A ‘Hands on’ Public Service Program to Help People Stay Sober and Safer on the Roadway

Despite the existence of many different “Don’t drink and drive” programs and campaigns over the past 30 years, alcohol intoxication has continued to account for approximately one quarter to one third of all traffic crashes and crash-related deaths in the United States. The present study describes a new ‘hands on’ evidence-based approach involving real alcohol-intoxicated subjects using a virtual reality (VR) driving ‘game’ to educate the public more effectively about the dangers of drunk driving. A single demonstration subject ‘drove’ a VR-based portable driving simulator on multiple occasions before (Pre) and at 30 min intervals for up to six hours after either vehicle (no alcohol), two, four or six ‘drinks’ (3, 6, or 9 ounces of 80 proof vodka). The defensive driving task was a choice reaction crash avoidance steering maneuver in which the driver’s task was to determine which way to turn to avoid a crash and then aggressively steer away to avoid a crash. The primary dependent variable was the latency to initiate an avoidance steering response. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) determinations (estimations) were conducted immediately prior to driving tests using BAC Track portable breathalyzers. Control drives (Pre-Treatment and Vehicle treatment) were characterized by an approximately 300–320 ms reaction time to initiate a crash avoidance. Alcohol increased crash-avoidance reaction time. Peak BAC values were 35, 78 and 120 mg/dL for two, four and six drinks, respectively; the decline in BAC was comparable and linear for all three treatments. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.85) between pre-drive BAC level and reaction time across all of the alcohol-related drives. There was a significant increase in crash avoidance reaction time when the BAC was 50–79 mg/dL, which is below the legally defined BAC limit (80 mg/dL) currently used in most states in the US. These results demonstrate that (1) this VR-based driving simulator task could be a useful ‘hands on’ tool for providing public service demonstrations regarding the hazards of drinking and driving and (2) a BAC concentration of 50 mg/dL represents a reasonable evidence-based cut-off for alcohol-impaired driving.

Horses show individual level lateralisation when inspecting an unfamiliar and unexpected stimulus

Animals must attend to a diverse array of stimuli in their environments. The emotional valence and salience of a stimulus can affect how this information is processed in the brain. Many species preferentially attend to negatively valent stimuli using the sensory organs on the left side of their body and hence the right hemisphere of their brain. Here, we investigated the lateralisation of visual attention to the rapid appearance of a stimulus (an inflated balloon) designed to induce an avoidance reaction and a negatively valent emotional state in 77 Italian saddle horses. Horses’ eyes are laterally positioned on the head, and each eye projects primarily to the contralateral hemisphere, allowing eye use to be a proxy for preferential processing in one hemisphere of the brain. We predicted that horses would inspect the novel and unexpected stimulus with their left eye and hence right hemisphere. We found that horses primarily inspected the balloon with one eye, and most horses had a preferred eye to do so, however, we did not find a population level tendency for this to be the left or the right eye. The strength of this preference tended to decrease over time, with the horses using their non-preferred eye to inspect the balloon increasingly as the trial progressed. Our results confirm a lateralised eye use tendency when viewing negatively emotionally valent stimuli in horses, in agreement with previous findings. However, there was not any alignment of lateralisation at the group level in our sample, suggesting that the expression of lateralisation in horses depends on the sample population and testing context.

A 'Hands on' Public Service Program to Help People Stay Sober and Safer on the Roadway

Background. Despite the existence of many different “Don’t drink and drive” programs and campaigns over the past 30 years, alcohol intoxication has continued to account for approximately one quarter to one third of all traffic crashes and crash-related deaths in the United States. The present study describes a new ‘hands on’ evidence-based approach involving real alcohol-intoxicated subjects using a virtual reality (VR) driving ‘game’ to educate the public more effectively about the dangers of drunk driving. Method. A single demonstration subject ‘drove’ a VR-based portable driving simulator on multiple occasions before (Pre) and at 30 minute intervals for up to six hours after either vehicle (no alcohol), 2, 4 or 6 ‘drinks’ (3, 6, or 9 ounces of 80 proof vodka). The defensive driving task was a choice reaction crash avoidance steering maneuver in which the driver’s task was to determine which way to turn to avoid a crash and then aggressively steer away to avoid a crash. The primary dependent variable was the latency to initiate an avoidance steering response. BAC determinations (estimations) were conducted immediately prior to driving tests using BAC Track portable breathalyzers.Results. Control drives (Pre-Treatment and Vehicle treatment) were characterized by an approximately 300-320 msec reaction time to initiate a crash avoidance. Alcohol increased crash-avoidance reaction time. Peak BAC values were 35, 78 and 120 mg/dl for 2,4 and 6 drinks, respectively; the decline in BAC was comparable and linear for all three treatments. There was a strong correlation (r=0.85) between pre-drive BAC level and reaction time across all of the alcohol-related drives. There was a significant increase in crash avoidance reaction time when the BAC was 50-79 mg/dl, which is below the legally-defined BAC limit (80 mg/dl) currently used in most states in the US.Conclusions. These results demonstrate (1) this VR-based driving simulator task could be a useful ‘hands on’ tool for providing public service demonstrations regarding the hazards of drinking and driving and (2) a BAC concentration of 50 mg/dl represents a reasonable evidence-based cut-off for alcohol-impaired driving.

