Neuroscience Blog

Faculty of Medicine Graduation 2010

2010-10-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

Me and my colleagues....Doctors from now on :)

Jellyfish Nervous System - a short introduction

2009-11-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

see a larger version of the animation in high quality here

The nerve rings found in cnidarians can be considered one of the first attempts of centralisation and an adaptation to the radial form . An interesting type of neurons in Cnidarians are those with giant axons. Giant axons are distinguishable from normal axons by their large diameter and relatively high speed of signal conduction.

This giant axons form the motor giants and the ring giants in many jellysh species. Regarding the circuitry, Aglantha has the most complicated nervous system (in the jellyfish group). Also it seems that neuroendocrinology has much to reveal in this animal group, showing an unexpected complexity. Also, the giant axons in A. digitale can conduct

two types of action potentials: Ca2+ spikes and Na + spikes. Ca2+ spikes are generated during

slow swimming, while Na + spikes are generated during the escape behavior. Na+ spikes are generated by fast-rising excitatory postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) representing input from the ring giant (RG) axon, while Ca2+ spikes arise from slow PSPs representing input from the pacemaker (P) system. Also, Mackie and Meech (1995) demonstrated the existence of two sets of interneurons, the relay and carrier systems. They transfer information from the pacemaker neurons to the tentacle action system during slow swimming. There is also a rootlet system which was first described by Weber et al. (1982). Also there is a small axon bundle connecting the margin and manubrium and it is a possible pathway that mediates the feeding behaviour in some species. In A. digitale, between the margin and the manubrium, there is an E system . This E system - that lies in the immediate vicinity of the endodermal radial canals - mediates lip aring, while the F system lies in the ectoderm. The F system is overlying the radial canals and mediates pointing [1]. The endodermal epithelium itself is an excitable tissue. In P. penicillatus, in the endodermal epithelium the impulses are transmitted via gap junctions (King and Spencer, 1979). This may also be true in Aglantha. A bundle of small axons runs up the subumbrella from the margin. They are placed close to the motor giant axon. The small axon bundles follow the motor giant path, then their course continue around the apex, head down the peduncle and enter the manubrium . Axons in these bundles show FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity (FaIR).

Electron microscopy failed to show synapses between the axons in the small axon

bundle or between them and other cells. The canals of the jellysh may be involved

in impulses transmission [2].

The ring giant lies in parallel with the much smaller axons (up to 6 fim) of the outer

nerve-ring and receives synaptic contacts from some of these. The ring giant axon is

covered, at the exterior, by a single layer (4-5 m thick) of epithelial cells [3].

The second type of giant axon runs from the margin up the inside of the bell in the

myoepithelium. They parallel each of the eight radial digestive canals. The term

used to call this nerve tracts is motor giant axons . Each motor giant axon is accompanied

by a number of smaller axons, some of which contribute to a nerve plexus in

the subumbrellar myoepithelium.

In jellysh there are two nerve rings: the subumbrellar inner nerve ring and the

exumbrellar outer nerve ring. Both nerve rings are found at the junction of the swimming

bell and the velum, a narrow ap of muscular tissue.

1 , 2, G. O. Mackie, R. M. Marx and R. W. Meech , Central circuitry in the jellysh Aglantha digitale IV. Pathways

coordinating feeding behaviour, The Journal of Experimental Biology 206, 2487-2505

3, Richard A. Satterlie, Control of swimming in the hydrozoan jellysh Aequorea victoria: subumbrellar

organization and local inhibition, The Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 3467-3477

--------------------------General bibliography--------------------

* Richard A. Satterlie, Control of swimming in the hydrozoan jellysh Aequorea victoria: subumbrellar organization

and local inhibition, The Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 3467-3477

* Richard A. Satterlie, Neuronal control of swimming in jellysh: a comparative story, Can. J. Zool. Vol. 80,

2002

* G. O. Mackie, R. M. Marx1 and R. W. Meech, Central circuitry in the jellysh Aglantha digitale IV. Pathways

coordinating feeding behaviour , The Journal of Experimental Biology 206, 2487-2505

* G. O. MACKIE, AND R. W. MEECH, CENTRAL CIRCUITRY IN THE JELLYFISH AGLANTHA DIGITALE

III. THE ROOTLET AND PACEMAKER SYSTEMS, The Journal of Experimental Biology 203, 1797–1807 (2000)

One month (until 12.12.09) of direct download as multipage PDF of this post here

Neuroscience 3D wallpapers Updates I

2009-09-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

New series of neuroscience / neurology/ neurosurgery wallpapers for your desktop :) Enjoy it!

Click on the image to enlarge it!

Find more 3D desktop wallpapers (neurology, neuroscience etc) .

Following the link ( to an older post on this blog) above you'll find interesting wallpapers and also a little application to find your monitor dimensions. Also you'll find some links about the way you can set up an image as a desktop wallpaper.

The wallpapers are posted in two dimensions - 1600X1200 px and 1440 X 900 px. Download the one that fits best your monitor.

Find more 3D art on http://www.mynorthshadow.blogspot.com

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1600 X 1200 px

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1440 X 900 px

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New series of neuroscience / neurology/ neurosurgery wallpapers for your desktop :) Enjoy it!

1440 X 900 px

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
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Every 3d image or photo on this blog are under blog owners copyright. You can download the images just for your personal usage. They cannot be posted on other sites unless you have my written permission. You cannot modify or use them as stock and you cannot sell them without blog owners written permission.

The Color of Neurons or The Color of Success

2009-08-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

(a) Is there a combination of colors that will make our neurons fire like never before? :)

Which are the colors of success? What color combination will make your art popular? Maybe the colors shown below.

