Spinal movement disorders in NMOSD, MOGAD, and idiopathic transverse myelitis: a prospective observational study.

Background: Retrospective studies suggest that spinal movement disorders, especially tonic spasms, are prevalent in NMOSD. However, there have been no prospective studies evaluating spinal movement disorders in NMOSD, MOGAD, and idiopathic transverse myelitis (ITM).

Methods: Patients referred to a tertiary neuroimmunology clinic for spinal cord demyelination (excluding MS) were evaluated.

Predicting the final clinical phenotype after the first attack of optic neuritis.

Background And Objectives: To evaluate the factors determining the final clinical phenotype after an initial isolated attack of optic neuritis (ON). ON could be an isolated event or the initial presentation of a chronic neuroimmunological condition.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of patients presenting to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center for an initial, isolated attack of ON.

Finding the forgotten gems: revisiting the butterflies of Matheran after 125 years with introduction to novel colour barcode for depicting seasons and activity of the Indian butterflies.

We present here an updated checklist for the butterflies of Matheran, Maharashtra, India, an eco-sensitive zone, with identification remarks for locally rare or very rare butterflies. This is the first dedicated checklist for butterflies of Matheran after 125 years. A total of 140 species of butterflies were recorded belonging to six families.

Molecular phylogenetic investigations of Triops granarius (Lucas, 1864 (Branchiopoda: Notostraca) from the type locality of the former Apus orientalis Tiwari, 1952 and three other localities in the Western Ghats of India.

We investigated the phylogenetic position of Triops granarius populations from four localities in the Western Ghats using partial sequences of three mitochondrial genes (COI, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) publicly available on the GenBank database. One of these localities, Panchgani, is particularly important since it is the type locality of the former Apus orientalis which is currently treated as a junior synonym of T. granarius.

Latent tri-lineage potential of adult hippocampal neural stem cells revealed by Nf1 inactivation.

Endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult hippocampus are considered to be bi-potent, as they only produce neurons and astrocytes in vivo. In mouse, we found that inactivation of neurofibromin 1 (Nf1), a gene mutated in neurofibromatosis type 1, unlocked a latent oligodendrocyte lineage potential to produce all three lineages from NSCs in vivo. Our results suggest an avenue for promoting stem cell plasticity by targeting barriers of latent lineage potential.

Tangential migration of neuronal precursors of glutamatergic neurons in the adult mammalian brain.

In a classic model of mammalian brain formation, precursors of principal glutamatergic neurons migrate radially along radial glia fibers whereas GABAergic interneuron precursors migrate tangentially. These migration modes have significant implications for brain function. Here we used clonal lineage tracing of active radial glia-like neural stem cells in the adult mouse dentate gyrus and made the surprising discovery that proliferating neuronal precursors of glutamatergic granule neurons exhibit significant tangential migration along blood vessels, followed by limited radial migration.

Delimiting the distribution range of Indirana leithii (Boulenger, 1888) (Anura: Ranixalidae), an endemic threatened anuran of the Western Ghats, based on molecular and morphological analysis.

Indirana leithii (Boulenger, 1888) (Anura: Ranixalidae) is a frog species endemic to the Western Ghats and is categorized as Vulnerable according to IUCN red list. This species is currently considered to be widespread over the entire Western Ghats. Our study based on molecular data (using DNA sequence fragments of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes and the nuclear rhodopsin gene), morphological analysis of topotypic material as well as material collected from a wide range within the northern Western Ghats, suggests that the species has instead a restricted range in the state of Maharashtra.

Endemic Asian chytrid strain infection in threatened and endemic anurans of the Northern Western Ghats, India.

The Western Ghats of India harbors a rich diversity of amphibians with more than 77% species endemic to this region. At least 42% of the endemic species are threatened due to several anthropogenic stressors. However, information on amphibian diseases and their impacts on amphibian populations in this region are scarce.