1,720,977 research outputs found
Rapid Compensation for Noisy Voluntary Movements in Adults with Primary Tic Disorders
No full textBACKGROUND: It has been proposed that tics and premonitory urges in primary tic disorders (PTD), like Tourette syndrome, are a manifestation of sensorimotor noise. However, patients with tics show no obvious movement imprecision in everyday life. One reason could be that patients have strategies to compensate for noise that disrupts performance (ie, noise that is task-relevant). OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to unmask effects of elevated sensorimotor noise on the variability of voluntary movements in patients with PTD. METHODS: We tested 30 adult patients with PTD (23 male) and 30 matched controls in a reaching task designed to unmask latent noise. Subjects reached to targets whose shape allowed for variability either in movement direction or extent. This enabled us to decompose variability into task-relevant versus less task-relevant components, where the latter should be less affected by compensatory strategies than the former. In alternating blocks, the task-relevant target dimension switched, allowing us to explore the temporal dynamics with which participants adjusted movement variability to changes in task demands. RESULTS: Both groups accurately reached to targets, and adjusted movement precision based on target shape. However, when task-relevant dimensions of the target changed, patients initially produced movements that were more variable than controls, before regaining precision after several reaches. This effect persisted across repeated changes in the task-relevant dimension across the experiment, and therefore did not reflect an effect of novelty, or differences in learning.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that patients with PTD generate noisier voluntary movements compared with controls, but rapidly compensate according to current task demands
Diapedesis and tolerogenic function of regulatory T cells under natalizumab therapy of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
No full textDie schubförmige Multiple Sklerose (MS) ist eine chronisch-entzündliche, demyelinisierende, multifokale Erkrankung des Zentralnervensystems (ZNS). Autoreaktive immunologische Prozesse, insbesondere der T-Zell vermittelten Immunität, leisten einen entscheidenden Beitrag zur Pathogenese der schubförmigen MS. Ein wesentlicher Schritt in immunpathogenetischen Modellen ist die transendotheliale Migration von Immunzellen über die Blut-Hirn-Schranke. Die Interaktion des very late antigen 4 (VLA-4) mit dem vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) und mit Fibronectin leistet einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Extravasation von T Zellen in das ZNS. Auf dieser Schlüsselfunktion des VLA-4 gründet die Therapie mit Natalizumab, einem monoklonalen Antikörper gegen die α4 Integrinkette. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, die Auswirkungen der Therapie der schubförmigen MS mit Natalizumab auf die transendotheliale Migration von CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ und CD4+HLA-G+ regulatorischen T Zellen (Treg) und auf die antiproliferative Funktion von FOXP3+ Treg zu untersuchen. Zentrale Hypothese war, dass Natalizumab über eine universelle Blockade der Immunzellinvasion in das ZNS hinaus immunmodulatorisch wirkt. Unter Verwendung eines prospektiven, longitudinalen Studiendesigns wurden die T Zellen von RR-MS Patienten unter Therapie mit Natalizumab (n=31) sowie von stabilen RR-MS Patienten ohne Therapie und gesunden Spendern in jeweils zwei in vitro Modellen der Blut-Hirn-Schranke sowie Treg vermittelter Immuntoleranz untersucht. FOXP3+ regulatorische T-Zellen banden weniger Natalizumab und exprimierten weniger VLA-4 als nicht-regulatorische T Helferzellen, bewahrten unter Therapie jedoch einen höheren Anteil ihrer ursprünglichen VLA-4 Expression. FOXP3+ Treg gesunder Spender wiesen in vitro höhere Migrationsraten über mikrovaskuläre humane Hirnendothelzellen als nicht-regulatorische T Helferzellen auf und akkumulierten innerhalb der T-Zell Population nach Migration. Dagegen reicherten sich FOXP3+ Treg von MS Patienten in Folge der Migration nur nach Vorbehandlung des Endothel mit inflammatorischen Zytokinen an, nicht jedoch ohne diese Vorbehandlung. Natalizumab beeinträchtigte die transendotheliale Migration von FOXP3+ Treg und nicht-regulatorischen T Helferzellen von MS Patienten in vergleichbaren Ausmaßen. HLA-G+ Treg zeigten in den Migrationsanalysen ein den FOXP3+ Treg entgegengesetztes Muster und wiesen ausschließlich in der MS, nicht jedoch im Gesunden, eine höhere Migrationsrate auf als HLA-G- T Helferzellen. Diese Akkumulation von HLA-G+ Treg in der migrierten Zellfraktion ließ sich nach Therapiebeginn nicht mehr nachweisen. Eine ergänzende Einzelfallstudie zu Auswirkungen des LFA-1 Antagonisten