be avoided. In addition, the morphologies of PS-b-PDMS nanostructures can be controlled by changing the wetting conditions. Different solvents are used as the annealing solvent, including toluene, hexane, and a co-solvent of toluene and hexane. When the block copolymer wets the nanopores in toluene vapors, a perpendicular morphology is observed. When the block copolymer wets the nanopores in co-solvent vapors (toluene/hexane = 3:2), unusual circular and helical morphologies are obtained. These three-dimensional nanostructures can serve as naontemplates for refilling with other functional materials, such as Au, Ag, ZnO, and TiO2 . © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Immune competence in 90Sr-exposed, adult thymectomized and antilymphocyteglobulin-treated CBA mice. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bierke, P.

1989-01-01

CBA mice subjected to either adult thymectomy, internal exposure to 90 Sr or antilymphocyteglobulin treatment separately, or to combinations of the three were tested for cellular immune competence using their reaction to allogenic skin grafts. Peripheral blood white cell counts did not reveal any obvious correlation between the degree of mononuclear cell depletion and the ability to accept grafts, suggesting that the particular treatments depleted specific fractions of mononuclear cells, differing in their extent of involvement in the rejection process. No single treatment alone induced a significant prolongation in the time elapsed before graft rejection. Adult thymectomy followed by appropriate antilymphocyteglobulin treatment induced severe lymphocytopenia and a profound suppression of the cell-mediate immune system, as evidenced by the acceptance of allogenic skin grafts. When applied to 90 Sr-preexposed mice the same treatment induced lifelong acceptance of grafts, indicating a similar, though weaker immunosuppressive impact of 90 Sr. Hence it was possible to significantly enhance immunosuppression in 90 Sr-exposed mice. This in vivo model should be useful when investigating the role of immunological responsiveness in radiation carcinogenesis. (orig.)

Is it beneficial to use Internet-communication for escaping from boredom? Boredom proneness interacts with cue-induced craving and avoidance expectancies in explaining symptoms of Internet-communication disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Wegmann, Elisa; Ostendorf, Sina; Brand, Matthias

2018-01-01

The use of online-communication applications including messengers (e.g. WhatsApp) or social networking services (e.g. Facebook) on the smartphone has turned into daily practice for billions of people, for example during waiting times. An increasing number of individuals show diminished control over their usage of these applications despite negative consequences in everyday life. This can be referred to as Internet-communication disorder (ICD). The current study investigated the effect of boredom proneness on symptoms of an ICD. It further examined the mediating role of cognitive and affective mechanisms, namely expectancies to avoid negative feelings online and cue-induced craving. The results of a structural equation model (N = 148) illustrate that boredom proneness is a risk factor for the development and maintenance of an ICD as it had a significant direct effect on ICD symptoms. Furthermore, boredom proneness predicted avoidance expectancies as well as cue-induced craving. Both in turn enhanced the risk of developing ICD tendencies. Moreover, both variables mediated the effect of boredom proneness on ICD and interacted among each other. In summary, the results demonstrate that people who have a higher susceptibility to experience boredom show higher expectancies to avoid negative emotions online, which promotes higher craving reactions when being confronted with specific cues (e.g. an incoming message), and could result in ICD tendencies.

Is it beneficial to use Internet-communication for escaping from boredom? Boredom proneness interacts with cue-induced craving and avoidance expectancies in explaining symptoms of Internet-communication disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Ostendorf, Sina

2018-01-01

The use of online-communication applications including messengers (e.g. WhatsApp) or social networking services (e.g. Facebook) on the smartphone has turned into daily practice for billions of people, for example during waiting times. An increasing number of individuals show diminished control over their usage of these applications despite negative consequences in everyday life. This can be referred to as Internet-communication disorder (ICD). The current study investigated the effect of boredom proneness on symptoms of an ICD. It further examined the mediating role of cognitive and affective mechanisms, namely expectancies to avoid negative feelings online and cue-induced craving. The results of a structural equation model (N = 148) illustrate that boredom proneness is a risk factor for the development and maintenance of an ICD as it had a significant direct effect on ICD symptoms. Furthermore, boredom proneness predicted avoidance expectancies as well as cue-induced craving. Both in turn enhanced the risk of developing ICD tendencies. Moreover, both variables mediated the effect of boredom proneness on ICD and interacted among each other. In summary, the results demonstrate that people who have a higher susceptibility to experience boredom show higher expectancies to avoid negative emotions online, which promotes higher craving reactions when being confronted with specific cues (e.g. an incoming message), and could result in ICD tendencies. PMID:29672574

Grasp cueing and joint attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Tschentscher, Nadja; Fischer, Martin H

2008-10-01

We studied how two different hand posture cues affect joint attention in normal observers. Visual targets appeared over lateralized objects, with different delays after centrally presented hand postures. Attention was cued by either hand direction or the congruency between hand aperture and object size. Participants pressed a button when they detected a target. Direction cues alone facilitated target detection following short delays but aperture cues alone were ineffective. In contrast, when hand postures combined direction and aperture cues, aperture congruency effects without directional congruency effects emerged and persisted, but only for power grips. These results suggest that parallel parameter specification makes joint attention mechanisms exquisitely sensitive to the timing and content of contextual cues.

Analysis of Onset Mechanisms of a Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor Modulator Fingolimod-Induced Atrioventricular Conduction Block and QT-Interval Prolongation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yagi, Yukihiro [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8540 (Japan); Pharmaceutical Research Center, Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd., 760 Morooka-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 222–8567 (Japan); Nakamura, Yuji [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8540 (Japan); Kitahara, Ken [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8540 (Japan); Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 6-11-1 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8541 (Japan); Harada, Takuma [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8540 (Japan); Kato, Kazuhiko; Ninomiya, Tomohisa [Pharmaceutical Research Center, Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd., 760 Morooka-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 222–8567 (Japan); Cao, Xin [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8540 (Japan); Ohara, Hiroshi [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8540 (Japan); Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 6-11-1 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8541 (Japan); Izumi-Nakaseko, Hiroko [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8540 (Japan); Suzuki, Kokichi [Pharmaceutical Research Center, Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd., 760 Morooka-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 222–8567 (Japan); Ando, Kentaro [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143–8540 (Japan); and others

2014-11-15

Fingolimod, a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor subtype 1, 3, 4 and 5 modulator, has been used for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, but atrioventricular conduction block and/or QT-interval prolongation have been reported in some patients after the first dose. In this study, we directly compared the electropharmacological profiles of fingolimod with those of siponimod, a modulator of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor subtype 1 and 5, using in vivo guinea-pig model and in vitro human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) assay to better understand the onset mechanisms of the clinically observed adverse events. Fingolimod (0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg) or siponimod (0.001 and 0.01 mg/kg) was intravenously infused over 10 min to the halothane-anaesthetized guinea pigs (n = 4), whereas the effects of fingolimod (1 μmol/L) and siponimod (1 μmol/L) on hERG current were examined (n = 3). The high doses of fingolimod and siponimod induced atrioventricular conduction block, whereas the low dose of siponimod prolonged PR interval, which was not observed by that of fingolimod. The high dose of fingolimod prolonged QT interval, which was not observed by either dose of siponimod. Meanwhile, fingolimod significantly inhibited hERG current, which was not observed by siponimod. These results suggest that S1P receptor subtype 1 in the heart could be one of the candidates for fingolimod- and siponimod-induced atrioventricular conduction block since S1P receptor subtype 5 is localized at the brain, and that direct I{sub Kr} inhibition may play a key role in fingolimod-induced QT-interval prolongation. - Highlights: • Fingolimod and siponimod are S1P{sub 1,3,4,5} and S1P{sub 1,5} receptor modulators, respectively. • Fingolimod and siponimod induced AV block in the halothane-anesthetized guinea pigs. • S1P{sub 1} in the hearts may be the target of fingolimod- and siponimod-induced AV block. • Fingolimod directly inhibited hERG current, which was not

Analysis of Onset Mechanisms of a Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor Modulator Fingolimod-Induced Atrioventricular Conduction Block and QT-Interval Prolongation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yagi, Yukihiro; Nakamura, Yuji; Kitahara, Ken; Harada, Takuma; Kato, Kazuhiko; Ninomiya, Tomohisa; Cao, Xin; Ohara, Hiroshi; Izumi-Nakaseko, Hiroko; Suzuki, Kokichi; Ando, Kentaro

2014-01-01

Fingolimod, a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor subtype 1, 3, 4 and 5 modulator, has been used for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, but atrioventricular conduction block and/or QT-interval prolongation have been reported in some patients after the first dose. In this study, we directly compared the electropharmacological profiles of fingolimod with those of siponimod, a modulator of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor subtype 1 and 5, using in vivo guinea-pig model and in vitro human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) assay to better understand the onset mechanisms of the clinically observed adverse events. Fingolimod (0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg) or siponimod (0.001 and 0.01 mg/kg) was intravenously infused over 10 min to the halothane-anaesthetized guinea pigs (n = 4), whereas the effects of fingolimod (1 μmol/L) and siponimod (1 μmol/L) on hERG current were examined (n = 3). The high doses of fingolimod and siponimod induced atrioventricular conduction block, whereas the low dose of siponimod prolonged PR interval, which was not observed by that of fingolimod. The high dose of fingolimod prolonged QT interval, which was not observed by either dose of siponimod. Meanwhile, fingolimod significantly inhibited hERG current, which was not observed by siponimod. These results suggest that S1P receptor subtype 1 in the heart could be one of the candidates for fingolimod- and siponimod-induced atrioventricular conduction block since S1P receptor subtype 5 is localized at the brain, and that direct I Kr inhibition may play a key role in fingolimod-induced QT-interval prolongation. - Highlights: • Fingolimod and siponimod are S1P 1,3,4,5 and S1P 1,5 receptor modulators, respectively. • Fingolimod and siponimod induced AV block in the halothane-anesthetized guinea pigs. • S1P 1 in the hearts may be the target of fingolimod- and siponimod-induced AV block. • Fingolimod directly inhibited hERG current, which was not observed by

