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Results for “spatial dependency”

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PubMed2003

Dopamine-dependent facilitation of LTP induction in hippocampal CA1 by exposure to spatial novelty.

In addition to its role in memory formation, the hippocampus may act as a novelty detector. Here we investigated whether attention to novel events can promote the associative synaptic plasticity mechanisms believed to be necessary for storing those events in memory. We therefore examined whether exposure to a novel spatial environment promoted the induction of activity-dependent persistent increases in glutamatergic transmission (long-term potentiation, LTP) at CA1 synapses in the rat hippocampus. We found that brief exposure to a novel environment lowered the threshold for the induction of LTP. This facilitatory effect was present for a short period following novelty exposure but was absent in animals that explored a familiar environment. Furthermore, the facilitation was dependent on activation of D1/D5 receptors. These findings support an important role for dopamine-regulated synaptic plasticity in the storage of unpredicted information in the CA1 area.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Memory deficit in mice administered aluminum-maltolate complex.

Recently, aluminum (Al) has been identified as one of the environmental factors responsible for cause certain nerve degeneration diseases, particularly, Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relationship between Al and AD is controversial. We previously examined whether Al induced neurotoxin in the brain of mice when aluminum-maltolate complex (ALM) was administered daily for 120 days. Our results revealed that Al accumulated in the brain induced oxidative stress, and the nerve degeneration was detected in the brain of the ALM-treated group. On the basis of these results, we have tried to examine whether the incorporated Al affects memory in mice with regard to an indicator of spatial memory deficits depending on the chemical forms of Al, namely, as an ion (AlCl3) and in the form of a complex (ALM). We administered saline, AlCl3, and ALM at a concentration of 40 micromol Al/kg body weight to mice by daily ip injections for 60 days. We assessed spatial memory by a water maze task and determined the Al levels in the brain of the mice by the neutron activation analysis method. Spatial memory deficit as an indicator of the swimming time was related to Al accumulation in the brain of mice; the chemical form of the Al compound was important in order to exhibit the memory deficit in mice; the uptake of Al is higher in mice when it is administered in a complex form than in an ionic form.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Osteoblastic responses to TGF-beta during bone remodeling.

Bone remodeling depends on the spatial and temporal coupling of bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts; however, the molecular basis of these inductive interactions is unknown. We have previously shown that osteoblastic overexpression of TGF-beta2 in transgenic mice deregulates bone remodeling and leads to an age-dependent loss of bone mass that resembles high-turnover osteoporosis in humans. This phenotype implicates TGF-beta2 as a physiological regulator of bone remodeling and raises the question of how this single secreted factor regulates the functions of osteoblasts and osteoclasts and coordinates their opposing activities in vivo. To gain insight into the physiological role of TGF-beta in bone remodeling, we have now characterized the responses of osteoblasts to TGF-beta in these transgenic mice. We took advantage of the ability of alendronate to specifically inhibit bone resorption, the lack of osteoclast activity in c-fos-/- mice, and a new transgenic mouse line that expresses a dominant-negative form of the type II TGF-beta receptor in osteoblasts. Our results show that TGF-beta directly increases the steady-state rate of osteoblastic differentiation from osteoprogenitor cell to terminally differentiated osteocyte and thereby increases the final density of osteocytes embedded within bone matrix. Mice overexpressing TGF-beta2 also have increased rates of bone matrix formation; however, this activity does not result from a direct effect of TGF-beta on osteoblasts, but is more likely a homeostatic response to the increase in bone resorption caused by TGF-beta. Lastly, we find that osteoclastic activity contributes to the TGF-beta-induced increase in osteoblast differentiation at sites of bone resorption. These results suggest that TGF-beta is a physiological regulator of osteoblast differentiation and acts as a central component of the coupling of bone formation to resorption during bone remodeling.

Alendronate↗

PubMed1980

Human aging and spatial vision.

The ability to see spatial structures of a wide range of sizes was measured for two groups of observers (mean ages, 18 and 73 years). All observers had good visual acuity. Although older and younger observers did not differ in ability to see targets with fine structure (high spatial frequencies), older observers were only one-third as sensitive to targets with coarse structure (low spatial frequencies) as were younger observers or to changes in criterion. Older observers were also less able than younger observers to see moving targets. The reduced sensitivity of the older observers may adversely affect routine perceptual activities, such as face recognition and visually guided postural behavior, that depend upon low spatial frequencies.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Avoid, attack or do both? Behavioral and physiological adaptations in natural enemies faced with novel hosts.

