Spatio-temporal localization of mental imagery functions in the brain using electromagnetic tomography

Abstract Background: The CDS gene encodes the CDP-diacylglycerol synthase enzyme that catalyzes the formation of CDP-diacylglycerol (CDP-DAG) from phosphatidic acid. At present, there are no reports of CDS2 in birds. Here, we identified chicken CDS2 transcripts by combining conventional RT- PCR amplification, 5' RACE (Fig. 1A), and 3' RACE, explored the spatio-temporal expression profiles of total CDS2 and the longest transcript variant CDS2-4, and investigated the effect of exogenous insulin on total the mRNA level of CDS2 by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Four transcripts of chicken CDS2 (CDS2-1, -2, -3, and -4) were identified, which were alternatively spliced at the 3′-untranslated region (UTR). CDS2 was widely expressed in all tissues examined and the longest variant CDS2-4 was the major transcript. Both total CDS2 and CDS2-4 were prominently expressed in adipose tissue and the heart, and exhibited low expression in the liver and pectoralis of 49 day-old chickens. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that total CDS2 and CDS2-4 had different spatio-temporal expression patterns in chicken. Total CDS2 exhibited a similar temporal expression tendency with a high level in the later period of incubation (embryonic day 19 [E19] or 1-day-old) in the brain, liver, and pectoralis. While CDS2-4 presented a distinct temporal expression pattern in these tissues, CDS2-4 levels peaked at 21 days in the brain and pectoralis, while liver CDS2-4 mRNA levels were highest at the early stage of hatching (E10). Total CDS2 (P < 0.001) and CDS2-4 (P = 0.0090) mRNA levels in the liver were differentially regulated throughout development of the chicken. Exogenous insulin significantly downregulated the level of total CDS2 at 240 min in the pectoralis of Silky chickens (P < 0.01). Total CDS2 levels in the liver of Silky chickens were higher than that of the broiler in the basal state and after insulin stimulation. Conclusion: Chicken CDS2 has multiple transcripts with variation at the 3′-UTR, which was prominently expressed in adipose tissue. Total CDS2 and CDS2-4 presented distinct spatio-temporal expression patterns, and they were differentially regulated with age in liver. Insulin could regulate chicken CDS2 levels in a breed- and tissue-specific manner.

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Purification of pseudopodia from polarized cells reveals redistribution and activation of Rac through assembly of a CAS/Crk scaffold

The Journal of Cell Biology ◽

10.1083/jcb.200111032 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 156 (4) ◽

pp. 725-736 ◽

Cited By ~ 126

Author(s):

Samuel Y. Cho ◽

Richard L. Klemke

Keyword(s):

Focal Adhesion ◽

Feedback Loop ◽

Kinase Activity ◽

Cell Polarization ◽

Molecular Scaffold ◽

Rac1 Activity ◽

Polarized Cells ◽

Focal Adhesion Kinase Activity ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Temporal Localization

Initiation of cell migration requires morphological polarization with formation of a dominant leading pseudopodium and rear compartment. A molecular understanding of this process has been limited, due to the inability to biochemically separate the leading pseudopodium from the rear of the cell. Here we examine the spatio-temporal localization and activation of cytoskeletal-associated signals in purified pseudopodia directed to undergo growth or retraction. Pseudopodia growth requires assembly of a p130Crk-associated substrate (CAS)/c-CrkII (Crk) scaffold, which facilitates translocation and activation of Rac1. Interestingly, Rac1 activation then serves as a positive-feedback loop to maintain CAS/Crk coupling and pseudopodia extension. Conversely, disassembly of this molecular scaffold is critical for export and down regulation of Rac1 activity and induction of pseudopodia retraction. Surprisingly, the uncoupling of Crk from CAS during pseudopodium retraction is independent of changes in focal adhesion kinase activity and CAS tyrosine phosphorylation. These findings establish CAS/Crk as an essential scaffold for Rac1-mediated pseudopodia growth and retraction, and illustrate spatio-temporal segregation of cytoskeletal signals during cell polarization.

