Maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant visual-limbic white matter development.

BACKGROUND: Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are robust predictors of mental health for both the exposed individual and the next generation; however, the pathway through which such intergenerational risk is conferred remains unknown. The current study evaluated the association between maternal ACEs and infant brain development, including an a priori focus on circuits implicated in emotional and sensory processing. METHODS: The sample included 101 mother-infant dyads from a longitudinal study. Maternal ACEs were assessed with the Adverse Childhood Questionnaire dichotomized into low (0 or 1) and high (≥2) groups. White matter microstructure, as indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA), was assessed using structural magnetic resonance imaging in infants (41.6-46.0 weeks' postconceptional age) within a priori tracts (the cingulum, fornix, uncinate, inferior frontal occipital fasciculus, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus). Exploratory analyses were also conducted across the whole brain. RESULTS: High maternal ACEs (≥2) were associated with decreased infant left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) FA (F(1,94) = 7.78, p < .006) relative to infants of low ACE mothers. No group difference was observed within the right ILF following correction for multiple comparisons (F(1,95) = 4.29, p < .041). Follow-up analyses within the left ILF demonstrated associations between high maternal ACEs and increased left radial diffusivity (F(1,95) = 5.10, p < .006). Exploratory analyses demonstrated preliminary support for differences in visual processing networks (e.g., optic tract) as well as additional circuits less frequently examined in the context of early life adversity exposure (e.g., corticothalamic tract). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal ACEs predict neural circuit development of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Findings suggest that early developing sensory circuits within the infant brain are susceptible to maternal adverse childhood experiences and may have implications for the maturation of higher-order emotional and cognitive circuits.

An Introduction to the Native and Non-Native Plant-Insect Interactions and Potential Pollinators of Puerto Williams and Yendegaia, Cabo de Hornos, Chile.

The Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion of southern Chile represents one of the last remaining pristine areas on Earth, but there are knowledge gaps concerning the biodiversity and interactions of the regions' flora and fauna. Non-native insect species like Bombus terrestris and Vespula vulgaris are known to have detrimental influence on native populations through competition for resources/nesting habitat, larvae predation, and foreign pathogen introduction. However, their interactions with the native and non-native plants in the region and between introduced species are unknown. This study highlights the importance of further investigations documenting the region's biodiversity, native and non-native species interactions, and local pollinators.

Causally Probing the Role of the Hippocampus in Fear Discrimination: A Precision Functional Mapping-Guided, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study in Participants With Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms.

Background: Fear overgeneralization is a promising pathogenic mechanism of clinical anxiety. A dominant model posits that hippocampal pattern separation failures drive overgeneralization. Hippocampal network-targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation (HNT-TMS) has been shown to strengthen hippocampal-dependent learning/memory processes. However, no study has examined whether HNT-TMS can alter fear learning/memory. Methods: Continuous theta burst stimulation was delivered to individualized left posterior parietal stimulation sites derived via seed-based connectivity, precision functional mapping, and electric field modeling methods. A vertex control site was also stimulated in a within-participant, randomized controlled design. Continuous theta burst stimulation was delivered prior to 2 visual discrimination tasks (1 fear based, 1 neutral). Multilevel models were used to model and test data. Participants were undergraduates with posttraumatic stress symptoms (final n = 25). Results: Main analyses did not indicate that HNT-TMS strengthened discrimination. However, multilevel interaction analyses revealed that HNT-TMS strengthened fear discrimination in participants with lower fear sensitization (indexed by responses to a control stimulus with no similarity to the conditioned fear cue) across multiple indices (anxiety ratings: ß = 0.10, 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.17, p = .001; risk ratings: ß = 0.07, 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.13, p = .037). Conclusions: Overgeneralization is an associative process that reflects deficient discrimination of the fear cue from similar cues. In contrast, sensitization reflects nonassociative responding unrelated to fear cue similarity. Our results suggest that HNT-TMS may selectively sharpen fear discrimination when associative response patterns, which putatively implicate the hippocampus, are more strongly engaged.