Can neuroscience tell something about what color combination will make our neurons to fire faster? Small differences in hue, or luminosity can make us prefer an image or another, as below. Without talking about cultures, the subject of a painting or the composition of a 3D artwork, is there something in the hues that will make us stay longer in front of an artwork? Different hues activate different population of neurons. Is that why you prefer an image or another from the examples below?

Dozen of books can be written about the importance (or about the lack of importance) of hues in art, about their symbolism and the psychological effect. Our intention is to ask if there is something deeper inside of us that will choose an image or another as good because of the color used. Someone can say that the firs image is beautiful, but someone else can say that the second one is beautiful. Is this because of the color computations that take place in V1-V4 or in higher areas?

It is clear that in design (web design, print design, media) color matters. And all this fields mean high audience. In fine art different opinions were argued over time. Sometimes color is the ultimate way to express feelings , in other situations the color is just a third line instrument, and used just because it may fill some surfaces.

All of us have color preferences and sometimes a color palette in an artwork will make us appreciate more an artwork, sometimes a specific color combination will create repulsion. This are the personal preferences. But some artworks are so popular that it is very possible that will
create a pleasant effect to each new onlooker. In the image below we calculate the average color and the color palette used in some well known paintings.

A popular image will be as popular if the color palette changes? An artwork is popular or considered interesting or beautiful because of the idea, because of the way (line drawing, nonrepresentational/representational) it represents an idea or an attitude?
Has color something to do with all of this? We search some answers into the neurobiology of the visual cortex. One may say that the field of neuroaesthetics already has some answers, but we can respond there are many many factor that will obscure a clear conclusion even if we see the cortical areas activated by an artwork or even we can modulate the motivation or the attentional processes.

Without using too much advanced statistics or without assuming to create a scientific work, we made some observations by studying some popular images. We analyzed the color palette, the average color and the color distribution in different popular images and put the results side by side with the conclusions made by neuroscientists in the field of “color neurons” from the cortex.

It is generally accepted that the human visual cortex is tuned for natural images and the statistics of this images fit best the way we compute colors in our brain.

It is enough to create a color palette that will drive the brain to consider an artwork amazing?
It is not our intention to talk about images that use just the gray-scale palette because the neural mechanism for this kind of images might be different.

The main conclusion from our observations is that popular images contain a color palette that “fits” the statistics of “color tuned” neurons. On the other hand there are images that have nothing to do with this kind of “matching”, and to find an explanation maybe we have to search for patterns in higher brain areas or to think that the context in which an image is viewed has the greatest impact on the fate of that image. The context could mean the place, the cultural influence or the way of displaying it, but also the interaction between different neuronal networks in our brain, modulated by attention and experience.

Without having the intention to discuss here about what “beautiful” or “interesting” means for the field of neuroaesthetisc, we ask ourselves: an artwork that has a great impact on the lower visual areas will be more popular than an image that needs a lot of computation in different, interacting brain areas?

Is the color palette used, the first step to success? We selected using keywords the most popular images from www.flickr.com and www.deviantart.com The same keywords were used for each site. The first 4-6 images displayed were considered to be “the most popular”. 73 images were collected. There are very many factors that act together to establish the ranking of an image. We consider this situation “as it is” and anlyzed the images in the terms of average color, color palette, color distribution etc. The images were calibrated and analyzed using the methods proposed on www.couleur.org and http://blog.soulwire.co.uk Also a Fourier transformation was made for the “popular images” and for painting made by great painter. The two categories were compared.

We observed that the color distribution is similar with the color tuning prefference of the cortical neurons.

Many ideas and speculation coud be done starting from here, but further analysis should be done.
Anyway any color combination is great as long as the artist creation could transmit emotions and

ideas in the mind of the onlooker. The color palette used is very important because can determine one to select an image as beautiful or repulsive, but just a color combination will not have to much chances to become popular. Can anyone say that if an image is outside the "colors of success" will not be interesting or or popular? I don't think so... or... neurons never lie? :)

Neuroscience Desktop Wallpapers

2009-07-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

These days we've been working on some Neurology, Neuroscience, Brain theme wallpapers. Also we've made a little application for you to find your desktop (monitor) dimensions. Get the right image size for your monitor!

Click on the "0" in the application to get your monitor height and width. The wallpapers are in 2 dimensions formats: usual screen and wide screen. For example, if your monitor is 1024X768, it is best for you to choose the wallpaper in the 1600 X 1200 category. If your monitor is wide - 1360 X 768, it is best for you to choose the 1440 X 900 wallpaper category.

Click on the image---> then left click on your mouse----> "save image as", and choose the folder where you want to save the image. Then set up it as a desktop background. There are many ways to set up an image as wallpaper (desktop background). If you are not sure how to do it, I found on the net a clear tutorial here . Here is another very good tutorial.

Tehnical aspects (you may not need this details) : images for the wide screen are created to fit without distorsion on your wide monitor, keeping an 1:1 pixel aspect ration. So they simply have more pixels on the "X" axis. :), instead to be created with a different pixel aspect ratio. Our images are at 1:1 pixels aspect ratio. To find more about computer display go here (wikipedia). More on screens here

Finally, our team, proudly presents :) Claudiu's wallpapers

1600 X 1200 (or less) neuroscience, neurology wallpapers:1440 X 900 (or less) Neurology, neuroscience, brain research wallpapers

Copyright: you can use these images for personal purposes. You are not allowed to sell, modify or use these images or parts of them in commercial purposes. You can redistribute these images or use them in public display as long as you keep the logos on the images. Link back to this post.

