Search

Helminth infection was analysed at necropsy and coprology in a total of 54 roe deer from the province of Grosseto (central Italy) between 2018 – 2020. Age and sex data were recorded for each deer for a total of 31 adults (23 females, 8 males) and 23 juveniles (11 females, 12 males).

Neuroprosthetic devices used for the treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction, such as incontinence or urinary retention, apply a pre-set continuous, open-loop stimulation paradigm, which can cause voiding dysfunctions due to neural adaptation. In the literature, conditional, closed-loop stimulation paradigms have been shown to increase bladder capacity and voiding efficacy compared to continuous stimulation. Current limitations to the implementation of the closed-loop stimulation paradigm include the lack of robust and real-time decoding strategies for the bladder fullness state. We recorded intraneural pudendal nerve signals in five anesthetized pigs. Three bladder-filling states, corresponding to empty, full, and micturition, were decoded using the Random Forest classifier. The decoding algorithm showed a mean balanced accuracy above 86.67% among the three classes for all five animals. Our approach could represent an important step toward the implementation of an adaptive real-time closed-loop stimulation protocol for pudendal nerve modulation, paving the way for the design of an assisted-as-needed neuroprosthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we analyze local field potentials (LFPs) recorded from the secondary motor cortex (M2) and primary visual cortex (VI) of freely moving mice reared in environmental enrichment (EE) and standard condition (SC). We focus on the scaling properties of the signals by using an integrated approach combining three different techniques: the Higuchi method, detrended fluctuation analysis, and power spectrum. Each technique provides direct or indirect estimations of the Hurst exponent H and this prevents spurious identification of scaling properties in time-series analysis. It is well known that the power spectrum of an LFP signal scales as 1/fβ with ß > 0. Our results indicate the existence of a particular power spectrum scaling law 1/fβ with ß < 0 for low frequencies (f < 4 Hz) for both SC and EE rearing conditions. This type of scaling behavior is associated to the presence of anticorrelation in the corresponding LFP signals. Moreover, since EE is an experimental protocol based on the enhancement of sensorimotor stimulation, we study the possible effects of EE on the scaling properties of secondary motor cortex (M2) and primary visual cortex (VI). Notably, the difference between Hurst's exponents in EE and SC for individual cortical regions (M2) and (VI) is not statistically significant. On the other hand, using the detrended cross-correlation coefficient, we find that EE significantly reduces the functional coupling between secondary motor cortex (M2) and visual cortex (VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epilepsy is characterized by substantial network rearrangements leading to spontaneous seizures and little is known on how an epileptogenic focus impacts on neural activity in the contralateral hemisphere. Here, we used a model of unilateral epilepsy induced by injection of the synaptic blocker tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) in the mouse primary visual cortex (V1). Local field potential (LFP) signals were simultaneously recorded from both hemispheres of each mouse in acute phase (peak of toxin action) and chronic condition (completion of TeNT effects). To characterize the neural electrical activities the corresponding LFP signals were analyzed with several methods of time series analysis. For the epileptic mice, the spectral analysis showed that TeNT determines a power redistribution among the different neurophysiological bands in both acute and chronic phases. Using linear and nonlinear interdependence measures in both time and frequency domains, it was found in the acute phase that TeNT injection promotes a reduction of the interhemispheric coupling for high frequencies (12-30 Hz) and small time lag (<20 ms), whereas an increase of the coupling is present for low frequencies (0.5-4 Hz) and long time lag (>40 ms). On the other hand, the chronic period is characterized by a partial or complete recovery of the interhemispheric interdependence level. Granger causality test and symbolic transfer entropy indicate a greater driving influence of the TeNT-injected side on activity in the contralateral hemisphere in the chronic phase. Lastly, based on experimental observations, we built a computational model of LFPs to investigate the role of the ipsilateral inhibition and exicitatory interhemispheric connections in the dampening of the interhemispheric coupling. The time evolution of the interhemispheric coupling in such a relevant model of epilepsy has been addressed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]