Ce travail de thèse avait pour objectif d’étudier le rôle de l’hippocampe (HPC) ventral et des noyaux reuniens (Re) et rhomboïde (Rh) du thalamus dans les processus cognitifs qui sous-tendent la mémoire spatiale chez le Rat. Par l’utilisation d’approches complémentaires combinant l’imagerie cérébrale, la lésion excitotoxique, l’inactivation fonctionnelle réversible et des évaluations comportementales, nos résultats ont mis en évidence : (1) l’implication spécifique de l’HPC ventral uniquement dans le rappel d’informations spatiales ; (2) un rôle-clé des noyaux Re et Rh dans la persistance d’un souvenir spatial ; (3) l’implication des noyaux Re et Rh dans le labyrinthe du double-H, un nouveau test nécessitant d’une part, l’utilisation d’informations spatiales dépendant de l’intégrité de l’HPC dorsal, et d’autre part, une flexibilité comportementale, impliquant le cortex préfrontal médian. Ainsi, l’ensemble de ces résultats permet de proposer l’existence d’un circuit HPC-préfronto-thalamique impliqué dans divers aspects du traitement des informations spatiales. / The main objective of this thesis was to investigate the role of the ventral hippocampus (HPC) and the reuniens (Re) and rhomboid (Rh) thalamic nuclei in the cognitive processes underlying spatial memory in the Rat. If our results first confirmed, in the Morris water maze, the role of the dorsal HPC in the acquisition and retrieval of a spatial reference memory, we demonstrated the specific involvement of the ventral HPC only in the recall of spatial information. In addition, by using complementary approaches combining brain imaging, excitotoxic lesion and reversible functional inactivation, we were able to show for the first time a key role for the Re and Rh in the persistence of a spatial memory (25 days). Finally, the third set of experiments has highlighted the involvement of the Re and Rh in a mnemonic task performed in a new test, the double-H maze, which requires the use of spatial information depending on the integrity of the dorsal HPC, and a behavioral flexibility, involving the medial prefrontal cortex. Thus, taken together, these results suggest the involvement of a HPC-prefronto-thalamic network in various aspects of spatial information processing.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-22T20:50:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-03-30. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2015-08-11T03:26:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 Publico-12803.pdf: 1327527 bytes, checksum: 4fb071f9df6c6a7299fea37a3cbfb20a (MD5) / As orexinas são dois neuropeptídeos, orexina-A e orexina-B, derivados do mesmo gene precursor (pré-pro-orexina), produzidos em alguns milhares de neurônios localizados na área perifornicial do Hipotálamo lateral. Apesar de ter uma produção restrita ao hipotálamo, os neurônios orexinérgicos projetam-se amplamente para todo o cérebro regulando uma série de funções endócrinas e homeostáticas. Evidências recentes, no entanto, mostram o envolvimento do sistema da orexina no circuito de recompensa. Neste estudo avaliamos o envolvimento do sistema da orexina na sensibilização comportamental induzida por etanol. No experimento 1 foi utilizado o modelo de sensibilização comportamental e os animais do grupo salina, agudo (uma administração de EtOH) e crônico (7 administrações de EtOH) foram tratados durante 14 dias para verificar o desenvolvimento de sensibilização comportamental; após o término do tratamento os animais foram perfundidos e a imunorreatividade de duplas marcações para orexina e c-Fos foi avaliada pela técnica de imunohistoquímica. No experimento 2 foi utilizado o modelo de sensibilização comportamental para verificar se o antagonista de receptor do tipo 1 da orexina, SB 334867, bloqueia esse fenômeno. No primeiro experimento não houve diferença estatística entre os grupos salina, agudo e crônico quanto à ORX+c-Fos-IR; porém os animais tratados cronicamente com EtOH apresentaram uma tendência de aumento da dupla marcação de neurônios orexinérgicos indicando que o desenvolvimento da sensibilização comportamental produz ativação desses neurônios; além disso, os animais tratados cronicamente com etanol desenvolveram a sensibilização comportamental. No segundo experimento, o SB 334867 bloqueou a expressão deste fenômeno, indicando que o sistema orexinérgico parece influenciar de maneira importante o processo de sensibilização comportamental, já que a administração sistêmica do SB334867 bloqueou a expressão da sensibilização comportamental aos efeitos estimulantes do etanol em camundongos machos. / Orexins are two neuropeptides, orexin-A and orexin-B, derived from the same precursor gene (pre-pro-orexin) produced by a few thousand neurons located in the perifornical area of the lateral hypothalamus. Despite having a restricted production, orexinergic neurons project widely to brain structures that regulate a number of endocrine and homeostatic functions. Recent evidence suggests the involvement of the orexin system in the reward circuit. We evaluated the role of this system in ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization. In Experiment 1 was used the behavioral sensitization model (development), in which animals were chronically treated for 14 days with saline, acute ethanol after saline treatment or with ethanol (seven administration) to induce behavioral sensitization; at the end of the treatment animals were perfused and immunohistochemistry technique was used to