The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
INTRODUCTION: Trans-spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) is a neuromodulative technique used to improve motor functions in neurological disorders and to facilitate sport performance. However, despite the broad application of spinal cord polarization, the physiological mechanisms behind the observed effects remain unclear. We have recently demonstrated that anodal or cathodal tsDCS can alter motoneuron...
INTRODUCTION: The retina is specialized to detect and process light information by three types of cells: rods, cones, and melanopsin cells. In rodents, S‑cones are maximally sensitive to 359 nm light, thus enabling them to see and use light in the UV range. The olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN) receives strong retinal innervation and is responsible for pupillary light reflex (PLR), which depends mostly...
INTRODUCTION: The role of primary sensory cortical areas in perception and behavior remains unclear. Moreover, the functional plasticity of these circuits during task acquisition is largely unknown. AIM(S): Here, we developed a visual learning task in awake, head-fixed mice in which animals learn to associate a small drifting grating stimulus with an aversive air puff to the cornea, driving the establishment...
INTRODUCTION: Social play behavior is crucial for acquiring social skills and the development of normal socioaffective responses. The repertoire of social play in rats changes throughout the life, peaking during the juvenile period and falling off around adolescence. The most characteristic postures in social plays of rodents are pinning and pouncing. In addition to playful activities during social...
INTRODUCTION: Oxidative stress is the cause of various pathophysiological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases. Under physiological conditions, Nrf2 transcription factor is associated with the Keap1 inhibitory protein and anchored in the actin cytoskeleton, and hence its transcriptional activity is limited. The Keap1‑Nrf2 regulatory pathway plays an important role in cell protection, therefore...
INTRODUCTION: Unfused tetanic contractions of fast motor units exhibit a transitional decline in force following the initial extra-efficient force development, known as sag. Sag is sensitive to changing energy demands and the fuels metabolized to meet these demands. AIM(S): Since different training modes have varying effects on cellular energy systems in muscles, we aimed to determine how endurance,...
INTRODUCTION: Imaging of entire brains at cellular resolution, enabled by light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) and optical tissue clearing, offers insights into neural activity at a high magnification while preserving the brain‑wide context. AIM(S): We propose a set of open-source computational tools that address three fundamental challenges associated with the analysis of LSFM images of entire...
INTRODUCTION: Drug discrimination is an important technique in behavioral pharmacology since the last 40 years. LSD affects multiple receptor subtypes of the serotonergic system and is one of the most powerful agents producing psychedelic effects. METHOD(S): Male Sprague Dawley rats were trained in two lever operant conditioning chambers using the FR10 schedule of reinforcement to discriminate 0.08...
INTRODUCTION: Voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv) are selective transmembrane proteins that allow transport of K+ across the plasma membrane, where they play an important role in establishing the resting potential. They are involved in a variety of biological processes crucial for proper functioning of the cells. In this study we are focused on zebrafish Kcnb1 (Kv2.1), a member of the electrically...
INTRODUCTION: Experiments concerning the influence of temperature on mammalian muscles have reported that contractile properties and metabolism are sensitive to the temperature. However, in the literature, there is no information concerning consequences of reduced temperature for the motor unit (MU) contractile properties. Based on available data, we expected predominantly a slowdown in twitch time...
INTRODUCTION: The Amot‑Yap1 complex plays a major role in the regulation of cell contact inhibition, cellular polarity and growth in many cell types. However, the function of the Amot and Hippo pathway transcription co‑activator Yap1 in the CNS remains unclear. Recent studies have demonstrated that, in mature hippocampal neurons, Amot localizes to dendritic spines where it associates with synaptic...
INTRODUCTION: The ketogenic diet (KD) is a very‑low‑carbohydrate, high‑fat and adequate protein nutritional approach that induces metabolic shift to the use of ketone bodies instead of glucose as a main energy source. For decades, the KD has been employed to manage drug-resistant epilepsy, but recently it is increasingly considered as an alternative or add-on therapy in many other disorders. The positive...
INTRODUCTION: Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is most effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) motor symptoms. A number of epidemiological studies have recently highlighted the association between hemoglobin (HGB) levels and PD risk. Interestingly, several lines of evidence confirm that STN-DBS increases regional cerebral blood flow and oxygen concentrations in target...
INTRODUCTION: Each human action involving tools requires transformations of motor responses of hands/ fingers (or different effectors) into mechanical actions of a tool. Whereas tools requiring a relatively low level of motor-to-mechanical transformations were extensively studied, little is known about the neural underpinnings of complex tool use, which involves compound motor‑to‑mechanical transformations...
INTRODUCTION: Prosocial behaviors may be broadly defined as actions that benefit others. While these behaviors are intuitively simple, the underlying mechanism driving prosocial actions are only partly understood, and the methods to observe them under laboratory conditions remain limited. AIM(S): Here, we describe a novel task that assesses prosocial choices in mice and tests the frequency of prosocial...
INTRODUCTION: Not only muscle contraction, but also muscle relaxation plays an important role for performance of voluntary movements. Most of the studies have focused on muscle contraction rather than on their relaxation. Research on motor ability has established clearly that mental practice leads to improved execution of movement. AIM(S): Assessment of the effect of a four-week mental training on...
INTRODUCTION: Using tools according to their functions requires parallel signal processing in numerous and specialized brain areas. So far, fMRI research on neural substrates underlying interactions with tools was mostly restricted to unimanual, pantomimed tool use. AIM(S): The scope of this project was to establish whether representations involved in planning bimanual grasps and subsequent usage...
INTRODUCTION: The serotonergic system has been implicated in several CNS activities, including social behaviour. The serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT) plays a key role in the regulation of serotonergic system functioning. Therefore, rats lacking SERT (SERT- /- ) represent a valuable model to study the consequences of constitutive increases in serotonin concentrations. In adult laboratory rats,...
INTRODUCTION: A number of invasive and noninvasive brain‑stimulation techniques are used in clinical neurology. Stimulation of peripheral nerves may affect brain activity through a bottom-up mechanism, for instance, by stimulating cranial nerve nuclei in the brainstem. With specific regard to peripheral methods, studies using vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) have demonstrated that neurostimulation modalities...
The neuronal immediate early gene Arc plays a critical role in synaptic plasticity and homeostatic scaling by regulating AMPA receptor trafficking. We previously proposed the inverse synaptic tagging mechanism of Arc for synapse‑specific AMPA receptor regulation. As follow‑up studies, we investigated subunit‑specific AMPA receptor regulation by Arc during structural plasticity in cultured hippocampal...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.