Effects of chronic social defeat stress on social behavior and cognitive flexibility for early and late adolescent.

This study investigated the risk to social behavior and cognitive flexibility induced by chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) during early and late adolescence (EA and LA). Utilizing the "resident-intruder" stress paradigm, adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to CSDS during either EA (postnatal days 29-38) or LA (postnatal days 39-48) to explore how social defeat at different stages of adolescence affects behavioral and cognitive symptoms commonly associated with psychiatric disorders. After stress exposure, the rats were assessed for anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze, social interaction, and cognitive flexibility through set-shifting and reversal-learning tasks under immediate and delayed reward conditions.

The effects of neurofeedback training for children with cerebral palsy and co-occurring attention deficits: A pilot study.

Background: Limited research exists regarding the effectiveness of electroencephalogram (EEG) neurofeedback training for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and co-occurring attention deficits (ADs), despite the increasing prevalence of these dual conditions. This study aimed to fill this gap by examining the impact of neurofeedback training on the attention levels of children with CP and AD.

Methods: Nineteen children with both CP and co-occurring ADs were randomly assigned to either a neurofeedback or control group.

Astrocyte-associated fibronectin promotes the proinflammatory phenotype of astrocytes through β1 integrin activation.

Astrocytes are key players in neuroinflammation. In response to central nervous system (CNS) injury or disease, astrocytes undergo reactive astrogliosis, which is characterized by increased proliferation, migration, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression. Activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and upregulation of downstream proinflammatory mediators in reactive astrocytes induce a proinflammatory phenotype in astrocytes, thereby exacerbating neuroinflammation by establishing an inflammatory loop.

Movement pattern and upper extremity muscle activation during fast and slow continuous steering movement.

Continuous steering movement (CSM) is an essential component of the upper extremity (UE) task during vehicle driving, and could be a suitable candidate for multi-joint rehabilitation programs for patients with UE disabilities. This study aims to evaluate the UE muscle activation during CSM and how the rotating speed and direction affect CSM's kinematic and kinetic performance. Surface electromyography (EMG), hand contact information, and steering torque were measured under fast (180°/s) and slow (60°/s) constant-velocity CSM to reveal the activation of shoulder and elbow muscles, temporal characteristics, and force exertion during the stance and swing phases of a CSM cycle.

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on improving performance of delayed- reinforcement attentional set-shifting tasks in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder rat model.

Behavioral flexibility (or set-shifting), which is regulated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), is often impaired in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is characterized by poor inhibitory control and reinforcement learning. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a means of noninvasive brain stimulation and a potential therapeutic tool for modulating behavioral flexibility. Animal studies can pave the way to know if tDCS application can potentially benefit rule- and goal-based activities in ADHD.

Developmental Traits of Impulse Control Behavior in School Children under Controlled Attention, Motor Function, and Perception.

This research surveyed the characteristics of the developmental traits of impulse control behavior in children through parent-report questionnaires. After matching for gender and attention behavior, as well as controlling for variables (motor and perception) which might confound impulse control, 710 participants (355 girls and 355 boys; grade, 1-5; age, 7-12 years) were recruited from a database of 1763 children. Results demonstrated that there was a significant difference between grade 1 and grade 5 in impulse control.

Recent Advances in Salivary Scintigraphic Evaluation of Salivary Gland Function.

Saliva plays an important role in supporting upper gastrointestinal tract function and oral well-being. Salivary dysfunction mainly manifests with a decrease in salivary flow. Among varieties of quantitative methods, salivary scintigraphy is a relatively noninvasive, well-tolerated, reproducible, and objective approach for functional evaluation of salivary disorders, yet the lack of precise quantitative reference values and no standardized protocol limit its generalized utilization.

Neuromodulatory effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on neural plasticity and motor functions in rats with an incomplete spinal cord injury: A preliminary study.

We investigated the effects of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) on locomotor function, motor plasticity, and axonal regeneration in an animal model of incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Aneurysm clips with different compression forces were applied extradurally around the spinal cord at T10. Motor plasticity was evaluated by examining the motor evoked potentials (MEPs).

Natural Compounds Modulate Drug Transporter Mediated Oral Cancer Treatment.

Oral cancer (OC) is a serious health problem. Surgery is the best method to treat the disease but might reduce the quality of life of patients. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) may enhance quality of life but with some limitations.