BACKGROUND: Confronted with well-defended, novel hosts, should an enemy invest in avoidance of these hosts (behavioral adaptation), neutralization of the defensive innovation (physiological adaptation) or both? Although simultaneous investment in both adaptations may first appear to be redundant, several empirical studies have suggested a reinforcement of physiological resistance to host defenses with additional avoidance behaviors. To explain this paradox, we develop a mathematical model describing the joint evolution of behavioral and physiological adaptations on the part of natural enemies to their host defenses. Our specific goals are (i) to derive the conditions that may favor the simultaneous investment in avoidance and physiological resistance and (ii) to study the factors that govern the relative investment in each adaptation mode. RESULTS: Our results show that (i) a simultaneous investment may be optimal if the fitness costs of the adaptive traits are accelerating and the probability of encountering defended hosts is low. When (i) holds, we find that (ii) the more that defended hosts are rare and/or spatially aggregated, the more behavioral adaptation is favored. CONCLUSION: Despite their interference, physiological resistance to host defensive innovations and avoidance of these same defenses are two strategies in which it may be optimal for an enemy to invest in simultaneously. The relative allocation to each strategy greatly depends on host spatial structure. We discuss the implications of our findings for the management of invasive plant species and the management of pest resistance to new crop protectants or varieties.

Adaptation, Biological↗

PubMed2006

Changes over time in the spatiotemporal dynamics of cyclic populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis L.).

We demonstrate changes over time in the spatial and temporal dynamics of an herbivorous small rodent by analyzing time series of population densities obtained at 21 locations on clear cuts within a coniferous forest in Britain from 1984 to 2004. Changes had taken place in the amplitude, periodicity, and synchrony of cycles and density-dependent feedback on population growth rates. Evidence for the presence of a unidirectional traveling wave in rodent abundance was strong near the beginning of the study but had disappeared near the end. This study provides empirical support for the hypothesis that the temporal (such as delayed density dependence structure) and spatial (such as traveling waves) dynamics of cyclic populations are closely linked. The changes in dynamics were markedly season specific, and changes in overwintering dynamics were most pronounced. Climatic changes, resulting in a less seasonal environment with shorter winters near the end of the study, are likely to have caused the changes in vole dynamics. Similar changes in rodent dynamics and the climate as reported from Fennoscandia indicate the involvement of large-scale climatic variables.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

The spatiotemporal learning rule and its efficiency in separating spatiotemporal patterns.

The hippocampus plays an important role in the course of establishing long-term memory, i.e., to make short-term memory of spatially and temporally associated input information. In 1996 (Tsukada et al. 1996), the spatiotemporal learning rule was proposed based on differences observed in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by various spatiotemporal pattern stimuli. One essential point of this learning rule is that the change of synaptic weight depends on both spatial coincidence and the temporal summation of input pulses. We applied this rule to a single-layered neural network and compared its ability to separate spatiotemporal patterns with that of other rules, including the Hebbian learning rule and its extended rules. The simulated results showed that the spatiotemporal learning rule had the highest efficiency in discriminating spatiotemporal pattern sequences, while the Hebbian learning rule (including its extended rules) was sensitive to differences in spatial patterns.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Expression of orphan receptors TR2, TR3, TR4, and p53 in heat-treated testis of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

To investigate the possible role of testicular orphan receptors (TR) TR2, TR3, and TR4 in the process of germ cell apoptosis in the heat-treated testis of monkey, we have examined the spatiotemporal expression of the 3 TR mRNAs in relation to p53 mRNA levels in the monkey testis by in situ hybridization and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction techniques. The results showed that TR2 mRNA was confined to spermatocytes; TR4 and TR3 mRNAs were expressed in both spermatocytes and spermatids. The heat treatment did not change TR2 mRNA level but significantly reduced TR4 mRNA expression in spermatocytes on days 3 and 8 after the heat treatment. TR3 mRNA expression was affected by the heat treatment in a time-dependent manner, with the lowest level on day 30 after the heat shock. Low to moderate signal for p53 mRNA was detected in spermatocytes before treatment, which increased dramatically on days 3, 8, and 30 after the heat shock. The coincident expression of the testicular TR3 and p53 mRNA, spatially and time dependently, implied that the decrease in TR3 expression in the heat-treated testis might be closely related to the p53 signal pathway, whereas the temporal decrease in TR4 production in the testis at the early stage indicated that this orphan receptor might be also involved in germ cell apoptosis. The data suggest that TR3, TR4, and p53 could be important regulators of germ cell apoptosis induced by the heat treatment, whereas TR2 might not be a key regulator in this process.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Synchronized approximately 15.0-35.0 Hz oscillatory response to spatially modulated visual patterns in man.

When suitably stimulated, neurons in the striate visual cortex of cats fire in bursts at 20-60 Hz and the membrane potential oscillates rhythmically in the same frequency range and in phase. These oscillations reflect intrinsic properties of mammalian neurons, occur in coherent spatial patterns that depend on the segregation and stimulus selectivity of stimulated cells, and mediate in long-range synchronization across columns and over large cortical areas of cells responding to the same stimulus property/properties. The pool of activated neurons may be adequate in size to drive cellular oscillations into local fields and mass responses. Accordingly, stimulus-dependent oscillatory activity in the same frequency range was described in man after contrast stimulation. Our results describe oscillatory potentials at approximately 15.0-35.0 Hz that in man are (partly) independent from, and anticipate the occurrence of, the conventional low-frequency visual response evoked by transient, foveal stimulation with spatially-modulated patterns.

