Sandra Manninen
Jun 21, 2017; 37:6125-6131
BehavioralSystemsCognitive

Régis Trapeau
Mar 28, 2018; 38:3252-3264
BehavioralSystemsCognitive

Benjamin Meyer
Jul 3, 2019; 39:5326-5335
Systems/Circuits

M Niethammer
Apr 1, 1996; 16:2157-2163
Articles

Lennart Mucke
Jun 1, 2000; 20:4050-4058
Cellular

Geoffrey M. Boynton
Jul 1, 1996; 16:4207-4221
Articles

KH Britten
Dec 1, 1992; 12:4745-4765
Articles

William W. Seeley
Feb 28, 2007; 27:2349-2356
BehavioralSystemsCognitive

John D. Cahoy
Jan 2, 2008; 28:264-278
Cellular

Italian translation of the BIS press release on the presentation of the Annual Economic Report 2018, 24 June 2018. Le autorità possono fare in modo che l'attuale ripresa economica si mantenga oltre il breve termine avviando riforme strutturali, ridando margine di manovra alle politiche monetarie e di bilancio per affrontare eventuali future minacce, e incoraggiando la pronta attuazione delle riforme regolamentari, scrive la Banca dei Regolamenti Internazionali (BRI) nella sua Relazione economica annuale. ...

Italian translation of the BIS press release about the BIS Quarterly Review, December 2018

French translation of the press release about the Basel Committee publishing a discussion paper on "The regulatory treatment of sovereign exposures" (7 December 2017)

French translation of speech delivered by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, on the occasion of the Bank's Annual General Meeting, Basel, 24 June 2018. Mesdames et Messieurs, j'ai le plaisir de vous présenter aujourd'hui la première édition du Rapport économique annuel de la BRI. Les trois premiers chapitres analysent les évolutions, perspectives et risques de l'économie mondiale, en s'attachant plus particulièrement à la politique monétaire et aux réformes de la réglementation financière, aux marchés et aux acteurs de l'intermédiation. Nous consacrons deux chapitres spéciaux à des enjeux actuels : une analyse des dispositifs macroprudentiels d'une part, une étude relative aux cryptomonnaies d'autre part....

Spanish translation of the BIS press release about the BIS Quarterly Review, March 2018

Spanish translation of "Frequently asked questions on market risk capital requirements" by the Basel Committee, March 2018.

Discurso pronunciado por Agustín Carstens, Director General del Banco de Pagos Internacionales, con motivo de la Asamblea General Anual del Banco celebrada en Basilea el 24 de junio de 2018.

Spanish translation of the BIS press release on the presentation of the Annual Economic Report 2018, 24 June 2018. Las autoridades pueden prolongar el actual repunte económico más allá del corto plazo aplicando reformas estructurales, reconstruyendo el espacio de las políticas monetaria y fiscal para afrontar futuras amenazas y fomentando una pronta implementación de las reformas reguladoras, sostiene el Banco de Pagos Internacionales (BPI) en su Informe Económico Anual. ...

Spanish translation of press release - the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is finalising stress-testing principles, reviews ways to stop regulatory arbitrage behaviour, agrees on annual G-SIB list, discusses leverage ratio, crypto-assets, market risk framework and implementation, 20 September 2018.

Microsoft has introduced a slew of new products, including the Surface Go 2, the Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2 and Surface Earbuds. Both the Surface Go 2 and the Surface Book 3 come in consumer and corporate versions. "The two products are very different," noted Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. "The Go 2 is a high-value product -- the Surface Book 3 high innovation."

Speech by Dr Agustín Carstens at the celebration of 25 years of Bank of Mexico independence, Mexico City, 22 November 2019.