THE ROLE OF THYROID HORMONES IN THE FORMATION OF SPATIAL MEMORY OF RATS IN EARLY ONTOGENESIS

Changes in behavioral and mnestic activity, as well as their neurochemical support in thyroid dysfunction were determined in juvenile Wistar rats. Behavioral activity was studied in an elevated cruciform labyrinth, the study of spatial memory was performed by the development of protective avoidance reaction in the Morris water labyrinth, and by the production of food reactions in the 8-beam labyrinth. The content of free amino acids of the neurotransmitter spectrum and serotonin was determined by thin layer chromatography followed by spectrophotometry. It was found that thyroid dysfunction in early ontogenesis was accompanied by significant impairments of emotional and cognitive activity depending on the thyroid status of rats; differences in the mechanisms of the formation of spatial memory with negative and positive reinforcement were also found. At the same time, the anxiolytic type of behavior and formation of spatial memory in juvenile animals with experimental hyperthyroidism are possibly provided by an increase in GABA content in the neocortex by 40% and a decrease in serotonin level in the hippocampus by 32%. Experimental hypothyroidism caused an anxiogenic effect and cognitive impairment, which were accompanied by an excessive increase by 51% in the neocortical serotonin content.

The temperature-dependent predatory strike of Odonata larvae

The larvae of Odonata are limnic predators capable of catching their prey using a highly modified mouthpart - the labium. Driven by a unique dual catapult mechanism, the apparatus can reach peak accelerations of up to 114.5m/s2. Yet little is known about the kinematics of the predatory strike in an ecological context. Here we show how different ambient temperatures affect the predatory strike and the avoidance reaction of prey items of Odonata larvae. We found that the extension velocity of the labial mask decreases significantly with the ambient temperature both in dragonflies and damselflies. However, temperature has lesser impact on the predatory strike itself than on directly muscle driven movements in both the predator and prey items. This contradicts the previous assumption that catapult mechanisms in insects are unaffected by temperature. Our results indicate that the prehensile labial mask is driven by a series-elastic catapult; a mechanism similar to the temperature dependent jump of frogs, where muscle and spring action are tightly linked. Our study provides novel insights into the predatory strike of Odonata larvae and offers a new ecological perspective on catapult mechanisms in arthropods in general.

Anti Psychotic Evaluation and GC-MS Analysis of Cassia occidentalis Leaves

Aim: To evaluate the effect of an active fraction from Cassia occidentalis leaves on Wistar rats against psychosis were investigated. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Aditya Bangalore Institute of Pharmacy Education and Research, Bangalore, India between June -2019 to July – 2020. Methods: For the assessment of neuroleptic activity of the Cassia occidentalis leaves with different antipsychotic animal models, Chloroform and ethanol extract (200 mg.kg-1) were used for the study with different animal models. The extract showing higher anti psychotic activity was subjected to column chromatography and led to the isolation of an active fraction and examined in GC-MS analysis. Results: A significant decrease of amphetamine-caused stereotype and conditioned avoidance reaction turned into found with extract treated animals as in comparison to control. Phencyclidine induced weird sample of locomotor activity and social withdrawal test in test extracts does no longer proven any significant activity as in comparison to control. Minor symptoms of catalepsy have been seen extract-treated group and decreased dopamine level in the frontal cortex and corpus striatum in comparison to the control group. GC-MS evaluation was identified two active principles present in the eluted fraction. Conclusion: The study revealed that the ethanol extract of Cassia occidentalis may possess the property to alleviate the positive symptoms of psychosis.

Neurochemical study of the mechanism of action of thymus peptides in emotional stress

A comparative study of the effect of the thymus hormone thymulin and thymus peptides (thymosin fraction 5) on the content of monoamines and their metabolites in the frontal cortex, striatum, adjacent nucleus, hypothalamus, hippocampus of the brain of Wistar rats, by high performance liquid chromatography, was performed. The hormone and peptides of the thymus were found to reduce emotional stress during functional impairment ofthe avoidance reaction and improved adaptation under stressful conditions in rats, which indicates the anti-stress effect of thymus hormones. The positive effect of the hormone and peptides of the thymus were manifested in a change in the balance of serotonin and norepinephrine in favor of the former in the hypothalamus and frontal cortex.

STUDY OF HESPERIDINE AND CURKUMIN NOOTROPIC ACTIVITY UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF FOCAL CEREBRAL ISCHEMIA

The article presents the results of the study of the nootropic activity of hesperidin and curcumin in conditions of focal cerebral ischemia. Studies were conducted on Wistar male rats, which reproduced the focal ischemia of the right middle cerebral artery. Experimental compounds and the reference drug (Mexidol) are administered intragastrally at the next day after surgery at a dosage of 100 mg/kg for three days. Researched using memory and cognitive assessment models – the method of avoiding passive (passive avoidance reaction) and active (TEA) environments. The effect of these compounds on the level of formation of lactate, pyruvate, and the degree of necrosis was studied. Against the background of focal cerebral ischemia, hesperidin significantly improved the studied parameters, curcumin did not show a positive effect on all the studied parameters, and therefore inferior to the heotropic activity on nootropic activity. The results of experimental data suggest the possibility of further in-depth study of hesperidin for cerebroprotective and nootropic activity.

Too Real to Be Virtual: Autonomic and EEG Responses to Extreme Stress Scenarios in Virtual Reality

The evolution of virtual reality (VR) technologies requires setting boundaries of its use. In this study, 3 female participants were experiencing VR scenarios with stressful content and their activity of the autonomic nervous system and EEG were recorded. It has been discovered that virtual reality can evoke acute stress reactions accompanied by activation of the sympathetic nervous system and a decrease in the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system. The high-stress response is accompanied by a decrease in the power of the EEG, and, on the contrary, the activation of the avoidance reaction is accompanied by an increase in the power of the EEG alpha waves. Therefore, the use of stressful VR content can cause high emotional stress to a user and restrictions should be considered.