scholarly journals Form and Function of Sleep Spindles across the Lifespan

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany C. Clawson ◽  
Jaclyn Durkin ◽  
Sara J. Aton
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Sleep Spindles ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Cognitive Aptitude ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Development And Aging ◽  
Eeg Recordings ◽  
Function Of Sleep ◽  
And Function ◽  
Spindle Function

Since the advent of EEG recordings, sleep spindles have been identified as hallmarks of non-REM sleep. Despite a broad general understanding of mechanisms of spindle generation gleaned from animal studies, the mechanisms underlying certain features of spindles in the human brain, such as “global” versus “local” spindles, are largely unknown. Neither the topography nor the morphology of sleep spindles remains constant throughout the lifespan. It is likely that changes in spindle phenomenology during development and aging are the result of dramatic changes in brain structure and function. Across various developmental windows, spindle activity is correlated with general cognitive aptitude, learning, and memory; however, these correlations vary in strength, and even direction, depending on age and metrics used. Understanding these differences across the lifespan should further clarify how these oscillations are generated and their function under a variety of circumstances. We discuss these issues, and their translational implications for human cognitive function. Because sleep spindles are similarly affected in disorders of neurodevelopment (such as schizophrenia) and during aging (such as neurodegenerative conditions), both types of disorders may benefit from therapies based on a better understanding of spindle function.

scholarly journals Longitudinal structural and functional brain development in childhood and adolescence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Mills ◽  
Christian K. Tamnes
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
And Function

The development of the human brain involves a prolonged course of maturation, enabling us to learn to navigate our complex social environments. Here, we give short introductions to post-mortem and animal studies on postnatal brain development and selected methodological considerations for longitudinal developmental neuroimaging. We then describe typical developmental changes in brain structure and function from childhood to adulthood. We focus on measurements derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and on longitudinal data. Specifically, we discuss brain structural development based on morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies, and functional development based on resting-state and task-based functional MRI. Finally, we highlight selected current overarching research questions and argue that an important step in answering these questions is to study individual differences in longitudinal brain development.

An Exploration of ADHD and Comorbidity With Substance Abuse and Brain Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 245-258
Author(s):  
York Williams
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Primary Treatment ◽  
Treatment Team ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
Psychodynamic Therapies

Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most commonly used drug to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children effectively and safely. However, in spite of its widespread application throughout what is considered one of the most plastic and sensitive phases of brain development in children, very little is known to date about its long-term effects on brain structure and function leading well into later adolescence and adulthood. Additionally, there is scant information available to parents, clinicians, and clients with ADD/ADHD about the influence of MPH on brain development. More importantly, recent human and animal studies suggest that MPH alters the dopaminergic system with long-term effects beyond the termination of treatment. As such, a multimodal treatment with psychodynamic therapies can assist the treatment team to support the development of the client's pro-social skills in addition to medication treatment, thus reducing full reliance on MPH as the primary treatment for ADD/ADHD.

scholarly journals Gestational Factors throughout Fetal Neurodevelopment: The Serotonin Link

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (16) ◽  
pp. 5850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina I. Hanswijk ◽  
Marcia Spoelder ◽  
Ling Shan ◽  
Michel M. M. Verheij ◽  
Otto G. Muilwijk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Fetal Brain ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Maternal Genotype ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
And Behavior

Serotonin (5-HT) is a critical player in brain development and neuropsychiatric disorders. Fetal 5-HT levels can be influenced by several gestational factors, such as maternal genotype, diet, stress, medication, and immune activation. In this review, addressing both human and animal studies, we discuss how these gestational factors affect placental and fetal brain 5-HT levels, leading to changes in brain structure and function and behavior. We conclude that gestational factors are able to interact and thereby amplify or counteract each other’s impact on the fetal 5-HT-ergic system. We, therefore, argue that beyond the understanding of how single gestational factors affect 5-HT-ergic brain development and behavior in offspring, it is critical to elucidate the consequences of interacting factors. Moreover, we describe how each gestational factor is able to alter the 5-HT-ergic influence on the thalamocortical- and prefrontal-limbic circuitry and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical-axis. These alterations have been associated with risks to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, depression, and/or anxiety. Consequently, the manipulation of gestational factors may be used to combat pregnancy-related risks for neuropsychiatric disorders.

scholarly journals Longitudinal structural and functional brain development in childhood and adolescence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Mills ◽  
Christian K. Tamnes
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
And Function

The development of the human brain involves a prolonged course of maturation, enabling us to learn to navigate our complex social environments. Here, the authors give short introductions to post-mortem and animal studies on postnatal brain development and selected methodological considerations for longitudinal developmental neuroimaging. The authors then describe typical developmental changes in brain structure and function from childhood to adulthood. The authors focus on measurements derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and on longitudinal data. Specifically, the authors discuss brain structural development based on morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies, and functional development based on resting-state and task-based functional MRI. Finally, the authors highlight selected current overarching research questions and argue that an important step in answering these questions is to study individual differences in longitudinal brain development.

