Long-term monitoring of captive red drum Sciaenops ocellatus reveals that calling incidence and structure correlate with egg deposition.

In the present study, quantitative data were collected to clarify the relationship between calling, call structure and eggs produced in a captive population of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus. Sciaenops ocellatus were held in four tanks equipped with long-term acoustic loggers to record underwater sound throughout a simulated reproductive season. Maximal sound production of captive S. ocellatus occurred when the photoperiod shifted from 13·0 to 12·5 h of light, and the water temperature decreased to c. 25° C. These captive settings are similar to the amount of daylight and water temperatures observed during the autumn, which is the primary spawning period for S. ocellatus. Sciaenops ocellatus exhibited daily patterns of calling with peak sound production occurring in the evenings between 0·50 h before dark and 1·08 h after dark. Spawning occurred only on evenings in which S. ocellatus were calling, and spawning was more productive when S. ocellatus produced more calls with longer durations and more pulses. This study provides ample evidence that sound production equates to spawning in captive S. ocellatus when calls are longer than 0·8 s and contain more than seven pulses. The fact that more calling, longer calls and higher sound pressure levels are associated with spawns that are more productive indicates that acoustic metrics can provide quantitative information on spawning in the wild.

Juvenile metachromatic leukodystrophy 10 years post transplant compared with a non-transplanted cohort.

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a rare inborn error of metabolism leading to severe neurological symptoms and early death. Hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) is considered a treatment option, but results are inconsistent and comparison with natural history is practically missing. We compare a girl with juvenile MLD 10 years after allogeneic HSCT not only with her untreated sister, but also with a large cohort of untreated patients. The girl received HSCT at the age of 5 years when first motor signs appeared. Over 10 years she was stable with respect to her clinical course and gained cognitive abilities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed clear regression of white matter changes and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) demonstrated a reversal of the initial choline increase and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) decrease. Only axonal demyelinating neuropathy showed some progression. Her gross motor function and MRI-scores were clearly better compared with her sister and the cohort of untreated patients. Difference to her sister became apparent only 4 years after HSCT. We conclude that HSCT, early in the course of disease, can lead to stabilization of juvenile MLD with a course clearly different from the natural history. HSCT may prevent disease progression, if performed sufficient time before loss of walking, which typically initiates rapid deterioration.

Effects of a significant-other observer on neuropsychological test performance.

The present study examined the effects of a third-party observer on neuropsychological test performance in a sample of 30 university students seeking evaluation for learning disability. A significant-other (defined as a parent, sibling, close friend, spouse, or partner) observed portions of a neuropsychological testing session. Subjects were administered a battery of tests, including seven repeatable measures, chosen to assess diverse neuropsychological functions. In the presence of an observer, performance deficits were found on tests of attention, speed of information processing, and verbal fluency. An observer had no effect on tests of cognitive flexibility or motor speed. Our results suggest that the validity of test results may be compromised by the presence of an observer.