<p>Multiple reference frames are used to interact with our surroundings. When these reference frames are in conflict, processing errors can occur. For tactile stimuli, this conflict is highlighted when the hands are crossed over the midline of the body. In this posture, vibrotactile temporal order judgments (TOJs) presented to the hands are impaired compared to an uncrossed posture. This decrease in temporal processing is known as the crossed-hands deficit. The deficit was explored in depth throughout this thesis. In Chapters 2, 3 and 4 different elements of the crossed-hands deficit were evaluated including its connections to the rod and frame test, individual and sex differences within the TOJ task, as well as the influence of vision and body position. These elements were framed with underlying goal of investigating the root cause of the deficit. The data presented here provided evidence for a conflict model of crossed hands processing. A conflict between the internal and external reference frames produced the deficit in temporal processing when the hands were crossed. The role of the body’s midline in understanding multisensory integration was further considered in Chapter 5 through the rubber hand illusion, which is a visuotactile phenomenon whereby an unseen real hand is mislocalized towards a seen rubber hand. When the real hand, rubber hand, or both were crossed over the midline the illusion did not occur. It was hypothesized that a failure to integrate the tactile information presented to the real hand with the visual rubber hand was responsible for the absence of the illusion. Taken together, the data presented in this thesis contribute to the greater understanding of how reference frame conflicts are resolved, particularly when the conflict occurs across the body’s midline.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:37:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AlaneMS_DISSERT1red.pdf: 4031089 bytes, checksum: da896508e54d2cd0138d081ad42b95de (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-27 / Funda??o de Apoio ? Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte / The midline/intralaminar nuclei form a remarkable group of nuclei of the medial and dorsal thalamus. The midline nuclei, in rats, comprises the paratenial nuclei (PT), paraventricular (PV), intermediodorsal (IMD), reuniens (Re) and rhomboid (Rh). The intralaminar nuclei comprises the central medial (CM), paracentral (PC), central lateral (CL) and parafascicular (PF). Such nuclei have dense serotonergic innervation originating from the brainstem, especially from the so-called ascending activation system. These nuclei, in turn, send projections to various cortical and subcortical areas, specifically to limbic areas, which suggests the important role of this neurotransmitter in the limbic circuitry. The aim of this study was to characterize the distribution pattern and morphology of serotonin fibers in the nuclei of the midline and intralaminar thalamic of rocky cavy (Kerodon rupestris), a tipical rodent from brazilizan northeast. To reach this aim we used four rock cavies adults. Following the transcardially perfusion with paraformaldehyde and brain microtomy steps was performed immunohistochemistry for serotonin (5-HT), Nissl technique and subsequent achievement and image analysis to characterize the cytoarchitecture of these nuclei and the serotonergic fibers visualized. An analysis was made of Relative Optical Density (ROD) to semi-quantify the concentration of serotonin fibers in the areas of interest. Thus, we observed a cytoarchitectonic arrangement of these nuclei similar to that found in rats. In case of fibers distribution, those immunoreactive to 5-HT were presented in a higher concentration according as ROD in the midline nuclei relative to intralaminar; Re being the core which has a higher pixel value followed by the PV , Rh, IMD and PT. In intralaminar CL showed higher pixels, followed by nuclei CM, PC and PF. The serotonergic fibers were classified as number of varicosities and axon diameter, therefore