Reward-related brain response and craving correlates of marijuana cue exposure: a preliminary study in treatment-seeking marijuana-dependent subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman, Marina; Szucs-Reed, Regina P; Jagannathan, Kanchana; Ehrman, Ronald N; Wang, Ze; Li, Yin; Suh, Jesse J; Kampman, Kyle; O'Brien, Charles P; Childress, Anna Rose; Franklin, Teresa R

2013-01-01

: Determining the brain substrates underlying the motivation to abuse addictive drugs is critical for understanding and treating addictive disorders. Laboratory neuroimaging studies have demonstrated differential activation of limbic and motivational circuitry (eg, amygdala, hippocampus, ventral striatum, insula, and orbitofrontal cortex) triggered by cocaine, heroin, nicotine, and alcohol cues. The literature on neural responses to marijuana cues is sparse. Thus, the goals of this study were to characterize the brain's response to marijuana cues, a major motivator underlying drug use and relapse, and determine whether these responses are linked to self-reported craving in a clinically relevant population of treatment-seeking marijuana-dependent subjects. : Marijuana craving was assessed in 12 marijuana-dependent subjects using the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire-Short Form. Subsequently, blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired during exposure to alternating 20-second blocks of marijuana-related versus matched nondrug visual cues. : Brain activation during marijuana cue exposure was significantly greater in the bilateral amygdala and the hippocampus. Significant positive correlations between craving scores and brain activation were found in the ventral striatum and the medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortex (P cues and craving and extends the current literature on marijuana cue reactivity. Furthermore, the correlative relationship between craving and brain activity in reward-related regions was observed in a clinically relevant sample (treatment-seeking marijuana-dependent subjects). Results are consistent with prior findings in cocaine, heroin, nicotine, and alcohol cue studies, indicating that the brain substrates of cue-triggered drug motivation are shared across abused substances.

Impact of DCS-facilitated cue exposure therapy on brain activation to cocaine cues in cocaine dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Prisciandaro, James J; Myrick, Hugh; Henderson, Scott; McRae-Clark, Aimee L; Santa Ana, Elizabeth J; Saladin, Michael E; Brady, Kathleen T

2013-09-01

The development of addiction is marked by a pathological associative learning process that imbues incentive salience to stimuli associated with drug use. Recent efforts to treat addiction have targeted this learning process using cue exposure therapy augmented with d-cycloserine (DCS), a glutamatergic agent hypothesized to enhance extinction learning. To better understand the impact of DCS-facilitated extinction on neural reactivity to drug cues, the present study reports fMRI findings from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of DCS-facilitated cue exposure for cocaine dependence. Twenty-five participants completed two MRI sessions (before and after intervention), with a cocaine-cue reactivity fMRI task. The intervention consisted of 50mg of DCS or placebo, combined with two sessions of cocaine cue exposure and skills training. Participants demonstrated cocaine cue activation in a variety of brain regions at baseline. From the pre- to post-study scan, participants experienced decreased activation to cues in a number of regions (e.g., accumbens, caudate, frontal poles). Unexpectedly, placebo participants experienced decreases in activation to cues in the left angular and middle temporal gyri and the lateral occipital cortex, while DCS participants did not. Three trials of DCS-facilitated cue exposure therapy for cocaine dependence have found that DCS either increases or does not significantly impact response to cocaine cues. The present study adds to this literature by demonstrating that DCS may prevent extinction to cocaine cues in temporal and occipital brain regions. Although consistent with past research, results from the present study should be considered preliminary until replicated in larger samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

. Redundancy and blocking in the spatial domain: A connectionist model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. P. L. Mc Laren

2002-01-01

Full Text Available How can the observations of spatial blocking (Rodrigo, Chamizo, McLaren & Mackintosh, 1997 and cue redundancy (O’Keefe and Conway, 1978 be reconciled within the framework provided by an error-correcting, connectionist account of spatial navigation? I show that an implementation of McLaren’s (1995 better beta model can serve this purpose, and examine some of the implications for spatial learning and memory.

The Influence of Emotional State and Pictorial Cues on Perceptual Judgments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kimberly R. Raddatz; Abigail Werth; Tuan Q. Tran

2007-10-01

Perspective displays (e.g., CDTI) are commonly used as decision aids in environments characterized by periods of high emotional arousal (e.g., terrain enhanced primary flight displays). However, little attention has been devoted to understanding how emotional state, independently or in conjunction with other perceptual factors (e.g., pictorial depth cues), can impact perceptual judgments. Preliminary research suggests that induced emotional state (positive or negative) adversely impacts size comparisons in perspective displays (Tran & Raddatz, 2006). This study further investigated how size comparisons are affected by emotional state and pictorial depth cues while attenuating the limitations of the Tran & Raddatz (2006) study. Results confirmed that observers do make slower judgments under induced emotional state. However, observers under negative emotional state showed higher sensitivity (d’) and required more evidence to respond that a size difference exists (response bias) than observers under positive emotional state. Implications for display design and human performance are discussed.

Cue integration vs. exemplar-based reasoning in multi-attribute decisions from memory: A matter of cue representation

OpenAIRE

Arndt Broeder; Ben R. Newell; Christine Platzer

2010-01-01

Inferences about target variables can be achieved by deliberate integration of probabilistic cues or by retrieving similar cue-patterns (exemplars) from memory. In tasks with cue information presented in on-screen displays, rule-based strategies tend to dominate unless the abstraction of cue-target relations is unfeasible. This dominance has also been demonstrated --- surprisingly --- in experiments that demanded the retrieval of cue values from memory (M. Persson \\& J. Rieskamp, 2009). In th...

Sr-Al-Si co-segregated regions in eutectic Si phase of Sr-modified Al-10Si alloy.

Science.gov (United States)

Timpel, M; Wanderka, N; Schlesiger, R; Yamamoto, T; Isheim, D; Schmitz, G; Matsumura, S; Banhart, J

2013-09-01

The addition of 200 ppm strontium to an Al-10 wt% Si casting alloy changes the morphology of the eutectic silicon phase from coarse plate-like to fine fibrous networks. In order to clarify this modification mechanism the location of Sr within the eutectic Si phase has been investigated by a combination of high-resolution methods. Whereas three-dimensional atom probe tomography allows us to visualise the distribution of Sr on the atomic scale and to analyse its local enrichment, transmission electron microscopy yields information about the crystallographic nature of segregated regions. Segregations with two kinds of morphologies were found at the intersections of Si twin lamellae: Sr-Al-Si co-segregations of rod-like morphology and Al-rich regions of spherical morphology. Both are responsible for the formation of a high density of multiple twins and promote the anisotropic growth of the eutectic Si phase in specific crystallographic directions during solidification. The experimental findings are related to the previously postulated mechanism of "impurity induced twinning". Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metastable honeycomb SrTiO_3/SrIrO_3 heterostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, T. J.; Ryu, S.; Podkaminer, J. P.; Ma, Y.; Eom, C. B.; Zhou, H.; Xie, L.; Irwin, J.; Rzchowski, M. S.; Pan, X. Q.

2016-01-01

Recent theory predictions of exotic band topologies in (111) honeycomb perovskite SrIrO_3 layers sandwiched between SrTiO_3 have garnered much attention in the condensed matter physics and materials communities. However, perovskite SrIrO_3 film growth in the (111) direction remains unreported, as efforts to synthesize pure SrIrO_3 on (111) perovskite substrates have yielded films with monoclinic symmetry rather than the perovskite structure required by theory predictions. In this study, we report the synthesis of ultra-thin metastable perovskite SrIrO_3 films capped with SrTiO_3 grown on (111) SrTiO_3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The atomic structure of the ultra-thin films was examined with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), which suggests a perovskite layering distinct from the bulk SrIrO_3 monoclinic phase. In-plane 3-fold symmetry for the entire heterostructure was confirmed using synchrotron surface X-ray diffraction to measure symmetry equivalent crystal truncation rods. Our findings demonstrate the ability to stabilize (111) honeycomb perovskite SrIrO_3, which provides an experimental avenue to probe the phenomena predicted for this material system.

