Learning an environment–actor coordination skill: visuomotor transformation and coherency of perceptual structure

The coordination dynamics of learning were examined in a visuomotor tracking task. Participants produced rhythmic elbow flexion–extension motions to learn a visually defined 90° relative phase tracking pattern with an external sinusoidal signal. There were two visuomotor transformation groups, a correct feedback group and a mirrored feedback group with feedback representing the elbow’s motion transformed by 180°. In Experiment 1, the to-be-tracked signal and the participant’s motion signal were superimposed within a single window display. In Experiment 2, the to-be-tracked signal and participant’s signal were presented in separate windows. Before day 1 practice and 24 h after day 2 practice, participants attempted visually defined 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180° relative phase tracking patterns either with or without visual feedback of the arm’s motion. Before practice, only the 0° and 180° tracking patterns were stable. Practice led to a decrease in phase error toward the required 90° relative phase pattern with a corresponding increase in stability in both the experiments. No effect of visual transformation on performance emerged during practice in the single window task, but did emerge in the two window task. The one window training facilitated transfer to the four unpracticed relative phase patterns, whereas the two window training display only facilitated transfer performance to a single unpracticed relative phase pattern. These findings suggest that the perceptual structure determined the degree of learning and transfer and interacted with the visuomotor transformation. The present findings are discussed with reference to how the visual display constrains the coherency of independent signals with regard to learning and transfer and the role of perceptual discrimination processes linked to transfer.

Marital norm,reality and satisfaction in middle-aged couples: why are wives less satisfied than husbands?

The purpose of this study was to investigate recent changes in marital norm and reality in middle-aged couples, and how marital reality, as perceived by oneself, was associated with their demographic variables, as well as their marital satisfaction. A questionnaire was administered, and 277 pairs of middle-aged, nuclear-family couples participated. Main findings were as follows. First, factor analysis of marital reality variables extracted three factors: love each other, respect for the husband's life style, and respect for wife's life style. Second, concerning the wife's education and income, 'respect for the wife's life style' was highest among highly educated double income couples. Third, 'love each other' was the most important predictor of marital satisfaction for both husbands and wives. Finally, 'respect for the husband's the life style' was associated with husband's satisfaction, while that for the wife's was not with wife's marital satisfaction.     

The heart–joints connection: atherosclerosis and inflammation

Advances in basic and clinical sciences have established the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction is the initial event, which is followed by lipid oxidation, atheroma formation and rupture, as well as the formation of a thrombus, leading to a clinical event. A decreased survival due to accelerated atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatic diseases has been demonstrated; this cannot be fully explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting that disease-related factors are also operative. Aggressive antirheumatic therapies may impact favorably not only on the activity of these diseases but also on the cardiovascular-associated risk factors, resulting in better outcomes.     

More than complementing Tolls: complement–Toll-like receptor synergy and crosstalk in innate immunity and inflammation

Complement and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play key roles in the host immune response and are swiftly activated by infection or other types of immunological stress. This review focuses on the capacity of complement and TLRs to engage in signaling crosstalk, ostensibly to coordinate immune and inflammatory responses through synergistic or antagonistic (regulatory) interactions. However, overactivation or dysregulation of either system may lead—often synergistically—to exaggerated inflammation and host tissue injury. Intriguingly, moreover, certain pathogens can manipulate complement–TLR crosstalk pathways in ways that undermine host immunity and favor their persistence. In the setting of polymicrobial inflammatory disease, subversion of complement–TLR crosstalk by keystone pathogens can promote dysbiosis. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying complement–TLR crosstalk pathways can, therefore, be used productively for tailored therapeutic approaches, such as, to enhance host immunity, mitigate destructive inflammation, or counteract microbial subversion of the host response.     

Host–microbiota interaction and intestinal stem cells in chronic inflammation and colorectal cancer

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) are the major diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract. The intestinal epithelium plays a critical role in the host’s interactions with the large communities of resident luminal bacteria. Epithelial cells recognize the bacterial components via pattern-recognition receptors. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a major class of pattern-recognition receptors that are present on intestinal epithelial cells, including putative stem cells. Stem cells are responsible for tissue homeostasis and regeneration after injury including IBD. Stem cells are also implicated in the pathogenesis of CRC. In susceptible individuals, disruption of normal homeostatic balance between the host’s mucosal cells and enteric microflora is believed to result in aberrant immune responses against the resident commensal bacteria, leading to IBD. Microbiological analyses have revealed that the composition and localization of microbiota is altered in CRC and IBD. It is plausible that stem cells directly sense and respond to microbiota. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the effect of microbiota and TLR signaling on intestinal stem cells. It also describes how TLR signaling could affect the stem cell regulatory pathways.     

Should ART be offered to HIV-serodiscordant and HIV-seroconcordant couples: an ethical discussion?

