Neuropsychological Characteristics of Cortical and Subcortical Zones of the Human Brain as Multidimensional Genetic Risk Factors of Schizophrenia

A neuropsychological study of 59 families with schizophrenia (193 subjects: 59 patients, 109 parents, and 25 sibs) was conducted using the methods of A.R. Luria. The control group included 23 healthy subjects without a familial history of schizophrenia. The analysis revealed a wide spectrum of mental disorders in schizophrenics and their relatives but not in the control group. The disorders varied from vague to distinct. The most informative for discrimination of the subject groups were interrelated integrative characteristics of the left and right subcortical, left subcortico-frontal, and left subcortico-temporal areas. The errors of discrimination between schizophrenics and control subjects (a low-risk group) and between the low-risk group and sibs (a high-risk group) ranged from 7 to 19%. The multidimensional neuropsychological indicators revealed may be used for further analysis of genetic risks of schizophrenia.     

Role of motivational excitations in the integrative activity of individual cerebral neurons

It has been shown that motivational excitation is a factor that changes the functional properties of brain single neurones. On the basis of ascending activating influences of the hypothalamic initiative centres, motivational excitation considerably changes convergent and discriminating properties of the cortical units. It is toward the cortical and subcortical neurones excitated by motivation that excitations evoked by reinforcing stimuli are directed. Under repetitive reinforcing action a certain trace is imprinted in the dynamic architecture of motivational excitation, which is the neuronal basis of the action result acceptor. The apparatus of the action result acceptor, formed after the precedence principle, is precisely the directing factor of the animals' purposeful activity.     

Direct action of angiotensin II on the central neurons]

Reactions of the nervous cells in the somatosensory and visual regions of the brain cortex and the frontal hypothalamus in rabbits, as well as of the isolated nervous peripharyngeal ring of the Helix pomatia to the microionophoretic application of angiotensin II (A-II) was studied. Reactions of the neurons in the rabbit brain to A-II displayed an increase in the spike frequency depending on the quantity of the agent applied. Reactions of the frontal hypothalamus neurons showed a lower threshold than those of the brain cortex. A-II application to the some of the recorded cells of the mollusc evoked a marked reversible decrease in the membrane potential; as to the membrane resistance--it diminished 2--4 fold. These experimental data pointed to the direct A-II effect on the central neurons.     

Chilling-induced Lipid Hydrolysis in the Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Mesocarp

Oil palm fruits exposed to temperatures of 15 °C and belowshowed a significant increase in free fatty acid (FFA) contentin the mesocarp. This effect was most pronounced in fruits exposedto 5 °C when FFA levels exceeding 70% of the total oil wereobserved. The increase in FFA was accompanied by an increasein lipid-soluble phosphorus levels and a decrease in carotenecontent. Chilling did not have an effect on palm kernel oil.The results suggest the activation of a lipase in the mesocarpby low temperature stress. Key words: Lipase, oil palm, free fatty acid