more 3D images and graphic design
or on 3D art graphic design portofolio

Spinal Cord Injury, Dendritic Spines and Rac 1

2009-07-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Spinal cord injury (SCI) could determine dendritic spines remodeling and can contribute to neuronal hyperexcitability and neuropathic pain through synaptic changes. Synaptic plasticity induced by SCI may appear in the spinal cord dorsal horn and may contribute to pain maintenance [1,2]. SCI increases Rac1 mRNA expression, which remains elevated for up to 3 months [3]. A role of Rac1, in neuropathic pain after SCI is not studied enough. Rac1 can modulate dendritic spine morphology and function [4, 5]. Andrew M. Tan et al (2008) applied the Rac1-specific inhibitor NSC23766 in order to study the effect of synaptic remodeling in neuropathic pain after SCI. Rac1-specific inhibitor NSC23766 blocks guanine exchange factors (GEFs), Trio and Tiam1. Inhibition of the Rac1 signaling cascade ameliorated the development of abnormal spine morphologies, reduced neuronal excitability, and normalized nociceptive thresholds. [6] PSD-95 expression is a marker of sites of synapse plasticity. Expression of PSD-95 is increased significantly in injured spinal cord tissue compared with uninjured controls [6]. NSC23766 treatment reduces PSD-95 levels below that of uninjured levels . Cortactin levels did not significantly change after NSC23766 treatment compared with intact animals. Dendritic spine density increases after SCI. In SCI plus veh animals (0.9% saline), the density of spines significantly shift toward the cell body compared with the spine density distribution in intact animals. An increase in spine density and redistribution of spine location relative to the cell body, and increases in spine length and head diameter after SCI occurs after SCI in dorsal horn neurons.

1 .Woolf CJ, Shortland P, Coggeshall RE (1992) Peripheral nerve injury triggers central sprouting of myelinated afferents. Nature 355:75–78.
2. Kim BG, Dai HN, McAtee M, Vicini S, Bregman BS (2006) Remodeling of synaptic structures in the motor cortex following spinal cord injury. Exp Neurol 198:401– 415.
3. Erschbamer MK, Hofstetter CP, Olson L (2005) RhoA, RhoB, RhoC, Rac1, Cdc42, and Tc10 mRNA levels in spinal cord, sensory ganglia, and corticospinal tract neurons and long lasting specific changes following spinal cord injury. J Comp Neurol 484:224 –233.
4. Nakayama AY, Harms MB, Luo L (2000) Small GTPases Rac
and Rho in the maintenance of dendritic spines and branches in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. J Neurosci 20:5329–5338.
5. Wiens KM, Lin H, Liao D (2005) Rac1 induces the clustering of AMPA receptors during spinogenesis. J Neurosci 25:10627–10636.
6. Andrew M. Tan, Severine Stamboulian, Yu-Wen Chang, Peng Zhao, Avis B. Hains,2 Stephen G. Waxman, and Bryan C. Hains, Neuropathic Pain Memory Is Maintained by Rac1-Regulated Dendritic Spine Remodeling after Spinal Cord Injury, The Journal of Neuroscience, 28(49):13173–13183 13173

For more about the relation between

Spinal cord injury and Rac1 ,

Dendritic Spines and PSD ,

Rho family of GTPases,

Actin Regulatory Pathways,

Dorsal Horn Neuronal Network and

Medication in SCI see the flash presentation bellow.

For a proper display you need FLASH PLAYER 8 or HIGHER !!!

Download the content of the presentation as A4 multipage PDF
or as A0 (high resolution) poster in PDF format Design 1
Design 2 or Design 3

You can also find Spinal Cord Injury and Dendritic Spines on Scribd as A4 multipage PDF
or download (if you have an account) Dendritic Spines Medical Print Design in A0 PDF format

NeuroArt Gallery NeuroArt Concept

2007-11-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

updates on www.thalamus.ro at NeuroArt Gallery here

- 98 brand new artworks in 15 galleries

-easy navigation

-faster loading time

- extended abstract about the concept of NeuroArts (preview for the full article - full article soon ON LINE, published in november 2007 in "Calende" (culture journal) as full article)

- a brand new Artistic Manifesto in Visual Arts

- artworks linking the brain, inner life and neuroscience

{if you have already visited the old page, using Mozilla Firefox or Netscape, in order to see the new pages, first select "tools" from the menu bar, then select "clear private data" and then check all Except "cookies" and "saved passwords" and then hit "clear private data now" button. This will clear data deposited in your computer by Mozilla or Netscape in relation to the "old page" of the site, and will launch the updated section
www.thalamus.ro
the thalamus in neuroscience & medicine
NeuroArts Gallery
copyright C.Barsila
all rights reserved

www.thalamus.ro Team
Brain-Neuroscience Research Team (Neuroscience Blog Team)

soon NEUROART GALLERY

2007-10-31T01:34:00.000-07:00

soon on www.thalamus.ro NEW GALLERY in NEUROART

new artworks
new format
3D, chalk, charcoal, pencil, digital by Claudiu Barsila

Pre-release samples:

www.thalamus.ro UPDATES

2007-10-03T02:17:00.000-07:00

www.thalamus.ro updates on DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION MECHANISM (3.10.2007) here
the new pages can be found in "THALAMUS IN NEUROLOGY, NEUROSURGERY and in PHARMACOLOGY" site section, at "Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) effect on neuronal firing"
which is a component of "Neurosurgery" Chapter.
{if you have already visited the old page, using Mozilla Firefox, in order to see the new pages, first select "tools" from the menu bar, then select "clear private data" and then check all Except "cookies" and "saved passwords" and then hit "clear private data now" button. This will clear data deposited in your computer by Mozilla, and will launch the updated page}

11 NEW web pages and 17 NEW pages in pdf format (A4).

11 NEW web pages about deep brain stimulation at thalamic and subthalamic level.
-neuroanatomy in 2D & 3D
-connections (afferences and efferences)
-functional implication of DBS on thalamic and subthalamic firing
-subthalamo-thalamo-cortical neuronal mechanisms & DBS effect
-basal ganglia & thalamus in DBS stimulation
-functional scheme
-neuronal network scheme
-latest research reviews
-extraordinary design
-easy navigation
-clear message
(a big monitor & a high resolution will enhance your navigation)17 PDFs in A4 format with the content of the "Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) effect on neuronal firing"

-high resolution
-easy to use
-modern design
-useful data
-clear vision
-logic scheme
-perfect for your documentation about DBS
-just waiting to be printed :) here
www.thalamus.ro

tell us your oppinion! leave a comment!
www.thalamus.ro Team
Brain-Neuroscience Research Team (Neuroscience Blog team).

