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Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2022The midline and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus form a major part of the "limbic thalamus;" that is, thalamic structures anatomically and functionally linked with...
The midline and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus form a major part of the "limbic thalamus;" that is, thalamic structures anatomically and functionally linked with the limbic forebrain. The midline nuclei consist of the paraventricular (PV) and paratenial nuclei, dorsally and the rhomboid and nucleus reuniens (RE), ventrally. The rostral intralaminar nuclei (ILt) consist of the central medial (CM), paracentral (PC) and central lateral (CL) nuclei. We presently concentrate on RE, PV, CM and CL nuclei of the thalamus. The nucleus reuniens receives a diverse array of input from limbic-related sites, and predominantly projects to the hippocampus and to "limbic" cortices. The RE participates in various cognitive functions including spatial working memory, executive functions (attention, behavioral flexibility) and affect/fear behavior. The PV receives significant limbic-related afferents, particularly the hypothalamus, and mainly distributes to "affective" structures of the forebrain including the bed nucleus of stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens and the amygdala. Accordingly, PV serves a critical role in "motivated behaviors" such as arousal, feeding/consummatory behavior and drug addiction. The rostral ILt receives both limbic and sensorimotor-related input and distributes widely over limbic and motor regions of the frontal cortex-and throughout the dorsal striatum. The intralaminar thalamus is critical for maintaining consciousness and directly participates in various sensorimotor functions (visuospatial or reaction time tasks) and cognitive tasks involving striatal-cortical interactions. As discussed herein, while each of the midline and intralaminar nuclei are anatomically and functionally distinct, they collectively serve a vital role in several affective, cognitive and executive behaviors - as major components of a brainstem-diencephalic-thalamocortical circuitry.
PubMed: 36082310
DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.964644 -
Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair in patients with obesity: should we be scared of body mass index?Surgical Endoscopy Mar 2022Obesity is a risk factor for ventral hernia development and affects up to 60% of patients undergoing ventral hernia repair. It is also associated with a higher rate of...
BACKGROUND
Obesity is a risk factor for ventral hernia development and affects up to 60% of patients undergoing ventral hernia repair. It is also associated with a higher rate of surgical site occurrences and an increased risk of recurrence after ventral hernia repair, but data is lacking on the differences between obesity classes.
METHODS
Between 2008 and 2018, 322 patients with obesity underwent laparoscopic ventral hernia repair in our department: class I n = 231 (72%), II n = 55 (17%), III n = 36 (11%). We compared short and long-term outcomes between the three classes.
RESULTS
Patients with class III obesity had a longer median length of hospital stay compared to I and II (5 days versus 4 days in the other groups, p = 0.0006), but without differences in postoperative complications or surgical site occurrences. After a median follow up of 49 months, there were no significant differences in the incidence of seroma, recurrence, chronic pain, pseudorecurrence and port-site hernia. At multivariate analysis, risk factors for recurrence were presence of a lateral defect and previous hernia repair; risk factors for seroma were immunosuppression, defect > 15 cm and more than one previous hernia repair; the only risk factor for postoperative complications was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
CONCLUSION
Class III obesity is associated with longer length of hospital stay after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair, but without differences in postoperative complications and long-term outcomes compared with class I and class II obesity.
Topics: Body Mass Index; Hernia, Ventral; Herniorrhaphy; Humans; Laparoscopy; Obesity; Postoperative Complications; Recurrence; Retrospective Studies; Surgical Mesh
PubMed: 33948716
DOI: 10.1007/s00464-021-08489-9 -
Frontiers in Neural Circuits 2024Hippocampal networks required for associative memory formation are involved in cue- and context-dependent threat conditioning. The hippocampus is functionally...
