Purpose: To investigate and characterize sensory sensitivity in Tourette syndrome (TS) through an evaluation of behaviour, perception and processing of tactile stimuli in children with TS and co-morbid Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) compared to typically developing controls (TDC). Methods: Somatosensory evoked P3 potentials were recorded in TS+ADHD and in TDC children aged 6-12 and compared at midline electrodes. Reported sensory sensitivity was measured using the Sensory Profile, while Semmes-Weinstein filaments were used to determine tactile threshold in the same area stimulated during P3 testing. Results: 13 TS+ADHD and 12 TDC were studied. TS+ADHD children reported significantly higher sensory sensitivity (p=.001) and demonstrated a significantly lower tactile threshold (p=.027) than TDC. Furthermore, the amplitude of electrophysiological responses to repetitive tactile stimuli was significantly larger in TS+ADHD (p=.0009). Conclusion: TS+ADHD children are significantly more sensitive to tactile stimulation than controls. ERP differences suggest that central processing alterations could mediate sensory hypersensitivity.

Purpose: To investigate and characterize sensory sensitivity in Tourette syndrome (TS) through an evaluation of behaviour, perception and processing of tactile stimuli in children with TS and co-morbid Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) compared to typically developing controls (TDC). Methods: Somatosensory evoked P3 potentials were recorded in TS+ADHD and in TDC children aged 6-12 and compared at midline electrodes. Reported sensory sensitivity was measured using the Sensory Profile, while Semmes-Weinstein filaments were used to determine tactile threshold in the same area stimulated during P3 testing. Results: 13 TS+ADHD and 12 TDC were studied. TS+ADHD children reported significantly higher sensory sensitivity (p=.001) and demonstrated a significantly lower tactile threshold (p=.027) than TDC. Furthermore, the amplitude of electrophysiological responses to repetitive tactile stimuli was significantly larger in TS+ADHD (p=.0009). Conclusion: TS+ADHD children are significantly more sensitive to tactile stimulation than controls. ERP differences suggest that central processing alterations could mediate sensory hypersensitivity.

abstract: Neurotoxicology has historically focused on substances that directly damage nervous tissue. Behavioral assays that test sensory, cognitive, or motor function are used to identify neurotoxins. But, the outcomes of behavioral assays may also be influenced by the physiological status of non-neural organs. Therefore, toxin induced damage to non- neural organs may contribute to behavioral modifications. Heavy metals and metalloids are persistent environmental pollutants and induce neurological deficits in multiple organisms. However, in the honey bee, an important insect pollinator, little is known about the sublethal effects of heavy metal and metalloid toxicity though they are exposed to these toxins chronically in some environments. In this thesis I investigate the sublethal effects of copper, cadmium, lead, and selenium on honey bee behavior and identify potential mechanisms mediating the behavioral modifications. I explore the honey bees’ ability to detect these toxins, their sensory perception of sucrose following toxin exposure, and the effects of toxin ingestion on performance during learning and memory tasks. The effects depend on the specific metal. Honey bees detect and reject copper containing solutions, but readily consume those contaminated with cadmium and lead. And, exposure to lead may alter the sensory perception of sucrose. I also demonstrate that acute selenium exposure impairs learning and long-term memory formation or recall. Localizing selenium accumulation following chronic exposure reveals that damage to non-neural organs and peripheral sensory structures is more likely than direct neurotoxicity. Probable mechanisms include gut microbiome alterations, gut lining damage, immune system activation, impaired protein function, or aberrant DNA methylation. In the case of DNA methylation, I demonstrate that inhibiting DNA methylation dynamics can impair long-term memory formation, while the nurse-to- forager transition is not altered. These experiments could serve as the bases for and reference groups of studies testing the effects of metal or metalloid toxicity on DNA methylation. Each potential mechanism provides an avenue for investigating how neural function is influenced by the physiological status of non-neural organs. And from an ecological perspective, my results highlight the need for environmental policy to consider sublethal effects in determining safe environmental toxin loads for honey bees and other insect pollinators. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Neuroscience 2016

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The diploma thesis deals with the use of our senses in art education. The theoretical part of the thesis clarifies concepts of "pedagogical constructivism, personality approach in the teaching of art education, creation as self-knowledge, sensory education", opens the question of experience as a starting point for art activities for contemporary pupils at the time of digital technologies. Our senses that come out of us are inseparable and ubiquitous, therefore they interfer with the various other components of our lives. So that's why the work tried to cover the senses to a wider extent of our conduct. Sometimes the theoretical part ranged from the chosen trajectory, but it was only because of the strong feelings of necessity to think about the question of human culture or at least to mention the anchoring of our education in history. This section also focuses on the psychological side of sensory sensitivity education. The five elaborated tasks in the didactic part bring a look into art lessons which characteristic features are experience, imagination, free decision and easiness, which originates from true sincerity and truthfulness towards oneself. The main inspirational component is sensory sensitivity. At the conclusion of the didactic part there is a summary of all reflective dialogues and...