Insights into the Human Brain

2017 ◽  
pp. 13-24
Author(s):  
Riitta Hari ◽  
Aina Puce
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
New Information ◽  
Neural Populations ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Eeg Recordings ◽  
Millisecond Range ◽  
And Function ◽  
Electrical Signaling

The aim of MEG and EEG recordings is to obtain new information about human brain function, especially with respect to the millisecond-range neurodynamics in both the healthy and diseased brains and to relate this information to observed behavior. This chapter reviews some basic principles of human brain structure and function, including thalamocortical and other kinds of intrabrain connectivity that may be relevant for the design and interpretation of MEG and EEG recordings. Some basic aspects of electrical signaling in neurons and neural populations of the cerebral cortex are presented, including membrane potentials, action potentials, and postsynaptic potentials. The contribution of these electrical signals to MEG and EEG records are examined.

Associations between prenatal stress, anxiety and depression and child behavioural and cognitive development. Is it causal?

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivette Glover ◽  
Thomas G. O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Prenatal Stress ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Biological Psychiatry ◽  
Maternal Mood ◽  
Rat Pups ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Prenatally Stressed ◽  
And Function

I (V.G.) first got to know Channi at the inaugural Indian Biological Psychiatry meeting In Bombay over 20 years ago. I was working on monoamine oxidase at the time. It was my first trip to India and his first to Bombay for several decades. We spent much time talking together, and by the end of it, as well as visiting temples, the Gateway of India, and the Elephanta Caves. Channi had persuaded me to carry out research on maternal mood in the perinatal period, the effects on the child, and the underlying biological mechanisms. This I have been doing ever since. Thus for me, like many others, Channi changed the direction of my career. His infectious enthusiasm, and very wide range of interests, have directed and inspired world research in perinatal psychiatry. There is now considerable evidence from both human and animal studies that the children of stressed, anxious, or depressed mothers are more likely to experience a range of neurodevelopmental problems than the children of unstressed mothers. (Glover 2011; O’Donnell et al. 2009; Talge et al. 2007; Van den Bergh et al. 2007,). With animal studies it is much easier to establish that these associations are causal. Newborn rat pups of prenatally stressed mothers can be cross-fostered to non-stressed mothers on the first day after birth, with control pups of unstressed mothers cross-fostered also. This can establish that any differences in outcome are caused by stress in the prenatal period. Many such studies have shown that there are definite fetal programming effects of prenatal stress on behaviour, cognitive development, the hypothalamuspituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis, and brain structure and function of the offspring (e.g. Henry et al. 1994; Weinstock 2001, 2008; Afadlal et al. 2010). The nature of the effects can be affected by the timing of the exposure in gestation, the type of the stress, the strain of the animal, the age at which the offspring was tested, and the sex of the offspring (Weinstock 2008), The effects of prenatal stress on the offspring can often be mimicked by giving the stress hormone corticosterone, or a synthetic glucocorticoid, to the pregnant animal (Matthews 2000; Afadlal et al. 2009).

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) of DNA and RNA

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 34-35
Author(s):  
Patricia G. Arscott ◽  
Gil Lee ◽  
Victor A. Bloomfield ◽  
D. Fennell Evans
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Inorganic Materials ◽  
Resolving Power ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Dna And Rna ◽  
Calf Thymus ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Relationship

STM is one of the most promising techniques available for visualizing the fine details of biomolecular structure. It has been used to map the surface topography of inorganic materials in atomic dimensions, and thus has the resolving power not only to determine the conformation of small molecules but to distinguish site-specific features within a molecule. That level of detail is of critical importance in understanding the relationship between form and function in biological systems. The size, shape, and accessibility of molecular structures can be determined much more accurately by STM than by electron microscopy since no staining, shadowing or labeling with heavy metals is required, and there is no exposure to damaging radiation by electrons. Crystallography and most other physical techniques do not give information about individual molecules.We have obtained striking images of DNA and RNA, using calf thymus DNA and two synthetic polynucleotides, poly(dG-me5dC)·poly(dG-me5dC) and poly(rA)·poly(rU).

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