Efalizumab auf Treg ergab Hinweise auf eine Schlüsselfunktion dieses Integrins für die Migration von FOXP3+ Treg. Die Analyse der FOXP3+ Treg Suppressorfunktion zeigte eine schrittweise Zunahme des suppressiven Einflusses von FOXP3+ Treg auf die Reifung dendritischer Zellen unter Natalizumabtherapie. Zeitlich parallel kam es zu einem Ungleichgewicht in der Expression von LFA-1 auf der Oberfläche von FOXP3+ Treg und nicht-regulatorischen T Helferzellen. Zusammenfassend stützt die Studie die Hypothese immunmodulatorischer Effekte von Natalizumab in der schubförmigen Multiplen Sklerose, insbesondere auf den Antagonismus von regulatorischen und Effektor-T Zellen. Die Arbeit belegt, dass Natalizumab in vivo über die Blockade von VLA-4 hinaus modulatorisch in das Netzwerk von Adhäsionsmolekülen auf T Zellen eingreift. Die Studienergebnisse ergeben ein Überwiegen regulatorischer Einflüsse auf die Reifung dendritischer Zellen unter Therapie. Berichte zum Beitrag von LFA-1 zur Suppressorfunktion von FOXP3+ Treg werden durch Daten der vorliegenden Studie unterstützt und um Hinweise auf eine zusätzliche, spezifische Bedeutung des Integrins zur präferentiellen Diapedese dieser Treg über die Blut-Hirn-Schranke im Gesunden erweitert. Zudem liefert die Arbeit erstmals Hinweise auf einen Defekt der transendothelialen Migration von FOXP3+ Treg über die Blut-Hirn-Schranke in der schubförmigen Multiplen Sklerose, der zur Entstehung neuer Läsionen beitragen könnte.Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multifocal, chronic, inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Autoreactive processes, in particular T-cell mediated immunity, are essential to the pathogenesis of MS. A pivotal step in immunopathogenetic models is the diapedesis of immune cells across the blood-brain barrier. Transendothalial migration of encephalitogenic T cells across the blood-brain barrier depends critically on the interaction between very late antigen 4 (VLA-4) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) as well as fibronectin. The therapeutic rationale for natalizumab, a monoclonal antibody against the α4 chain of VLA-4, is based on this pivotal role of VLA-4 for T-cell diapedesis. This study aimed to examine transendothelial migration of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ and CD4+HLA-G+ regulatory T cells (Treg) as well as the suppressive capacity of FOXP3+ Treg in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis under natalizumab therapy. The study tested the hypothesis that natalizumab exerts immunmodulatory effects beyond a universal blockade of immune cell invasion into the CNS. T cells from MS patients under natalizumab therapy (n=31) were compared to T cells from stable MS patients without treatment and from healthy controls according to a prospective, longitudinal study design. Two in vitro models of the blood-brain barrier and two models of Treg-mediated tolerance were employed. FOXP3+ regulatory T cells exhibited reduced natalizumab binding and VLA-4 expression when compared to non-regulatory T helper cells but preserved a greater proportion of their initial VLA-4 expression under natalizumab therapy. FOXP3+ Treg from healthy controls showed enhanced migration across human brain microvascular endothelial cells when compared to non-regulatory T cells in vitro and accumulated within the T-cell population after migration. FOXP3+ Treg from MS patients, in contrast, accumulated only after pre-treatment of the endothelium with inflammatory cytokines. Natalizumab inhibited transendothelial migration of FOXP3+ Treg and non-regulatory T cells to a similar extent. HLA-G+ Treg showed a reverse pattern in these migration assays: HLA-G+ Treg from MS patients, but not from healthy controls, exhibited enhanced migratory rates when compared to non-regulatory, HLA-G- TH cells. This accumulation of HLA-G+ Treg within the fraction of migrated cells could no longer be detected any more after initiation of natalizumab therapy. The results of a supplementary single case study on the effects of the LFA-1 antagonist efalizumab on Treg pointed towards a pivotal role of this integrin for the preferential migration of FOXP3+ Treg. Suppression of the maturation of dendritic cells by FOXP3+ Treg gradually increased under natalizumab therapy. A growing imbalance in the surface distribution of LFA-1 among FOXP3+ Treg and non-regulatory TH cells parallelled this recovery of MS Treg suppression. In summary, this study supports the hypothesis of immunomodulatory effects of natalizumab in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, particularly on the antagonism between regulatory and effector T cells. The study documents interference of natalizumab with the network of adhesion molecules on T cells in vivo that extends beyond its blockade of VLA-4. Furthermore, it demonstrates a dominance of Treg-mediated suppression on the maturation of dendritic cells under therapy. It supports recent reports on a pivotal role of LFA-1 for suppressive mechanisms of FOXP3+ Treg and points towards a similar relevance for preferential Treg migration across the blood-brain barrier. Lastly, the study provides the first evidence for deficient transendothelial migration of FOXP3+ Treg in multiple sclerosis, which could contribute to early lesion formation