A prominent theory claims that the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is especially associated with embodied processes relevant to perspective-taking. In the present study, we use high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation to provide evidence that the rTPJ is causally associated with the embodied processes underpinning perspective-taking. Eighty-eight young human adults were stratified to receive either rTPJ or dorsomedial PFC anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation in a sham-controlled, double-blind, repeated-measures design. Perspective-tracking (line-of-sight) and perspective-taking (embodied rotation) were assessed using a visuo-spatial perspective-taking task that required understanding what another person could see or how they see it, respectively. Embodied processing was manipulated by positioning the participant in a manner congruent or incongruent with the orientation of an avatar on the screen. As perspective-taking, but not perspective-tracking, is influenced by bodily position, this allows the investigation of the specific causal role for the rTPJ in embodied processing. Crucially, anodal stimulation to the rTPJ increased the effect of bodily position during perspective-taking, whereas no such effects were identified during perspective-tracking, thereby providing evidence for a causal role for the rTPJ in the embodied component of perspective-taking. Stimulation to the dorsomedial PFC had no effect on perspective-tracking or taking. Therefore, the present study provides support for theories postulating that the rTPJ is causally involved in embodied cognitive processing relevant to social functioning.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The ability to understand another's perspective is a fundamental component of social functioning. Adopting another perspective is thought to involve both embodied and nonembodied processes. The present study used high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) and provided causal evidence that the right temporoparietal junction is involved specifically in the embodied component of perspective-taking. Specifically, HD-tDCS to the right temporoparietal junction, but not another hub of the social brain (dorsomedial PFC), increased the effect of body position during perspective-taking, but not tracking. This is the first causal evidence that HD-tDCS can modulate social embodied processing in a site-specific and task-specific manner.

Traditional views of sensorimotor adaptation (i.e., adaptation of movements to perturbed sensory feedback) emphasize the role of automatic, implicit correction of sensory prediction errors. However, latent memories formed during sensorimotor adaptation, manifest as improved relearning (e.g., savings), have recently been attributed to strategic corrections of task errors (failures to achieve task goals). To dissociate contributions of task errors and sensory prediction errors to latent sensorimotor memories, we perturbed target locations to remove or enforce task errors during learning and/or test, with male/female human participants. Adaptation improved after learning in all conditions where participants were permitted to correct task errors, and did not improve whenever we prevented correction of task errors. Thus, previous correction of task errors was both necessary and sufficient to improve adaptation. In contrast, a history of sensory prediction errors was neither sufficient nor obligatory for improved adaptation. Limiting movement preparation time showed that the latent memories driven by learning to correct task errors take at least two forms: a time-consuming but flexible component, and a rapidly expressible, inflexible component. The results provide strong support for the idea that movement corrections driven by a failure to successfully achieve movement goals underpin motor memories that manifest as savings. Such persistent memories are not exclusively mediated by time-consuming strategic processes but also comprise a rapidly expressible but inflexible component. The distinct characteristics of these putative processes suggest dissociable underlying mechanisms, and imply that identification of the neural basis for adaptation and savings will require methods that allow such dissociations.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Latent motor memories formed during sensorimotor adaptation manifest as improved adaptation when sensorimotor perturbations are reencountered. Conflicting theories suggest that this "savings" is underpinned by different mechanisms, including a memory of successful actions, a memory of errors, or an aiming strategy to correct task errors. Here we show that learning to correct task errors is sufficient to show improved subsequent adaptation with respect to naive performance, even when tested in the absence of task errors. In contrast, a history of sensory prediction errors is neither sufficient nor obligatory for improved adaptation. Finally, we show that latent sensorimotor memories driven by task errors comprise at least two distinct components: a time-consuming, flexible component, and a rapidly expressible, inflexible component.

Maintenance of cardiorespiratory homeostasis depends on autonomic reflexes controlled by neuronal circuits of the brainstem. The neurophysiology and neuroanatomy of these reflex pathways are well understood, however, the mechanisms and functional significance of autonomic circuit modulation by glial cells remain largely unknown. In the experiments conducted in male laboratory rats we show that astrocytes of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), the brain area that receives and integrates sensory information from the heart and blood vessels, respond to incoming afferent inputs with [Ca²⁺]_i elevations. Astroglial [Ca²⁺]_i responses are triggered by transmitters released by vagal afferents, glutamate acting at AMPA receptors and 5-HT acting at 5-HT_2A receptors. In conscious freely behaving animals blockade of Ca²⁺-dependent vesicular release mechanisms in NTS astrocytes by virally driven expression of a dominant-negative SNARE protein (dnSNARE) increased baroreflex sensitivity by 70% (p < 0.001). This effect of compromised astroglial function was specific to the NTS as expression of dnSNARE in astrocytes of the ventrolateral brainstem had no effect. ATP is considered the principle gliotransmitter and is released by vesicular mechanisms blocked by dnSNARE expression. Consistent with this hypothesis, in anesthetized rats, pharmacological activation of P2Y₁ purinoceptors in the NTS decreased baroreflex gain by 40% (p = 0.031), whereas blockade of P2Y₁ receptors increased baroreflex gain by 57% (p = 0.018). These results suggest that glutamate and 5-HT, released by NTS afferent terminals, trigger Ca²⁺-dependent astroglial release of ATP to modulate baroreflex sensitivity via P2Y₁ receptors. These data add to the growing body of evidence supporting an active role of astrocytes in brain information processing.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cardiorespiratory reflexes maintain autonomic balance and ensure cardiovascular health. Impaired baroreflex may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and serves as a robust predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. The data obtained in this study suggest that astrocytes are integral components of the brainstem mechanisms that process afferent information and modulate baroreflex sensitivity via the release of ATP. Any condition associated with higher levels of "ambient" ATP in the NTS would be expected to decrease baroreflex gain by the mechanism described here. As ATP is the primary signaling molecule of glial cells (astrocytes, microglia), responding to metabolic stress and inflammatory stimuli, our study suggests a plausible mechanism of how the central component of the baroreflex is affected in pathological conditions.

