scholarly journals Merzbau, the grave of the logocentric self: He who screams becomes the space

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (34) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Pedro Pousada
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Aesthetic Control

This article will discuss the Merzbau in Hannover as a "para-architecture" experience and as a doctrine on environmental comfort, connected to intense mnemonic feeling and relaxation. The Merzbau, the Gothic cubic "Traumhaus" (dream house) by Kurt Schwitters, is depicted here as a laboratory of sensory stimuli where an aesthetic control of oblivion, and of annoyance, has been practiced.

Heart Rate Variability, Homeostasis, and Brain Function

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 178-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Riganello ◽  
Sergio Garbarino ◽  
Walter G. Sannita
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Vegetative State ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Cardiovascular Research ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Brain Injured

Measures of heart rate variability (HRV) are major indices of the sympathovagal balance in cardiovascular research. These measures are thought to reflect complex patterns of brain activation as well and HRV is now emerging as a descriptor thought to provide information on the nervous system organization of homeostatic responses in accordance with the situational requirements. Current models of integration equate HRV to the affective states as parallel outputs of the central autonomic network, with HRV reflecting its organization of affective, physiological, “cognitive,” and behavioral elements into a homeostatic response. Clinical application is in the study of patients with psychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injury, impaired emotion-specific processing, personality, and communication disorders. HRV responses to highly emotional sensory inputs have been identified in subjects in vegetative state and in healthy or brain injured subjects processing complex sensory stimuli. In this respect, HRV measurements can provide additional information on the brain functional setup in the severely brain damaged and would provide researchers with a suitable approach in the absence of conscious behavior or whenever complex experimental conditions and data collection are impracticable, as it is the case, for example, in intensive care units.

scholarly journals Implication of the Sensory Environment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Perspectives from School

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7670
Author(s):  
Ana Gentil-Gutiérrez ◽  
José Luis Cuesta-Gómez ◽  
Paula Rodríguez-Fernández ◽  
Jerónimo Javier González-Bernal
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sensory Profile ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Children With Asd

(1) Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently have difficulties in processing sensory information, which is a limitation when participating in different contexts, such as school. The objective of the present study was to compare the sensory processing characteristics of children with ASD in the natural context of school through the perception of professionals in the field of education, in comparison with neurodevelopmental children (2) Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study as conducted with study population consisting of children between three and ten years old, 36 of whom were diagnosed with ASD and attended the Autismo Burgos association; the remaining 24 had neurotypical development. The degree of response of the children to sensory stimuli at school was evaluated using the Sensory Profile-2 (SP-2) questionnaire in its school version, answered by the teachers. (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were found in sensory processing patterns (p = 0.001), in sensory systems (p = 0.001) and in school factors (p = 0.001). Children with ASD who obtained worse results. (4) Conclusions: Children with ASD are prone to present sensory alterations in different contexts, giving nonadapted behavioral and learning responses.

scholarly journals Sensory over-responsivity is related to GABAergic inhibition in thalamocortical circuits

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily T. Wood ◽  
Kaitlin K. Cummings ◽  
Jiwon Jung ◽  
Genevieve Patterson ◽  
Nana Okada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Brain Responses

AbstractSensory over-responsivity (SOR), extreme sensitivity to or avoidance of sensory stimuli (e.g., scratchy fabrics, loud sounds), is a highly prevalent and impairing feature of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), anxiety, and ADHD. Previous studies have found overactive brain responses and reduced modulation of thalamocortical connectivity in response to mildly aversive sensory stimulation in ASD. These findings suggest altered thalamic sensory gating which could be associated with an excitatory/inhibitory neurochemical imbalance, but such thalamic neurochemistry has never been examined in relation to SOR. Here we utilized magnetic resonance spectroscopy and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the relationship between thalamic and somatosensory cortex inhibitory (gamma-aminobutyric acid, GABA) and excitatory (glutamate) neurochemicals with the intrinsic functional connectivity of those regions in 35 ASD and 35 typically developing pediatric subjects. Although there were no diagnostic group differences in neurochemical concentrations in either region, within the ASD group, SOR severity correlated negatively with thalamic GABA (r = −0.48, p < 0.05) and positively with somatosensory glutamate (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). Further, in the ASD group, thalamic GABA concentration predicted altered connectivity with regions previously implicated in SOR. These variations in GABA and associated network connectivity in the ASD group highlight the potential role of GABA as a mechanism underlying individual differences in SOR, a major source of phenotypic heterogeneity in ASD. In ASD, abnormalities of the thalamic neurochemical balance could interfere with the thalamic role in integrating, relaying, and inhibiting attention to sensory information. These results have implications for future research and GABA-modulating pharmacologic interventions.

