A Novel Head-Fixed Assay for Social Touch in Mice Uncovers Aversive Responses in Two Autism Models.

Social touch, an important aspect of social interaction and communication, is essential to kinship across animal species. How animals experience and respond to social touch has not been thoroughly investigated, in part because of the lack of appropriate assays. Previous studies that examined social touch in freely moving rodents lacked the necessary temporal and spatial control over individual touch interactions. We designed a novel head-fixed assay for social touch in mice, in which the experimenter has complete control to elicit highly stereotyped bouts of social touch between two animals. The user determines the number, duration, context, and type of social touch interactions, while monitoring an array of complex behavioral responses with high resolution cameras. We focused on social touch to the face because of its high translational relevance to humans. We validated this assay in two different models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Fmr1 knock-out (KO) model of Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and maternal immune activation (MIA) mice. We observed higher rates of avoidance running, hyperarousal, and aversive facial expressions (AFEs) to social touch than to object touch, in both ASD models compared with controls. Fmr1 KO mice showed more AFEs to mice of the same sex but whether they were stranger or familiar mice mattered less. Because this new social touch assay for head-fixed mice can be used to record neural activity during repeated bouts of social touch it could be used to uncover underlying circuit differences.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Social touch is important for communication in animals and humans. However, it has not been extensively studied and current assays to measure animals' responses to social touch have limitations. We present a novel head-fixed assay to quantify how mice respond to social facial touch with another mouse. We validated this assay in autism mouse models since autistic individuals exhibit differences in social interaction and touch sensitivity. We find that mouse models of autism exhibit more avoidance, hyperarousal, and aversive facial expressions (AFEs) to social touch compared with controls. Thus, this novel assay can be used to investigate behavioral responses to social touch and the underlying brain mechanisms in rodent models of neurodevelopmental conditions, and to evaluate therapeutic responses in preclinical studies.

A systematic review on gut-brain axis aberrations in bipolar disorder and methods of balancing the gut microbiota.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a mood disorder that affects millions worldwide. Up to half of the diagnosed patients are reported to not receive adequate treatment. This study aims to assess the relationship between the gut-brain axis and BD and to discuss and compare the efficacy of varying methods of balancing gut microbiotas in BD. METHODS: Using PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar from November 2021 to February 2022, we found 5310 studies on gut microbiota and its relation to BD. Using our inclusion criteria, 5283 studies were excluded. A total of 27 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Also, 12 articles that met our criteria and eligibility criteria reported on 613 BD patients. RESULTS: Most studies analyzed found an overall difference in gut microbiota composition in bipolar patients compared to healthy controls, though the alterations found were not consistent. Differences in Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, and Ruminococcus abundance in BD compared to controls were found to be the most consistent across a few of the studies, but their effects on the gut-brain axis conflicted. Probiotic supplementation was found to lower patient rehospitalizations and significantly improve depressive symptoms and cognitive impairments among patients with BD. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple studies included in this review point toward a possible link between BD and the gut microbiota. Probiotic supplements and other gut-balancing therapies could serve as effective adjunctive methods for the treatment of BD. Notable limitations of the studies included for analysis were small sample sizes and majority observational study designs. Furthermore, the microbiota aberrations found in patients with BD were not consistent across multiple studies. Despite these limitations, our findings demonstrate the need for further research regarding the relationship between aberrant gut microbiota profiles and BD, as well as the effectiveness of gut balancing methods as adjunctive treatments.

A novel head-fixed assay for social touch in mice uncovers aversive responses in two autism models.

Social touch, an important aspect of social interaction and communication, is essential to kinship across animal species. How animals experience and respond to social touch has not been thoroughly investigated, in part due to the lack of appropriate assays. Previous studies that examined social touch in freely moving rodents lacked the necessary temporal and spatial control over individual touch interactions. We designed a novel head-fixed assay for social touch in mice, in which the experimenter has complete control to elicit highly stereotyped bouts of social touch between two animals. The user determines the number, duration, context, and type of social touch interactions, while monitoring with high frame rate cameras an array of complex behavioral responses. We focused on social touch to the face because of their high translational relevance to humans. We validated this assay in two different models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Fmr1 knockout model of Fragile X Syndrome and maternal immune activation mice. We observed increased avoidance, hyperarousal, and more aversive facial expressions to social touch, but not to object touch, in both ASD models compared to controls. Because this new social touch assay for head-fixed mice can be used to record neural activity during repeated bouts of social touch it should be of interest to neuroscientists interested in uncovering the underlying circuits.

How Micronutrients Fuel Immune System At the Molecular Level: An Approach to the Immune Response Against Respiratory Viruses.