Off topic - opinions about a faculty system

2007-09-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

An excellent interview made by Dr. MIRELA RADULESCU with prof. Leon Zagrean, the head of the physiology department at "Carol Davila" university ,is published in Romanian here. The professor spoked about his opinions regarding the research process in Romania - and in many aspects he is very right and in some aspects he is very very right. But, when asked about students...the nuances appeared. He said that the students "are learning less and pretend high scores at the exams" Sometimes it happens to be true. The majority are somewhere at the middle and some students are very good, we tend to say. It is about Gauss curve, we say. If we talk about the general level...are students motivated?! or encouraged?! or rewarded?! Also the professor said that" there are too many students, and the admission exam is not as good as it was". About the high number of students...hmm....one of the principle of the laboratory the proffers is leading is that "every one can come in, only those who are good it will stay". So..the problem with the big number....hmmm.....About the admission exam - the problem is a total disaster. In the communist period and many years after (till 5 years ago) the admission system was based only on 1 manual, witch was learned BY HEART (it is not a joke) by high school graduates. Then, about 100 questions at the admission were from this book. Better memory, better result. Nothing else. Just learning BY HEART 200 PAGES. Now, from many "alternative" manuals of human anatomy and physiology for high school, and many manuals of organic chemistry, one for anatomy and one for chemistry are selected. The high school students are learning by-heart this two manuals, and they will give a test and...nothing else. So, the problem is not the exam is too easy (is the same as 30 years ago). Nothing else matters - just memory. What are you thinking, what are your abilities, your passion and devotion for this area are not evaluated. The professor didn't spoke about this. Maybe this is why students aren't learning too much - many of them are here because at the arts universities you must have talent & knowledge, at math & physics you must have the proper skills and at medicine you only have to learn by heart 200 pages. At the BIG universities, things are different: HARVARD:
Selection Factors

Admission to Harvard Medical School is very selective. We seek students of integrity and maturity who have concern for others, leadership potential and an aptitude for working with people.
The Committee on Admissions evaluates applications based on several factors, including:
* Academic Records
* Applicant's essay
* Medical College Admission Test scores
* Extracurricular activities
* Summer Occupations
* Life experiences
* Experience in the health field, including research or community work
* Letters of evaluation
UCLA
Candidates are selected on the basis of the following considerations:
* Undergraduate record.
* Medical College Admissions Test Scores.
* Letters of Recommendation.
* Graduate Record, where applicable.
* Life Experiences (research, volunteerism, etc).
* Interview(s) by member of the Admissions Committee.
Oxford
All applications are considered carefully on their individual merits and tutors consider academic achievements, predicted grades, candidates' personal statements and academic references as well as any written work or written test that may be required as part of the application. Candidates who feel that they under-performed at GCSE may be able to compensate for this by demonstrating clear upward progression at AS-level as well as in predicted or achieved A-level scores. You may wish to refer to this in your personal statement.

Is there any difference in the admission system? hmmm...

also "they are determining a low level even for well prepared students' - i sincerely don't understand this affirmations, it is about the exams, or about the teaching level? Also, in the opinion of the professor, the high number of students who are paying for their studies is too big. I have in mind that , at the BIG universities, all the students are paying. Only in Romania and other countries, faculty is payed by the government. Why my parents or your sister have to pay for others to study? For paying the teacher - it is ok, but paying for others.....hmmm and we have a liberal government :))) :))) Also, he mentioned that the fees - 1000 E/year are too low. I saw some days ago some fees at London 1500, 2500E, Amsterdam univ. - 900E, Paris 1200E, Berlin 1100E, Bruxelles - 900E. To remind you that the average salary is 240 E/month for a university graduate with 15 years of experience!?!!. Or the scholarship for excellence is 58E/month, except the summer vacation and Christmas holiday when it is not given?! So, i wander, from where this high costs in Romania? Are we paying too much for the electricity?, or for the salaries or for the laboratories :))) :))) (i just mentioned it above). So?

Anyway, the professor mentioned twice the good students, which is good.
Paul T.