Adult↗

PubMed1976

[Conformational heterogeneity of tRNA, detected in the reaction of guanine bases with ketoxal].

The study of kinetic characteristics of the reaction of tRNA guanine bases with kethoxal has shown that temperature, ionic strength and Mg2+ ions, i.e. factors directly affecting the spatial structure of tRNA, influence also on its internal modification. The modification degree under stabilized spatial tRNA structure depends also on the concentration of kethoxal and is expressed in fractional values of the number of modified guanosine residues per tRNA molecule, which indicates the heterogeneity of tRNA for the modification degree. Chromatography of tRNA1 Val preparation on BD cellulose after the exhaustive modification with kethoxal under conditions of stabilized spatial structure has revealed a fraction of molecules completely resistant to the modificator, and a fraction containing differently modified tRNA molecules. tRNA heterogeneity after the reaction with kethoxal (the presence of resistant and reactive forms) indicates conformational heterogeneity of tRNA, expressed in the simultaneous presence of at least two conformer families.

Aldehydes↗

PubMed2007

Global contour processing in amblyopia.

The purpose of the experiments described here was to investigate global image processing using methods that require global processing while eliminating or compensating for low level abnormalities: visibility, shape perception and positional uncertainty. In order to accomplish this we used a closed figure made up of Gabor patches either in noise or on a blank field. The stimuli were circular or elliptical contours, formed by N equally spaced Gabor patches. We performed two separate experiments: In one experiment we fixed N and varied the aspect ratio using a staircase to determine the threshold aspect ratio; in the second experiment we held the aspect ratio constant (at twice the threshold aspect ratio) and varied N in order to measure the threshold number of elements required to judge the shape. Our results confirm and extend previous studies showing that humans with naturally occurring amblyopia show deficits in contour processing. Our results show that the deficits depend strongly on spatial scale (target size and spatial frequency). The deficit in global contour processing is substantially greater in noise (where contour-linking is required) than on a blank field. The magnitude of the deficits is modest when low-level deficits (reduced visibility, increased positional uncertainty, and abnormal shape perception) are minimized, and does not seem to depend much on acuity, crowding or stereoacuity. The residual deficits reported here cannot be simply ascribed to reduced visibility or increased positional uncertainty, and we therefore conclude that these are genuine deficits in global contour segregation and integration.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Gene flow and selection in a two-locus system.

A model of gene flow and selection in two linked loci is analyzed. The problems considered are the effects of linkage on the clines in frequencies at the two loci and the role of gene flow in producing linkage disequilibrium between the loci. Also, the possible significance of linkage as a mechanism for permitting a population of "track" spatial changes in the environment is considered. The results are that when the recombination fraction between the loci is of the same order of magnitude as the selection coefficients or smaller, then linkage is important in determining the gene frequencies and a substantial amount of linkage disequilibrium is present in the cline. Depending on the spatial pattern of selection on the two loci, linkage can either decrease or increase a population's response to local selection.

Models, Biological↗

PubMed1998

Mapping molecular orientation in solids by rotating-frame NQR techniques

A multi-dimensional NQR technique to image both the spatial distribution of quadrupolar nuclei and the local orientation of the electric field gradient tensor at the quadrupole sites in solids is reported. The encoding procedure is based on the irradiation of the sample by a pulse sequence composed of spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous radiofrequency fields. A method that encodes the spatial and orientation information in the amplitudes of the free-induction decay signals and a proper three-dimensional reconstruction procedure that yields the space-orientation-dependent NQR spectra are described. A two-dimensional variant allows rapid measurement of the spatially dependent orientation distribution of molecules, disregarding the spectroscopic information. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

Is learning blocked by saturation of synaptic weights in the hippocampus?

Long-term potentiation (LTP) has become a leading candidate mechanism for memory formation. The proposed link between LTP and memory rests primarily on a single type of behavioural evidence: disruption of learning by interventions that block critical steps in the induction of LTP. As such blockade may disrupt non-mnemonic functions also, the LTP-learning question should be approached with multiple strategies. One alternative approach is to determine whether hippocampus-dependent learning is blocked by saturation of hippocampal LTP before training. Early investigations found that spatial learning was impaired after cumulative LTP in dentate perforant-path synapses. Several groups failed to replicate these findings, but it is now clear that hippocampus-dependent spatial learning is disrupted only if LTP is saturated throughout the terminal field of the tetanized pathway. Moreover, to prevent compensatory modifications in the hippocampal network, a massed tetanization and training protocol may be required. The blockade of learning by repetition of the very same stimulus that induces LTP suggests that LTP-like modifications are necessary for memory encoding in the hippocampus.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Control of spatial polarization by use of a liquid crystal with an optically treated alignment layer and its application to beam apodization.

