R Complex Research Articles

Low Incubation Temperature Induces DNA Hypomethylation in Lizard Brains.

Developmental stress can have organizational effects on suites of physiological, morphological, and behavioral characteristics. In lizards, incubation temperature is perhaps the most significant environmental variable affecting embryonic development. Wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) recently introduced by humans from Italy to England experience stressfully cool incubation conditions, which we here show reduce growth and increase the incidence of scale malformations. Using a methylation-sensitive AFLP protocol optimized for vertebrates, we demonstrate that this low incubation temperature also causes hypomethylation of DNA in brain tissue. A consistent pattern across methylation-susceptible AFLP loci suggests that hypomethylation is a general response and not limited to certain CpG sites. The functional consequences of hypomethylation are unknown, but it could contribute to genome stability and regulation of gene expression. Further studies of the effects of incubation temperature on DNA methylation in ectotherm vertebrates may reveal mechanisms that explain why the embryonic thermal environment often has physiological and behavioral consequences for offspring.

Rescuing Perishable Neuroanatomical Information from a Threatened Biodiversity Hotspot: Remote Field Methods for Brain Tissue Preservation Validated by Cytoarchitectonic Analysis, Immunohistochemistry, and X-Ray Microcomputed Tomography.

Biodiversity hotspots, which harbor more endemic species than elsewhere on Earth, are increasingly threatened. There is a need to accelerate collection efforts in these regions before threatened or endangered species become extinct. The diverse geographical, ecological, genetic, morphological, and behavioral data generated from the on-site collection of an individual specimen are useful for many scientific purposes. However, traditional methods for specimen preparation in the field do not permit researchers to retrieve neuroanatomical data, disregarding potentially useful data for increasing our understanding of brain diversity. These data have helped clarify brain evolution, deciphered relationships between structure and function, and revealed constraints and selective pressures that provide context about the evolution of complex behavior. Here, we report our field-testing of two commonly used laboratory-based techniques for brain preservation while on a collecting expedition in the Congo Basin and Albertine Rift, two poorly known regions associated with the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot. First, we found that transcardial perfusion fixation and long-term brain storage, conducted in remote field conditions with no access to cold storage laboratory equipment, had no observable impact on cytoarchitectural features of lizard brain tissue when compared to lizard brain tissue processed under laboratory conditions. Second, field-perfused brain tissue subjected to prolonged post-fixation remained readily compatible with subsequent immunohistochemical detection of neural antigens, with immunostaining that was comparable to that of laboratory-perfused brain tissue. Third, immersion-fixation of lizard brains, prepared under identical environmental conditions, was readily compatible with subsequent iodine-enhanced X-ray microcomputed tomography, which facilitated the non-destructive imaging of the intact brain within its skull. In summary, we have validated multiple approaches to preserving intact lizard brains in remote field conditions with limited access to supplies and a high degree of environmental exposure. This protocol should serve as a malleable framework for researchers attempting to rescue perishable and irreplaceable morphological and molecular data from regions of disappearing biodiversity. Our approach can be harnessed to extend the numbers of species being actively studied by the neuroscience community, by reducing some of the difficulty associated with acquiring brains of animal species that are not readily available in captivity.