Human ventral temporal cortex (VTC) is critical for visual recognition. It is thought that this ability is supported by large-scale patterns of activity across VTC that contain information about visual categories. However, it is unknown how category representations in VTC are organized at the submillimeter scale and across cortical depths. To fill this gap in knowledge, we measured BOLD responses in medial and lateral VTC to images spanning 10 categories from five domains (written characters, bodies, faces, places, and objects) at an ultra-high spatial resolution of 0.8 mm using 7 Tesla fMRI in both male and female participants. Representations in lateral VTC were organized most strongly at the general level of domains (e.g., places), whereas medial VTC was also organized at the level of specific categories (e.g., corridors and houses within the domain of places). In both lateral and medial VTC, domain-level and category-level structure decreased with cortical depth, and downsampling our data to standard resolution (2.4 mm) did not reverse differences in representations between lateral and medial VTC. The functional diversity of representations across VTC partitions may allow downstream regions to read out information in a flexible manner according to task demands. These results bridge an important gap between electrophysiological recordings in single neurons at the micron scale in nonhuman primates and standard-resolution fMRI in humans by elucidating distributed responses at the submillimeter scale with ultra-high-resolution fMRI in humans.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Visual recognition is a fundamental ability supported by human ventral temporal cortex (VTC). However, the nature of fine-scale, submillimeter distributed representations in VTC is unknown. Using ultra-high-resolution fMRI of human VTC, we found differential distributed visual representations across lateral and medial VTC. Domain representations (e.g., faces, bodies, places, characters) were most salient in lateral VTC, whereas category representations (e.g., corridors/houses within the domain of places) were equally salient in medial VTC. These results bridge an important gap between electrophysiological recordings in single neurons at a micron scale and fMRI measurements at a millimeter scale.

The detection and segmentation of meaningful figures from their background is one of the primary functions of vision. While work in nonhuman primates has implicated early visual mechanisms in this figure–ground modulation, neuroimaging in humans has instead largely ascribed the processing of figures and objects to higher stages of the visual hierarchy. Here, we used high-field fMRI at 7 Tesla to measure BOLD responses to task-irrelevant orientation-defined figures in human early visual cortex (N = 6, four females). We used a novel population receptive field mapping-based approach to resolve the spatial profiles of two constituent mechanisms of figure–ground modulation: a local boundary response, and a further enhancement spanning the full extent of the figure region that is driven by global differences in features. Reconstructing the distinct spatial profiles of these effects reveals that figure enhancement modulates responses in human early visual cortex in a manner consistent with a mechanism of automatic, contextually driven feedback from higher visual areas.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A core function of the visual system is to parse complex 2D input into meaningful figures. We do so constantly and seamlessly, both by processing information about visible edges and by analyzing large-scale differences between figure and background. While influential neurophysiology work has characterized an intriguing mechanism that enhances V1 responses to perceptual figures, we have a poor understanding of how the early visual system contributes to figure–ground processing in humans. Here, we use advanced computational analysis methods and high-field human fMRI data to resolve the distinct spatial profiles of local edge and global figure enhancement in the early visual system (V1 and LGN); the latter is distinct and consistent with a mechanism of automatic, stimulus-driven feedback from higher-level visual areas.

