GATA3 Promotes the Neural Progenitor State but Not Neurogenesis in 3D Traumatic Injury Model of Primary Human Cortical Astrocytes.

Astrocytes are abundant cell types in the vertebrate central nervous system and can act as neural stem cells in specialized niches where they constitutively generate new neurons. Outside the stem cell niches, however, these glial cells are not neurogenic. Although injuries in the mammalian central nervous system lead to profound proliferation of astrocytes, which cluster at the lesion site to form a gliotic scar, neurogenesis does not take place.

Social experience modulates ocular dominance plasticity differentially in adult male and female mice.

Environmental factors have long been known to regulate brain plasticity. We investigated the potential influence of social experience on ocular dominance plasticity. Fully adult female or male mice were monocularly deprived for four days and kept a) either alone or in pairs of the same sex and b) either in a small cage or a large, featureless arena.

Testing a belief-based intervention encouraging sun-safety among adolescents in a high risk area.

Objective: To provide a preliminary test of a theory of planned behavior (TPB) belief-based intervention to increase adolescents' sun-protective behaviors in a high risk area, Queensland, Australia.

Methods: In the period of October-November, 2007 and May-June, 2008, 80 adolescents (14.53 ± 0.