Migraine, and: My Dream One Night, and: First Coda

Migraine, and: My Dream One Night, and: First Coda Carmen Giménez Smith (bio) Migraine TitereTitere y titulotitere sans tituloThe tring tring tringof Tylenol con codeine,tattered tripas and trippingballs on pain. Titerein situ, in extremis.Tres turnos chiflados,the thrum of cartoons burnedinto theories about my tenderonce upon era. Openinga drawer, grating torrentsof fracas, mama’sin bed otra vez. Vete,because even breath,is vampiric. Titere en la torre,titere doblada trundledin the territory, held upby electric claws inthe reptilian brain. [End Page 68] MY DREAM ONE NIGHT Phantoms in the pantry and from the pylon and hidingin the cricks of history Arnold’s “phantom of yourself” theWest Side Story phantom and the phantom of pencils gone the phantomof long-lost moods that were dense the phantoms of squashedants and off-course crickets astray phantom dream trapped inyour pillow the despair of these phantoms squared into bigger phantomthe phantom of a single malt scotch and its ghostly intentions splatter ofphantoms against the spray of shadows up on your bed the phantom of sawdust the phantomof Windex streaks in the window phantom of thatrecollection Aragon’s “abstract phantom” phantom sisterwhy hast thou split into a cavalcade of phantoms for thou ist pure-est presence in my arsenal phantom infectionclotting history with conspiracy phantom metaphor belowthe surface of languagethe phantom wisp tattered or sentient phantom revengethe phantom of insistence living there and again in the kitchenthe master phantom in thesemantic root [End Page 69] FIRST CODA Dear Poem do me justicemy audience will discover my one true selfdraw quarter my silhouetteI am the funny sister the bad one in limbo [End Page 70] Carmen Giménez Smith Carmen Giménez Smith is the author of a memoir and four poetry collections— including Milk and Filth, finalist for the 2013 NBCC award in poetry. A CantoMundo Fellow, she now teaches in the creative writing programs at New Mexico State University, while serving as the editor-in-chief of the literary journal Puerto del Sol and the publisher of Noemi Press. Copyright © 2016 University of Wisconsin Board of Regents

Considerações sobre a teoria do cérebro triuno e sua relevância para uma filosofia da mente e das emoções

Este artigo estabelece algumas relações fundamentais entre evolução, a teoria do cérebro triuno e a relevância que esta pode ter para a fundamentação empírica de uma filosofia da mente e das emoções. Inicialmente, será especialmente considerada a posição do filósofo Ronald de Sousa no seu já clássico artigo “The Mind’s Bermuda Triangle: Philosophy of Emotions and Empirical Science”, parte do Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Emotions. A segunda seção discute a validade da teoria do “cérebro triuno” como abordagem neuroetológica evolutiva, delineando sua divisão tripartite do cérebro e analisando críticas e elogios às suas ideias, além de considerações de neurocientistas importantes no campo do estudo das emoções como Ledoux e Panksepp sobre tal tema. Na terceira seção, trato de um trabalho de Pollen e Hofmann que nos serve de apresentação de novas abordagens contemporâneas para a compreensão da evolução do cérebro. Como conclusão delineio um marco de trabalho na forma de uma agenda de pesquisa para as relações entre biologia evolutiva, neurociência e o estudo filosófico das emoções.

Sexually dimorphic expression of CREB binding protein in the green anole brain

Green anoles are seasonally breeding lizards in which male sexual behavior is primarily regulated by an annual increase in testosterone. This hormone activates stereotyped behaviors, as well as morphological and biochemical changes in the brain, with greater effect in the breeding season than in the non-breeding season. This study is the first description of CREB binding protein (CBP) in the reptilian brain, and investigates the possibility that changes in CBP, an androgen receptor coactivator, may facilitate differences in responsiveness to testosterone across seasons. A portion of this gene was cloned for the green anole, and in situ hybridization was performed to examine the expression of CBP in the brains of gonadally intact male and female green anoles across breeding states. Additionally, hormonal regulation of CBP was evaluated across sex and season in animals that were gonadectomized and treated with testosterone or a control. Similar to other vertebrates, CBP was expressed at relatively high levels in steroid-sensitive brain regions. In the anole ventromedial amygdala, CBP mRNA levels were nearly twice as high in gonadally intact females compared to males. In contrast, CBP expression did not differ across seasons or hormone manipulation in this brain region. No significant effects were detected in the preoptic area or ventromedial hypothalamus. This pattern suggests that CBP might influence female-biased functions controlled by the ventromedial amygdala, but is not consistent with a role in mediating seasonal differences in responsiveness to testosterone in these areas associated with reproductive function.

Love Is Stronger Than Stewardship

Love Is Stronger Than Stewardship

The reptilian brain

A Primer on the reptile brain, in particular the light it sheds on the structural and functional evolution of vertebrate neural circuits.