The diploma thesis I touch, taste, smell, hear, see, create! deals with the significance of sensibility in reaching visual literacy in mentally impaired pupils. The theoretical part, based on special literature, devotes the first chapter to mental impairment definitions, education of people and characteristics of individual stages of mental impairment. The second chapter deals with the school subject visual arts education itself and its anchoring in the FEP (The Framework Educational Programme), school visual arts education curriculum at special school in Vrchlabí, specific features of graphic activity in children with mental impairment and visual literacy. The third chapter classifies sensual perception and describes the specifics of each sense individually in a mentally impaired pupil. The introduction of the practical part deals with the characteristics of the special primary school, an interview with a head teacher and the characteristics of individual children. The practical part is based on a proposal of a creative project of special education for mentally impaired pupils. Each didactic line is devoted to a particular development of senses: eyesight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. This creative project was tested at Special Primary School in Vrchlabí with four selected pupils aged from 10...

For water suppliers, using chlorine is necessary to ensure water bacteriological quality from the treatment plant to the consumers' tap. However, chlorine flavour is one of the most common reasons advocated for choosing tap water alternatives as drinking water. As a consequence, the putative link between chlorine flavour perception and tap water consumption is an issue in drinking water habits studies. Since the sensory mechanisms involved in chlorine flavour perception remained largely unknown, the main objective of this thesis work was to first highlight those mechanisms and then to identify potential lever chlorine flavour sensory neutralisation.In a first step, we demonstrated that hypochlorous acid associated, which is likelyresponsible of chlorine flavour in tap water, could activate the olfactory system at low concentrations and the trigeminal system for concentrations up to 4 mg/L Cl2. Additionally, our results suggested that tap water consumption does not seem to be related to sensitivity to chlorine flavour but rather to consumers' tap water representation.In a second stage, we explored the impact of water mineral matrix on chlorine flavour perception. We demonstrated first that water molarity and cationic content variations modulate drinking water taste. We also evidenced that chlorine flavour intensity is modulated according to water composition. Nevertheless, our data suggest that physico-chemical, in- mouth physiological and sensory mechanisms are likely involved in such modulation.In the last part of the Thesis work, we investigate the putative influence of aroma perceptionon chlorine flavour. Our results showed that beyond chemical reactions between hypochlorous acid and odorants, aromas at peri-threshold concentration enhance chlorine flavour and decrease tap water acceptability

La perception de notre environnement repose sur les informations sensorielles reçues, mais aussi sur nos a priori. Dans le cadre Bayésien, ces a priori capturent les régularités de notre environnement et sont essentiels pour inférer les causes de nos sensations. Récemment, les théories du cerveau Bayésien ont été appliquées à l'autisme pour tenter d'en expliquer les symptômes. Les troubles du spectre de l'autisme (TSA) sont caractérisés par des difficultés de compréhension des interactions sociales, par des comportements restreints et répétitifs, et par une perception sensorielle atypique.Cette thèse vise à caractériser l'inférence et l'apprentissage perceptifs dans les TSA, en étudiant la sensorialité et la construction d'a priori. Nous avons utilisé des tests comportementaux, des modèles computationnels, des questionnaires, de l'imagerie fonctionnelle et de la spectroscopie par résonnance magnétique chez des adultes avec ou sans TSA. La définition des profils sensoriels de personnes avec des hauts quotients autistiques a été affinée grâce à un questionnaire dont nous avons validé la traduction française. En explorant les stratégies d'apprentissage perceptif, nous avons ensuite montré que les personnes avec TSA étaient moins enclines à spontanément utiliser une mode d'apprentissage permettant de généraliser. L'étude de la construction implicite des a priori a montré que les personnes avec TSA étaient capables d'apprendre un a priori, mais l'ajustaient difficilement suite à un changement de contexte. Enfin, l'étude des corrélats neurophysiologiques de l'inférence perceptive a révélé un réseau cérébral et une neuromodulation différents dans les TSA.L'ensemble de ces résultats met en lumière une perception atypique dans les TSA, marquée par un apprentissage et une pondération anormale des a priori. Une approche Bayésienne des TSA pourrait améliorer leur caractérisation, diagnostics et prises en charge / How we perceive our environment relies both on sensory information and on our priors or expectations. Within the Baysian framework, these priors capture the underlying statistical regularities of our environment and allow inferring sensation causes. Recently, Bayesian brain theories suggested that autistic symptoms could arise from an atypical weighting of sensory information and priors. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is characterized defined by difficulties in social interactions, by restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors, and by an atypical sensory perception.This thesis aims at characterizing perceptual inference and learning in ASD, and studies sensory sensitivity and prior learning. This was investigated using behavioral tasks, computational models, questionnaires, functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in adults with or without ASD. Sensory profiles in people with high autism spectrum quotients were first refined, using a questionnaire that we validated in French. The study of perceptual learning strategies then revealed that subjects with ASD were less inclined to spontaneously use a learning style enabling generalization. The implicit learning of priors was explored and showed that subjects with ASD were able to build up a prior but had difficulties adjusting it in changing contexts. Finally, the investigation of the neurophysiological correlates and molecular underpinnings of a similar task showed that perceptual decisions biased by priors relied on a distinct neural network in ASD, and was not related to the same modulation by the glutamate/GABA ratio.The overall results shed light on an atypical learning and weighting of priors in ASD, resulting in an abnormal perceptual inference. A Bayesian approach could help characterizing ASD and could contribute to ASD diagnosis and care