Hippocampal networks required for associative memory formation are involved in cue- and context-dependent threat conditioning. The hippocampus is functionally heterogeneous at its dorsal and ventral poles, and recent investigations have focused on the specific roles required from each sub-region for associative conditioning. Cumulative evidence suggests that contextual and emotional information is processed by the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, respectively. However, it is not well understood how these two divisions engage in threat conditioning with cues of different sensory modalities. Here, we compare the involvement of the dorsal and ventral hippocampus in two types of threat conditioning: olfactory and auditory. Our results suggest that the dorsal hippocampus encodes contextual information and is activated upon recall of an olfactory threat memory only if contextual cues are relevant to the threat. Overnight habituation to the context eliminates dorsal hippocampal activation, implying that this area does not directly support cue-dependent threat conditioning. The ventral hippocampus is activated upon recall of olfactory, but not auditory, threat memory regardless of habituation duration. Concurrent activation of the piriform cortex is consistent with its direct connection with the ventral hippocampus. Together, our study suggests a unique role of the ventral hippocampus in olfactory threat conditioning.
Topics: Hippocampus; Cues; Smell
PubMed: 38476709
DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2024.1371130 -
Zoological Letters Nov 2020The jaw apparatus in several annelid families represents a powerful tool for systematic approaches and evolutionary investigations. Nevertheless, for several taxa, this...
The jaw apparatus in several annelid families represents a powerful tool for systematic approaches and evolutionary investigations. Nevertheless, for several taxa, this character complex has scarcely been investigated, and complete comparative analyses of all annelid jaws are lacking. In our comprehensive study, we described the fine structure of the jaw apparatus and the ventral pharyngeal organ (VPO) in Histriobdella homari - a minute ectocommensal of lobsters putatively belonging to the Eunicida - using different comparative morphological approaches, including SEM, TEM, CLSM and subsequent 3D reconstruction. The H. homari jaw apparatus is composed of ventral paired mandibles and dorsal symmetrical maxillae consisting of numerous dental plates, ventral carriers and an unpaired dorsal rod, and the general assemblage and arrangement of the different parts are highly comparable to those of other eunicid families. The jaw ultrastructure of histriobdellids resembles that of the families Dorvilleidae and (juvenile) Onuphidae. Furthermore, our data reveal that in the process of development of the jaw apparatus, the mandibles, maxillae II and unpaired dorsal rod are formed first, and the remaining maxillae and ventral carriers appear later. Notably, the muscular apparatus differs from that in Dorvilleidae and Onuphidae in terms of the number and arrangement of muscle fibers encompassing the jaws - not only because of the very small size of Histriobdella but also because histriobdellid maxillary protraction occurs due to straightening of the dorsal rod and thus requires a different muscular scaffold. Based on our investigations, the arrangement of the muscular apparatus of the jaws, the presence of paired ventral carriers and the dorsal rod, and the morphology of the ventral pharyngeal organ represent a histriobdellid autapomorphy. Our datasets form a basis for further comparative analyses to elucidate the evolution of Eunicida and jaw-bearing Annelida.
PubMed: 33292653
DOI: 10.1186/s40851-020-00168-2 -
Journal of the American Veterinary... Jan 2022To compare the long-term outcomes of a ventral versus lateral surgical approach for mandibular and sublingual sialoadenectomy in dogs with a unilateral sialocele.
Multi-institutional study of long-term outcomes of a ventral versus lateral approach for mandibular and sublingual sialoadenectomy in dogs with a unilateral sialocele: 46 cases (1999-2019).
OBJECTIVE
To compare the long-term outcomes of a ventral versus lateral surgical approach for mandibular and sublingual sialoadenectomy in dogs with a unilateral sialocele.
ANIMALS
46 client-owned dogs.
PROCEDURES
Medical records of dogs that underwent unilateral sialoadenectomy between 1999 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed, and information was collected regarding signalment, clinical signs, historical treatment, swelling location, diagnostic imaging findings, sialoadenectomy approach, adjunctive treatments, intraoperative complications, hospitalization time, postoperative complications, recurrence, and contralateral sialocele development.
RESULTS
There were no significant differences in incidences of intraoperative complications, recurrence, or postoperative complications between dogs in which a lateral versus ventral approach was used. Clinically important intraoperative complications included iatrogenic tears in the oral mucosa, ligature slippage from the duct end, hemorrhage, and possible lingual nerve transection. Surgical experience was associated with the likelihood that intraoperative complications would develop. Suspected recurrence was reported in 2 of 26 (8%) dogs that underwent a lateral approach and 2 of 12 (17%) dogs that underwent a ventral approach. Hospitalization time was significantly shorter with the lateral approach than with the ventral approach. Postoperative complications had a short-term onset and occurred in 4 of 25 (16%) dogs that underwent a lateral approach and 3 of 12 (25%) dogs that underwent a ventral approach. Age and presence of a pharyngeal sialocele were associated with development of postoperative complications.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Long-term outcomes for ventral and lateral approaches to sialoadenectomy were favorable and appeared to be comparable. Further prospective study into potential associations of sialoadenectomy approach, age, and pharyngeal sialoceles on outcome is needed.
