58 posts · 8,749 views
This blog highlights current neuroscience news published in peer-reviewed journals, with a particular emphasis on sleep/circadian rhythms. Every Thursday, I feature the front-page photomicrograph and the respective article from the current week's Journal of Neuroscience in a segment titled Neury Thursday. I also incorporate a substantial amount of media, including the highlighted article and related video. I try to write for the lay person, but if I do inevitably use jargon, I will briefly explain and provide a wikipedia reference. I'd like to think I have a sense of humor reflected through my writing style and/or post topics
Allison
58 posts
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- September 1, 2010
- 09:00 PM
- 42 views
Amazingly Awesome, Circadian Innovation: The Hair Follicle
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Japanese researchers have brainstormed an innovative and noninvasive technique for measuring clock gene expression in living humans and how such expression is modified by lifestyle changes....the hair follicle!!!... Read more »
Akashi M, Soma H, Yamamoto T, Tsugitomi A, Yamashita S, Yamamoto T, Nishida E, Yasuda A, Liao JK, & Node K. (2010) Noninvasive method for assessing the human circadian clock using hair follicle cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. PMID: 20798039
- August 26, 2010
- 04:41 PM
- 45 views
Neury Thursday: Pharmacology Update
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Researchers have better characterized the effects of stimulatory and inhibitory pharmacological agents on the NMDA receptor, which is known to be linked to alcoholism and circadian timing. Elucidating the responsiveness of the NMDA receptor to these pharmacological agents may provide more effective treatments for alcoholism and alcohol-related disruptions to the timing of circadian phenomena (sleep/wake, hormone release). ... Read more »
Juan C. Pin˜a-Crespo,1,2* Maria Talantova,2* Ileana Micu,5* Bradley States,2 H.-S. Vincent Chen,2,4 Shichun Tu,2, Nobuki Nakanishi,2 Gary Tong,2,3 Dongxian Zhang,2 Stephen F. Heinemann,1,3 Gerald W. Zamponi,6 Peter K. Stys,5, & and Stuart A. Lipton2,3. (2010) Excitatory Glycine Responses of CNS Myelin Mediated by NR1/NR3 “NMDA” Receptor Subunits. Journal of Neuroscience, 11501-11505. info:/DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1593-10.2010
- August 23, 2010
- 08:30 PM
- 23 views
Rats Pee During the Night. A Surprise? Not Really
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Researchers have behaviorally confirmed an entrained rhythm of urination in the rat. Though this information is consistent with the recent shift in funding focus in circadian research (i.e. funding crutches), this is an example of a study that doesn't take advantage of advanced neuroscience techniques or at least attempts to elucidate the mechanisms. I mean, gosh, it was published in PLoS.... Read more »
Gerald M. Herrera1,2, Andrea L. Meredith3*. (2010) Diurnal Variation in Urodynamics of Rat . PLoS ONE. info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0012298
- August 20, 2010
- 03:00 PM
- 74 views
Spindles are Important for a Good Night's Sleep
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Harvardian researchers have uncovered the secret to a sound night's sleep in a busy city. Sleep spindles. These spontaneous brain waves over protection from nighttime arousals induced by traffic and miscellaneous environmental noise... Read more »
Dang-Vu TT, McKinney SM, Buxton OM, Solet JM, & Ellenbogen JM. (2010) Spontaneous brain rhythms predict sleep stability in the face of noise. Current biology : CB, 20(15). PMID: 20692606
- August 19, 2010
- 11:00 PM
- 56 views
Neury Thursday: A Neurobiological Model of the ADHD Paradox
by Allison in Dormivigilia
In this week's Journal of Neuroscience researchers have elucidated the neural mechanisms of why ADHD medications calms those with ADHD down and make those without ADHD hyper. Perhaps this is the crude, yet slightly unethical way to address the overdiagnosing of ADHD in America???... Read more »
Francesco Napolitano,1* Alessandra Bonito-Oliva,1* Mauro Federici,2* Manolo Carta,3 Francesco Errico,1, Salvatore Magara,1 Giuseppina Martella,4 Robert Nistico`,2,5 Diego Centonze,2,4 Antonio Pisani,2,4 Howard H. Gu,6, & Nicola B. Mercuri,2,4 and Alessandro Usiello1,7. (2010) Role of Aberrant Striatal DopamineD1 Receptor/cAMP/Protein Kinase A/DARPP32 Signaling in the Paradoxical Calming Effect of Amphetamine. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(33), 11043-11056. info:/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1682-10.2010
- August 12, 2010
- 05:00 PM
- 72 views
Neury Thursday: Neuroanatomically Disentangling Autism
by Allison in Dormivigilia
British research have identified neuroanatomical pathologies in individuals with autism spectrum disorder that certainly complement the social, behavioral, and cognitive differences of these individuals... Read more »
