Mediodorsal thalamus nucleus-medial prefrontal cortex circuitry regulates cost-benefit decision-making selections.

Value-based decision-making involves weighing costs and benefits. The activity of the medial prefrontal cortex reflects cost-benefit assessments, and the mediodorsal thalamus, reciprocally connected with the medial prefrontal cortex, has increasingly been recognized as an active partner in decision-making. However, the specific role of the interaction between the mediodorsal thalamus and the medial prefrontal cortex in regulating the neuronal activity underlying how costs and benefits influence decision-making remains largely unexplored.

Stable sequential dynamics in prefrontal cortex represents subjective estimation of time.

Time estimation is an essential prerequisite underlying various cognitive functions. Previous studies identified 'sequential firing' and 'activity ramps' as the primary neuron activity patterns in the medial frontal cortex (mPFC) that could convey information regarding time. However, the relationship between these patterns and the timing behavior has not been fully understood.

A Soft Robot Tactile Finger Using Oxidation-Reduction Graphene-Polyurethane Conductive Sponge.

Currently, intelligent robotics is supplanting traditional industrial applications. It extends to business, service and care industries, and other fields. Stable robot grasping is a necessary prerequisite for all kinds of complex application scenarios.

Fasting-induced RNF152 resensitizes gallbladder cancer cells to gemcitabine by inhibiting mTORC1-mediated glycolysis.

Abnormal mTORC1 activation by the lysosomal Ragulator complex has been implicated in cancer and glycolytic metabolism associated with drug resistance. Fasting upregulates RNF152 and mediates the metabolic status of cells. We report that RNF152 regulates mTORC1 signaling by targeting a Ragulator subunit, p18, and attenuates gemcitabine resistance in gallbladder cancer (GBC).

Chronic but not acute nicotine treatment ameliorates acute inflammation-induced working memory impairment by increasing CRTC1 and HCN2 in adult male mice.

Background: Systemic inflammation in which lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is released into circulation can cause cognitive dysfunction and we have previously shown that LPS impaired working memory (WM) which refers to the ability to guide incoming behavior by retrieving recently acquired information. However, the mechanism is not very clear, and currently, there is no approved strategy to improve inflammation-induced WM deficit. Notably, epidemiological studies have demonstrated a lower occurrence rate of inflammatory-related diseases in smoking patients, suggesting that inflammation-induced WM impairment may be improved by nicotine treatment.

Laminar Distribution of Cannabinoid Receptor 1 in the Prefrontal Cortex of Nonhuman Primates.

Cannabis is an annual herb of the genus Cannabis, with a history of medical use going back thousands of years. However, its abuse causes many side-effects, including confusion of consciousness, alienation, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. Research conducted on rodents suggests that there are two types of cannabinoid receptors-cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R).

Behavioral assessment scale of consciousness for nonhuman primates: A Delphi study.

Objective: Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are suitable for being model animals in the study of consciousness and loss of consciousness (LoC) with a similar brain structure and function to humans. However, there is no effective consciousness assessment scale for them. This study aimed to develop a behavioral assessment scale of consciousness for NHPs.

Microglia are involved in regulating histamine-dependent and non-dependent itch transmissions with distinguished signal pathways.

Although itch and pain have many similarities, they are completely different in perceptual experience and behavioral response. In recent years, we have a deep understanding of the neural pathways of itch sensation transmission. However, there are few reports on the role of non-neuronal cells in itch.

CRTC1 is a potential target to delay aging-induced cognitive deficit by protecting the integrity of the blood-brain barrier via inhibiting inflammation.

Aging can cause attenuation in the functioning of multiple organs, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown could promote the occurrence of disorders of the central nervous system during aging. Since inflammation is considered to be an important factor underlying BBB injury during aging, vascular endothelial cell senescence serves as a critical pathological basis for the destruction of BBB integrity. In the current review, we have first introduced the concepts related to aging-induced cognitive deficit and BBB integrity damage.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves Some Neurophysiological Parameters but not Clinical Outcomes after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Disorders of consciousness (DOC) are one of the clinical hallmarks of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). DOC impair patient life quality and increase the burden on their families and society.

Methods: A double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of routine rehabilitation combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in DOC patients after TBI.

Muscimol-induced inactivation of the ventral prefrontal cortex impairs counting performance in rhesus monkeys.

Numbers are one of the three basic concepts of human abstract thinking. When human beings count, they often point to things, one by one, and read numbers in a positive integer column. The prefrontal cortex plays a wide range of roles in executive functions, including active maintenance and achievement of goals, adaptive coding and exertion of general intelligence, and completion of time complexity events.

The Evaluation Indexes Suitable for Nonhuman Primates can be Extracted from Clinical Consciousness Disorder Assessment Scales: A Hypothesis.

Background: Currently, case studies or clinical trials in different patient populations remain the main resource underlying the understanding of disorder of consciousness (DoC). This provides a low efficacy for the derivation of data and the implementation of associated controlled experimental designs. Preclinical models provide precise controls, reduced variability, rich data output and limited ethical complexity.

Prefrontal Dopaminergic Regulation of Cue-Guided Risky Decision-Making Performance in Rats.

