Cell-type-specific inhibition of the dendritic plateau potential in striatal spiny projection neurons.

Striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs) receive convergent excitatory synaptic inputs from the cortex and thalamus. Activation of spatially clustered and temporally synchronized excitatory inputs at the distal dendrites could trigger plateau potentials in SPNs. Such supralinear synaptic integration is crucial for dendritic computation.

Trifluoromethylthiolation-Based Bifunctionalization of Diazocarbonyl Compounds by Rhodium Catalysis.

A new Rh-catalyzed, three-component reaction for the oxytrifluoromethylthiolation of α-diazoketones was developed. The SCF functionality was introduced using a stable dibenzenesulfonimide reagent under mild conditions. Alcohols, acetals, and ethers were used as the alkoxy sources.

Broca's region: A causal role in implicit processing of grammars with crossed non-adjacent dependencies.

Non-adjacent dependencies are challenging for the language learning machinery and are acquired later than adjacent dependencies. In this transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study, we show that participants successfully discriminated between grammatical and non-grammatical sequences after having implicitly acquired an artificial language with crossed non-adjacent dependencies. Subsequent to transcranial magnetic stimulation of Broca's region, discrimination was impaired compared to when a language-irrelevant control region (vertex) was stimulated.

Untangling Basal Ganglia Network Dynamics and Function: Role of Dopamine Depletion and Inhibition Investigated in a Spiking Network Model.

The basal ganglia are a crucial brain system for behavioral selection, and their function is disturbed in Parkinson's disease (PD), where neurons exhibit inappropriate synchronization and oscillations. We present a spiking neural model of basal ganglia including plausible details on synaptic dynamics, connectivity patterns, neuron behavior, and dopamine effects. Recordings of neuronal activity in the subthalamic nucleus and Type A (TA; arkypallidal) and Type I (TI; prototypical) neurons in globus pallidus externa were used to validate the model.

Efficient DBU accelerated synthesis of F-labelled trifluoroacetamides.

Nucleophilic F-fluorination of bromodifluoromethyl derivatives was performed using [F]BuNF in the presence of DBU (1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene).

Cortico-striatal language pathways dynamically adjust for syntactic complexity: A computational study.

A growing body of literature supports a key role of fronto-striatal circuits in language perception. It is now known that the striatum plays a role in engaging attentional resources and linguistic rule computation while also serving phonological short-term memory capabilities. The ventral semantic and the dorsal phonological stream dichotomy assumed for spoken language processing also seems to play a role in cortico-striatal perception.

Functional Relevance of Different Basal Ganglia Pathways Investigated in a Spiking Model with Reward Dependent Plasticity.

The brain enables animals to behaviorally adapt in order to survive in a complex and dynamic environment, but how reward-oriented behaviors are achieved and computed by its underlying neural circuitry is an open question. To address this concern, we have developed a spiking model of the basal ganglia (BG) that learns to dis-inhibit the action leading to a reward despite ongoing changes in the reward schedule. The architecture of the network features the two pathways commonly described in BG, the direct (denoted D1) and the indirect (denoted D2) pathway, as well as a loop involving striatum and the dopaminergic system.

Neuropsychological Functioning and Attachment Representations in Early School Age as Predictors of ADHD Symptoms in Late Adolescence.

This study aimed to examine relations between parent and child attachment representations and neuropsychological functions at age 8, as well as relations between these constructs and ADHD symptoms over a 10-year period. A community-based sample of 105 children (52 boys) participated. Measures of attachment representations and a range of neuropsychological functions were collected at age 8.

Spike-Based Bayesian-Hebbian Learning of Temporal Sequences.

Many cognitive and motor functions are enabled by the temporal representation and processing of stimuli, but it remains an open issue how neocortical microcircuits can reliably encode and replay such sequences of information. To better understand this, a modular attractor memory network is proposed in which meta-stable sequential attractor transitions are learned through changes to synaptic weights and intrinsic excitabilities via the spike-based Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) learning rule. We find that the formation of distributed memories, embodied by increased periods of firing in pools of excitatory neurons, together with asymmetrical associations between these distinct network states, can be acquired through plasticity.

Large-Scale Simulations of Plastic Neural Networks on Neuromorphic Hardware.

SpiNNaker is a digital, neuromorphic architecture designed for simulating large-scale spiking neural networks at speeds close to biological real-time. Rather than using bespoke analog or digital hardware, the basic computational unit of a SpiNNaker system is a general-purpose ARM processor, allowing it to be programmed to simulate a wide variety of neuron and synapse models. This flexibility is particularly valuable in the study of biological plasticity phenomena.

Different Context but Similar Cognitive Structures: Older Adults in Rural Bangladesh.

Most research in cognitive aging is based on literate participants from high-income and Western populations. The extent to which findings generalize to low-income and illiterate populations is unknown. The main aim was to examine the structure of between-person differences in cognitive functions among elderly from rural Bangladesh.

Mothers' and fathers' attendance in a community-based universally offered parenting program in Sweden.

Aim: Using a public health perspective, this study examined the characteristics of mothers and fathers who attended, compared to those who did not attend, a community-based practitioner-led universally offered parenting program.

Method: Mothers (141) and fathers (96) of 4- to 5-year-olds completed a set of questionnaires, including their demographic characteristics, their child's behavioral and emotional problems, and their own parenting behavior. They were all then given the opportunity to attend level 2 of the Triple P--Positive Parenting Program.

Regional brain shrinkage and change in cognitive performance over two years: The bidirectional influences of the brain and cognitive reserve factors.

