Search results for " Clocks"
showing 10 items of 42 documents
Nerves projecting from the intrinsic cardiac ganglia of the pulmonary veins modulate sinoatrial node pacemaker function
2013
Rationale: Autonomic nerves from sinoatrial node (SAN) ganglia are known to regulate SAN function. However, it is unclear whether remote pulmonary vein ganglia (PVG) also modulate SAN pacemaker rhythm. Objective: To investigate whether in the mouse heart PVG modulate SAN function. Methods and Results: In hearts from 45 C57BL and 7 Connexin40+/GFP mice, we used tyrosine-hydroxylase (TH) and choline-acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunofluorescence labeling to characterize adrenergic and cholinergic elements, repectively, within the PVG and SAN. PVG project postganglionic nerves to the SAN. TH and ChAT stained nerves, enter the SAN as an extensive, dense mesh-like neural network. Neurons in PVG are…
Nuclear rDNA-based molecular clock of the evolution of Triatominae (Hemiptera : Reduviidae), vectors of Chagas disease
2000
The evolutionary history and times of divergence of triatomine bug lineages are estimated from molecular clocks inferred from nucleotide sequences of the small subunit SSU (18S) and the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA of these reduviids. The 18S rDNA molecular clock rate in Triatominae, and Prosorrhynchan Hemiptera in general, appears to be of 1.8% per 100 million years (my). The ITS-2 molecular clock rate in Triatominae is estimated to be around 0.4-1% per 1 my, indicating that ITS-2 evolves 23-55 times faster than 18S rDNA. Inferred chronological data about the evolution of Triatominae fit well with current hypotheses on their evolutionary histories…
Flexible modeling for anatomically-based cardiac conduction system construction.
2010
We present a method to automatically deploy the peripheral section of the cardiac conduction system in ventricles. The method encodes anatomical information thorough rules that ensure that Purkinje network structures generated are realistic and comparable to those observed in ex-vivo studies. The core methodology is based in non-deterministic production rules that are parameterized by means of statistical functions. Input parameters allow the construction of a great diversity of Purkinje structures that could be incorporated in fine element ventricular models to perform electrophysiology simulations. Resulting Purkinje trees show good geometrical approximations of Purkinje core network and …
Novel modes of rhythmic burst firing at cognitively-relevant frequencies in thalamocortical neurons.
2008
It is now widely accepted that certain types of cognitive functions are intimately related to synchronized neuronal oscillations at both low (alpha/theta) (4-7/8-13 Hz) and high (beta/gamma) (18-35/30-70 Hz) frequencies. The thalamus is a key participant in many of these oscillations, yet the cellular mechanisms by which this participation occurs are poorly understood. Here we describe how, under appropriate conditions, thalamocortical (TC) neurons from different nuclei can exhibit a wide array of largely unrecognised intrinsic oscillatory activities at a range of cognitively-relevant frequencies. For example, both metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) and muscarinic Ach receptor (mAchR) …
Three Patterns of Oscillatory Activity Differentially Synchronize Developing Neocortical Networks In Vivo
2009
Coordinated patterns of electrical activity are important for the early development of sensory systems. The spatiotemporal dynamics of these early activity patterns and the role of the peripheral sensory input for their generation are essentially unknown. We performed extracellular multielectrode recordings in the somatosensory cortex of postnatal day 0 to 7 rats in vivo and observed three distinct patterns of synchronized oscillatory activity. (1) Spontaneous and periphery-driven spindle bursts of 1-2 s in duration and approximately 10 Hz in frequency occurred approximately every 10 s. (2) Spontaneous and sensory-driven gamma oscillations of 150-300 ms duration and 30-40 Hz in frequency oc…
Progress in the characterization of insulin-like peptides in aphids: Immunohistochemical mapping of ILP4.
2021
Aphids were the first animals described as photoperiodic due to their seasonal switch from viviparous parthenogenesis to sexual reproduction (cyclical parthenogenesis) caused by the shortening of the photoperiod in autumn. This switch produces a single sexual generation of oviparous females and males that mate and lay diapausing cold-resistant eggs that can overcome the unfavourable environmental conditions typical of winter in temperate regions. Previous studies have hinted at a possible implication of two insulin-like peptides (ILP1 and ILP4) in the aphid seasonal response, changing their expression levels between different photoperiodic conditions. Moreover, in situ localization of their…
Comparison of complex fractionated atrial electrograms at cellular scale using numerical and experimental models.
2010
This study investigates the existence of the pseudo complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) at cellular level. Our assumptions are based on the fact that CFAEs are linked to the generation of the spiral waves. These are created using a numerical model and an experimental model of in vitro culture of neonatal rats cardiac cells. Pseudo bipolar electrograms resulting from these two models are compared qualitatively and some patterns could be identified as CFAE signature.
Avian Clock gene polymorphism: evidence for a latitudinal cline in allele frequencies
2007
In comparison with most animal behaviours, circadian rhythms have a well-characterized molecular genetic basis. Detailed studies of circadian clock genes in 'model' organisms provide a foundation for interpreting the functional and evolutionary significance of polymorphic circadian clock genes found within free-living animal populations. Here, we describe allelic variation in a region of the avian Clock orthologue which encodes a functionally significant polyglutamine repeat (ClkpolyQcds), within free-living populations of two passerine birds, the migratory bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) and the predominantly nonmigratory blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). Multiple ClkpolyQcds alleles were foun…
Effective target arrangement in a deterministic scale-free graph
2010
We study the random walk problem on a deterministic scale-free network, in the presence of a set of static, identical targets; due to the strong inhomogeneity of the underlying structure the mean first-passage time (MFPT), meant as a measure of transport efficiency, is expected to depend sensitively on the position of targets. We consider several spatial arrangements for targets and we calculate, mainly rigorously, the related MFPT, where the average is taken over all possible starting points and over all possible paths. For all the cases studied, the MFPT asymptotically scales like N^{theta}, being N the volume of the substrate and theta ranging from (1 - log 2/log3), for central target(s)…
Safety and side effects of human and ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone administration in man.
1991
Synthetic human and ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (hCRH, oCRH) are commonly used as a diagnostic tool of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. In this paper reports about side effects after various modes of CRH-application are analyzed and compared to our corresponding data of human studies with hCRH and oCRH. Generally, CRH is well tolerated after single administration and interval-application of standard doses, although minor side effects appear sometimes after higher doses (greater than 200 micrograms hCRH, oCRH) of CRH-bolus-injections. Predominantly the cardiovascular system (e.g. tachycardia, hypotension, flushing) is affected; neuropsychological symptoms are only seen spora…