The human organization of time: Temporal realities and experience (Book)

Reviews the book "The Human Organization of Time: Temporal Realities and Experience," by Allen C. Bluedorn.

LGI1 mutations in temporal lobe epilepsies

Background and Objectives: A number of familial temporal lobe epilepsies (TLE) have been recently recognized. Mutations in LGI1 (leucine-rich, glioma-inactivated 1 gene) have been found in a few families with the syndrome of autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features (ADPEAF). The authors aimed to determine the spectrum of TLE phenotypes with LGI1 mutations, to study the frequency of mutations in ADPEAF, and to examine the role of LGI1 paralogs in ADPEAF without LGI1 mutations. Methods: The authors performed a clinical and molecular analysis on 75 pedigrees comprising 54 with a variety of familial epilepsies associated with TLE and 21 sporadic TLE cases. All were studied for mutations in LGI1. ADPEAF families negative for LGI1 mutations were screened for mutations in LGI2, LGI3, and LGI4. Results: Four families had ADPEAF, 22 had mesial TLE, 11 had TLE with febrile seizures, two had TLE with developmental abnormalities, and 15 had various other TLE syndromes. LGI1 mutations were found in two of four ADPEAF families, but in none of the other 50 families nor in the 21 individuals with sporadic TLE. The mutations were novel missense mutations in exons 1 (c. 124T --> G; C42G) and 8 (c. 1418C --> T; S473L). No mutations in LGI2, LGI3, or LGI4 were found in the other two ADPEAF families. Conclusion: In TLE, mutations in LGI1 are specific for ADPEAF but do not occur in all families. ADPEAF is genetically heterogeneous, but mutations in LGI2, LGI3, or LGI4 did not account for families without LGI1 mutations.

Temporal dynamic of the relationship between the parasitic isopod Aporobopyrus curtatus (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyridae) and the anomuran crab Petrolisthes armatus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Porcellanidae) in southern Brazil

The prevalence of the parasite Aporobopyrus curtatus in Petrolisthes armatus from southern Brazil was determined, and the effect the parasite had on host reproduction was evaluated. Of all 775 crabs sampled in Araca region from March 2005 to July 2006, 3.2% presented bopyrid parasites. All the parasitized individuals had one branchial chamber occupied by two mature parasites, with no preference for the right or left chamber. Male and female hosts were infested in equal proportions. Parasitized juveniles, large individuals and ovigerous females were not found in our study. The absence of parasitized ovigerous females seems to be insufficient evidence to support the hypothesis of parasitic castration and would require a histological study to confirm their reproductive death. The percentage of infestation observed in our study (3.1%) is lower than the one found in other studies and it could indicate the existence of factor(s) regulating the density of A. curtatus in the Araca region. At least in this population, the low but constant presence of the bopyrid A. curtatus population did not appear to have a negative effect on the porcellanid population, and parasitized individuals did not play a significant role in the natural history of P. armatus.

Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate Signaling Cascade Mediates Pigment Aggregation in Freshwater Shrimp Chromatophores

The cell signaling cascades that mediate pigment movements in crustacean chromatophores are not yet well established, although Ca(2+) and cyclic nucleotide second messengers are involved. Here, we examine the participation of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in pigment aggregation triggered by red pigment concentrating hormone (RPCH) in the red ovarian chromatophores of freshwater shrimp. In Ca(2+)-containing (5.5 mmol l(-1)) saline, 10 mu mol l(-1) dibutyryl cGMP alone produced complete pigment aggregation with the same time course (approximate to 20 min) and peak velocity (approximate to 17 mu m/min) as 10(-8) mol l(-1) RPCH; however, in Ca(2+)-free saline (9 X 10(-11) mol l(-1) Ca(2+)), db-cGMP was without effect. The soluble guanylyl cyclase (GC-S) activators sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 0.5 mu mol l(-1)) and 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1, 100 mu mol l(-1)) induced moderate aggregation by themselves (approximate to 35%-40%) but did not affect RPCH-triggered aggregation. The GC-S inhibitors zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP-XI, 30 mu mol l(-1)) and 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione (LY83583, 10 mu mol l(-1)) partially inhibited RPCH-triggered aggregation by approximate to 35%. Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (STa, 1 mu mol l(-1)), a membrane-receptor guanylyl cyclase stimulator, did not induce or affect RPCH-triggered aggregation. We propose that the binding of RPCH to an unknown membrane-receptor type activates a Ca(2+)-dependent signaling cascade coupled via cytosolic guanylyl cyclase and cGMP to protein kinase G-phosphorylated proteins that regulate aggregation-associated, cytoskeletal molecular motor activity. This is a further example of a cGMP signaling cascade mediating the effect of a crustacean X-organ neurosecretory peptide.

