Long prereproductive selection and divergence by depth in a Caribbean candelabrum coral

Long-lived corals, the foundation of modern reefs, often follow ecological gradients, so that populations or sister species segregate by habitat. Adaptive divergence maintains sympatric congeners after secondary contact or may even generate species by natural selection in the face of gene flow. Such ecological divergence, initially between alternative phenotypes within populations, may be aided by immigrant inviability, especially when a long period separates larval dispersal and the onset of reproduction, during which selection can sort lineages to match different habitats. Here, we evaluate the strength of one ecological factor (depth) to isolate populations by comparing the genes and morphologies of pairs of depth-segregated populations of the candelabrum coral Eunicea flexuosa across the Caribbean. Eunicea is endemic to the Caribbean and all sister species co-occur. Eunicea flexuosa is widespread both geographically and across reef habitats. Our genetic analysis revealed two depth-segregated lineages. Field survivorship data, combined with estimates of selection coefficients based on transplant experiments, suggest that selection is strong enough to segregate these two lineages. Genetic exchange between the Shallow and Deep lineages occurred either immediately after divergence or the two have diverged with gene flow. Migration occurs asymmetrically from the Shallow to Deep lineage. Limited recruitment to reproductive age, even under weak annual selection advantage, is sufficient to generate habitat segregation because of the cumulative prolonged prereproductive selection. Ecological factors associated with depth can act as filters generating strong barriers to gene flow, altering morphologies, and contributing to the potential for speciation in the sea.     

Impairment of long-term potentiation induction is essential for the disruption of spatial memory after microwave exposure

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the impact of microwave exposure on learning and memory and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Materials and methods: 100 Wistar rats were exposed to a 2.856 GHz pulsed microwave field at average power densities of 0 mW/cm², 5 mW/cm², 10 mW/cm² and 50 mW/cm² for 6 min. The spatial memory was assessed by the Morris Water Maze (MWM) task. An in vivo study was conducted soon after microwave exposure to evaluate the changes of population spike (PS) amplitudes of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the medial perforant path (MPP)-dentate gyrus (DG) pathway. The structure of the hippocampus was observed by the light microscopy and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at 7 d after microwave exposure.

Results: Our results showed that the rats exposed in 10 mW/cm² and 50 mW/cm² microwave displayed significant deficits in spatial learning and memory at 6 h, 1 d and 3 d after exposure. Decreased PS amplitudes were also found after 10 mW/cm² and 50 mW/cm² microwave exposure. In addition, varying degrees of degeneration of hippocampal neurons, decreased synaptic vesicles and blurred synaptic clefts were observed in the rats exposed in 10 mW/cm² and 50 mW/cm² microwave. Compared with the sham group, the rats exposed in 5 mW/cm² microwave showed no difference in the above experiments.

Conclusions: This study suggested that impairment of LTP induction and the damages of hippocampal structure, especially changes of synapses, might contribute to cognitive impairment after microwave exposure.     

Behavioural and neurophysiological markers reveal differential sensitivity to homeostatic interactions between centrally and peripherally applied passive stimulation

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective tool for inducing functional plastic changes in the brain. rTMS can also potentiate the effects of other interventions such as tactile coactivation, a form of repetitive stimulation, when both are applied simultaneously. In this study, we investigated the interaction of these techniques in affecting tactile acuity and cortical excitability, measured with somatosensory evoked potentials after paired median nerve stimulation. We first applied a session of 5‐Hz rTMS, followed by a session of tactile repetitive stimulation, consisting of intermittent high‐frequency tactile stimulation (iHFS) to a group of 15 healthy volunteers (“rTMS + iHFS” group). In a second group (“rTMS w/o iHFS”), rTMS was applied without iHFS, with a third assessment performed after a similar wait period. In the rTMS w/o iHFS group, the 5‐Hz rTMS induced an increase in cortical excitability that continued to build for at least 25 min after stimulation, with the effect on excitability after the wait period being inversely correlated to the baseline state. In the rTMS + iHFS group, the second intervention prevented the continued increase in excitability after rTMS. In contrast to the effect on cortical excitability, rTMS produced an improvement in tactile acuity that remained stable until the last assessment, independent of the presence or absence of iHFS. Our results show that these methods can interact homeostatically when used consecutively, and suggest that different measures of cortical plasticity are differentially susceptible to homeostatic interactions.     

