Early life seizures and olfactory communication in rats.

Objective: Early life seizures (ELS) are commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the exact role of ELS in the pathology is unknown. Prior studies have demonstrated social deficits, a core feature of ASD, following ELS; consequently, alterations in sensory modalities may contribute to the overall social deficits. Considering the speculated contribution of sensory deficit to social communication, we examined the developmental consequences of early postnatal kainic acid (KA)-induced seizures on olfactory preference and neural markers in the olfactory bulb in both male and female Sprague Dawley rats.

Early-life seizures modify behavioral response to ultrasonic vocalization playback in adult rats.

Early-life seizures (ELS) are associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, due to a lack of effective treatments for ELS, it is not clear whether ELS plays a causal role, potentiates the ASD phenotype, or is the result of a common pathophysiology. Deficits in communications are a core feature of ASD. To isolate the impact of ELS on communication, we probed the behavioral consequences of a single episode of kainic acid-induced early-life seizures (KA-ELS) in male and female Sprague-Dawley (CD) rats.

The macromolecular composition of noncalcified marine macroalgae.

The macromolecular composition of macroalgae influences nutrient flow and food quality in aquatic ecosystems and the value of macroalgae species for human consumption, aquaculture, biofuels, and other applications. We used literature data (125 publications, 1,117 observations) and a hierarchal Bayesian statistical model to estimate the average macromolecular composition, protein, lipid, and carbohydrate of macroalgae as a whole and at the phylum level. Our focus was on marine, noncalcified macroalgae sampled from wild-grown populations in the field.

Prenatal Iron Deficiency in Guinea Pigs Increases Locomotor Activity but Does Not Influence Learning and Memory.

The objective of the current study was to determine whether prenatal iron deficiency induced during gestation in guinea pigs affected locomotor activity and learning and memory processes in the progeny. Dams were fed either iron-deficient anemic or iron-sufficient diets throughout gestation and lactation. After weaning, all pups were fed an iron-sufficient diet.