Pour les distributeurs d’eau, l’utilisation de chlore permet d’assurer la qualité bactériologique de l’eau, de l’usine de traitement au robinet du consommateur. Cependant, la flaveur chlore constitue une des plaintes les plus importantes adressée à l’encontre de l’eau du robinet et constitue donc un enjeu majeur de satisfaction des consommateurs. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif des travaux engagés dans cette thèse a été de mettre en évidence des moyens potentiels de neutralisation sensorielle de la flaveur chlore dans l’eau. Néanmoins, les mécanismes impliqués dans la perception de cette flaveur étant largement méconnu, notre première étape a consisté à préciser la nature de ces mécanismes. Nos résultats ont ainsi mis en évidence que l’acide hypochloreux sous sa forme associée, qui est le stimulus supposé de la flaveur chlore dans l’eau, active le système olfactif à faibles concentrations et le système trigéminal à partir de 4 mg/L. De plus, nous avons observé que la consommation d’eau du robinet ne semble pas liée à la sensibilité au chlore mais plutôt à la représentation qu’ont les consommateurs de l’eau du robinet. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons exploré le rôle de la matrice de l’eau dans la perception de la flaveur chlore. Nous avons d’abord montré que les variations de molarité et de composition en cations de l’eau modulent le goût de l’eau. Nous avons ensuite mis en évidence une modulation de l’intensité chlorée en fonction de la matrice minérale de l’eau. Cependant, nos données suggèrent l’existence de mécanismes multiples, physicochimiques, physiologiques en bouche et sensoriels, susceptibles de moduler la perception de la flaveur chlore. Enfin, nous avons exploré les interactions perceptives entre un arôme supposé neutralisant et ajouté à l’eau de boisson et la flaveur chlore. Nos résultats montrent que l’ajout d’un arôme à un niveau péri-liminaire augmente la perception de la flaveur chlore et diminue l’acceptabilité des consommateurs. A plus forte concentrations, certains arômes semblent capables de diminuer la perception du chlore, mais ces conditions sont incompatibles avec les contraintes liées à l’eau de distribution / For water suppliers, using chlorine is necessary to ensure water bacteriological quality from the treatment plant to the consumers’ tap. However, chlorine flavour is one of the most common reasons advocated for choosing tap water alternatives as drinking water. As a consequence, the putative link between chlorine flavour perception and tap water consumption is an issue in drinking water habits studies. Since the sensory mechanisms involved in chlorine flavour perception remained largely unknown, the main objective of this thesis work was to first highlight those mechanisms and then to identify potential lever chlorine flavour sensory neutralisation.In a first step, we demonstrated that hypochlorous acid associated, which is likelyresponsible of chlorine flavour in tap water, could activate the olfactory system at low concentrations and the trigeminal system for concentrations up to 4 mg/L Cl2. Additionally, our results suggested that tap water consumption does not seem to be related to sensitivity to chlorine flavour but rather to consumers’ tap water representation.In a second stage, we explored the impact of water mineral matrix on chlorine flavour perception. We demonstrated first that water molarity and cationic content variations modulate drinking water taste. We also evidenced that chlorine flavour intensity is modulated according to water composition. Nevertheless, our data suggest that physico-chemical, in- mouth physiological and sensory mechanisms are likely involved in such modulation.In the last part of the Thesis work, we investigate the putative influence of aroma perceptionon chlorine flavour. Our results showed that beyond chemical reactions between hypochlorous acid and odorants, aromas at peri-threshold concentration enhance chlorine flavour and decrease tap water acceptability