Tonically active GABAergic neurons in the dorsal periaqueductal gray control instinctive escape in mice.

Escape behavior is a set of locomotor actions that move an animal away from threat. While these actions can be stereotyped, it is advantageous for survival that they are flexible. For example, escape probability depends on predation risk and competing motivations, and flight to safety requires continuous adjustments of trajectory and must terminate at the appropriate place and time.

A conserved brainstem region for instinctive behaviour control: The vertebrate periaqueductal gray.

Instinctive behaviours have evolved across animal phyla and ensure the survival of both the individual and species. They include behaviours that achieve defence, feeding, aggression, sexual reproduction, or parental care. Within the vertebrate subphylum, the brain circuits that support instinctive behaviour output are evolutionarily conserved, being present in the oldest group of living vertebrates, the lamprey.

A Case for Below-Ground Dispersal? Insights into the Biology, Ecology and Conservation of Blind Cave Spiders in the Genus (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae).

Previously described from only fragments of exoskeleton and juvenile specimens, the cave spider genus (Araneae: Anamidae), endemic to the Nullarbor Plain, is the only troglomorphic member of the infraorder Mygalomorphae recorded from Australia. We investigated the distribution of in South Australia, collecting and observing the first (intact) mature specimens, widening the number of caves it has been recorded in, and documenting threats to conservation. Phylogenetic analyses support the placement of as an independent lineage within the subfamily Anaminae (the ' group') and provide unequivocal evidence that populations from apparently isolated cave systems are conspecifics of Harvey & Rix, 2020, with extremely low or negligible inter-population mitochondrial divergences.

A cortico-collicular circuit for orienting to shelter during escape.

When faced with predatory threats, escape towards shelter is an adaptive action that offers long-term protection against the attacker. Animals rely on knowledge of safe locations in the environment to instinctively execute rapid shelter-directed escape actions. Although previous work has identified neural mechanisms of escape initiation, it is not known how the escape circuit incorporates spatial information to execute rapid flights along the most efficient route to shelter.

Flexible inhibitory control of visually evoked defensive behavior by the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus.

Animals can choose to act upon, or to ignore, sensory stimuli, depending on circumstance and prior knowledge. This flexibility is thought to depend on neural inhibition, through suppression of inappropriate and disinhibition of appropriate actions. Here, we identified the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), an inhibitory prethalamic area, as a critical node for control of visually evoked defensive responses in mice.

Cognitive Control of Escape Behaviour.

When faced with potential predators, animals instinctively decide whether there is a threat they should escape from, and also when, how, and where to take evasive action. While escape is often viewed in classical ethology as an action that is released upon presentation of specific stimuli, successful and adaptive escape behaviour relies on integrating information from sensory systems, stored knowledge, and internal states. From a neuroscience perspective, escape is an incredibly rich model that provides opportunities for investigating processes such as perceptual and value-based decision-making, or action selection, in an ethological setting.

Cannabinoid type 2 receptors mediate a cell type-specific self-inhibition in cortical neurons.

Endogenous cannabinoids are diffusible lipid ligands of the main cannabinoid receptors type 1 and 2 (CBR and CBR). In the central nervous system endocannabinoids are produced in an activity-dependent manner and have been identified as retrograde modulators of synaptic transmission. Additionally, some neurons display a cell-autonomous slow self-inhibition (SSI) mediated by endocannabinoids.

Defective Synapse Maturation and Enhanced Synaptic Plasticity in Shank2 Δex7 Mice.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders with a strong genetic etiology. Since mutations in human genes have been found in patients with autism, genetic mouse models are used for a mechanistic understanding of ASDs and the development of therapeutic strategies. SHANKs are scaffold proteins in the postsynaptic density of mammalian excitatory synapses with proposed functions in synaptogenesis, regulation of dendritic spine morphology, and instruction of structural synaptic plasticity.

A synaptic threshold mechanism for computing escape decisions.

Escaping from imminent danger is an instinctive behaviour that is fundamental for survival, and requires the classification of sensory stimuli as harmless or threatening. The absence of threat enables animals to forage for essential resources, but as the level of threat and potential for harm increases, they have to decide whether or not to seek safety . Despite previous work on instinctive defensive behaviours in rodents, little is known about how the brain computes the threat level for initiating  escape.

ICAM-1-related long non-coding RNA: promoter analysis and expression in human retinal endothelial cells.

Objective: Regulation of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 in retinal endothelial cells is a promising druggable target for retinal vascular diseases. The ICAM-1-related (ICR) long non-coding RNA stabilizes ICAM-1 transcript, increasing protein expression. However, studies of ICR involvement in disease have been limited as the promoter is uncharacterized.

Effect of NADPH oxidase 1 and 4 blockade in activated human retinal endothelial cells.

Background: Over-production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and resulting oxidative stress contribute to retinal damage in vascular diseases that include diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity and major retinal vessel occlusions. NADPH oxidase (Nox) proteins are professional ROS-generating enzymes, and therapeutic targeting in these diseases has strong appeal. Pharmacological inhibition of Nox4 reduces the severity of experimental retinal vasculopathy.

Molecular Signals Involved in Human B Cell Migration into the Retina: In Vitro Investigation of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and CXCL13.

Purpose: B cells participate in diverse retinal immunopathologies. Endothelial adhesion molecules and chemokines direct leukocyte trafficking. We examined the involvement of three molecular signals in retinal transendothelial migration of human B cells: ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and CXCL13.

Cannabinoid Type 2 Receptors Mediate a Cell Type-Specific Plasticity in the Hippocampus.

