Brain Stem-Hypothalamic Systems Influencing Hippocampal Activity and Behavior

AbstractCongenital brain stem gliomas are rare in neonates and are difficult to diagnose given their subtle clinical presentation. They are usually associated with poor prognosis by their location and behavior. However, there are few reports of spontaneous regression of brain stem glioma with favorable long-term outcome. In this article, we reported a case of congenital brain stem glioma with a normal long-term outcome where a wait and watch approach allowed observation of spontaneous partial regression of the tumor with normal neurodevelopmental outcome at 40 months of age. The optimal approach to the management of children with brain stem glioma is difficult to define as, in general, the prognosis is considered poor. Selecting an “early intervention” or “wait and watch” approach depends on the nature, size, and progression of the lesion, and the risk versus benefits of early intervention. The clinical course of our case suggests that a conservative approach may be justified in selected cases as long as the parents have been counselled and regular frequent follow-up is assured.

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Neurochemical Changes in Brains of Albino Rats Resulting from Avoidance Learning

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1971.28.1.3 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 3-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Morton H. Kleban ◽

Martin Gold ◽

Henry Altschuler ◽

M. Powell Lawton ◽

Mark Miller

Keyword(s):

Brain Stem ◽

Total Nitrogen ◽

Avoidance Training ◽

Straight Runway ◽

Albino Rats ◽

Nitrogen Levels ◽

Neurochemical Changes ◽

Wistar Albino Rats ◽

And Behavior ◽

The Brain

To observe the effects of avoidance training on the brain chemistry of trained rats, 36 Wistar albino rats, 60—75 days old, were run in an automated straight-runway maze. 12 Ss received limited avoidance training followed immediately by extinction training for the avoidance response. 12 other Ss received limited avoidance training only, and 12 is acted as non-trained controls. Following training, each S's brain was removed and sectioned into three gross anatomical parts: cerebrum, brain stem, and cerebellum. Chemical analyses for RNA, protein, and total nitrogen were performed on each brain section for each animal. Significant increases in cerebrum, brain stem, and cerebellum RNA were found for both trained groups. Such differences in RNA were strongly present in the brain stem and cerebrum but were nonsignificant for the cerebellum. Brain protein showed significant increases as a result of the interaction of cerebellum with avoidance training. Total nitrogen levels were unaltered. Two significant correlations obtained between neurochemistry and behavior, a zero-order correlation between brain-stem RNA and extinction behavior and a multiple correlation among brain-stem RNA, cerebral protein, and extinction behavior.

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Hippocampal State Transitions at the Boundaries between Trial Epochs

10.1101/443077 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

David A. Bulkin ◽

David G. Sinclair ◽

L. Matthew Law ◽

David M. Smith

Keyword(s):

Temporal Structure ◽

Memory Task ◽

Stable State ◽

Principal Component ◽

State Transitions ◽

Hippocampal Activity ◽

Inter Trial Interval ◽

Large Spike ◽

Episodic Memories ◽

And Behavior

AbstractThe hippocampus encodes distinct environmental and behavioral contexts with unique patterns of activity. Representational shifts with changes in the context, referred to as remapping, have been extensively studied. However, less is known about the nature of transitions between representations. In this study, we leverage a large dataset of 2056 neurons recorded while rats performed an olfactory memory task with a predictable temporal structure involving trials and inter-trial intervals, separated by salient boundaries at the trial start and trial end. We found that trial epochs were associated with stable hippocampal population representations, despite moment to moment variability in stimuli and behavior. Representations of trial and inter-trial interval epochs were far more distinct than spatial factors would predict and the transitions between the two were abrupt, with a sharp boundary suggestive of a dynamic shift in the representational state. This boundary was associated with a large spike in multi-unit activity, with many individual cells specifically active at the start or end of each trial. Both epochs and boundaries were encoded by hippocampal populations, and these representations carried information on orthogonal axes readily identified using principal component analysis. We suggest that the activity spike at trial boundaries might serve to drive hippocampal activity from one stable state to another, and may play a role in segmenting continuous experience into discrete episodic memories.

