e. a stronger N1) as compared to the GG genotype group. Mental rotation performance varied across genotypes when demands on mental rotation were high. Here, carriers of the -308 A allele performed better than the GG genotype group. This is paralleled by the neurophysiological data showing genotype-dependent variations in parietal positivities only under the condition of high demands on mental rotation. The finding of enhanced attentional and mental rotation performance in A allele carriers supports recent findings that the A allele of this single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) enhances cognitive performance BIX 1294 on a general
measure of cognitive processing speed. (C) 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Prenatal exposure to a relatively high-dose ethanol (EtOH) caused anxiety-like behavior of adult male rat offspring. Previous studies have demonstrated that GABA system in the basolateral amygdala complex (BLA) is involved in the pathogensis of anxiety-related disorders. The role of GABAergic system in the BLA was investigated in anxiety-like behavior evoked by prenatal EtOH exposure. The infusion of midazolam (MDZ),
a positive modulator of GABA(A) receptor, into the BLA prevented anxiety-like behavior in EtOH-offspring without affecting the corresponding behavior of control offspring. The data suggest that anxiety-like behavior could be causally related to increased neuronal excitability attributable to depressed GABAergic inhibition in the BLA. To test this hypothesis, evoked potential was studied using brain slices from EtOH-offspring. Potential evoked in the BLA by single stimuli applied to external capsule showed multispike AC220 supplier responses, indicative of GABAergic disinhibition. These multiple
responses were no longer evident after the perfusion with MDZ. In the slices from EtOH-offspring, paired-pulse inhibition (GABA(A)-dependent) was suppressed. Also, Oxaprozin in EtOH-offspring, long-term potentiation (LTP) was induced by a single train of high frequency stimulation, which did not induce LIP in control rats. Moreover, MDZ pretreatment prevented the facilitating effect of EtOH on LTP induction. The data provide the functional evidence that prenatal EtOH exposure attenuates GABAergic inhibition in the BLA resulting in neuronal hyperexcitability and anxiety-like behavior of adult rat offspring. (C) 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Purpose: In marker lesion experiments a single bladder tumor is deliberately left unresected for later ablation by intravesical instillation of a novel agent. While the benefits are clear, eg the opportunity to examine the effect of therapy on measurable disease, the safety and medical ethics of these experiments are less obvious. We review the goals, inclusion criteria, definition of success, agents used, effectiveness, safety and ethics of marker lesion studies, and suggest a framework for future experiments.