Induction of cell proliferation in mammalian inner-ear sensory epithelia by transforming growth factor alpha and epidermal growth factor.

Regenerative proliferation occurs in the inner-ear sensory epithelial of warm-blooded vertebrates after insult. To determine how this proliferation is controlled in the mature mammalian inner ear, several growth factors were tested for effects on progenitor-cell division in cultured mouse vestibular sensory epithelia. Cell proliferation was induced in the sensory epithelium by transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) in a dose-dependent manner. Proliferation was also induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF) when supplemented with insulin, but not EGF alone. These observations suggest that stimulation of the EGF receptors by TGF-alpha binding, or EGF (plus insulin) binding, stimulates cell proliferation in the mature mammalian vestibular sensory epithelium.

Residue replacements of buried aspartyl and related residues in sensory rhodopsin I: D201N produces inverted phototaxis signals.

Residue replacements were made at five positions (Arg-73, Asp-76, Tyr-87, Asp-106, and Asp-201) in the Halobacterium salinarium phototaxis receptor sensory rhodopsin I (SR-I) by site-specific mutagenesis. The sites were chosen for their correspondence in position to residues of functional importance in the homologous light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin found in the same organism. This work identifies a residue in SR-I shown to be of vital importance to its attractant signaling function: Asp-201. The effect of the substitution with the isosteric asparagine is to convert the normally attractant signal of orange light stimulation to a repellent signal. In contrast, similar neutral substitution of the four other ionizable residues near the photoactive site allows essentially normal attractant and repellent phototaxis signaling. Wild-type two-photon repellent signaling by the receptor is intact in the Asp-201 mutant, genetically separating the wild-type attractant and repellent signal generation processes. A possible explanation and implications of the inverted signaling are discussed. Results of neutral residue substitution for Asp-76 confirm our previous evidence that proton transfer reactions involving this residue are not important to phototaxis but that Asp-76 functions as the Schiff base proton acceptor in proton translocation by transducer-free SR-I.

Refinement of odor molecule tuning by dendrodendritic synaptic inhibition in the olfactory bulb.

Mitral/tufted cells (M/T cells) and granule cells form reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses in the main olfactory bulb; the granule cell is excited by glutamate from the M/T cell and in turn inhibits M/T cells by gamma-aminobutyrate. The trans-synaptically excited granule cell is thought to induce lateral inhibition in neighboring M/T cells and to refine olfactory information. It remains, however, elusive how significantly and specifically this synaptic regulation contributes to the discrimination of different olfactory stimuli. This investigation concerns the mechanism of olfactory discrimination by single unit recordings of responses to a series of normal aliphatic aldehydes from individual rabbit M/T cells. This analysis revealed that inhibitory responses are evoked in a M/T cell by a defined subset of odor molecules with structures closely related to the excitatory odor molecules. Furthermore, blockade of the reciprocal synaptic transmission by the glutamate receptor antagonist or the gamma-aminobutyrate receptor antagonist markedly suppressed the odor-evoked inhibition, indicating that the inhibitory responses are evoked by lateral inhibition via the reciprocal synaptic transmission. The synaptic regulation in the olfactory bulb thus greatly enhances the tuning specificity of odor responses and would contribute to discrimination of olfactory information.