find three types of fibers distributed through this nuclear complex: fibers rugous, granular and semi-granular. In PV fibers predominated rugous; in PT fibers predominated granular; IMD, CL and PF fibers were represented by semi-granular and Re, Rh, PC and CM fibers showed granular and semi-granular. Morphological characterization of serotonergic fibers and differences in density between the nuclei may suggest different patterns of synaptic organization of this neurotransmitter beyond confirming his large repertoire functional / O complexo nuclear da linha m?dia/intralaminar forma um not?vel grupo de n?cleos da parte medial e dorsal do t?lamo. Os n?cleos da linha m?dia, em ratos, s?o compreendidos pelos n?cleos paratenial (PT), paraventricular (PV), intermediodorsal (IMD), reuniens (Re) e romb?ide (Rh). J? os intralaminares compreendem os n?cleos central medial (CM), paracentral (PC), central lateral (CL) e parafascicular (PF). Tais n?cleos apresentam densa inerva??o seroton?rgica oriunda do tronco encef?lico, a partir, principalmente, do denominado sistema de ativa??o ascendente. Esses n?cleos, por sua vez, emitem proje??es para diversas ?reas corticais e subcorticais, mais especificamente para ?reas l?mbicas, o que prop?e o importante papel desse neurotransmissor na circuitaria l?mbica. O objetivo desse trabalho foi caracterizar o padr?o de distribui??o e morfologia das fibras de seroton?rgicas nos n?cleos da linha m?dia e intralaminares do t?lamo do moc? (Kerodon rupestris), um roedor t?pico da regi?o Nordeste. Para isso, foram utilizados 4 moc?s adultos jovens. Ap?s etapas de perfus?o e microtomia, foi realizada imunoistoqu?mica para serotonina (5-HT), t?cnica de Nissl e posterior coleta e an?lise de imagens a fim de caracterizar a citoarquitetura desses n?cleos, bem como as fibras de 5-HT neles visualizadas. Foi realizada ainda uma an?lise de Densidade ?ptica Relativa (DOR) para semiquantificar a concentra??o de fibras de 5-HT nas ?reas de interesse. Sendo assim, observamos uma distribui??o citoarquitet?nica desses n?cleos semelhante ao observado em ratos. Em se tratando da distribui??o de fibras, aquelas imunorreativas a 5-HT apresentaram-se em maior concentra??o, conforme a DOR, nos n?cleos da linha m?dia em rela??o aos intralaminares, sendo o Re o n?cleo que apresenta maior valor de pixels, seguido do PV, Rh, IMD e PT. Nos intralaminares o CL apresentou maior valor de pixels, seguido dos n?cleos CM, PC e PF. As fibras seroton?rgicas foram classificadas conforme n?mero de varicosidades, bem como di?metro axonal. Assim, encontramos tr?s tipos de fibras distribu?das atrav?s desse complexo nuclear: fibras rugosas, granulares e semi-granulares. No PV predominaram fibras rugosas; PT predominaram fibras granulares; IMD, CL e PF foram representados por fibras semi-granulares e Re, Rh, PC e CM apresentaram fibras granulares e semi-granulares. A caracteriza??o morfol?gica das fibras seroton?rgicas encontradas e as diferen?as de densidades entre os n?cleos permite sugerir diferentes padr?es de organiza??o sin?ptica deste neurotransmissor al?m de confirmar seu grande repert?rio funcional

Des études récentes ont montré le rôle clé de la ligne médiane ventrale du thalamus (noyaux Reuniens et Rhomboïde; ReRh) dans la persistance d’une mémoire spatiale chez le Rat qui nécessite un dialogue hippocampo-préfrontal pour une consolidation au niveau des systèmes. Etant donné que l’environnement enrichi (EE) favorise la récupération d’une mémoire de type déclarative après une lésion diencéphalique (thalamus antérieur) et augmente la plasticité neuronale, nous avons évalué son impact sur la consolidation/rappel d'une mémoire spatiale ancienne en piscine de Morris (25 jours post-acquisition) chez le rat après une lésion des noyaux ReRh. Pour cela, nous avons exposé les animaux pendant 40 jours à un environnement enrichi débutant 2 semaines après la lésion excitotoxique thalamique. En outre, l’expression du gène précoce, c-fos, a été cartographiée en immunohistochimie comme marqueur de l'activité neuronale dans