Search results for "Sensory system"
showing 10 items of 1266 documents
Role of nitric oxide synthase isoforms for ophthalmic artery reactivity in mice.
2014
Abstract Nitric oxide synthases (NOS) are involved in regulation of ocular vascular tone and blood flow. While endothelial NOS (eNOS) has recently been shown to mediate endothelium-dependent vasodilation in mouse retinal arterioles, the contribution of individual NOS isoforms to vascular responses is unknown in the retrobulbar vasculature. Moreover, it is unknown whether the lack of a single NOS isoform affects neuron survival in the retina. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that the lack of individual nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms affects the reactivity of mouse ophthalmic arteries and neuron density in the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer. Mice defi…
A novel automated segmentation method for retinal layers in OCT images proves retinal degeneration after optic neuritis.
2015
Aim The evaluation of inner retinal layer thickness can serve as a direct biomarker for monitoring the course of inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer and changes in deeper retinal layers have been observed in patients with MS. Here, we first compare a novel method for automated segmentation of OCT images with manual segmentation using two cohorts of patients with MS. Using this method, we also aimed to reproduce previous findings showing retinal degeneration following optic neuritis (ON) in MS. Methods Based on a 5×5 expansion of the Prewitt operator to efficie…
Translational read-through as an alternative approach for ocular gene therapy of retinal dystrophies caused by in-frame nonsense mutations
2014
AbstractThe eye has become an excellent target for gene therapy, and gene augmentation therapy of inherited retinal disorders has made major progress in recent years. Nevertheless, a recent study indicated that gene augmentation intervention might not stop the progression of retinal degeneration in patients. In addition, for many genes, viral-mediated gene augmentation is currently not feasible due to gene size and limited packaging capacity of viral vectors as well as expression of various heterogeneous isoforms of the target gene. Thus, alternative gene-based strategies to stop or delay the retinal degeneration are necessary. This review focuses on an alternative pharmacologic treatment s…
Retinal neurodegenerative changes in the adult insulin receptor substrate-2 deficient mouse.
2014
Abstract Insulin receptor substrate-2 (Irs2) mediates peripheral insulin action and is essential for retinal health. Previous investigations have reported severe photoreceptor degeneration and abnormal visual function in Irs2-deficient mice. However, molecular changes in the Irs2 − / − mouse retina have not been described. In this study, we examined retinal degenerative changes in neuronal and glial cells of adult (9- and 12-week old) Irs2 − / − mice by immunohistochemistry. 9-week old Irs2 − / − mice showed significant thinning of outer retinal layers, concomitant to Muller and microglial cell activation. Photoreceptor cells displayed different signs of degeneration, such as outer/inner…
SANS (USH1G) expression in developing and mature mammalian retina
2008
AbstractThe human Usher syndrome (USH) is the most common form of combined deaf-blindness. Usher type I (USH1), the most severe form, is characterized by profound congenital deafness, constant vestibular dysfunction and prepubertal-onset of retinitis pigmentosa. Five corresponding genes of the six USH1 genes have been cloned so far. The USH1G gene encodes the SANS (scaffold protein containing ankyrin repeats and SAM domain) protein which consists of protein motifs known to mediate protein–protein interactions. Recent studies indicated SANS function as a scaffold protein in the protein interactome related to USH.Here, we generated specific antibodies for SANS protein expression analyses. Our…
Phosphodiesterase inhibition induces retinal degeneration, oxidative stress and inflammation in cone-enriched cultures of porcine retina.
2013
nherited retinal degenerations affecting both rod and cone photoreceptors constitute one of the causes 74 of incurable blindness in the developed world. Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is crucial in the 75 phototransduction and, mutations in genes related to its metabolism are responsible for different retinal 76 dystrophies. cGMP-degrading phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6) mutations cause around 4e5% of the retinitis 77 pigmentosa, a rare form of retinal degeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether phar- 78 macological PDE6 inhibition induced retinal degeneration in cone-enriched cultures of porcine retina 79 similar to that found in murine models. PDE6 inhibition was induced…
Effect of sensory education on food preferences in children
2008
International audience; During an evaluation of the effects of a French sensory education program for 8-10 years old school children, an experiment was carried out to investigate the influence of the program on the development of children's preferences for stimuli differing in arousal potential (higher complexity and/or intensity). An experimental group (n = 101) who participated in the education program and a control group (n = 102) who did not, rated liking for five stimuli differing in arousal potential in each of three product categories (mashed potatoes, fruit yoghurts and compotes) at three moments: just before (T0) and after (T1) the education program and 10 months later (T2). Althou…
Retention and release of taste and aroma compounds from the food matrix during mastication and ingestion
2016
This chapter gives an overview of the physicochemical and sensory properties of aroma and taste compounds from food, their interactions with the food matrix, and their release during food breakdown in the mouth. In order to be perceived by the taste or olfactory receptors, aroma and taste compounds have first to be released in the saliva, which depends on the food matrix composition and structure, and on the masticatory behavior. Aroma compounds have then to be transported from the oral to the nasal cavity. Different mechanistic models have been developed to understand better aroma and taste compounds release in function of both food and individual, however, they are still not able to predi…
Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) on salivary flow in healthy adults
2020
Background Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a method used for enhancing suprahyoid muscle activity and is widely applied as a treatment for dysphagia. Patients often complain of saliva pooling in the pharynx during NMES. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in salivary flow during NMES. Material and methods Twenty healthy adults participated in this study. Electrical stimulation was applied at constant strength for 60 minutes to the suprahyoid muscles using VitalStim®. Participants were examined under three conditions of NMES: sensory threshold plus 75% of the difference between sensory and pain thresholds (75% Stim), SensoryStim, and Sham. Saliv…
PB3. Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation in neurointensive care patients suffering from severe post-stroke dysphagia – Post stimulation increase of sal…
2018
Introduction Dysphagia is one of the most important and prognostically relevant complications of acute stroke. Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation (PES) is a treatment device that enhances cortical reorganization for the restoration of swallowing function after cerebral injury. Furthermore, it was shown that PES leads to a temporary increase of Substance P (SP) level in saliva but not serum in healthy adults. The neuropeptide SP likely acts as a neurotransmitter in the pharyngeal mucosa and enhances the swallow and cough reflex. Post-stroke dysphagia may be related to reduced SP-levels. Here, we investigated the association of PES treatment in neurointensive care patients suffering from sever…