Contacto pele-a-pele e amamentação na primeira hora de vida

Enquadramento – O contacto pele-a-pele na primeira hora de vida tem benefícios para a mãe e para o recém-nascido, bem como um papel importante no estabelecimento da amamentação. Objetivos – Analisar a evidência científica dos benefícios do contacto pele-a-pele e amamentação na primeira hora de vida; determinar a prevalência do contacto pele-a-pele e da amamentação na primeira hora de vida; verificar quais são os fatores (variáveis sociodemográficas, contextuais da gravidez e do parto, e variáveis relativas ao recémnascido) que interferem nas práticas do contacto pele-a-pele e amamentação na primeira hora de vida. Método – Revisão sistemática da literatura no estudo empírico I. Efetuou-se uma pesquisa na PUBMED, The Cochrane Library, Scielo e Google Académico, estudos publicados entre janeiro de 2011 e dezembro de 2014. Destes foram selecionados 4 estudos, posteriormente analisados, que tiveram em consideração os critérios de inclusão previamente estabelecidos. Dois revisores avaliaram a qualidade dos estudos a incluir utilizando a grelha para avaliação crítica de um estudo descrevendo um ensaio clínico prospetivo, aleatório e controlado de Carneiro (2008). No estudo empírico II seguiu-se um tipo de estudo quantitativo e descritivo simples, de coorte transversal, desenvolvido no serviço de Obstetrícia do Centro Hospitalar Cova da Beira, segundo um processo de amostragem não probabilística por conveniência (n = 382). A recolha de dados efetuou-se através da consulta dos processos clínicos, entre janeiro e dezembro de 2014, das mulheres com idade ≥ 18 anos que tiveram um parto vaginal com feto vivo após as 37 semanas de gestação. Resultados – Evidência de que o contacto precoce pele-a-pele, imediatamente após o parto, é um potencial estímulo sensorial, que abrange o aquecimento do recém-nascido e a estimulação tátil e olfativa, maior estabilização da temperatura, frequência respiratória e nível de glicémia, com diminuição do choro. Está associado à promoção espontânea da amamentação. Na amostra constituída por 382 mulheres, dos 18 aos 46 anos, verificou-se que o contacto pele-a-pele ocorreu em apenas 26,6% da amostra. Cerca de 92,6% da amostragem deu de mamar na primeira hora de vida. No grupo de mulheres em que houve contacto pele-a-pele e amamentação, prevalecem as que têm idade igual ou inferior a 34 anos (66,3%) e predomínio das mulheres que tiveram 5 ou mais consultas (95,9%) de vigilância da gravidez. Conclusão – Face a estes resultados e com base na evidência científica disponível que recomenda o contacto pele-a-pele imediatamente após o parto e promoção da amamentação na primeira hora de vida, assume-se como indispensável que os profissionais invistam na sua formação e assumam um papel importante para a realização deste contacto, estimulando e facilitando esta prática, assim como a realização de mais estudos científicos com contributos para o estabelecimento e manutenção desta prática. Palavras-chave: Contacto pele-a-pele; amamentação; primeira hora de vida.

Sensory chemical pesticide warning system : experimental, summary and recommendations : final report covering the period June 1974-July 1975 /

Mode of access: Internet.

Body, mind, and the sensory gateways.

Mode of access: Internet.

Access to multimedia technology by people with sensory disabilities /

"March 13, 1998."

Age-Related Olfactory Decline is Associated with the BDNF Val66met Polymorphism : Evidence from a Population-Based Study

The present study investigates the effect of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) val66met polymorphism on change in olfactory function in a large scale, longitudinal population-based sample (n = 836). The subjects were tested on a 13 item force-choice odor identification test on two test occasions over a 5-year-interval. Sex, education, health-related factors, and semantic ability were controlled for in the statistical analyses. Results showed an interaction effect of age and BDNF val66met on olfactory change, such that the magnitude of olfactory decline in the older age cohort (70–90years old at baseline) was larger for the val homozygote carriers than for the met carriers. The older met carriers did not display larger age-related decline in olfactory function compared to the younger group. The BDNF val66met polymorphism did not affect the rate of decline in the younger age cohort (45–65years). The findings are discussed in the light of the proposed roles of BDNF in neural development and maintenance.

Attentional blink modulation during sustained and after discrete lead stimuli presented in three sensory modalities

Previous studies found larger attentional modulation of acoustic blinks during task-relevant than during task-irrelevant acoustic or visual, but not tactile, lead stimuli. Moreover, blink modulation was larger overall during acoustic lead stimuli. The present experiment investigated whether these results reflect modality specificity of attentional blink modulation or effects of continuous stimulation. Participants performed a discrimination and counting task with acoustic, visual, or tactile lead stimuli. Stimuli were presented Sustained or consisted of two short discrete stimuli. The sustained condition replicated previous results. In the discrete condition, blinks were larger during task-relevant than during task-irrelevant stimuli in all groups regardless of lead stimulus modality. Thus, previous results that seemed consistent with modality-specific accounts of attentional blink modulation reflect effects of continuous stimulus input.

Sensory hypersensitivity occurs soon after whiplash injury and is associated with poor recovery

Hypersensitivity to a variety of sensory Stimuli is a feature of persistent whiplash associated disorders (WAD). However, little is known about sensory disturbances from the time Of injury until transition to either recovery or symptom persistence. Quantitative sensory testing (pressure and thermal pain thresholds, the brachial plexus provocation test), the sympathetic vasoconstrictor reflex and psychological distress (GHQ-28) were prospectively measured in 76 whiplash Subjects within 1 month of injury and then 2, 3 and 6 months post-injury. Subjects were classified at 6 months post-injury using scores on the Neck Disability Index: recovered (30). Sensory and sympathetic nervous system tests were also measured in 20 control subjects. All whiplash groups demonstrated local mechanical hyperalgesia in the cervica spine at 1 month post-injury. This hyperalgesia persisted in those with moderate/severe symptoms at 6 months but resolved by 2 months in those who had recovered or reported persistent mild symptoms. Only those with persistent moderate/severe symptoms at 6 months demonstrated generalised hypersensitivity to all sensory tests. These changes Occurred within 1 month of injury and remained Unchanged throughout the Study period. Whilst no significant group differences were evident for the sympathetic vasoconstrictor response, the moderate/severe group showed a tendency for diminished sympathetic reactivity. GHQ-28 scores of the moderate/severe group were higher than those of the other two groups. The differences in GHQ-28 did not impact on any of the sensory measures. These findings suggest that those with persistent moderate/severe symptoms at 6 months display, soon after injury, generalised hypersensitivity suggestive of changes in central pain processing mechanisms. This phenomenon did not Occur in those who recover or those with persistent mild symptoms. (C) 2003 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Bi-sensory, striped representations: comparative insights from owl and platypus

