scholarly journals Fast-spiking interneurons of the premotor cortex contribute to action planning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Giordano ◽  
Claudia Alia ◽  
Lorenzo Fruzzetti ◽  
Maria Pasquini ◽  
Silvestro Micera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Analysis ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Early Action ◽  
Deep Layers ◽  
Fast Spiking ◽  
Computational Analyses ◽  
Premotor Areas ◽  
Motor Acts

Planning and execution of voluntary movement depend on the contribution of distinct classes of neurons in primary motor and premotor areas. However, the specific functional role of GABAergic cells remains only partly understood. Here, electrophysiological and computational analyses are employed to compare directly the response properties of putative pyramidal (PNs) and fast-spiking, GABAergic neurons (FSNs) during licking and forelimb retraction in mice. Recordings from anterolateral motor cortex and rostral forelimb area, reveal that FSNs fire earlier and for a longer duration than PNs, with the exception of a subset of early-modulated PNs in deep layers. Computational analysis reveals that FSNs carry vastly more information than PNs about the onset of movement. While PNs differently modulate their discharge during distinct motor acts, most FSNs respond with a stereotyped increase in firing rate. Accordingly, the informational redundancy was greater among FSNs than PNs. These data suggest that a global rise of inhibition contributes to early action planning.

scholarly journals Neural Correlates of Hand–Object Congruency Effects during Action Planning

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Zuo Zhang ◽  
Peter Zeidman ◽  
Natalie Nelissen ◽  
Nicola Filippini ◽  
Jörn Diedrichsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Times ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Hand Orientation ◽  
Response Congruency ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
Premotor Areas

Abstract Selecting hand actions to manipulate an object is affected both by perceptual factors and by action goals. Affordances may contribute to “stimulus–response” congruency effects driven by habitual actions to an object. In previous studies, we have demonstrated an influence of the congruency between hand and object orientations on response times when reaching to turn an object, such as a cup. In this study, we investigated how the representation of hand postures triggered by planning to turn a cup was influenced by this congruency effect, in an fMRI scanning environment. Healthy participants were asked to reach and turn a real cup that was placed in front of them either in an upright orientation or upside–down. They were instructed to use a hand orientation that was either congruent or incongruent with the cup orientation. As expected, the motor responses were faster when the hand and cup orientations were congruent. There was increased activity in a network of brain regions involving object-directed actions during action planning, which included bilateral primary and extrastriate visual, medial, and superior temporal areas, as well as superior parietal, primary motor, and premotor areas in the left hemisphere. Specific activation of the dorsal premotor cortex was associated with hand–object orientation congruency during planning and prior to any action taking place. Activity in that area and its connectivity with the lateral occipito-temporal cortex increased when planning incongruent (goal-directed) actions. The increased activity in premotor areas in trials where the orientation of the hand was incongruent to that of the object suggests a role in eliciting competing representations specified by hand postures in lateral occipito-temporal cortex.

scholarly journals Fast-Spiking Interneurons of the Premotor Cortex Contribute to Action Planning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Giordano ◽  
Claudia Alia ◽  
Lorenzo Fruzzetti ◽  
Maria Pasquini ◽  
Alberto Mazzoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Fast Spiking

scholarly journals Neural correlates of hand-object congruency effects during action planning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuo Zhang ◽  
Natalie Nelissen ◽  
Peter Zeidman ◽  
Nicola Filippini ◽  
Jörn Diedrichsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Times ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Hand Orientation ◽  
Action Taking ◽  
Motor Representations ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
Premotor Areas

AbstractSelecting hand actions to manipulate an object is affected both by perceptual factors and by action goals. Affordances are associated with the automatic potentiation of motor representations to an object, independent of the goal of the actor. In previous studies, we have demonstrated an influence of the congruency between hand and object orientations on response times when reaching to turn an object, such as a cup. In this study, we investigated how the representation of hand postures triggered by planning to turn a cup were influenced by this congruency effect, in an fMRI scanning environment. Healthy participants were asked to reach and turn a real cup that was placed in front of them either in an upright orientation or upside down. They were instructed to use a hand orientation that was either congruent or incongruent with the cup orientation. As expected, the motor responses were faster when the hand and cup orientations were congruent. There was increased activity in a network of brain regions involving object-directed actions during action planning, which included bilateral primary and extrastriate visual, medial and superior temporal areas, as well as superior parietal, primary motor and premotor areas in the left hemisphere. Specific activation of the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) was associated with hand-object orientation congruency during planning, and prior to any action taking place. Activity in that area and its connectivity with the lateral occipito-temporal cortex (LOTC) increased when planning incongruent actions. The increased activity in premotor areas in trials where the orientation of the hand was incongruent to that of the object suggests a role in eliciting competing representations specified by hand postures in LOTC.

