Fluency and the Maintenance of Skills Related to Sex Laws for Individuals Adjudicated for Illegal Sexual Behavior.

Previous research has evaluated the effects of various commonly used mastery criteria on skill maintenance by directly manipulating the accuracy requirement, as well as the sessions across which these accuracy levels must be demonstrated. The current study extends this literature by including a rate dimension within the mastery criterion with a unique population. We implemented a fluency-oriented treatment package to increase intraverbal skills related to state sex laws using a multiple-baseline design across 3 target sets for 2 individuals adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior. Within this intervention package, we included 2 distinct components of a single mastery criterion: (a) accuracy (i.e., 100% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions) and (b) speed. We evaluated how each of these measurable dimensions of behavior maintained across time. Results indicate this mastery criterion produced over 80% accuracy during maintenance probes for 10 weeks across all sets for both students. However, this mastery criterion produced idiosyncratic maintenance of rates across students and sets. These results suggest that each of these dimensions of behavior does not necessarily covary and should be conceptualized as distinct clinical targets by applied behavior clinicians.

Olfactory ensheathing cells from the nasal mucosa and olfactory bulb have distinct membrane properties.

Transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) is a potential therapy for the regeneration of damaged neurons. While they maintain tissue homeostasis in the olfactory mucosa (OM) and olfactory bulb (OB), their regenerative properties also support the normal sense of smell by enabling continual turnover and axonal regrowth of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). However, the molecular physiology of OECs is not fully understood, especially that of OECs from the mucosa. Here, we carried out whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from individual OECs cultured from the OM and OB of the adult rat, and from the human OM. A subset of OECs from the rat OM cultured 1-3 days in vitro had large weakly rectifying K+ currents, which were sensitive to Ba2+ and desipramine, blockers of Kir4-family channels. Kir4.1 immunofluorescence was detectable in cultured OM cells colabeled for the OEC marker S100, and in S100-labeled cells found adjacent to OSN axons in mucosal sections. OECs cultured from rat OB had distinct properties though, displaying strongly rectifying inward currents at hyperpolarized membrane potentials and strongly rectifying outward currents at depolarized potentials. Kir4.1 immunofluorescence was not evident in OECs adjacent to axons of OSNs in the OB. A subset of human OECs cultured from the OM of adults had membrane properties comparable to those of the rat OM that is dominated by Ba2+ -sensitive weak inwardly rectifying currents. The membrane properties of peripheral OECs are different to those of central OECs, suggesting they may play distinct roles during olfaction.

Culture of olfactory ensheathing cells for central nerve repair: the limitations and potential of endoscopic olfactory mucosal biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Autotransplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) into the damaged central nervous system is a potential therapeutic strategy for spinal cord and root cord injuries. One limiting factor has been the poor OEC yields from human mucosal biopsies. Previous studies have only commented on their success in obtaining mucosal specimens containing olfactory mucosa, but have not commented on the yield of OECs from those specimens. OBJECTIVE: To describe a reproducible and safe surgical technique for obtaining human olfactory mucosa and identify patient factors that possibly affect the yield of OEC cultures from the human olfactory mucosa. METHODS: We obtained mucosal biopsies from 43 consecutive patients by using a novel reproducible surgical technique and our laboratory culture protocol. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between OECs and fibroblast yield with patient characteristics and specimen factors. RESULTS: A greater yield of OECs was obtained from patients of younger age. In addition, patients with worse mucosal disease yielded poorer cell cultures. Greatest yields were found in patients with absence of mucosal disease. Furthermore, a higher yield of OECs was obtained from specimens harvested from the more caudal portions of the superior turbinate, and OEC yield did not correlate with the ventroposterior location of the biopsy. CONCLUSION: We have provided evidence that biopsies closer to the cribriform plate can produce larger yields of OECs, and that patient factors like age and mucosal disease adversely affect the culture yield.

Organotypic slice co-cultures reveal that early postnatal hippocampal axons lose the ability to grow along the fimbria, while retaining the ability to invade and arborise in septal neuropil.

The failure of cut axons to grow along fibre tracts in the adult CNS contrasts with their ability to do so in development. Organotypic slices culture of a number of areas enables the time of failure to be pinpointed to around the second week of postnatal life in the rat. 'Heterochronic' co-culture of slices above and below this age shows that the failure is due to the inability of the older axons to grow into either the same age or younger targets. Using hippocampo-septal slices the present experiments show that this failure is due to an inability to recognise the glial pathway of the fimbria, even when this is of a younger age. However, the older hippocampal neurons retain the ability to grow axons into septal target tissue when they are placed in direct contact with it. This exactly mirrors the inability of cut central axons to regenerate along their previous fibre pathways while they retain their ability to reinnervate neuropil.

A prospective observational study of the yield of olfactory ensheathing cells cultured from biopsies of septal nasal mucosa.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to study the yield of olfactory ensheathing cells from biopsies of the mucosa of the nasal septum. These specialized cells encourage regeneration of nerves of the central nervous system and may be of value for spinal cord and nerve injuries. METHODS: We undertook a prospective observational study of biopsies of nasal mucosa by endonasal dissection of the mucosa of the nasal septum during the approach for routine transsphenoidal surgeries. Samples were cultured in the laboratory, and the yield of olfactory ensheathing cells was compared as to the location, size, and weight of the biopsies and the age of the patients. RESULTS: A better yield of olfactory ensheathing cells was obtained from areas of the septum that were more superior and posterior in position. The yield was not related to the size of the biopsy or the patient's age. CONCLUSION: Septal mucosa is a possible source of olfactory ensheathing cells, although the yield may be smaller than that which may be obtained from mucosa of the lateral nasal cavity and superior turbinate.