Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Corticospinal Excitability During Motor Training.

: Cerebellar activity can be modulated using cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) and, when applied concurrently with task training, has been shown to facilitate cognitive and motor performance. However, how ctDCS facilitates motor performance is not fully understood. : To assess the electrophysiological and motor performance effects of ctDCS applied during motor training.

Array-based assay detects genome-wide 5-mC and 5-hmC in the brains of humans, non-human primates, and mice.

Background: Methylation on the fifth position of cytosine (5-mC) is an essential epigenetic mark that is linked to both normal neurodevelopment and neurological diseases. The recent identification of another modified form of cytosine, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), in both stem cells and post-mitotic neurons, raises new questions as to the role of this base in mediating epigenetic effects. Genomic studies of these marks using model systems are limited, particularly with array-based tools, because the standard method of detecting DNA methylation cannot distinguish between 5-mC and 5-hmC and most methods have been developed to only survey the human genome.

A novel cone visual cycle in the cone-dominated retina.

The visual processing of humans is primarily reliant upon the sensitivity of cone photoreceptors to light during daylight conditions. This underscores the importance of understanding how cone photoreceptors maintain the ability to detect light. The vertebrate retina consists of a combination of both rod and cone photoreceptors.

Effect of light exposure on the accumulation and depletion of retinyl ester in the chicken retina.

A previous study has shown that in the cone-rich chicken retina, 11-cis retinyl ester increases with light exposure and decreases in subsequent dark adaptation. The purpose of this research is to study how light exposure (intensity and duration) determine the rate of accumulation and utilization as well as the size of this 11-cis retinyl ester pool in the chicken retina. Chickens were dark-adapted overnight before exposure to different light intensities and durations.