Neonatal seizure automatism and human inborn pattern of quadrupedal locomotion

Seizures in newborns do not always show a clear electro-clinical correlation. The real epileptic nature of some stereotyped rhythmic movements, included in the ‘subtle seizures’ and considered as brainstem release phenomena, is still debated. We report a brain injured newborn, who displayed several episodes of repetitive limb movements. The ictal EEG discharge, during one of these episodes, was associated with a motor pattern modification, which was endowed with quadrupedal locomotion kinematic features. This might represent an indirect evidence of cervical and lumbar Central Pattern Generators interconnection with in-phase coordination between diagonal limbs since the first hours of life in humans.     

Sebaceous carcinoma within rippled/carcinoid pattern sebaceoma

Although the histogenesis of sebaceous carcinomas remains unclear, the occurrence of intraepidermal or intraepithelial sebaceous carcinoma in the epidermis or conjunctiva may suggest de novo histogenesis. This report describes a case of sebaceous carcinoma within preexisting rippled/carcinoid pattern sebaceoma. This lesion was composed of two (benign and malignant) components, and the benign component of the lesion showed the typical features of a rippled/carcinoid pattern sebaceoma. Although evidence of trauma as well as a vertical orientation was seen in this lesion, the malignant component of the lesion showed histopathological evidence of malignancy (sebaceous carcinoma), such as the aggregations with irregular and infiltrated borders, a sheet‐like growth pattern, and the cytopathological findings of the neoplastic cells, showing a high‐grade of malignancy (a high mitotic index and abnormal mitotic figures). The immunohistochemical staining for p53, Ki‐67 and D2‐40 also favored this diagnosis. This sebaceous carcinoma component was considered to be the incipient stage of carcinoma within preexisting sebaceoma, therefore, it was still considered to be a vertically oriented lesion. This case shows the possibility that abnormal (malignant) sebaceous germinative cells may originate within a sebaceoma, thereby suggesting that some sebaceous carcinomas may develop from preexisting sebaceomas.     

Decoding attention control and selection in visual spatial attention

Event‐related potentials (ERPs) are used extensively to investigate the neural mechanisms of attention control and selection. The univariate ERP approach, however, has left important questions inadequately answered. We addressed two questions by applying multivariate pattern classification to multichannel ERPs in two cued visual spatial attention experiments (N = 56): (a) impact of cueing strategies (instructional vs. probabilistic) on attention control and selection and (b) neural and behavioral effects of individual differences. Following cue onset, the decoding accuracy (cue left vs. cue right) began to rise above chance level earlier and remained higher in instructional cueing (~80 ms) than in probabilistic cueing (~160 ms), suggesting that unilateral attention focus leads to earlier and more distinct formation of the attention control set. A similar temporal sequence was also found for target‐related processing (cued target vs. uncued target), suggesting earlier and stronger attention selection under instructional cueing. Across the two experiments: (a) individuals with higher cue‐related decoding accuracy showed higher magnitude of attentional modulation of target‐evoked N1 amplitude, suggesting that better formation of anticipatory attentional state leads to stronger modulation of target processing, and (b) individuals with higher target‐related decoding accuracy showed faster reaction times (or larger cueing effects), suggesting that stronger selection of task‐relevant information leads to better behavioral performance. Taken together, multichannel ERPs combined with machine learning decoding yields new insights into attention control and selection that complement the univariate ERP approach, and along with the univariate ERP approach, provides a more comprehensive methodology to the study of visual spatial attention.     

白芍对酒精性肝损伤肝阴虚证的保护功效和机制

目的研究白芍对小鼠酒精性肝损伤肝阴虚证的保护功效和机制。方法将ICR小鼠随机分为空白组、模型组、一贯煎组、白芍组,每组10只,除空白组外,用Lieber-DeCarli酒精液体饲料加甲状腺激素灌胃制备小鼠酒精性肝损伤肝阴虚证模型。造模期第1天开始给药,一贯煎组灌胃一贯煎水提液9.07 g/kg,白芍组灌胃白芍水提液4.3 g/kg,空白组和模型组灌胃等量生理盐水。28 d后观察各组小鼠状态,测定体重、体温、心率,测定血清及肝组织转氨酶活性、细胞因子水平、乙醇及脂肪代谢相关酶活性、抗氧化酶活性并取肝脏进行冰冻油红、HE病理切片检查。结果与空白组相比,模型组小鼠体重明显减轻,体温升高,心率加快,且出现毛发无光泽、疲倦易困、烦躁易怒等症状;血清谷丙转氨酶(ALT)、谷草转氨酶(AST)、甘油三酯(TG)、总胆固醇(TC)、环磷酸腺苷(cAMP)水平及肝组织丙二醛(MDA)、细胞色素P450同工酶E1(CYP2E1)、肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)、白细胞介素1β(IL-1β)、白细胞介素6(IL-6)水平明显升高;血清中环磷酸鸟苷(cGMP)水平及肝组织中超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、乙醇脱氢酶(ADH)、乙醛脱氢酶2(ALDH2)、白细胞介素10(IL-10)、白细胞介素1Ra(IL-1Ra)水平明显降低;肝脏出现脂质沉积及肝细胞坏死情况。与模型组相比,白芍组小鼠血清中ALT、AST、TG、TC、cAMP水平均明显降低(P<0.05),cGMP水平明显升高(P<0.05);肝组织中CYP2E1、TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-6水平明显降低(P<0.05),SOD、CAT、ADH、ALDH2、IL-10、IL-1Ra水平明显升高(P<0.05);肝组织脂质占比显著降低(P<0.05),肝细胞坏死程度改善。结论白芍具有明显的保护酒精性肝损伤肝阴虚证的作用,其机制与调节cAMP/cGMP水平及细胞因子水平、使肝细胞功能与代谢恢复平衡、增强肝组织中乙醇代谢关键酶及抗氧化酶活性、同时抑制脂质过氧化反应、减少脂质沉积有关。     