determine double staining for orexin and c-Fos (ORX+c-Fos-IR). In Experiment 2 behavioral sensitization was induced and SB 334867, an orexin-1 receptor antagonist, was used to examine whether it could block the expression of this phenomenon. The results of Experiment 1 showed no statistical difference among the groups (saline, acute and chronic) as to ORX+c-Fos-IR, although animals chronically treated with EtOH exhibited an trend to more double staining of orexin neurons indicating that this treatment regimen activates this neuropeptide system. In the second experiment, SB 334867 blocked the expression of this phenomenon. The orexin system seems to influence the process of behavioral sensitization, since systemic administration of SB 334867 blocked the expression of this phenomenon induced by a stimulant dose of ethanol in male mice. / TEDE / BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertações

É reconhecido que as experiências que geram reações de medo são praticamente indeléveis do encéfalo dos organismos e que condicionamentos aversivos suscitam inúmeras respostas defensivas, como o congelamento, sendo esta resposta um indicador de medo em roedores. Vários trabalhos têm apontado para a relação entre alterações na transmissão dopaminérgica e os estados aversivos. Entretanto, observam-se resultados conflitantes com a utilização de drogas dopaminérgicas em diferentes modelos animais de ansiedade. Assim, investigações devem ainda ser realizadas objetivando avaliar a funcionalidade da modulação dopaminérgica nos estados emocionais aversivos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o envolvimento de mecanismos dopaminérgicos na expressão do medo condicionado ao contexto. Inicialmente foram avaliados os efeitos de agonistas (SKF 38393 e quimpirole) e antagonistas (SCH 23390 e sulpirida) de receptores D1 e D2 administrados sistemicamente sobre a expressão do medo condicionado contextual, sendo mensurado o tempo de congelamento dos animais. A atividade motora foi avaliada com o teste do campo aberto. Os resultados indicam que os receptores da família D2, e não D1, estão envolvidos na expressão do medo condicionado contextual, uma vez que a administração de quimpirole e sulpirida, mas não de SCH 23390 e SKF 38393, levou a uma diminuição do congelamento condicionado ao contexto. Não houve alterações na atividade motora dos animais. Com base nestes resultados foi levantada a hipótese de que a capacidade da sulpirida e do quimpirole em diminuir o medo condicionado poderia ocorrer devido a uma ação em receptores pós-sinápticos de estruturas do sistema mesocorticolímbico e em autoreceptores da área tegmental ventral (ATV), respectivamente, levando ao efeito comum de diminuição da atividade dopaminérgica. A fim de testar esta hipótese, foram realizadas microinjeções de quimpirole na ATV. Os resultados obtidos mostram uma diminuição da expressão do congelamento condicionado e que os efeitos obtidos com a administração sistêmica desse agonista de receptores D2 provavelmente devem-se a sua ação na ATV. Portanto, a ATV parece atuar na modulação das respostas de medo condicionado e a ativação desta estrutura deve ser importante para a recuperação da aprendizagem aversiva ocorrida no dia do condicionamento. / It is well established that experiences that generate fear reactions are practically unforgettable and that aversive conditioning raises several defensive responses such as freezing, which is an index of fear in rodents. Several studies have pointed to the existence of a relationship between changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission and aversive states. However, there are conflicting results in the literature with the use of dopaminergic drugs in different animal models of anxiety. Thus, further investigations should be conducted to evaluate the importance of dopaminergic modulation of aversive states. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the involvement of dopaminergic neurotransmission in the expression of contextual conditioned fear in rats. Initially, we evaluated the effects of intraperitoneal injections of D1 and D2 receptors agonists (SKF 38393 and quinpirole) and antagonists (SCH 23390 and sulpiride) in the expression of contextual conditioned fear by measuring the time of freezing response of the animals. The motor activity was evaluated in the open field test. The results indicate that the D2 receptors, but not D1 receptors, are involved in the expression of contextual conditioned fear, since administration of quinpirole and sulpiride, but not SCH 23390 and SKF 38393, decreased conditioned freezing to the context. There were no changes in motor activity of animals. Based on these results it was hypothesized that quinpirole and sulpiride probably acted on presynaptic and postsynaptic D2 receptors, respectively, leading to a decrease of dopaminergic neurotransmission in both cases. To test this hypothesis, microinjections of quinpirole were performed into the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The results show a decrease in the expression of conditioned freezing, indicating that the effects obtained with the intraperitoneal administration of the dopamine D2 receptor agonist is probably due to its action in the VTA. Therefore, dopaminergic mechanisms in the VTA seem to be important in the modulation of conditioned fear responses and activation of this structure appears to take place during the fear memory following the context aversive conditioning.

