Age-related changes of visual contribution in posture control.

Introduction: Numerous studies highlighted that the role of vision in posture control increased with aging. However, these previous works only considered simple tasks consisting in "stand as still as possible" and people aged over 65 years. The present study aimed to determine changes in the role of vision in posture control during two different visual tasks for people aged between 40 and 60 years.

Nitric oxide modulates peristaltic muscle activity associated with fluid circulation in the sea pansy Renilla koellikeri.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known regulator of vascular activities in vertebrates and it has also been implicated as a vasodilatatory agent in a cephalopod. In the sea pansy Renilla koellikeri, an octocorallian representative of the most basal animals with a nervous system, we investigated the role of NO in peristalsis, an activity that moves body fluids through the coelenteron (gastrovascular cavity) of the polyps across the colony. NO donors increased the amplitude of peristaltic contractions and increased tonic contractions in relaxed preparations, but caused a relaxation of basal tension in contracted preparations.