Sintering, microstructure and electrical conductivity of gadolinia-doped ceria with SrO, TiO{sub 2} and SrTiO{sub 3}; Sinterizacao, microestrutura e condutividade eletrica da ceria-gadolinia com adicoes de SrO, TiO{sub 2} e SrTiO{sub 3}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dias, Maria Cely Freitas

2013-07-01

Ceria containing trivalent rare-earths is a solid electrolyte with higher ionic conductivity than the standard yttria fully-stabilized zirconia ionic conductor. This property turns these ceria-based ionic conductors promising materials for application in solid oxide fuel cells operating at intermediate temperatures (500-700 deg C). One of the most utilized approaches to optimize the electrical conductivity and other properties of these materials is the introduction of a second additive. In this work, ceria-20 mol% gadolinia with additions of 1, 2.5 and 5 mol% of SrO, TiO{sub 2} and SrTiO{sub 3} as co-additives were prepared by solid state reaction. The main purpose was to investigate the effects of the co-additives on densification, microstructure and electrical conductivity of the solid electrolyte. Sintered pellets were characterized by apparent density, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electrical conductivity by impedance spectroscopy. The additives were found to exert different influences in all studied properties. The way they influence the solid electrolyte properties depends on the type and content of the additive. SrO addition to doped ceria improves the intergranular conductivity, but decreases the apparent density of the pellets. Increase of densification was obtained with TiO{sub 2} addition. This additive promotes increase of the blocking of charge carriers at the grain boundaries due to solute exsolution and formation of the pyrochlore Gd{sub 2}Ti{sub 2}O{sub 7} phase at grain boundaries for contents in excess of the solubility limit. No influence on densification was found for SrTiO{sub 3} additions. (author)

Complex cubic metallides AM{sub ∝6} (A=Ca, Sr; M=Zn, Cd, Hg). Synthesis, crystal chemistry and chemical bonding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwarz, Michael; Wendorff, Marco; Roehr, Caroline [Freiburg Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Anorganische und Analytische Chemie

2017-09-01

In a systematic synthetic, crystallographic and bond theoretical study, the stability ranges as well as the distribution of the isoelectronic late d-block elements Zn, Cd and Hg (M) in the polyanions of the YCd{sub 6}-type phases (Ca/Sr)Cd{sub 6} have been investigated. Starting from Ca(Cd/Hg){sub 6}, 12-30% of the M atoms can be substituted by Zn, which gradually occupies the center of the empty cubes. In all ternary compounds, smaller/less electronegative Zn/Cd atoms occupy the disordered tetrahedra explaining the lack of the YCd{sub 6}-type for pure mercurides. Along the section SrCd{sub 6}-SrHg{sub 6}, the ordered Eu{sub 4}Cd{sub 25}-type is formed (Sr{sub 4}Cd{sub 16.1}Hg{sub 8.9}: cF1392, Fd anti 3, a=3191.93(5) pm, R1=0.0404). Besides, two new complex cubic Ca phases appear at increased Zn proportion: Ca{sub 2}Zn{sub 5.1}Cd{sub 5.8}, which exhibits a nearly complete site preference of Zn and Cd, crystallizes in the rare cubic Mg{sub 2}Zn{sub 11}-type structure (cP39-δ, Pm anti 3, a=918.1(1) pm, R1=0.0349). In the Ca-Hg system, an increased Zn proportion yielded the new compound CaZn{sub 1.31}Hg{sub 3.69} (cF480, F anti 43m, a=2145.43(9) pm, R1=0.0572), with a complex cubic structure closely related to Ba{sub 20}Hg{sub 103}. All structures, which are commonly described using nested polyhedra around high-symmetric sites, are alternatively described in accordance with the calculated electron densities and charge distribution: building blocks are face-sharing [M{sub 4}] tetrahedra (star polyhedra such as TS, IS, OS), each with a cage-critical point in its center, and [M{sub 8}] cubes (deformed TS), which are either empty, distorted or filled. The M element distribution in the anion is determined by size criteria and the difference in electronegativity, which induces a preferred formation of heteroatomic polar bonds.

The properties of retrieval cues constrain the picture superiority effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Weldon, M S; Roediger, H L; Challis, B H

1989-01-01

In three experiments, we examined why pictures are remembered better than words on explicit memory tests like recall and recognition, whereas words produce more priming than pictures on some implicit tests, such as word-fragment and word-stem completion (e.g., completing -l-ph-nt or ele----- as elephant). One possibility is that pictures are always more accessible than words if subjects are given explicit retrieval instructions. An alternative possibility is that the properties of the retrieval cues themselves constrain the retrieval processes engaged; word fragments might induce data-driven (perceptually based) retrieval, which favors words regardless of the retrieval instructions. Experiment 1 demonstrated that words were remembered better than pictures on both the word-fragment and word-stem completion tasks under both implicit and explicit retrieval conditions. In Experiment 2, pictures were recalled better than words with semantically related extralist cues. In Experiment 3, when semantic cues were combined with word fragments, pictures and words were recalled equally well under explicit retrieval conditions, but words were superior to pictures under implicit instructions. Thus, the inherently data-limited properties of fragmented words limit their use in accessing conceptual codes. Overall, the results indicate that retrieval operations are largely determined by properties of the retrieval cues under both implicit and explicit retrieval conditions.

Experiences with the determination of Sr-89 and Sr-90 using fast methods; Erfahrungen bei der Bestimmung von {sup 89}Sr und {sup 90}Sr mittels Schnellmethoden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kowalik, C.; Fueger, J. [Thueringer Landesanstalt fuer Umwelt und Geologie, Jena (Germany). Landesmessstelle fuer Umweltradioaktivaet

2014-01-20

Quick methods of the measurement of {sup 89}Sr and {sup 90}Sr have a great importance in the supervision of the environmental radioactivity. It is necessary to receive in short time dependable analytical data to be able to carry out suitable assessments or to give recommendations. The aim of the investigations was to be guaranteed the demands for these methods (test preparation, measurement and evaluation). The use of the solid phase extraction by means of commercial Sr Resin trademark columns (4.4' (5')-Di-tert-butylcyclohexanol-18-kronen-6-aether) (Triskem) to the radiochemical separation of the Sr isotopes was suitable. The measurements occurred to the FHT 770 T12 - Multi Low Level Alpha/Beta Sample Counter (Thermo Scientific). The results contain the summary activities of all available Sr isotopes, as for example {sup 89}Sr and {sup 90}Sr. The calculations of the single activities occur about the mathematical algorithm of the linear development on the basis of the works of G. Kanisch. The first results show, this method is suitable for the analysis of {sup 89}Sr and {sup 90}Sr and is used therefore in future in Thuringia.

Effect of oxidant on resputtering of Bi from Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grace, J.M.; McDonald, D.B.; Reiten, M.T.; Olson, J.; Kampwirth, R.T.; Gray, K.E.

1992-01-01

The type and partial pressure of oxidant mixed with argon can affect the selective sputtering of Bi in composite-target, magnetron-sputtered Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O films. Comparative studies using oxygen and ozone show that ozone is a more potent oxidant, as well as a more potent source of resputterers than is oxygen. Severe resputtering from ozone is significantly reduced by a -40 V potential on the sample block. We suggest that oxygen causes resputtering by forming O + 2 , which interacts with the target to produce energetic O - . In contrast, ozone may form lower-energy O - by electron impact in the dark space. Negative oxygen ions from the target itself may be responsible for a background resputtering effect. Our results and those found for Y--Ba--Cu--O by others are comparable. Bi in Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O behaves as Ba in Y--Ba--Cu--O, with regard to selective resputtering; furthermore, the response of Sr, Ca, and Cu to oxygen in sputtered Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O is similar to what is observed for Cu in Y--Ba--Cu--O

UV-blocking spectacle lens protects against UV-induced decline of visual performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Liou, Jyh-Cheng; Teng, Mei-Ching; Tsai, Yun-Shan; Lin, En-Chieh; Chen, Bo-Yie

2015-01-01

Excessive exposure to sunlight may be a risk factor for ocular diseases and reduced visual performance. This study was designed to examine the ability of an ultraviolet (UV)-blocking spectacle lens to prevent visual acuity decline and ocular surface disorders in a mouse model of UVB-induced photokeratitis. Mice were divided into 4 groups (10 mice per group): (1) a blank control group (no exposure to UV radiation), (2) a UVB/no lens group (mice exposed to UVB rays, but without lens protection), (3) a UVB/UV400 group (mice exposed to UVB rays and protected using the CR-39™ spectacle lens [UV400 coating]), and (4) a UVB/photochromic group (mice exposed to UVB rays and protected using the CR-39™ spectacle lens [photochromic coating]). We investigated UVB-induced changes in visual acuity and in corneal smoothness, opacity, and lissamine green staining. We also evaluated the correlation between visual acuity decline and changes to the corneal surface parameters. Tissue sections were prepared and stained immunohistochemically to evaluate the structural integrity of the cornea and conjunctiva. In blank controls, the cornea remained undamaged, whereas in UVB-exposed mice, the corneal surface was disrupted; this disruption significantly correlated with a concomitant decline in visual acuity. Both the UVB/UV400 and UVB/photochromic groups had sharper visual acuity and a healthier corneal surface than the UVB/no lens group. Eyes in both protected groups also showed better corneal and conjunctival structural integrity than unprotected eyes. Furthermore, there were fewer apoptotic cells and less polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration in corneas protected by the spectacle lenses. The model established herein reliably determines the protective effect of UV-blocking ophthalmic biomaterials, because the in vivo protection against UV-induced ocular damage and visual acuity decline was easily defined.

An Eye Tracking Comparison of External Pointing Cues and Internal Continuous Cues in Learning with Complex Animations

Science.gov (United States)

Boucheix, Jean-Michel; Lowe, Richard K.

2010-01-01

Two experiments used eye tracking to investigate a novel cueing approach for directing learner attention to low salience, high relevance aspects of a complex animation. In the first experiment, comprehension of a piano mechanism animation containing spreading-colour cues was compared with comprehension obtained with arrow cues or no cues. Eye…

Preparation of iodine-123 labeled AM251: a potential SPECT radioligand for the brain cannabinoid CB1 receptor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lan, Ruoxi; Makriyannis, Alexandros; Gatley, S.J.

