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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Neural Substrates Of Sound–Touch Synesthesia After A Thalamic Lesion, Michael S. Beauchamp, Tony Ro Dec 2008

Neural Substrates Of Sound–Touch Synesthesia After A Thalamic Lesion, Michael S. Beauchamp, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Neural plasticity induced by stroke can mediate positive outcomes, such as recovery of function, but can also result in the formation of abnormal connections with negative consequences for perception and cognition. In three experiments using blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the neural substrates of acquired auditory-tactile synesthesia, in which certain sounds can produce an intense somatosensory tingling sensation in a patient with a thalamic lesion. Compared with nine normal controls, the first experiment showed that the patient had a threefold greater BOLD response to sounds in the parietal operculum, the location of secondary somatosensory cortex. …


Maternal Cocaine Administration In Mice Alters Dna Methylation And Gene Expression In Hippocampal Neurons Of Neonatal And Prepubertal Offspring, Svetlana I. Novikova, Fang He, Jie Bai, Nicholas J. Cutrufello, Michael S. Lidow, Ashiwel S. Undieh Apr 2008

Maternal Cocaine Administration In Mice Alters Dna Methylation And Gene Expression In Hippocampal Neurons Of Neonatal And Prepubertal Offspring, Svetlana I. Novikova, Fang He, Jie Bai, Nicholas J. Cutrufello, Michael S. Lidow, Ashiwel S. Undieh

Publications and Research

Previous studies documented significant behavioral changes in the offspring of cocaine-exposed mothers. We now explore the hypothesis that maternal cocaine exposure could alter the fetal epigenetic machinery sufficiently to cause lasting neurochemical and functional changes in the offspring. Pregnant CD1 mice were administered either saline or 20 mg/kg cocaine twice daily on gestational days 8–19. Male pups from each of ten litters of the cocaine and control groups were analyzed at 3 (P3) or 30 (P30) days postnatum. Global DNA methylation, methylated DNA immunoprecipitation followed by CGI2 microarray profiling and bisulfite sequencing, as well as quantitative real-time RT-PCR gene expression …


Using A Paradigm Shift To Teach Neurobiology And The Nature Of Science—A C.R.E.A.T.E.-Based Approach, Sally G. Hoskins Apr 2008

Using A Paradigm Shift To Teach Neurobiology And The Nature Of Science—A C.R.E.A.T.E.-Based Approach, Sally G. Hoskins

Publications and Research

Decades ago, classic experiments established the phenomenon of “neural induction” (Spemann and Mangold, 1924; Holtfreter, 1933). It appeared clear that amphibian ectoderm was pre-programmed to form epidermis, and that the neural phenotype was induced by a chemical signal from mesoderm. The “ectoderm makes skin, unless induced to make nervous system” model appeared in many textbooks. This interpretation, however, was not simply incorrect but 180 degrees out of alignment with the actual situation. As subsequently demonstrated, the default state of amphibian ectoderm is neuronal, and the expression of the epidermal phenotype requires cell signaling (Hemmati-Brivanlou and Melton, 1992; 1994; 1997). In …


Diverse Antidepressants Increase Cdp-Diacylglycerol Production And Phosphatidylinositide Resynthesis In Depression-Relevant Regions Of The Rat Brain, Kimberly R. Tyeryar, Ashiwel S. Undieh, Habiba Ou Vongtau Jan 2008

Diverse Antidepressants Increase Cdp-Diacylglycerol Production And Phosphatidylinositide Resynthesis In Depression-Relevant Regions Of The Rat Brain, Kimberly R. Tyeryar, Ashiwel S. Undieh, Habiba Ou Vongtau

Publications and Research

Background: Major depression is a serious mood disorder affecting millions of adults and children worldwide. While the etiopathology of depression remains obscure, antidepressant medications increase synaptic levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in brain regions associated with the disease. Monoamine transmitters activate multiple signaling cascades some of which have been investigated as potential mediators of depression or antidepressant drug action. However, the diacylglycerol arm of phosphoinositide signaling cascades has not been systematically investigated, even though downstream targets of this cascade have been implicated in depression. With the ultimate goal of uncovering the primary postsynaptic actions that may initiate cellular antidepressive signaling, we …