Increasingly, fertility clinics are offering their services to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-serodiscordant couples where the woman is seropositive. In the case of HIV-seroconcordant couples, there remains a general reluctance to provide treatment. This attitude to seroconcordant couples is reminiscent of that once widely held towards serodiscordant couples when the risk of vertical transmission rates in pregnant women was greater than 1-2%. Due to recent advances in HIV clinical care and assisted reproduction technique (ART) procedures directed at reducing the risk of viral transmission during gamete transfer, where good healthcare is available, the current risk rate has fallen to 1-2%. This article deals with the ethical arguments of those who remain opposed to offering HIV-serodiscordant and HIV-seroconcordant couples access to ART. Until these arguments have been addressed, clinics providing ART to such couples cannot be assured that their practices are ethical.     

Insights from in situ analysis of TCR–pMHC recognition: response of an interaction network

Recognition of peptide presented by the major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) molecule by the T-cell receptor (TCR) determines T-cell selection, development, differentiation, fate, and function. Despite intensive studies on the structures, thermodynamic properties, kinetic rates, and affinities of TCR–pMHC interactions in the past two decades, questions regarding the functional outcome of these interactions, i.e. how binding of the αβ TCR heterodimer with distinct pMHCs triggers different intracellular signals via the adjacent CD3 components to produce different T-cell responses, remain unclear. Most kinetic measurements have used surface plasmon resonance, a three-dimensional (3D) technique in which fluid-phase receptors and ligands are removed from their cellular environment. Recently, several two-dimensional (2D) techniques have been developed to analyze molecular interactions on live T cells with pMHCs presented by surrogate antigen-presenting cells or supported planar lipid bilayers. The insights from these in situ analyses have provided a sharp contrast of the 2D network biology approach to the 3D reductionist approach and prompted rethinking of our current views of T-cell triggering. Based on these insights, we propose a mechanochemical coupled triggering hypothesis to explain why the in situ kinetic parameters differ so much from their 3D counterparts, yet correlate so much better with T-cell functional responses.     

Depressive symptoms in inflammatory bowel disease: an extraintestinal manifestation of inflammation?

Depressive symptoms are reported by more than 20% of people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), while sleep difficulties and fatigue are even more common. Co-morbid depressive symptoms predict a poor IBD course, including increased risk of relapse and surgery, which is inconsistently improved by psychological treatments. Rather than being distinct systems, there is compelling evidence for bidirectional communication between gut and brain, driven by neural, metabolic, endocrine and inflammatory mediators. An emerging concept is that depressive symptoms may be mechanistically linked to excess inflammation and dysregulation of the gut–brain axis. Given the close link between the intestinal microbiota and host immune responses, patients prone to shifts in their intestinal microbiome, including smokers, those with poor diet and early life stress, may be exposed to exaggerated immune responses. Excess inflammation is associated with brain changes (depressive symptoms, fatigue, sleep difficulties) and worsening gastrointestinal symptoms, which are exacerbated by psychological distress. Equally, treatments both for depressive symptoms and IBD provide opportunities to break this cycle by reducing the causes and effects of inflammation. As well as addressing potential risk factors such as smoking and diet, treatments to alter the microbiome may reduce depressive symptoms. Observational evidence suggests that anti-inflammatory treatments for IBD may improve co-morbid depressive symptoms correlating with reduction in inflammation. With a growing range of treatments targeting inflammation centrally, peripherally and in the gut, IBD provides a unique model to understand the interplay between brain and gut in the pathogenesis of depressive symptoms, both in IBD and in the whole population.     

Increased blood–brain barrier vulnerability to systemic inflammation in an Alzheimer disease mouse model

Behavioral and psychological problems are often observed in patients with dementia such as that associated with Alzheimer disease, and these noncognitive symptoms place an extremely heavy burden on the family and caregivers. Although it is well know that these symptoms often are triggered by infection of peripheral organs, the underlying mechanisms for these pathological conditions are still unclear. In this study, using an Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein (APP)-transgenic mouse, we analyzed behavioral changes and brain inflammatory response induced by peripheral administration of lipopolysaccharide. Application of a unique in vivo microdialysis system revealed that the increase in brain inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-6) level was significantly higher in APP-Tg than in wild-type mice after peripheral lipopolysaccharide injection, which was associated with more severe sickness behaviors. The blood–brain barrier became more permeable in APP-Tg mice during peripherally evoked inflammation, suggesting the increased vulnerability of the blood–brain barrier to inflammation in this animal model of Alzheimer's disease. These findings might provide insight into the pathogenesis of noncognitive symptoms in dementia and a basis to develop new therapeutic treatments for them.     