Label retaining cells in cancer – The dormant root of evil?

The phenomenon of cellular dormancy has been observed in normal adult stem cells in many different tissues such as the skin, the intestine and the hematopoietic system. These dormant cells have been proposed to be important for life-long self-renewal and for the generation of the different cellular lineages. As tumor cells can share properties with normal stem cells, dormant cells might also exist within a tumor. The term tumor dormancy has evolved from the clinical observation in cancer patients that relapse can occur years to decades after apparently successful treatment, suggesting that some cancer cells might resist chemotherapy and persist in a dormant state. Several studies investigating the role of cellular dormancy in normal stem cells and in cancer hint towards a complex network involving different pools of cells. These cells might interact with each other or even dynamically switch their phenotypes dependent upon so far unknown endogenous and microenvironmental stimuli. In this review, we will discuss the recent findings related to cellular dormancy in normal adult stem cells and in cancer. Furthermore, the clinical relevance of dormancy and its dynamic regulation in tumor cells will be highlighted.     

成年人弱视的认识与研究进展

成年人弱视是通常弱视概念的延伸,视神经可塑性的研究证明了成年人弱视治疗的可能性.与儿童弱视相比,成年人弱视有其群体和生理发育的特殊性,本文概述了近几年国内外相关文献报道,阐述了成年人弱视的相关治疗方法及其特殊性,提示进一步研究和探索成年人弱视的治疗将对以往视觉发育及视觉可塑性的理论提出新的挑战.     

Yohimbine Depresses Excitatory Transmission in BNST and Impairs Extinction of Cocaine Place Preference Through Orexin-Dependent,Norepinephrine-Independent Processes

The alpha2 adrenergic receptor (α₂-AR) antagonist yohimbine is a widely used tool for the study of anxiogenesis and stress-induced drug-seeking behavior. We previously demonstrated that yohimbine paradoxically depresses excitatory transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a region critical to the integration of stress and reward pathways, and produces an impairment of extinction of cocaine-conditioned place preference (cocaine-CPP) independent of α₂-AR signaling. Recent studies show yohimbine-induced drug-seeking behavior is attenuated by orexin receptor 1 (OX₁R) antagonists. Moreover, yohimbine-induced cocaine-seeking behavior is BNST-dependent. Here, we investigated yohimbine-orexin interactions. Our results demonstrate yohimbine-induced depression of excitatory transmission in the BNST is unaffected by alpha1-AR and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor-1 (CRFR₁) antagonists, but is (1) blocked by OxR antagonists and (2) absent in brain slices from orexin knockout mice. Although the actions of yohimbine were not mimicked by the norepinephrine transporter blocker reboxetine, they were by exogenously applied orexin A. We find that, as with yohimbine, orexin A depression of excitatory transmission in BNST is OX₁R–dependent. Finally, we find these ex vivo effects are paralleled in vivo, as yohimbine-induced impairment of cocaine-CPP extinction is blocked by a systemically administered OX₁R antagonist. These data highlight a new mechanism for orexin on excitatory anxiety circuits and demonstrate that some of the actions of yohimbine may be directly dependent upon orexin signaling and independent of norepinephrine and CRF in the BNST.     

Neural control of gene recruitment in metazoans

Gene recruitment played a critical role in metazoan evolution. Yet, there is no consensus on whether it is an accidental event or a result of an inherent “gene recruiting” mechanism. The prevailing opinion among biologists is that gene recruitment results from random changes in genes or their regulatory regions, but the supporting evidence is poor and controversial. Herein, I present a mechanism in which gene recruitment is a neurally determined event, an adaptive response to changes in environmental conditions. In support of the hypothesis, I present evidence on the manipulative expression of genes in the central nervous system, as well as neurally determined examples of gene recruitment in transgenerational developmental plasticity and in evolution of metazoans Developmental Dynamics 240:1–8, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Adolescent brain maturation,the endogenous cannabinoid system and the neurobiology of cannabis-induced schizophrenia