OLIVEIRA, A.R. Envolvimento de receptores dopaminérgicos da área tegmental ventral e do complexo basolateral da amígdala na aquisição e na expressão do medo condicionado. 2010. 93 f. Tese (Doutorado) Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo. O condicionamento Pavloviano é um dos paradigmas mais utilizados para estudar as bases biológicas das emoções, assim como da aprendizagem e memória. A dopamina (DA) é um dos principais neurotransmissores envolvidos na mediação de estados de medo e ansiedade. Um conjunto crescente de evidências dá suporte à hipótese de que a ativação da via mesocorticolímbica, proveniente de neurônios dopaminérgicos da área tegmental ventral (ATV), é particularmente sensível à estimulação aversiva. Entre as regiões inervadas por esta via, o complexo basolateral da amígdala (BLA) é um componente essencial dos circuitos neurais do medo condicionado. Assim, o presente estudo explorou o envolvimento de mecanismos DA da ATV e do BLA, através do uso de agonistas e antagonistas de receptores DA, na aquisição e expressão do medo condicionado à luz. Não houve efeito das drogas DA no sobressalto potencializado pelo medo (SPM), quando injetadas na ATV antes do condicionamento, indicando que os receptores DA da ATV não participam da aquisição do medo condicionado à luz. Ao contrário, quando injetado na ATV antes do teste, quimpirole (agonista D2) reduziu o SPM, enquanto as demais drogas não tiveram efeito. A administração de SCH 23390 (antagonista D1) no BLA não produziu efeitos no SPM, indicando que os receptores D1 do BLA não parecem envolvidos na expressão do SPM. Já a administração de sulpirida (antagonista D2) no BLA inibiu o SPM produzido pela luz. Além disso, a expressão do medo condicionado foi associada a um aumento do congelamento e dos níveis extracelulares de DA no BLA, ambos inibidos com a administração de quimpirole na ATV. A capacidade do quimpirole em diminuir o SPM e o congelamento condicionado parece ser resultado de sua ação em auto-receptores D2 da ATV. A ativação desses receptores diminui os níveis de dopamina em áreas que recebem terminações da via mesocorticolímbica. Os resultados com a sulpirida realçam a importância dos receptores D2 do BLA na expressão do medo condicionado Pavloviano. / OLIVEIRA, A.R. Involvement of dopaminergic receptors of ventral tegmental area and basolateral amygdala in the acquisition and expression of conditioned fear. 2010. 93 p. Thesis (Doctoral) Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo. The Pavlovian fear conditioning is one of the most used paradigms to study the biological basis of emotion, as well as of learning and memory. Dopamine (DA) is one of the most important neurotransmitters involved in mechanisms underlying states of fear and anxiety. A growing body of evidence supports the hypothesis that excitation of the mesocorticolimbic pathway, originating from DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), is particularly sensitive to fear-arousing stimuli. Among the forebrain regions innervated by this pathway, the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is an essential component of the neural circuitry of conditioned fear. The present study explored the involvement of VTA and BLA DA receptors, using DA agonists and antagonists, in the acquisition and expression of conditioned fear to a light conditioned stimulus (CS). None of the drugs used produced significant effects on fear-potentiated startle (FPS) when injected in VTA before conditioning, indicating that VTA DA receptors are not involved in the acquisition of conditioned fear to a light-CS. In contrast, when injected before the test session, intra-VTA quinpirole (D2 agonist) significantly reduced FPS, whereas the other drugs had no effect. Intra-BLA SCH 23390 (D1 antagonist) did not produce significant effects on FPS, indicating that BLA D1 receptors do not appear to be involved in the expression of FPS. On the other hand, intra-BLA sulpiride (D2 antagonist) inhibited FPS produced by light-CS previously paired with footshocks. Also, conditioned fear was associated with increased freezing and DA levels in the BLA, both inhibited by intra-VTA quinpirole. Quinpirole\'s ability to decrease FPS and conditioned freezing may be the result of an action on VTA D2 presynaptic autoreceptors. The activation of those receptors decreases dopamine levels in terminal fields of the mesocorticolimbic pathway. Sulpirides results stress the importance of BLA D2 receptors in the fear-activating effects of the Pavlovian conditioning.

