scholarly journals Adaptation-induced modification of motion selectivity tuning in visual tectal neurons of adult zebrafish

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 2893-2902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Hollmann ◽  
Valerie Lucks ◽  
Rafael Kurtz ◽  
Jacob Engelmann
Keyword(s):  
Optic Tectum ◽  
Brain Area ◽  
Direction Selectivity ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Orientation Tuning ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Plasticity ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Tectal Neurons

In the developing brain, training-induced emergence of direction selectivity and plasticity of orientation tuning appear to be widespread phenomena. These are found in the visual pathway across different classes of vertebrates. Moreover, short-term plasticity of orientation tuning in the adult brain has been demonstrated in several species of mammals. However, it is unclear whether neuronal orientation and direction selectivity in nonmammalian species remains modifiable through short-term plasticity in the fully developed brain. To address this question, we analyzed motion tuning of neurons in the optic tectum of adult zebrafish by calcium imaging. In total, orientation and direction selectivity was enhanced by adaptation, responses of previously orientation-selective neurons were sharpened, and even adaptation-induced emergence of selectivity in previously nonselective neurons was observed in some cases. The different observed effects are mainly based on the relative distance between the previously preferred and the adaptation direction. In those neurons in which a shift of the preferred orientation or direction was induced by adaptation, repulsive shifts (i.e., away from the adapter) were more prevalent than attractive shifts. A further novel finding for visually induced adaptation that emerged from our study was that repulsive and attractive shifts can occur within one brain area, even with uniform stimuli. The type of shift being induced also depends on the difference between the adapting and the initially preferred stimulus direction. Our data indicate that, even within the fully developed optic tectum, short-term plasticity might have an important role in adjusting neuronal tuning functions to current stimulus conditions.

scholarly journals THE VALUE OF ROBUST STATISTICAL FORECASTS IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 256 ◽  
pp. 19-43
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Castle ◽  
Jurgen A. Doornik ◽  
David F. Hendry
Keyword(s):  
Structural Change ◽  
Measurement Errors ◽  
Epidemiological Models ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Data Measurement ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Changing Trends ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Uk

The Covid-19 pandemic has put forecasting under the spotlight, pitting epidemiological models against extrapolative time-series devices. We have been producing real-time short-term forecasts of confirmed cases and deaths using robust statistical models since 20 March 2020. The forecasts are adaptive to abrupt structural change, a major feature of the pandemic data due to data measurement errors, definitional and testing changes, policy interventions, technological advances and rapidly changing trends. The pandemic has also led to abrupt structural change in macroeconomic outcomes. Using the same methods, we forecast aggregate UK unemployment over the pandemic. The forecasts rapidly adapt to the employment policies implemented when the UK entered the first lockdown. The difference between our statistical and theory based forecasts provides a measure of the effect of furlough policies on stabilising unemployment, establishing useful scenarios had furlough policies not been implemented.

scholarly journals Subcortical short‐term plasticity elicited by deep brain stimulation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Z. Awad ◽  
Ryan J. Vaden ◽  
Zachary T. Irwin ◽  
Christopher L. Gonzalez ◽  
Sarah Black ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Brain Stimulation ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Plasticity ◽  
Deep Brain

scholarly journals Critical Effects on Akt Signaling in Adult Zebrafish Brain Following Alterations in Light Exposure

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 637
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Moore ◽  
Robert A. Mans ◽  
Mackenzee K. McCauley ◽  
Colton S. Allgood ◽  
Keri A. Barksdale
Keyword(s):  
Optic Tectum ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Glycogen Synthase ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Hsp70 Expression ◽  
Light Cycle ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Sleep State ◽  
Zebrafish Brain

