Role of Drinking Attitudes and Trait Impulsivity in Prenatal Alcohol Craving and Consumption in Mothers of Reproductive Age.

Recognizing the severe consequences of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), the present study explored the role of drinking attitudes, trait impulsivity, and decision-making toward instant gratification in alcohol craving and consumption during pregnancy among mothers of reproductive age. Utilizing participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk ( = 141), we first categorized mothers into three groups: those who neither craved nor consumed alcohol during their last pregnancy, those who craved but did not consume, and those who craved and consumed alcohol. Using binomial logistic regression, we then examined what factors, if any, could differentiate between (a) mothers who craved alcohol during pregnancy and those who did not and (b) mothers who resisted alcohol cravings and those who yielded to them.

Opioid receptors reveal a discrete cellular mechanism of endosomal G protein activation.

Many GPCRs initiate a second phase of G protein-mediated signaling from endosomes, which inherently requires an increase in G protein activity on the endosome surface. G-coupled GPCRs are thought to achieve this by internalizing and allosterically activating cognate G proteins again on the endosome membrane. Here we demonstrate that the μ-opioid receptor (MOR), a G-coupled GPCR, increases endosomal G protein activity in a different way.

Differential activity of mGlu allosteric modulators provides evidence for mGlu heterodimers at hippocampal Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses.

Glutamate acts at eight metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor subtypes expressed in a partially overlapping fashion in distinct brain circuits. Recent evidence indicates that specific mGlu receptor protomers can heterodimerize and that these heterodimers can exhibit different pharmacology when compared to their homodimeric counterparts. Group III mGlu agonist-induced suppression of evoked excitatory potentials and induction of long-term potentiation at Schaffer collateral-CA1 (SC-CA1) synapses in the rodent hippocampus can be blocked by the selective mGlu negative allosteric modulator (NAM), ADX71743.

Clinical and Preclinical Evidence for M Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Potentiation as a Therapeutic Approach for Rett Syndrome.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by developmental regression, loss of communicative ability, stereotyped hand wringing, cognitive impairment, and central apneas, among many other symptoms. RTT is caused by loss-of-function mutations in a methyl-reader known as methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a protein that links epigenetic changes on DNA to larger chromatin structure. Historically, target identification for RTT has relied heavily on Mecp2 knockout mice; however, we recently adopted the alternative approach of performing transcriptional profiling in autopsy samples from RTT patients.

A behavioral economic demand analysis of mothers' decision to exclusively breastfeed in the workplace.

The present study determined whether behavioral economic demand analysis could characterize mothers' decision to exclusively breastfeed in the workplace. Females, aged between 18 and 50 who have given birth in the past three years, completed a novel demand task with hypothetical scenarios, in which they returned to work with a 2-month-old baby. Participants rated their likelihood of breastfeeding their baby at a workplace lactation room versus formula-feeding their baby at their desk.

Frontal cortex genetic ablation of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 3 (mGlu) impairs postsynaptic plasticity and modulates affective behaviors.

Clinical and translational studies suggest that prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysregulation is a hallmark feature of several affective disorders. Thus, investigating the mechanisms involved in the regulation of PFC function and synaptic plasticity could aid in developing new medications. In recent years, the mGlu and mGlu subtypes of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors have emerged as exciting potential targets for the treatment of affective disorders, as mGlu antagonists exert antidepressant-like effects across many rodent models.

A GRM7 mutation associated with developmental delay reduces mGlu7 expression and produces neurological phenotypes.

The metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu7) is a G protein-coupled receptor that has been recently linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. This association is supported by the identification of GRM7 variants in patients with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and severe developmental delay. One GRM7 mutation previously reported in 2 patients results in a single amino acid change, I154T, within the mGlu7 ligand-binding domain.

Ecological Drivers and Sex-Based Variation in Body Size and Shape in the Queensland Fruit Fly, (Diptera: Tephritidae).

The Queensland fruit fly (; Q-fly) is an Australian endemic horticultural pest species, which has caused enormous economic losses. It has the potential to expand its range to currently Q-fly-free areas and poses a serious threat to the Australian horticultural industry. A large number of studies have investigated the correlation between environmental factors and Q-fly development, reproduction, and expansion.

Phenotypic profiling of mGlu knockout mice reveals new implications for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are characterized by deficits in communication, cognition, attention, social behavior and/or motor control. Previous studies have pointed to the involvement of genes that regulate synaptic structure and function in the pathogenesis of these disorders. One such gene, GRM7, encodes the metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu ), a G protein-coupled receptor that regulates presynaptic neurotransmitter release.

Biased M receptor-positive allosteric modulators reveal role of phospholipase D in M-dependent rodent cortical plasticity.

Highly selective, positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the M subtype of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor have emerged as an exciting new approach to potentially improve cognitive function in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Discovery programs have produced a structurally diverse range of M receptor PAMs with distinct pharmacological properties, including different extents of agonist activity and differences in signal bias. This includes biased M receptor PAMs that can potentiate coupling of the receptor to activation of phospholipase C (PLC) but not phospholipase D (PLD).

