SK609, a novel dopamine D3 receptor agonist and norepinephrine transporter blocker with putative pro-cognitive actions, does not induce psychostimulant-like increases in risky choice during probabilistic discounting.

Rationale: Psychostimulants, such as amphetamine (AMPH) and methylphenidate (MPH), non-selectively elevate extracellular concentrations of the catecholamine neurotransmitters, dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE), and are common pharmacological strategies used to improve prefrontal cortex (PFC)-dependent cognitive dysfunction. However, this approach can be problematic given AMPH has been shown to increase preference for risky choices in a rodent assay of risk/reward decision making. SK609 is a novel NE reuptake blocker that selectively activates DA D3 receptors without affinity for the DA transporter.

Dynamic spatial network simulation accounting for multiple ecological factors provides practical recommendations for biosecurity early detection and rapid response (EDRR) strategies.

Background: Globally the spread of invasive pests is being facilitated by increased human mobility and climate change. Simulation modelling can help assess biosecurity strategies for early detection and rapid response (EDRR), but has struggled to account for important factors in the invasion process, such as spatial and temporal variability in habitat suitability and connectivity; population dynamics; and multiple dispersal pathways. We developed a novel dynamic spatial network simulation approach based on spatial network theory that enables integration of a wider range of spatio-temporal factors than previous studies, calibrated it against extensive historical trapping data, and applied it to comprehensively analyse the EDRR strategy for Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis; OFF) in northern Australia.

Diversity of ancestral brainstem noradrenergic neurons across species and multiple biological factors.

The brainstem region, locus coeruleus (LC), has been remarkably conserved across vertebrates. Evolution has woven the LC into wide-ranging neural circuits that influence functions as broad as autonomic systems, the stress response, nociception, sleep, and high-level cognition among others. Given this conservation, there is a strong possibility that LC activity is inherently similar across species, and furthermore that age, sex, and brain state influence LC activity similarly across species.

Sex-dependent perturbations in risky choice behavior and prefrontal tyrosine hydroxylase levels induced by repetitive mild traumatic brain injury.

Head trauma often impairs cognitive processes mediated within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), leading to impaired decision making and risk-taking behavior. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) accounts for approximately 80 % of reported head injury cases. Most neurological symptoms of a single mTBI are transient; however, growing evidence suggests that repeated mTBI (rmTBI) results in more severe impairments that worsen with each subsequent injury.

In search of the locus coeruleus: guidelines for identifying anatomical boundaries and electrophysiological properties of the blue spot in mice, fish, finches, and beyond.

Our understanding of human brain function can be greatly aided by studying analogous brain structures in other organisms. One brain structure with neurochemical and anatomical homology throughout vertebrate species is the locus coeruleus (LC), a small collection of norepinephrine (NE)-containing neurons in the brainstem that project throughout the central nervous system. The LC is involved in nearly every aspect of brain function, including arousal and learning, which has been extensively examined in rats and nonhuman primates using single-unit recordings.