Experience-dependent reorganization of inhibitory neuron synaptic connectivity.

Organisms continually tune their perceptual systems to the features they encounter in their environment . We have studied how ongoing experience reorganizes the synaptic connectivity of neurons in the olfactory (piriform) cortex of the mouse. We developed an approach to measure synaptic connectivity , training a deep convolutional network to reliably identify monosynaptic connections from the spike-time cross-correlograms of 4.

Sensory experience steers representational drift in mouse visual cortex.

Representational drift-the gradual continuous change of neuronal representations-has been observed across many brain areas. It is unclear whether drift is caused by synaptic plasticity elicited by sensory experience, or by the intrinsic volatility of synapses. Here, using chronic two-photon calcium imaging in primary visual cortex of female mice, we find that the preferred stimulus orientation of individual neurons slowly drifts over the course of weeks.

Olfactory investigation in the home cage.

We have developed a behavioral paradigm to study volitional olfactory investigation in mice over several months. We placed odor ports in the wall of a standard cage that administer a neutral odorant stimulus when a mouse pokes its nose inside. Even though animals were fed and watered ad libitum, and sampling from the port elicited no outcome other than the delivery of an odor, mice readily sampled these stimuli hundreds of times per day.

The representational geometry of emotional states in basolateral amygdala.

Sensory stimuli associated with aversive outcomes cause multiple behavioral responses related to an animal's evolving emotional state, but neural mechanisms underlying these processes remain unclear. Here aversive stimuli were presented to mice, eliciting two responses reflecting fear and flight to safety: tremble and ingress into a virtual burrow. Inactivation of basolateral amygdala (BLA) eliminated differential responses to aversive and neutral stimuli without eliminating responses themselves, suggesting BLA signals valence, not motor commands.

Variation in the anterior talofibular ligament and the impact of sex, height, weight, and age.

The anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) is one of the lateral ankle ligaments stabilizing the ankle joint, primarily involved with restricting foot supination. There has been limited research on precise ATFL anatomy and variations, and several studies have conflicting results. The objective of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between ATFL variation and sex, height, weight, and age.

Searching for the Standard: The Impact of Level of Training on In Vivo Coaching in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.

Although live coaching using behavioral principles is a powerful mechanism of change in behavioral parent training (BPT), little research has examined the coaching process. We used a cross-sectional sample of coaches with different levels of training in the evidence-based behavioral parent training model parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) to begin to understand how training impacts coaching techniques. Forty-six coaches including PCIT lay helpers, therapists, within-agency and global/regional trainers, provided a sample of coaching in response to a standardized parent-child interaction.

Representational drift in primary olfactory cortex.

Perceptual constancy requires the brain to maintain a stable representation of sensory input. In the olfactory system, activity in primary olfactory cortex (piriform cortex) is thought to determine odour identity. Here we present the results of electrophysiological recordings of single units maintained over weeks to examine the stability of odour-evoked responses in mouse piriform cortex.

A virtual burrow assay for head-fixed mice measures habituation, discrimination, exploration and avoidance without training.

We have designed an assay that measures approach and avoidance behaviors in head-fixed mice at millisecond timescale, is compatible with standard electrophysiological and optical methods for measuring neuronal activity, and requires no training. The Virtual Burrow Assay simulates a scenario in which a mouse, poised at the threshold of its burrow, evaluates whether to exit the enclosure or to retreat inside. The assay provides a sensitive readout of habituation, discrimination and exploration, as well as avoidance of both conditioned and innately aversive cues.

Perceptions and Response to Conservative Treatment of Low Back Pain in Soldiers During Initial Entry Training: A Convergence Mixed Methods Study.

Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition suffered by military personnel. Psychosocial factors play a role in LBP prognosis and can be addressed with self-management tools. This study's purpose was to (1) describe clinical changes in psychosocial factors of LBP following a self-management intervention and (2) explore the LBP experience of military trainees.

Are Geriatric Patients Who Sustain High-Energy Traumatic Injury Likely to Return to Functional Independence?

Objectives: To evaluate physical function and return to independence of geriatric trauma patients, to compare physical function outcomes of geriatric patients who sustained high-energy trauma with that of those who sustained low-energy trauma, and to identify predictors of physical function outcomes.

Design: Retrospective.

Setting: Urban Level I trauma center.

Variations in the Organisms Causing Deep Surgical Site Infections in Fracture Patients at a Level I Trauma Center (2006-2015).

Objectives: To quantify the current bacteriology of deep surgical site infections (SSIs) after fracture surgery at 1 institution and to compare those data with historical controls at the same institution, assessing variations in infecting organisms over the past decade.

Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Level I trauma center.