Heterogeneity of Age-Related Neural Hyperactivity along the CA3 Transverse Axis

Age-related memory deficits are correlated with neural hyperactivity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. Abnormal CA3 hyperactivity in aged rats has been proposed to contribute to an imbalance between pattern separation and pattern completion, resulting in overly rigid representations. Recent evidence of functional heterogeneity along the CA3 transverse axis suggests that proximal CA3 supports pattern separation while distal CA3 supports pattern completion. It is not known whether age-related CA3 hyperactivity is uniformly represented along the CA3 transverse axis. We examined the firing rates of CA3 neurons from young and aged, male, Long–Evans rats along the CA3 transverse axis. Consistent with prior studies, young CA3 cells showed an increasing gradient in mean firing rate from proximal to distal CA3. However, aged CA3 cells showed an opposite, decreasing trend, in that CA3 cells in aged rats were hyperactive in proximal CA3, but possibly hypoactive in distal CA3, compared with young (Y) rats. We suggest that, in combination with altered inputs from the entorhinal cortex and dentate gyrus (DG), the proximal CA3 region of aged rats may switch from its normal function that reflects the pattern separation output of the DG and instead performs a computation that reflects an abnormal bias toward pattern completion. In parallel, distal CA3 of aged rats may create weaker attractor basins that promote abnormal, bistable representations under certain conditions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Prior work suggested that age-related CA3 hyperactivity enhances pattern completion, resulting in rigid representations. Implicit in prior studies is the notion that hyperactivity is present throughout a functionally homogeneous CA3 network. However, more recent work has demonstrated functional heterogeneity along the CA3 transverse axis, in that proximal CA3 is involved in pattern separation and distal CA3 is involved in pattern completion. Here, we show that age-related hyperactivity is present only in proximal CA3, with potential hypoactivity in distal CA3. This result provides new insight in the role of CA3 in age-related memory impairments, suggesting that the rigid representations in aging result primarily from dysfunction of computational circuits involving the dentate gyrus (DG) and proximal CA3.     

The Spinal Control of Backward Locomotion

Animal locomotion requires changing direction, from forward to backward. Here, we tested the hypothesis that sensorimotor circuits within the spinal cord generate backward locomotion and adjust it to task demands. We collected kinematic and electromyography (EMG) data during forward and backward locomotion at different treadmill speeds before and after complete spinal transection in six adult cats (three males and three females). After spinal transection, five/six cats performed backward locomotion, which required tonic somatosensory input in the form of perineal stimulation. One spinal cat performed forward locomotion but not backward locomotion while two others stepped backward but not forward. Spatiotemporal adjustments to increasing speed were similar in intact and spinal cats during backward locomotion and strategies were similar to forward locomotion, with shorter cycle and stance durations and longer stride lengths. Patterns of muscle activations, including muscle synergies, were similar for forward and backward locomotion in spinal cats. Indeed, we identified five muscle synergies that were similar during forward and backward locomotion. Lastly, spinal cats also stepped backward on a split-belt treadmill, with the left and right hindlimbs stepping at different speeds. Therefore, our results show that spinal sensorimotor circuits generate backward locomotion but require additional excitability compared with forward locomotion. Similar strategies for speed modulation and similar patterns of muscle activations and muscle synergies during forward and backward locomotion are consistent with a shared spinal locomotor network, with sensory feedback from the limbs controlling the direction.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Animal locomotion requires changing direction, including forward, sideways and backward. This paper shows that the center controlling locomotion within the spinal cord can produce a backward pattern when instructed by sensory signals from the limbs. However, the spinal locomotor network requires greater excitability to produce backward locomotion compared with forward locomotion. The paper also shows that the spinal network controlling locomotion in the forward direction also controls locomotion in the backward direction.