Cell type-specific contribution to the initiation of cortical spreading depolarization in the mouse.

Cortical spreading depolarization (CSD) is a wave of transient depolarization in the neuronal and glial cells and plays a role in the pathophysiological process implicated in a number of diseases, including migraine aura, ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury. Despite its clinical significance, the cellular mechanism underlying the initiation of CSD remains unclear. Since the mammalian cerebral cortex consists of excitatory pyramidal cells and diverse types of inhibitory interneurons, addressing their roles would be of primary importance in understanding CSD generation.

Single-Trial Representations of Decision-Related Variables by Decomposed Frontal Corticostriatal Ensemble Activity.

The frontal cortex-striatum circuit plays a pivotal role in adaptive goal-directed behaviors. However, it remains unclear how decision-related signals are mediated through cross-regional transmission between the medial frontal cortex and the striatum by neuronal ensembles in making decision based on outcomes of past action. Here, we analyzed neuronal ensemble activity obtained through simultaneous multiunit recordings in the secondary motor cortex (M2) and dorsal striatum (DS) in rats performing an outcome-based left-or-right choice task.

Cholinergic modulation of interhemispheric inhibition in the mouse motor cortex.

Interhemispheric inhibition of the homotopic motor cortex is believed to be effective for accurate unilateral motor function. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying interhemispheric inhibition during unilateral motor behavior remain unclear. Furthermore, the impact of the neuromodulator acetylcholine on interhemispheric inhibition and the associated cellular mechanisms are not well understood.

Concomitant Processing of Choice and Outcome in Frontal Corticostriatal Ensembles Correlates with Performance of Rats.

The frontal cortex-basal ganglia network plays a pivotal role in adaptive goal-directed behaviors. Medial frontal cortex (MFC) encodes information about choices and outcomes into sequential activation of neural population, or neural trajectory. While MFC projects to the dorsal striatum (DS), whether DS also displays temporally coordinated activity remains unknown.

Neuronal stability in medial frontal cortex sets individual variability in decision-making.

In the brain, decision making is instantiated in dedicated neural circuits. However, there is considerable individual variability in decision-making behavior, particularly under uncertainty. The origins of decision variability within these conserved neural circuits are not known.

Neuronal correlates of motion-defined shape perception in primate dorsal and ventral streams.

Human and non-human primates can readily perceive the shape of objects using visual motion. Classically, shape, and motion are considered to be separately processed via ventral and dorsal cortical pathways, respectively. However, many lines of anatomical and physiological evidence have indicated that these two pathways are likely to be interconnected at some stage.

Endoscopic clipping of intraventricular aneurysms using the "wet-field" technique.

Intraventricular hemorrhage and intracerebral aneurysms are relatively frequent complications associated with moyamoya disease. Prevention of aneurysm rerupture is important because it significantly decreases the morbidity and mortality rates. Aneurysms arising distal to collateral flow are sometimes observed in patients with intraventricular hemorrhage; however, the treatment of these aneurysms remains challenging because of their deep-seated location in the brain and accompanying narrow surgical corridor.

Floral pigmentation pattern in Oriental hybrid lily (Lilium spp.) cultivar 'Dizzy' is caused by transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes.

Flower color patterns are the result of spatially and temporally restricted pigment deposition, and clarifying the mechanisms responsible for restricted pigment deposition is a topic of broad interest for both theoretical and practical reasons. The Oriental hybrid lily cultivar 'Dizzy' develops red stripes along the tepal midribs; in order to clarify the genetic basis of these stripes, we isolated most of the genes related to anthocyanin accumulation from 'Dizzy' tepals and compared their expression levels between the red stripe region and the white marginal region of the tepals. RNA-seq revealed a complete set of genes necessary for anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport, including anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase and glutathione S-transferase.

Posterior Meningeal Artery Origin Patterns among 300 Cases and Their Clinical Importance.

Background And Purpose: The posterior meningeal artery (PMA) is known as a dura mater-nourishing vessel. We encountered a patient with Wallenberg syndrome during transarterial embolization of the PMA associated with the dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF).

Methods: After development of Wallenberg syndrome in the patient, we assessed origins of the PMA patterns in 300 cases and divided them into 3 types.

Temporal property of single-cell activity in response to motion-defined shapes in monkey dorsal and ventral cortical areas.

In the primate brain, shape and motion are considered to be separately processed in the ventral and dorsal visual cortical areas, respectively. However, to achieve shape perception with a motion cue, shape and motion cannot be processed exclusively in separate cortical areas. Interactions between ventral and dorsal cortical areas are required, and yet, the neural mechanisms underlying motion-defined shape perception remain unclear.

