Learning-associated functional plasticity at hippocampal synapses remains largely unexplored. Here, in a single session of reward-based trace conditioning, we examine learning-induced synaptic plasticity in the dorsal CA1 hippocampus (dCA1). Local field-potential recording combined with selective optogenetic inhibition first revealed an increase of dCA1 synaptic responses to the conditioned stimulus (CS) induced during conditioning at both Schaffer collaterals to the stratum radiatum (Rad) and temporoammonic input to the lacunosum moleculare (LMol). At these dCA1 inputs, synaptic potentiation of CS-responding excitatory synapses was further demonstrated by locally blocking NMDA receptors during conditioning and whole-cell recording sensory-evoked synaptic responses in dCA1 neurons from naive animals. An overall similar time course of the induction of synaptic potentiation was found in the Rad and LMol by multiple-site recording; this emerged later and saturated earlier than conditioned behavioral responses. Our experiments demonstrate a cued memory-associated dCA1 synaptic plasticity induced at both Schaffer collaterals and temporoammonic pathways.
Animals ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal/physiology* ; Male ; Association Learning/physiology* ; Neuronal Plasticity/physiology* ; Cues ; Memory/physiology* ; Synapses/physiology* ; Conditioning, Classical/physiology* ; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/physiology* ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Rats ; Optogenetics

Reach-to-grasp movements require integrating information on both object location and grip type, but how these elements are planned and to what extent they interact remains unclear. We designed a new experimental paradigm in which monkeys sequentially received reach and grasp cues with delays, requiring them to retain and integrate both cues to grasp the goal object with appropriate hand gestures. Neural activity in the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) revealed that reach and grasp were similarly represented yet not independent. Upon receiving the second cue, the PMd continued encoding the first, but over half of the neurons displayed incongruent modulations: enhanced, attenuated, or even reversed. Population-level analysis showed significant changes in encoding structure, forming distinct neural patterns. Leveraging canonical correlation analysis, we identified a shared subspace preserving the initial cue's encoding, contributed by both congruent and incongruent neurons. Together, these findings reveal a novel perspective on the interactive planning of reach and grasp within the PMd, providing insights into potential applications for brain-machine interfaces.
Animals ; Motor Cortex/physiology* ; Hand Strength/physiology* ; Macaca mulatta ; Psychomotor Performance/physiology* ; Neurons/physiology* ; Male ; Cues ; Movement/physiology* ; Gestures

Accurate self-motion perception, which is critical for organisms to survive, is a process involving multiple sensory cues. The two most powerful cues are visual (optic flow) and vestibular (inertial motion). Psychophysical studies have indicated that humans and nonhuman primates integrate the two cues to improve the estimation of self-motion direction, often in a statistically Bayesian-optimal way. In the last decade, single-unit recordings in awake, behaving animals have provided valuable neurophysiological data with a high spatial and temporal resolution, giving insight into possible neural mechanisms underlying multisensory self-motion perception. Here, we review these findings, along with new evidence from the most recent studies focusing on the temporal dynamics of signals in different modalities. We show that, in light of new data, conventional thoughts about the cortical mechanisms underlying visuo-vestibular integration for linear self-motion are challenged. We propose that different temporal component signals may mediate different functions, a possibility that requires future studies.
Animals ; Humans ; Motion Perception/physiology* ; Bayes Theorem ; Optic Flow ; Cues ; Vestibule, Labyrinth/physiology* ; Photic Stimulation ; Visual Perception/physiology*

Females increase aggression for mating opportunities and for acquiring reproductive resources. Although the close relationship between female aggression and mating status is widely appreciated, whether and how female aggression is regulated by mating-related cues remains poorly understood. Here we report an interesting observation that Drosophila virgin females initiate high-frequency attacks toward mated females. We identify 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), a male-derived pheromone transferred to females during mating, which promotes virgin female aggression. We subsequently reveal a cVA-responsive neural circuit consisting of four orders of neurons, including Or67d, DA1, aSP-g, and pC1 neurons, that mediate cVA-induced virgin female aggression. We also determine that aSP-g neurons release acetylcholine (ACh) to excite pC1 neurons via the nicotinic ACh receptor nAChRα7. Together, beyond revealing cVA as a mating-related inducer of virgin female aggression, our results identify a neural circuit linking the chemosensory perception of mating-related cues to aggressive behavior in Drosophila females.
Animals ; Male ; Female ; Drosophila/physiology* ; Drosophila Proteins/physiology* ; Cues ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology* ; Aggression/physiology* ; Drosophila melanogaster/physiology*

Stem cells have been regarded with promising application potential in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to their self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation abilities. However, their fate is relied on their local microenvironment, or niche. Recent studied have demonstrated that biophysical factors, defined as physical microenvironment in which stem cells located play a vital role in regulating stem cell committed differentiation. In vitro, synthetic physical microenvironments can be used to precisely control a variety of biophysical properties. On this basis, the effect of biophysical properties such as matrix stiffness, matrix topography and mechanical force on the committed differentiation of stem cells was further investigated. This paper summarizes the approach of mechanical models of artificial physical microenvironment and reviews the effects of different biophysical characteristics on stem cell differentiation, in order to provide reference for future research and development in related fields.
Cues ; Stem Cells ; Cell Differentiation ; Regenerative Medicine ; Tissue Engineering