A perfusion protocol for lizards, including a method for brain removal

The goal of fixation is to rapidly and uniformly preserve tissue in a life-like state. Perfusion achieves optimal fixation by pumping fixative directly through an animal’s circulatory system. Standard perfusion techniques were developed primarily for application in mammals, which are traditional neuroscience research models. Increasingly, other vertebrate groups are also being used in neuroscience. Following mammalian perfusion protocols for non-mammalian vertebrates often results in failed perfusions. Here, I present a modified perfusion protocol suitable for lizards. Though geared towards standard brain perfusion, this protocol is easily modified for the perfusion of other tissues and for various specialized histological techniques.•The two aortas of the lizard heart, emerging from a single ventricle, mean that care must be taken to place the perfusion needle in the correct aorta, unlike in mammals.•Only the head and neck perfuse – the visceral organs will not decolour, and the body may not twitch.•I also include a method for removing a lizard brain, which differs from mammals due to the incomplete and thicker skull of the lizard.

Analytical Psychology, Indian Healing Traditions, and the Emerging Frontiers of Neuroscience

One of C. G. Jung's seminal concepts is the union of the opposites, a process that leads to a higher coniunctio. I propose that when we alchemically dissolve numerous frames and perspectives dealing with a similar issue, we may dissolve these similarities to constellate a unique synthesis and a deeper understanding of the issue. In this article, I blend the Indian healing traditions, allopathic psychiatry, and analytical psychology with the emerging research in neuroscience. I consider the emerging research in the triune brain, microchimerism, junk DNA, mirror neurons, and the neuroplastic impact of purposefulness, resilience, and the healing image. Some of the possible theoretical and clinical implications of these neuroscientific frontiers are explored in a preliminary manner.

Neural activity in catecholaminergic populations following sexual and aggressive interactions in the brown anole, Anolis sagrei

Social behaviors in vertebrates are modulated by catecholamine (CA; dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine) release within the social behavior neural network. Few studies have examined activity across CA populations in relation to social behaviors. The involvement of CAs in social behavior regulation is especially underexplored in reptiles, relative to other amniotes. In this study, we mapped CA populations throughout the brain (excluding retina and olfactory bulb) of the male brown anole lizard, Anolis sagrei, via immunofluorescent visualization of the rate-limiting enzyme for CA synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Colocalization of TH with the immediate early gene product Fos, an indirect marker of neural activity, also enabled us to relate activity in TH-immunoreactive (TH-ir) neurons to appetitive and consummatory sexual and aggressive behaviors. We detected most major TH-ir cell populations that are present in other amniotes (within the hypothalamus, midbrain, and hindbrain), although the A15 population was entirely absent. We also detected a few novel or rare cell clusters within the amygdala, medial septum, and inferior raphe. Many CA populations, especially dopaminergic groups, showed increased TH–Fos colocalization in association with appetitive and consummatory sexual behavior expression, while a small number of regions showed increased colocalization in relation to solely consummatory aggression (biting of an opponent). In conclusion, we here map CA populations throughout the brown anole brain and demonstrate evidence for catecholaminergic involvement in appetitive and consummatory sexual behaviors and consummatory aggressive behaviors in this species.

Doctor, You Can Be Less Error Prone Right Now

The Problem:From moment to moment, while tending their patients, physicians can slip from: patience to impatience; genuine enquiry to assumptions; attention to the task-at-hand to inattention; certain doubt to doubtful certainty; and from doing what is inconvenient to doing what is convenient. In summary, one can slip from neo-cortex to archi-cortex (reptilian brain) emphasis. (The hazardous attitudes associated with aviation and medical mishaps are reptilian in character). This is expressed: to err is human, the reptilian part.Objectives: Therefore, to improve decisions, one needs to reclaim the new-brain emphasis, the advocate for the patient’s interests.Method: To be aware which emphasis one commands, ask oneself a few reptilian-revealing questions. Then counter the reptilian attitude by specific and or generic antidotes to be less error prone.Conclusion: Doctors should realize that there is also another patient one is tending: the patient called oneself, whose symptoms are haste, egoism and apathy and whose diagnosis is the reptilian brain. While this lesion is inoperable and the prognosis is guarded, yet amid the uncertainty and demands of our medical tending, one can toggle back to patience and doing the inconvenient to reach after fact and reason.