A preliminary study of the measurement of overload applied to the foot support of a wheelchair and a seated postural support device.

[Purpose] The mechanical strength of wheelchair and seating products is specified by standards to ensure user safety. However, some individual users are affected by severe spasticity resulting from cerebral palsy that occasionally breaks such devices. Until recently, reports of quantitative measurement of these mechanical overloads have been scarce, and the exact loads applied have been unknown.

Medial Frontal Circuit Dynamics Represents Probabilistic Choices for Unfamiliar Sensory Experience.

Neurons in medial frontal cortex (MFC) receive sensory signals that are crucial for decision-making behavior. While decision-making is easy for familiar sensory signals, it becomes more elaborative when sensory signals are less familiar to animals. It remains unclear how the population of neurons enables the coordinate transformation of such a sensory input into ambiguous choice responses.

Molecular phylogenetics and character evolution of morphologically diverse groups, Dendrobium section Dendrobium and allies.

It is always difficult to construct coherent classification systems for plant lineages having diverse morphological characters. The genus Dendrobium, one of the largest genera in the Orchidaceae, includes ∼1100 species, and enormous morphological diversification has hindered the establishment of consistent classification systems covering all major groups of this genus. Given the particular importance of species in Dendrobium section Dendrobium and allied groups as floriculture and crude drug genetic resources, there is an urgent need to establish a stable classification system.

Reward-modulated motor information in identified striatum neurons.

It is widely accepted that dorsal striatum neurons participate in either the direct pathway (expressing dopamine D1 receptors) or the indirect pathway (expressing D2 receptors), controlling voluntary movements in an antagonistically balancing manner. The D1- and D2-expressing neurons are activated and inactivated, respectively, by dopamine released from substantia nigra neurons encoding reward expectation. However, little is known about the functional representation of motor information and its reward modulation in individual striatal neurons constituting the two pathways.

Identification of dendrobium species used for herbal medicines based on ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer sequence.

Stems of genus Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) have been traditionally used as an herbal medicine (Dendrobii Herba) in Eastern Asia. Although demand for Dendrobium is increasing rapidly, wild resources are decreasing due to over-collection. This study aimed to identify plant sources of Dendrobii Herba on the market based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA.

Neuronal activity during discrimination of shapes defined by motion in area V4.

To investigate the neuronal mechanisms of motion-defined shape processing, we examined single-neuron activity in area V4 in monkeys performing a shape discrimination task under the shape-from-motion (SFM) condition, in which a motion cue is critical for shape perception, and under the shape-from-luminance (SFL) condition, in which a luminance cue is critical. About 35% (30 of 86) of neurons responded selectively to shapes under both the SFM and SFL conditions. These neurons showed a similar shape preference between the SFM and SFL conditions.

Azalea phylogeny reconstructed by means of molecular techniques.

Plants belonging to the Rhododendron subgenera Pentanthera (deciduous) and Tsutsusi and Azaleastrum (evergreen) are called azaleas. Concerning their mutual phylogenetic positions, the Pentanthera subgenus is closer to evergreen rhododendrons (subgenera Rhododendron and Hymenanthes) than to the Tsutsusi subgenus. Both azalea types are important ornamentals with a long breeding tradition.

Persistence and compliance to antidepressant treatment in patients with depression: a chart review.

Background: Adherence has recently been suggested to be divided into these two components: persistence (i.e., whether patients continue treatment or not) and compliance (i.

Characterization of an alpha-L-rhamnosidase from Aspergillus kawachii and its gene.

An alpha-L-rhamnosidase was purified by fractionating a culture filtrate of Aspergillus kawachii grown on L-rhamnose as the sole carbon source. The alpha-L-rhamnosidase had a molecular mass of 90 kDa and a high degree of N-glycosylation of approximately 22%. The enzyme exhibited optimal activity at pH 4.

N-linked oligosaccharides of Aspergillus awamori feruloyl esterase are important for thermostability and catalysis.

A unique N-linked glycosylation motif (Asn(79)-Tyr-Thr) was found in the sequence of type-A feruloyl esterases from Aspergillus spp. To clarify the function of the flap, the role of N-linked oligosaccharides located in the flap region on the biochemical properties of feruloyl esterase (AwFAEA) from Aspergillus awamori expressed in Pichia pastoris was analyzed by removing the N-linked glycosylation recognition site by site-directed mutagenesis. N79 was replaced with A or Q.