1996-01-01

We report the synthesis and labeling with iodine-123 of N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-1-(2, 4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (AM251). This compound is an analog of the recently described cannabinoid receptor antagonist, SR141716A, in which a 4-chlorophenyl group is replaced by 4-iodophenyl. Labeling in good yield (62%) and radiochemical purity (> 95%), and high specific activity (> 2500 Ci/mmol) was achieved by an iododestannylation reaction using the tributyltin precursor, no carrier added I-123 iodide, and chloramine-T. (author)

Preparation of iodine-123 labeled AM251: a potential SPECT radioligand for the brain cannabinoid CB1 receptor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lan, Ruoxi; Makriyannis, Alexandros [Connecticut Univ., Molecular and Cell Biology Dept., Storrs, CT (United States); Gatley, S.J. [Brookhaven National Lab., Medical Dept., Upton, NY (United States)

1996-10-01

We report the synthesis and labeling with iodine-123 of N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-1-(2, 4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (AM251). This compound is an analog of the recently described cannabinoid receptor antagonist, SR141716A, in which a 4-chlorophenyl group is replaced by 4-iodophenyl. Labeling in good yield (62%) and radiochemical purity (> 95%), and high specific activity (> 2500 Ci/mmol) was achieved by an iododestannylation reaction using the tributyltin precursor, no carrier added I-123 iodide, and chloramine-T. (author).

Detection block

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezak, A.

1987-01-01

A diagram is given of a detection block used for monitoring burnup of nuclear reactor fuel. A shielding block is an important part of the detection block. It stabilizes the fuel assembly in the fixing hole in front of a collimator where a suitable gamma beam is defined for gamma spectrometry determination of fuel burnup. The detector case and a neutron source case are placed on opposite sides of the fixing hole. For neutron measurement for which the water in the tank is used as a moderator, the neutron detector-fuel assembly configuration is selected such that neutrons from spontaneous fission and neutrons induced with the neutron source can both be measured. The patented design of the detection block permits longitudinal travel and rotation of the fuel assembly to any position, and thus more reliable determination of nuclear fuel burnup. (E.S.). 1 fig

Waterborne cues from crabs induce thicker skeletons, smaller gonads and size-specific changes in growth rate in sea urchins.

Science.gov (United States)

Selden, Rebecca; Johnson, Amy S; Ellers, Olaf

2009-01-01

Indirect predator-induced effects on growth, morphology and reproduction have been extensively studied in marine invertebrates but usually without consideration of size-specific effects and not at all in post-metamorphic echinoids. Urchins are an unusually good system, in which, to study size effects because individuals of various ages within one species span four orders of magnitude in weight while retaining a nearly isometric morphology. We tracked growth of urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (0.013-161.385 g), in the presence or absence of waterborne cues from predatory Jonah crabs, Cancer borealis. We ran experiments at ambient temperatures, once for 4 weeks during summer and again, with a second set of urchins, for 22 weeks over winter. We used a scaled, cube-root transformation of weight for measuring size more precisely and for equalizing variance across sizes. Growth rate of the smallest urchins (summer: scent by 7% in the winter. At the end of the 22-week experiment, additional gonadal and skeletal variables were measured. Cue-exposed urchins developed heavier, thicker skeletons and smaller gonads, but no differences in spine length or jaw size. The differences depended on urchin size, suggesting that there are size-specific shifts in gonadal and somatic investment in urchins.

Introspective responses to cues and motivation to reduce cigarette smoking influence state and behavioral responses to cue exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Veilleux, Jennifer C; Skinner, Kayla D

2016-09-01

In the current study, we aimed to extend smoking cue-reactivity research by evaluating delay discounting as an outcome of cigarette cue exposure. We also separated introspection in response to cues (e.g., self-reporting craving and affect) from cue exposure alone, to determine if introspection changes behavioral responses to cigarette cues. Finally, we included measures of quit motivation and resistance to smoking to assess motivational influences on cue exposure. Smokers were invited to participate in an online cue-reactivity study. Participants were randomly assigned to view smoking images or neutral images, and were randomized to respond to cues with either craving and affect questions (e.g., introspection) or filler questions. Following cue exposure, participants completed a delay discounting task and then reported state affect, craving, and resistance to smoking, as well as an assessment of quit motivation. We found that after controlling for trait impulsivity, participants who introspected on craving and affect showed higher delay discounting, irrespective of cue type, but we found no effect of response condition on subsequent craving (e.g., craving reactivity). We also found that motivation to quit interacted with experimental conditions to predict state craving and state resistance to smoking. Although asking about craving during cue exposure did not increase later craving, it resulted in greater delaying of discounted rewards. Overall, our findings suggest the need to further assess the implications of introspection and motivation on behavioral outcomes of cue exposure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Severity of dependence modulates smokers' neuronal cue reactivity and cigarette craving elicited by tobacco advertisement.

Science.gov (United States)

Vollstädt-Klein, Sabine; Kobiella, Andrea; Bühler, Mira; Graf, Caroline; Fehr, Christoph; Mann, Karl; Smolka, Michael N

2011-01-01

Smoking-related cues elicit craving and mesocorticolimbic brain activation in smokers. Severity of nicotine dependence seems to moderate cue reactivity, but the direction and mechanisms of its influence remains unclear. Although tobacco control policies demand a ban on tobacco advertising, cue reactivity studies in smokers so far have not employed tobacco advertisement as experimental stimuli. We investigated whether tobacco advertisement elicits cue reactivity at a behavioral (subjective craving) and a neural level (using functional magnetic resonance imaging) in 22 smokers and 21 never-smokers. Moreover, we studied the influence of severity of dependence on cue reactivity. In smokers, tobacco advertisement elicited substantially more craving than control advertisement whereas never-smokers reported no cue induced craving. Surprisingly, neuronal cue reactivity did not differ between smokers and never-smokers. Moderately dependent smokers' craving increased over the course of the experiment, whereas highly dependent smokers' craving was unaffected. Moderately dependent smokers' brain activity elicited by tobacco advertisement was higher in the amygdala, hippocampus, putamen and thalamus compared with highly dependent smokers. Furthermore, limbic brain activation predicted picture recognition rates after the scanning session, even in never-smokers. Our findings show that tobacco advertisement elicits cigarette craving and neuronal cue reactivity primarily in moderately dependent smokers, indicating that they might be particularly responsive towards external smoking-related cues. On the other hand, neuronal cue reactivity and cigarette craving in highly dependent smokers is more likely triggered by internal cues such as withdrawal symptoms. Tobacco advertisement seems to likewise appeal to smokers and non-smokers, clarifying the potential danger especially for young non-smokers. © 2010 The Authors, Addiction Biology © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Watch out! Magnetoencephalographic evidence for early modulation of attention orienting by fearful gaze cueing.

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Fanny Lachat

Full Text Available Others' gaze and emotional facial expression are important cues for the process of attention orienting. Here, we investigated with magnetoencephalography (MEG whether the combination of averted gaze and fearful expression may elicit a selectively early effect of attention orienting on the brain responses to targets. We used the direction of gaze of centrally presented fearful and happy faces as the spatial attention orienting cue in a Posner-like paradigm where the subjects had to detect a target checkerboard presented at gazed-at (valid trials or non gazed-at (invalid trials locations of the screen. We showed that the combination of averted gaze and fearful expression resulted in a very early attention orienting effect in the form of additional parietal activity between 55 and 70 ms for the valid versus invalid targets following fearful gaze cues. No such effect was obtained for the targets following happy gaze cues. This early cue-target validity effect selective of fearful gaze cues involved the left superior parietal region and the left lateral middle occipital region. These findings provide the first evidence for an effect of attention orienting induced by fearful gaze in the time range of C1. In doing so, they demonstrate the selective impact of combined gaze and fearful expression cues in the process of attention orienting.

Effects of cardiac output on the onset of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block in elderly patients.

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Shiraishi, Naoki; Aono, Mayu; Kameyama, Yasuhito; Yamamoto, Mai; Kitajima, Osamu; Suzuki, Takahiro

2018-05-21

The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the onset of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block and arterial pressure-based cardiac output (CO) in elderly patients. Forty elderly patients aged 65-83 years were enrolled in this study. After induction of anesthesia, contractions of the adductor pollicis muscle to ulnar nerve train-of-four stimulation were acceleromyographically evaluated and 1 mg/kg rocuronium was administered following CO measurement. The correlation between onset of rocuronium action and CO was analyzed. The mean [SD] CO reduced after induction of anesthesia from 5.1 [1.8] L/min to 3.8 [1.1] L/min. The onset time of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block was 110.3 [23.9] s (range 60-165). There was a statistically significant inverse correlation between the onset time of rocuronium and CO [onset time (s) = - 13.2·CO + 159.7, R 2  = 0.376]. In the elderly, CO influences the onset of action of rocuronium.

Epitaxial growth and electronic structure of oxyhydride SrVO{sub 2}H thin films

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Katayama, Tsukasa; Chikamatsu, Akira, E-mail: chikamatsu@chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Yamada, Keisuke; Onozuka, Tomoya [Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Shigematsu, Kei [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 213-0012 (Japan); Minohara, Makoto; Kumigashira, Hiroshi [Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); Ikenaga, Eiji [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI)/SPring-8, Mikazuki-cho, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Hasegawa, Tetsuya [Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 213-0012 (Japan)

2016-08-28

Oxyhydride SrVO{sub 2}H epitaxial thin films were fabricated on SrTiO{sub 3} substrates via topotactic hydridation of oxide SrVO{sub 3} films using CaH{sub 2}. Structural and composition analyses suggested that the SrVO{sub 2}H film possessed one-dimensionally ordered V-H{sup −}-V bonds along the out-of-plane direction. The synthesis temperature could be lowered by reducing the film thickness, and the SrVO{sub 2}H film was reversible to SrVO{sub 3} by oxidation through annealing in air. Photoemission and X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements revealed the V{sup 3+} valence state in the SrVO{sub 2}H film, indicating that the hydrogen existed as hydride. Furthermore, the electronic density of states was highly suppressed at the Fermi energy, consistent with the prediction that tetragonal distortion induces metal to insulation transition.