Autism -Between Science and Every Day Living

2007-09-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

In a post on Dr. Michael Merzenich's blog, a debate was born regarding the attitude toward autism. An emotional approach and a clear scientific point of view seems to be like the cat and the mouse. We (in some posts), Claudiu in others and Dan in other comments sustain
a somehow the scientific opinion on this "other way of being". The initial post was about video/computer game addiction and autism. Of course, this manner -scientifical - was criticised by those with high functional autism or by some parents. Dan, told about those who disagree with the scientific point of view that "it is unclear what you are trying to do, and your comments appear to arise from your emotion and psychology rather than from a coherent conceptual scheme that has a productive intellectual purpose." All the comments that wore based more on observations or on research were considered full of lack of empathy for those with autism. But why this reaction from those who have autism or from parents??. The fact that a researcher, a neurologist or a psychiatrist or some medical students etc are giving their time searching for the mechanism of this disease isn't a clue of their interest and passion for the condition of those with autism? isn't this the biggest proof of emotion - doing something, not just speaking about autism driven by emotions?! Also, Dan, (a very intelligent person in our opinion) sad "Again I do think what underlies each of your remarks is a rival conception of autism, one that is fundamentally different than the typical scientific/medical conception that stems from the DSM criteria." Your remarks appear to me as superficial aspects of this larger conception, and without providing a simple discussion of your rival conception, your comments appear as superficial, often unclear, and arising from emotion (including those with autism who have posted here), and as such, as I’ve noticed above, lack explanation, are disorganized, unclear, personally oriented, etc. This is the nature of emotional arguments."
Of course a scientific approach sometime seems to be cold, or it supresses the sensation of partnership and sometimes don'tleave space for too much talk in a "positive regard". Claudiu was saying that sometimes a scientific discussion (even an internet one) can be misinterpreted if the asistance is composed by ill people (especially when is about mental disorders ex: depression, autism etc). Sometimes they think that they are judged as good or bad. so....; But he was asking to - what about the right for a clear information access, which they are asking for many, many times.
More, it is interesting (especially for those who are searching the human mind) what's with this
opinion. In general, when a patient finds out that he has a disease, he has some mental stages in relation with the disease: denyal, anger......acceptance. All of this targeting the adherence and the good mood/ stress/ depression of a patient. where is situated an autistic when he builds a parallel opinion on his suffering?! (this question is apliable to the parent too). So, as Dan was saying "each of your remarks (opposite to scientific results) is a rival conception of autism, one that is fundamentally different than the typical scientific/medical conception that stems from the DSM criteria."
We are asking where this attitude can be placed : denyal by building a 'soft" vision about autism, or it is the acceptance which was reached by making a different opinion for living , after seeing (and accepting) the medical opinion. Something like... ok with the medicine, i agree, but this seems warmer.....Is the adherence affected?
Brain - neuroscience research team

If you are talking in medical - research terms - are you categorised as cold blooded?! but patients and the general opinion are asking for research result...... so....... it may be something like 'where and with who are you talking to'. It is possible to be linked to the self esteem of the patient in case of the autism, but if you are talking with a patient with some bacterial infection about what's happening in his body his self esteem will be hurt? So, autism means team work...
but this team sometimes is not made in practice by the patient, researchers, parents and physician (whatever is his speciality). I belive there are some stages: at a young age, the parents are going to hospitals with theis young children, then a behavioraly programme is initiate in parallel with the hospital survey. so, there is no denyal here, and all the medical oppinions are accepted. Futher, the child is growing, and he is a high functional autistic person. Here comes the switch...medical opinions are considered a stigmata, and the reality becomes another - "a special way of beeing". Is this a return to denyal or acceptance? Of course, to reload the example with the patient suffering from an infection - after everything is ok, he doesn't want to be seen as a carrier of a bacteria, but is the same in autism?! The special programs for autism are preparing people with this suffering for this oppinion switch, or they are considering it?!

Here are some comments by me on autism and computer game addiction (which were the start of this interesting debate):
1) "It is a world of “full control”, where a child can have the control, and the interaction with other characters from the game will not have any consequences on him (on the child) . The “interaction” between his game character (or army, etc etc) - in fact his virtual representation in his mind - and the other characters from the game is not harmful, and if an inconvenience appears (as sometime in the real world happens) it will not require a cognitive effort, a push on “reset” button is enough. In the real world - No! The character is his representation (sometimes children say : he shoot me! or what a jump I made ” but he reffers to him, even though the event belongs to the virtual character). It is about full control with no consequence, and due to the fat that a child finds himself in a character, for a moment he reach more self -esteem because of the properties of the virtual character. For a child with autism: emotions are less present (or expressed) - and a game will not require an emotional approach (as the care for a pet, or the emotions involved in the relation with the parents). A game will not require from him to express a gentle touch. A parent does. The level of aggresion is higher in many children with autism - the level of agression is higher in games, in books or in a social interaction event - No. It seems that they have a problem in complex stimuli perception: a game will provide clear defined character (by face structure for example of by the whole morphology - a monster/a witch/a human) with clear intentions - real children colleagues - not quite. Or, in a game, a group of personages have the same design, so they will be treated as a whole, a real word situation means different responses based on different characters which must be indentified (and the face is a complex stimulus, but alike (similar ) with 10 or 15 around him at a moment)."

2) just some few articles, with a scientific aproach:

Carolien Rieffe et al 2006
Michael L. Spezio et al 2006
lisabeth Hill et al 2006
David Hessl et al 2006
D. Ben Shalom et al 2006
Sandy Vickerstaff et al 2005
Anne-Marie Daoust et al 2007
Eve Müller1 et al 2006
Rieffe C et al 2000
Rieffe, Carolien 2000
and also read about depression in autism - and the effect of the depression
” Findings suggest that children with autism have difficulties identifying their own emotions and less developed emotion concepts ”

Poustka F. 2007
Montes G, Halterman JS., 2007
Jensen PS et al 2007
Lindsay RL et al 2006
Brune CW et al 2006
Reinblatt SP et al 2006
McKee SA et al 2007
Dominick KC, et al 2007

also there many, many, many other GREAT scientists who are interested in this field…i cite here just the ones I read recently. All of them sustain a scientific approach, that sometimes is interpreted as "hurting the liberty of living', as someone said.
So, scientific world - autistic persons - in a debate? ethics,dedication, passion, action, emotions, "politicaly correct", cold blooded, supportive or just business?!?!
C.B; L.S.

Good News about www.thalamus.ro

2007-09-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

WORLD WEB AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 2007-2008 FOR WWW.THALAMUS.RO
from Art Space - reviewing sites since 1999. for web site design, creativity and ease of navigation.