scholarly journals Helical growth during the phototropic response, avoidance response, and in stiff mutants of Phycomyces blakesleeanus

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph K. E. Ortega ◽  
Revathi P. Mohan ◽  
Cindy M. Munoz ◽  
Shankar Lalitha Sridhar ◽  
Franck J. Vernerey
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Sensory Transduction ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Phycomyces Blakesleeanus ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Phototropic Response ◽  
Biophysical Models ◽  
Helical Growth ◽  
Made In

AbstractThe sporangiophores of Phycomyces blakesleeanus have been used as a model system to study sensory transduction, helical growth, and to establish global biophysical equations for expansive growth of walled cells. More recently, local statistical biophysical models of the cell wall are being constructed to better understand the molecular underpinnings of helical growth and its behavior during the many growth responses of the sporangiophores to sensory stimuli. Previous experimental and theoretical findings guide the development of these local models. Future development requires an investigation of explicit and implicit assumptions made in the prior research. Here, experiments are conducted to test three assumptions made in prior research, that (a) elongation rate, (b) rotation rate, and (c) helical growth steepness, R, of the sporangiophore remain constant during the phototropic response (bending toward unilateral light) and the avoidance response (bending away from solid barriers). The experimental results reveal that all three assumptions are incorrect for the phototropic response and probably incorrect for the avoidance response but the results are less conclusive. Generally, the experimental results indicate that the elongation and rotation rates increase during these responses, as does R, indicating that the helical growth steepness become flatter. The implications of these findings on prior research, the “fibril reorientation and slippage” hypothesis, global biophysical equations, and local statistical biophysical models are discussed.

scholarly journals Effects of optogenetic stimulation of basal forebrain parvalbumin neurons on Alzheimer’s disease pathology

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline A. Wilson ◽  
Sarah Fouda ◽  
Shuzo Sakata
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Basal Forebrain ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Amyloid Load ◽  
5Xfad Mice ◽  
Frontal Cortical Region

Abstract Neuronal activity can modify Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Overexcitation of neurons can facilitate disease progression whereas the induction of cortical gamma oscillations can reduce amyloid load and improve cognitive functions in mouse models. Although previous studies have induced cortical gamma oscillations by either optogenetic activation of cortical parvalbumin-positive (PV+) neurons or sensory stimuli, it is still unclear whether other approaches to induce gamma oscillations can also be beneficial. Here we show that optogenetic activation of PV+ neurons in the basal forebrain (BF) increases amyloid burden, rather than reducing it. We applied 40 Hz optical stimulation in the BF by expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in PV+ neurons of 5xFAD mice. After 1-h induction of cortical gamma oscillations over three days, we observed the increase in the concentration of amyloid-β42 in the frontal cortical region, but not amyloid-β40. Amyloid plaques were accumulated more in the medial prefrontal cortex and the septal nuclei, both of which are targets of BF PV+ neurons. These results suggest that beneficial effects of cortical gamma oscillations on Alzheimer’s disease pathology can depend on the induction mechanisms of cortical gamma oscillations.

scholarly journals Impact of generalized brain arousal on sexual behavior

2010 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 2265-2270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary M. Weil ◽  
Qiuyu Zhang ◽  
Allison Hornung ◽  
David Blizard ◽  
Donald W. Pfaff
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Behavioral Arousal ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Vertebrate Brain ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
Initial Activation ◽  
High Level ◽  
Global Brain ◽  
Motivated Behaviors ◽  
The Impact

Although there is an extensive amount known about specific sensory and motor functions of the vertebrate brain, less is understood about the regulation of global brain states. We have recently proposed that a function termed generalized arousal (Ag) serves as the most elemental driving force in the nervous system, responsible for the initial activation of all behavioral responses. An animal with increased generalized CNS arousal is characterized by greater motor activity, increased responsivity to sensory stimuli, and greater emotional lability. Implicit in this theory was the prediction that increases in generalized arousal would augment specific motivated behaviors that depend on arousal. Here, we address the idea directly by testing two lines of mice bred for high or low levels of generalized arousal and assessing their responses in tests of specific forms of behavioral arousal, sex and anxiety/exploration. We report that animals selected for differential generalized arousal exhibit marked increases in sensory, motor, and emotional reactivity in our arousal assay. Furthermore, male mice selected for high levels of generalized arousal were excitable and showed more incomplete mounts before the first intromission (IN), but having achieved that IN, they exhibited far fewer IN before ejaculating, as well as ejaculating much sooner after the first IN, thus indicating a high level of sexual arousal. Additionally, high-arousal animals of both sexes exhibited greater levels of anxiety-like behaviors and reduced exploratory behavior in the elevated plus maze and light-dark box tasks. Taken together, these data illustrate the impact of Ag on motivated behaviors.

