A distinct circuit for biasing visual perceptual decisions and modulating superior colliculus activity through the mouse posterior striatum.

The basal ganglia play a key role in visual perceptual decisions. Despite being the primary target in the basal ganglia for inputs from the visual cortex, the posterior striatum's (PS) involvement in visual perceptual behavior remains unknown in rodents. We reveal that the PS direct pathway is largely segregated from the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) direct pathway, the other major striatal target for visual cortex.

Colossal C Fullertubes: Soluble [5,5] C-D(1) Pristine Molecules with 70 Nanotube Carbons and Two 30-Atom Hemifullerene End-caps.

We report the seminal experimental isolation and DFT characterization of pristine [5,5] C-D(1) fullertubes. This achievement represents the largest soluble carbon molecule obtained in its pristine form. The [5,5] C species is the highest aspect ratio fullertube purified to date and now surpasses the recent gigantic [5,5] C-D(1).

The rostral intralaminar nuclear complex of the thalamus supports striatally mediated action reinforcement.

The dorsal striatum (DS) mediates the selection of actions for reward acquisition necessary for survival. Striatal pathology contributes to several neuropsychiatric conditions, including aberrant selection of actions for specific rewards in addiction. A major source of glutamate driving striatal activity is the rostral intralaminar nuclei (rILN) of the thalamus.

Inducible CRISPR Epigenome Systems Mimic Cocaine Induced Bidirectional Regulation of Nab2 and Egr3.

Substance use disorder is a chronic disease and a leading cause of disability around the world. The NAc is a major brain hub mediating reward behavior. Studies demonstrate exposure to cocaine is associated with molecular and functional imbalance in NAc medium spiny neuron subtypes (MSNs), dopamine receptor 1 and 2 enriched D1-MSNs and D2-MSNs.

Gigantic C Fullertubes: Prediction and Experimental Evidence for Isomerically Purified Metallic [5,5] C-D(1) and Nonmetallic [10,0] C-D(10766).

We report the first experimental characterization of isomerically pure and pristine C fullertubes, [5,5] C-D(1) and [10,0] C-D(10766). These new molecules represent the highest aspect ratio fullertubes isolated to date; for example, the prior largest empty cage fullertube was [5,5] C-D(1). This increase of 20 carbon atoms represents a gigantic leap in comparison to of C-C fullerene research.

Rostral Intralaminar Thalamus Engagement in Cognition and Behavior.

The thalamic rostral intralaminar nuclei (rILN) are a contiguous band of neurons that include the central medial, paracentral, and central lateral nuclei. The rILN differ from both thalamic relay nuclei, such as the lateral geniculate nucleus, and caudal intralaminar nuclei, such as the parafascicular nucleus, in afferent and efferent connectivity as well as physiological and synaptic properties. rILN activity is associated with a range of neural functions and behaviors, including arousal, pain, executive function, and action control.

Semiconducting and Metallic [5,5] Fullertube Nanowires: Characterization of Pristine D(1)-C and D(1)-C.

Although fullerenes were discovered nearly 35 years ago, scientists still struggle to isolate "single molecule" tubular fullerenes larger than C. In similar fashion, there is a paucity of reports for pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). In spite of Herculean efforts, the isolation and properties of pristine members of these carbonaceous classes remain largely unfulfilled.

Axo-axonic synapses: Diversity in neural circuit function.

The chemical synapse is the principal form of contact between neurons of the central nervous system. These synapses are typically configured as presynaptic axon terminations onto postsynaptic dendrites or somata, giving rise to axo-dendritic and axo-somatic synapses, respectively. Beyond these common synapse configurations are less-studied, non-canonical synapse types that are prevalent throughout the brain and significantly contribute to neural circuit function.

Facing privacy in neuroimaging: removing facial features degrades performance of image analysis methods.

Background: Recent studies have created awareness that facial features can be reconstructed from high-resolution MRI. Therefore, data sharing in neuroimaging requires special attention to protect participants' privacy. Facial features removal (FFR) could alleviate these concerns.

Lifespan normative data on rates of brain volume changes.

We provide here normative values of yearly percentage brain volume change (PBVC/y) as obtained with Structural Imaging Evaluation, using Normalization, of Atrophy, a widely used open-source software, developing a PBVC/y calculator for assessing the deviation from the expected PBVC/y in patients with neurological disorders. We assessed multicenter (34 centers, 11 acquisition protocols) magnetic resonance imaging data of 720 healthy participants covering the whole adult lifespan (16-90 years). Data of 421 participants with a follow-up > 6 months were used to obtain the normative values for PBVC/y and data of 392 participants with a follow-up <1 month were selected to assess the intrasubject variability of the brain volume measurement.