The Western Alps from the Jurassic to Oligocene: spatio-temporal constraints and evolutionary reconstructions

Despite extensive research in the last 150 years, the regional tectonic reconstruction of the Western Alps has remained controversial. The curved orogenic belt consists of several ribbon-like continental terranes (Sesia/Austroalpine, Internal Crystalline Massifs, Brianconnais), which are separated by two or more ophiolitic sutures (Piemonte, Valais, Antrona?, Lanzo/ Canavese?). High-pressure (HP) metamorphism of each terrane occurred during distinct orogenic episodes: at similar to65 Ma in the Sesia/Austroalpine, at similar to45 Ma in the Piemonte zone and at similar to35 Ma in the Internal Crystalline Massifs. It is suggested that these events reflect individual accretionary episodes, which together with kinematic indicators and the speed and direction of plate motions, provide constraints for the discussed reconstruction model. The model involves a prolonged orogenic history that took place during relative convergence of Europe and Adria (here considered as a promontory of the African plate). The first accretionary event involved the Sesia/Austroalpine terrane. Final closure of the Piemonte Ocean occurred during the Eocene (similar to45 Ma) and involved ultra-high-pressure (UHP) metamorphism of the Piemonte oceanic crust. Incorporation of the Brianconnais terrane in the accretionary wedge occurred thereafter, possibly during or after subduction of the Valais Ocean in the late Eocene (45-35 Ma). This subduction was terminated at ca. 35 Ma, when the Internal Crystalline Massifs (i.e. the assumed internal parts of the Brianconnais terrane) were buried into great depths and underwent HP and UHP metamorphism. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temporal and spatial distribution of anurans in the Pampa Region (Santa Maria, RS).

The present study aimed to determine the richness, occurrence constancy, reproductive modes. standard of abundance distribution, season of vocalization and to test correlation among climatic variables and activity of vocalization of anurans in a region of the Pampa Biome, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State. During the period of Novernber/2001 to October/2002 monthly collections were carried out utilizing the `survey at breeding site` method and examination of specimens kept in the Colecao Herpetologica do Setor de Zoologia da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (ZUFSM). Tire Occurrence of 25 species of anurans was recorded. The anurofauna recorded represents 30% of the species known to Occur in Rio Grande do Sul, and comprises species generally associated with grasslands in this state and neighboring countries. Four reproductive modes were recorded: mode 1 (14 species: 58.3%) mode 11 and 30 (9 species` 37.5%) and mode 24 (1 species; 4.2%). The low diversification of reproductive modes is likely related to the homogeneity of the grassland habitat. Most species were constant or accessory in the Study area and the species abundance distribution patterns fit in the Broken Stick and Log-normal models. characterized by homogeneity of species abundance distribution. Most species showed great plasticity in habitat. but few were plastic in vocalization sites use. There was a weak positive correlation between species richness and precipitation. There was also a weak positive correlation between the abundance of species calling activity and maximum average temperatures. These correlations indicated that, in the study area. the abundance of calling males is more affected by the temperature, and species richness is more affected by precipitation, despite the fact that significantly higher species richness occurs during the hottest period of the year. These results showed that the climatological variables examined were not enough to explain the seasonal occurrence of species, thus the influence of other environmental variables merit to be tested in future studies.

Episodic and semantic memory in children with mesial temporal sclerosis

The aim of this study was to analyze semantic and episodic memory deficits in children with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) and their correlation with clinical epilepsy variables. For this purpose, 19 consecutive children and adolescents with MTS (8 to 16 years old) were evaluated and their performance on five episodic memory tests (short- and long-term memory and learning) and four semantic memory tests was compared with that of 28 healthy volunteers. Patients performed worse on tests of immediate and delayed verbal episodic memory, visual episodic memory, verbal and visual learning, mental scanning for semantic clues, object naming, word definition, and repetition of sentences. Clinical variables such as early age at seizure onset, severity of epilepsy, and polytherapy impaired distinct types of memory. These data confirm that children with MTS have episodic memory deficits and add new information on semantic memory. The data also demonstrate that clinical variables contribute differently to episodic and semantic memory performance. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatial bias and temporal lag in tactile space perception

Constructing a veridical spatial map by touch poses at least two problems for a perceptual system. First, as the hand is moved through space, the locations of features may be displaced if there is an uncorrected lag between the moment the hand encounters a feature and the time that feature is encoded on a spatial map. Second, due to the sequential nature of the process, some form of memory, which itself may be subject to spatial distortions, is required for integration of spatial samples. We investigated these issues using a task involving active haptic exploration with a stylus swept back and forth in the horizontal plane at the wrist. Remembered locations of tactile targets were shifted towards the medial axis of the forearm, suggesting a central tendency in haptic spatial memory, while evidence for a displacement of perceived locations in the direction of sweep motion was consistent with processing delays.