Bi-sensory striped arrays are described in owl and platypus that share some similarities with the other variant of bi-sensory striped array found in primate and carnivore striate cortex: ocular dominance columns. Like ocular dominance columns, the owl and platypus striped systems each involve two different topographic arrays that are cut into parallel stripes, and interdigitated, so that higher-order neurons can integrate across both arrays. Unlike ocular dominance stripes, which have a separate array for each eye, the striped array in the middle third of the owl tectum has a separate array for each cerebral hemisphere. Binocular neurons send outputs from both hemispheres to the striped array where they are segregated into parallel stripes according to hemisphere of origin. In platypus primary somatosensory cortex (SI), the two arrays of interdigitated stripes are derived from separate sensory systems in the bill, 40,000 electroreceptors and 60,000 mechanoreceptors. The stripes in platypus SI cortex produce bimodal electrosensory-mechanosensory neurons with specificity for the time-of-arrival difference between the two systems. This thunder-and-lightning system would allow the platypus to estimate the distance of the prey using time disparities generated at the bill between the earlier electrical wave and the later mechanical wave caused by the motion of benthic prey. The functional significance of parallel, striped arrays is not clear, even for the highly-studied ocular dominance system, but a general strategy is proposed here that is based on the detection of temporal disparities between the two arrays that can be used to estimate distance. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Involvement of Islet-2 in the Slit signaling for axonal branching and defasciculation of the sensory neurons in embryonic zebrafish

In Drosophila melanogaster, Slit acts as a repulsive cue for the growth cones of the commissural axons which express a receptor for Slit, Roundabout (Robo), thus preventing the commissural axons from crossing the midline multiple times. Experiments using explant culture have shown that vertebrate Slit homologues also act repulsively for growth cone navigation and neural migration, and promote branching and elongation of sensory axons. Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of Slit2 in vivo in transgenic zebrafish embryos severely affected the behavior of the commissural reticulospinal neurons (Mauthner neurons), promoted branching of the peripheral axons of the trigeminal sensory ganglion neurons, and induced defasciculation of the medial longitudinal fascicles. In addition, Slit2 overexpression caused defasciculation and deflection of the central axons of the trigeminal sensory ganglion neurons from the hindbrain entry point. The central projection was restored by either functional repression or mutation of Robo2, supporting its role as a receptor mediating the Slit signaling in vertebrate neurons. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Islet-2, a LIM/homeodomain-type transcription factor, is essential for Slit2 to induce axonal branching of the trigeminal sensory ganglion neurons, suggesting that factors functioning downstream of Islet-2 are essential for mediating the Slit signaling for promotion of axonal branching. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

PlexinA4 is necessary as a downstream target of Islet2 to mediate Slit signaling for promotion of sensory axon branching

Slit is a secreted protein known to repulse the growth cones of commissural neurons. By contrast, Slit also promotes elongation and branching of axons of sensory neurons. The reason why different neurons respond to Slit in different ways is largely unknown. Islet2 is a LIM/homeodomaintype transcription factor that specifically regulates elongation and branching of the peripheral axons of the primary sensory neurons in zebrafish embryos. We found that PlexinA4, a transmembrane protein known to be a coreceptor for class III semaphorins, acts downstream of Islet2 to promote branching of the peripheral axons of the primary sensory neurons. Intriguingly, repression of PlexinA4 function by injection of the antisense morpholino oligonucleotide specific to PlexinA4 or by overexpression of the dominant-negative variant of PlexinA4 counteracted the effects of overexpression of Slit2 to induce branching of the peripheral axons of the primary sensory neurons in zebrafish embryos, suggesting involvement of PlexinA4 in the Slit signaling cascades for promotion of axonal branching of the sensory neurons. Colocalized expression of Robo, a receptor for Slit2, and PlexinA4 is observed not only in the primary sensory neurons of zebrafish embryos but also in the dendrites of the pyramidal neurons of the cortex of the mammals, and may be important for promoting the branching of either axons or dendrites in response to Slit, as opposed to the growth cone collapse.