Viral respiratory infections could range from a common cold to severe pneumonia, and their resolution mainly relies on appropriate immune system function. The widespread popular knowledge that nutritional habits influence immune system function has been demonstrated over the past decades in which increasing scientific evidence unveils certain nutrients as critical drivers of immunity. Micronutrients encompass minerals and vitamins necessary for a broad range of biological processes; since their deficiency could cause several clinical manifestations, such as weakness, growth retardation, and susceptibility to infections; hence, micronutrients represent one of the multiple factors that modulate immune function. Among micronutrients are those that act mainly as antioxidants, regulating gene expression and as a structural part of proteins for their proper function. Here, we review how some of the most recognized micronutrients are participating at the molecular level in each step of the innate and adaptive immune response against viruses focusing on viral respiratory tract infections, such as those caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The common murre (Uria aalge), an auk seabird, reacts to underwater sound.

Marine mammals have fine-tuned hearing abilities, which makes them vulnerable to human-induced sounds from shipping, sonars, pile drivers, and air guns. Many species of marine birds, such as penguins, auks, and cormorants, find their food underwater where light is often limited, suggesting sound detection may play a vital role. Yet, for most marine birds, it is unknown whether they are using, and can thereby be affected by, underwater sound. The authors conducted a series of playback experiments to test whether Alcid seabirds responded to and were disrupted by, underwater sound. Underwater broadband sound bursts and mid-frequency naval 53 C sonar signals were presented to two common murres (Uria aalge) in a quiet pool. The received sound pressure levels varied from 110 to 137 dB re 1 µPa. Both murres showed consistent reactions to sounds of all intensities, as compared to no reactions during control trials. For one of the birds, there was a clearly graded response, so that more responses were found at higher received levels. The authors' findings indicate that common murres may be affected by, and therefore potentially also vulnerable to, underwater noise. The effect of man-made noise on murres, and possibly other marine birds, requires more thorough consideration.

Trophic analysis of the fish community in the Ciénega Churince, Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila.

Fish diets were analyzed to evaluate the dynamic trophs of the fish community in the Churince wetland system of the Cuatro Ciénegas, where the fauna consists of nine species: endemic, native and introduced. In nine sampling events (between February 2011 and May 2014) 556 specimens of all nine species were collected. Stomach contents were analyzed and the Relative Importance Index (IRI) was calculated. The feed coefficient (Q) of the diets and the accumulated trophic diversity (Hk), as well as the amplitude of the trophic niche were evaluated. Feeding strategies in the fish community were found to be eurifagic. The main foods in general were insects, crustaceans, gastropods, plants and teleosts. According to the average linkage method, four functional trophic groups were defined, with no higher consumption species; nevertheless all were regulators, mainly invertebrates. Therefore, the chain reaction in food control was higher from top to bottom, meaning a downwards dietary control.

Disfunción ejecutiva en el Trastorno Específico del Lenguaje / Executive dysfunction in Specific Language Impairment

Existe un acuerdo creciente entre la comunidad científica en la necesidad de considerar el rendimiento neuropsicológico como elemento coadyuvante en la caracterización sintomática del Trastorno Específico del Lenguaje (TEL). La estrecha relación entre la adquisición y el uso del lenguaje con funciones de otros dominios cognitivos fundamenta dicha necesidad. En este contexto, se presenta un estudio en el que se ha evaluado el rendimiento neuropsicológico en funciones ejecutivas de una muestra de 31 niños diagnosticados de TEL y 19 niños control. El protocolo de evaluación incluía pruebas destinadas a evaluar: memoria de trabajo verbal y visoespacial; planificación; fluidez verbal y de diseño; inhibición y alternancias. Los resultados encontrados evidenciaron que el grupo TEL presenta un rendimiento inferior en todas las variables. Concretamente, los déficits se objetivan en todas las funciones ejecutivas evaluadas excepto en planificación. Tomados de forma conjunta, consideramos que nuestros resultados ponen en valor la necesidad de contemplar el rendimiento ejecutivo en el diagnóstico de los niños con TEL y sus implicaciones en la elaboración de intervenciones terapéuticas eficaces (AU)

Effect of cooking procedures and storage on starch bioavailability in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Common commercial beans were cooked using two procedures: under pressure (autoclaving) and traditional cooking. Total starch extraction was higher in beans cooked with the traditional procedure (41.69-42.81%) than in the autoclaved samples (37.04-38.16%) and did not change during storage at 4 degrees C. However, available and total resistant starch levels in vitro were not influenced by the cooking procedure or storage. Retrograded resistant starch content was higher in beans cooked with the traditional process (2.65-2.79%) than in autoclaved beans (1.62-1.94%). The initial in vitro alpha-amylolysis rate in freshly cooked beans was higher in the autoclaved preparation than in the beans cooked by the traditional process, but final hydrolysis indices (90 min) were similar for both samples. None of the bean samples showed statistical differences in alpha-amylolysis behavior (alpha = 0.05) after storage at 4 degrees C for 96 hour.