Impact of aerobic exercise intensity on craving and reactivity to smoking cues.

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Janse Van Rensburg, Kate; Elibero, Andrea; Kilpatrick, Marcus; Drobes, David J

2013-06-01

Aerobic exercise can acutely reduce cigarette cravings during periods of nicotine deprivation. The primary aim of this study was to assess the differential effects of light and vigorous intensity aerobic exercise on cigarette cravings, subjective and physiological reactivity to smoking cues, and affect after overnight nicotine deprivation. A secondary aim was to examine cortisol change as a mediator of the effects of exercise on smoking motivation. 162 (55 female, 107 male) overnight nicotine-deprived smokers were randomized to one of three exercise conditions: light intensity, vigorous intensity, or a passive control condition. After each condition, participants engaged in a standardized cue reactivity assessment. Self-reported urges to smoke, affect, and salivary cortisol were assessed at baseline (i.e., before each condition), immediately after each condition, and after the cue reactivity assessment. Light and vigorous exercise significantly decreased urges to smoke and increased positive affect, relative to the control condition. In addition, those in the vigorous exercise condition demonstrated suppressed appetitive reactivity to smoking cues, as indexed by the startle eyeblink reflex. Although exercise intensity was associated with expected changes in cortisol concentration, these effects were not related to changes in craving or cue reactivity. Both light and vigorous exercise can reduce general cravings to smoke, whereas vigorous exercise appears especially well-suited for reducing appetitive reactions to cues that may precede smoking. Results did not support exercise-induced cortisol release as a mechanism for these effects. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Rapid method for determining Sr-89 and Sr-90 using Cherenkov and proportional counting; Schnellmethode zur Bestimmung von SR-89 und SR-90 durch Cerenkov- und Proportionalzaehlermessungen

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Lange, S.; Wende, C.; Schwokowski, R.; Alisch-Mark, M.; Abraham, A.; Heinrich, T. [Staatliche Betriebsgesellschaft fuer Umwelt und Landwirtschaft, Radebeul (Germany)

2016-07-01

A rapid method for determining Sr-89 and Sr-90 in water, milk and biological samples has been developed and tested. After sample preparation strontium is separated by extraction chromatography using Sr resin. Eluate is divided and transfered to LSC vial and filter paper by SrCO{sub 3} precipitation. A Hidex 300 SL TDCR liquid scintillation counter and Thermo Fisher low level proportional counter have been used. Chemical yield of Sr-85 tracer is determined by Gamma spectroscopy. Uncertainty budget, decision threshold and detection limit are calculated in accordance with GUM and ISO 11929.

Posttraining handling facilitates memory for auditory-cue fear conditioning in rats.

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Hui, Isabel R; Hui, Gabriel K; Roozendaal, Benno; McGaugh, James L; Weinberger, Norman M

2006-09-01

A large number of studies have indicated that stress exposure or the administration of stress hormones and other neuroactive drugs immediately after a learning experience modulates the consolidation of long-term memory. However, there has been little investigation into how arousal induced by handling of the animals in order to administer these drugs affects memory. Therefore, the present study examined whether the posttraining injection or handling procedure per se affects memory of auditory-cue classical fear conditioning. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, which had been pre-handled on three days for 1 min each prior to conditioning, received three pairings of a single-frequency auditory stimulus and footshock, followed immediately by either a subcutaneous injection of a vehicle solution or brief handling without injection. A control group was placed back into their home cages without receiving any posttraining treatment. Retention was tested 24 h later in a novel chamber and suppression of ongoing motor behavior during a 10-s presentation of the auditory-cue served as the measure of conditioned fear. Animals that received posttraining injection or handling did not differ from each other but showed significantly less stimulus-induced movement compared to the non-handled control group. These findings thus indicate that the posttraining injection or handling procedure is sufficiently arousing or stressful to facilitate memory consolidation of auditory-cue classical fear conditioning.

Pressure-induced structural, magnetic and transport transitions in Sr2FeO3 from first-principles

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Ting Jia

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The serial system Srn+1FenO2n+1(n=1,2,3… with the FeO4 square planar motif exhibits abundant phase transitions under pressure. In this work, we investigate the pressure-induced structural, magnetic and transport transitions in Sr2FeO3 from first-principles. Our results show that the system undergoes a structural transition from Immm to Ammm when the volume decreases by 30%, together with a spin-state transition (SST from high-spin (S = 2 to intermediate-spin (S = 1, an antiferromagnetic-to-ferromagnetic transition and an insulator-to-metal transition (IMT. Besides, the IMT here is a bandwidth controlled transition, but little influenced by the SST.

Cueing vocabulary during sleep increases theta activity during later recognition testing.

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Schreiner, Thomas; Göldi, Maurice; Rasch, Björn

2015-11-01

Neural oscillations in the theta band have repeatedly been implicated in successful memory encoding and retrieval. Several recent studies have shown that memory retrieval can be facilitated by reactivating memories during their consolidation during sleep. However, it is still unknown whether reactivation during sleep also enhances subsequent retrieval-related neural oscillations. We have recently demonstrated that foreign vocabulary cues presented during sleep improve later recall of the associated translations. Here, we examined the effect of cueing foreign vocabulary during sleep on oscillatory activity during subsequent recognition testing after sleep. We show that those words that were replayed during sleep after learning (cued words) elicited stronger centroparietal theta activity during recognition as compared to noncued words. The reactivation-induced increase in theta oscillations during later recognition testing might reflect a strengthening of individual memory traces and the integration of the newly learned words into the mental lexicon by cueing during sleep. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Electroacupuncture Suppresses Discrete Cue-Evoked Heroin-Seeking and Fos Protein Expression in the Nucleus Accumbens Core in Rats

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Sheng Liu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Relapse to drug seeking was studied using a rodent model of reinstatement induced by exposure to drug-related cues. Here, we used intravenous drug self-administration procedures in rats to further investigate the beneficial effects of electroacupuncture (EA on heroin-seeking behavior in a reinstatement model of relapse. We trained Sprague-Dawley rats to nose-poke for i.v. heroin either daily for 4 h or 25 infusions for 14 consecutive days. Then the rats were abstinent from heroin for two weeks. 2 Hz EA stimulation was conducted once daily for 14 days during heroin abstinence. We tested these animals for contextual and discrete cue-induced reinstatement of active responses. We also applied immunohistochemistry to detect Fos-positive nuclei in the nucleus accumbens (NACc core and shell after reinstatement test. We found that active responses elicited by both contextual cues and discrete cues were high in the rats trained with heroin than in saline controls. EA treatment significantly reduced active responses elicited by discrete cues. EA stimulation attenuated Fos expression in the core but not the shell of the NACc. Altogether, these results highlight the therapeutic benefit of EA in preventing relapse to drug addiction.

Chemical cues from females trigger male courtship behaviour in grasshoppers.

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Finck, Jonas; Kuntze, Janine; Ronacher, Bernhard

2016-05-01

Gomphocerine grasshoppers use species-specific calling songs for sex recognition and mate attraction. In two closely related species, Chorthippus biguttulus and C. mollis, acoustic communication is the only experimentally characterized communication channel that elicits male courtship behaviour. However, courtship in these species involves extensive close-range interactions that are likely to be mediated by other signalling modalities, in particular chemical cues. We developed a bioassay to determine if female cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) act as chemical cues that induce courtship behaviour, and if males assess variation in CHCs to determine whether or not to court a female. The results of this approach provide evidence that grasshopper males use species- and sex-specific information from CHC signals and respond with a courtship song to the CHC profile of conspecific females but not to the CHC profile of heterospecific females and conspecific males. We conclude that males of C. biguttulus and C. mollis use multimodal channels for mating decisions, based on both acoustic and olfactory cues. We discuss various factors that might favour the evolution of male choosiness in grasshoppers.

Proliferative and Invasive Effects of Progesterone-Induced Blocking Factor in Human Glioblastoma Cells

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Araceli Gutiérrez-Rodríguez

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF is a progesterone (P4 regulated protein expressed in different types of high proliferative cells including astrocytomas, the most frequent and aggressive brain tumors. It has been shown that PIBF increases the number of human astrocytoma cells. In this work, we evaluated PIBF regulation by P4 and the effects of PIBF on proliferation, migration, and invasion of U87 and U251 cells, both derived from human glioblastomas. PIBF mRNA expression was upregulated by P4 (10 nM from 12 to 24 h. Glioblastoma cells expressed two PIBF isoforms, 90 and 57 kDa. The content of the shorter isoform was increased by P4 at 24 h, while progesterone receptor antagonist RU486 (10 μM blocked this effect. PIBF (100 ng/mL increased the number of U87 cells on days 4 and 5 of treatment and induced cell proliferation on day 4. Wound-healing assays showed that PIBF increased the migration of U87 (12–48 h and U251 (24 and 48 h cells. Transwell invasion assays showed that PIBF augmented the number of invasive cells in both cell lines at 24 h. These data suggest that PIBF promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion of human glioblastoma cells.

Environmental 90Sr measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, M.; Berkovits, D.; Cecil, L.D.; Feldstein, H.; Hershkowitz, A.; Kashiv, Y.; Vogt, S.