Not a month yet of www.thalamus.ro, and things are working very good due to www.thalamus.ro team and due to your interest!

Neuroscience Research Team

Neuroscience Poster Design

2007-09-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

A neuroscience poster is not a page from a scientific journal.

Below are some good examples of a poster. They are aligned to the right side of the page. Posters aligned to the left side of the page (also they have an orange, oblique text in the right upper corner) are bad examples of a poster!!!
design: www.thalamus.ro team & neuroscience blog team

A

A poster is made to present your work in a crowed room, with people with a coffe
in one hand, talking already to a colleague.

I'll not discuss here about the text editing, or how to be concise when saying something in a scientific poster. In a discussion with a neuroscientist a few days ago (and also a year ago), this topic was debated. He said to me that a poster must be simple, with a few colors, titles highlighted by blue (or other color) border. Images & text must be separated and this two components must have separate areas in the poster. Doesn't look to you as an old, dusty highschool uniforme? I'll name this "the old and dusty school poster".
I said to him that i disagree because the images and the text must form a "solid" body, and the appearance of the poster must be visualisated as a whole. Also, it must be interesting, it has to borrow something from the media prints. This happens because it must be seen by the audience, before reading the text. Also, it must be attractive: a beatiful & interesting poster + an interesting research = full succes. "The old and dusty school poster" may contain an interesting work, but after seeing 50 or 150 poster in the same graphical manner ...you will forget it if you aren't very interested in the subject. A good poster, an interested public, a nice reserch work = they will remember it!!! and because of the poster appereance (a nice and interesting one) the discussion about your research will have a better starting point. (of course, if you don't find a "mad dog" who just looooooooves the "the old and dusty school poster").

A good poster talks about your work and about you. A good layout means respect for the public. (imagine a masterpiece in music played by a very bored violonist or by a bad guitar player - how would you feel? think about the ticket you payed! this is the same with a boring design). A white background has no effect, a good and interesting background may talk about you work from 20 metres, a distance where no title or text or image can speak. If the images and the text are composing "a story" about your research, the public will remember "the story" easier than they will remember a text in a border or the image in the left corner. A smart graphical layout will make a good impression about your work and about you. A blue polygon

and a pale image will never have this effect. A research work, combined with a smart layout will stimulate other scientists to interact, a table-based design will be nothing more than a table-based design. A good design will talk about your creativity (you are a scientist, you create!) and a square text, a square table and a square image will say nothing about your open-mindness. You don't have drawing skills? Or you don't have any idea about how the poster should look like? Ask a designer, or a colleague, or a student to help you! In fact, you don't know how to make a suite, but you want to look good at the conference, so you buy it! What good for a nice suite if the poster looks boring.

Some critics may say that a "trendy" poster will distract the public's attention from the text or the idea. This is, in our oppinion, a great dissrespect for the poster viewers. We never believed that a graphyc element can distract so bad a researcher(is he a child?! is he suffering from a mental ilness?) !!!! But, because we alwais consider our audience at least as smart as us, a good looking poster will not have decorative ellements just to have it. A good poster has
decorative ellements that fit the idea of the research presented in the poster. They do not distract, they underline the idea! Some critics may say that the message will not be clear any more if the poster doesn't have the "the old and dusty school poster" look. Who said tha unattractive means clear?! Some critics may say that a simple design will enhance your work with more credibility, but who said that the lack of preocupation for the ideea you want to transmit means a good atitude. Flavourless means the lack of interest, not a scientific atitude!
Some critics may say that you are loosing the content for the look. But we think that the content determines the look. So, a good looking poster will not have less information than a boring one. It is very probable that in a boring poster you will find a boring research told by a bored researcher.

Our poster conception ideas:

The introduction, methods, results, conclusions, discussions, citations, acknowledgments, must be put in an easy to follow order. The main idea must be illustrated as a central point.
The background must have elements to enhance the main idea of the research work.
The separation of the areas must be done by graphical elements and gradients that sustain
the idea of the research. Borders have nothing to do with the idea of the poster, because all the areas in a poster are talking about the same research, so why borders? Images that sustain the research work or results must be highlighted not by using heavy contrast with the background, but by using the whole design of the poster, so all the ellements must be put in order to highlight this images. Monochromatic or bichromatic posters look cold, threechromatic are annoying. Gradients are beautiful!

You are telling about your work and about you! Make it alive, you scientist!

ps: fro those who still belive that "the old and dusty school poster" is good, look here! Two posters published by Nature Neuroscience Reviews (one of them design. Kirsten Lee, designer).

Neuroscience Bucharest Blog Team.
partners www.thalamus.ro

Channelrhodopsin-2 - new perspectives

2007-08-24T04:09:00.000-07:00

Channelrhodopsin-2 is a cation channel from algae that depolarizes neurons in the presence of blue light. ChR2 will allow the study of neuronal circuits function by switching from on to off (and reverse) neurons from a neuronal network. So, in a network, the firing responess will be..."this" ...with all the neurons working, and in the same network the response will be..."that".. with the selected neurons switched off by ChR2 in the presence of the blue light, and then the network will be reversed to the original state!!. Smells like clinical neuroscience here!? Also ChR2 could be used in electrophysiological experiments to evoke neurotransmitter release, and it could be used in combination with neuroimaging techniques. Although the technique is new and several factors (see the links below) will have to be well managed in the experiments, combined techniques, including the use of ChR2 will give us a more precise perspective on how neuronal networks work.
ChR2, alone or combined with the other photostimulation techniques will be a minimally invasive technique, genetically targeted, and it will have temporally precise control of electrical activity of neurons. In oocytes of Xenopus laevis and mammalian cells, ChR2 is a
directly light-switched cation-selective ion channel and Petreanu et al. mapped the projections of pyramidal neurons in the barrel cortex using this method. Also, Arenkiel et al used this on mitral cells with the Thy1 promoter.
It is possible that the "classic" experiments to be reevaluated (where is possible) with this new method? Is this a new road in mental disorders research or a new way for the study of degenerative diseases of the brain? It is possible to evaluate in the future witch neuronal population is relevant to a behavior, witch population has a modulatory role in a behavior and witch population of neurons is dispensable? Hmm....

articles on this subject here
another article here
more about the subject here
and here
and you can find more from here
and more links here
and here too.

neuroscience bucharest blog team
parteners www.thalamus.ro

Trip time!