Adaptive coding of stimuli is well documented in perception, where it supports efficient encoding over a broad range of possible percepts. Recently, a similar neural mechanism has been reported also in value-based decision, where it allows optimal encoding of vast ranges of values in PFC: neuronal response to value depends on the choice context (relative coding), rather than being invariant across contexts (absolute coding). Additionally, value learning is sensitive to the amount of feedback information: providing complete feedback (both obtained and forgone outcomes) instead of partial feedback (only obtained outcome) improves learning. However, it is unclear whether relative coding occurs in all PFC regions and how it is affected by feedback information. We systematically investigated univariate and multivariate feedback encoding in various mPFC regions and compared three modes of neural coding: absolute, partially-adaptive and fully-adaptive.

Twenty-eight human participants (both sexes) performed a learning task while undergoing fMRI scanning. On each trial, they chose between two symbols associated with a certain outcome. Then, the decision outcome was revealed. Notably, in one-half of the trials participants received partial feedback, whereas in the other half they got complete feedback. We used univariate and multivariate analysis to explore value encoding in different feedback conditions.

We found that both obtained and forgone outcomes were encoded in mPFC, but with opposite sign in its ventral and dorsal subdivisions. Moreover, we showed that increasing feedback information induced a switch from absolute to relative coding. Our results suggest that complete feedback information enhances context-dependent outcome encoding.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study offers a systematic investigation of the effect of the amount of feedback information (partial vs complete) on univariate and multivariate outcome value encoding, within multiple regions in mPFC and cingulate cortex that are critical for value-based decisions and behavioral adaptation. Moreover, we provide the first comparison of three possible models of neural coding (i.e., absolute, partially-adaptive, and fully-adaptive coding) of value signal in these regions, by using commensurable measures of prediction accuracy. Taken together, our results help build a more comprehensive picture of how the human brain encodes and processes outcome value. In particular, our results suggest that simultaneous presentation of obtained and foregone outcomes promotes relative value representation.

Endogenous neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) modulate the responses of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) to stress and are associated with the development of stress resilience and vulnerability, respectively. We characterized persistent effects of repeated NPY and CRF treatment on the structure and function of BLA principal neurons in a novel organotypic slice culture (OTC) model of male rat BLA, and examined the contributions of specific NPY receptor subtypes to these neural and behavioral effects. In BLA principal neurons within the OTCs, repeated NPY treatment caused persistent attenuation of excitatory input and induced dendritic hypotrophy via Y₅ receptor activation; conversely, CRF increased excitatory input and induced hypertrophy of BLA principal neurons. Repeated treatment of OTCs with NPY followed by an identical treatment with CRF, or vice versa, inhibited or reversed all structural changes in OTCs. These structural responses to NPY or CRF required calcineurin or CaMKII, respectively. Finally, repeated intra-BLA injections of NPY or a Y₅ receptor agonist increased social interaction, a validated behavior for anxiety, and recapitulated structural changes in BLA neurons seen in OTCs, while a Y₅ receptor antagonist prevented NPY's effects both on behavior and on structure. These results implicate the Y₅ receptor in the long-term, anxiolytic-like effects of NPY in the BLA, consistent with an intrinsic role in stress buffering, and highlight a remarkable mechanism by which BLA neurons may adapt to different levels of stress. Moreover, BLA OTCs offer a robust model to study mechanisms associated with resilience and vulnerability to stress in BLA.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Within the basolateral amygdala (BLA), neuropeptide Y (NPY) is associated with buffering the neural stress response induced by corticotropin releasing factor, and promoting stress resilience. We used a novel organotypic slice culture model of BLA, complemented with in vivo studies, to examine the cellular mechanisms associated with the actions of NPY. In organotypic slice cultures, repeated NPY treatment reduces the complexity of the dendritic extent of anxiogenic BLA principal neurons, making them less excitable. NPY, via activation of Y5 receptors, additionally inhibits and reverses the increases in dendritic extent and excitability induced by the stress hormone, corticotropin releasing factor. This NPY-mediated neuroplasticity indicates that resilience or vulnerability to stress may thus involve neuropeptide-mediated dendritic remodeling in BLA principal neurons.