1997-01-01

90Sr (T1/2 = 28.5 years) is a long-lived radionuclide produced in nuclear fission. Fast radiochemical detection of 90Sr in environmental samples is not feasible using current analytical methods. Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) measurements of 90Sr were made with the Rehovot 14UD Pelletron accelerator at a terminal voltage of 11 or 12 MV using our standard detection system. Injection of hydride ions (SrH3-) was chosen owing to high beam intensity and low Coulomb explosion effects. 90Sr ions were identified and discriminated from isobaric 90Zr by measuring time of flight, total energy and three independent energy-loss signals in an ionization chamber. A reference sample and a ground-water sample were successfully measured. The detection limit determined for a laboratory blank by the residual counts in the 90Sr region is 90Sr/Sr = 3 ?? 10-13, corresponding in practice to (2-4) ?? 10790Sr atoms or about 0.5-1 pCi/L in environmental water samples.

Lack of increased immediate early gene expression in rats reinstating cocaine-seeking behavior to discrete sensory cues.

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Matthew D Riedy

Full Text Available Drug-seeking behavior elicited by drug-associated cues contributes to relapse in addiction; however, whether relapse elicited by drug-associated conditioned reinforcers (CR versus discriminative stimuli (DS involves distinct or overlapping neuronal populations is unknown. To address this question, we developed a novel cocaine self-administration and cue-induced reinstatement paradigm that exposed the same rats to distinct cocaine-associated CR and DS. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine in separate sessions. In one, a DS signaled cocaine availability; in the other, cocaine delivery was paired with a different CR. After extinction training and reinstatement testing, where both cues were presented in separate sessions, rats were sacrificed and processed for cellular analysis of temporal activity by fluorescent in situ hybridization (CatFISH for activity regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc mRNA and for radioactive in situ hybridization for Arc and zif268 mRNAs. CatFISH did not reveal significant changes in Arc mRNA expression. Similar results were obtained with radioactive in situ hybridization. We have shown that while rats reinstate drug seeking in response to temporally discrete presentations of distinct drug-associated cues, such reinstatement is not associated with increased transcriptional activation of Arc or zif268 mRNAs, suggesting that expression of these genes may not be necessary for cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior.

The cues have it; nest-based, cue-mediated recruitment to carbohydrate resources in a swarm-founding social wasp

Science.gov (United States)

Schueller, Teresa I.; Nordheim, Erik V.; Taylor, Benjamin J.; Jeanne, Robert L.

2010-11-01

This study explores whether or not foragers of the Neotropical swarm-founding wasp Polybia occidentalis use nest-based recruitment to direct colony mates to carbohydrate resources. Recruitment allows social insect colonies to rapidly exploit ephemeral resources, an ability especially advantageous to species such as P. occidentalis, which store nectar and prey in their nests. Although recruitment is often defined as being strictly signal mediated, it can also occur via cue-mediated information transfer. Previous studies indicated that P. occidentalis employs local enhancement, a type of cue-mediated recruitment in which the presence of conspecifics at a site attracts foragers. This recruitment is resource-based, and as such, is a blunt recruitment tool, which does not exclude non-colony mates. We therefore investigated whether P. occidentalis also employs a form of nest-based recruitment. A scented sucrose solution was applied directly to the nest. This mimicked a scented carbohydrate resource brought back by employed foragers, but, as foragers were not allowed to return to the nest with the resource, there was no possibility for on-nest recruitment behavior. Foragers were offered two dishes—one containing the test scent and the other an alternate scent. Foragers chose the test scent more often, signifying that its presence in the nest induces naïve foragers to search for it off-nest. P. occidentalis, therefore, employs a form of nest-based recruitment to carbohydrate resources that is mediated by a cue, the presence of a scented resource in the nest.

Maxdose-SR and popdose-SR routine release atmospheric dose models used at SRS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jannik, G. T. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Trimor, P. P. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-07-28

MAXDOSE-SR and POPDOSE-SR are used to calculate dose to the offsite Reference Person and to the surrounding Savannah River Site (SRS) population respectively following routine releases of atmospheric radioactivity. These models are currently accessed through the Dose Model Version 2014 graphical user interface (GUI). MAXDOSE-SR and POPDOSE-SR are personal computer (PC) versions of MAXIGASP and POPGASP, which both resided on the SRS IBM Mainframe. These two codes follow U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Regulatory Guides 1.109 and 1.111 (1977a, 1977b). The basis for MAXDOSE-SR and POPDOSE-SR are USNRC developed codes XOQDOQ (Sagendorf et. al 1982) and GASPAR (Eckerman et. al 1980). Both of these codes have previously been verified for use at SRS (Simpkins 1999 and 2000). The revisions incorporated into MAXDOSE-SR and POPDOSE-SR Version 2014 (hereafter referred to as MAXDOSE-SR and POPDOSE-SR unless otherwise noted) were made per Computer Program Modification Tracker (CPMT) number Q-CMT-A-00016 (Appendix D). Version 2014 was verified for use at SRS in Dixon (2014).

Red/blue-shift dual-directional regulation of α-(Ca, Sr)2SiO4:Eu(2+) phosphors resulting from the incorporation content of Eu(2+)/Sr(2+) ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Zhijuan; Mao, Zhiyong; Chen, Jingjing; Wang, Dajian

2015-09-21

In this work, tunable emission from green to red and the inverse tuning from red to green in α-(Ca, Sr)2SiO4:Eu(2+) phosphors were demonstrated magically by varying the incorporation content of Eu(2+) and Sr(2+) ions, respectively. The tunable emission properties and the tuning mechanism of red-shift resulting from the Eu(2+) content as well as that of blue-shift induced by the Sr(2+) content were investigated in detail. As a result of fine-controlling the incorporation content of Eu(2+), the emission peak red-shifts from 541 nm to 640 nm. On the other hand, the emission peak inversely blue-shifts from 640 nm to 546 nm through fine-adjusting the incorporation content of Sr(2+). The excellent tuning characteristics for α-(Ca, Sr)2SiO4:Eu(2+) phosphors presented in this work exhibited their various application prospects in solid-state lighting combining with a blue chip or a near-UV chip.

Compound cueing in free recall

Science.gov (United States)

Lohnas, Lynn J.; Kahana, Michael J.

2013-01-01

According to the retrieved context theory of episodic memory, the cue for recall of an item is a weighted sum of recently activated cognitive states, including previously recalled and studied items as well as their associations. We show that this theory predicts there should be compound cueing in free recall. Specifically, the temporal contiguity effect should be greater when the two most recently recalled items were studied in contiguous list positions. A meta-analysis of published free recall experiments demonstrates evidence for compound cueing in both conditional response probabilities and inter-response times. To help rule out a rehearsal-based account of these compound cueing effects, we conducted an experiment with immediate, delayed and continual-distractor free recall conditions. Consistent with retrieved context theory but not with a rehearsal-based account, compound cueing was present in all conditions, and was not significantly influenced by the presence of interitem distractors. PMID:23957364

Neodymium-doped Sr5(PO4)3F and Sr5(VO4)3F

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corker, D.L.; Nicholls, J.; Loutts, G.B.

1995-01-01

Neodymium-doped Sr 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F [neodymium strontium fluoride phosphate, (Nd,Sr) 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F] and neodymium-doped Sr 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F [neodymium strontium fluoride vanadate, (Nd,Sr) 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F] crystallize in space group P6 3 /m and are isostructural with calcium fluorophosphate, Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F. There are two different Sr sites in Sr 5 (XO 4 ) 3 F, denoted Sr(1) and Sr(2). Using single-crystal X-ray diffraction the two structures were refined to R factors of 2.3 and 2.2%, respectively, showing that Nd is present at both Sr sites in (Sr,Nd) 5 (VO 4 ) 3 F but only at the Sr(2) site in (Sr,Nd) 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F. (orig.)

Visible propagation from invisible exogenous cueing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Zhicheng; Murray, Scott O

2013-09-20

Perception and performance is affected not just by what we see but also by what we do not see-inputs that escape our awareness. While conscious processing and unconscious processing have been assumed to be separate and independent, here we report the propagation of unconscious exogenous cueing as determined by conscious motion perception. In a paradigm combining masked exogenous cueing and apparent motion, we show that, when an onset cue was rendered invisible, the unconscious exogenous cueing effect traveled, manifesting at uncued locations (4° apart) in accordance with conscious perception of visual motion; the effect diminished when the cue-to-target distance was 8° apart. In contrast, conscious exogenous cueing manifested in both distances. Further evidence reveals that the unconscious and conscious nonretinotopic effects could not be explained by an attentional gradient, nor by bottom-up, energy-based motion mechanisms, but rather they were subserved by top-down, tracking-based motion mechanisms. We thus term these effects mobile cueing. Taken together, unconscious mobile cueing effects (a) demonstrate a previously unknown degree of flexibility of unconscious exogenous attention; (b) embody a simultaneous dissociation and association of attention and consciousness, in which exogenous attention can occur without cue awareness ("dissociation"), yet at the same time its effect is contingent on conscious motion tracking ("association"); and (c) underscore the interaction of conscious and unconscious processing, providing evidence for an unconscious effect that is not automatic but controlled.

Auditory Verbal Cues Alter the Perceived Flavor of Beverages and Ease of Swallowing: A Psychometric and Electrophysiological Analysis

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Aya Nakamura

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We investigated the possible effects of auditory verbal cues on flavor perception and swallow physiology for younger and elder participants. Apple juice, aojiru (grass juice, and water were ingested with or without auditory verbal cues. Flavor perception and ease of swallowing were measured using a visual analog scale and swallow physiology by surface electromyography and cervical auscultation. The auditory verbal cues had significant positive effects on flavor and ease of swallowing as well as on swallow physiology. The taste score and the ease of swallowing score significantly increased when the participant’s anticipation was primed by accurate auditory verbal cues. There was no significant effect of auditory verbal cues on distaste score. Regardless of age, the maximum suprahyoid muscle activity significantly decreased when a beverage was ingested without auditory verbal cues. The interval between the onset of swallowing sounds and the peak timing point of the infrahyoid muscle activity significantly shortened when the anticipation induced by the cue was contradicted in the elderly participant group. These results suggest that auditory verbal cues can improve the perceived flavor of beverages and swallow physiology.