Relationships between seasonal thermal variations and cell proliferation in heterothermic vertebrates, as revealed by PCNA expression in the brain of adult Podarcis sicula

In adult terrestrial heterothermic vertebrates, spontaneous or experimentally induced plasticity of the brain is widely demonstrated. This phenomenon is more pronounced in Amphibians than in lacertilians, the most investigated among the Reptiles. In the lizard it has been observed that the summer photoperiod and temperature exert a positive influence on the proliferative activity of cerebral putative stem cells, which then differentiate into glial or neuronal cells. In the present investigation, the behaviour of proliferating neural cells has been investigated by immunocytochemistry in the brain of normal adult Podarcis sicula caught in their habitat in summer. The results, qualitatively evaluated, were compared with those on normal lizards of the same species, caught from the wild in late spring and previously analysed by the same author. The comparison showed that summer environment stimulates cell proliferation, although to a limited extent. This response seems to involve the quiescent cells which mainly populate the ependymal layer of the forebrain, the telencephalic hemispheres being the best provided with these undifferentiated cells, while no substantial differences from spring values were found in more caudal cerebral portions. The comparison between present findings and previously reported ones indicates that summer environment stimulates the proliferation of putative neuronal stem cells but only in the forebrain; this proliferation might not be sufficient to support the regeneration upon partial removal of this portion of the encephalon, and previous findings of a much higher regenerative capacity in the lizard brain upon cerebral injury might depend on factors linked to injury itself or to the studied species and their habitat.

Patient safety and “medical error”

Medicine, Mistakes and the Reptilian Brain. John Mary Meagher. Ahymsa Publishing; 2011 It is rare to pick up an article or a book on patient safety without seeing reference to “medical error” as the cause of patient harm. System theorists have attempted to convince health care professionals

The inner lining of the reptilian brain: A heterogeneous cellular mosaic

The ependymal layer is a preserved structure across vertebrates but its functional significance remains poorly understood. Modern studies emphasize the role played by radial glia (RG) as neurogenic progenitors. We speculated that the cells lining the prosencephalon ventricles of freshwater turtles may have retained key features of RG. To test this idea, we applied an approach that combined cellular, molecular, fine structural, and electrophysiological techniques. In the prosencephalon of juvenile turtles, we found cells with typical radial morphology that expressed four RG proteins: glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, S100/S100β and brain lipid-binding protein (BLBP). Most of these cells expressed the transcription factor Sox2 but few co-expressed Pax6. One type of RG had their somata close to the ventricle lumen and bear multiple cilia. A second class with cell bodies far from the lumen was usually uniciliated. RGs had low input resistances, passive properties and were coupled via Cx43 at the level of the cell bodies and radial processes. A third kind of cell was uncoupled, expressed neuronal proteins (HuC/D and NeuN) and fired spikes. The differential expression of HuC/D and NeuN together with their electrophysiological properties suggested various maturational stages. The occurrence of ependymal patches with a high density of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeled cells provides evidence of the proliferative capability of ependymal RG. Our data support the view that RG have retained key properties of neuroepithelial cells. The maintenance of proliferating RG could be also related with the outstanding endogenous ability of lower vertebrates for self-repair after injury.

Infant Research and Neuroscience at Work in Psychotherapy

Infant Research and Neuroscience at Work in Psychotherapy

Galanin immunoreactivity in the brain of the desert lizard Uromastyx acanthinura during activity season

The distribution of galanin immunoreactive perikarya and nerve fibers in the brain of the desert lizard U. acanthinura was studied by means of immunofluorescence using an antiserum against rabbit galanin. The animals were captured during the activity season in March (wet season) just before reproduction period and in June (arid season) after ovulation period. Immunoreactive neurons were mostly detected in the mediobasal and the infundibular recess nuclei, the nucleus of the paraventricular organ, the paraventricular organ, the periventricular nucleus and in the anterior hypothalamus at the level of the periventricular nucleus, the paraventricular nucleus and the supraoptic nucleus. The differences in brain galanin expression between animals collected under both sets of environmental conditions indicated changes which occur during the annual and reproductive cycles. The wide hypothalamic and extrahypothalamic distribution of galanin immunoreactive fibers suggests that this peptide may have hypophysiotropic, neuromodulator and neurotransmitter roles in the lizard U. acanthinura.