Local dispersion of the Eucalyptus leaf beetle Chrysophtharta bimaculata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and implications for forest protection

1. Chrysophtharta bimaculata is a native chrysomelid species that can cause chronic defoliation of plantation and regrowth Eucalyptus forests in Tasmania, Australia. Knowledge of the dispersion pattern of C. bimaculata was needed in order to assess the efficiency of an integrated pest management (IPM) programme currently used for its control. 2. Using data from yellow flight traps, local populations of C. bimaculata adults were monitored over a season at spatial scales relevant to commercial forestry: within a 50-ha operational management unit (a forestry 'coupe') and between coupes. In addition, oviposition was monitored over a season at a subset of the between-coupe sites. 3. Dispersion indices (Taylor's Power Law and Iwao's Mean Crowding regression method) demonstrated that C. bimaculata adults were spatially aggregated within and between coupes, although the number of egg-batches laid at the between-coupe scale was uniform. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that trap-catches at the within-coupe level were similar (positively autocorrelated) to a radius distance of approximately 110 m, and then dissimilar (negatively autocorrelated) at approximately 250 m. At the between-coupe scale, no repeatable spatial autocorrelation patterns were observed. 4. For any individual site, rapid changes in beetle density were observed to be associated with loosely aggregated flights of beetles into and out of that site. Peak adult catches (> the weekly mean plus standard deviation trap-catch) for a site occurred for a period of 2.0 +/- 0.22 weeks at a time (n = 37), with normally only one or two peaks per site per season. Peak oviposition events for a site occurred on average 1.4 +/- 0.11 times per season and lasted 1.5 +/- 0.12 weeks. 5. Analysis of an extensive data set (n = 417) demonstrated that adult abundance at a site was positively correlated with egg density, but negatively correlated with tree damage (caused by conspecifics) and the presence of conspecific larvae. There was no relationship between adult abundance and a visual estimate of the amount of young foliage on trees. 6. Adults of C. bimaculata are show n to occur in relatively small, mobile aggregations. This means that pest surveys must be both regular (less than 2 weeks apart) and intensive (with sampling points no more than 150 m apart) if beetle populations are to be monitored with confidence. Further refinement of the current IPM strategy must recognize the problems posed by this temporal and spatial patchiness, particularly with regard to the use of biological insecticides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, for which only a very short operational window exists.

Prion protein ablation increases cellular aggregation and embolization contributing to mechanisms of metastasis

Cellular Prion Protein (PrP(C)) is a cell surface protein highly expressed in the nervous system, and to a lesser extent in other tissues. PrP(C) binds to the extracellular matrix laminin and vitronectin, to mediate cell adhesion and differentiation. Herein, we investigate how PrP(C) expression modulates the aggressiveness of transformed cells. Mesenchymal embryonic cells (MEC) from wildtype (Prnp(+/+)) and PrP(C)-null (Prnp(0/0)) mice were immortalized and transformed by co-expression of ras and myc. These cells presented similar growth rates and tumor formation in vivo. When injected in the tail vein, PrnP(0/0)raS/myc cells exhibited increased lung colonization compared with Prnp(+/+)ras/myc cells. Additionally, Prnp(0/0)ras/myc cells form more aggregates with blood components than Prnp(+/+)ras/myc cells, facilitating the arrest of Prnp(0/0)ras/myc cells in the lung vasculature. Integrin alpha(v)beta(3) is more expressed and activated in MEC and in transformed Prnp(0/0) cells than in the respective Prnp(+/+) cells. The blocking of integrin alpha(v)beta(3) by RGD peptide reduces lung colonization in transformed Prnp(0/0) cells to similar levels of those presented by transformed Prnp(+/+) cells. Our data indicate that PrP(C) negatively modulates the expression and activation of integrin alpha(v)beta(3) resulting in a more aggressive phenotype. These results indicate that PrP(C) may have main implications in modulating metastasis formation. (C) 2009 UICC

Expression of vitamin D receptor mRNA in the hippocampal formation of rats submitted to a model of temporal lobe epilepsy induced by pilocarpine

