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Introduction: Altered subjective visual sensitivity manifests as feelings of discomfort or overload elicited by intense and irritative visual stimuli. This can result in a host of visual aberrations including visual distortions, elementary visual hallucinations and visceral responses like dizziness and nausea, collectively referred to as "pattern glare." Current knowledge of the underlying neural mechanisms has focused on overall excitability of the visual cortex, but the individual contribution of excitatory and inhibitory systems has not yet been quantified. Methods: In this study, we focus on the role of glutamate and ?-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as potential mediators of individual differences in subjective visual sensitivity, measured by a computerized Pattern Glare Test--a series of monochromatic square-wave gratings with three different spatial frequencies, while controlling for psychological variables related to sensory sensitivity with multiple questionnaires. Resting neurotransmitter concentrations in primary visual cortex (V1) and right anterior insula were studied in 160 healthy participants using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Results: Data showed significant differences in the perception of visual distortions (VD) and comfort scores between men and women, with women generally reporting more VD, and therefore the modulatory effect of sex was considered in a further examination. A general linear model analysis showed a negative effect of occipital glutamate on a number of reported visual distortions, but also a significant role of several background psychological traits. When assessing comfort scores in women, an important intervening variable was the menstrual cycle. Discussion: Our findings do not support that baseline neurotransmitter levels have a significant role in overreactivity to aversive stimuli in neurotypical population. However, we demonstrated that biological sex can have a significant impact on subjective responses. Based on this additional finding, we suggest that future studies investigate aversive visual stimuli while examining the role of biological sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human and animal osteological material from the polycultural site Jevišovka - Nová is dated back to several historical periods (Linear pottery culture, Moravian painted pottery culture, Únětice culture, La Tène culture, Roman Age, Migration period). This study aims to describe bones or other hard tissues anatomically and taxonomically, and to observe potential pathologies, varieties and taphonomical changes. Due to a low quantity of anthropological finds in the osteological assemblage, this study is focused mainly on the evaluation of inhabitants' relationship to domesticated animals in terms of subsistence strategies, and on subsequent data comparison for each period. We documented both domestic and wild fauna; the occurrence and the function of animal species were analogous to other archaeological sites from Moravia in these particular historical periods. Despite the low amount of analysed human remains, on the basis of archaeozoological analysis we were able to extend the knowledge of the local population throughout several episodes of settlement on this site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The osteological analysis of human and animal skeletal remains from polycultural site Pasohlávky - poloostrov was focused on the Únětice culture period, dated to about 2300-1700 BC. The anthropological analysis was aimed to estimate sex, age and stature of individuals using a broad spectrum of standard morphoscopic and metric methods, and to describe pathologies and anatomical varieties. In total ten individuals were examined, comprising of four men, three women, and three juveniles with intermediate sex. The archaeozoological analysis scoped to describe animal remains taxonomically and anatomically, to estimate age using standard archaeozoological methods, to determine pathologies or anatomical anomalies, and to describe taphonomic changes on these remains (caused by either humans or animals). Finally, the exploitation of domesticated species by humans living at this site was analyzed and we can conclude that the role of these species (typically bred in the late Bronze Age) is analogous to other Únětice culture sites from Moravia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]