Neurons with names: Descending control and sensorimotor processing in insect motor control.

Technical and methodological advances in recent years have brought new ways to tackle major classical questions in insect motor control. Particularly, significant advancements were achieved in comprehending brain descending control by characterizing descending neurons, their targets in the ventral nerve cord (VNC), and how local networks there integrate sensory information. While physiological experiments in larger insects brought us a better understanding of how sensory modalities are processed locally in the VNC, the development and improvement of genetic tools, principally in Drosophila, opened the door to individually characterize actors at these three levels of information flow in behavioral control.

Minocycline prevents chronic restraint stress-induced vulnerability to developing cocaine self-administration and associated glutamatergic mechanisms: a potential role of microglia.

Stressful experience-induced cocaine-related behaviors are associated with a significant impairment of glutamatergic mechanisms in the Nucleus Accumbens core (NAcore). The hallmarks of disrupted glutamate homeostasis following restraint stress are the enduring imbalance of glutamate efflux after a cocaine stimulus and increased basal concentrations of extracellular glutamate attributed to GLT-1 downregulation in the NAcore. Glutamate transmission is tightly linked to microglia functioning.

Collective action or individual choice: Spontaneity and individuality contribute to decision-making in Drosophila.

Our own unique character traits make our behavior consistent and define our individuality. Yet, this consistency does not entail that we behave repetitively like machines. Like humans, animals also combine personality traits with spontaneity to produce adaptive behavior: consistent, but not fully predictable.

Collaborative modeling of an implementation strategy: a case study to integrate health promotion in primary and community care.

Background: Evidence-based interventions are more likely to be adopted if practitioners collaborate with researchers to develop an implementation strategy. This paper describes the steps to plan and execute a strategy, including the development of structure and supports needed for implementing proven health promotion interventions in primary and community care.

Results: Between 10 and 13 discussion and consensus sessions were performed in four highly-motivated primary health care centers involving 80% of the primary care staff and 21 community-based organizations.