Fear overgeneralization is a promising pathogenic mechanism of clinical anxiety that is thought to be driven by deficient hippocampal discrimination. Using hippocampal network­targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation (HNT-TMS) in healthy participants with symptoms of posttraumatic stress, Webler et al. report that HNT-TMS did not strengthen discrimination overall, but it did strengthen fear discrimination in participants with lower fear sensitization. Sensitization reflects nonassociative fear responding unrelated to fear cue similarity and therefore is not expected to engage the hippocampal discrimination function. These results suggest that HNT-TMS may selectively sharpen fear discrimination when the hippocampal discrimination function is more strongly engaged.

A new class of near-infrared electrochromic oxamide-based dinuclear ruthenium complexes.

We report the synthesis of a new class of symmetric and unsymmetric oxamide-based dinuclear ruthenium complexes. These complexes were characterized by NMR, ESI-MS, and electrochemical methods. Spectroelectrochemical analysis of the complexes showed broad absorptions in the NIR region for the mixed-valence state of the complexes. The introduction of a chiral group into the bridging ligand produced an optically active complex that was studied using circular dichroism. [structure: see text]

Attitudes that affect the ability of African American preadolescent girls and their mothers to talk openly about sex.

Approximately 50% of new HIV infections in the US occur in teenagers, with African American females making up a disproportionate number. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that could encourage delaying sexual debut. Twenty-eight African American mothers and their early adolescent daughters were recruited from four inner-city community centers. Seven separate focus groups were conducted for mothers and daughters using principles of Participatory Action Research. Four codes emerged from the data: social norms regarding sex, males, self-esteem, and family structure. These codes support the importance of an intervention to facilitate sexual communication between a mother and her daughter.

Ecological influences of sexuality on early adolescent African American females.

African Americans make up the greater proportion of AIDS cases in adolescent girls but little is understood about the development of sexual risk behaviors during the early adolescent years. This article will explore ecological factors influencing adolescent sexual risk behaviors. In the focus groups, which were conducted using 28 African American mothers and their early adolescent daughters, 2 major themes emerged: exposure and support systems. Mothers described the impact community had on their daughters and how monitoring and support systems worked together to control exposure. The girls detailed the different ways they were impacted by the community. Attitudes the girls adopted from their exposures resulted in risk-taking behaviors or a determination to positively impact the community. Community was shown to be the context of the acquisition of sexual knowledge and attitudes. These findings support the development of interventions to address the impact of community on the participation of sexual risk behaviors.

Heterosocial behaviors in early adolescent African American girls: the role of mother-daughter relationships.

Recent epidemiological trends in HIV/AIDS have helped draw attention to minority adolescents as especially high risk for HIV acquisition. Research shows the importance of maternal-child closeness and sexual communication in decreasing adolescent risk behaviors. The information, motivation, behavioral skills model (IMB) formed the framework for this pilot study whose purpose was to examine the informational and motivational antecedents of heterosocial risks in African American middle-school-aged girls and the maternal influence on these risks. Thirty-nine mother-daughter dyads participated, of whom 54% were impoverished. The girls' intent to stay safe, perceived social norms, and closeness to mother were negatively correlated with reported participation in potentially risky situations. Early interventions may enhance mother-daughter bonding, increasing sexual communication, and decreasing girls' participation in risky behaviors. This pilot study provides direction regarding testing of the IMB model in studies focused on early adolescent behaviors and mother-daughter interactions.

Dual modulation of a molecular switch with exceptional chiroptical properties.

The ability to modulate the chiroptical properties of optically active molecules induced by external stimuli such as light, heat, and electrical fields allows for the design and development of molecular switches, memory devices, sensors, and photonic devices. A helical o-terphenyl compound functionalized with photoresponsive azobenzene and electroactive imide groups is designed as a dual-mode chiroptical molecular switch. Its exceptional optical activity (e.g., [alpha]436 = -9500) can be changed and modulated through photoisomerization of the azobenzene moiety using UV and visible light. Reversible modulation by electrochemical means was also achieved through the redox reaction occurring at the imide group. Large chiroptical read-out signals were observed during the redox cycles as indicated by the molar ellipticity values as high as 285,000 deg.cm2.dmol-1. Exceptionally high optical activity and large responses to both light and electrical bias make this chiral molecule suitable for the development of new molecular switches, sensors, and other optical devices.