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The Effect of LPS and Ketoprofen on Cytokines, Brain Monoamines, and Social Behavior in Group-Housed Pigs

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2020.617634 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Christina Veit ◽

Andrew M. Janczak ◽

Birgit Ranheim ◽

Judit Vas ◽

Anna Valros ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Behavior ◽

Frontal Cortex ◽

Brain Stem ◽

Poor Health ◽

Plasma Tryptophan ◽

Tnf Α ◽

The Social ◽

And Behavior ◽

Cortisol Release ◽

The Brain

Poor health is a risk factor for damaging behaviors, but the mechanisms behind this link are unknown. Injection of pigs with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can be used to model aspects of poor health. Recent studies have shown that LPS-injected pigs perform more tail- and ear-directed behavior compared to saline-injected pigs and suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines may play a role in these behaviors. The aims of this study were to test the effect of LPS on the social behavior of pigs and the neurotransmitters and modulators in their brains and to test the effect of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug on the effects of LPS. Fifty-two female pigs (11–12 weeks) were allocated to four treatments comprising two injections: saline–saline (SS), saline–LPS (SL), ketoprofen–saline (KS), and ketoprofen–LPS (KL). Activity was scan-sampled every 5 min for 6 h after the last injection in the pen. Social behavior was observed continuously in 10 × 15-min bouts between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. 1 day before (baseline) and 1 and 2 days after the injection. Saliva was analyzed for cortisol and plasma for tryptophan and kynurenine. The frontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and brain stem were sampled 72 h after the injection and analyzed for cytokines and monoamines. LPS activated the HPA axis and decreased the activity within 6 h after the injection. Ketoprofen lowered the effect of LPS on cortisol release and attenuated the behavioral signs of sickness in challenged pigs. SL pigs manipulated the ears of their pen mates significantly longer than SS pigs 2 days after the injection. LPS had no observed effect on IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-18. At 72 h after the injection, plasma tryptophan was depleted in SL pigs, and tryptophan and kynurenine concentrations in the frontal cortex and brain stem of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in SS pigs. Dopamine concentrations in the hypothalamus of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in SS pigs. Serotonin concentrations in the hypothalamus and noradrenaline concentrations in the hippocampus of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in KL pigs. In conclusion, LPS influenced the different neurotransmitters and modulators in the brain that are hypothesized to play an important role in the regulation of mood and behavior.

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How Homo economicus lost her mind and how we can revive her

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x1800033x ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

Author(s):

Peter DeScioli

Keyword(s):

Economic Thought ◽

History Of Economic Thought ◽

Homo Economicus ◽

Economic Theories ◽

Target Article ◽

History Of ◽

The Mind ◽

And Behavior

AbstractThe target article by Boyer & Petersen (B&P) contributes a vital message: that people have folk economic theories that shape their thoughts and behavior in the marketplace. This message is all the more important because, in the history of economic thought, Homo economicus was increasingly stripped of mental capacities. Intuitive theories can help restore the mind of Homo economicus.

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The parent-offspring microbiome and neurobehavioral development

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x18002819 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Author(s):

Jeffrey R. Alberts ◽

Christopher Harshaw ◽

Gregory E. Demas ◽

Cara L. Wellman ◽

Ardythe L. Morrow

Keyword(s):

Mammalian Species ◽

Social Emotional ◽

Behavioral Measures ◽

Neurobehavioral Development ◽

Emotional Function ◽

Neurobehavioral Outcomes ◽

Methodological Approaches ◽

And Behavior

Abstract We identify the significance and typical requirements of developmental analyses of the microbiome-gut-brain (MGB) in parents, offspring, and parent-offspring relations, which have particular importance for neurobehavioral outcomes in mammalian species, including humans. We call for a focus on behavioral measures of social-emotional function. Methodological approaches to interpreting relations between the microbiota and behavior are discussed.

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Permeability of the microcirculation in area postrema of rat

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100103802 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 348-349

Author(s):

Shams M. Ghoneim ◽

Frank M. Faraci ◽

Gary L. Baumbach

Keyword(s):

Brain Stem ◽

Area Postrema ◽

Upper Body ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

Sodium Cacodylate ◽

Acute Hypertension ◽

Sprague Dawley Rats ◽

Ultrastructural Characteristics ◽

The Brain ◽

Adjacent Brain

The area postrema is a circumventricular organ in the brain stem and is one of the regions in the brain that lacks a fully functional blood-brain barrier. Recently, we found that disruption of the microcirculation during acute hypertension is greater in area postrema than in the adjacent brain stem. In contrast, hyperosmolar disruption of the microcirculation is greater in brain stem. The objective of this study was to compare ultrastructural characteristics of the microcirculation in area postrema and adjacent brain stem.We studied 5 Sprague-Dawley rats. Horseradish peroxidase was injected intravenously and allowed to circulate for 1, 5 or 15 minutes. Following perfusion of the upper body with 2.25% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M sodium cacodylate, the brain stem was removed, embedded in agar, and chopped into 50-70 μm sections with a TC-Sorvall tissue chopper. Sections of brain stem were incubated for 1 hour in a solution of 3,3' diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (0.05%) in 0.05M Tris buffer with 1% H2O2.

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