Topics: Animals; Cysts; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Postoperative Complications; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Salivary Gland Diseases; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 35092663
DOI: 10.2460/javma.20.12.0692 -
The Journal of Physiology Feb 2023Few studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) measure effects of the disease on inhibitory interneurons synapsing onto motoneurons (MNs). However, inhibitory...
Few studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) measure effects of the disease on inhibitory interneurons synapsing onto motoneurons (MNs). However, inhibitory interneurons could contribute to dysfunction, particularly if altered before MN neuropathology, and establish a long-term imbalance of inhibition/excitation. We directly assessed excitability and morphology of glycinergic (GlyT2 expressing) ventral lumbar interneurons from SOD1G93AGlyT2eGFP (SOD1) and wild-type GlyT2eGFP (WT) mice on postnatal days 6-10. Patch clamp revealed dampened excitability in SOD1 interneurons, including depolarized persistent inward currents (PICs), increased voltage and current threshold for firing action potentials, along with a marginal decrease in afterhyperpolarization duration. Primary neurites of ventral SOD1 inhibitory interneurons were larger in volume and surface area than WT. GlyT2 interneurons were then divided into three subgroups based on location: (1) interneurons within 100 μm of the ventral white matter, where Renshaw cells (RCs) are located, (2) interneurons interspersed with MNs in lamina IX, and (3) interneurons in the intermediate ventral area including laminae VII and VIII. Ventral interneurons in the RC area were the most profoundly affected, exhibiting more depolarized PICs and larger primary neurites. Interneurons in lamina IX had depolarized PIC onset. In lamina VII-VIII, interneurons were least affected. In summary, inhibitory interneurons show very early region-specific perturbations poised to impact excitatory/inhibitory balance of MNs, modify motor output and provide early biomarkers of ALS. Therapeutics like riluzole that universally reduce CNS excitability could exacerbate the inhibitory dysfunction described here. KEY POINTS: Spinal inhibitory interneurons could contribute to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology, but their excitability has never been directly measured. We studied the excitability and morphology of glycinergic interneurons in early postnatal transgenic mice (SOD1 GlyT2eGFP). Interneurons were less excitable and had marginally smaller somas but larger primary neurites in SOD1 mice. GlyT2 interneurons were analysed according to their localization within the ventral spinal cord. Interestingly, the greatest differences were observed in the most ventrally located interneurons. We conclude that inhibitory interneurons show presymptomatic changes that may contribute to excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in ALS.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Superoxide Dismutase-1; Motor Neurons; Spinal Cord; Mice, Transgenic; Interneurons; Disease Models, Animal; Superoxide Dismutase
PubMed: 36515374
DOI: 10.1113/JP284192 -
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2022Fetal hypospadias should be consider in a male fetus with a shortened penis, blunt bulbous tips, ventrally curved shaft with or without chordee and a typical fan shape...
Fetal hypospadias should be consider in a male fetus with a shortened penis, blunt bulbous tips, ventrally curved shaft with or without chordee and a typical fan shape stream of urinary jet under color Doppler under prenatal ultrasound examination. The more severe form is usually accompanied by other congenital abnormalities.
PubMed: 35453822
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12040774 -
Surgical Neurology International 2021Intradural disc herniations (IDHs) are rare, are difficult to diagnose on preoperative MR/CT imaging, and typically, are most readily confirmed at the time of surgery....
BACKGROUND
Intradural disc herniations (IDHs) are rare, are difficult to diagnose on preoperative MR/CT imaging, and typically, are most readily confirmed at the time of surgery. However, one of the greatest challenges posed by these lesions, is the repair of the ventral dural rent.
