Chicks from a high and low feather pecking line of laying hens differ in apomorphine sensitivity

Proactive rodents show a larger behavioral response to apomorphine (APO) than reactive copers, suggesting a more sensitive DA system in proactive individuals. Previously, chicks from a high feather pecking (HFP) and low feather pecking line (LFP) have been suggested to display a proactive and reactive coping strategy, respectively. Therefore, at approximately 4 weeks of age, the behavior of 48 LFP and 48 HFP chicks in response to an APO injection was studied using an open field. Another objective of the present study was to determine whether behavioral variation (in an open field) between HFP and LFP birds, after APO injection, is also reflected by variation of D(1) and D(2) receptor densities in the brain. Receptor binding capacities were assessed by measuring specific binding of tritiated D(1) and D(2) receptor ligands in different regions of the brain of control HFP and LFP chicks. In the present study, it is shown that indeed HFP chicks display a more enhanced behavioral response to acute APO treatment (0.5 mg/kg BW) than LFP birds in an open field. This difference was not reflected by variation of D(1) and D(2) receptor densities in the brain between both lines.     

Receptive field organization of complex cells in cat striate cortex

Summary The receptive field organization of complex cells was studied by analyzing interaction effects between two stationary flashing light stimuli. One was placed in the most responsive part of the receptive field to produce activity against which effects of the other in different visual field positions could be determined.The receptive field was spatially organized into antagonistic center and flanks just like the fields of simple cells. However, both center and flanks were found within the receptive field area where a single slit evoked discharge. Center and flanks were elongated along the optimal stimulus orientation. The flanks were displaced from the center normal to optimal stimulus orientation.In the center, ON- and OFF-responses were usually about equal in strength and the maximum ON- and OFF-responses occurred in about the same position. This shows that complex cells are activated by input from both ON- and OFF-center cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) where the receptive field centers of the LGN cells overlap closely. This explains most of the specific features of complex cells, e.g., the spatially overlapping ON- and OFF-zones, the large response field, the repetitive firing when a slit moves over the receptive field, and the marked non-linear spatial summation.Strong flank suppression occurred with both ON and OFF. The effects were usually stronger on one side of the center. Maximal suppression occurred on the same side with both ON and OFF. This is consistent with the interpretation that complex cells are inhibited by input from both LGN ON- and OFF-center cells with overlapping receptive field centers.A model presuming that complex cells have overlapping but acentric excitatory and inhibitory fields was tested by computer simulation and shown to fit the experimental data. This is the same model as presented for simple cells in the preceding paper (Heggelund 1980), except that the excitatory and inhibitory fields of simple cells have input from either ON- or OFF-center LGN cells, whereas in complex cells they have input from both types.The project was financially supported by the Norwegian Research Council for Science and Humanities     

An electronic open field

An electronic open field made with inexpensive, off-the-shelf materials is described. Its automatic operation frees the researcher from tedious and time consuming direct observations in experiments measuring exploratory behavior, goal preference, etc. Its numeric output can be read from the display or interfaced to printers, recorders, computers, etc. As an example of its operation, experimental results measuring sexual motivation (proceptivity) of female rats are reported.     

模拟脑电节律的调制磁场对中缝核神经元放电影响的研究

用数值计算和动物实验的方法研究模拟脑电节律的调制磁场对与睡眠有关的中缝核神经元放电的影响 ,从而探讨其对睡眠的影响。通过数字仿真 ,研究了神经纤维对调制磁场刺激作用的响应特性 ,发现了神经纤维具有对低频调制包络信号响应敏感 ,对高频载波不响应的特性。依据睡眠全过程脑电节律的变化 ,研制了模拟 EEG信号发生器。采用高频磁脉冲作为载波调制模拟脑电节律信号 ,用所得的调制磁场诱导兔脑 ,观察磁刺激对中缝核5 -羟色胺能神经元放电的影响。动物实验结果表明 ,中缝核经磁刺激后放电频率发生显著改变 ,其放电变慢。这说明磁刺激能抑制 5 -羟色胺能神经元神经电活动水平 ,将为改善失眠症提供新的途径     

The Genée-Wiedemann syndrome,an acrofacial dysostosis—further observation

We report on a consanguineous Brazilian couple whose 2 children had tibial aplasia-ectrodactyly. Femoral bifurcation was present in one of the affected children. The relationship of tibial aplasia-ectrodactyly to the Gollop-Wolfgang complex is discussed. Clinical and genetic aspects of the conditions involving tibial aplasia and femoral bifurcation are discussed.     