Cannabis use during adolescence increases the risk of developing psychotic disorders later in life. However, the neurobiological processes underlying this relationship are unknown. This review reports the results of a literature search comprising various neurobiological disciplines, ultimately converging into a model that might explain the neurobiology of cannabis-induced schizophrenia. The article briefly reviews current insights into brain development during adolescence. In particular, the role of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in experience-dependent maturation of specific cortical circuitries is examined. The review also covers recent hypotheses regarding disturbances in strengthening and pruning of synaptic connections in the prefrontal cortex, and the link with latent psychotic disorders. In the present model, cannabis-induced schizophrenia is considered to be a distortion of normal late postnatal brain maturation. Distortion of glutamatergic transmission during critical periods may disturb prefrontal neurocircuitry in specific brain areas. Our model postulates that adolescent exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive substance in cannabis, transiently disturbs physiological control of the endogenous cannabinoid system over glutamate and GABA release. As a result, THC may adversely affect adolescent experience-dependent maturation of neural circuitries within prefrontal cortical areas. Depending on dose, exact time window and duration of exposure, this may ultimately lead to the development of psychosis or schizophrenia. The proposed model provides testable hypotheses which can be addressed in future studies, including animal experiments, reanalysis of existing epidemiological data, and prospective epidemiological studies in which the role of the dose–time–effect relationship should be central.     

5.8 GHz射频辐射对大鼠学习记忆和海马神经元突触可塑性的影响

目的 探讨5.8 GHz射频辐射（radiofrequency,RF）暴露对大鼠学习记忆和海马神经元突触可塑性的影响,为科学评价5.8 GHz RF的潜在健康危害提供理论和实验参考。方法 56只健康成年雄性Sprague-Dawley大鼠按随机数表法分为假暴露组（Sham）和射频暴露组（RF）,每组28只,RF组每天暴露1 h,连续暴露15 d或30 d,频率为5.8 GHz,全身比吸收率为1.15 W/kg。采用Morris水迷宫检测大鼠学习记忆能力;Nissl染色观察大鼠海马组织结构及神经元数量;Golgi染色观察大鼠海马CA1区树突棘密度;Western blot检测海马组织内突触后致密蛋白PSD95、突触小泡蛋白Synaptophysin的水平;液相色谱-质谱联用仪检测海马组织内神经递质含量。结果 Morris水迷宫实验中,RF暴露15和30 d,Sham组与RF组大鼠的逃逸潜伏期、穿越平台次数、目标象限停留时间百分比及首次到达平台的潜伏期差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）;Sham组和RF组海马区组织结构与神经元数量、CA1区树突棘密度（顶树突棘密度：15 d分别为5.10±0.20、4.89±0.24,30 d分别为4.58±0.27、4.49±0.24;基树突棘密度：15 d分别为4.81±0.17、4.79±0.34,30 d分别为4.20±0.27、4.22±0.17）、海马组织内PSD95及Synaptophysin表达水平及海马组织内多种神经递质含量均无明显变化（P>0.05）。结论 本实验条件下的5.8 GHz RF暴露对雄性大鼠空间学习记忆及海马神经元突触可塑性无影响。     

The Unc13A isoform is important for phasic release and olfactory memory formation at mushroom body synapses

Abstract

The cellular analysis of mushroom body (MB)-dependent memory forming processes is far advanced, whereas, the molecular and physiological understanding of their synaptic basis lags behind. Recent analysis of the Drosophila olfactory system showed that Unc13A, a member of the M(Unc13) release factor family, promotes a phasic, high release probability component, while Unc13B supports a slower tonic release component, reflecting their different nanoscopic positioning within individual active zones. We here use STED super-resolution microscopy of MB lobe synapses to show that Unc13A clusters closer to the active zone centre than Unc13B. Unc13A specifically supported phasic transmission and short-term plasticity of Kenyon cell:output neuron synapses, measured by combining electrophysiological recordings of output neurons with optogenetic stimulation. Knockdown of unc13A within Kenyon cells provoked drastic deficits of olfactory aversive short-term and anaesthesia-sensitive middle-term memory. Knockdown of unc13B provoked milder memory deficits. Thus, a low frequency domain transmission component is probably crucial for the proper representation of memory-associated activity patterns, consistent with sparse Kenyon cell activation during memory acquisition and retrieval. Notably, Unc13A/B ratios appeared highly diversified across MB lobes, leaving room for an interplay of activity components in memory encoding and retrieval.