Submitted by Cláudia Bueno (claudiamoura18@gmail.com) on 2016-07-13T19:34:20Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Liana da Silva Gomes - 2016.pdf: 2370951 bytes, checksum: 095accbdb536c0767a23abc7d237e045 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-07-14T13:35:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Liana da Silva Gomes - 2016.pdf: 2370951 bytes, checksum: 095accbdb536c0767a23abc7d237e045 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-14T13:35:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Liana da Silva Gomes - 2016.pdf: 2370951 bytes, checksum: 095accbdb536c0767a23abc7d237e045 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Normal prostate development is highly dependent of an equilibrated hormonal regulation, so that sensible interferences during this period may predispose the gland to lesions during ageing. Industrial activities have increased the exposure of this gland to active elements found in environment. Within these elements, we find aluminum, the first metal being and the third chemical element more abundant in earth crust. Independently from the complex form in which it can be found, it presents toxic effect for living beings having the potential to disrupt the development and growth of several organs and systems, when ingested in high doses. However, little scientific evidence shows the effects of exposure in the reproductive system. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the intrauterine exposure to aluminum chloride (AlCl3) may alter the male and female ventral prostate of neonatal and adult gerbil. Two groups where formed: control and AlCl3. The pregnant females received daily doses of AlCl3 (100 mg/Kg/day) or from the dilution vehicle, from 17th to 24th gestational day. Following the birth, males and females were separated and euthanized with 1 (PN1) and 90-days-old (PN90). The ventral prostates of male and females of the experimental groups were removed and collected, and later, structural, cytochemical and immunohistochemical analysis were conducted. Furthermore, the branching pattern of the prostate in one day-old animals was described by three dimensional reconstruction. Here, we demonstrate that the Al decreases the body weight of PN1 males and females, and also reduce the anogenital distance (AGD) of PN1 females. Moreover, Al changed the prostate developmental patterns of PN1 animals, causing an increase in proliferative status and decreasing androgen receptor (AR) immunomarking. These data suggests that the aluminum-promoted changes were permanent, since these differences in AR immunomarking were also observed either in adult females or males. Therefore, we reveal that the Al acts as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, changing the antiandrogenic activity of prostate epithelial and stromal cells. / desenvolvimento prostático, desde a etapa pré-natal até a puberdade, é controlado por ações hormonais de forma que sensíveis intervenções ambientais durante estes períodos podem predispor a glândula a desenvolver lesões durante a vida senil. Com o avanço da industrialização, tem sido cada vez maior a exposição aos elementos ativos no meio ambiente. Entre esses elementos, temos o alumínio (Al), sendo o primeiro metal e o terceiro elemento químico em massa mais abundante na crosta terrestre. Independente da forma complexada que pode vir a ser encontrado, ele apresenta um efeito tóxico significativo no ser humano que podendo causar alterações no crescimento e no desenvolvimento de sistemas distintos, quando ingerido em altas doses. Porém, poucas evidências científicas demonstram os efeitos da exposição no sistema reprodutor. Assim, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar se a exposição intrauterina ao cloreto de alumínio (AlCl3) pode alterar a próstata ventral masculina e feminina de gerbilos neonatos e adultos. Foram formados dois grupos: controle e AlCl3. As fêmeas grávidas receberam doses diárias de AlCl3 (100 mg/Kg/dia) ou do veículo de diluição (solução salina 0,9%), do dia 17 a 24 de gestação. Após nascimento, os machos e fêmeas foram separados e eutanaziados com um dia (PN1) e noventa dias (PN90) de idade. As próstatas ventrais dos machos e fêmeas dos grupos experimentais foram removidas e coletadas, e posteriormente, foram realizadas análises estruturais, citoquímicas e imunohistoquímicas. Além disso, o padrão de ramificação da próstata nos animais de um dia de idade foi descrito mediante reconstrução tridimensional (3D). Os resultados demonstraram que a exposição ao Al diminuiu o peso corpóreo das fêmeas e machos PN1, e reduziu a distância anogenital das fêmeas PN1. Além disso, o Al alterou o padrão de desenvolvimento prostático de machos e fêmeas PN1, tornando estas glândulas mais proliferativas e com reduzida imunomarcação para AR. As alterações promovidas pela exposição ao Al parecem ser permanentes, visto que modificações na expressão de receptores hormonais e altos índices de proliferação celular também são observados nas fêmeas e machos adultos. Estes dados indicam que o Al agiu como um desregulador endócrino sobre a próstata, exercendo atividade antiandrogênica sobre as células epiteliais e estromais prostáticas.