The PFC, through its high degree of interconnectivity with cortical and subcortical brain areas, mediates cognitive and emotional processes in support of adaptive behaviors. This includes the formation of fear memories when the anticipation of threat demands learning about temporal or contextual cues, as in trace fear conditioning. In this variant of fear learning, the association of a cue and shock across an empty trace interval of several seconds requires sustained cue-elicited firing in the prelimbic cortex (PL). However, it is unknown how and when distinct PL afferents contribute to different associative components of memory. Among the prominent inputs to PL, the hippocampus shares with PL a role in both working memory and contextual processing. Here we tested the necessity of direct hippocampal input to the PL for the acquisition of trace-cued fear memory and the simultaneously acquired contextual fear association. Optogenetic silencing of ventral hippocampal (VH) terminals in the PL of adult male Long-Evans rats selectively during paired trials revealed that direct communication between the VH and PL during training is necessary for contextual fear memory, but not for trace-cued fear acquisition. The pattern of the contextual memory deficit and the disruption of local PL firing during optogenetic silencing of VH-PL suggest that the VH continuously updates the PL with the current contextual state of the animal, which, when disrupted during memory acquisition, is detrimental to the subsequent rapid retrieval of aversive contextual associations.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Learning to anticipate threat from available contextual and discrete cues is crucial for survival. The prelimbic cortex is required for forming fear memories when temporal or contextual complexity is involved, as in trace fear conditioning. However, the respective contribution of distinct prelimbic afferents to the temporal and contextual components of memory is not known. We report that direct input from the ventral hippocampus enables the formation of the contextual, but not trace-cued, fear memory necessary for the subsequent rapid expression of a fear response. This finding dissociates the contextual and working-memory contributions of prelimbic cortex to the formation of a fear memory and demonstrates the crucial role for hippocampal input in contextual fear learning.

We consider the question of how sensory networks enable the detection of sensory stimuli in a combinatorial coding space. We are specifically interested in the olfactory system, wherein recent experimental studies have reported the existence of rich, enigmatic response patterns associated with stimulus onset and offset. This study aims to identify the functional relevance of such response patterns (i.e., what benefits does such neural activity provide in the context of detecting stimuli in a natural environment). We study this problem through the lens of normative, optimization-based modeling. Here, we define the notion of a low-dimensional latent representation of stimulus identity, which is generated through action of the sensory network. The objective of our optimization framework is to ensure high-fidelity tracking of a nominal representation in this latent space in an energy-efficient manner. It turns out that the optimal motifs emerging from this framework possess morphologic similarity with prototypical onset and offset responses observed in vivo in locusts (Schistocerca americana) of either sex. Furthermore, this objective can be exactly achieved by a network with reciprocal excitatory–inhibitory competitive dynamics, similar to interactions between projection neurons and local neurons in the early olfactory system of insects. The derived model also makes several predictions regarding maintenance of robust latent representations in the presence of confounding background information and trade-offs between the energy of sensory activity and resultant behavioral measures such as speed and accuracy of stimulus detection.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A key area of study in olfactory coding involves understanding the transformation from high-dimensional sensory stimulus to low-dimensional decoded representation. Here, we examine not only the dimensionality reduction of this mapping but also its temporal dynamics, with specific focus on stimuli that are temporally continuous. Through optimization-based synthesis, we examine how sensory networks can track representations without prior assumption of discrete trial structure. We show that such tracking can be achieved by canonical network architectures and dynamics, and that the resulting responses resemble observations from neurons in the insect olfactory system. Thus, our results provide hypotheses regarding the functional role of olfactory circuit activity at both single neuronal and population scales.

The Drosophila nervous system is ensheathed by a layer of outer glial cells, the perineurial glia, and a specialized extracellular matrix, the neural lamella. The function of perineurial glial cells and how they interact with the extracellular matrix are just beginning to be elucidated. Integrin-based focal adhesion complexes link the glial membrane to the extracellular matrix, but little is known about integrin's regulators in the glia. The transmembrane Ig domain protein Basigin/CD147/EMMPRIN is highly expressed in the perineurial glia surrounding the Drosophila larval nervous system. Here we show that Basigin associates with integrin at the focal adhesions to uphold the structure of the glia-extracellular matrix sheath. Knockdown of Basigin in perineurial glia using RNAi results in significant shortening of the ventral nerve cord, compression of the glia and extracellular matrix in the peripheral nerves, and reduction in larval locomotion. We determined that Basigin is expressed in close proximity to integrin at the glial membrane, and that expression of the extracellular integrin-binding domain of Basigin is sufficient to rescue peripheral glial compression. We also found that a reduction in expression of integrin at the membrane rescues the ventral nerve cord shortening, peripheral glial compression, and locomotor phenotypes, and that reduction in the integrin-binding protein Talin can partially rescue glial compression. These results identify Basigin as a potential negative regulator of integrin in the glia, supporting proper glial and extracellular matrix ensheathment of the nervous system.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The glial cells and extracellular matrix play important roles in supporting and protecting the nervous system, but the interactions between these components have not been well characterized. Our study identified expression of a conserved Ig superfamily protein, Basigin, at the glial membrane of Drosophila where it associates with the integrin-based focal adhesion complexes to ensure proper ensheathment of the CNS and PNS. Loss of Basigin in the glia results in an overall compression of the nervous system due to integrin dysregulation, which causes locomotor defects in the animals. This underlies the importance of glia-matrix communication for structural and functional support of the nervous system.