scholarly journals Novel neuronal and astrocytic mechanisms in thalamocortical loop dynamics

2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1428) ◽  
pp. 1675-1693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Crunelli ◽  
Kate L. Blethyn ◽  
David W. Cope ◽  
Stuart W. Hughes ◽  
H. Rheinallt Parri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Voltage ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Thalamic Neuron ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Loop Dynamics ◽  
Intracellular Ca

In this review, we summarize three sets of findings that have recently been observed in thalamic astrocytes and neurons, and discuss their significance for thalamocortical loop dynamics. (i) A physiologically relevant ‘window’ component of the low–voltage–activated, T–type Ca 2+ current ( I Twindow ) plays an essential part in the slow (less than 1 Hz) sleep oscillation in adult thalamocortical (TC) neurons, indicating that the expression of this fundamental sleep rhythm in these neurons is not a simple reflection of cortical network activity. It is also likely that I Twindow underlies one of the cellular mechanisms enabling TC neurons to produce burst firing in response to novel sensory stimuli. (ii) Both electrophysiological and dye–injection experiments support the existence of gap junction–mediated coupling among young and adult TC neurons. This finding indicates that electrical coupling–mediated synchronization might be implicated in the high and low frequency oscillatory activities expressed by this type of thalamic neuron. (iii) Spontaneous intracellular Ca 2+ ([Ca 2+ ] i ) waves propagating among thalamic astrocytes are able to elicit large and long–lasting N –methyl–D–aspartate–mediated currents in TC neurons. The peculiar developmental profile within the first two postnatal weeks of these astrocytic [Ca 2+ ] i transients and the selective activation of these glutamate receptors point to a role for this astrocyte–to–neuron signalling mechanism in the topographic wiring of the thalamocortical loop. As some of these novel cellular and intracellular properties are not restricted to thalamic astrocytes and neurons, their significance may well apply to (patho)physiological functions of glial and neuronal elements in other brain areas.

Modulation of Neurocardiac Function by Oesophageal Stimulation in Humans

1997 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gervais Tougas ◽  
Markad Kamath ◽  
Geena Watteel ◽  
Debbie Fitzpatrick ◽  
Ernest L. Fallen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Power Spectrum ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Autonomic Reflexes ◽  
Low Frequency Power ◽  
Beat Heart

1. The heart and the oesophagus have similar sensory pathways, and sensations originating from the oesophagus are often difficult to differentiate from those of cardiac origin. We hypothesized that oesophageal sensory stimuli could alter neurocardiac function through autonomic reflexes elicited by these oesophageal stimuli. In the present study, we examined the neurocardiac response to oesophageal stimulation and the effects of electrical and mechanical oesophageal stimulation on the power spectrum of beat-to-beat heart rate variability in male volunteers. 2. In 14 healthy volunteers, beat-to-beat heart rate variability was compared at rest and during oesophageal stimulation, using either electrical (200 μs, 16 mA, 0.2 Hz) or mechanical (0.5 s, 14 ml, 0.2 Hz) stimuli. The power spectrum of beat-to-beat heart rate variability was obtained and its low- and high-frequency components were determined. 3. Distal oesophageal stimulation decreased heart rate slightly (both electrical and mechanical) (P < 0.005), and markedly altered heart rate variability (P < 0.001). Both electrical and mechanical oesophageal stimulation increased the absolute and normalized area of the high-frequency band within the power spectrum (P < 0.001), while simultaneously decreasing the low-frequency power (P < 0.005). 4. In humans, oesophageal stimulation, whether electrical or mechanical, appears to amplify respiratory-driven cardiac vagoafferent modulation while decreasing sympathetic modulation. The technique provides access to vagoafferent fibres and thus may yield useful information on the autonomic effects of visceral or oesophageal sensory stimulation.

RELATIONSHIP AMONG SENSORY ISSUES AND REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

2020 ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
OJS Admin
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Communication Impairments ◽  
Autism Disorder

Sensory issues and Repetitive Behaviors are the key features of Autism Disorder Syndrome (ASD). This is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by social communication impairments and the occurrence ofrestricted and repeated behavioral habits and desires, including irregular responses to sensory stimuli.

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