Superior colliculus bidirectionally modulates choice activity in frontal cortex.

Action selection occurs through competition between potential choice options. Neural correlates of choice competition are observed across frontal cortex and downstream superior colliculus (SC) during decision-making, yet how these regions interact to mediate choice competition remains unresolved. Here we report that SC can bidirectionally modulate choice competition and drive choice activity in frontal cortex. In the mouse, topographically matched regions of frontal cortex and SC formed a descending motor pathway for directional licking and a re-entrant loop via the thalamus. During decision-making, distinct neuronal populations in both frontal cortex and SC encoded opposing lick directions and exhibited competitive interactions. SC GABAergic neurons encoded ipsilateral choice and locally inhibited glutamatergic neurons that encoded contralateral choice. Activating or suppressing these cell types could bidirectionally drive choice activity in frontal cortex. These results thus identify SC as a major locus to modulate choice competition within the broader action selection network.

Thalamus-driven functional populations in frontal cortex support decision-making.

Neurons in frontal cortex exhibit diverse selectivity representing sensory, motor and cognitive variables during decision-making. The neural circuit basis for this complex selectivity remains unclear. We examined activity mediating a tactile decision in mouse anterior lateral motor cortex in relation to the underlying circuits. Contrary to the notion of randomly mixed selectivity, an analysis of 20,000 neurons revealed organized activity coding behavior. Individual neurons exhibited prototypical response profiles that were repeatable across mice. Stimulus, choice and action were coded nonrandomly by distinct neuronal populations that could be delineated by their response profiles. We related distinct selectivity to long-range inputs from somatosensory cortex, contralateral anterior lateral motor cortex and thalamus. Each input connects to all functional populations but with differing strength. Task selectivity was more strongly dependent on thalamic inputs than cortico-cortical inputs. Our results suggest that the thalamus drives subnetworks within frontal cortex coding distinct features of decision-making.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Improves the Survival and Angiogenesis of Fat Grafts after Autologous Fat Transplantation.

Objective: Currently, autologous fat transplantation (AFT) still has a low graft survival rate. Elevation of the AFT graft survival rate is a challenge. This study investigated the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on AFT. Methods: Twelve adult male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups after AFT: the control group (n = 6) and the HBO group (n = 6). The rats were killed at 7, 14, and 28 days after transplantation to take the transplanted adipose tissues. The volume and weight of the tissues were detected. The pathological changes in the adipose tissues were observed after H&E staining. Microvessel density and levels of transforming growth factor- (TGF-) ß, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the transplanted adipose tissues were measured with CD31 immunohistochemical stain, ELISA, and biochemical reagents, respectively. Additionally, the protein expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor- (VEGF-) A and platelet-derived growth factor- (PDGF) A in the adipose tissues were detected by Western blot. Results: HBO significantly preserved the volume and weight of the transplanted adipose tissue (p < 0.01) and maintained the pathological structure of the transplanted adipose tissue. HBO therapy was effective in reducing inflammatory factor (TGF-ß and TNF-α) levels and oxidative stress (MDA) in the transplanted adipose tissue (p < 0.01) and significantly increased the level of CD31 and angiogenesis-related factors including VEGF-A and PDGF-A (p < 0.01) to promote angiogenesis. Conclusion: HBO therapy regulated the immune response of fat grafts, stimulated their angiogenesis, and ultimately promoted their survival after AFT.

[Randomized controlled study on acupuncture for treatment of diabetic paralytic squint].

OBJECTIVE: To observe clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture on diabetic paralytic squint. METHODS: Seventy-two cases of diabetic paralytic squint were randomly divided into a medication group, an acupuncture group and an acupuncture and medication group. The medication group were treated with intramuscular injection of Methyl vitamin B12 250 microg, once daily; the acupuncture group were treated by acupuncture at different acupoints according to different paralytic muscles of eyes with adjuvant acupoints selected according to symptoms; the acupuncture and medication group were treated with the routine medicine and acupuncture. The treatment was given for 28 days. RESULTS: The total effective rate of 87. 5% in the acupuncture group and 95.7% in the acupuncture and medication group were higher than 54.5% in the medication group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), with no significant difference between the acupuncture group and the acupuncture and medication group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture has a definite therapeutic effect on diabetic paralytic squint, which is better than that of routine medication.