Life Sciences Commons^™

Detecting Structure In Glass Patterns: An Interocular Transfer Study, Dawn Vreven, Jarrod Berge

Dawn L Vreven

Glass patterns are visual stimuli used here to study how local orientation signals are spatially integrated into global pattern perception. We measured a form aftereffect from adaptation to both static and dynamic Glass patterns and calculated the amount of interocular transfer to determine the binocularity of the detectors responsible for the perception of global structure. Both static and dynamic adaptation produced significant form aftereffects and showed a very high degree of interocular transfer, suggesting that Glass-pattern perception involves cortical processing beyond primary visual cortex. Surprisingly, dynamic adaptation produced significantly greater interocular transfer than static adaptation. Our results suggest a functional …

Association Of Ubqln1 Mutation With Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere Syndrome But Not Typical Als, Paloma Gonzalez-Perez, Yubing Lu, Ru-Ju Chian, Peter Sapp, Rudolph Tanzi, Lars Bertram, Diane Mckenna-Yasek, Fen-Biao Gao, Robert Brown

Dr Robert Brown

Genetic variants in UBQLN1 gene have been linked to neurodegeneration and mutations in UBQLN2 have recently been identified as a rare cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). OBJECTIVE: To test if genetic variants in UBQLN1 are involved in ALS. METHODS: 102 and 94 unrelated patients with familial and sporadic forms of ALS were screened for UBQLN1 gene mutations. Single nucleotide variants were further screened in a larger set of sporadic ALS (SALS) patients and unrelated control subjects using high-throughput Taqman genotyping; variants were further assessed for novelty using the 1000Genomes and NHLBI databases. In vitro studies tested the effect of …

Dsarm/Sarm1 Is Required For Activation Of An Injury-Induced Axon Death Pathway, Jeannette Osterloh, Jing Yang, Timothy Rooney, A. Fox, Robert Adalbert, Eric Powell, Amy Sheehan, Michelle Avery, Rachel Hackett, Mary Logan, Jennifer Macdonald, Jennifer Ziegenfuss, Stefan Milde, Ying-Ju Hou, Carl Nathan, Aihao Ding, Robert Brown, Laura Comforti, Michael Coleman, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Stephan Zuchner, Marc Freeman

Dr Robert Brown

Axonal and synaptic degeneration is a hallmark of peripheral neuropathy, brain injury, and neurodegenerative disease. Axonal degeneration has been proposed to be mediated by an active autodestruction program, akin to apoptotic cell death; however, loss-of-function mutations capable of potently blocking axon self-destruction have not been described. Here, we show that loss of the Drosophila Toll receptor adaptor dSarm (sterile alpha/Armadillo/Toll-Interleukin receptor homology domain protein) cell-autonomously suppresses Wallerian degeneration for weeks after axotomy. Severed mouse Sarm1 null axons exhibit remarkable long-term survival both in vivo and in vitro, indicating that Sarm1 prodegenerative signaling is conserved in mammals. Our results provide direct …

Epilepsy And The Plastic Mind, Janice Naegele

Janice R Naegele

No abstract provided.

The Doublecortin-Related Gene Zyg-8 Is A Microtubule Organizer In Caenorhabditis Elegans Neurons, Jean Bellanger, Juan Cueva, Renee Baran, Garland Tang, Miriam Goodman, Anne Debant

Renee Baran

Doublecortin-domain containing (DCDC) genes play key roles in the normal and pathological development of the human brain cortex. The origin of the cellular specialisation and the functional redundancy of these microtubule (MT)-associated proteins (MAPs), especially those of Doublecortin (DCX) and Doublecortin-like kinase (DCLKs) genes, is still unclear. The DCX domain has the ability to control MT architecture and bundling. However, the physiological significance of such properties is not fully understood. To address these issues, we sought post-mitotic roles for zyg-8, the sole representative of the DCX–DCLK subfamily of genes in C. elegans. Previously, zyg-8 has been shown to control anaphase-spindle …

Basic Science And Drug Abuse Prevention: Neuroscience, Learning And Personality Perspectives, Michael Bardo, Thomas Kelly, Donald Lynam, Richard Milich

donald r lynam

No abstract provided.

A New Eusuchian Crocodyliform With Novel Cranial Integument And Its Significance For The Origin And Evolution Of Crocodylia, Casey Holliday, Nicholas Gardner

Nicholas Gardner

Crocodyliforms were one of the most successful groups of Mesozoic tetrapods, radiating into terrestrial, semiaquatic and marine environments, while occupying numerous trophic niches, including carnivorous, insectivorous, herbivorous, and piscivorous species. Among these taxa were the enigmatic, poorly represented flat-headed crocodyliforms from the late Cretaceous of northern Africa. Here we report a new, giant crocodyliform from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Kem Kem Formation of Morocco. Represented by a partial braincase, the taxon has an extremely long, flat skull with large jaw and craniocervical muscles. The skull roof is ridged and ornamented with a broad, rough boss surrounded by significant vascular …

Dr. Sulie Lin Chang's Website, Sulie Chang

Sulie Chang

No abstract provided.

Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy For Intractable Epilepsy., Janice Naegele

Janice R Naegele

Envisioning a world in which humans are able to regenerate severed limbs, rewire neural pathways, and enhance sensory perception has been a mainstay of science fiction novels and movies for decades. While human limb regeneration is still not possible, remarkable developments in the fields of stem cell biology and neuroscience are leading the way for stem cell-based therapies to amend brain and spinal cord damage and repair sensory organs. In this chapter, we discuss recent efforts to derive neural stem cells from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their applications to treating conditions such as …

Autism Spectrum Traits Predict The Neural Response To Eye Gaze In Typical Individuals., Lauri Nummenmaa, Andrew Engell, Elisabeth Von Dem Hagen, Richard Henson, Andy Calder

Andrew Engell

A Novel Taulacz Allele Reveals A Requirement For Pitx2 In Formation Of The Mammillothalamic Tract, Mindy Waite

Mindy Waite

Distinct Populations Of Gabaergic Neurons In Mouse Rhombomere 1 Express But Do Not Require The Homeodomain Transcription Factor Pitx2, Mindy Waite

Mindy Waite