2007-08-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

so, after a hard work this summer, is time for a nice trip, so, see you next week! have a nice week-end!
All neuroscience bucharest blog Team

Great romanian scientist Mircea Steriade

2007-08-16T02:08:00.000-07:00

Mircea Steriade spent his life challenging the conventional thought of the past about the thalamus and unlocked multiple mysteries about the human brain with his groundbreaking research. Edward G. Jones, MD, DPhil, of the University of California at Davis - "He reactivated a field that had long lain dormant and made it into one of the most active in modern neuroscience." Startig with the third year fo faculty, in Bucharest, Romania, at Carol Davila uNiversity of Medicine he was interested in neuroanatomy. His research work began with studies about cerebelo-cortical connectios, and the results were published (when he was 34 years old) as a monography - "Physiologie et Pathophysiologie du Cervelet", Ed. Masson & Co., Paris. In 1958 he left Bucharest for becoming a postdoctoral fellow at Bruxelles in Frédéric Bremer's neurophysiology lab. Once he was advised by a researcher and proffessor to "be more patient" but Steriade said that "I respectfully disobeyed then as well as now". From December 1, 1968, to his last day, Dr. Steriade was professor at the Department of Physiology, later renamed to the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, of Université Laval, Québec, Canada. In 1969 he was promoted as full professor.
"Dr. Mircea Steriade was the founder of modern studies on the cellular basis of electroencephalography. He pioneered research that identified the network operations and neuronal properties in thalamocortical system, which are implicated in the generation of normal brain rhythms during different states of vigilance and different types of electrical seizures."Neuroscience 142 (2006) 917–920
Studies about responses of intracellular recorded neurons during different states of vigilance (Steriade et al., 2001) and a series of monographs (Steriade, 2001; Steriade et al., 1990) made from Dr. M.Steriade a pioneer in thalamic neurons research. A favorite structure for research was the thalamus. In parallel with works in Llinas’ laboratory (Jahnsen and Llinás, 1984; Llinás and Jahnsen, 1982) Dr. Steriade and colleagues have described low-threshold spikes generated by thalamocortical neurons (Deschénes et al., 1982, 1984; Steriade and Deschénes, 1984). Steriade’s laboratory greatest discovery during this period of time was the disclosure of the pacemaker role played by the thalamic reticular GABAergic nucleus in the generation of sleep spindles (Steriade et al., 1985, 1987). Later related studies showed the leading role of intrathalamic network in the generation of augmenting responses (Steriade et al., 1998). He was interested in neuronal networks and the most comprehensive description of differences found between the behavior of individual neurons and neurons involved in network functions was described in ‘The intact and sliced brain’ (Steriade, 2001).
In the last period of his life he was very interested in investigation of plasticity in thalamocortical system. "Gating in Neuronal Networks" will appear in 2007 , written with D. Pare, a former Steriade Ph.D. student. He was an active member of the Society for Neuroscience and he found, Thalamus and Related Systems, a new and interesting journal.

"I have known Dr. Steriade personally since May 1994. Every day he came to his office at 6:00 a.m. All morning he was usually writing papers, books, review chapters, discussing with trainees the results of their recent experiments and planning further research activities. From
11:00–11:45 he was in swimming pool. He used to say that he swims not because he likes to swim, but to survive. After lunch, he was usually reviewing bunches of articles, assisting experiments or continuing to write papers, books, and reviews. Some time between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. he usually received a call form his younger daughter, Claude, describing her day in school. She was (and I wish she always will be) the best student of her class and Mircea
was very pleased with her success both in high school and in piano classes. He was also very proud of the remarkable success of his older daughter Donca, who is a well-known
professor of phonology at MIT".I. Timofeev / Neuroscience 142 (2006) 917–920

He was Honor Member of Société de Neurologie de Paris (1957), and received Claude Bernard de l’Université de Paris Medal (1965), Distinguished Scientist Award, Sleep Research
Society (1989), Marie-Victorin Prize du Québec (1991), Member of the Academy of Science, Royal Society of Canada (1994), Pierre Gloor Award of the American Society for Clinical Neurophysiology for Outstanding Achievements in Research (1998), Presidential Lecture at
the Society for Neuroscience Meeting (1999), Editor-inchief, Thalamus and Related Systems (2001), Honor Member of the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences (2003).

"I used to look through the microscope all day long, at the expense of some medical disciplines that I regarded as marginal and for which I remained a layman. I already knew that all my life would be spent with the brain and its operations." said Dr. Steriade, and we think that this must be a very interesting and useful point of view for many other scientists, because he knew what he was doing - becoming a great and revolutionary scientist.

He was the first to demonstrate the role of GABAergic thalamic reticular neurons in the production of sleep spindles. He also discovered a new type of sleep rhythm, the slow oscillation.

Steriade authored or co-authored more than 400 original articles, review chapters and 12 books. He presented a Presidential Special Lecture at SfN's 1999 annual meeting. In an interview with Mircea Steriade, made by Carmen Rasanu , he was asked what was his greatest moment of joy as a researcher. Steriade answered that is hard to select just one, but the first one was in 1960, in a tram in Bucharest, while reading an article, by Bremer, article that came with a confirmation of the results of his work at that moment. Other moments of joy are regarding "technical stuff" he said. Also, he was happy when, after 55 years, he was invited to speak at the 'Carol Davila" University, where he was a student. A very long time, we consider.

