Biology of sensory systems

Since publication of the first edition, huge developments have taken place in sensory biology research and new insights have been provided in particular by molecular biology. These show the similarities in the molecular architecture and in the physiology of sensory cells across species and across sensory modality and often indicate a common ancestry dating back over half a billion years. Biology of Sensory Systems has thus been completely revised and takes a molecular, evolutionary and comparative approach, providing an overview of sensory systems in vertebrates, invertebrates and prokaryotes, with a strong focus on human senses. Written by a renowned author with extensive teaching experience, the book covers, in six parts, the general features of sensory systems, the mechanosenses, the chemosenses, the senses which detect electromagnetic radiation, other sensory systems including pain, thermosensitivity and some of the minority senses and, finally, provides an outline and discussion of philosophical implications. New in this edition: - Greater emphasis on molecular biology and intracellular mechanisms - New chapter on genomics and sensory systems - Sections on TRP channels, synaptic transmission, evolution of nervous systems, arachnid mechanosensitive sensilla and photoreceptors, electroreception in the Monotremata, language and the FOXP2 gene, mirror neurons and the molecular biology of pain - Updated passages on human olfaction and gustation. Over four hundred illustrations, boxes containing supplementary material and self-assessment questions and a full bibliography at the end of each part make Biology of Sensory Systems essential reading for undergraduate students of biology, zoology, animal physiology, neuroscience, anatomy and physiological psychology. The book is also suitable for postgraduate students in more specialised courses such as vision sciences, optometry, neurophysiology, neuropathology, developmental biology.

Activity and affect:repeated within-participant assessment in people after joint replacement surgery

Objective: Between-participant research has shown that high negative affectivity predicts greater activity limitations and vice versa. This study examined both between- and within-participant associations of negative and positive affectivity with activity levels using ecological momentary assessment. Method: Participants were 25 people who had undergone joint replacement surgery 12 months previously. Participants made multiple reports of their activity and positive and negative affectivity over a single day using, a computerized diary. Activity was also objectively recorded using an activity monitor. The following day, participants made a self-report of their activity over the measurement day and general positive and negative affectivity levels were recorded. Results: Higher self-reported walking time over the whole measurement day was associated with higher general positive affectivity but not negative affectivity. However, using ecological momentary assessment, higher diary reports of negative affectivity predicted increased activity levels while positive affectivity neither predicted nor was predicted by activity. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the importance of within-participant methodology in detecting subtle and immediate effects of individuals' mood on behavior that may differ from findings investigating between-participant effects over longer time periods.

Spatial ecological complexity measures in GRASS GIS

Good estimates of ecosystem complexity are essential for a number of ecological tasks: from biodiversity estimation, to forest structure variable retrieval, to feature extraction by edge detection and generation of multifractal surface as neutral models for e.g. feature change assessment. Hence, measuring ecological complexity over space becomes crucial in macroecology and geography. Many geospatial tools have been advocated in spatial ecology to estimate ecosystem complexity and its changes over space and time. Among these tools, free and open source options especially offer opportunities to guarantee the robustness of algorithms and reproducibility. In this paper we will summarize the most straightforward measures of spatial complexity available in the Free and Open Source Software GRASS GIS, relating them to key ecological patterns and processes.

In vitro assessment of the combined effect of eicosapentaenoic acid, green tea extract and curcumin C3 on protein loss in C2C12 myotubes

EPA has been clinically shown to reduce muscle wasting during cancer cachexia. This study investigates whether curcumin or green tea extract (GTE) enhances the ability of low doses of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to reduce loss of muscle protein in an in vitro model. A low dose of EPA with minimal anti-cachectic activity was chosen to evaluate any potential synergistic effect with curcumin or GTE. Depression of protein synthesis and increase in degradation was determined in C2C12 myotubes in response to tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF). EPA (50 μM) or curcumin (10 μg ml−1) alone had little effect on protein degradation caused by PIF but the combination produced complete inhibition, as did the combination with GTE (10 μg ml−1). In response to TNF-α (25 ng ml−1)-induced protein degradation, EPA had a small, but not significant effect on protein degradation; however, when curcumin and GTE were combined with EPA, the effect was enhanced. EPA completely attenuated the depression of protein synthesis caused by TNF-α, but not that caused by PIF. The combination of EPA with curcumin produced a significant increase in protein synthesis to both agents. GTE alone or in combination with EPA had no effect on the depression of protein synthesis by TNF-α, but did significantly increase protein synthesis in PIF-treated cells. Both TNF-α and PIF significantly reduced myotube diameter from 17 to 13 μm for TNF-α (23.5%) and 15 μm (11.8%) for PIF However the triple combination of EPA, curcumin and GTE returned diameters to values not significantly different from the control. These results suggest that either curcumin or GTE or the combination could enhance the anti-catabolic effect of EPA on lean body mass.

On-line puzzle game based assessment & training for ADHD

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent and impairing neurodevelopmental disorder, with worldwide estimates of 5.29%. ADHD is clinically characterized by hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention, with neuropsychological deficits in executive functions, attention, working memory and inhibition. These cognitive processes rely on prefrontal cortex function; cognitive training programs enhance performance of ADHD participants supporting the idea of neuronal plasticity. Here we propose the development of an on-line puzzle game based assessment and training tool in which participants must deduce the ‘winning symbol’ out of N distracters. To increase ecological validity of assessments strategically triggered Twitter/Facebook notifications will challenge the ability to ignore distracters. In the UK, significant cost for the disorder on health, social and education services, stand at £23m a year. Thus the potential impact of neuropsychological assessment and training to improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of ADHD, and hence our treatment interventions and patient outcomes, cannot be overstated.