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) exert major control over neuronal activity by activating cannabinoid receptors (CBRs). The functionality of the eCB system is primarily ascribed to the well-documented retrograde activation of presynaptic CB1Rs. We find that action potential-driven eCB release leads to a long-lasting membrane potential hyperpolarization in hippocampal principal cells that is independent of CB1Rs.

Involvement of B cells in non-infectious uveitis.

Non-infectious uveitis-or intraocular inflammatory disease-causes substantial visual morbidity and reduced quality of life amongst affected individuals. To date, research of pathogenic mechanisms has largely been focused on processes involving T lymphocyte and/or myeloid leukocyte populations. Involvement of B lymphocytes has received relatively little attention.

Bilateral giant retinal tears in a pediatric patient with leukemia inhibitory factor receptor deficiency (Stuve-Wiedemann syndrome).

Purpose: To describe a case of retinal detachment in a patient with Stuve-Wiedemann syndrome.

Methods: This report is a retrospective observational case report. The patient's demographics include age, gender, and race, as well as visual acuity, ophthalmic examination, and surgical intervention were extracted from the medical record.

Simultaneous visualization and cell-specific confirmation of RNA and protein in the mouse retina.

Purpose: Simultaneous dual labeling to visualize specific RNA and protein content within the same formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) section can be technically challenging and usually impossible, because of variables such as tissue fixation time and pretreatment methods to access the target RNA or protein. Within a specific experiment, ocular tissue sections can be a precious commodity. Thus, the ability to easily and consistently detect and localize cell-specific expression of RNA and protein within a single slide would be advantageous.

Can Dance Exergames Boost Physical Activity as a School-Based Intervention?

Background: Children need opportunities to have physical activity (PA). Using exergames could be a feasible and acceptable way to boost PA in middle schools. Our goal was to increase PA by 40 minutes per week and to determine how much time, if any, was spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA).

Role of the retinal vascular endothelial cell in ocular disease.

Retinal endothelial cells line the arborizing microvasculature that supplies and drains the neural retina. The anatomical and physiological characteristics of these endothelial cells are consistent with nutritional requirements and protection of a tissue critical to vision. On the one hand, the endothelium must ensure the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to the metabolically active retina, and allow access to circulating cells that maintain the vasculature or survey the retina for the presence of potential pathogens.

The related transcriptional enhancer factor-1 isoform, TEAD4(216), can repress vascular endothelial growth factor expression in mammalian cells.

Increased cellular production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is responsible for the development and progression of multiple cancers and other neovascular conditions, and therapies targeting post-translational VEGF products are used in the treatment of these diseases. Development of methods to control and modify the transcription of the VEGF gene is an alternative approach that may have therapeutic potential. We have previously shown that isoforms of the transcriptional enhancer factor 1-related (TEAD4) protein can enhance the production of VEGF.

Autistic-like behaviours and hyperactivity in mice lacking ProSAP1/Shank2.

Autism spectrum disorders comprise a range of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and by repetitive behaviour. Mutations in synaptic proteins such as neuroligins, neurexins, GKAPs/SAPAPs and ProSAPs/Shanks were identified in patients with autism spectrum disorder, but the causative mechanisms remain largely unknown. ProSAPs/Shanks build large homo- and heteromeric protein complexes at excitatory synapses and organize the complex protein machinery of the postsynaptic density in a laminar fashion.

Imaging Retinal Vascular Changes in the Mouse Model of Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy.

Purpose: Oxygen-induced retinopathy in the mouse is the standard experimental model of retinopathy of prematurity. Assessment of the pathology involves in vitro analysis of retinal vaso-obliteration and retinal neovascularization. The authors studied the clinical features of oxygen-induced retinopathy in vivo using topical endoscopy fundus imaging (TEFI), in comparison to standard investigations, and evaluated a system for grading these features.

Cell-type-specific modulation of feedback inhibition by serotonin in the hippocampus.

Midbrain raphe nuclei provide strong serotonergic projections to the hippocampus, in which serotonin (5-HT) exerts differential effects mediated by multiple 5-HT receptor subtypes. The functional relevance of this diversity of information processing is poorly understood. Here we show that serotonin via 5-HT(1B) heteroreceptors substantially reduces synaptic excitation of cholecystokinin-expressing interneurons in area CA1 of the rat hippocampus, in contrast to parvalbumin-expressing basket cells.

Neuroligin 1 is dynamically exchanged at postsynaptic sites.

Neuroligins are postsynaptic cell adhesion molecules that associate with presynaptic neurexins. Both factors form a transsynaptic connection, mediate signaling across the synapse, specify synaptic functions, and play a role in synapse formation. Neuroligin dysfunction impairs synaptic transmission, disrupts neuronal networks, and is thought to participate in cognitive diseases.

Altered vascular expression of EphrinB2 and EphB4 in a model of oxygen-induced retinopathy.

EphrinB2 ligands and EphB4 receptors are expressed on endothelial cells (EC) of arteries and veins, respectively, and are essential for vascular development. To understand how these molecules regulate retinal neovascularization (NV), we evaluated their expression in a model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). EphrinB2 and EphB4 were expressed on arterial and venous trunks, respectively, and on a subset of deep capillary vessels.

TRAIL-deficient mice exhibit delayed regression of retinal neovascularization.

While it is well established that tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in various cell types, the role of TRAIL in regulation of retinal neovascularization (NV) has not been described. Here we determined the role of TRAIL in retinal NV during oxygen-induced retinopathy using TRAIL deficient ((-/-)) mice. TRAIL and its receptor, DR5, were expressed in wild-type retinas at all time points evaluated (postnatal days 12, 17, 21, 24) during oxygen-induced retinopathy and in age-matched room air control animals.