Decreased occipital alpha oscillation in children who stutter during a visual Go/Nogo task

Publication date: Available online 7 July 2018

Source: Clinical Neurophysiology

Author(s): Johanna Piispala, Tuomo Starck, Eira Jansson-Verkasalo, Mika Kallio

Abstract

Objective

Our goal was to discover attention- and inhibitory control- related differences in the main oscillations of the brain of children who stutter (CWS) compared to typically developed children (TDC).

Methods

We performed a time-frequency analysis using wavelets, fast Fourier transformation (FFT) and the Alpha/Theta power ratio of EEG data collected during a visual Go/Nogo task in 7-9 year old CWS and TDC, including also the time window between consecutive tasks.

Results

CWS showed significantly reduced occipital alpha power and Alpha/Theta ratio in the "resting" or preparatory period between visual stimuli especially in the Nogo condition.

Conclusions

The CWS demonstrate reduced inhibition of the visual cortex and information processing in the absence of visual stimuli, which may be related to problems in attentional gating.

Significance

Occipital alpha oscillation is elementary in the control and inhibition of visual attention and the lack of occipital alpha modulation indicate fundamental differences in the regulation of visual information processing in CWS. Our findings support the view of stuttering as part of a wide-ranging brain dysfunction most likely involving also attentional and inhibitory networks.

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Transcriptome analysis reveals candidate genes involved in splay leg syndrome in piglets

Abstract

Splay leg is frequently observed in newborn piglets and leads to economic loss as well as welfare concerns. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of splay leg syndrome in piglets are still poorly understood. The aims of this paper were to characterize changes in the transcriptome of splay leg piglets and identify candidate genes responsible for this disease. We chose three splay leg piglets and their healthy full sibs, and constructed six RNA libraries using skeletal muscle samples from both groups and identified the differentially expressed genes between the two groups using RNA-seq. A total of 555 differentially expressed genes were identified, of which 216 were up-regulated and 339 genes were down-regulated in the splay leg group relative to the healthy group. In addition, 321 significantly enriched GO terms and 12 significantly enriched KEGG pathways were identified. FBXO32 is one of the ten most differentially expressed genes in our experiment, and it is regulated by the significantly enriched pathway (PI3K-Akt). The overexpression of FBXO32 which leads to the process of muscle atrophy might be responsible for congenital splay leg in piglets. The result of this study could help improve understanding of the molecular mechanism of congenital splay leg syndrome.

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Pelagic larval dispersal habits influence the population genetic structure of clam Gomphina aequilatera in China

Abstract

Pelagic larval dispersal habits influence the population genetic structure of marine mollusk organisms via gene flow. The genetic information of the clam Gomphina aequilatera (short larval stage, 10 days) which is ecologically and economically important in the China coast is unknown. To determine the influence of planktonic larval duration on the genetic structure of G. aequilatera. Mitochondrial markers, cytochrome oxidase subunit i (COI) and 12S ribosomal RNA (12S rRNA), were used to investigate the population structure of wild G. aequilatera specimens from four China Sea coastal locations (Zhoushan, Nanji Island, Zhangpu and Beihai). Partial COI (685 bp) and 12S rRNA (350 bp) sequences were determined. High level and significant F_ST values were obtained among the different localities, based on either COI (F_ST = 0.100–0.444, P < 0.05) or 12S rRNA (F_ST = 0.193–0.742, P < 0.05), indicating a high degree of genetic differentiation among the populations. The pairwise N_m between Beihai and Zhoushan for COI was 0.626 and the other four pairwise N_m values were > 1, indicating extensive gene flow among them. The 12S rRNA showed the same pattern. AMOVA test results for COI and 12S rRNA indicated major genetic variation within the populations: 77.96% within and 22.04% among the populations for COI, 55.73% within and 44.27% among the populations for 12S rRNA. A median-joining network suggested obvious genetic differentiation between the Zhoushan and Beihai populations. This study revealed the extant population genetic structure of G. aequilatera and showed a strong population structure in a species with a short planktonic larval stage.

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What is the Most Accurate Radiographic Criterion to Determine Anterior Cervical Fusion?

Numerous methods for assessing fusion status following anterior cervical arthrodesis have been examined in the literature. Surgical exploration has been considered the gold standard for assessing fusion status; however, it has limited clinical utility. Although several radiographic fusion criteria have been suggested [1–7], the most accurate among these compared with intraoperative exploration remains to be determined.

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The biomechanical influence of anterior vertebral body osteophytes on the lumbar spine: a finite element study

Anterior vertebral body osteophytes are common with degeneration but their biomechanical influence on the whole lumbar spine remains unclear.

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Decreased occipital alpha oscillation in children who stutter during a visual Go/Nogo task

In developmental stuttering speech is dysfluent due to interruptions, repetitions and prolongations that complicate communication, often causing anxiety or fear of speaking. Many theories have associated stuttering severity with temperamental factors as high emotional reactivity (Conture et al., 2006; Bloodstein and Bernstein Ratner, 2008; Eggers and Van den Bergh, 2010) and self-regulation and inattention (Eggers et al., 2012; Eggers et al., 2013; Eggers and Jansson-Verkasalo, 2017; please see also review by Alm, 2014).

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Mediator, known as a coactivator, can act in transcription initiation in an activator-independent manner in vivo

Publication date: Available online 7 July 2018

Source: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms

Author(s): Hélène Jean-Jacques, Siew Lay Poh, Laurent Kuras

Abstract

Mediator is an evolutionarily conserved complex best known for its role as a coactivator responsible for transducing regulatory signals from DNA-bound activators to the basal RNA polymerase II (Pol II) machinery that initiates transcription from promoters of protein-encoding genes. By exploiting our in vivo activator-independent transcription assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in combination with new temperature sensitive (ts) mutants of Med14 N-terminal half exhibiting widespread transcriptional defects, and existing ts mutants of Kin28 and Med17, we show that, in the absence of activator: (i) Mediator can associate with a promoter as a form devoid of the Cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) module, and this association remains regulated by Kin28; (ii) Mediator can stimulate the assembly of the entire Pol II initiation machinery. Although the literature emphasizes the role of the interaction between activators and Mediator, together our results support the view that Mediator is able to act through a dual mechanism in vivo, activator-dependent but also activator-independent, therefore not always as a coactivator.

Graphical abstract

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