Characterization of adult neurogenesis in lizard Phrynocephalus vlangalii (Agamidae: Reptilia)

Adult neurogenesis, a process of giving rise to neurons and glia from progenitors residing in restricted regions of the adult central nervous system (CNS) throughout life, varies considerably across species. The role of adult neurogenesis in reptiles, the amniotic vertebrates that possess spontaneous regenerative capacity is less known. In the present study, we used Phrynocephalus vlangalii – a typical reptile in northwest of China to investigate the cell proliferation and general pattern of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactivity in the brain of lizard. Compared with mammals, the brains of P. vlangaliiowned have simpler cytoarchitectonical patterns but a more widespread neurogenesis. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled cells were mostly distributed in the ventricular zone of lateral ventricle with cell proliferation highest in the region referred to as anterior olfactory nucleus (AON). In addition, GFAP-immunostaining demonstrated differences in element, abundance and distribution. GFAP-positive cells were fundamentally represented by radial glial structures in telencephalon, diencephalon and mesencephalon. Furthermore, an intriguing finding was the emergence of GFAP-positive, star-shaped cells in the mesencephalon. We conclude that the cell proliferation and corresponding functions of glial lineage cells in lizards are closely implicated with phylogenetic development. Hence, reptiles provide excellent access for extracting core mechanisms of adult neurogenesis, which lays a good foundation to study the effect of different stimuli and exposure on the adult neurogenesis of reptiles.

A COGNITIVE ARCHITECTURE WITH INCREMENTAL LEVELS OF MACHINE CONSCIOUSNESS INSPIRED BY COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE

The main motivation for this work is to investigate the advantages provided by machine consciousness, while in the control of software agents. In order to pursue this goal, we developed a cognitive architecture, with different levels of machine consciousness, targeting the control of artificial creatures. As a standard guideline, we applied cognitive neuroscience concepts to incrementally develop the cognitive architecture, following the evolutionary steps taken by the animal brain. The triune brain theory proposed by MacLean, together with Arrabale's ConsScale, serve as roadmaps to achieve each developmental stage, while iCub — a humanoid robot and its simulator — serve as a platform for the experiments. A completely codelet-based system Core has been implemented, serving the whole architecture.

Lizard neuroendocrine disruptor assessment by Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx4/PHGPx) expression

Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (GPx4/PHGPx) is a most abundant selenoprotein in the brain and GPx4 null mice die in utero at midgestation or knockdown of GPx4 during mammalian embryogenesis disturbs brain development. The current experiments were designed to investigate, by semiquantitative RT-PCR, the cerebral function of GPx4 of the lizards collected in both polluted (Sarno River, Italy) and unpolluted (Lago Matese, Italy) areas in order to provide useful molecular information on this widely distributed seleno-enzyme in adult as well through the development of the lizard, Podarcis sicula. Our research demonstrates the lizard GPx4 hormonal control. Treatments with HCG increases immunoreactivity while the anti-estrogen ICI 182–780 induces its reduction. The partial region of the cloned cDNA is of 340 bp; conserved protein domains reports its membership to selenoprotein and analysis amino acid residues the value as an antioxidant. The semiquantitative expression of GPx 4 of adult lizard brain in polluted station resulted generally very high and let sustain its importance as lizard neuroendocrine disruptor alarm.

THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF PEOPLE-PLANT RELATIONSHIPS: AN EVOLUTIONARY BRAIN INQUIRY

ISHS X International People-Plant Symposium on Digging Deeper: Approaches to Research in Horticultural Therapy and Therapeutic Horticulture THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF PEOPLE-PLANT RELATIONSHIPS: AN EVOLUTIONARY BRAIN INQUIRY