The atypical PKCs in inflammation: NF-κB and beyond

From the very early days of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) research, it was recognized that different protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms might be involved in the activation of NF-κB. Pharmacological tools and pseudosubstrate inhibitors suggested that these kinases play a role in this important inflammatory and survival pathway; however, it was the analysis of several genetic mouse knockout models that revealed the complexity and interrelations between the different components of the PB1 network in several cellular functions, including T-cell biology, bone homeostasis, inflammation associated with the metabolic syndrome, and cancer. These studies unveiled, for example, the critical role of PKCζ as a positive regulator of NF-κB through the regulation of RelA but also its inflammatory suppressor activities through the regulation of the interleukin-4 signaling cascade. This observation is of relevance in T cells, where p62, PKCζ, PKCλ/ι, and NBR1 establish a mesh of interactions that culminate in the regulation of T-cell effector responses through the modulation of T-cell polarity. Many questions remain to be answered, not just from the point of view of the implication for NF-κB activation but also with regard to the in vivo interplay between these pathways in pathophysiological processes like obesity and cancer.     

Multi-muscle control during bipedal stance: an EMG–EMG analysis approach

Posture and postural reactions to mechanical perturbations require the harmonic modulation of the activity of multiple muscles. This precision can become suboptimal in the presence of neuromuscular disorders and result in higher fall risk and associated levels of comorbidity. This study was designed to investigate neurophysiological principles related to the generation and distribution of inputs to skeletal muscles previously recognized as a synergistic group. Specifically, we investigated the current hypothesis that correlated neural inputs, as measured by intermuscular coherence, are the mechanism used by the central nervous system to coordinate the formation of postural muscle synergies. This hypothesis was investigated by analyzing the strength and distribution of correlated neural inputs to postural muscles during the execution of a quiet stance task. Nine participants, 4 females and 5 males, mean age 29.2 years old (±6.1 SD), performed the task of standing while holding a 5-kg barbell in front of their bodies at chest level. Subjects were asked to maintain a standing position for 10 s while the activity of three postural muscles was recorded by surface electrodes: soleus (SOL), biceps femoris (BF), and lumbar erector spinae (ERE). EMG–EMG coherence was estimated for three muscle pairs (SOL/BF, SOL/ERE, and BF/ERE). Our choice of studying these muscles was made based on the fact that they have been reported as components of a functional (synergistic) muscle group that emerges during the execution of bipedal stance. In addition, an isometric contraction can be easily induced in this muscle group by simply adding a weight to the body’s anterior aspect. The experimental condition elicited a significant increase in muscle activation levels for all three muscles (p < 0.01 for all muscles). EMG–EMG coherence analysis revealed significant coherence within two distinct frequency bands, 0–5 and 5–20 Hz. Significant coherence within the later frequency band was also found to be significantly uniformly distributed across the three muscle pairs. These findings are interpreted as corroborative with the idea of a hierarchic system of control where the controller may use the generation of common neural inputs to reduce the number of variables it manipulates.     

Psychosocial services for couples in infertility treatment: What do couples really want?

Objectives

To describe the psychosocial supports that infertile couples desire to help cope with infertility-related distress, which psychosocial services they sought, and the benefits and drawbacks of these services.

Methods

Qualitative interview study with 32 heterosexual infertile couples seeking infertility treatment. Maximum variation sampling was used; data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Most couples desired psychosocial support, but only half of the sample sought support. Some couples met with psychologists for help with relationship conflict and coping strategies. Participants suggested peer mentoring to fulfill needs for coping, shared experience, and guidance through the treatment process. Couples also desired written information about practical and emotional aspects of treatment. Negative attitudes toward psychological counseling and a lack of information about support services prevented some couples from seeking support.

Conclusions

Infertile couples expressed numerous needs for psychosocial supports, but often felt that supports were not available. A variety of services should be offered in order to fulfill patients’ varied needs.

Practice implications

Awareness of the reasons why patients desire psychosocial services will help clinicians to refer patients to currently available psychosocial supports, and will aid in the development of appropriate supports, including couples counseling, peer mentoring, and written information in lay language.     

Automatic and imperative motor activations in stimulus–response compatibility: magnetoencephalographic analysis of upper and lower limbs

The stimulus–response (S–R) compatibility effect refers to the difference in performance due to the spatial S–R relationship in choice reaction time. We investigated the mechanism of neural activities in S–R compatibility at the level of the primary motor cortices for upper and lower limbs responses using magnetoencephalography (MEG). In the S–R compatible task, subjects were required to respond on the same side of the stimulus light using either an upper or lower limb. In the incompatible task, subjects were required to respond in the reverse manner. Premotor times of upper and lower limbs were faster for the compatible response than for the incompatible response. The neuromagnetic brain activities related to response execution were estimated using a multi-dipole model. Stimulus-locked MEG indicated that the current moments of motor dipoles for both effectors occurred bilaterally and reached the first peak at a constant delay irrespective of whether the task was compatible or incompatible. This indicates that the neural activation of the primary motor cortex is automatically synchronized with the stimulus onset. Response-locked MEG showed that the peak current moment of the motor dipole contralateral to the response was stronger for the compatible task than for the incompatible one regardless of whether the responses were made using the upper or lower limbs. The MEG results suggest that automatic motor activation facilitates imperative motor activation for a compatible response, whereas it is not sufficient to prime imperative motor activation for an incompatible response.