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Imprecise perception of hand position during early motor adaptation
No full text<p>Supplemental material and raw data for hand localization precision study</p>
<p>Organisation: </p>
<p>data_exp1Compensate.mat contains experiement 1 raw data, row 1: baseline block (cursor group only), row 2: alternating adaptation and washout, row 3: group</p>
<p>data_exp2Ignore.mat contains experiment 2 raw data, row 1: alternating adaptation and washout, row 2: group</p>
<p>data_exp3LocCue.mat contains experiment 3 raw data, row 1: alternating adaptation and washout, row 2: group</p>
<p>all files contain structures for different subjects (columns), struct contains different variables (fields) for single trials (rows), most variables contain time series data (sampling rate 1000 Hz)</p>
<p>Variables:</p>
<ul>
<li>various kinematic data (including hand position and velocity)</li>
<li>position of the target (for experiment 1 the position of the second target is always 45° CCW of the first target)</li>
<li>position of the pointer for hand localization (note: called <strong>cursor</strong>Pos not pointerPos, there is no variable for visual cursor, has to be computed from hand position)</li>
<li>event structure contains information on trial type (see labels, e.g. adaptation trials contain event "start rotated reach")</li>
</ul>
The P3 event-related potential increases when humans learn a strategy for motor adaptation
No full textHuman motor learning involves cognitive strategies in addition to implicit adaptation. Differences in systems-level neurophysiology between strategy-based and implicit learning remain poorly understood. We asked how the P3 event-related potential, an electroencephalography signal known to increase during early motor learning, relates to strategy-based learning and implicit adaptation. We re-analysed data from two experiments, in which participants (n = 64) reached towards a visual target, with online visual feedback replacing vision of their moving hand. We induced learning by rotating the visual feedback. In the first experiment, feedback rotations were turned on during pairs of two consecutive trials, interspersed between non-rotated trials. In one condition, feedback was rotated relative to the actual movement, allowing participants to develop a re-aiming strategy on the second trial of each pair, while it was rotated relative to the target in the other condition, rendering re-aiming futile. P3 amplitude increased in the first rotated trial in both conditions, but this increase was more pronounced in the re-aiming condition. In the second experiment, a constant visuomotor rotation was turned on for many consecutive trials. We instructed one group beforehand how to re-aim successfully, while the other group had to develop a strategy by themselves. P3 amplitude increased during early adaptation only in the latter group. These findings collectively suggest that in the context of motor learning, the P3 ERP is associated with a need to develop, or adjust, a cognitive strategy
Imprecise perception of hand position during early motor adaptation
No full text<p>Supplemental material and raw data for hand localization precision study</p>
<p>Organisation: </p>
<p>data_exp1Compensate.mat contains experiement 1 raw data, row 1: baseline block (cursor group only), row 2: alternating adaptation and washout, row 3: group</p>
<p>data_exp2Ignore.mat contains experiment 2 raw data, row 1: alternating adaptation and washout, row 2: group</p>
<p>data_exp3LocCue.mat contains experiment 3 raw data, row 1: alternating adaptation and washout, row 2: group</p>
<p>all files contain structures for different subjects (columns), struct contains different variables (fields) for single trials (rows), most variables contain time series data (sampling rate 1000 Hz)</p>
<p>Variables:</p>
<ul>
<li>various kinematic data (including hand position and velocity)</li>
<li>position of the target (for experiment 1 the position of the second target is always 45° CCW of the first target)</li>
<li>position of the pointer for hand localization (note: called <strong>cursor</strong>Pos not pointerPos, there is no variable for visual cursor, has to be computed from hand position)</li>
<li>event structure contains information on trial type (see labels, e.g. adaptation trials contain event "start rotated reach")</li>
</ul>
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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