Summarizing the 4D image stack of ultrafast dynamic contrast enhancement MRI of breast cancer in 3D using color intensity projections.

Background: Each ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI sequence for breast cancer generates thousands of images in a 4D stack that need to be reviewed by a radiologist.

Purpose: To assess whether color intensity projections (CIP) effectively summarizes-using only the time of arrival (ToA) and amount of signal enhancement (AoE) of the contrast agent-the thousands of ultrafast images.

Study Type: Retrospective cohort clinical trial.

Can measuring hippocampal atrophy with a fully automatic method be substantially less noisy than manual segmentation over both 1 and 3 years?

To quantify the "segmentation noise" of several widely used fully automatic methods for measuring longitudinal hippocampal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease and compare the results to the segmentation noise of manual segmentation over both 1 and 3 years. The segmentation noise of 5 longitudinal hippocampal atrophy measurement methods was quantified, including checking its Gaussianity, using 264 subjects from the ADNI1 back-to-back (BTB) data set over both 1 year and 3 year intervals. The segmentation methods were FreeSurfer 5.

Reproducibility of Deep Gray Matter Atrophy Rate Measurement in a Large Multicenter Dataset.

Background And Purpose: Precise in vivo measurement of deep GM volume change is a highly demanded prerequisite for an adequate evaluation of disease progression and new treatments. However, quantitative data on the reproducibility of deep GM structure volumetry are not yet available. In this paper we aim to investigate this reproducibility using a large multicenter dataset.

Performance of five research-domain automated WM lesion segmentation methods in a multi-center MS study.

Background And Purpose: In vivoidentification of white matter lesions plays a key-role in evaluation of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Automated lesion segmentation methods have been developed to substitute manual outlining, but evidence of their performance in multi-center investigations is lacking. In this work, five research-domain automated segmentation methods were evaluated using a multi-center MS dataset.

Acute gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment enhances extinction memory in male rats.

Leuprolide acetate (LEU), also known as Lupron, is commonly used to treat prostate cancer in men. As a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor agonist, it initially stimulates the release of gonadal hormones, testosterone (T) and estradiol. This surge eventually suppresses these hormones, preventing the further growth and spread of cancer cells.

Estradiol shifts interactions between the infralimbic cortex and central amygdala to enhance fear extinction memory in female rats.

There is growing evidence that estradiol (E2) enhances fear extinction memory consolidation. However, it is unclear how E2 influences the nodes of the fear extinction network to enhance extinction memory. This study begins to delineate the neural circuits underlying the influence of E2 on fear extinction acquisition and consolidation in female rats.

Reproducibility of hippocampal atrophy rates measured with manual, FreeSurfer, AdaBoost, FSL/FIRST and the MAPS-HBSI methods in Alzheimer's disease.

The purpose of this study is to assess the reproducibility of hippocampal atrophy rate measurements of commonly used fully-automated algorithms in Alzheimer disease (AD). The reproducibility of hippocampal atrophy rate for FSL/FIRST, AdaBoost, FreeSurfer, MAPS independently and MAPS combined with the boundary shift integral (MAPS-HBSI) were calculated. Back-to-back (BTB) 3D T1-weighted MPRAGE MRI from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI1) study at baseline and year one were used.

Protocol for studying extinction of conditioned fear in naturally cycling female rats.

Extinction of conditioned fear has been extensively studied in male rodents. Recently, there have been an increasing number of studies indicating that neural mechanisms for certain behavioral tasks and response behaviors are different in females and males. Using females in research studies can represent a challenge because of the variation of gonadal hormones during their estrous cycle.

Mechanisms of estradiol in fear circuitry: implications for sex differences in psychopathology.

Over the past two decades, substantial knowledge has been attained about the mechanisms underlying the acquisition and subsequent extinction of conditioned fear. Knowledge gained on the biological basis of Pavlovian conditioning has led to the general acceptance that fear extinction may be a useful model in understanding the underlying mechanisms in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders and may also be a good model for current therapies treating these disorders. Lacking in the current knowledge is how men and women may or may not differ in the biology of fear and its extinction.

The SIENA/FSL whole brain atrophy algorithm is no more reproducible at 3T than 1.5 T for Alzheimer's disease.

The back-to-back (BTB) acquisition of MP-RAGE MRI scans of the Alzheimer׳s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI1) provides an excellent data set with which to check the reproducibility of brain atrophy measures. As part of ADNI1, 131 subjects received BTB MP-RAGEs at multiple time points and two field strengths of 3T and 1.5 T.