Contrast sensitivity (CS), which constrains human vision, decreases from fovea to periphery, from the horizontal to the vertical meridian, and from the lower vertical to the upper vertical meridian. It also depends on spatial frequency (SF), and the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) depicts this relation. To compensate for these visual constraints, we constantly make saccades and foveate on relevant objects in the scene. Already before saccade onset, presaccadic attention shifts to the saccade target and enhances perception. However, it is unknown whether and how it modulates the interplay between CS and SF, and if this effect varies around polar angle meridians. CS enhancement may result from a horizontal or vertical shift of the CSF, increase in bandwidth, or any combination. In addition, presaccadic attention could enhance CS similarly around the visual field, or it could benefit perception more at locations with poorer performance (i.e., vertical meridian). Here, we investigated these possibilities b...

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a family of genetically heterogeneous diseases still without a cure. Despite the causative genetic mutation typically not expressed in cone photoreceptors, these cells inevitably degenerate following the primary death of rods, causing blindness. The reasons for the “bystander” degeneration of cones are presently unknown but decrement of survival factors, oxidative stress, and inflammation all play a role. Targeting these generalized biological processes represents a strategy to develop mutation-agnostic therapies for saving vision in large populations of RP individuals. A classical method to support neuronal survival is by employing neurotrophic factors, such as NGF. This study uses painless human NGF (hNGFp), a TrkA receptor-biased variant of the native molecule with lower affinity for nociceptors and limited activity as a pain inducer; the molecule has identical neurotrophic power of the native form but a reduced affinity for the p75NTR receptors, known to trigger apoptosis. ...

Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairments (CRCIs) encompass cognitive deficits in memory, attention, and executive function that arise during and following chemotherapy. CRCI symptoms are predominantly reported by female cancer patients but also occur in males. These impairments may involve reduced estradiol levels, which then increases vulnerability to the impact of tumors and chemotherapy on cognition. This study utilized the MMTV-PyVT mouse model of breast cancer to test the hypothesis that impaired ovarian function and associated estradiol levels play a critical role in CRCI susceptibility. Mice were either ovariectomized (OVX) or underwent sham surgery. The OVX group then received supplemental estradiol (E2) ad libitum in the drinking water to maintain physiological hormone levels. After tumor development, mice were trained in the Morris water maze to assess spatial memory, and subsequently, they received weekly injections of either saline or a combination of cyclophosphamide (CYP; 66.7 mg/kg, i.v.) ...

A multidisciplinary and international convergent working group (neural stem cell biology, functional electrical stimulation, materials engineering, electrical engineering, neurosurgery, neurology, biomedical device, and commercialization) met in Canada to create a call to action for Electrical Stimulation for Neural Repair. Electrical stimulation, in the form of deep brain stimulation (DBS), is an approved treatment for various neurological disorders such as essential tremor, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy. Here, DBS works through disrupting neural circuits; however, electrical stimulation may also effectively promote neural repair due to the activation of electrosensitive resident neural stem cells. Activating neural stem cells has great promise for enhancing neuroplasticity to treat damaged brains. To realize this therapy's potential, multidisciplinary experts met to identify barriers, gaps, and next steps. Neurological disorders are a leading cause of death and disabilities worldwide and represent a...

Are you interested in advocacy but not sure where to start? Get inspired by this webinar. SfN's Early Career Policy Fellows (ECPF) will tell you about opportunities they’ve pursued through SfN’s ECPF program, and how you, too, can explore similar advocacy activities at your institution or SfN chapter.

Contrast sensitivity, which constrains human vision, decreases from fovea to periphery, from the horizontal to the vertical meridian, and from the lower vertical to the upper vertical meridian. The Contrast Sensitivity Function (CSF) depicts how contrast sensitivity depends on spatial frequency (SF). To compensate for these visual constraints, we constantly make saccadic eye movements to foveate on relevant objects in the scene. Already before saccade onset, presaccadic attention shifts to the saccade target and enhances perception. However, it is unknown whether and how it modulates the interplay between contrast sensitivity and SF, and if this effect varies around polar angle locations. Contrast sensitivity enhancement may result from a horizontal or vertical shift of the CSF, increase in bandwidth, or any combination. In addition, presaccadic attention could enhance contrast sensitivity similarly around the visual field, or it could benefit perception more at locations with poorer performance (i.e., ver...

Much of what has been discovered concerning neurophysiological mechanisms can be credited to ex vivo biomedical experiments. Beyond these discoveries, ex vivo research techniques have enhanced the global understanding of human physiology and pathology in almost every biomedical specialty. Naturally, ex vivo experiments are among the most desired methods of research, particularly in the field of neuroscience. Ex vivo experiment platforms may be purchased commercially. However, their substantial cost and sometimes limited availability can render them inaccessible to many research labs. Moreover, these manufactured systems are often rigid in function with no possibility of customization, severely narrowing their capabilities. However, developing essential components for ex vivo laboratory systems with a fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer provides a practical solution to each of these obstacles. Here, we provide the designs and construction process for an easily accessible, highly adaptable recording stag...

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons provide direct input into several nuclei, including the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), which is important for classical image-forming vision, and the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), which is associated with non-image-forming vision. Through both activity- and morphogen-dependent mechanisms, retinal inputs play important roles in the development of dLGN, including the refinement of retinal projections, morphological development of thalamocortical relay cells (TRCs), the timing of corticogeniculate innervation, and the recruitment and distribution of inhibitory interneurons. In contrast, little is known about the role of retinal inputs in the development of vLGN. Grossly, vLGN is divided into two domains, the retinorecipient external vLGN (vLGNe) and the non-retinorecipient internal vLGN (vLGNi). Studies previously found that vLGNe consists of transcriptionally-distinct GABAergic subtypes distributed into at least four adjacent laminae. At present, it r...

Homeostatic plasticity represents a set of mechanisms thought to stabilize some function of neural activity. Here, we identified the specific features of cellular or network activity that were maintained after the perturbation of GABAergic blockade in two different systems: mouse cortical neuronal cultures where GABA is inhibitory and motoneurons in the isolated embryonic chick spinal cord where GABA is excitatory (males and females combined in both systems). We conducted a comprehensive analysis of various spiking activity characteristics following GABAergic blockade. We observed significant variability in many features after blocking GABAA receptors (e.g. burst frequency, burst duration, overall spike frequency in culture). These results are consistent with the idea that neuronal networks achieve activity goals using different strategies (degeneracy). On the other hand, some features were consistently altered after receptor blockade in the spinal cord preparation (e.g. overall spike frequency). Regardles...

Sensory processing disruptions are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurological disorders. The acoustic startle response and prepulse inhibition (PPI) are common metrics used to assess disruptions in sensory processing and sensorimotor gating in clinical studies and animal models. However, often there are inconsistent findings on ASD-related PPI deficits across different studies. Here, we used a novel method for assessing changes in startle and PPI in rodents, using the Cntnap2 knockout (KO) rat model for neurodevelopmental disorder/ASD that has consistently shown PPI disruptions in past studies. We discovered that not only sex and prepulse intensity but also the intensity of the startle stimulus, profoundly impacts whether PPI deficits are evident in the Cntnap2 KO rat or not. We show that rats do not universally exhibit a PPI deficit, instead impaired PPI is contingent on specific testing conditions. Notably, at lower startle stimulus intensities, Cntnap2 KO rats not only demon...