Engineered human dicentric chromosomes show centromere plasticity

The centromere is essential for the faithful distribution of a cell's genetic material to subsequent generations. Despite intense scrutiny, the precise genetic and epigenetic basis for centromere function is still unknown. Here, we have used engineered dicentric human chromosomes to investigate mammalian centromere structure and function. We describe three classes of dicentric chromosomes isolated in different cell lines: functionally monocentric chromosomes, in which one of the two genetically identical centromeres is consistently inactivated; functionally dicentric chromosomes, in which both centromeres are consistently active; and dicentric chromosomes heterogeneous with respect to centromere activity. A study of serial single cell clones from heterogeneous cell lines revealed that while centromere activity is usually clonal, the centromere state (i.e. functionally monocentric or dicentric) in some lines can switch within a growing population of cells. Because pulsed field gel analysis indicated that the DNA at the centromeres of these chromosomes did not change detectably, this switching of the centromere state is most likely due to epigenetic changes. Inactivation of one of the two active centromeres in a functionally dicentric chromosome was observed in a percentage of cells after treatment with Trichostatin A, an inhibitor of histone deacetylation. This study provides evidence that the activity of human centromeres, while largely stable, can be subject to dynamic change, most likely due to epigenetic modification.     

Molecular and biological analysis of echovirus 9 strain isolated from a diabetic child

The full-length infectious cDNA clone was constructed and sequenced from the strain DM of echovirus 9, which was recently isolated from a 6-week-old child at the clinical onset of type 1 diabetes. Parallel with the isolate DM, the full-length infectious cDNA clone of the prototype strain echovirus 9 Barty (Barty-INF), was constructed and sequenced. Genetic relationships of the sequenced echo 9 viruses to the other members of the human enterovirus type B species were studied by phylogenetic analyses. Comparison of capsid protein sequences showed that the isolate DM was closely related to both prototype strains: Hill and Barty-INF. The only exception was the inner capsid protein VP4 where serotype specificity was not evident and the isolate DM clustered with the strain Hill and the strain Barty-INF with echovirus 30 Bastianni. Likewise, the nonstructural protein coding region, P2P3, of isolate DM was more similar to strain Hill than to strain Barty-INF. However, like echovirus 9 Barty, the isolate DM contained the RGD-motif in the carboxy terminus of capsid protein VP1. By blocking experiments using an RGD-containing peptide and a polyclonal rabbit antiserum to the alpha(v)beta(3)-integrin, it was shown that this molecule works as a cellular receptor for isolate DM. By using primary human islets, it was shown that the isolate DM is capable of infecting insulin-producing beta-cells like the corresponding prototype strains did. However, only isolate DM was clearly cytolytic for beta-cells. The infectious clones that were made allow further investigations of the molecular features responsible for the diabetogenicity of the isolate DM.     

磁场对红细胞变形性影响的研究

将兔血置于０．２～１．０Ｔ范围内不同强度的恒定磁场中照射后，用激光衍射法测量红细胞的变形指数ＤＩ及积分变形指数ＩＤＩ。实验结果表明，在０．２Ｔ磁场中照射３０分钟可使红细胞的ＤＩ及ＩＤＩ明显增加，即在这一条件下磁场可改善红细胞的变形性。而磁场强度增加或照射时间延长都不利于红细胞变形能力的改善。     

Biological effects of static magnetic fields on the microcirculatory blood flowin vivo: a preliminary report

There have been few studies of the effect of static magnetic fields on microcirculatory haemodynamics in vivo. The rat skinfold transparent chamber technique was used, which provides an excellent means of observing and quantifying direct in vivo microvascular haemodynamic responses to static magnetic fields up to 8 T. An intravital videomicroscope was used to measure the changes in blood flow before and after exposure to a magnetic field for 20 min in a horizontal type superconducting magnet with a bore 100 mm in diameter and 700 mm long. After exposure, microcirculatory blood flow showed an initial increase for about 5 min followed by a gradual decrease and a return to the control value. It is hypothesised that these changes represent rebound hyperaemia following reduced blood flow during exposure.     

The postnatal development of thalamocortical projections from the pulvinar in the cat

Summary The postnatal development of thalamocortical projections from the pulvinar to an association cortex of the cat, the crown of the middle suprasylvian gyrus, was studied by using both HRP and evoked field potentials. From birth onward, the pulvinar sends dense fibres to this cortical area, but the cortical laminar distribution of the afferents was found to change markedly with aging. An orthograde HRP study showed that at birth and up to 2 weeks of age, the terminals are distributed mainly in layer I, whereas in adult cats and kittens older than 1 month, the terminals are found largely in and around layer IV and only sparsely in layer I. After HRP injections exclusively into layer I of the crown, numerous thalamic neurones were retrogradely labelled in both the ventroanterior-ventrolateral complex (VA-VL) and the pulvinar in 5-day-old kittens, but in the VAVL alone in 2-month-old kittens. In agreement with these anatomical findings, stimulation of the pulvinar elicited a surface-negative, depth-positive potential in 1-week-old kittens, indicating the existence of a large current sink in layer I; however, it induced a surface-positive, depth-negative potential in 1month-old kittens, reflecting the presence of a strong current sink in the deep cortical layers.