Human brain EEG indices of emotions: delineating responses to affective vocalizations by measuring frontal theta event-related synchronization.

At present there is no direct brain measure of basic emotional dynamics from the human brain. EEG provides non-invasive approaches for monitoring brain electrical activity to emotional stimuli. Event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) analysis, based on power shifts in specific frequency bands, has some potential as a method for differentiating responses to basic emotions as measured during brief presentations of affective stimuli.

The potential reproductive, neurobehavioral and systemic effects of soluble sodium tungstate exposure in Sprague-Dawley rats.

The debate on tungsten (W) is fostered by its continuous usage in military munitions. Reports demonstrate W solubilizes in soil and can migrate into drinking water supplies and, therefore, is a potential health risk to humans. This study evaluated the reproductive, systemic and neurobehavioral effects of sodium tungstate (NaW) in rats following 70 days of daily pre-and postnatal exposure via oral gavage to 5, 62.

Two-generation reproductive toxicity study of implanted depleted uranium (DU) in CD rats.

Depleted uranium (DU) munitions and armor plating have been used in several conflicts over the last 17 yr, including the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq War. Because of its effectiveness and availability, DU will continue to be used in military applications into the foreseeable future. There is much controversy over the use of DU in weapons and equipment because of its potential radiological and toxic hazards, and there is concern over the chronic adverse health effects of embedded DU shrapnel in war veterans and bystanders.

Validation of a novel social investigation task that may dissociate social motivation from exploratory activity.

The present series of studies provide validation of a new paradigm that uniquely combines the assessment of the propensity to engage in social investigation with measures of (nonsocial) exploratory activity in rats. Assessment of this social investigation paradigm indicated that (a) rats showed a robust preference for social investigation over nonsocial exploratory activity, (b) female rats showed a greater preference for social investigation than male rats, (c) no signs of habituation in these responses were observed when rats were tested once daily for 4 consecutive days, (d) the preference for social investigation was stable and robust in both the dark and light periods of the daily light cycle for 5 consecutive days, and (e) testing under bright light conditions suppressed social investigation. In addition, acute administration of opiate drugs, low dose morphine (1.

Using a partnership barometer to evaluate environmental public health tracking activities.

High-quality environmental health surveillance is challenged by a system in which environmental and health agencies often function with insufficient coordination to routinely address critical issues. The Environmental Public Health Tracking program is working to build a more cohesive system with the capacity for integrated data and information. This work requires a significant amount of effort dedicated to establishing strong partnerships between agencies.