The Ecological Significance of Brain Plasticity

2011 ◽  
pp. 91-99
GeroPsych ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Grace C. Niu ◽  
Patricia A. Arean

The recent increase in the aging population, specifically in the United States, has raised concerns regarding treatment for mental illness among older adults. Late-life depression (LLD) is a complex condition that has become widespread among the aging population. Despite the availability of behavioral interventions and psychotherapies, few depressed older adults actually receive treatment. In this paper we review the research on refining treatments for LLD. We first identify evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for LLD and the problems associated with efficacy and dissemination, then review approaches to conceptualizing mental illness, specifically concepts related to brain plasticity and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoc). Finally, we introduce ENGAGE as a streamlined treatment for LLD and discuss implications for future research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 224 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten M. Klingner ◽  
Stefan Brodoehl ◽  
Gerd F. Volk ◽  
Orlando Guntinas-Lichius ◽  
Otto W. Witte

Abstract. This paper reviews adaptive and maladaptive mechanisms of cortical plasticity in patients suffering from peripheral facial palsy. As the peripheral facial nerve is a pure motor nerve, a facial nerve lesion is causing an exclusive deefferentation without deafferentation. We focus on the question of how the investigation of pure deefferentation adds to our current understanding of brain plasticity which derives from studies on learning and studies on brain lesions. The importance of efference and afference as drivers for cortical plasticity is discussed in addition to the crossmodal influence of different competitive sensory inputs. We make the attempt to integrate the experimental findings of the effects of pure deefferentation within the theoretical framework of cortical responses and predictive coding. We show that the available experimental data can be explained within this theoretical framework which also clarifies the necessity for maladaptive plasticity. Finally, we propose rehabilitation approaches for directing cortical reorganization in the appropriate direction and highlight some challenging questions that are yet unexplored in the field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-68
Author(s):  
Nondira Khondhodjayeva ◽  
◽  
Nurmamat Rajabov ◽  

This article reveals the essence of the concept of "pheromones" and their biological significance. In the article variants of their application in agriculture for struggle against insects-pests are presented. The definition of term and classification of pheromones and their types are given: feromons of insects, feromons of fish, feromons of vertebrates, feromons of humans, fermons of plants, sexual feromons, anxiety feromons, trace feromons, epidemic feromons and their functions and significance for the representative's organism and the environment as a whole


1970 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kishore

Palaeocene limestone of the Ninniyur Formation of the Cauvery Basin contains abundant well-preserved calcareous algae. These various types of calcareous algal seem to be controlled by the characteristics of each type environments in which they developed and thus they provide useful palaeo-ecological information of the Ninniyur Formation. The distribution patterns of these groups of calcareous algae, extending from tidal flat to reefal environments have been observed in the Palaeocene of the Ninniyur Formation, Cauvery Basin South India. Key words: Ninniyur formation, Calcareous algae, Palaeoecology. Ecoprint Vol.11(1) 2004.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 466-477
Author(s):  
Saïd Boujraf ◽  
Rachida Belaïch ◽  
Abdelkhalek Housni ◽  
Badreeddine Alami ◽  
Tariq Skalli ◽  
...  

Objective: The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the impact of hemodialysis (HD) using synthetic Helixone membrane on brain functional control reorganization and plasticity in the cortical area generated while Oxidative Stress (OS) would be the main impacting agent. Methods: Indeed, 9 chronic HD patients underwent identical brain BOLD-fMRI assessment using the motor paradigm immediately before and after the same HD sessions. To assess the oxidative stress, the same patients underwent biological-assessment, including Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Total- Antioxidant-Activity (TAOA) reported in earlier papers. Results: BOLD-fMRI maps of motor areas obtained from HD-patients before and after HD sessions revealed a significant enhancement of activation volume of the studied motor cortex after HD reflecting brain plasticity. Results were correlated with OS assessed by the measurement of MDA and TAOA; this correlation was close to 1. Conclusion: Indeed, HD enhances the inflammatory state of brain tissues reflected by the increased OS. The functional brain reaction demonstrated a functional activity reorganization to overcome the inflammatory state and OS enhanced by HD process. This functional activity reorganization reveals brain plasticity induced by OS originated by HD.


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