The transcription factor Nurr1 has been identified to be ectopically induced in the striatum of rodents expressing l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). In the present study, we sought to characterize Nurr1 as a causative factor in LID expression. We used rAAV2/5 to overexpress Nurr1 or GFP in the parkinsonian striatum of LID-resistant Lewis or LID-prone Fischer-344 (F344) male rats. In a second cohort, rats received the Nurr1 agonist amodiaquine (AQ) together with l-DOPA or ropinirole. All rats received a chronic DA agonist and were evaluated for LID severity. Finally, we performed single-unit recordings and dendritic spine analyses on striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in drug-naïve rAAV-injected male parkinsonian rats. rAAV-GFP injected LID-resistant hemi-parkinsonian Lewis rats displayed mild LID and no induction of striatal Nurr1 despite receiving a high dose of l-DOPA. However, Lewis rats overexpressing Nurr1 developed severe LID. Nurr1 agonism with AQ exacerbated LID in F344 rats. We additionally determined that in l-DOPA-naïve rats striatal rAAV-Nurr1 overexpression (1) increased cortically-evoked firing in a subpopulation of identified striatonigral MSNs, and (2) altered spine density and thin-spine morphology on striatal MSNs; both phenomena mimicking changes seen in dyskinetic rats. Finally, we provide postmortem evidence of Nurr1 expression in striatal neurons of l-DOPA-treated PD patients. Our data demonstrate that ectopic induction of striatal Nurr1 is capable of inducing LID behavior and associated neuropathology, even in resistant subjects. These data support a direct role of Nurr1 in aberrant neuronal plasticity and LID induction, providing a potential novel target for therapeutic development.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The transcription factor Nurr1 is ectopically induced in striatal neurons of rats exhibiting levodopa-induced dyskinesia [LID; a side-effect to dopamine replacement strategies in Parkinson's disease (PD)]. Here we asked whether Nurr1 is causing LID. Indeed, rAAV-mediated expression of Nurr1 in striatal neurons was sufficient to overcome LID-resistance, and Nurr1 agonism exacerbated LID severity in dyskinetic rats. Moreover, we found that expression of Nurr1 in l-DOPA naïve hemi-parkinsonian rats resulted in the formation of morphologic and electrophysiological signatures of maladaptive neuronal plasticity; a phenomenon associated with LID. Finally, we determined that ectopic Nurr1 expression can be found in the putamen of l-DOPA-treated PD patients. These data suggest that striatal Nurr1 is an important mediator of the formation of LID.

As an important cognitive bias, the framing effect shows that our decision preferences are sensitive to the verbal description (i.e., frame) of options. This study focuses on the neural underpinnings of the social framing effect, which is based on decision-making regarding other people. A novel paradigm was used in which participants made a trade-off between economic benefits and the feelings of others. This decision was described as either a "harm" to, or "not helping," other persons in two conditions (Harm frame vs Help frame). Both human males and females were recruited. Participants behaved more prosocially for Harm frame compared with Help frame, resulting in a significant social framing effect. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, Experiment 1 showed that the social framing effect was associated with stronger activation in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), especially its right part. The functional connectivity between the right TPJ (rTPJ) and medial prefrontal cortex predicted the social framing effect on the group level. In Experiment 2, we used transcranial direct current stimulation to modulate the activity of the rTPJ and found that the social framing effect became more prominent under anodal (excitatory) stimulation, while the nonsocial framing effect elicited by the economic gain/loss gambling frame remained unaffected. The rTPJ results might be associated with moral conflicts modulated by the social consequences of an action or different levels of mentalizing with others under different frame conditions, but alternative interpretations are also worth noting. These findings could help elucidate the psychological mechanisms of the social framing effect.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous studies have suggested that the framing effect is generated from an interaction between the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex. This opinion, however, is based on findings from nonsocial framing tasks. Recent research has highlighted the importance of distinguishing between the social and nonsocial framing effects. The current study focuses on the social framing effect and finds out that the temporoparietal junction and its functional connectivity with the medial prefrontal cortex play a significant role. Additionally, modulating the activity of this region leads to changes in social (but not nonsocial) framing effect. Broadly speaking, these findings help understand the difference in neural mechanisms between social and nonsocial decision-making. Meanwhile, they might be illuminating to promote helping behavior in society.