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Neuroethics

Psychiatric Ethics ◽

10.1093/med/9780198839262.003.0017 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 405-420

Author(s):

Georg Northoff

Keyword(s):

Deep Brain Stimulation ◽

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Empirical Data ◽

Moral Agency ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

The Brain ◽

Deep Brain

Neuroethics, located at the interface of conceptual and empirical dimensions, carries major implications for psychiatry, such as the neuroscientific basis of ethical concepts as moral agency. Drawing on data in neuroscience, this chapter highlights issues central to psychiatric ethics. First, it addresses a reductionistic model of the brain, often conceived as purely neuronal, and then it discusses empirical data suggesting that the brain’s activity is strongly aligned to its respective social (e.g., relation to others) and ecological (e.g., relation to the environment and nature) contexts; this implies a relational rather than reductionist model. Second, it suggests that self (e.g., the experience or sense of a self) and personhood (e.g., the person as existent independent of experience) must also be understood in such a social and ecological and, therefore, relational and spatio-temporal sense. Ethical concepts like agency, therefore, cannot be limited solely to the person and brain, but must rather be understood in a relational and neuro-ecological/social way. Third, it discusses deep brain stimulation as a treatment that promotes enhancement. In sum, this chapter presents findings in neuroscience that carry major implications for our view of brain, mental features, psychiatric disorders, and ethical issues like agency, responsibility, and enhancement.

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Difficult Turned Easy: Suggestion Renders a Challenging Visual Task Simple

Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0956797620954856 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 095679762095485

Author(s):

Mathieu Landry ◽

Jason Da Silva Castanheira ◽

Jérôme Sackur ◽

Amir Raz

Keyword(s):

Mental Imagery ◽

Visual Information ◽

Perceptual Experience ◽

Sensory Input ◽

Moving Objects ◽

Visual Stimuli ◽

Perceptual Information ◽

Hypnotic Suggestion ◽

Adult Participants ◽

The Brain

Suggestions can cause some individuals to miss or disregard existing visual stimuli, but can they infuse sensory input with nonexistent information? Although several prominent theories of hypnotic suggestion propose that mental imagery can change our perceptual experience, data to support this stance remain sparse. The present study addressed this lacuna, showing how suggesting the presence of physically absent, yet critical, visual information transforms an otherwise difficult task into an easy one. Here, we show how adult participants who are highly susceptible to hypnotic suggestion successfully hallucinated visual occluders on top of moving objects. Our findings support the idea that, at least in some people, suggestions can add perceptual information to sensory input. This observation adds meaningful weight to theoretical, clinical, and applied aspects of the brain and psychological sciences.

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Capillary-associated microglia regulate vascular structure and function through PANX1-P2RY12 coupling in mice

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-25590-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kanchan Bisht ◽

Kenneth A. Okojie ◽

Kaushik Sharma ◽

Dennis H. Lentferink ◽

Yu-Yo Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myeloid Cell ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Pannexin 1 ◽

Vascular Physiology ◽

Blood Flow Increase ◽

Bona Fide ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

And Function ◽

The Brain

AbstractMicroglia are brain-resident immune cells with a repertoire of functions in the brain. However, the extent of their interactions with the vasculature and potential regulation of vascular physiology has been insufficiently explored. Here, we document interactions between ramified CX3CR1 + myeloid cell somata and brain capillaries. We confirm that these cells are bona fide microglia by molecular, morphological and ultrastructural approaches. Then, we give a detailed spatio-temporal characterization of these capillary-associated microglia (CAMs) comparing them with parenchymal microglia (PCMs) in their morphological activities including during microglial depletion and repopulation. Molecularly, we identify P2RY12 receptors as a regulator of CAM interactions under the control of released purines from pannexin 1 (PANX1) channels. Furthermore, microglial elimination triggered capillary dilation, blood flow increase, and impaired vasodilation that were recapitulated in P2RY12−/− and PANX1−/− mice suggesting purines released through PANX1 channels play important roles in activating microglial P2RY12 receptors to regulate neurovascular structure and function.