Christine Ecker,1 Andre Marquand,2 Janaina Mourão-Miranda,3,4 Patrick Johnston,1 Eileen M. Daly,1, Michael J. Brammer,2 Stefanos Maltezos,1 Clodagh M. Murphy,1 Dene Robertson,1 Steven C. Williams,3, & and Declan G. M. Murphy1. (30) Describing the Brain in Autism in FiveDimensions—Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Assisted Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Using a Multiparameter Classification Approach. Journal of Neuroscience, 10612. info:/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5413-09.2010
- August 10, 2010
- 03:30 PM
- 91 views
Sleep Deprivation Affects Moral Fiber
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Swedish researchers have observed that partial, chronic sleep deprivation in military officers reduces the quality of their moral decisions, relying more on rules than personal opinions. Scary. ... Read more »
Olav Kjellevold Olsen; Ståle Pallesen; Jarle Eid. (2010) The Impact of Partial Sleep Deprivation on Moral Reasoning in Military Officers. SLEEP, 33(8), 1086-1090. info:/
- August 6, 2010
- 02:28 PM
- 98 views
Why Alcoholism is So Frackin Difficult to Treat
by Allison in Dormivigilia
A recent study dissects alterations in neuronal genes of a major reward area. Comprehensive studies like these truly reveal how fracking difficult it is to pinpoint the neurobiological underlyings of alcoholism and develop effective treatments... I guess my pessimism is additionally reflects the general cloudiness and lack of sunny summer weather this week. ... Read more »
Bell, R., Kimpel, M., McClintick, J., Strother, W., Carr, L., Liang, T., Rodd, Z., Mayfield, R., Edenberg, H., & McBride, W. (2009) Gene expression changes in the nucleus accumbens of alcohol-preferring rats following chronic ethanol consumption. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 94(1), 131-147. DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2009.07.019
- August 6, 2010
- 02:24 PM
- 79 views
Why Alcoholism is So Fracking Difficult to Treat
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Over the past four years, I have have read hundreds of papers attempting to elucidate the underlying neurobiology of alcoholism. In the beginning, it was pretty mundane; I simply read papers documenting the effects of binging and chronic use on the “big five” neuromodulatory systems: glutamate, GABA, serotonin, dopamine, and acetycholine. Within the past three [...]... Read more »
Bell, R., Kimpel, M., McClintick, J., Strother, W., Carr, L., Liang, T., Rodd, Z., Mayfield, R., Edenberg, H., & McBride, W. (2009) Gene expression changes in the nucleus accumbens of alcohol-preferring rats following chronic ethanol consumption. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 94(1), 131-147. DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2009.07.019
- August 5, 2010
- 04:57 PM
- 58 views
Neury Thursday: Neural Mechanisms of Song Learning
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Researchers at Duke have elucidated the neural mechanisms of song learning and recall in swamp sparrows. Using neurophysiology, it was observed that songs learned during juvenile years are more strongly encoded and surprisingly, there was no difference between those songs sung and simply heard. This is remarkably different from human speech learning.... Read more »
Jonathan F. Prather, Susan Peters, Stephen Nowicki,and Richard Mooney. (2010) Persistent Representation of Juvenile Experience in the Adult Songbird Brain. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(31). info:/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6042-09.2010
- August 3, 2010
- 08:28 PM
- 68 views
Your Love is My Drug
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Review of a paper showing that the physiology of love addiction is comparable to drug addiction. Perhaps some of the same treatments used to treat drug abuse can be effective in curbing pathological love. ... Read more »
Reynaud, M., Karila, L., Blecha, L., & Benyamina, A. (2010) Is Love Passion an Addictive Disorder?. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2147483647. DOI: 10.3109/00952990.2010.495183
- August 2, 2010
- 04:15 PM
- 92 views
Cocaine...That's So 80s
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Novel research suggests that we overvalue the craving and addictive potential of cocaine, particularly in relation to other non-reward drugs ... Read more »
Lauriane Cantin, Magalie Lenoir, Eric Augier, Nathalie Vanhille, Sarah Dubreucq, Fuschia Serre, Caroline Vouillac, Serge H. Ahmed. (2010) Cocaine Is Low on the Value Ladder of Rats: Possible Evidence for Resilience to Addiction. PLoS , 5(7), 11592. info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0011592
- July 29, 2010
- 09:29 PM
- 68 views
Neury Thursday: Neurobiological Mechanisms of "Pot Time"