We have investigated the alignment of a liquid crystal whose orientation is controlled by photoisomerization reaction for use in developing optical devices to improve beam quality. A glass window of a liquid-crystal cell that is coated with poly(vinyl alcohol) doped with azo dye was illuminated with a Hg lamp. We confirmed the dependence of the spatially controlled alignment direction of a liquid crystal on the irradiation time of this ultraviolet light. The new azo dye used in this study substantially reduced the illumination energy density required for aligning liquid-crystal molecules. We have demonstrated the control of polarization and successfully fabricated a serrated apodizing aperture and a soft aperture.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

What pattern the eye sees best.

The visibility of gratings improves with increasing stimulus area. This effect is usually interpreted as being due to physiological summation within the extent of the largest spatial filter and due to probability summation between the outputs of linear, independent filters beyond that range. It is generally assumed that this improvement is isotropic to the patch configuration. In contrast, the existence of long-range facilitation that is configuration-specific suggests that the visibility of a local contrast is dependent on the spatial configuration of the stimuli. We measured contrast thresholds for circular and elongated Gabor patches with a static carrier. The patch envelope orientation was either the same as the bar orientation (collinear) or orthogonal to it. Contrast sensitivity was highest for elongated configurations that were collinear with the grating bars, and reached maximal efficiency at a length of about four grating cycles (eight bar widths), but a width of only one cycle.

Contrast Sensitivity↗

PubMed2002

Selective attention to spatial frequency: an ERP and source localization analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Physiological correlates of visual selective attention have been observed by recording ERPs to attended versus ignored target stimuli. Over many such studies, spatial attention has been observed to modulate early sensory components beginning 70 ms after stimulus onset, while effects of selection based on other stimulus features such as color and spatial frequency occur at longer latencies. Together, these findings argue for a primacy of location in early attentional selection. However, there have been some reports suggesting attention effects on short latency sensory-evoked potentials during selection of spatial frequency. The prime objective of the present study was to assess whether or not spatial frequency-dependent potentials are modulated by attention at a latency as early as 70-100 ms. METHODS: Checkerboard patterns were flashed to the subject, one being the target requiring a response. We investigated attentional effects using high-density scalp mapping and inverse dipole modeling. RESULTS: The earliest robust signs of selective attention to spatial frequencies consisted of an occipital selection negativity (OSN) and a frontal selection positivity (FSP). The OSN started at a latency of 140 ms, the FSP somewhat earlier at 120 ms. These attention effects were readily modeled by sources in cortical areas ventrally and laterally to the more primary areas generating the shorter-latency sensory components. CONCLUSIONS: This pattern of results has been found for non-spatial stimulus features in several studies, and is clearly different from the ERP correlates of spatial selection.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Accuracy of CT-based thickness measurement of thin structures: modeling of limited spatial resolution in all three dimensions.

Measurement of the width of thin structures such as the cortical shell of the vertebral body or femoral neck with computed tomography (CT) is limited by the spatial resolution of the CT system. Limited spatial resolution exists both within the CT image plane and perpendicular to it and can be described by the in-plane point spread function (PSF) and the across-plane slice sensitivity profile (SSP), respectively. The goal of this study was to confirm that errors of thickness measurement of thin structures critically depend on the spatial positioning of the object and the spatial resolution limitations of CT in all three dimensions, and to assess the size of the errors themselves. We compared computer models that incorporated both effects to experimentally assessed cortical thicknesses of the European Spine Phantom. Analysis included varying CT slice width, the orientation of measurement and angle beta of misalignment of longitudinal scanner and phantom axes. Agreement of models with measurements was good in all configurations with an overall error of 0.17 mm. This showed that PSF and SSP are adequate system characteristics to predict deviation of measured values from true widths. Errors between measurements and true cortical thickness values delta(true) averaged to 1.5 mm were strongly positively correlated with slice width d and beta. When the across-plane partial volume effect was eliminated, limited in-plane resolution still accounted for overestimation of delta(true) by 0.68 (137%), 0.27 (27%), and 0.06 mm (4%) for delta(true)=0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mm, respectively. For delta(true) of 1.0 mm and above, it was shown that although the absolute cortical thickness values might not be accurately measurable, relative differences between two values are reflected in measurement. Implications for cortical thickness measurement are that the spinal cortical shell is too thin, whereas accurate assessment at locations of the femoral neck exhibiting a thicker cortical shell of both difference and absolute values should be possible with CT even for larger misalignment angles, especially when a smaller CT slice width is chosen.

Computer Simulation↗