Is the Modern Marine 87Sr/86Sr Cycle Balanced?

Science.gov (United States)

Peucker-Ehrenbrink, B.

2017-12-01

The marine 87Sr/86Sr record is one of the best-reconstructed isotope records with thousands of high quality measurements spanning the past 800 million years. It records a global signal of tectonic, biotic and climatic processes on Earth. Yet despite decades of research we still do not know whether the current marine Sr budget is in steady state. Studies of the marine 88Sr/86Sr record indicate that sources and sinks do not balance. The magnitude and isotope composition of the terrestrial inputs are being debated, and the magnitude and temporal variability of unradiogenic contributions are not well constrained. Here I provide a revised assessment of all continental sources of Sr to the ocean, including river runoff, submarine groundwater discharge (Beck et al., 2013), dissolution of riverine suspended matter in seawater and dissolution of volcanic ash deposited on the ocean (Jones et al., 2012). I contrast continental sources of Sr with estimates of marine sources of Sr to seawater, specifically high- and low-temperature submarine hydrothermal fluids, as well as diffusive diagenetic fluxes. Best current data imply that unradiogenic submarine hydrothermal inputs to seawater are insufficient to balance the flux of radiogenic continental Sr. The revised assessment of riverine contributions is based on Sr data for almost 230 rivers, an increasing amount of time-series data for such rivers, as well as river discharge and sediment flux data for more than 2000 rivers. Regional sampling biases have been corrected with the aid of digital bedrock maps, specifically along the western margin of North America, East Africa and the large drainage region of Arabia, India and SE Asia. Significant uncertainty in the chemical and isotopic compositions of runoff from Greenland and East Africa remains. The main uncertainty in the budget, however, is related to the possibility that modern rivers do not represent the pre-anthropogenic (natural) state of continental runoff (e.g. Ganges

The spectrum of resistance in SR/CR mice: the critical role of chemoattraction in the cancer/leukocyte interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Riedlinger, Gregory; Adams, Jonathan; Stehle, John R; Blanks, Michael J; Sanders, Anne M; Hicks, Amy M; Willingham, Mark C; Cui, Zheng

2010-05-03

Spontaneous regression/complete resistance (SR/CR) mice are a unique colony of mice that possess an inheritable, natural cancer resistance mediated primarily by innate cellular immunity. This resistance is effective against sarcoma 180 (S180) at exceptionally high doses and these mice remain healthy. In this study, we challenged SR/CR mice with additional lethal transplantable mouse cancer cell lines to determine their resistance spectrum. The ability of these transplantable cancer cell lines to induce leukocyte infiltration was quantified and the percentage of different populations of responding immune cells was determined using flow cytometry. In comparison to wild type (WT) mice, SR/CR mice showed significantly higher resistance to all cancer cell lines tested. However, SR/CR mice were more sensitive to MethA sarcoma (MethA), B16 melanoma (B16), LL/2 lung carcinoma (LL/2) and J774 lymphoma (J774) than to sarcoma 180 (S180) and EL-4 lymphoma (EL-4). Further mechanistic studies revealed that this lower resistance to MethA and LL/2 was due to the inability of these cancer cells to attract SR/CR leukocytes, leading to tumor cell escape from resistance mechanism. This escape mechanism was overcome by co-injection with S180, which could attract SR/CR leukocytes allowing the mice to resist higher doses of MethA and LL/2. S180-induced cell-free ascites fluid (CFAF) co-injection recapitulated the results obtained with live S180 cells, suggesting that this chemoattraction by cancer cells is mediated by diffusible molecules. We also tested for the first time whether SR/CR mice were able to resist additional cancer cell lines prior to S180 exposure. We found that SR/CR mice had an innate resistance against EL-4 and J774. Our results suggest that the cancer resistance in SR/CR mice is based on at least two separate processes: leukocyte migration/infiltration to the site of cancer cells and recognition of common surface properties on cancer cells. The infiltration of SR

The spectrum of resistance in SR/CR mice: the critical role of chemoattraction in the cancer/leukocyte interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riedlinger, Gregory; Adams, Jonathan; Stehle, John R Jr; Blanks, Michael J; Sanders, Anne M; Hicks, Amy M; Willingham, Mark C; Cui, Zheng

2010-01-01

Spontaneous regression/complete resistance (SR/CR) mice are a unique colony of mice that possess an inheritable, natural cancer resistance mediated primarily by innate cellular immunity. This resistance is effective against sarcoma 180 (S180) at exceptionally high doses and these mice remain healthy. In this study, we challenged SR/CR mice with additional lethal transplantable mouse cancer cell lines to determine their resistance spectrum. The ability of these transplantable cancer cell lines to induce leukocyte infiltration was quantified and the percentage of different populations of responding immune cells was determined using flow cytometry. In comparison to wild type (WT) mice, SR/CR mice showed significantly higher resistance to all cancer cell lines tested. However, SR/CR mice were more sensitive to MethA sarcoma (MethA), B16 melanoma (B16), LL/2 lung carcinoma (LL/2) and J774 lymphoma (J774) than to sarcoma 180 (S180) and EL-4 lymphoma (EL-4). Further mechanistic studies revealed that this lower resistance to MethA and LL/2 was due to the inability of these cancer cells to attract SR/CR leukocytes, leading to tumor cell escape from resistance mechanism. This escape mechanism was overcome by co-injection with S180, which could attract SR/CR leukocytes allowing the mice to resist higher doses of MethA and LL/2. S180-induced cell-free ascites fluid (CFAF) co-injection recapitulated the results obtained with live S180 cells, suggesting that this chemoattraction by cancer cells is mediated by diffusible molecules. We also tested for the first time whether SR/CR mice were able to resist additional cancer cell lines prior to S180 exposure. We found that SR/CR mice had an innate resistance against EL-4 and J774. Our results suggest that the cancer resistance in SR/CR mice is based on at least two separate processes: leukocyte migration/infiltration to the site of cancer cells and recognition of common surface properties on cancer cells. The infiltration of SR

The (unclear effects of invalid retro-cues.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel eGressmann

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Studies with the retro-cue paradigm have shown that validly cueing objects in visual working memory long after encoding can still benefit performance on subsequent change detection tasks. With regard to the effects of invalid cues, the literature is less clear. Some studies reported costs, others did not. We here revisit two recent studies that made interesting suggestions concerning invalid retro-cues: One study suggested that costs only occur for larger set sizes, and another study suggested that inclusion of invalid retro-cues diminishes the retro-cue benefit. New data from one experiment and a reanalysis of published data are provided to address these conclusions. The new data clearly show costs (and benefits that were independent of set size, and the reanalysis suggests no influence of the inclusion of invalid retro-cues on the retro-cue benefit. Thus, previous interpretations may be taken with some caution at present.

SR-71 Pilot Stephen (Steve) D. Ishmael

Science.gov (United States)

1992-01-01

sideslip, which are normally obtained with small tubes and vanes extending into the airstream. One of Dryden's SR-71s was used for the Linear Aerospike Rocket Engine, or LASRE Experiment. Another earlier project consisted of a series of flights using the SR-71 as a science camera platform for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. An upward-looking ultraviolet video camera placed in the SR-71's nosebay studied a variety of celestial objects in wavelengths that are blocked to ground-based astronomers. Earlier in its history, Dryden had a decade of past experience at sustained speeds above Mach 3. Two YF-12A aircraft and an SR-71 designated as a YF-12C were flown at the center between December 1969 and November 1979 in a joint NASA/USAF program to learn more about the capabilities and limitations of high-speed, high-altitude flight. The YF-12As were prototypes of a planned interceptor aircraft based on a design that later evolved into the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft. Dave Lux was the NASA SR-71 project manger for much of the decade of the 1990s, followed by Steve Schmidt. Developed for the USAF as reconnaissance aircraft more than 30 years ago, SR-71s are still the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft. The aircraft can fly at speeds of more than 2,200 miles per hour (Mach 3+, or more than three times the speed of sound) and at altitudes of over 85,000 feet. The Lockheed Skunk Works (now Lockheed Martin) built the original SR-71 aircraft. Each aircraft is 107.4 feet long, has a wingspan of 55.6 feet, and is 18.5 feet high (from the ground to the top of the rudders, when parked). Gross takeoff weight is about 140,000 pounds, including a possible fuel weight of 80,280 pounds. The airframes are built almost entirely of titanium and titanium alloys to withstand heat generated by sustained Mach 3 flight. Aerodynamic control surfaces consist of all-moving vertical tail surfaces, ailerons on the outer wings, and elevators on the trailing edges

Microstructure, mechanical properties, bio-corrosion properties and cytotoxicity of as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Chaoyong [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Pan, Fusheng, E-mail: fspan@cqu.edu.cn [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); National Engineering Research Center for Magnesium Alloys, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Chongqing Academy of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401123 (China); Zhang, Lei; Pan, Hucheng; Song, Kai; Tang, Aitao [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

2017-01-01

In this study, as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys were studied for orthopedic application, and the microstructure, mechanical properties, bio-corrosion properties and cytotoxicity of as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, tensile and compressive tests, immersion test, electrochemical test and cytotoxicity test. The results showed that as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys were composed of α-Mg and Mg{sub 17}Sr{sub 2} phases, and the content of Mg{sub 17}Sr{sub 2} phases increased with increasing Sr content. As-extruded Mg-Sr alloy with 0.5 wt.% Sr was equiaxed grains, while the one with a higher Sr content was long elongated grains and the grain size of the long elongated grains decreased with increasing Sr content. Tensile and compressive tests showed an increase of both tensile and compressive strength and a decrease of elongation with increasing Sr content. Immersion and electrochemical tests showed that as-extruded Mg-0.5Sr alloy exhibited the best anti-corrosion property, and the anti-corrosion property of as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys deteriorated with increasing Sr content, which was greatly associated with galvanic couple effect. The cytotoxicity test revealed that as-extruded Mg-0.5Sr alloy did not induce toxicity to cells. These results indicated that as-extruded Mg-0.5Sr alloy with suitable mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and good cytocompatibility was potential as a biodegradable implant for orthopedic application. - Highlights: • Biodegradable as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys were fabricated. • Microstructure of alloys changed with increasing Sr content. • Mechanical properties of alloys could be controlled by adjusting the Sr content. • Corrosion properties of alloys decreased with increasing Sr content. • As-extruded Mg-0.5Sr alloy was potential for orthopedic application.