Probiotics Alleviate the Progressive Deterioration of Motor Functions in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the common long-term degenerative disorders that primarily affect motor systems. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in individuals with PD and often present before motor symptoms. It has been found that gut dysbiosis to PD pathology is related to the severity of motor and non-motor symptoms in PD.

Neuromodulatory Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Motor Excitability in Rats.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique for modulating neural plasticity and is considered to have therapeutic potential in neurological disorders. For the purpose of translational neuroscience research, a suitable animal model can be ideal for providing a stable condition for identifying mechanisms that can help to explore therapeutic strategies. Here, we developed a tDCS protocol for modulating motor excitability in anesthetized rats.

The learning experience of basic science and clinical dentistry by postgraduate students in Institute of Clinical Dentistry and Institute of Oral Biology.

Background/purpose: Students with different undergraduate trainings may have different responses after taking a combined course with both clinical and basic topics. This study investigated the learning experience of basic science and clinical dentistry by postgraduate students in Institute of Clinical Dentistry (ICD) and Institute of Oral Biology (IOB) after finishing the specific course.

Materials And Methods: Semi-structure questionnaire filled by internet process was used.

Anticoagulant effect of wogonin against tissue factor expression.

Tissue factor (TF) is the primary cause of atherothrombosis, the rupture of atherosclerotic plaques with subsequent thrombosis, leading to acute cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Wogonin (Wog) is an active component of Scutellaria baicalensis, used for inflammatory diseases, atherosclerosis, and hyperlipidemia. The anticoagulant effect of Wog on TF expression remains unexplored.

Parasympathetic effect of deep pressure input on third molar extraction in adolescents.

Backgroud/purpose: Deep pressure input is used to normalize physiological arousal due to stress. Third molar extraction is an invasive dental procedure with high stress for the patient, and an alleviation strategy is rarely applied during tooth extraction. In the present study, we investigated the effects of deep pressure input on autonomic responses during the procedures of third molar extraction in healthy adolescents.

Effect of deep pressure input on parasympathetic system in patients with wisdom tooth surgery.

Background/purpose: Deep pressure input is used to normalize physiological arousal due to stress. Wisdom tooth surgery is an invasive dental procedure with high stress levels, and an alleviation strategy is rarely applied during extraction. In this study, we investigated the effects of deep pressure input on autonomic responses to wisdom tooth extraction in healthy adults.

Physiologic and behavioral effects of papoose board on anxiety in dental patients with special needs.

Background/purpose: Anxiety induced by dental treatment can become a serious problem, especially for patients with special needs. Application of deep touch pressure, which is a sensory adaptation technique, may ameliorate anxiety in disabled patients. However, few empiric studies have investigated the possible links between the clinical effects of deep touch pressure and its behavioral and physiologic aspects.

The effect of direction on cursor moving kinematics.

There have been only few studies to substantiate the kinematic characteristics of cursor movement. In this study, a quantitative experimental research method was used to explore the effect of moving direction on the kinematics of cursor movement in 24 typical young persons using our previously developed computerized measuring program. The results of multiple one way repeated measures ANOVAs and post hoc LSD tests demonstrated that the moving direction had effects on average velocity, movement time, movement unit and peak velocity.

A low noise remotely controllable wireless telemetry system for single-unit recording in rats navigating in a vertical maze.

The use of cables for recording neural activity limits the scope of behavioral tests used in conscious free-moving animals. Particularly, cable attachments make it impossible to record in three-dimensional (3D) mazes where levels are vertically stacked or in enclosed spaces. Such environments are of particular interest in investigations of hippocampal place cells, in which neural activity is correlated with spatial position in the environment.

Impaired regulation function in cardiovascular neurons of nucleus tractus solitarii in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

This study characterizes neural firing activity of the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats relative to control rats by implantation of multi-wire electrode into rat NTS for direct monitoring of barosensitive NTS neurons before and after baroreflex system challenge by phenylephrine (PE) injection. NTS firing data is correlated with arterial pressure for both control and diabetic rats. In control rats, NTS firing rate and systolic arterial pressure correlate significantly with both pre-PE (baseline) and post-PE (p<0.

Kinesiological and kinematical analysis for stroke subjects with asymmetrical cycling movement patterns.

This aim of this study is to provide quantitative analyses of asymmetrical movements between affected and unaffected limbs for hemiparetic subjects in a cycling ergometer. To acquire kinesiological and kinematical data, electromyography (EMG) of quadriceps muscles in the both legs as well as crank positions under three cycling workloads were recorded. The symmetry index (SI) was designed to measure the similarity between muscle activities recorded from affected and unaffected limbs.