l'hippocampe dorsal, le cortex préfrontal médian (mPFC), les noyaux intralaminaires du thalamus et l’amygdale. L’EE a permis la récupération des capacités de persistance d’une mémoire spatiale chez les rats lésés ReRh, accompagnée d’effets bénéfiques sur l'anxiété et l'habituation à un nouvel environnement. L’immunohistochimie de la protéine Fos a montré un recrutement plus élevé des neurones du mPFC associé à la récupération fonctionnelle chez les rats ReRh enrichis, alors que les rats ReRh élevés en condition standard ont présenté un défaut d’activation dans cette région associé à une altération des performances de mémoire. De plus, l’hyperactivité de l’amygdale induite par la lésion chez les rats ReRh standard à la fois en condition basale et après le rappel d’une mémoire a été significativement atténuée dans le groupe ReRh enrichi. Ainsi, nous avons suggéré que l'amygdale pourrait être impliquée dans les effets de la lésion ReRh sur la perte des capacités de rappel d’une mémoire ancienne, mais aussi dans la récupération fonctionnelle associée à la restauration de l’activité du mPFC au rappel de cette mémoire chez les rats lésés enrichis. / Recent studies have shown the key role of the ventral midline thalamus (Reuniens and Rhomboid nuclei; ReRh) in spatial memory persistence in rats, which requires a hippocampo- prefrontal dialogue for consolidation at the systems-level. As enriched environment (EE) promotes the recovery of declarative-like memories after diencephalic (anterior thalamus) lesion, and enhances neuronal plasticity, we tested its impact on the effects of the ReRh lesion upon the consolidation/retrieval of a remote spatial memory in a Morris water maze (i.e. 25 post-acquisition days). For this purpose, we exposed rats for 40 days to an enriched environment beginning 2 weeks after fiber-sparing excitotoxic thalamic lesions. In addition, the expression of the immediate early gene, c-fos, was mapped by immunohistochemistry as a marker of functional activity in the dorsal hippocampus, the median prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the intralaminar thalamic nuclei and the amygdala. Enriched housing allows the recovery of spatial memory persistence capacities in ReRh rats, with additional beneficial effects on anxiety and habituation to a novel environment. Immunohistochemistry of the Fos protein showed a higher recruitment of the mPFC, concomitant with memory capacities recovery in enriched ReRh rats, while in standard ReRh rats, Fos expression in the mPFC was significantly decreased together with the alteration of memory performance. The lesion-induced amygdala hyperactivity in basal and memory conditions was significantly attenuated in the ReRh enriched group. We suggested that amygdala might be involved in the effect of ReRh lesion on memory persistence, and also in the functional recovery associated with the restoration of the mPFC activity during remote memory retrieval in enriched ReRh rats.

<p>Urođeni rascep sa naborom u prednjoj srednjoj liniji vrata (UR-N PSLV) je retka anomalija sa oko 100-150 bolesnika opisanih u literaturi. Tipičan rascep se sastoji od atrofične, ružičaste kože u obliku žleba, kožne prominencije na gornjem kraju i potkožnog sinusa na donjem kraju tzv. rascepa. Ispod ovih elemenata nalazi se potkožna vezivno-mi&scaron;ićna traka koja izaziva nabor na vratu. Izolovani nabor vrata, kao jedan od tipova rascepa, ima samo potkožnu traku i podbradnu kožnu izraslinu. U radu analiziramo seriju od 11 bolesnika sa UR-N PSLV operisanih u periodu od 12 godina (jul 1998. - jun 2010.). Rezultati lečenja sagledani su u pogledu preciznosti postavljanja dijagnoze (diferencijalna dijagnoza anomalija i oboljenja PSLV) i analize posleoperativnih funkcionalnih i estetskih karakteristika (vrednost cervikomentalnog ugla-CMU, veličina ekstenzije glave i vrata-EGV i karakteristike ožiljka). Rezultati operativnog lečenja rascepa primenom multiple &bdquo;Z&rdquo; plastike sa 4-10 kožnih režnjeva poređeni su sa Sistrunkovom operacijom kod bolesnika sa cistom tiroglosnog duktusa-TGDC (ukupno 128 bolesnika u seriji). S obzirom na veliki broj bolesnika sa različitim izgledom anomalije učinjena je podela UR-N PSLV na tipove (I-IV) i podtipove. Rascep se po embriopatogenezi, izgledu i patohistolo&scaron;kim (PH) karakteristikama jasno razlikuje od TGDC. Deskriptivnom embriologijom rascep se defini&scaron;e kao poremećaj u spajanju prednjih krajeva II (nekad i I) ždrelnih lukova. Kompresija srca u razvoju i odloženo ispravljanje vrata imaju značajnu ulogu. Kožna izraslina je rabdomiomatozni mezenhimalni hamartom kod svih na&scaron;ih bolesnika. Kaudalni sinus po PH izgledu ukazuje na bronhogeno poreklo. Operacijom rascepa vrata ne postiže se normalan CMU i potpuna EGV. Operacijom TGDC vi&scaron;e se menja CMU nego EGV, ali su vrednosti bliže kontrolnoj grupi nego kod dece sa rascepom. Ožiljci, posebno kosi delovi &bdquo;Z&rdquo; plastike, posle operacije UR-N su lo&scaron;ije&nbsp; ocenjeni nego posle operacije TGDC (parametrijski testovi pokazuju manju razliku). Na estetiku i funkcionalnost vrata i glave posle operacije rascepa veoma mnogo utiču hipoplazija donje vilice i deficit mekih struktura prednje strane vrata. Nova operativna tehnika (poprečna eliptična ekscizija i incizija u dva nivoa ili <em>step incision</em>, sa dodatnom &bdquo;Z&rdquo; plastikom na platizmi) primenjena kod dva bolesnika (pri kraju analize rezultata u studiji) daje nadu u dobijanje boljih posleoperativnih rezultata.</p> / <p>Congenital midline cervical cleft and web (CMCC-W) is a rare anomaly with about 100-150 cases described in the literature. The typical CMCC consists of midline groove of atrophic, erythematous skin with a skin protuberance cranially, and a subcutaneous blind sinus tract on the lower end of so-called cleft. Subcutaneous fibro-muscular band is located underneath, causing the web. Isolated CMCW, as one of the cleft types, includes only subcutaneous band and submental skin prominence. We analyzed a series of 11 patients with CMCC-W during the 12-year period (July 1998-June 2010). Treatment outcomes were evaluated according to precisely established diagnosis (differential diagnosis of anomalies and diseases of midline neck) and analysis of postoperative functional and aesthetic features (value of cervico-mental angle (CMA), head and neck extension (HNE) and characteristics of the scar). The results of the surgical treatment using multiple Z-plasty technique with 4-10 skin flaps were compared with Sistrunk procedure in patients with thyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) (total of 128 patients in the series). Since a great number of patients had different forms of anomaly, the cases were divided into types (I-IV) and subtypes. Regarding embryo pathogenesis, appearance and histopathology, there was a clear difference between CMCC and TGDC. A cleft is defined, due to descriptive embryology, as a failure of the second (sometimes and first) pharyngeal arches to fuse in the midline. Compression of the heart and postponed extension of the neck played an important role during development period. Skin prominence was a rhabdomyomatous mesenchymal hamartoma in all our patients. Histopathology of the caudal sinus indicated the bronchogenic origin. The normal CMA and complete HNE were not achieved by the operation of CMCC-W. TGDC operation effects more CMA than HNE, but the values are closer to control group than in children having a cleft. Scars, especially oblique parts of Z plasty, after the operation CMCC-W were worse than after TGDC (parametric tests showed lesser difference). Hypoplasia of the mandible and vertical soft-tissue deficit of the anterior neck have a great impact on aesthetics and functionality of the head and neck after cleft surgery. New operative technique (two level transverse elliptical excision and incision or step incision &ndash; with the additional Z-plasty of platysma) was applied in two patients (at the end of the analysis of the results in the study) gives a new hope regarding better postoperative results.</p>

No description available.

No description available.