Evidence from human and animal studies indicate that disrupted light cycles leads to alterations of the sleep state, poor cognition, and the risk of developing neuroinflammatory and generalized health disorders. Zebrafish exhibit a diurnal circadian rhythm and are an increasingly popular model in studies of neurophysiology and neuropathophysiology. Here, we investigate the effect of alterations in light cycle on the adult zebrafish brain: we measured the effect of altered, unpredictable light exposure in adult zebrafish telencephalon, homologous to mammalian hippocampus, and the optic tectum, a significant visual processing center with extensive telencephalon connections. The expression of heat shock protein-70 (HSP70), an important cell stress mediator, was significantly decreased in optic tectum of adult zebrafish brain following four days of altered light exposure. Further, pSer473-Akt (protein kinase B) was significantly reduced in telencephalon following light cycle alteration, and pSer9-GSK3β (glycogen synthase kinase-3β) was significantly reduced in both the telencephalon and optic tectum of light-altered fish. Animals exposed to five minutes of environmental enrichment showed significant increase in pSer473Akt, which was significantly attenuated by four days of altered light exposure. These data show for the first time that unpredictable light exposure alters HSP70 expression and dysregulates Akt-GSK3β signaling in the adult zebrafish brain.

scholarly journals Author Correction: Presynaptic endoplasmic reticulum regulates short-term plasticity in hippocampal synapses

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishant Singh ◽  
Thomas Bartol ◽  
Herbert Levine ◽  
Terrence Sejnowski ◽  
Suhita Nadkarni
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Plasticity ◽  
Hippocampal Synapses

scholarly journals Unc13A and Unc13B contribute to the decoding of distinct sensory information in Drosophila

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atefeh Pooryasin ◽  
Marta Maglione ◽  
Marco Schubert ◽  
Tanja Matkovic-Rachid ◽  
Sayed-mohammad Hasheminasab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Projection Neuron ◽  
Physical Distance ◽  
Neural Decoding ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Plasticity ◽  
Appetitive Stimuli ◽  
Excitatory Projection ◽  
Direct Genetic Evidence ◽  
Nanoscale Level

AbstractThe physical distance between presynaptic Ca2+ channels and the Ca2+ sensors triggering the release of neurotransmitter-containing vesicles regulates short-term plasticity (STP). While STP is highly diversified across synapse types, the computational and behavioral relevance of this diversity remains unclear. In the Drosophila brain, at nanoscale level, we can distinguish distinct coupling distances between Ca2+ channels and the (m)unc13 family priming factors, Unc13A and Unc13B. Importantly, coupling distance defines release components with distinct STP characteristics. Here, we show that while Unc13A and Unc13B both contribute to synaptic signalling, they play distinct roles in neural decoding of olfactory information at excitatory projection neuron (ePN) output synapses. Unc13A clusters closer to Ca2+ channels than Unc13B, specifically promoting fast phasic signal transfer. Reduction of Unc13A in ePNs attenuates responses to both aversive and appetitive stimuli, while reduction of Unc13B provokes a general shift towards appetitive values. Collectively, we provide direct genetic evidence that release components of distinct nanoscopic coupling distances differentially control STP to play distinct roles in neural decoding of sensory information.

scholarly journals How Do Subway Signs Affect Pedestrians’ Wayfinding Behavior through Visual Short-Term Memory?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6866
Author(s):  
Haoru Li ◽  
Jinliang Xu ◽  
Xiaodong Zhang ◽  
Fangchen Ma
Keyword(s):  
Public Transportation ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Subway Station ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Visual Short Term Memory ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Types Of Information

Recently, subways have become an important part of public transportation and have developed rapidly in China. In the subway station setting, pedestrians mainly rely on visual short-term memory to obtain information on how to travel. This research aimed to explore the short-term memory capacities and the difference in short-term memory for different information for Chinese passengers regarding subway signs. Previous research has shown that people’s general short-term memory capacity is approximately four objects and that, the more complex the information, the lower people’s memory capacity. However, research on the short-term memory characteristics of pedestrians for subway signs is scarce. Hence, based on the STM theory and using 32 subway signs as stimuli, we recruited 120 subjects to conduct a cognitive test. The results showed that passengers had a different memory accuracy for different types of information in the signs. They were more accurate regarding line number and arrow, followed by location/text information, logos, and orientation. Meanwhile, information type, quantity, and complexity had significant effects on pedestrians’ short-term memory capacity. Finally, according to our results that outline the characteristics of short-term memory for subway signs, we put forward some suggestions for subway signs. The findings will be effective in helping designers and managers improve the quality of subway station services as well as promoting the development of pedestrian traffic in such a setting.

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