Construct Validation of a Novel Hip Fracture Fixation Surgical Simulator.

Introduction: A surgical simulation platform has been developed to simulate fluoroscopically guided surgical procedures by coupling computer modeling with a force-feedback device as a training tool for orthopaedic resident education in an effort to enhance motor skills and potentially minimize radiation exposure. The objective of this study was to determine whether the simulation platform can distinguish between novice and experienced practitioners of percutaneous pinning of hip fractures.

Methods: Medical students, orthopaedic residents, orthopaedic trauma fellows, and attending surgeons completed in situ hip-pinning simulation that recorded performance measures related to surgical accuracy, time, and use of fluoroscopy.

Predictors of Unplanned Reoperation After Operative Treatment of Pelvic Ring Injuries.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of unplanned reoperations after pelvic ring injuries and to develop a risk prediction model.

Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Level I Trauma Center.

Do Orthopaedic Resident and Fellow Case Logs Accurately Reflect Surgical Case Volume?

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine whether orthopedic resident and fellow case logs accurately reflect trainee case volume.

Design: For each orthopedic case performed at our institution between 7/1/14 and 10/31/14, the names of trainees who participated were obtained from the chart. The trainee Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education case logs were queried to determine if the procedure in question was logged and, if so, which current procedural terminology (CPT) codes were reported.

Is prescribed lower extremity weight-bearing status after geriatric lower extremity trauma associated with increased mortality?

Objectives: Evaluate whether mortality after discharge is elevated in geriatric fracture patients whose lower extremity weight-bearing is restricted.

Design: Retrospective cohort study SETTING: Urban Level 1 trauma center PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: 1746 patients >65 years of age INTERVENTION: Post-operative lower extremity weight-bearing status MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Mortality, as determined by the Social Security Death Index RESULTS: Univariate analysis demonstrated that patients who were weight-bearing as tolerated on bilateral lower extremities (BLE) had significantly higher 5-year mortality compared to patients with restricted weight-bearing on one lower extremity and restricted weight-bearing on BLE (30%, 21% and 22% respectively, p < 0.001).

Survivorship After High-Energy Geriatric Trauma.

Objectives: To evaluate in-hospital, 1-year, and 5-year survivorship of geriatric patients after high-energy trauma, to compare survivorship of geriatric patients who sustained high-energy trauma with that of those who sustained low-energy trauma, and to identify predictors for mortality.

Design: Retrospective.

Setting: Urban Level I trauma center.

The Impact of Foster Parent Training on Parenting Skills and Child Disruptive Behavior.

Children in foster care are at risk for behavioral and emotional problems that require higher levels of care than other children. To meet these needs and reduce placement disruptions, foster parents require effective parenting skills. Although a number of training models have been evaluated, the findings on the efficacy of foster parent training (FPT) are mixed.

Development of functional trait biomarkers for trace metal exposure in freshwater clams (Musculium spp.).

Exposure to trace metals typically causes oxidative stress; these consequences are better-characterized in estuarine and marine species than in freshwater species. How cellular-level responses to metal pollution influence whole-organism and population-level traits is poorly understood. We tested whether exposure to single metals (zinc and cadmium) and to metal mixtures (water in equilibrium with sediment from a highly polluted lake) alters two ecologically-relevant traits in freshwater clams, locomotion and reproduction.

Altered spatial learning, cortical plasticity and hippocampal anatomy in a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia-related endophenotypes.

Adult rats exposed to the DNA-methylating agent methylazoxymethanol on embryonic day 17 show a pattern of neurobiological deficits that model some of the neuropathological and behavioral changes observed in schizophrenia. Although it is generally assumed that these changes reflect targeted disruption of embryonic neurogenesis, it is unknown whether these effects generalise to other antimitotic agents administered at different stages of development. In the present study, neurochemical, behavioral and electrophysiological techniques were used to determine whether exposure to the antimitotic agent Ara-C later in development recapitulates some of the changes observed in methylazoxymethanol (MAM)-treated animals and in patients with schizophrenia.

Functional architecture of the inner pore of a voltage-gated Ca2+ channel.

The inner pore of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) is functionally important, but little is known about the architecture of this region. In K+ channels, this part of the pore is formed by the S6/M2 transmembrane segments from four symmetrically arranged subunits. The Ca2+ channel pore, however, is formed by four asymmetric domains of the same (alpha1) subunit.

Thyroid hormone regulates oligodendrocyte accumulation in developing rat brain white matter tracts.

Thyroid hormone (TH) is necessary for normal axonal myelination. Myelin basic protein (MBP) is a structural protein essential for myelin function. In this study, we demonstrate that perinatal hypothyroidism regulates MBP mRNA levels via indirect mechanisms.