Repetitive nociceptive stimulation increases spontaneous neural activation similar to nociception-induced activity in mouse insular cortex.

Recent noninvasive neuroimaging technology has revealed that spatiotemporal patterns of cortical spontaneous activity observed in chronic pain patients are different from those in healthy subjects, suggesting that the spontaneous cortical activity plays a key role in the induction and/or maintenance of chronic pain. However, the mechanisms of the spontaneously emerging activities supposed to be induced by nociceptive inputs remain to be established. In the present study, we investigated spontaneous cortical activities in sessions before and after electrical stimulation of the periodontal ligament (PDL) by applying wide-field and two-photon calcium imaging to anesthetized GCaMP6s transgenic mice.

Association between vascular endothelial growth factor-mediated blood-brain barrier dysfunction and stress-induced depression.

Several lines of evidence suggest that stress induces the neurovascular dysfunction associated with increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, which could be an important pathology linking stress and psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the detailed mechanism resulting in BBB dysfunction associated in the pathophysiology of MDD still remains unclear. Herein, we demonstrate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key mediator of vascular angiogenesis and BBB permeability, in stress-induced BBB dysfunction and depressive-like behavior development.

A new phenotype identification method with the fluorescent expression in cross-sectioned tails in Thy1-GCaMP6s transgenic mice.

Purpose: Unless the phenotype of the transgenic mice is distinguishable, genotyping in each mouse is required prior to experiments. This study aimed to establish a new identification method for the phenotype in Thy1-GCaMP6s transgenic mice to reduce the cost and time.

Methods: Tail biopsies (2 mm) were performed under general anesthesia with isoflurane in 3 to 4-week-old mice.

Effects of Indoor Environmental Factors and House Structures on Vaporization of Active Ingredient from Spatial Repellent Devices in Rural Houses in Malawi.

The use of a metofluthrin-impregnated spatial repellent device (MSRD) is a new and effective method for preventing mosquito blood feeding. Indoor environmental factors such as room temperature and ventilation rate are thought to be important for MSRD activity. Measurements of room temperature and vaporization of metofluthrin from MSRD in typical rural metal-roof and thatched-roof houses in southeastern Malawi were conducted.

Sirtuin 6 is a regulator of dendrite morphogenesis in rat hippocampal neurons.

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), a member of the Sirtuin family, acts as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent protein deacetylase, mono-adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribosyltransferase, and fatty acid deacylase, and plays critical roles in inflammation, aging, glycolysis, and DNA repair. Accumulating evidence has suggested that SIRT6 is involved in brain functions such as neuronal differentiation, neurogenesis, and learning and memory. However, the precise molecular roles of SIRT6 during neuronal circuit formation are not yet well understood.

Presynaptic NK1 Receptor Activation by Substance P Suppresses EPSCs via Nitric Oxide Synthesis in the Rat Insular Cortex.

Substance P (SP) regulates inhibitory synaptic transmission mediated by GABA receptors in the cerebral cortex; however, SP-mediated regulation of excitatory synaptic transmission remains poorly understood. We performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from pyramidal neurons to examine the effects of SP on excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) mediated via AMPA receptors in the insular cortex (IC), which is involved in nociceptive information processing. First, EPSCs evoked by minimal electrical stimulation (eEPSCs) including stepwise EPSCs and failure events, were examined.

Development and Reorganization of Orientation Representation in the Cat Visual Cortex: Experience-Dependent Synaptic Rewiring in Early Life.

To date, numerous mathematical models have been proposed on the basis of some types of Hebbian synaptic learning to account for the activity-dependent development of orientation maps as well as neuronal orientation selectivity. These models successfully reproduced orientation map-like spatial patterns. Nevertheless, we still have questions: (1) How does synaptic rewiring occur in the visual cortex during the formation of orderly orientation maps in early life? (2) How does visual experience contribute to the maturation of orientation selectivity of visual cortical neurons and reorganize orientation maps? (3) How does the sensitive period for orientation plasticity end? In this study, we performed animal experiments and mathematical modeling to understand the mechanisms underlying synaptic rewiring for experience-dependent formation and reorganization of orientation maps.

Comparison of physiological and behavioral responses to chronic restraint stress between C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice.

Rodent models of chronic restraint stress (CRS) are often used as simple models of depressive disorder. However, these models of stress have been mainly developed in rats, and the behavioral phenotypes of CRS models are still controversial. In this study, we compared the physiological and behavioral responses of C57BL/6J (B6) and BALB/c mice, which are commonly used in genetic and behavioral studies, to CRS.

Effect of Metofluthrin-Impregnated Spatial Repellent Devices Combined with New Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (Olyset Plus) on Pyrethroid-Resistant Malaria Vectors and Malaria Prevalence: Field Trial in South-Eastern Malawi.

Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) experience some operational problems that reduce their effectiveness, such as limited spaces for hanging, biting of mosquitoes outdoors, a shift of key biting time from midnight to dawn or dusk, and development of pyrethroid resistance in mosquitoes. The concept of spatial repellency may be a countermeasure to overcome the above issues. The effect of the combined use of metofluthrin-impregnated spatial repellent devices (MSRDs) and LLINs (Olyset Plus) on malaria prevalence and vector mosquitoes were examined in malaria endemic villages in south-eastern Malawi.

Construction of the common cortical space by spontaneous activity and its application in the mouse cortex.

Wide-field optical imaging of the animal brain is a useful technique for measuring brain dynamics, including spatial structure. However, quantitative inter-animal comparison is difficult due to lack of the common cortical space that can normalize individually imaged brains as done in human functional MRI studies. Here, by using wide-field functional Ca imaging on anesthetized transgenic mice expressing G-CaMP7 in astrocytes and excitatory neutrons, we attempted to establish the common cortical space in mice, which can be useful as a standard of functional brain map.