Sensory systems integrate multiple stimulus features to generate coherent percepts. Spectral surround suppression, the phenomenon by which sound-evoked responses of auditory neurons are suppressed by stimuli outside their receptive field, is an example of this integration taking place in the auditory system. While this form of global integration is commonly observed in auditory cortical neurons, and potentially used by the nervous system to separate signals from noise, the mechanisms that underlie this suppression of activity are not well understood. We evaluated the contributions to spectral surround suppression of the two most common inhibitory cell types in the cortex, parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) and somatostatin-expressing (SOM⁺) interneurons, in mice of both sexes. We found that inactivating SOM⁺ cells, but not PV+ cells, significantly reduces sustained spectral surround suppression in excitatory cells, indicating a dominant causal role for SOM⁺ cells in the integration of information across multiple frequencies. The similarity of these results to those from other sensory cortices provides evidence of common mechanisms across the cerebral cortex for generating global percepts from separate features.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To generate coherent percepts, sensory systems integrate simultaneously occurring features of a stimulus, yet the mechanisms by which this integration occurs are not fully understood. Our results show that neurochemically distinct neuronal subtypes in the primary auditory cortex have different contributions to the integration of different frequency components of an acoustic stimulus. Together with findings from other sensory cortices, our results provide evidence of a common mechanism for cortical computations used for global integration of stimulus features.

Total food losses have been estimated at 1.3 billion tons per year, which represents roughly one-third of the world food production for human consumption. The economic value of food losses and waste amounts to $680 billion in industrialized countries and $310 billion in developing countries. In total, food loss and waste amount to one trillion dollars globally. Lost and wasted food [...]

Basic facts The world contains an estimated 1 400 million cubic km of water. Only 0.003% of this vast amount, about 45 000 cubic km, are what is called “fresh water resources” - water that theoretically can be used for drinking, hygiene, agriculture and industry. But not all of this water is accessible. For example, seasonal flooding makes water extremely difficult [...]

The challenge is to maintain and develop the socioeconomic benefits from forests while safeguarding the resource. FAO’s State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) 2014 argues that if the focus of data collection and policy is shifted from trees to people, forests can be sustainably managed to meet society’s growing demands. Read the most important findings: The formal forestry sector employs some 13.2 [...]

The United Nations launched the 2014 International Year of Family Farming to stress the vast potential family farmers have to eradicate hunger and preserve natural resources. In both developed and developing countries, more than 500 million, or nine out of ten, farms are managed by families, making family farms the predominant form of agriculture. They not only produce about 80% [...]

There can be no life without it, it feeds us and we are responsible for it! Soil is formed from rocks that are decomposed slowly by sun, the wind and the rain, by animals and plants. But it is in danger because of expanding cities, deforestation, unsustainable land use and management practices, pollution, overgrazing and climate change. The current rate [...]

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We took a look around and put together a list of  Twitter accounts to keep you informed about what is happening in the world of soils.  Here are, in alphabetical order, ten voices on twitter you should follow for the latest on soils: @agriculturesnet The AgriCultures Network shares knowledge on small-scale family farming and agroecology. With agroecology we can build soils for life! http://t.co/pN62odtLt9 [...]

What happens when money is given directly to people living in dire conditions? Will children be better nourished? Will families be more productive or will they become dependent? Will economies grow stronger? Today, some 70 percent of the world population, most of which live in rural areas, have no access to adequate social protection measures. For this reason, FAO has [...]

In 2015 we celebrated the “International Year of Soils” and with good reason. Soil sustains all our agricultural and livestock food production, wood for fuel production, filters water so that we can drink it and fish can live in it. We also use it for construction - therefore it sustains our homes and infrastructure. As we approach the end of #IYS [...]