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STAB: a spatio-temporal cell atlas of the human brain

Nucleic Acids Research ◽

10.1093/nar/gkaa762 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (D1) ◽

pp. D1029-D1037

Author(s):

Liting Song ◽

Shaojun Pan ◽

Zichao Zhang ◽

Longhao Jia ◽

Wei-Hua Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Brain ◽

Single Cell ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Cell Types ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Molecular Characteristics ◽

Great Effort ◽

Brain Functions ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

The Brain

Abstract The human brain is the most complex organ consisting of billions of neuronal and non-neuronal cells that are organized into distinct anatomical and functional regions. Elucidating the cellular and transcriptome architecture underlying the brain is crucial for understanding brain functions and brain disorders. Thanks to the single-cell RNA sequencing technologies, it is becoming possible to dissect the cellular compositions of the brain. Although great effort has been made to explore the transcriptome architecture of the human brain, a comprehensive database with dynamic cellular compositions and molecular characteristics of the human brain during the lifespan is still not available. Here, we present STAB (a Spatio-Temporal cell Atlas of the human Brain), a database consists of single-cell transcriptomes across multiple brain regions and developmental periods. Right now, STAB contains single-cell gene expression profiling of 42 cell subtypes across 20 brain regions and 11 developmental periods. With STAB, the landscape of cell types and their regional heterogeneity and temporal dynamics across the human brain can be clearly seen, which can help to understand both the development of the normal human brain and the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. STAB is available at http://stab.comp-sysbio.org.

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Does your brain use the images in it, and if so, how?

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x02290044 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 189-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Daniel C. Dennett

Keyword(s):

Information Processing ◽

Mental Imagery ◽

Spatial Patterns ◽

Behavioral Evidence ◽

The Brain

The presence of spatial patterns of activity in the brain is suggestive of image-exploiting processes in vision and mental imagery, but not conclusive. Only behavioral evidence can confirm or disconfirm hypotheses about whether, and how, the brain uses images in its information-processing, and the arguments based on such evidence are still inconclusive.

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Multi-Instance Multi-Label Action Recognition and Localization Based on Spatio-Temporal Pre-Trimming for Untrimmed Videos

Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence ◽

10.1609/aaai.v34i07.6986 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (07) ◽

pp. 12886-12893

Author(s):

Xiao-Yu Zhang ◽

Haichao Shi ◽

Changsheng Li ◽

Peng Li

Keyword(s):

Action Recognition ◽

Human Action ◽

Learning Problem ◽

The Arts ◽

Key Factor ◽

Benchmark Datasets ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Weakly Supervised ◽

Temporal Localization ◽

Coarse To Fine

Weakly supervised action recognition and localization for untrimmed videos is a challenging problem with extensive applications. The overwhelming irrelevant background contents in untrimmed videos severely hamper effective identification of actions of interest. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-instance multi-label modeling network based on spatio-temporal pre-trimming to recognize actions and locate corresponding frames in untrimmed videos. Motivated by the fact that person is the key factor in a human action, we spatially and temporally segment each untrimmed video into person-centric clips with pose estimation and tracking techniques. Given the bag-of-instances structure associated with video-level labels, action recognition is naturally formulated as a multi-instance multi-label learning problem. The network is optimized iteratively with selective coarse-to-fine pre-trimming based on instance-label activation. After convergence, temporal localization is further achieved with local-global temporal class activation map. Extensive experiments are conducted on two benchmark datasets, i.e. THUMOS14 and ActivityNet1.3, and experimental results clearly corroborate the efficacy of our method when compared with the state-of-the-arts.

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