Neuroregeneration to Treat Ischemic Stroke Through NeuroD1 AAV-Based Gene Therapy in Adult Non-human Primates.

Stroke may cause severe death and disability but many clinical trials have failed in the past, partially because the lack of an effective method to regenerate new neurons after stroke. In this study, we report an neural regeneration approach through AAV NeuroD1-based gene therapy to repair damaged brains after ischemic stroke in adult non-human primates (NHPs). We demonstrate that ectopic expression of a neural transcription factor NeuroD1 in the reactive astrocytes after monkey cortical stroke can convert 90% of the infected astrocytes into neurons.

Synchrony makes neurons fire in sequence, and stimulus properties determine who is ahead.

The synchronized activity of cortical neurons often features spike delays of several milliseconds. Usually, these delays are considered too small to play a role in cortical computations. Here, we use simultaneous recordings of spiking activity from up to 12 neurons to show that, in the cat visual cortex, the pairwise delays between neurons form a preferred order of spiking, called firing sequence.

[Feature extraction and pupil size detection of pupillary light reflex in opiate addicts].

An effective algorithm for detecting pupil size based on image processing was established. Three features reflecting differences between opiate addicts and normal subjects in pupillary light reflex were extracted by applying this algorithm, including absolute amplitude of contraction (AAC), relative amplitude of contraction (RAC) and slope of contraction velocity (SCV). Effects of addiction, sex, myopia, aging, sleep deprivation on the three features were studied.

[Effects of morphine on pupillary light reflex in monkeys].

The pupil size of both human and other animals can be affected by light. Many kinds of psychiatrical and psychological disorders, such as drug abuse, associate with abnormal properties of pupillary light reflex. Thus, the properties of pupillary light reflex could serve as an indicator for drug abuse detection.

Synchronization dynamics in response to plaid stimuli in monkey V1.

Gamma synchronization has generally been associated with grouping processes in the visual system. Here, we examine in monkey V1 whether gamma oscillations play a functional role in segmenting surfaces of plaid stimuli. Local field potentials (LFPs) and spiking activity were recorded simultaneously from multiple sites in the opercular and calcarine regions while the monkeys were presented with sequences of single and superimposed components of plaid stimuli.

[Methods for single unit recording in behavioring morphine craving rat].

In this paper, one method was introduced, which was a combination of the cue-related morphine addiction model and a technique for obtaining chronic extracellular recordings of single unit in freely moving rats. With the combination and improvement of this technique, we have successfully applied this new method to study the neuronal activity of the hippocampus CA1 region in morphine withdrawal rats. In all, we found some more accurate and objective cellular characteristics of hippocampal neurons, and considered these characteristics as one of electrophysiological indexes of morphine addiction rats.

[Analysis on the characteristics of histological location of bursin in immune organ of chicken and duck].

The distribution of Bursin in major immune organs such as bursa of Fabricius (BF), thymus (Th), Harderian gland(HG) and spleen(Sp) was investigated and compared in both chicken and duck by immuno-histochemical staining method with anti-Bursin monoclonal antibody (McAb)2F9-4. Its distributions in bone marrow(BM) and embryonic organs including BF, Th, BM, HG in chicken were also determined in addition to locating it in germinal center(GC) of Sp and lymphatic nodules of lymphonode in duck. The results showed clearly that Bursin was generally located in immune organs in both chicken and duck.