Neural networks implicated in autobiographical memory training

Training of autobiographical memory has been proposed as intervention to improve cognitive functions. The neural substrates for such improvements are poorly understood. Several brain networks have been previously linked to autobiographical recollections, including the default mode network (DMN) and the sensorimotor network. Here we tested the hypothesis that different neural networks support distinct aspects of memory improvement in response to training on a group of 59 subjects. We found that memory training increases DMN connectivity, and this associates with improved recollection of cue-specific memories. On the contrary, training decreased connectivity in the sensorimotor network, a decrease that correlated with improved ability for voluntary recall. Moreover, only decreased sensorimotor connectivity associated with training-induced decrease in the TNFalpha; immunological factor, which has been previously linked to improved cognitive performance. We identified functional and biochemical factors that associate with distinct memory processes improved by autobiographical training. Pathways which connect autobiographical memory to both high level cognition and somatic physiology are discussed.

Еthiology and Pathogenesis of Вell’s Palsy

Bell palsy (BP) is the most common neuropathy and accounts for 11.5–53.3 cases per 100,000 people a year. Diagnosis and early identification of the cause of the disease are crucial for successful treatment. The article provides a literature review on the main hypotheses of the main BP causes: anatomical factors, viral infection and immunological factor.

Assessment of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and 2 by IHC in Association with CD14 Antigen in Placental Tissues from Women with Miscarriage

Among many viral causes of miscarriage, maternal infections caused by herpes simplex virus type -1 (HSV-1) and Herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) infections are important causes. CD14 was implicated in immune mechanisms, and might be involved in pregnancy loss. The aim of this study was to detect the possible occurrence of two HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections as well as the immunological factor cd14 in placental tissues from patients with spontaneous abortion using immunohistochemistry techniques. Immunohistochemistry technique assay was used to detect placental infection with HSV-1& HSV-2 as well as CD14 in 40 women with spontaneous miscarriage and in 40 healthy deliveries in Baghdad/Iraq. The IHC- expressions of HSV-1, HSV-2, and CD14 proteins were detected in 4(10%), 15(37.5%), 15(37.5%) in placental tissues from miscarriage women, respectively. The association between CD14 with HSV-1 and HSV-2 among the placental tissues from miscarriage patients was constituting (5%), (20%) with HSV-1 & HSV-2, respectively. The considerable proportion of HSV-1, HSV-2, and infections found in the placental tissues from miscarriage women could drag the attention of obstetricians to implicate these viruses as possible targets in the etiology of spontaneous abortion case and there is possible association of CD14 with HSV-1 and HSV-2 in women with abortion.

Do behavioural defence mechanisms explain different levels of trematode infections in congeneric hosts?

Susceptibility and tolerance to parasite infection vary greatly between host species. The congeneric isopod species Austridotea annectens and Austridotea lacustris often occur in sympatry and can both serve as intermediate hosts for the trematode Maritrema poulini. However, the intensity and prevalence of infections vary greatly in natural populations, with A. annectens often being heavily infected and A. lacustris rarely being infected. To shed light on the factors that may be involved in infection avoidance in A. lacustris, 100 isopods were collected and experimentally exposed to M. poulini cercariae. To examine for potential behavioural mechanisms, we used carbonated water as a paralysing agent to temporarily stop any movement by the isopods, and exposed paralysed isopods to cercariae. In the experiments, none of the individuals that were exposed to the parasite were found to be infected, although some cercariae seemed to have penetrated isopod hosts. Behavioural defence mechanisms do not seem to explain the different infection levels between A. lacustris and A. annectens, suggesting a physiological, possibly immunological, factor may be present. At the ecosystem level, this suggests a potential dilution effect caused by this low-competency host, and its effects on parasite transmission dynamics should be investigated.