Sleep loss diminishes hippocampal reactivation and replay.

Memories benefit from sleep, and the reactivation and replay of waking experiences during hippocampal sharp-wave ripples (SWRs) are considered to be crucial for this process. However, little is known about how these patterns are impacted by sleep loss. Here we recorded CA1 neuronal activity over 12 h in rats across maze exploration, sleep and sleep deprivation, followed by recovery sleep.

Zebrafish optomotor response to second-order motion illustrates that age-related changes in motion detection depend on the activated motion system.

Various aspects of visual functioning, including motion perception, change with age. Yet, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of age-related alterations at different stages of motion processing and in each motion system. To understand the effects of aging on second-order motion processing, we investigated optomotor responses (OMR) in younger and older wild-type (AB-strain) and acetylcholinesterase (ache) mutant zebrafish.

Sleep loss diminishes hippocampal reactivation and replay.

Memories benefit from sleep, and sleep loss immediately following learning has a negative impact on subsequent memory storage. Several prominent hypotheses ascribe a central role to hippocampal sharp-wave ripples (SWRs), and the concurrent reactivation and replay of neuronal patterns from waking experience, in the offline memory consolidation process that occurs during sleep. However, little is known about how SWRs, reactivation, and replay are affected when animals are subjected to sleep deprivation.

Audiovisual interactions in speeded discrimination of a visual event.

The integration of information from different senses is central to our perception of the external world. Audiovisual interactions have been particularly well studied in this context and various illusions have been developed to demonstrate strong influences of these interactions on the final percept. Using audiovisual paradigms, previous studies have shown that even task-irrelevant information provided by a secondary modality can change the detection and discrimination of a primary target.

The optomotor response of aging zebrafish reveals a complex relationship between visual motion characteristics and cholinergic system.

Understanding the principles underlying age-related changes in motion perception is paramount for improving the quality of life and health of older adults. However, the mechanisms underlying age-related alterations in this aspect of vision, which is essential for survival in a dynamic world, still remain unclear. Using optomotor responses to drifting gratings, we investigated age-related changes in motion detection of adult zebrafish (wild-type/AB-strain and ache mutants with decreased levels of acetylcholinesterase).

Short- and long-term forms of neural adaptation: An ERP investigation of dynamic motion aftereffects.

Adaptation is essential to interact with a dynamic and changing environment, and can be observed on different timescales. Previous studies on a motion paradigm called dynamic motion aftereffect (dMAE) showed that neural adaptation can establish even in very short timescales. However, the neural mechanisms underlying such rapid form of neural plasticity is still debated.

Cortical processes underlying the effects of static sound timing on perceived visual speed.

It is well known that the timing of brief static sounds can alter different aspects of visual motion perception. For instance, previous studies have shown that time intervals demarcated by brief sounds can modulate perceived visual speed such that apparent motions with short auditory time intervals are typically perceived as faster than those with long time intervals. Yet, little is known about the principles and cortical processes underlying such effects of auditory timing.

The involvement of centralized and distributed processes in sub-second time interval adaptation: an ERP investigation of apparent motion.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the timing of brief stationary sounds affects visual motion perception. Recent studies have shown that auditory time interval can alter apparent motion perception not only through concurrent stimulation but also through brief adaptation. The adaptation after-effects for auditory time intervals was found to be similar to those for visual time intervals, suggesting the involvement of a central timing mechanism.