We examined relationships between regional brain shrinkage and changes in cognitive performance, while taking into account the influence of chronological age, vascular risk, Apolipoprotein E variant and socioeconomic status. Regional brain volumes and cognitive performance were assessed in 167 healthy adults (age 19-79 at baseline), 90 of whom returned for the follow-up after two years. Brain volumes were measured in six regions of interest (ROIs): lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), prefrontal white matter (PFw), hippocampus (Hc), parahippocampal gyrus (PhG), cerebellar hemispheres (CbH), and primary visual cortex (VC), and cognitive performance was evaluated in three domains: episodic memory (EM), fluid intelligence (Gf), and vocabulary (V).

A multi-pathway hypothesis for human visual fear signaling.

A hypothesis is proposed for five visual fear signaling pathways in humans, based on an analysis of anatomical connectivity from primate studies and human functional connectvity and tractography from brain imaging studies. Earlier work has identified possible subcortical and cortical fear pathways known as the "low road" and "high road," which arrive at the amygdala independently. In addition to a subcortical pathway, we propose four cortical signaling pathways in humans along the visual ventral stream.

Effects of testing on subsequent re-encoding and long-term forgetting of action-relevant materials: On the influence of recall type.

Testing one's memory of previously studied information reduces the rate of forgetting, compared to restudy. However, little is known about how this direct testing effect applies to action phrases (e.g.

Age and sex related differences in subcortical brain iron concentrations among healthy adults.

Age and sex can influence brain iron levels. We studied the influence of these variables on deep gray matter magnetic susceptibilities. In 183 healthy volunteers (44.

Neuropsychological deficits in preschool as predictors of ADHD symptoms and academic achievement in late adolescence.

High levels of ADHD symptoms are related to severe negative outcomes, which underscore the importance of identifying early markers of these behavior problems. The main aim of the present study was therefore to investigate whether neuropsychological deficits in preschool are related to later ADHD symptoms and academic achievement, over and above the influence of early ADHD symptom levels. The present study is unique because it includes a broader range of predictors compared to previous studies and the participants are followed over time for as long as 13 years (i.

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus preferentially alters the translational profile of striatopallidal neurons in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.

Deep brain stimulation targeting the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is an effective surgical treatment for the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), the precise neuronal mechanisms of which both at molecular and network levels remain a topic of debate. Here we employ two transgenic mouse lines, combining translating ribosomal affinity purification (TRAP) with bacterial artificial chromosome expression (Bac), to selectively identify changes in translational gene expression in either Drd1a-expressing striatonigral or Drd2-expressing striatopallidal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the striatum following STN-DBS. 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned mice received either 5 days stimulation via a DBS electrode implanted in the ipsilateral STN or 5 days sham treatment (no stimulation).

Cost and effects of a universal parenting programme delivered to parents of preschoolers.

Background: Parenting programmes are effective in improving child behaviour and parental well-being, but long follow-up studies of universally offered programmes are scarce.

Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the costs and effects of Triple P levels 2-3 on child externalizing behaviours and parental mental health. The programme was offered universally to parents of preschoolers (self-selection allowed).

Activity in the brain network for dynamic manipulation of unstable objects is robust to acute tactile nerve block: An fMRI study.

Objective: To study whether a temporary block of the tactile afferents from the fingers causes altered activity in the neural network for dexterous manipulation.

Methods: Whole-brain functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was conducted in 18 healthy subjects, while they compressed an unstable spring between the thumb and index finger of the right hand. Two sensory conditions--with and without tactile input from the fingers--were employed.

5-HT1B receptor imaging and cognition: a positron emission tomography study in control subjects and Parkinson's disease patients.

Introduction: The serotonin 5-HT1B receptor subtype is involved in the modulation of serotonin release and is a target of interest for neuroreceptor imaging. Previous studies have shown that the serotonin system is affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). Cognitive function, frequently impaired in PD, has been linked to the serotonin system.

Learning mechanisms in pain chronification--teachings from placebo research.

This review presents a general model for the understanding of pain, placebo, and chronification of pain in the framework of cognitive neuroscience. The concept of a computational cost-function underlying the functional imaging responses to placebo manipulations is put forward and demonstrated to be compatible with the placebo literature including data that demonstrate that placebo responses as seen on the behavioural level may be elicited on all levels of the neuroaxis. In the same vein, chronification of pain is discussed as a consequence of brain mechanisms for learning and expectation.

Grip Strength and Cognitive Abilities: Associations in Old Age.

Objectives: Both physical functioning and cognitive abilities are important for well-being, not least in old age. Grip strength is often considered an indicator of general vitality and, as such, may predict cognitive functioning. Few longitudinal studies have examined the relationship between grip strength and cognition, especially where specific cognitive abilities have been targeted.

Diurnal and seasonal variation of the brain serotonin system in healthy male subjects.

The mammalian circadian clock underlies both diurnal and seasonal changes in physiology, and its function is thought to be disturbed in both seasonal and non-seasonal depression. In humans, molecular imaging studies have reported seasonal changes in the serotonin system. Despite the role of the circadian clock in generating seasonal physiological changes, however, diurnal variation of serotonin receptors and transporters has never been directly studied in humans.

C-fiber recovery cycle supernormality depends on ion concentration and ion channel permeability.

Following each action potential, C-fiber nociceptors undergo cyclical changes in excitability, including a period of superexcitability, before recovering their basal excitability state. The increase in superexcitability during this recovery cycle depends upon their immediate firing history of the axon, but also determines the instantaneous firing frequency that encodes pain intensity. To explore the mechanistic underpinnings of the recovery cycle phenomenon a biophysical model of a C-fiber has been developed.