His work was outstanding and interesting, with a great impact on the scientific world, being a mentor for a part of the new generation of researchers.

Neuroscience Bucharest Blog Team
www.thalamus.ro Team

Good News! A new unique & beautiful site! www.thalamus.ro

2007-08-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

The most unique site is now LIVE! http://www.thalamus.ro/
Why unique?

It is made by 2 medical students without IT or web design special training.
It is made without other's help, it is constructed and mentained at this moment just by personal efforts, with personal finacial investments.
It is a site made with passion for neuroscience & research.
It has a unique graphical appearance for a neuroscience site.
It reflects a part of the authors work & interests.
It is the only site with a such theme.
It is the only site in this manner made by medical students.
It is multidisciplinary.
It has a friendly look even on subjects considered by many students to be "rough".
It is conceived to be in continous growing!
It has the potential to become a coagulating factor for those interested in thalamus research!

www.thalamus.ro home page
(the site is a private property)

So, today is a special day for three reasons:

it is Claudiu's Mother name day and the begining of this site could be a great present!

it is a big day for the orthodox people

it is the first day of www.thalamus.ro

Prima zi de www.thalamus.ro!

O premiera pentru lumea stiintifica romaneasca si fara nici o exagerare, un unicat din foarte multe puncte de vedere (expuse sus :) ) pe intreg www-ul.

Speram ca site-ul va fi primit si in spatiul romanesc asa cum se cuvine, la adevarata sa valoare, proportional cu noutatea pe care o aduce si proportional cu efortul investit in acest site. Exista astfel bazele, fie ele si in pixeli :) , ale unui spatiu in care cei pasionati de cercetarea talamusului si a conexiunilor talamocorticale - sa se intalneasca. Poate si prin faptul ca asupra cercetarii structurilor subcorticale, cel putin in Romania, se oglindeste un look modern acum, mecanismele criticismului si ale orgoliilor emfatice vor fi supuse actiunii unui mecanism GABAergic ( in fond, talamusul (.ro) n-ar functiona corect fara inhibitia data de gaba).

Robert S. McNamara - Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated.

Starting from this idea, it is a good moment to say 'Welcome"!

"Gheorghe Marinescu" Symposium

2007-05-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

“Gheorghe Marinescu” Symposium of the National Neuroscience Society of Romania
With International Participation

The preliminary programme can be found here. Although the majority of the participants are romanians from Romania or established abroad, we hope that it will be an interesting meeting, and we hope that the chairmans will be equidistant and full of attention to the public too. Some interesting themes will be presented, and some of them relatively new for a romanian symposium. Regarding this, we hope that this will be a moment for colaborating and we hope that it will not be transformed into a vanity-war (as sometimes happens, of course, not at the neuroscience symposiums).

Prgramul preliminar poate fi gasit aici. Cu toate ca majoritatea participantilor sunt cercetatori romani, fie din tara fie din strainatate, suntem siguri ca va fi interesant. De asemenea speram ca atat prezentarile cat si discutiile sa fie moderate echidistant, lasand la o parte principiul "cine imparte parte isi face', sau, tinand cont de grupul restrans de participanti, timpul sa fie alocat proportional cu prieteniile. Vor fi prezentate teme interesante, unele relativ noi pentru un simpozion romanesc, ceea ce ar putea pune premisele unor colaborari interesant. Nici varianta unei batalii a egourilor nu poate fi exclusa, simpozionul este in fond unul romanesc, desi nu credem ca acest lucru este posibil si atunci cand organizatorul este Societatea de Neurostiinte.

HONORARY PRESIDIUM :
Professor Ion Haulică MD, PhD.
Professor Constantin Bălăceanu Stolnici MD, PhD, Fellow of the Romanian Academy.
Professor Valeriu Neştianu MD, PhD
Professor Francisc Schneider MD, PhD

EDAB Public Lecture - Where do arts and science meet?
The Artistic Brain. The Psychosomatic Impact of Music. Art Therapy
organized by the National Neuroscience Society of Romania
June 3rd, 2007, from 14:30 to 19:30
The Romanian Academy Library, Bucharest

Invited speakers:
Leon Zagrean MD, PhD – Centre for Excellence in Neuroscience, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest
Ioan Bradu Iamandescu MD, PhD - Medical Psychology Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest
Iuliana Dobrescu MD, PhD – Psychiatry Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest
Constantin Balaceanu-Stolnici MD, PhD, Fellow of the Romanian Academy - Romanian Anthropological Research Center "Fr.I.Rainer", Romanian Academy
Cristina Glavce PhD - Romanian Anthropological Research Center "Fr.I.Rainer", Romanian Academy

Descrierea evenimentului (vezi mai jos) a fost gasita aici.

The description of the event, presented below, was originally found here.
The event will consist of lectures, informal presentations, held by both art and medical science academics. The audience and lecturers will discuss how arts shaped science in its beginnings, how they still influence it today, the science of arts and science’s providing new methods in creating art.
Both art and medical students will be given the opportunity to express their talent by illustrating the topic of the lecture in a drawing contest. Prizes will be awarded for the best student works.
A talk will be given to present The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and EDAB to the audience, its topics and activities on the promotion of knowledge.
The event is open for the public.

ADD a PROPOSAL FOR A TOPIC

2007-01-04T23:59:00.000-08:00

Add a proposal for a topic by posting a comment. (click "comments" on the bottom of this topic).
A member of the laboratory will create a new post with the title of your proposal.
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