Saccadic inhibition during free viewing in macaque monkeys.

Through the process of saccadic inhibition, visual events briefly suppress eye movements including microsaccades. In humans, saccadic inhibition has been shown to occur in response to the presentation of parafoveal or peripheral visual distractors during fixation and target-directed saccades and to physical changes of behaviorally relevant visual objects. In monkeys performing tasks that controlled eye movements, saccadic inhibition of microsaccades and target-directed saccades has been shown.

Cross Laminar Traveling Components of Field Potentials due to Volume Conduction of Non-Traveling Neuronal Activity in Macaque Sensory Cortices.

Field potentials (FPs) reflect neuronal activities in the brain, and often exhibit traveling peaks across recording sites. While traveling FPs are interpreted as propagation of neuronal activity, not all studies directly reveal such propagating patterns of neuronal activation. Neuronal activity is associated with transmembrane currents that form dipoles and produce negative and positive fields.

Magnifying Traveling Waves on the Scalp.

Traveling waves appear in various signals that measure neuronal activity. Some signals measured in animals have singles-cell resolution and directly point to neuronal activity. In those cases, activation of distributed neurons forms a wave front, and the front propagates across the cortical surface.

The effects of ethosuximide on aversive instrumental learning in adult rats.

Antiepileptic medications are the frontline treatment for seizure conditions but are not without cognitive side effects. Previously, our laboratory reported learning deficits in phenytoin-, carbamazepine-, valproic acid-, and felbamate-treated rats. In this experiment, the effects found in ethosuximide (ETH)-treated rats have been compared with those in water-treated controls (controls) using the same instrumental training tasks.

The effects of felbamate on appetitive and aversive instrumental learning in adult rats.

Antiepileptic medications are the frontline treatment for seizure conditions but are not without cognitive side effects. Previously, our laboratory reported learning deficits in phenytoin-, carbamazepine-, and valproate-treated rats. In the present experiment, the effects of felbamate (FBM) have been compared to water-treated controls (controls) using the same instrumental training tasks employed here.

Female rat transcriptome response to infraorbital nerve transection differs from that of males: RNA-seq.

The effects of infraorbital nerve (ION) transection on gene expression in the adult female rat barrel cortex were investigated using RNA sequencing. After a 24-hour survival duration, 28 genes were differentially regulated by ION transection. Differentially expressed genes suggest microglial activity, increased retrograde ciliary transport, and a decrease in inhibition.

Transcriptome response to infraorbital nerve transection in the gonadally intact male rat barrel cortex: RNA-seq.

The effects of infraorbital nerve (ION) transection on gene expression in the adult male rat barrel cortex were investigated using RNA sequencing. After a 24-hour survival duration, 98 genes were differentially regulated by ION transection. Differentially expressed genes suggest changes in neuronal activity, excitability, and morphology.

Reconciling homeostatic and use-dependent plasticity in the context of somatosensory deprivation.

The concept of homeostatic plasticity postulates that neurons maintain relatively stable rates of firing despite changing inputs. Homeostatic and use-dependent plasticity mechanisms operate concurrently, although they have different requirements for induction. Depriving central somatosensory neurons of their primary activating inputs reduces activity and results in compensatory changes that favor excitation.

The effects of valproic acid on appetitive and aversive instrumental learning in adult rats.

Antiepileptic medications are the frontline treatment for seizure conditions. However, these medications are not without cognitive side effects. Previously, our laboratory reported learning deficits in phenytoin and carbamazepine-treated rats.