Mechanisms for shaping receptive field in monkey area TE.

Visual object information is conveyed from V1 to area TE along the ventral visual pathway with increasing receptive field (RF) sizes. The RFs of TE neurons are known to be large, but it is largely unknown how large RFs are shaped along the ventral visual pathway. In this study, we addressed this question in two aspects, static and dynamic mechanisms, by recording neural responses from macaque area TE and V4 to object stimuli presented at various locations in the visual field.

Interhemispheric Synchrony of Spontaneous Cortical States at the Cortical Column Level.

In cat early visual cortex, neural activity patterns resembling evoked orientation maps emerge spontaneously under anesthesia. To test if such patterns are synchronized between hemispheres, we performed bilateral imaging in anesthetized cats using a new improved voltage-sensitive dye. We observed map-like activity patterns spanning early visual cortex in both hemispheres simultaneously.

A small-scale field trial of pyriproxyfen-impregnated bed nets against pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles gambiae s.s. in western Kenya.

Pyrethroid resistance is becoming a major problem for vector control programs, because at present, there are few suitable chemical substitutes for pyrethroids, as when used on bed nets the insecticide must have low mammalian toxicity as well as high activity to mosquitoes. Pyriproxyfen (PPF) is one of the most active chemicals among the juvenile hormone mimic (JHM) group. Sterilizing mosquitoes by using PPF could be a potential control measure for pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors.

Preventive effect of permethrin-impregnated long-lasting insecticidal nets on the blood feeding of three major pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors in western Kenya.

Background: Since the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) as a principal strategy for effective malaria prevention and control, pyrethroids have been the only class of insecticides used for LLINs. The dramatic success of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and LLINs in African countries, however, has been threatened by the rapid development of pyrethroid resistance in vector mosquitoes. ITNs and LLINs are still used as effective self-protection measures, but there have been few studies on the effectiveness of ITNs and LLINs in areas where vector mosquitoes are pyrethroid-resistant.

Insecticidal and repellent activities of pyrethroids to the three major pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors in western Kenya.

Background: The dramatic success of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in African countries has been countered by the rapid development of pyrethroid resistance in vector mosquitoes over the past decade. One advantage of the use of pyrethroids in ITNs is their excito-repellency. Use of the excito-repellency of pyrethroids might be biorational, since such repellency will not induce or delay the development of any physiological resistance.

The effect of pyriproxyfen as a "population growth regulator" against Aedes albopictus under semi-field conditions.

An insect growth regulator, pyriproxyfen, has been used for the control of a range of pest insects, including mosquitoes. Pyriproxyfen is effective in inhibiting adult emergence and sterilizing adult females. The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), is an important vector of dengue and chikungunya, and is expanding its distribution throughout Europe and the Americas.

Efficacy of pyriproxyfen-treated nets in sterilizing and shortening the longevity of Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae).

Pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors have become a serious threat for malaria control, and bed nets that reduce the development of resistance are urgently needed. Here, we tested the effects of bed nets treated with the insect growth regulator pyriproxyfen against adult female Anopheles gambiae Giles (Diptera: Culicidae) under laboratory conditions. Noninsecticidal nets made of 195 denier monofilament polyethylene with a mesh size of 75 holes per square inch (equivalent to the Olyset Net) were dipped in a 0.

Preliminary evaluation of insecticide-impregnated ceiling nets with coarse mesh size as a barrier against the invasion of malaria vectors.

We evaluated the effectiveness of installing the Olyset® Net on the ceiling in preventing the invasion of malaria vectors. This study was conducted in houses in western Kenya. The number of resting mosquitoes inside the houses reduced when the ceiling and eaves of the houses were covered with the net.

Parallel development of orientation maps and spatial frequency selectivity in cat visual cortex.

In an early stage of the postnatal development of cats, orientation maps mature and spatial frequency selectivity is consolidated. To investigate the time course of orientation map maturation associated with the consolidation of spatial frequency selectivity, we performed optical imaging of intrinsic signals in areas 17 and 18 of cats under the stimulation of drifting square-wave gratings with different orientations and spatial frequencies. First, orientation maps for lower spatial frequencies emerged in the entire part of the lateral gyrus, which includes areas 17 and 18, and then these orientation maps in the posterior part of the lateral gyrus disappeared as orientation maps for higher spatial frequencies matured.

Multimodal pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors, Anopheles gambiae s.s., Anopheles arabiensis, and Anopheles funestus s.s. in western Kenya.

Anopheles gambiae s.s., Anopheles arabiensis, and Anopheles funestus s.

Synthesis and UHV-STM observation of the T(d)-symmetric Lu metallofullerene: Lu2@C76(T(d)).

The first T(d)-symmetric lutetium metallofullerene, Lu(2)@C(76), has been synthesized, isolated, and characterized. Because of the charge transfer from the encapsulated Lu atoms to the T(d)-C(76) fullerene cage, the otherwise unstable T(d)-C(76) fullerene can be significantly stabilized as a Lu(2)@C(76) fullerene. Both STM and STS results are consistent with a charge state of (Lu(2))(6+)@C(76)(6-)(T(d)).

Spatial distribution and pyrethroid susceptibility of mosquito larvae collected from catch basins in parks in Nagasaki city, Nagasaki, Japan.

We investigated the spatial distribution and pyrethroid susceptibility of the mosquito larvae belonging to Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens group in catch basins located in parks in Nagasaki city, Nagasaki, Japan. Among the 308 parks located in the central regions of the city, 194 were investigated. Cx.