Review
Anatomy & Morphology
Lais Resque Russo Pedrosa, Gabriele dos Santos Coimbra, Marcio Goncalves Correa, Ivanira Amaral Dias, Carlomagno Pacheco Bahia
Summary: The plasticity of the central nervous system allows for changes and adaptations in neuronal organization and function after environmental stimuli or sensory deprivation. This study reviewed the determination of time windows for neuroplasticity in small rodents and found that the duration of the critical period is different among sensory areas, and brain maps are influenced by environmental stimuli.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mathilda Froesel, Celine Cappe, Suliann Ben Hamed
Summary: This study focuses on the contribution of the pulvinar to multisensory integration, suggesting that the pulvinar combines multiple sources of sensory information to enhance fast responses to the environment and acts as a general regulation hub for adaptive and flexible cognition.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Mohammad Reza Keshtkaran, Andrew R. Sedler, Raeed H. Chowdhury, Raghav Tandon, Diya Basrai, Sarah L. Nguyen, Hansem Sohn, Mehrdad Jazayeri, Lee E. Miller, Chethan Pandarinath
Summary: AutoLFADS is a model-tuning framework that automatically generates high-performing autoencoding models on data from different brain areas and tasks.
Article
Developmental Biology
Tania Rodrigues, Linda Dib, Emilie Brethaut, Michel M. Matter, Lidia Matter-Sadzinski, Jean-Marc Matter
Summary: The increase in neuron density in the visual center of the midbrain is found to be the key factor for the sharp vision in birds and primates. The presence of fovea in these animals allows for a higher neuron density in the upper layers of the optic tectum. This increase in density is achieved through a previously unknown developmental process.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francisco M. Ribeiro, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Joana Goncalves, Joao Martins
Summary: Assessing the molecular mechanism of synaptic plasticity in the cortex is crucial for identifying potential targets in conditions marked by defective plasticity. In this review, two major plasticity protocols (ocular-dominance and cross-modal) in rodents are discussed, focusing on the molecular signaling pathways involved. Additionally, the contribution of different populations of inhibitory and excitatory neurons at different time points is highlighted. The potentially disrupted molecular and circuit alterations in various neurodevelopmental disorders are also explored, and new plasticity paradigms, such as stimulus-selective response potentiation, are presented as potential tools to repair plasticity defects.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Karita E. Ojala, Matthias Staib, Samuel Gerster, Christian C. Ruff, Dominik R. Bach
Summary: This study investigated the potential of noninvasive neural stimulation on the human sensory cortex in inhibiting aversive memory. The results showed that threat memory was attenuated in the experimental group compared with the control group after overnight consolidation. This suggests that noninvasive targeted stimulation of the sensory cortex may provide a new avenue for interfering with aversive memories in humans.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Nikhil G. Prabhu, Marc Himmelbach
Summary: The superior colliculus (SC) plays a major role in orienting movements and attention allocation. Previous studies mainly focused on animal models and lacked validation in humans. Using BOLD fMRI imaging, this study found that the SC is active not only during visually guided reaching movements, but also during tactile guided reaching movements. This suggests a general involvement of the human SC in upper limb reaching movements.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Golan Karvat, Mansour Alyahyay, Ilka Diester
Summary: The interaction between spontaneous and externally evoked neuronal activity is crucial for a functional brain. Evidence suggests bursts of high-power oscillations in the beta-band may mask perception of external cues, and adjusting vibration amplitude in real time can counterbalance this effect. Mechanistically, beta-power in the somatosensory cortex is found to anticorrelate with sensory evoked responses, and beta-bursts reflect a dynamic state that competes with external stimuli.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zachary P. Rosenthal, Ryan Raut, Ryan M. Bowen, Abraham Z. Snyder, Joseph P. Culver, Marcus E. Raichle, Jin-Moo Lee
Summary: Slow waves, crucial for neural plasticity and memory, were found to be globally propagating low-frequency oscillations during sleep and anesthesia. Experimental results showed that somatosensory stimulation can evoke bilateral waves and under anesthesia, rhythmic stimuli can elicit globally resonant, front-to-back propagating slow waves.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Manh Van Pham, Kei Saito, Shota Miyaguchi, Hiraku Watanabe, Hitomi Ikarashi, Kazuaki Nagasaka, Hirotake Yokota, Sho Kojima, Yasuto Inukai, Naofumi Otsuru, Hideaki Onishi
Summary: This study investigated how motor skill training affects the excitability of the primary somatosensory cortex. The results showed that complex visuomotor tasks were more efficient in inducing motor learning and led to changes in somatosensory evoked potential. These changes were associated with an increase in motor learning efficiency.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Eva Breitinger, Lena Pokorny, Lea Biermann, Tomasz A. Jarczok, Neil M. Dundon, Veit Roessner, Stephan Bender
Summary: This study found that blind participants outperformed sighted participants in a tactile short-term memory task, showing higher tCDA amplitudes over somatosensory areas, and differences in the interplay between frontal and somatosensory areas in this task.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel L. Barabasi, Taliesin Beynon, Adam Katona, Nicolas Perez-Nieves