Risky decision-making is the decision made by individuals when they know the probability of each outcome. In order to survive in unpredictable environments, it is necessary for individuals to assess the probability of events occurring to an make appropriate decisions. There are few studies on the neural basis of risky decision-making behavior guided by external cues, which is related to the relative paucity of animal behavioral paradigms.

Behavior of Rats in a Self-Paced Risky Decision-Making Task Based on Definite Probability.

Risky decision-making (RDM) is when individuals make choices based on the definite cognition for the probabilities of the options. Risk is embodied in the certainty of reward, and the smaller the probability is, the greater the risk will be. As simulated in human behavior paradigms, RDM scenarios in real life are often guided by external cues that inform the likelihood of receiving certain rewards.

Transmembrane protein 108 inhibits the proliferation and myelination of oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the corpus callosum.

Background: Abnormal white matter is a common neurobiological change in bipolar disorder, and dysregulation of myelination in oligodendrocytes (OLs) is the cause. Transmembrane protein 108 (Tmem108), as a susceptible gene of bipolar disorder, is expressed higher in OL lineage cells than any other lineage cells in the central nervous system. Moreover, Tmem108 mutant mice exhibit mania-like behaviors, belonging to one of the signs of bipolar disorder.

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on patients with post-stroke fatigue: a study protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is an abnormal, persistent, and unexplained physical and psychological tiredness in patients after stroke. It is a common symptom of stroke patients with poor quality of life and bleak prognosis, and the incidence rate is up to 39% to 72%. It has been widely reported that medicine treatments achieved a lot of progress, there still needs to develop more powerful new strategies to more powerful effect.

The Candidate Schizophrenia Risk Gene Regulates Glucose Metabolism Homeostasis.

Background: Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe psychiatric disease affected by genetic factors and environmental contributors, and premorbid abnormality of glucose metabolism is one of the SCZ characteristics supposed to contribute to the disease's pathological process. Transmembrane protein 108 () is a susceptible gene associated with multiple psychiatric diseases, including SCZ. Moreover, mutant mice exhibit SCZ-like behaviors in the measurement of sensorimotor gating.

Antidiabetic effect of an engineered bacterium -pMG36e -GLP-1 in monkey model.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) reduces postprandial hyperglycaemia, but its short half-life inhibits clinical application. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the treatment efforts of an engineered strain, -pMG36e-GLP-1 (-pMG36e-GLP-1), that continuously expresses GLP-1 in spontaneous type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) monkeys. After 7 weeks of oral supplementation with -pMG36e-GLP-1, the fasting blood glucose (FPG) of monkeys was significantly (p < 0.

Neurons in Primary Motor Cortex Encode External Perturbations during an Orientation Reaching Task.

When confronting an abrupt external perturbation force during movement, subjects continuously adjust their behaviors to adapt to changes. Such adaptation is of great importance for realizing flexible motor control in varied environments, but the potential cortical neuronal mechanisms behind it have not yet been elucidated. Aiming to reveal potential neural control system compensation for external disturbances, we applied an external orientation perturbation while monkeys performed an orientation reaching task and simultaneously recorded the neural activity in the primary motor cortex (M1).

Rhesus Monkeys Have a Counting Ability and Can Count from One to Six.

Counting ability is one of the many aspects of animal cognition and has enjoyed great interest over the last couple of decades. The impetus for studying counting ability in nonhuman animals has likely come from more than a general interest in animal cognition, as the analysis of animal abilities amplifies our understanding of human cognition. In addition, a model animal with the ability to count could be used to replace human subjects in related studies.

Reduction in post-spinal cord injury spasticity by combination of peripheral nerve grafting and acidic fibroblast growth factor infusion in monkeys.

Objective: Spasticity is a frequent complication after spinal cord injury (SCI), but the existing therapies provide only limited relief and are associated with adverse reactions. Therefore, we aimed to develop a novel strategy to ameliorate the spasticity induced by SCI.

Methods: This nonrandomized controlled study used a repeated measurement design.

Polygalasaponin F protects hippocampal neurons against glutamate-induced cytotoxicity.

Excess extracellular glutamate leads to excitotoxicity, which induces neuronal death through the overactivation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). Excitotoxicity is thought to be closely related to various acute and chronic neurological disorders, such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Polygalasaponin F (PGSF) is a triterpenoid saponin monomer that can be isolated from Polygala japonica, and has been reported to protect cells against apoptosis.

Transcranial direct current stimulation in patients after decompressive craniectomy: a finite element model to investigate factors affecting the cortical electric field.

Objective: To simulate the process of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on patients after decompressive craniectomy (DC), and to model cortical electric field distributions under different electrode montages, we constructed a finite element model that represented the human head at high resolution.

Methods: Using computed tomography images, we constructed a human head model with high geometrical similarity. The removed bone flap was simplified to be circular with a diameter of 12 cm.

Alleviation of Anxiety/Depressive-Like Behaviors and Improvement of Cognitive Functions by WLPL04 in Chronically Stressed Mice.

Background: Intestinal microorganisms play an important role in regulating the neurodevelopment and the brain functions of the host through the gut-brain axis. , one of the most representative intestinal probiotics, produces important effects on human physiological functions. Our previous studies reveal that the WLPL04 has a series of beneficial actions, such as antiadhesion of pathogens, protection from the harmful effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate, and anti-inflammatory stress on Caco2 cells.