Organogenesis of the juxta-oral organ in mice.

The juxta-oral organ is a bilateral organ in the mammalian bucca. It consists of epithelial cords with surrounding mesenchyme. It develops from embryonic oral epithelium, but its macroscopic morphology in mice is less studied and seems to be very different from that of humans.

Learning of spatiotemporal patterns in Ising-spin neural networks: analysis of storage capacity by path integral methods.

We encode periodic spatiotemporal patterns in Ising-spin neural networks, using the simple learning rule inspired by the spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity. It is then found that periodically oscillating spin neurons successfully reproduce phase differences of the encoded periodic patterns. The storage capacity of this associative memory neural network is enhanced with an adequate level of asymmetry in synapse connections.

Culture of porcine fetal pancreatic neurons.

Objectives: Pancreatic neurons have not been cultured commonly. Cultured neurons can be continuously observed, and their external environment is easy to be controlled. We report here a simple method for separating and cultivating neuronal cells from pancreas.

Spatiotemporal learning in analog neural networks using spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity.

Incorporating the spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) into a learning rule, we study spatiotemporal learning in analog neural networks. First, we study learning of a finite number of periodic spatiotemporal patterns by deriving the dynamics of the order parameters. When a pattern is retrieved successfully, the order parameters exhibit periodic oscillation.

A matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, ONO-4817, suppresses the development of aortic intimal hyperplasia in experimental hyperlipidemic rabbit.

Inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) would be expected to suppress atherosclerotic neointimal proliferation and thus limit atheromatous plaque progression, but this has not yet been demonstrated morphologically in atherosclerotic intimal hyperplasia induced by cholesterol loading in experimental animals. We therefore investigated whether a broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor (MMPi), ONO-4817, could inhibit the development of intimal hyperplasia in male hyperlipidemic rabbits (n = 6) fed laboratory chow supplemented with 1% cholesterol for 2 months followed by a 1% cholesterol diet plus 100 mg/kg ONO-4817 for another month (Chol + ONO group). Control animals (n = 6) received no ONO-4817.

Histogenesis of the intravitreal membrane and secondary vitreous in the mouse.

Purpose: The intravitreal membrane (IVM) is a membranous structure between the primary and secondary vitreous bodies in developing mammalian eyes. In this study, for the first time the histogenesis of the IVM and the relationship between the hyaloid vasculature and the IVM was characterized in newborn mice.

Methods: Eyes of mice less than 12 days old were fixed and embedded.

Chaos synchronization in gap-junction-coupled neurons.

Depending on temperature, the modified Hodgkin-Huxley (MHH) equations exhibit a variety of dynamical behaviors, including intrinsic chaotic firing. We analyze synchronization in a large ensemble of MHH neurons that are interconnected with gap junctions. By evaluating tangential Lyapunov exponents we clarify whether the synchronous state of neurons is chaotic or periodic.

Cluster synchronization in an ensemble of neurons interacting through chemical synapses.

In networks of periodically firing spiking neurons that are interconnected with chemical synapses, we analyze a cluster state, where an ensemble of neurons are subdivided into a few clusters, in each of which neurons exhibit perfect synchronization. To clarify stability of the cluster state, we decompose linear stability of the solution into two types of stabilities, stability of a mean state and stabilities of clusters. Computing Floquet matrices for these stabilities, we clarify the total stability of the cluster state for any type of neuron and any strength of interaction even if the size of networks is infinitely large.

Prolonged Ca2+ transients in ATP-stimulated endothelial cells exposed to 50 Hz electric fields.

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were exposed to sinusoidal electric fields of 0.3 or 30 kV/m, 50 Hz, for 24 h. Changes in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) induced by ATP-stimulation in the absence of extracellular Ca(2+) were observed in individual cells.

[Unique structure of the esophago-gastric junction of the house musk shrew (Suncus murinus)].

The house musk shrew (Suncus murinus) belongs to the Order Insectivora, and has been used for the research in comparative anatomy as one of the most primitive placental mammals. Another feature of this shrew is its ability to easily vomit which mimics the human emesis or motion sickness response. The house musk shrew has thus been utilized as a rare small experimental animal for studies on the neurophysiological mechanism of vomiting.

Linear stability analysis of retrieval state in associative memory neural networks of spiking neurons.

We study associative memory neural networks of the Hodgkin-Huxley type of spiking neurons in which multiple periodic spatiotemporal patterns of spike timing are memorized as limit-cycle-type attractors. In encoding the spatiotemporal patterns, we assume the spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity with the asymmetric time window. Analysis for periodic solution of retrieval state reveals that if the area of the negative part of the time window is equivalent to the positive part, then crosstalk among encoded patterns vanishes.

Spike-timing-dependent learning rule to encode spatiotemporal patterns in a network of spiking neurons.

We study associative memory neural networks based on the Hodgkin-Huxley type of spiking neurons. We introduce the spike-timing-dependent learning rule, in which the time window with the negative part as well as the positive part is used to describe the biologically plausible synaptic plasticity. The learning rule is applied to encode a number of periodical spatiotemporal patterns, which are successfully reproduced in the periodical firing pattern of spiking neurons in the process of memory retrieval.