Summary: This paper introduces neurodevelopmental considerations into the framework of machine learning, simulating the evolutionary selection process in brain development by updating the connection rules of neurons to improve task fitness. Experimental results show that this model not only provides high accuracy in machine learning but also compresses the parameter count, and it can select simple circuits from metalearning tasks to provide stable and adaptive performance. By introducing neurodevelopmental considerations, we not only model the emergence of innate behaviors but also define a discovery process for structures that promote complex computations.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mathew E. Diamond, Alessandro Toso
Summary: Since the discovery of the ordered representation of whiskers in somatosensory cortex, the rodent tactile sensory system has provided valuable insights into sensory processing. In recent years, researchers have adopted new approaches by posing complex perceptual and memory problems to investigate the underlying mechanisms of rodent problem solving. By studying whisker-based behavioral tasks, it has been shown that rodents achieve high performance through accessible and manipulable neural circuits. This review presents leading psychophysical paradigms and their neural correlates as a means to explore tactile cognition.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Lex J. Gomez, James C. Dooley, Greta Sokoloff, Mark S. Blumberg
Summary: The study suggests that the primary motor cortex (M1) can receive sensory input directly from the thalamus independent of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) at early developmental stages. The processing of self-generated and other-generated movements varies between S1 and M1 before they establish the interactive relationship typical of adult functionality.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Elana R. Goldenkoff, Heather R. McGregor, Joshua Mergos, Puyan Gholizadeh, John Bridenstine, Matt J. N. Brown, Michael Vesia
Summary: The study found that unimanual training with reversed visual feedback enhances transfer of skills to the untrained hand, modulates plasticity in motor areas of the brain, and affects somatosensory areas. After training with reversed vision, cortical suppression of S1 activity supports skilled motor performance, presumably through sensory gating.
Article
Neurosciences
Denis Matrov, Kadri Koiv, Margus Kanarik, Krista Peet, Karita Raudkivi, Jaanus Harro
ACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eva Kille Sawyer, Chia-Chi Liao, Hui-Xin Qi, Pooja Balaram, Denis Matrov, Jon H. Kaas
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2015)
Article
Neurosciences
Denis Matrov, Kadri Koiv, Margus Kanarik, Krista Peet, Karita Raudkivi, Jaanus Harro
ACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA
(2016)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Denis Matrov, Tanel Kaart, Laurence Lanfumey, Rafael Maldonado, Trevor Sharp, Rosa M. Tordera, Paul A. Kelly, Bill Deakin, Jaanus Harro
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jaanus Harro, Margus Kanarik, Tanel Kaart, Denis Matrov, Kadri Koiv, Tanel Maello, Joaquin Del Rio, Rosa M. Tordera, Maria J. Ramirez
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2014)
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
J. Harro, D. Matrov, T. Maello, K. Raudkivi, E. Le Maitre, T. Hokfelt
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2011)
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
M. Kanarik, D. Matrov, K. Koiv, R. Tordera, J. Del Rio, J. Harro
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2011)
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
M. Kanarik, D. Matrov, K. Koiv, R. Tordera, J. Del Rio, J. Harro
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2011)
Article
Neurosciences
Denis Matrov, Argo Vonk, Laura Herm, Ago Rinken, Jaanus Harro
NEUROPSYCHOBIOLOGY
(2011)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Jaanus Harro, Margus Kanarik, Denis Matrov, Jaak Panksepp
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2011)
Article
Cell Biology
Denis Matrov, Sophie Imbeault, Margus Kanarik, Marianna Shkolnaya, Patricia Schikorra, Ergo Miljan, Ruth Shimmo, Jaanus Harro
Article
Neurosciences
Chih-Yang Chen, Denis Matrov, Richard Veale, Hirotaka Onoe, Masatoshi Yoshida, Kenichiro Miura, Tadashi Isa
Summary: By comparing the saccadic behaviors of marmosets, macaques, and humans, researchers found that these species exhibit similar kinematics and saliency-driven saccadic behavior, though with varying parameters. The results suggest that the marmoset shares neural mechanisms with macaques and humans for saccadic control, making it a suitable model for studying neural mechanisms related to active vision and attention.
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Kadri Koiv, Denis Matrov, Trine Uusen, Jaanus Harro
Summary: NPS has stimulatory effects in rats, promoting wakefulness and arousal while reducing anxiety, with varying effects depending on individual differences in exploratory activity; it induces the production of 22 kHz USVs and has complex effects on affective dimensions.
Article
Neurosciences
Aneth Lvovs, Denis Matrov, Triin Kurrikoff, Toomas Veidebaum, Jaanus Harro
Summary: The study found that homozygosity for both alleles of the CCKBR gene rs2941026 was associated with higher trait and state anxiety, particularly more pronounced in females. Additionally, the A/A genotype was also related to higher depressiveness and suicidal thoughts, indicating a potential role of genetic factors in anxiety and other psychological issues.
ACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA
(2022)