CASE DESCRIPTION
A 55-year-old male with a 20-year history of lumbago presented with low back pain and right lower extremity sciatica of 3 months' duration. The MR and CT studies showed a compressive lesion at the L1-2 level. There was no original suspicion that this was an IDH. At surgery, performed under the operating microscope, a subtotal L1-L2 laminectomy was performed (i.e. while lysing severe adhesions between the posterior longitudinal ligament and the ventral dura, a traumatic durotomy occurred. White, spongious, friable, soft tissue, and free-floating disc fragments extruded through the durotomy site. Notably, it was initially considered to be a tumor rather than a disc. Once all fragments had been delivered, unsuccessful attempts were made to repair the ventral dura. Further efforts were curtailed due to concern that they would result in damage to multiple ventral nerve rootlets. Despite the lack of primary dural repair, the secondary measures resulted in no postoperative recurrent cerebrospinal fluid leakage (CSF) and a smooth postoperative surgical course.
CONCLUSION
IDH at the L1-2 level is rare, and preoperative MR/CT studies may not always document their intradural location. Ideally, ventral dural tears attributed to these lesions should be directly repaired and/or managed with additional adjunctive CSF leak repair techniques (i.e. muscle patch grafts, microfibrillar collagen, and fibrin sealants).
PubMed: 34345491
DOI: 10.25259/SNI_561_2021 -
Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Jun 2023Successful action comprehension requires the integration of motor information and semantic cues about objects in context. Previous evidence suggests that while motor...
Successful action comprehension requires the integration of motor information and semantic cues about objects in context. Previous evidence suggests that while motor features are dorsally encoded in the fronto-parietal action observation network (AON); semantic features are ventrally processed in temporal structures. Importantly, these dorsal and ventral routes seem to be preferentially tuned to low (LSF) and high (HSF) spatial frequencies, respectively. Recently, we proposed a model of action comprehension where we hypothesized an additional route to action understanding whereby coarse LSF information about objects in context is projected to the dorsal AON via the prefrontal cortex (PFC), providing a prediction signal of the most likely intention afforded by them. Yet, this model awaits for experimental testing. To this end, we used a perturb-and-measure continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) approach, selectively disrupting neural activity in the left and right PFC and then evaluating the participant's ability to recognize filtered action stimuli containing only HSF or LSF. We find that stimulation over PFC triggered different spatial-frequency modulations depending on lateralization: left-cTBS and right-cTBS led to poorer performance on HSF and LSF action stimuli, respectively. Our findings suggest that left and right PFC exploit distinct spatial frequencies to support action comprehension, providing evidence for multiple routes to social perception in humans.
Topics: Humans; Comprehension; Prefrontal Cortex; Cues; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
PubMed: 37030047
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.01.015 -
Journal of Anatomy Sep 2020Trunk muscles in vertebrates are classified as either dorsal epaxial or ventral hypaxial muscles. Epaxial and hypaxial muscles are defined as muscles innervated by the...
Trunk muscles in vertebrates are classified as either dorsal epaxial or ventral hypaxial muscles. Epaxial and hypaxial muscles are defined as muscles innervated by the dorsal and ventral rami of spinal nerves, respectively. Each cluster of spinal motor neurons passing through dorsal rami innervates epaxial muscles, whereas clusters traveling on the ventral rami innervate hypaxial muscles. Herein, we show that some motor neurons exhibiting molecular profiles for epaxial muscles follow a path in the ventral rami. Dorsal deep-shoulder muscles and some body wall muscles are defined as hypaxial due to innervation via the ventral rami, but a part of these ventral rami has the molecular profile of motor neurons that innervate epaxial muscles. Thus, the epaxial and hypaxial boundary cannot be determined simply by the ramification pattern of spinal nerves. We propose that, although muscle innervation occurs via the ventral rami, dorsal deep-shoulder muscles and some body wall muscles represent an intermediate group that lies between epaxial and hypaxial muscles.
Topics: Animals; Body Patterning; Chick Embryo; Coturnix; Motor Neurons; Muscle, Skeletal; Neural Tube; Somites; Spinal Nerves; Torso
PubMed: 32786168
DOI: 10.1111/joa.13219