Shall I Move My Right or My Left Hand?

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Babiloni ◽  
Fabio Babiloni ◽  
Filippo Carducci ◽  
Febo Cincotti ◽  
Claudio Del Percio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bimanual Coordination ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Eeg Analysis ◽  
Complementary Information ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Mirror Movements ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Motor Acts ◽  
Abstract Event

Abstract Event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) at alpha (10Hz), beta (20Hz), and gamma (40Hz) bands and movement-related potentials (MRPs) were investigated in right-handed subjects who were “free” to decide the side of unilateral finger movements (“fixed” side as a control). As a novelty, this “multi-modal” EEG analysis was combined with the evaluation of involuntary mirror movements, taken as an index of “bimanual competition.” A main issue was whether the decision regarding the hand to be moved (“free” movements) could modulate ERD/ERS or MRPs overlying sensorimotor cortical areas typically involved in bimanual tasks. Compared to “fixed” movements, “free” movements induced the following effects: (1) more involuntary mirror movements discarded from EEG analysis; (2) stronger vertex MRPs (right motor acts); (3) a positive correlation between these potentials and the number of involuntary mirror movements; (4) gamma ERS over central areas; and (5) preponderance of postmovement beta ERS over left central area (dominant hemisphere). These results suggest that ERD/ERS and MRPs provide complementary information on the cortical processes belonging to a lateralized motor act. In this context, the results on vertex MRPs would indicate a key role of supplementary/cingulate motor areas not only for bimanual coordination but also for the control of “bimanual competition” and involuntary mirror movements.

scholarly journals The Role of CD68 (+) Histiocytic Macrophages in Nasal Polyp Development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuray Bayar Muluk ◽  
Osman Kürşat Arikan ◽  
Pınar Atasoy ◽  
Rahmi Kiliç ◽  
Eda Tuna Yalçinozan
Keyword(s):  
Nasal Cavity ◽  
Nasal Polyp ◽  
Nasal Polyps ◽  
Deep Layer ◽  
Ethmoid Sinus ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Deep Layers

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the role of CD68 (+) histiocytic macrophages (H-M) in the nasal polyp pathogenesis. Materials and Methods The study group consisted of 24 adult patients with nasal polyposis. The control group consisted of 11 adult patients without nasal polyps. A total of 36 nasal polyp samples (10-nasal cavity, 10-maxillary sinus, and 16-ethmoid sinus) from the study group and 11 inferior turbinate samples from the control group were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining, with monoclonal antibodies against CD68 (+) H-M. Results CD68 positivity was significantly higher than the control group in the subepithelial (SE) layer of the ethmoid sinus, and deep layers of nasal cavity, maxillary, and ethmoid sinuses. In SE and deep layers of ethmoid and maxillary sinuses, CD68 positivity was significantly higher than that of the epithelial layer. In the deep layer, histiocytic macrophages tended to gather around eosinophils. Conclusion The high numbers of CD68 (+) histiocytic macrophages mainly located in deep layer of lamina propria may be responsible for the phagocytosis of eosinophils within the polyp tissue. Therefore, it may be concluded that increased macrophages in nasal polyps do not trigger the growth of nasal polyps. Instead, they may serve to reduce the number of eosinophils in already-developed nasal polyps.

scholarly journals The mirror mechanism: recent findings and perspectives

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1644) ◽  
pp. 20130420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Rizzolatti ◽  
Leonardo Fogassi
Keyword(s):  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Human Studies ◽  
Visual Features ◽  
Basic Properties ◽  
Motor Intention ◽  
Similar Motor ◽  
Motor Acts

Mirror neurons are a specific type of visuomotor neuron that discharge both when a monkey executes a motor act and when it observes a similar motor act performed by another individual. In this article, we review first the basic properties of these neurons. We then describe visual features recently investigated which indicate that, besides encoding the goal of motor acts, mirror neurons are modulated by location in space of the observed motor acts, by the perspective from which the others’ motor acts are seen, and by the value associated with the object on which others’ motor acts are performed. In the last part of this article, we discuss the role of the mirror mechanism in planning actions and in understanding the intention underlying the others’ motor acts. We also review some human studies suggesting that motor intention in humans may rely, as in the monkey, on the mirror mechanism.

