Action Sequence Learning Is Impaired in Genetically Modified Mice with the Suppressed GABAergic Transmission from the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus to the Thalamus.

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is a thin sheet of GABAergic neurons surrounding the thalamus, and it regulates the activity of thalamic relay neurons. The TRN has been reported to be involved in sensory gating, attentional regulation, and some other functions. However, little is known about the contribution of the TRN to sequence learning. In the present study, we examined whether the TRN is involved in reward-based learning of action sequence with no eliciting stimuli (operant conditioning), by analyzing the performance of male and female Avp-Vgat-/- mice (Vgatflox/flox mice crossed to an Avp-Cre driver line) on tasks conducted in an operant box having three levers. Our histological and electrophysiological data demonstrated that in adult Avp-Vgat-/- mice, vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) was absent in most TRN neurons and the GABAergic transmission from the TRN to the thalamus was largely suppressed. The performance on a task in which mice needed to press an active lever for food reward showed that simple operant learning of lever pressing and learning of win-stay and lose-shift strategies are not affected in Avp-Vgat-/- mice. In contrast, the performance on a task in which mice needed to press three levers in a correct order for food reward showed that learning of the order of lever pressing (action sequence learning) was impaired in Avp-Vgat-/- mice. These results suggest that the TRN plays an important role in action sequence learning.

Effects of school indoor visual environment on children's health outcomes: A systematic review.

Children's visual perceptions are critical for their comfort and health. This review explores the impacts of school indoor visual environment on children's health outcomes. A systematic search yielded 5704 articles, of which 32 studies were reviewed. Five environmental themes were identified: lighting, access to nature, window characteristics, art/environmental aesthetics, and ergonomics/spatial arrangement. Results affirm that visual environment affects children's health. There are disparities across environmental themes, with more extensive evidence for lighting and access to nature, but relatively limited in other areas. This study suggests a need for multi-disciplinary collaboration to develop a holistic perspective.

The association between lifestyles and health conditions and the choice of traditional Chinese medical treatment in China: A latent class analysis.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a major role in preventing and treating the disease, however, it is also facing a slice of challenges as fewer choices of TCM treatment. Although lifestyles and health conditions might be paramount influencing factors for the choice of TCM treatment, the relative evidence is scarce. The current observational study was designed to evaluate this association. A total of 24,173 Chinese individuals with a mean age of 47.3 years from the Chinese Family Panel Studies 2014 were selected. The choice of TCM treatment was acquired by the self-report questionnaire. Latent class analysis was employed to identify clusters of lifestyles and health conditions. The binary logistic regression model was employed to examine the association between lifestyles, health conditions and the choice of TCM treatment. Lifestyles and health conditions were classified into 3 classes with latent class analysis, healthy group, unhealthy behavior group, and physical inactivity group. After controlling for potential confounding factors, the results showed individuals in unhealthy behavior group (odds ratio = 1.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.35-1.68, P < .001) or physical inactivity group (odds ratio = 1.11, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.22, P = .019) were more likely to visit TCM doctors than healthy group. Sex-specific difference was observed, the relationship still existed among the males. The current study revealed the relationship between lifestyles, health conditions and the choice of TCM treatment. This will provide evidence for the TCM development and provide support for further research.