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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Behavioral And Cognitive Changes After Early Postnatal Lesions Of The Rat Mediodorsal Thalamus, Zakaria Ouhaz, Saadua B-M'Hamed, Anna S. Mitchell, Abdeslem Elidrissi, Mohamed Bennis
Behavioral And Cognitive Changes After Early Postnatal Lesions Of The Rat Mediodorsal Thalamus, Zakaria Ouhaz, Saadua B-M'Hamed, Anna S. Mitchell, Abdeslem Elidrissi, Mohamed Bennis
Publications and Research
Early insults to the thalamus result in functional and/or structural abnormalities in the cerebral cortex. However, differences in behavioral and cognitive changes after early insult are not well characterized. The present study assessed whether early postnatal damage to mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus (MD), reciprocally interconnected with the prefrontal cortex, causes behavioral and cognitive alterations in young adult rats. Rat pups at postnatal day 4 received bilateral electrolytic lesion of MD, or aMD Sham lesion or were anesthetized controls; on recovery they were returned to their mothers until weaning. Seven weeks later, all rats were tested with the following behavioral …
An Epigenetic Hypothesis For The Genomic Memory Of Pain, Sebastian Alvarado, Maral Tajerian, Matthew Suderman, Ziv Machnes, Stephanie Pierfelice, Magali Millecamps, Laura S. Stone, Moshe Szyf
An Epigenetic Hypothesis For The Genomic Memory Of Pain, Sebastian Alvarado, Maral Tajerian, Matthew Suderman, Ziv Machnes, Stephanie Pierfelice, Magali Millecamps, Laura S. Stone, Moshe Szyf
Publications and Research
Chronic pain is accompanied with long-term sensory, affective and cognitive disturbances. What are the mechanisms that mediate the long-term consequences of painful experiences and embed them in the genome? We hypothesize that alterations in DNA methylation, an enzymatic covalent modification of cytosine bases in DNA,serve as a “genomic” memory of pain in the adult cortex. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism for long-term regulation of gene expression. Neuronal plasticity at the neuroanatomical, functional, morphological, physiological and molecular levels has been demonstrated throughout the neuroaxis in response to persistent pain, including in the adult prefrontal cortex (PFC). We have previously reported …
Focal Cortical Thickness Correlates Of Exceptional Memory Training In Vedic Priests, Giridhar P. Kalamangalam, Timothy M. Ellmore
Focal Cortical Thickness Correlates Of Exceptional Memory Training In Vedic Priests, Giridhar P. Kalamangalam, Timothy M. Ellmore
Publications and Research
The capacity for semantic memory—the ability to acquire and store knowledge of the world—is highly developed in the human brain. In particular, semantic memory assimilated through an auditory route may be a uniquely human capacity. One method of obtaining neurobiological insight into memory mechanisms is through the study of experts. In this work, we study a group of Hindu Vedic priests, whose religious training requires the memorization of vast tracts of scriptural texts through an oral tradition, recalled spontaneously during a lifetime of subsequent spiritual practice. We demonstrate focal increases of cortical thickness in regions of the left prefrontal lobe …
Peripheral Nerve Injury Is Associated With Chronic, Reversible Changes In Global Dna Methylation In The Mouse Prefrontal Cortex, Maral Tajerian, Sebastian Alvarado, Magali Millecamps, Pascal Vachon, Cecilia Crosby, M. Catherine Bushnell, Moshe Szyf, Laura S. Stone
Peripheral Nerve Injury Is Associated With Chronic, Reversible Changes In Global Dna Methylation In The Mouse Prefrontal Cortex, Maral Tajerian, Sebastian Alvarado, Magali Millecamps, Pascal Vachon, Cecilia Crosby, M. Catherine Bushnell, Moshe Szyf, Laura S. Stone
Publications and Research
Changes in brain structure and cortical function are associated with many chronic pain conditions including low back pain and fibromyalgia. The magnitude of these changes correlates with the duration and/or the intensity of chronic pain. Most studies report changes in common areas involved in pain modulation, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and pain-related pathological changes in the PFC can be reversed with effective treatment. While the mechanisms underlying these changes are unknown, they must be dynamically regulated. Epigenetic modulation of gene expression in response to experience and environment is reversible and dynamic. Epigenetic modulation by DNA methylation is associated with …