Altered velocity processing in schizophrenia during pursuit eye tracking

Smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) are needed to keep the retinal image of slowly moving objects within the fovea. Depending on the task, about 50%-80% of patients with schizophrenia have difficulties in maintaining SPEM. We designed a study that comprised different target velocities as well as testing for internal (extraretinal) guidance of SPEM in the absence of a visual target. We applied event-related fMRI by presenting four velocities (5, 10, 15, 20°/s) both with and without intervals of target blanking. 17 patients and 16 healthy participants were included. Eye movements were registered during scanning sessions. Statistical analysis included mixed ANOVAs and regression analyses of the target velocity on the Blood Oxygen Level Dependency (BOLD) signal. The main effect group and the interaction of velocity×group revealed reduced activation in V5 and putamen but increased activation of cerebellar regions in patients. Regression analysis showed that activation in supplementary eye field, putamen, and cerebellum was not correlated to target velocity in patients in contrast to controls. Furthermore, activation in V5 and in intraparietal sulcus (putative LIP) bilaterally was less strongly correlated to target velocity in patients than controls. Altered correlation of target velocity and neural activation in the cortical network supporting SPEM (V5, SEF, LIP, putamen) implies impaired transformation of the visual motion signal into an adequate motor command in patients. Cerebellar regions seem to be involved in compensatory mechanisms although cerebellar activity in patients was not related to target velocity.     

Impaired daily glucocorticoid rhythm in Per1 Brd mice

Biological clocks have evolved in all kinds of organisms in order to anticipate and adjust to the daily light–dark cycle. Within the last decade, the molecular machinery underlying the circadian system was unraveled. In the present study, the impact of the loss of the Per1 or Per2 genes, key components of the core clock oscillator, on body mass, food and water intake, glucose metabolism, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, was investigated in the Per1 ^Brd and Per2 ^Brd mouse models. The results reveal that the lack of Per1 but not Per2 has severe consequences for the regulation of these parameters. Specifically, in Per1 ^Brd animals, we found an impaired daily glucocorticoid rhythm, with markedly elevated levels during the day compared to control animals. In addition, Per1 ^Brd mice showed significant differences in body mass as well as food and water intake. Although the Per1 ^Brd are lighter than wildtype mice, food and water intake per gram body mass is elevated. In addition, the Per1 ^Brd mice exhibit an increased glucose metabolism after i.p. injection with glucose. In conclusion, our study presents first evidence for a link between an altered metabolism in Per1 and Per2 deficient mice, which in the case of the Per1 ^Brd animals might be due to an impaired corticosterone rhythm.     

Ascocarpontogenie,Ascusstruktur und -funktion bei Vertretern der Gattung Rhizocarpon

Zahlreiche gelbe und graue Rhizocarpon-Arten entwickeln ihre Fruchtkörperprimordien und Pyknidien im Prothallus, eine bei Flechtenpilzen unübliche Erscheinung. Die Pyknidien enthalten Phialiden, bei denen bei jeder Konidienabschnürung ein kleiner Kragen von Wandmaterial am Phialidenhals übrigbleibt. Bei senescenten Konidiophoren wird das Wandmaterial im Bereiche dieser Kragen abgebaut, was der Phialide ein annellidenähnliches Aussehen verleiht. Die abgeschnürten Mikrokonidien scheinen Spermatienfunktion zu haben. Der Fruchtkörper aller untersuchter Arten ist ein Discothecium. Ein generatives Hyphenknäuel wird nicht gebildet, sondern die Ascogone entwickeln sich zwischen den später zu Paraphysoiden werdenden vegetativen Thallushyphen. Trichogynen mit anhaftenden Mikrokonidien wurden beobachtet. Die Asci sind bitunicat mit schwachem ?Jack in the box”-Mechanismus während der Öffnung. Sie unterscheiden sich deutlich vom unitunicat-inoperculaten Lecanora-Typ und auch von allen anderen innerhalb der Lecanorales beobachteten Ascustypen. Die Asci vom Rhizocarpon-Typ stehen hinsichtlich Struktur und Funktion nahe bei Formen, wie sie bei den Patellariaceae gefunden werden. Rhizocarpon dürfte als archaische Form nahe dem phylogenetischen Ursprung der Lecanorales stehen und kann möglicherweise als eines der gesuchten Bindeglieder zwischen bitunicaten und lecanoralen Discomyceten betrachtet werden.     

MALDI-TOF MS of phosphatidylethanolamines: different adducts cause different post source decay (PSD) fragment ion spectra

Matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is increasingly applied to lipids. However, positional acyl chain analysis of lipids by MALDI was so far scarcely described. In this paper, the fragmentation behavior of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is investigated by using post-source decay (PSD) MS. In dependence on the investigated adduct, significant differences could be obtained. It will be shown that in particular the negative ion spectra enable the determination of the individual acyl chains as well as their positions (sn-1 or sn-2). Therefore, MALDI-TOF PSD spectra are a real alternative to more sophisticated MS/MS methods.     

Bacterial epibionts and endolichenic actinobacteria and fungi in the Lower Devonian lichen Chlorolichenomycites salopensis

The charcoalified fragment of the dorsiventrally organized, internally stratified presumed green algal lichen Chlorolichenomycites salopensis from the Lower Devonian Lochkovian strata in the Welsh Borderland carries bacterial colonies on the upper surface, i.e. the cortex, and actinobacterial filaments in the medulla underneath the photobiont layer. Moreover relatively thin hyphae of presumed endolichenic fungi were found. As in extant lichens, which are best regarded as consortia with an unknown number of participants, this internally stratified, fossil thallus fragment of a presumed green algal lichen harbours a diverse microbial community.