Microstructure, mechanical properties, bio-corrosion properties and cytotoxicity of as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Chaoyong; Pan, Fusheng; Zhang, Lei; Pan, Hucheng; Song, Kai; Tang, Aitao

2017-01-01

In this study, as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys were studied for orthopedic application, and the microstructure, mechanical properties, bio-corrosion properties and cytotoxicity of as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, tensile and compressive tests, immersion test, electrochemical test and cytotoxicity test. The results showed that as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys were composed of α-Mg and Mg 17 Sr 2 phases, and the content of Mg 17 Sr 2 phases increased with increasing Sr content. As-extruded Mg-Sr alloy with 0.5wt.% Sr was equiaxed grains, while the one with a higher Sr content was long elongated grains and the grain size of the long elongated grains decreased with increasing Sr content. Tensile and compressive tests showed an increase of both tensile and compressive strength and a decrease of elongation with increasing Sr content. Immersion and electrochemical tests showed that as-extruded Mg-0.5Sr alloy exhibited the best anti-corrosion property, and the anti-corrosion property of as-extruded Mg-Sr alloys deteriorated with increasing Sr content, which was greatly associated with galvanic couple effect. The cytotoxicity test revealed that as-extruded Mg-0.5Sr alloy did not induce toxicity to cells. These results indicated that as-extruded Mg-0.5Sr alloy with suitable mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and good cytocompatibility was potential as a biodegradable implant for orthopedic application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental autoabsorption curve 90Sr in SrCO3. Efficiency calculation to detection of 90Sr, 90Y and 90Sr + 90Y in a beta gas proportional counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gasco, C.; Alvarez, A.

1987-01-01

Strontium-90 has been determined by radiochemical separation techniques in environmental samples. These techniques, of course, cannot separate the two strontium radionuclides from each other of from stable strontium. Consequently the end product of the chemical separation contains all strontium isotopes in SrCO 3 . The beta particules emitted by 90 Sr are absorbed by the SrCO 3 precipitate. This is the main source of error in the activity measurement. It has been prepared sources of 90 Sr in SrCO 3 in order to determinate the counting efficiency and autoabsorption curve. Also detection efficiencies have been calibrated using known activities of 90 Y and equilibrium mixture of 90 Sr+ 90 Y in the same geometry than our samples. The activity of 90 Sr by ingrowth of 90 Y has been calculated by our computer program. (author). 2 figs., 3 refs

Modulation of auditory spatial attention by visual emotional cues: differential effects of attentional engagement and disengagement for pleasant and unpleasant cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Neil R; Woodhouse, Rob

2016-05-01

Previous research has demonstrated that threatening, compared to neutral pictures, can bias attention towards non-emotional auditory targets. Here we investigated which subcomponents of attention contributed to the influence of emotional visual stimuli on auditory spatial attention. Participants indicated the location of an auditory target, after brief (250 ms) presentation of a spatially non-predictive peripheral visual cue. Responses to targets were faster at the location of the preceding visual cue, compared to at the opposite location (cue validity effect). The cue validity effect was larger for targets following pleasant and unpleasant cues compared to neutral cues, for right-sided targets. For unpleasant cues, the crossmodal cue validity effect was driven by delayed attentional disengagement, and for pleasant cues, it was driven by enhanced engagement. We conclude that both pleasant and unpleasant visual cues influence the distribution of attention across modalities and that the associated attentional mechanisms depend on the valence of the visual cue.

Sugammadex reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block in a patient with ataxia-telangiectasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, E.; Jung, J.W.

2015-01-01

A 17-year-old adolescent with ataxia-telangiectasia was scheduled to have laparoscopic colectomy for a resection of colon cancer. He had symptoms and signs of dyspnea, generalized dystonia, dysmetria, ataxia, and telangiectasia on the orbit. General anesthesia was performed, and rocuronium 30 mg was administered for muscle relaxation. Deep neuromuscular block (post-tetanic count: 0-8) was maintained for 95 minutes without additional rocuronium. On completion of surgery, sugammadex 80 mg was injected and train-of-four ratio was 0.93 at 210 seconds after administration. The tracheal tube was removed 5 min after the end of surgery. He recovered full spontaneous respiration and voluntary movements within 1 minute after extubation. After the surgery, he transferred to the intensive care unit and discharged 14 days after the surgery without any concrete problem. The reversal of rocuronium induced neuromuscular block by sugammadex was fast, complete, and recovered to the initial preoperative level of neuromuscular function in this patient. (author)

Long-chain α,ω-dioic acids as inducers of cyclosporin A-insensitive nonspecific permeability of the inner membrane of liver mitochondria loaded with calcium or strontium ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubinin, M V; Adakeeva, S I; Samartsev, V N

2013-04-01

Long-chain saturated monocarboxylic fatty acids can induce nonspecific permeability of the inner membrane (open pores) of liver mitochondria loaded with Ca2+ or Sr(2+) by the mechanism insensitive to cyclosporin A. In this work we investigated the effect of their metabolites - α,ω-dioic (dicarboxylic) acids - as potential inducers of pore opening by a similar mechanism. It was established that the addition of α,ω-hexadecanedioic acid (HDA) at a concentration of 10-30 µM to liver mitochondria loaded with Ca2+ or Sr(2+) leads to swelling of the organelles and release of these ions from the matrix. The maximum effect of HDA is observed at 50 µM Ca2+ concentration. Cyclosporin A at a concentration of 1 µM, previously added to the mitochondria, did not inhibit the observed processes. The calcium uniporter inhibitor ruthenium red, which blocks influx of Ca2+ and Sr(2+) to the matrix of mitochondria, prevented HDA-induced swelling. The effect of HDA as inducer of swelling of mitochondria was compared with similar effects of α,ω-tetradecanedioic and α,ω-dodecanedioic acids whose acyl chains are two and four carbon atoms shorter than HDA, respectively. It was found that the efficiency of these α,ω-dioic acids decreases with reducing number of carbon atoms in their acyl chains. It was concluded that in the presence of Ca2+ or Sr(2+) long-chain saturated α,ω-dioic acids can induce a cyclosporin A-insensitive permeability of the inner membrane (open pores) of liver mitochondria as well as their monocarboxylic analogs.

Portal hypertension and liver cirrhosis in rats: effect of the β3-adrenoceptor agonist SR58611A

Science.gov (United States)

Vasina, Valentina; Giannone, Ferdinando; Domenicali, Marco; Latorre, Rocco; Berzigotti, Annalisa; Caraceni, Paolo; Zoli, Marco; De Ponti, Fabrizio; Bernardi, Mauro

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE β3-Adrenoceptors participate in the regulation of vascular tone in physiological and pathological conditions. We aimed to assess the effect of pharmacological modulation of β3-adrenoceptors on portal pressure (PP) and systemic haemodynamics and their expression in the liver and mesenteric vessels of cirrhotic rats. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH PP, central venous pressure (CVP) and systemic haemodynamics were invasively assessed in control and CCl4-treated cirrhotic rats before and during infusion of the selective β3-adrenoceptor agonist, SR58611A. Tissue samples were also collected from liver, heart, portal vein and mesenteric artery for immunohistochemistry and molecular biology analysis. The effect of SR58611A on isolated portal vein was assessed. KEY RESULTS At baseline, cirrhotic rats showed portal hypertension, reduced CVP and hyperdynamic circulation. SR58611A induced a significant, dose-dependent decrease in PP in cirrhotic rats, but not in controls. Although both groups manifested a dose-dependent reduction in mean arterial pressure, this effect was associated with decreased cardiac index (CI) and unchanged indicized peripheral vascular resistance (PVRI) in cirrhotic rats and increased CI and decreased PVRI in control animals. Pretreatment with the selective β3-adrenoceptor antagonist SR59230 prevented all SR58611A-induced changes in cirrhotic rats. SR58611A concentration-dependently relaxed portal vein in cirrhotic rats to a significantly greater extent than in healthy rats; pretreatment with SR59230A completely prevented SR58611A-induced cirrhotic portal vein relaxation. Finally, β3-adrenoceptors were identified in the liver, heart and portal vein of cirrhotic and control animals; their expression was increased in cirrhotic rats. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS β3-Adrenoceptors are altered in portal hypertension of experimental cirrhosis and may represent a novel therapeutic target. PMID:22708587