Acetylcholine ; Amygdala ; Cues ; Fear

OBJECTIVES: In this paper, we present an efficient method to visualize computed tomography (CT) datasets using ambient occlusion, which is a global illumination technique that adds depth cues to the output image. We can change the transfer function (TF) for volume rendering and generate output images in real time. METHODS: In preprocessing, the mean and standard deviation of each local vicinity are calculated. During rendering, the ambient light intensity is calculated. The calculation is accelerated on the assumption that the CT value of the local vicinity of each point follows the normal distribution. We approximate complex TF forms with a smaller number of connected line segments to achieve additional acceleration. Ambient occlusion is combined with the existing local illumination technique to produce images with depth in real time. RESULTS: We tested the proposed method on various CT datasets using hand-drawn TFs. The proposed method enabled real-time rendering that was approximately 40 times faster than the previous method. As a result of comparing the output image quality with that of the conventional method, the average signal-to-noise ratio was approximately 40 dB, and the image quality did not significantly deteriorate. CONCLUSIONS: When rendering CT images with various TFs, the proposed method generated depth-sensing images in real time.
Acceleration ; Computer Systems ; Cues ; Dataset ; Lighting ; Mathematical Computing ; Methods ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study compared the perception of mono-syllabic and bisyllabic words in Tamil by young normal hearing adults in the presence of multi-talker speech babble at two signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Further for this comparison, a speech perception in noise test was constructed using existing mono-syllabic and bi-syllabic word lists in Tamil. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 30 participants with normal hearing in the age range of 18 to 25 years participated in the study. Speech-in-noise test in Tamil (SPIN-T) constructed using mono-syllabic and bi-syllabic words in Tamil was used as stimuli. The stimuli were presented in the background of multi-talker speech babble at two SNRs (0 dB and +10 dB SNR). RESULTS: The effect of noise on SPIN-T varied with SNR. All the participants performed better at +10 dB SNR, the higher of the two SNRs considered. Additionally, at +10 dB SNR performance did not vary significantly for neither mono-syllabic or bi-syllabic words. However, a significant difference existed at 0 dB SNR. CONCLUSIONS: The current study indicated that higher SNR leads to better performance. In addition, bi-syllabic words were identified with minimal errors compared to mono-syllabic words. Spectral cues were the most affected in the presence of noise leading to more of place of articulation errors for both mono-syllabic and bi-syllabic words.
Adult ; Cues ; Hearing ; Humans ; Noise ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio ; Speech Perception ; Young Adult

The purpose of the present paper was to review the processing mechanisms of social cues in faces. We summarized researches relative to social cues in faces and discussed the processing mechanism of these cues from the aspects of facial expression, facial attractiveness, gaze and face direction, and lipreading. First, we discussed the general neural mechanism of face information processing and summarized the functions of face areas in the fusiform gyrus, posterior superior temporal sulcus and inferior occipital gyrus. Next, the neural mechanism of emotional face perception was discussed. The processing of emotional faces consists of encodings of perceptual and emotional components. The amygdala plays an important role in the emotional processing of facial expressions. Furthermore, the neural responses to facial expressions may be influenced by multiple factors, such as the type of emotion, the dynamic presentation of the face and the consciousness of facial expressions. With respect to facial attractiveness processing, studies has shown that the reward circuitry is activated by highly attractive faces. However, the influence of facial attractiveness on neural responses remains elusive. It is proposed that the neural responses to facial attractiveness might be modulated by factors such as the task, observer's sex, expectation and other social cues in faces. Eye gaze perception and face view perception are related to visual attention, and the relevant neural circuitry has been found to include attention-related areas, such as the intraparietal sulcus. Finally, research on lipreading reveals its important role in language perception. The auditory cortex and language-related cortex have been shown to be activated by lipreading. In summary, the present evidence may support facial information processing theory. However, the theory could be further improved based on present and future findings. Furthermore, we discussed the deficits in the processing of social cues in individuals with mental disorders and proposed future research directions in this field.
Brain Mapping ; Cues ; Emotions ; Facial Expression ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Temporal Lobe ; physiology

OBJECTIVES: Health education programs are one of the most important strategies for controlling cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in endemic areas such as Neshabur city. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a comprehensive health education program to improve preventive behaviors for CL. METHODS: This was an interventional study conducted on 136 high school students in Neishabur city. Data collection instruments included a demographic questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire based on the “Health Belief Model” and “Beliefs, Attitudes, Subjective Norms and Enabling Factors Model” constructs. The control and intervention groups completed the questionnaires before and 2 months after the intervention. The intervention was conducted in 6, 1-hour educational sessions for the intervention group students and 2, 1-hour sessions for school administrators, teachers, and students’ parents. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the pre-intervention phase. However, in the post-intervention phase, there were significant differences between the 2 groups for mean scores of knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, cues to action, self-efficacy, attitude, subjective norms, behavioral intention, enabling factors, and behavior associated with CL. CONCLUSION: Health education program based on the “Health Belief Model” and the “Beliefs, Attitudes, Subjective Norms and Enabling Factors Model” model constructs may be a comprehensive and effective educational program to improve preventive behaviors against CL in students.
Administrative Personnel ; Causality ; Cues ; Data Collection ; Education ; Health Education ; Humans ; Intention ; Iran ; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous ; Parents