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The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) is essential for ingestive behavior but it remains unclear how LHA neurons coordinate feeding vs. drinking. Most LHA populations promote food and water consumption but LHA neurotensin (Nts) neurons preferentially induce water intake while suppressing feeding. We identified two molecularly and projection-specified subpopulations of LHA Nts neurons that are positioned to coordinate either feeding or drinking. One subpopulation co-expresses the long form of the leptin receptor (LepRb) and is activated by the anorectic hormone leptin (NtsLepRb neurons). A separate subpopulation lacks LepRb and is activated by dehydration (NtsDehy neurons). These molecularly distinct LHA Nts subpopulations also differ in connectivity: NtsLepRb neurons project to the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra compacta but NtsDehy neurons do not. Intriguingly, the LHA Nts subpopulations cannot be discriminated via their classical neurotransmitter content, as we found that all LHA Nts neurons are GABAergic. Collectively, our data identify two molecularly- and projection-specified subpopulations of LHA Nts neurons that intercept either leptin or dehydration cues, and which conceivably could regulate feeding vs. drinking behavior. Selective regulation of these LHA Nts subpopulations might be useful to specialize treatment for ingestive disorders such as polydipsia or obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although eye tracking has been used extensively to assess cognitions for static stimuli, recent research suggests that the link between gaze and cognition may be more tenuous for dynamic stimuli such as videos. Part of the difficulty in convincingly linking gaze with cognition is that in dynamic stimuli, gaze position is strongly influenced by exogenous cues such as object motion. However, tests of the gaze‐cognition link in dynamic stimuli have been done on only a limited range of stimuli often characterized by highly organized motion. Also, analyses of cognitive contrasts between participants have been mostly been limited to categorical contrasts among small numbers of participants that may have limited the power to observe more subtle influences. We, therefore, tested for cognitive influences on gaze for screen‐captured instructional videos, the contents of which participants were tested on. Between‐participant scanpath similarity predicted between‐participant similarity in responses on test questions, but with imperfect consistency across videos. We also observed that basic gaze parameters and measures of attention to centers of interest only inconsistently predicted learning, and that correlations between gaze and centers of interest defined by other‐participant gaze and cursor movement did not predict learning. It, therefore, appears that the search for eye movement indices of cognition during dynamic naturalistic stimuli may be fruitful, but we also agree that the tyranny of dynamic stimuli is real, and that links between eye movements and cognition are highly dependent on task and stimulus properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal transfusion thresholds have been extensively studied for various surgical procedures; however, no transfusion threshold has been set for patients undergoing complex spine surgery. The aim of this study was to compare postoperative outcomes relative to perioperative hemoglobin (Hb) levels for patients undergoing complex spine surgery for adult spinal deformity and to evaluate impact of blood transfusion timing on clinical outcomes. Retrospective chart review of patients with adult spinal deformity undergoing spine surgery lasting >6 hours or involving ≥6 levels of fusion was performed. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts based on whole hospitalization Hb nadir <9.0 g/dL versus ≥9.0 g/dL. Among 104 patients, 55 (52.9%) had Hb nadir <9.0 g/dL. Compared with the cohort with higher Hb nadir, patients with Hb nadir <9.0 g/dL were more likely to be female (84.5% vs. 65.3%, P = 0.016), present with lower preoperative Hb (12.6 [1.5] g/dL vs. 13.8 [1.2] g/dL, P < 0.001), experience greater change in Hb after surgery (4.4 [1.5] g/dL vs. 3.7 [1.5] g/dL, P = 0.030), receive a postoperative blood transfusion (69.1% vs. 44.9%, P = 0.013), and have a longer length of stay (9.1 [4.8] days vs. 6.2 [3.2] days, P < 0.001). In patients with adult spinal deformity undergoing complex spine surgery, earlier targeted blood transfusions during surgery, rather than in the postoperative period, may lead to improved postoperative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies suggest an interaction between the level of physical activity and diet preference. However, this relationship has not been well characterized for sex differences that may exist. The present study examined the influence of sex on diet preference in male and female Wistar rats that were housed under either sedentary (no wheel access) (SED) or voluntary wheel running access (RUN) conditions. Following a 1 week acclimation period to these conditions, standard chow was replaced with concurrent ad libitum access to a choice of 3 pelleted diets (high-fat, high-sucrose, and high-corn starch) in the home cage. SED and RUN conditions remained throughout the next 4 week diet preference assessment period. Body weight, running distance, and intake of each diet were measured daily. At the conclusion of the 4 week diet preference test, animals were sacrificed and brains were collected for mRNA analysis. Fecal samples were also collected before and after the 4 week diet preference phase to characterize microbiota composition. Results indicate sex dependent interactions between physical activity and both behavioral and physiological measures. Females in both RUN and SED conditions preferred the high-fat diet, consuming significantly more high-fat diet than either of the other two diets. While male SED rats also preferred the high-fat diet, male RUN rats consumed significantly less high-fat diet than the other groups, instead preferring all three diets equally. There was also a sex dependent influence of physical activity on both reward related opioid mRNA expression in the ventral striatum and the characterization of gut microbiota. The significant sex differences in response to physical activity observed through both behavioral and physiological measures suggest potential motivational or metabolic difference between males and females. The findings highlight the necessity for further exploration between male and female response to physical activity and feeding behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ample research has demonstrated that alexithymia, which is characterized by difficulty processing emotions, is associated with disruptions in parenting infants and toddlers. Individuals suffering from alexithymia have among other negative outcomes difficulty building and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Research on emotional expression and recognition has documented the importance of these competencies for the quality of the parent-child relationship and for skills critical for parents of adolescents, such as effective monitoring. However, literature linking parental alexithymia to parenting behaviors and related constructs during adolescents is lacking. The present study closes this gap by examining how mothers' (M age = 39.42 years, SD = 7.62; Range = 23-67) alexithymia affects parent-reported behaviors of solicitation and control, as well as youths' (53.6% female; M age = 12.13 years, SD = 1.62; Range = 9-16) reported disclosure and felt acceptance by their mothers among a sample of 358 primarily urban, African American families. Structural equation models (SEM) revealed that mothers' alexithymia was prospectively related to less parental solicitation 2 years later for both males and females, and to lower levels of felt acceptance for males. Multiple group analyses revealed that these models fits equally well for younger and older youth. Contrary to hypotheses, alexithymia was not related to control or to disclosure. Taken together, these findings indicate that parents' difficulty in processing emotions contributes to parenting beyond early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Editorial Mention" that was published in the November 28, 1833 issue is presented.

Recent advances in eye-tracking technology afford the possibility to collect rich data on attentional focus in a wide variety of settings outside the lab. However, apart from anecdotal reports, it is not clear how to maximize the validity of these data and prevent data loss from tracking failures. Particularly helpful in developing these techniques would be to describe the prevalence and causes of tracking failures in authentic environments. To meet this goal, we analyzed video records aligned with eye-tracking data collected from screen-mounted eye trackers employed in a middle-school classroom. Our sample includes records from 35 students recorded during multiple eye-tracking sessions. We compared student head position, body posture, attentiveness, and social interactions for time periods associated with successful and unsuccessful eye tracking. Overall, we observed substantial data loss and found that student inattentiveness, movements toward the eye tracker, and head rotations were the most prevalent factors inducing data loss. In addition, we observed a substantial relationship between data loss and apparent low involvement in the learning task. These data suggest that eye-tracking data loss is an important problem and that it can present a threat to validity because it can bias datasets to overrepresent high involvement behaviors. Based on these findings, we present several recommendations for increasing the proportion of usable data and to counter possible biases that data loss may introduce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]