Corrigendum: Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 7: A New Therapeutic Target in Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 7: A New Therapeutic Target in Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are characterized by a wide range of symptoms including delayed speech, intellectual disability, motor dysfunction, social deficits, breathing problems, structural abnormalities, and epilepsy. Unfortunately, current treatment strategies are limited and innovative new approaches are sorely needed to address these complex diseases. The metabotropic glutamate receptors are a class of G protein-coupled receptors that act to modulate neurotransmission across many brain structures.

Genetic Reduction or Negative Modulation of mGlu Does Not Impact Anxiety and Fear Learning Phenotypes in a Mouse Model of MECP2 Duplication Syndrome.

Rett syndrome and MECP2 Duplication syndrome are neurodevelopmental disorders attributed to loss-of-function mutations in, or duplication of, the gene encoding methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), respectively. We recently reported decreased expression and function of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu) in a mouse model of Rett syndrome. Positive allosteric modulation of mGlu activity was sufficient to improve several disease phenotypes including cognition.

Contextual Fear Extinction Induces Hippocampal Metaplasticity Mediated by Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5.

Dysregulated fear memory can lead to a broad spectrum of anxiety disorders. The brain systems underlying fear memory are manifold, with the hippocampus being prominently involved by housing fear-related spatial memories as engrams, which are created and stored through neural changes such as synaptic plasticity. Although metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors contribute significantly to both fear behavior and hippocampal synaptic plasticity, the relationship between these two phenomena has not been fully elucidated.

mGlu potentiation rescues cognitive, social, and respiratory phenotypes in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the () gene. The cognitive impairments seen in mouse models of RTT correlate with deficits in long-term potentiation (LTP) at Schaffer collateral (SC)-CA1 synapses in the hippocampus. Metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu) is the predominant mGlu receptor expressed presynaptically at SC-CA1 synapses in adult mice, and its activation on GABAergic interneurons is necessary for induction of LTP.

Reduced bioavailable manganese causes striatal urea cycle pathology in Huntington's disease mouse model.

Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene (HTT), resulting in profound striatal neurodegeneration through an unknown mechanism. Perturbations in the urea cycle have been reported in HD models and in HD patient blood and brain. In neurons, arginase is a central urea cycle enzyme, and the metal manganese (Mn) is an essential cofactor.

The future is here, but there is no reason to fear.

Nicole Fisher, MPP, PhD, is the founder and chief executive officer at HHR Strategies, a health care and human rights focused advising firm. Additionally, she is a senior policy advisor and expert on health economics, technology, and reform, specifically as they affect vulnerable populations. Nicole runs a health innovation and policy page at Forbes, highlighting and advising companies, ideas, and people that are changing the health landscape.

Brief Report: The Prevalence of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Identified by the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an inherited neurocutaneous disorder associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The frequency of ASD/NF1 co-occurrence has been subject to debate since the 1980s. This relationship was investigated in a large population-based sample of 8-year-old children identified with ASD (N = 12,271) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.

Testing an online, dynamic consent portal for large population biobank research.

Background: Michigan's BioTrust for Health, a public health research biobank comprised of residual dried bloodspot (DBS) cards from newborn screening contains over 4 million samples collected without written consent. Participant-centric initiatives are IT tools that hold great promise to address the consent challenges in biobank research.

Methods: Working with Private Access Inc.

Two new Aprostocetus species (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae), fortuitous parasitoids of invasive eulophid gall inducers (Tetrastichinae) on Eucalyptus and Erythrina.

Two closely related new species of Aprostocetus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) are described as fortuitous parasitoids of invasive gall inducers in two other genera of Tetrastichinae, Leptocybe Fisher & LaSalle and Quadrastichus Girault. Aprostocetus causalis La Salle & Wu is a parasitoid of Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle on Eucalyptus spp. (Myrtaceae) in China and Thailand, and A.

'Cool! and creepy': engaging with college student stakeholders in Michigan's biobank.

Large population biobanks, important resources for genomic research, also present ethical challenges. The Michigan BioTrust for Health makes dried bloodspots (DBS) leftover from newborn screening, including ~4.5 million collected before 2010 without written consent, available for health research.

Two new species of Selitrichodes (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) inducing galls on Casuarina (Casuarinaceae).

Two new species of gall-inducing wasps, Selitrichodes casuarinae Fisher & La Salle sp. n. and Selitrichodes utilis Fisher & La Salle sp.

Whole-drawer imaging for digital management and curation of a large entomological collection.

Whole-drawer imaging is shown to be an effective tool for rapid digitisation of large insect collections. On-line, Whole-drawer images facilitate more effective collection management, virtual curation, and public engagement. The Whole-drawer imaging experience at the Australian National Insect Collection is discussed, with an explanation of workflow and examples of benefits.

The Arabidopsis SYN3 cohesin protein is important for early meiotic events.

α-Kleisins are core components of meiotic and mitotic cohesin complexes. Arabidopsis contains four genes that encode α-kleisin proteins: SYN1, SYN2, SYN3 and SYN4. SYN1, a REC8 ortholog, is essential for meiosis, while SYN2 and SYN4 appear to be SCC1 orthologs and function in mitosis.