Microsleep is associated with brain activity patterns unperturbed by auditory inputs.

Microsleeps are brief episodes of arousal level decrease manifested through behavioral signs. Brain activity during microsleep in the presence of external stimulus remains poorly understood. In this study, we sought to understand neural responses to auditory stimulation during microsleep.

Cerebral neural correlates of differential melanopic photic stimulation in humans.

Photic stimulation of rods, cones and intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) mediates non-visual light responses, including entrainment of circadian rhythms and pupillary light reflex. Unlike visual responses to photic stimulation, the cerebral correlates of non-visual light responses in humans remains elusive. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 14 healthy young participants, to localize cerebral regions which are differentially activated by metameric light that gave rise to different levels of melanopic excitation.

Eye-specific information biases perceived direction of bistable motion.

While eye-of origin information is normally not accessible to observers, processing of visual information within a monocular channel does contribute to our final percept. Here we investigate if visual information is processed more efficiently when it is contained within a monocular channel or across two eyes and how it affects visual perception. Specifically, we used a bistable apparent motion display, a motion quartet, to investigate the role of eye-specific information in determining perceived motion direction.

The study of muscle remodeling in Drosophila metamorphosis using in vivo microscopy and bioimage informatics.

Background: Metamorphosis in insects transforms the larval into an adult body plan and comprises the destruction and remodeling of larval and the generation of adult tissues. The remodeling of larval into adult muscles promises to be a genetic model for human atrophy since it is associated with dramatic alteration in cell size. Furthermore, muscle development is amenable to 3D in vivo microscopy at high cellular resolution.

Characterization of tumor necrosis factor-α block haplotypes associated with susceptibility to chronic venous leg ulcers in Caucasian patients.

Polymorphisms in the central major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are associated with several immunopathologic and inflammatory diseases, including chronic venous leg ulcers (CVLU). Because of strong linkage disequilibrium, identification of loci affecting disease susceptibility must be based on comparisons between haplotypes. Here we examine the association of conserved tumor necrosis factor (TNF) block haplotypes with CVLU susceptibility.