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Using an array of neuroscience techniques, researchers have dissected the neurobiology of "pot time" by focusing on cannabinoid effects on circadian entrainment and neuronal activity of the SCN circadian clock.... Read more »
Claudio Acuna-Goycolea, Karl Obrietan, and Anthony N. van den Pol. (2010) Cannabinoids Excite Circadian Clock Neurons. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(30), 10061-10066. info:/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5838-09.2010
McElroy B, Zakaria A, Glass JD, & Prosser RA. (2009) Ethanol modulates mammalian circadian clock phase resetting through extrasynaptic GABA receptor activation. Neuroscience, 164(2), 842-8. PMID: 19695310
- July 9, 2010
- 08:40 PM
- 121 views
Neury Friday: Dissociating Between Chromosomal and Gonadal Influences on Alcohol Wanting and Needing
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Researchers in this week's the Journal of Neuroscience reported that chromosomal make-up exerts a significant influences on habit-forming alcohol behaviors and amount consumed, arguing against a more traditional hypothesis that reproductive hormones drive alcohol-related behaviors. ... Read more »
Barker JM, Torregrossa MM, Arnold AP, & Taylor JR. (2010) Dissociation of genetic and hormonal influences on sex differences in alcoholism-related behaviors. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 30(27), 9140-4. PMID: 20610747
- July 8, 2010
- 07:41 PM
- 120 views
Neuroscientific Explanation for Why the US Tied Slovenia
by Allison in Dormivigilia
A recent article in PLos uncovered a directional bias, in that we react slower and misjudge events moving to the left vs right. This may be due to our absolute tendency to read left-to-right. ... Read more »
Kranjec A, Lehet M, Bromberger B, Chatterjee A. (2010) A Sinister Bias for Calling Fouls in Soccer. PLoS One, 5(7). info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0011667
- July 7, 2010
- 07:30 PM
- 101 views
Environmental Modulation of Molecular Machinery or Formerly Known as Behavioral Epigenetics
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Science reviews the emerging and "seductive allure" of behavioral epigenetics, forewarning us that environmental modulation of genetic machinery is not the primary answer (i.e treatment/cure) for every known human pathology. ... Read more »
Miller, G. (2010) The Seductive Allure of Behavioral Epigenetics. Science, 329(5987), 24-27. DOI: 10.1126/science.329.5987.24
- July 6, 2010
- 05:15 PM
- 86 views
Neury Thursday (Long Weekend Edition): Dopaminergic and Amygdalar Explanations for not waiting for discounted iPads
by Allison in Dormivigilia
British neuroscientists have elucidated that L-dopa treatment increases impulsivity and subsequently decreases amygdalar activity, identifying novel neural substrates of impulsiveness and suggesting alternative modes of treatment for Parkinson's... Read more »
Pine A, Shiner T, Seymour B, & Dolan RJ. (2010) Dopamine, time, and impulsivity in humans. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 30(26), 8888-96. PMID: 20592211
- June 28, 2010
- 04:00 PM
- 110 views
First, First Author Publication! Chronic Alcohol Effects on Murine Photic Entrainment
by Allison in Dormivigilia
A recent paper of mine illustrates the deleterious effects of alcohol on circadian physiology, indicating that disruptions of circadian systems may be an underlying neurobehavioral etiology of alcoholism.... Read more »
Brager AJ, Ruby CL, Prosser RA, & Glass JD. (2010) Chronic Ethanol Disrupts Circadian Photic Entrainment and Daily Locomotor Activity in the Mouse. Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research. PMID: 20477766
- June 23, 2010
- 08:03 PM
- 119 views
Coming This Fall: Exercise as a Healthy Substitute for Alcohol
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Our lab has recently found that active hamsters consume less alcohol suggesting that exercise is a healthy, effective, dopamine-rewarding substitute for alcohol and to treat alcohol addiction.... Read more »
Oslin, D., Berrettini, W., & O'Brien, C. (2006) Targeting treatments for alcohol dependence: the pharmacogenetics of naltrexone. Addiction Biology, 11(3-4), 397-403. DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2006.00036.x
Hammer, S., Ruby, C., Brager, A., Prosser, R., & Glass, J. (2010) Environmental Modulation of Alcohol Intake in Hamsters: Effects of Wheel Running and Constant Light Exposure. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01251.x
- June 22, 2010
- 07:53 PM
- 102 views
Revoking Previous Post: I Didn't Love My Head This Weekend
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Head trauma experienced from high speed roller coaster rides is extremely common, but with too many G forces, can increase risk of short or long-term brain damage.... Read more »
Smith, D., & Meaney, D. (2002) Roller Coasters, G Forces, and Brain Trauma: On the Wrong Track?. Journal of Neurotrauma, 19(10), 1117-1120. DOI: 10.1089/08977150260337921
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