Vitamin D (VD), is a steroid hormone with multiple functions in the central nervous system (CNS), producing numerous physiological effects mediated by its receptor (VDR). Clinical and experimental studies have shown a link between VD dysfunction and epilepsy. Along these lines, the purpose of our work was to analyze the relative expression of VDR mRNA in the hippocampal formation of rats during the three periods of pilocarpine-induced epilepsy. Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups: (1) control group; rats that received saline 0.9%, i.p. and were killed 7 days after its administration (CTRL, n = 8), (2) SE group; rats that received pilocarpine and were killed 4 h after SE (SE, n = 8), (3) Silent group-7 days; rats that received pilocarpine and were killed 7 days after SE (SIL 7d, n = 8), (4) Silent group-14 days; rats that received pilocarpine and were killed 14 days after SE (SIL 14d, n = 8), (5) Chronic group; rats that received pilocarpine and were killed 60 days after the first spontaneous seizure, (chronic, n = 8). The relative expression of VDR mRNA was determined by real-time PCR. Our results showed an increase of the relative expression of VDR mRNA in the SIL 7 days, SIL 14 days and Chronic groups, respectively (0.060 +/- 0.024; 0.052 +/- 0.035; 0.085 +/- 0.055) when compared with the CTRL and SE groups (0.019 +/- 0.017; 0.019 +/- 0.025). These data suggest the VDR as a possible candidate participating in the epileptogenesis process of the pilocarpine model of epilepsy. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of Cochlear Function on Auditory Temporal Resolution in Tinnitus Patients

Our aim was to analyze the influence of subtle cochlear damage on temporal auditory resolution in tinnitus patients. Forty-eight subjects (hearing threshold <= 25 dB HL) were assigned to one of two experimental groups: 28 without auditory complaints (mean age, 28.8 years) and 20 with tinnitus (mean age, 33.5 years). We analyzed distortion product otoacoustic emission growth functions (by threshold, slope, and estimated amplitude), extended high-frequency thresholds, and the Gaps-in-Noise test. There were differences between the groups, principally in the extended high-frequency thresholds and the Gaps-in-Noise test results. Our findings suggest that subtle peripheral hearing impairment affects temporal resolution in tinnitus, even when pure-tone thresholds as conventionally measured appear normal. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel

Semantic memory impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippociampal sclerosis

Episodic memory impairment is a well-recognized feature of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Semantic memory has received much less attention in this patient population. In this study, semantic memory aspects (word-picture matching, word definition, confrontation and responsive naming, and word list generation) in 19 patients with left and right temporal lobe epilepsy secondary to mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) were compared with those of normal controls. Patients with LMTS showed impaired performance in word definition (compared to controls and RMTS) and in responsive naming (compared to controls). RMTS and LMTS patients performed worse than controls in word-picture matching. Both patients with left and right mesial temporal lobe epilepsy performed worse than controls in word list generation and in confrontation naming tests. Attentional-executive dysfunction may have contributed to these deficits. We conclude that patients with left and right NITS display impaired aspects of semantic knowledge. A better understanding of semantic processing difficulties in these patients will provide better insight into the difficulties with activities of daily living in this patient population. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MICROSURGICAL ANATOMY OF THE TEMPORAL LOBE: PART 2-SYLVIAN FISSURE REGION AND ITS CLINICAL APPLICATION

OBJECTIVE: We present observations of the anatomy of the sylvian fissure region and their clinical application in neuroimaging, microsurgery for middle cerebral artery aneurysms and insular lesions, frontobasal resections, and epilepsy Surgery. METHODS: Sixty adult cadaveric hemispheres and 12 adult cadaveric heads were studied after perfusion of the arteries and veins with colored latex. The anatomic information was applied in more than 200 microsurgeries in and around the sylvian fissure region in the past 15 years. RESULTS: The sylvian fissure extends from the basal to the lateral surface of the brain and presents 2 compartments on each surface, I superficial (temporal stem and its ramii) and 1 deep (anterior and lateral operculoinsular compartments). The temporal operculum is in opposition to the frontal and parietal opercula (planum polare versus inferior frontal and precentral gyri, Heschl`s versus postcentral gyri, planum temporale versus supramarginal gyrus). The inferior frontal, precentral, and postcentral gyri cover the anterior, middle, and posterior thirds of the lateral surface of the insula, respectively. The pars triangularis covers the apex of the insula, located immediately distal to the genu of the middle cerebral artery. The clinical application of the anatomic information presented in this article is in angiography, middle cerebral artery aneurysm surgery, insular resection, frontobasal resection, and amygdalohippocampectomy, and hemispherotomy. CONCLUSION: The anatomic relationships of the sylvian fissure region can be helpful in preoperative planning and can serve as reliable intraoperative navigation landmarks in microsurgery involving that region.