O processamento visual se dá por duas vias, Dorsal (localização/movimento) mobilizada por TRS (tempo de reação simples), e Ventral (forma/cor) mobilizada por TER (tempo de reação escolha). Apresentamos uma nova abordagem para se investigar a distribuição dos recursos atencionais. Os métodos psicofísicos vigentes amostram repetidas vezes poucos pontos. Optou-se por amostrar muitos pontos na tela do computador poucas vezes, obtendo-se amostragem de uma grande área. Obteve-se um mapa de detalhamento da distribuição atencional. Experimentos de atenção voluntária: I. Tarefa de TRS, mobilizando a via Dorsal. Na situação de atenção difusa. II. TRE, mobilizando a via Ventral. Os estímulos possíveis diferiam na cor e foram respondidos ao se pressionar um botão, atenção difusa. III. TRE, focando-se a atenção em duas molduras, caracterizando atenção dividida. Os resultados demonstraram um favorecimento do hemicampo inferior para a TRS e um favorecimento do hemicampo superior para TER. Apareceram dois focos na atenção dividida fortalecendo a hipótese da divisão atencional. / Visual processing has two pathways: Dorsal (localization/movement) mobilized for Simple Reaction Time tasks (SRT); Ventral (shape/color) mobilized for Choice Reaction Time tasks (CRT). We presented an approach to investigate visual attentional resources. Usual psychophysical methods sample many times few points. We opted to sample many points few times aiming to enlarge the sampled visual field. It was obtained major details of the attentional distribution. Voluntary attention task: I. SRT, for Dorsal pathway. Stimuli were different in color answered triggering a button, in a diffusion attention paradigm. II. CRT, for Ventral pathway. Stimuli were two different color answered by triggering a button for each color in a diffuse paradigm. III. CRT, experimental subject instructed to focus attention in two frames for a splitted attention paradigm. Results showed anisotropy in the diffuse attention distribution, favouring the lower hemifield for SRT and superior hemifield for CRT. The splitted attention paradigm evidenced the presence of two attentional focuses.

Master of Science / Department of Anatomy and Physiology / Michael J. Kenney / Hyperthermia is an environmental stressor that produces marked increases in visceral sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) in young rats. The brainstem in rats contains the essential neural circuitry for mediating visceral sympathetic activation; however, specific brainstem sites involved remain virtually unknown. The rostral ventral lateral medulla (RVLM) is a key central nervous system region involved in the maintenance of basal SND and in mediating sympathetic nerve responses evoked from supraspinal sites. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that inhibition of RVLM synaptic activation at peak hyperthermia (internal body temperature, Tc, increased to 41.5°C) would affect heating-induced visceral sympathetic activation. Experiments were completed in chloralose-urethane anesthetized, baroreceptor-intact and sinoaortic-denervated, 3-6 month-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Bilateral inhibition of RVLM synaptic activation produced by muscimol microinjections (400 and 800 pmol) at 41.5°C resulted in immediate and significant reductions in peak heating-induced renal and splenic sympathoexcitation. Interruption of RVLM synaptic activation and axonal transmission by lidocaine microinjections (40 nmol) at 41.5°C produced significant reductions in hyperthermia-induced sympathetic activation to similar levels produced by RVLM muscimol microinjections. The total amount of SND inhibited by RVLM muscimol and lidocaine microinjections was significantly more during hyperthermia (41.5°C) than normothermia (38°C). These findings demonstrate that maintenance of sympathetic activation at peak hyperthermia is dependent on the integrity of RVLM neural circuits.

No description available.

Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder,is characterized by loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. To date,there is no defined cause and cure for the disease. An ideal treatmentstrategy is to replace the lost neurons by transplanting fetal dopaminergicneurons to the brain of parkinsonian patients. Clinical trials have beenperformed and the outcome was variable where one significant obstaclewas the limited graft reinnervation of the host brain. To study this issue,organotypic tissue culture can be utilized to monitor dopaminergic nervefiber outgrowth in vitro and their association with astrocytes. Using thisculture technique, dopaminergic nerve fibers appear in twomorphologically and temporally different types. The early appearing nervefibers are formed in the absence of astrocytes, reach long distances, andare called non-glial-associated tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) -positive nervefibers. After a few days, the second sequence of nerve fibers, the glialassociatedTH-positive nerve fibers, are formed, and their growth arelimited to the presence of astrocytes, that migrate and form a monolayersurrounding the plated tissue. The aim of this thesis was to study theinteraction between nerve fiber formation and astrocytes with a specialfocus on the long-distance growing nerve fibers. Ventral mesencephalic(VM) organotypic slice cultures from embryonic day (E) 12, E14, and E18were incubated for 14, 21, 28, and 35 days in vitro (DIV). The resultsrevealed that the two morphologically different processes were found incultures from the younger stages, while no non-glial-associated growthwas found in cultures of tissue from E18. Instead neurons had migratedonto the migrating astrocytes. Astrocytes migrated longer distances intissue from older stages, and the migration reached a plateau at 21 DIV.Co-cultures of E14 VM tissue pieces and cell suspension of matureastrocytes promoted migration of neurons, as seen in E18 cultures. Thus,9the maturity of the astrocytes was an important factor for nerve fiberoutgrowth. Hence, targeting molecules secreted by astrocytes might bebeneficial for regeneration. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG), amember of proteoglycan family, is produced by the astrocytes and has adual role of being permissive during development and inhibitory afterbrain injury in adult brain. Cultures were treated with chondroitinase ABC(ChABC) or methyl-umbelliferyl-β-D-xyloside (β-xyloside) in twodifferent protocols, early and late treatments. The results from the earlytreated cultures showed that both compounds inhibited the outgrowth ofnerve fibers and astrocytic migration in cultures from E14 tissue, while β-xyloside but not ChABC promoted the non-glial-associated growth incultures derived from E18 fetuses. In addition, β-xyloside but not ChABCinhibited neuronal migration in E18 cultures. Taken together, β-xylosideappeared more effective than ChABC in promoting nerve fiber growth.Another potential candidate, integrin-associated protein CD47, was studiedbecause of its role in synaptogenesis, which is important for nerve fibergrowth. Cultures from E14 CD47 knockout (CD47-/-) mice were plated andcompared to their wildtypes. CD47-/- cultures displayed a massive and longnon-glial-associated TH-positive nerve fiber outgrowth despite theirnormal astrocytic migration. Blocking either signal regulatory protein-α(SIRPα) or thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), which bind to CD47, had nogrowth promoting effect. In conclusion, to promote nerve growth, youngertissue can grow for longer distances than older tissue, and inhibiting CSPGproduction promotes nerve growth in older tissue, while gene deletion ofCD47 makes the astrocytes permissive for a robust nerve fiber growth.

Neural responses in the primate ventral visual system become more complex in the later stages of the pathway. For example, not only do neurons in IT cortex respond to complete objects, they also learn to respond invariantly with respect to the viewing angle of an object and also with respect to the location of an object. These types of neural responses have helped guide past research with VisNet, a computational model of the primate ventral visual pathway that self-organises during learning. In particular, previous research has focussed on presenting to the model one object at a time during training, and has placed emphasis on the transform invariant response properties of the output neurons of the model that consequently develop. This doctoral thesis extends previous VisNet research and investigates the performance of the model with a range of more challenging and ecologically valid training paradigms. For example, when multiple objects are presented to the network during training, or when objects partially occlude one another during training. The different mechanisms that help output neurons to develop object selective, transform invariant responses during learning are proposed and explored. Such mechanisms include the statistical decoupling of objects through multiple object pairings, and the separation of object representations by independent motion. Consideration is also given to the heterogeneous response properties of neurons that develop during learning. For example, although IT neurons demonstrate a number of differing invariances, they also convey spatial information and view specific information about the objects presented on the retina. A updated, scaled-up version of the VisNet model, with a significantly larger retina, is introduced in order to explore these heterogeneous neural response properties.