Neuroscience Blog

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)

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

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.

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 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.

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? :)

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 !!!

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?

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.

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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.


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