Computational studies of the mitochondrial carrier family SLC25. Present status and future perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Pasquadibisceglie ◽  
Fabio Polticelli
Keyword(s):  
Transport Mechanism ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Intermembrane Space ◽  
Mitochondrial Carrier ◽  
Mitochondrial Homeostasis ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Mitochondrial Carrier Family ◽  
Mitochondrial Intermembrane Space ◽  
Computational Analyses

Abstract The members of the mitochondrial carrier family, also known as solute carrier family 25 (SLC25), are transmembrane proteins involved in the translocation of a plethora of small molecules between the mitochondrial intermembrane space and the matrix. These transporters are characterized by three homologous domains structure and a transport mechanism that involves the transition between different conformations. Mutations in regions critical for these transporters’ function often cause several diseases, given the crucial role of these proteins in the mitochondrial homeostasis. Experimental studies can be problematic in the case of membrane proteins, in particular concerning the characterization of the structure–function relationships. For this reason, computational methods are often applied in order to develop new hypotheses or to support/explain experimental evidence. Here the computational analyses carried out on the SLC25 members are reviewed, describing the main techniques used and the outcome in terms of improved knowledge of the transport mechanism. Potential future applications on this protein family of more recent and advanced in silico methods are also suggested.

Synapsin Regulates Basal Synaptic Strength, Synaptic Depression, and Serotonin-Induced Facilitation of Sensorimotor Synapses in Aplysia

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (6) ◽  
pp. 3568-3580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diasinou Fioravante ◽  
Rong-Yu Liu ◽  
Anne K. Netek ◽  
Leonard J. Cleary ◽  
John H. Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Plasticity ◽  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Transmitter Release ◽  
Computational Analysis ◽  
Spontaneous Recovery ◽  
Synaptic Strength ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Homosynaptic Depression ◽  
Heterosynaptic Plasticity

Synapsin is a synaptic vesicle-associated protein implicated in the regulation of vesicle trafficking and transmitter release, but its role in heterosynaptic plasticity remains elusive. Moreover, contradictory results have obscured the contribution of synapsin to homosynaptic plasticity. We previously reported that the neuromodulator serotonin (5-HT) led to the phosphorylation and redistribution of Aplysia synapsin, suggesting that synapsin may be a good candidate for the regulation of vesicle mobilization underlying the short-term synaptic plasticity induced by 5-HT. This study examined the role of synapsin in homosynaptic and heterosynaptic plasticity. Overexpression of synapsin reduced basal transmission and enhanced homosynaptic depression. Although synapsin did not affect spontaneous recovery from depression, it potentiated 5-HT–induced dedepression. Computational analysis showed that the effects of synapsin on plasticity could be adequately simulated by altering the rate of Ca2+-dependent vesicle mobilization, supporting the involvement of synapsin not only in homosynaptic but also in heterosynaptic forms of plasticity by regulating vesicle mobilization.

scholarly journals Occurrence, distribution and possible functional roles of simple sequence repeats in phytoplasma genomes

2015 ◽  
Vol 65 (Pt_8) ◽  
pp. 2748-2760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wei ◽  
Robert E. Davis ◽  
Xiaobing Suo ◽  
Yan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Simple Sequence Repeats ◽  
Computational Analysis ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Phase Variable ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Rapid Responses ◽  
Computational Analyses ◽  
Simple Sequence ◽  
Diverse Plant

Phytoplasmas are unculturable, cell-wall-less bacteria that parasitize plants and insects. This transkingdom life cycle requires rapid responses to vastly different environments, including transitions from plant phloem sieve elements to various insect tissues and alternations among diverse plant hosts. Features that enable such flexibility in other microbes include simple sequence repeats (SSRs) — mutation-prone, phase-variable short DNA tracts that function as ‘evolutionary rheostats’ and enhance rapid adaptations. To gain insights into the occurrence, distribution and potentially functional roles of SSRs in phytoplasmas, we performed computational analysis on the genomes of five completely sequenced phytoplasma strains, ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’-related strains OYM and AYWB, ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australiense’-related strains CBWB and SLY and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’-related strain AP-AT. The overall density of SSRs in phytoplasma genomes was higher than in representative strains of other prokaryotes. While mono- and trinucleotide SSRs were significantly overrepresented in the phytoplasma genomes, dinucleotide SSRs and other higher-order SSRs were underrepresented. The occurrence and distribution of long SSRs in the prophage islands and phytoplasma-unique genetic loci indicated that SSRs played a role in compounding the complexity of sequence mosaics in individual genomes and in increasing allelic diversity among genomes. Findings from computational analyses were further complemented by an examination of SSRs in varied additional phytoplasma strains, with a focus on potential contingency genes. Some SSRs were located in regions that could profoundly alter the regulation of transcription and translation of affected genes and/or the composition of protein products.

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