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1。被験者募集<ol><li>被験者は、約3000の学生ボランティアのリストを含むオンラインデータベース5を介して募集しています。このリストから、我々は、以前に同様の研究に参加していない女性に連絡し、彼らはこの研究に参加することに興味があるかどうかを訊いてみて下さい。急性テストステロン投与がよく、女性6,7の間で確立された後、我々は、神経生理学的効果の経時変化として排他的に女性を誘う。男性の場合は、この時間経過は、まだ非常によく理解されていない。 </li><li>興味のある被験者は、その後、薬物の摂取量、身体疾患、ホルモン避妊あるいは神経学的または精神疾患を除外するために電話インタビューで上映されています。 </li><li>性ホルモンの内在性レベルは、女性の月経周期の最初の部分の中で低く安定である傾向があるため、我々は安定性とサイクルの持続時間に関する情報を取得する2番目の電話インタビューを実施。被験者は、その後、それらの月経周期の初めから10日以内に実験に来るように誘われる。彼らはさらに実験前に24時間アルコールやカフェイン摂取と喫煙を控えるように指示されます。 </li><li>被験者は、チューリッヒ、スイスでは、経済学における実証研究のための研究所の実験室〜12の平均的なサイズのグループに招待されています。 </li></ol> 2。実験手順<ol><li>すべてのセッションでは、ステロイドホルモン濃度の日内変動をコントロールするために午後1時から始まります。 </li><li>我々は、妊娠を阻止するために、実験の開始前に妊娠検査を実施する。 </li><li>実験の準備では、テストステロンと視覚的に見分けがつかないプラセボ薬は、ランダムにtwelveワークステーションに配布されているそうでなければ実験に関与していない人が実験室内で12個つをマーク。 </li><li>実験室の入り口に、12の主題のそれぞれはその上に隠し番号がカードを引く。番号は1から12回に及ぶ。 </li><li>被験者は、36のコンピュータの職場の合計に恵まれている実験室に運ばれている。被験者は、探し出し、彼らは入り口で描いたカードに記載されていると同じ番号が付いている職場で座ってするように指示されています。 </li><li>すべての被験者は、インフォームドコンセントのフォームを読み、署名する。 </li><li>我々は、唾液の検体採取のためにIBL SaliCapsキット（IBL -ハンブルク、ハンブルク、ドイツ）を使用してベースライン唾液テストステロンとコルチゾールの濃度を測定する。被験者は、その後直ちに-80凍結されている試験管、℃に唾液を1 mLを転送することが求​​められます</li><li>被験者は、彼らの口に舌下錠剤を取るためにそれをかむために、1分間自分の口の中に崩壊する物質を維持する要求されます。口腔粘膜とHP -β- CDテストステロンの包接錯体の最大接触を達成するために、被験者は自分の舌で旋回運動を行うように指示されます。 1分後に、物質の残りは、100mLの水を使用して飲み込まれる。 </li><li>すぐに物質の投与後に、被験者は、別のアンケートを完了する必要があります。我々は、状態特性不安インベントリー9と国家-形質怒りの表現のインベントリ10によって、多次元ムードアンケートの手段（MDBF）8と不安と怒りの特性や状態によって気分や覚醒を測定する。これらのアンケートは、被験者の偶発的な気分、怒りと不安状態のすべての可能な効果のためだけでなく、性格特性のための制御の目的を持っている。さらに、被験者は自分の精神的健康を測定するため90項目の症状のチェックリスト（改訂版）11の検証ドイツ語バージョンを実行してください。非常に高得点を（悪い心理的な健康状態を示す平均上記の2つの標準偏差、）持っている人は、データ分析から除外されます。 若い、健康な女性6,7で0.5 mgのテストステロンの舌下適用後の行動への影響の出現のための4時間の確立のタイムラグのために、長い待機期間は、我々の研究の不可欠な部分です。この期間中、私たちの被験者は実験室のお部屋に滞在し、自身が静かに退屈する必要があります。これは研究室の外では社会的相互作用が交絡し対策を生じさせることができる場所を取らないようにすることです。 </li></ol> 3。最後通牒ゲーム<ol><li>被験者は、ゲーム内での役割のための命令や紙の上にペイオフのルールを受信し、それらを読むように指示されています。我々はそれらの命令の最後にいくつかのコントロールの問題を完成させることによって利得構造の彼らの理解を確認してください。 </li><li>私たちは、その後、経口実験手順をまとめる。この理由は、被験者は他の人がゲームの構造に関して同じ情報を持つとどのようにペイオフARことを知っていることを保証することであるeはまた、&quot;常識&quot;と呼ばれる、決定。次のように要約は以下のとおりです。 </li><li> &quot;最後通牒ゲームは10通貨単位（MUが）の一部門に同意する持っているプレーヤーの2つのタイプ、提案者と応答者、で再生されます。提案者は10 MUの分布を決定することができます。この実験では、提案者は、応答側に5のオファー、3、2、または0 MUを提案することができます。レスポンダは、この提案を受け入れるか拒否するかのどちらか持っている。レスポンダは、提案者の申し出を受け入れると、提案された割り当てが実装され、支払われます。しかし、応答者はまた、提案を拒否することができますが、この場合にどちらの当事者が何を稼いでいる&quot;。 </li><li>私たちは、公正（5 MUは）と5にオファーを制限することで、（3、2または0のMUが）不公平として認識されるオファー、3、2または0のMUはみなされている特典との間の明確な分離を確保する。被験者はランダムにし、匿名で提案者またはレスポンダのどちらかの役割に割り当てられ、次に全体の実験のためにこのロールのままされています。つの異なるランダムに選択された相互作用パートナーとペアにしながらすべての提案者は、MUのディストリビューションにある3つの提案を行います。被験者のないペアは、複数回相互作用しません。彼らは実験で一致している人がい者の身元を知ることはありません。提案者は、実験終了まで応答者&quot;の選択肢についてのフィードバックを受信して​​いません。最後通牒ゲームにおけるすべての決定は、zTreeソフトウェアで実装され、コンピュータの画面12に表示されます。 </li><li>テストステロンは、大衆紙の中で最も広く議論されているホルモンの一つであることから、それは、被験者がその効果は約13あらかじめ形成された信念を（trueまたはfalse）を持っている可能性があります。倫理的な懸念は、研究者はそれらのいずれかプラセボまたはテストステロンを受け取ることを被験者に通知するために必要なため、さらに、テストステロンについての事前知識は行動にテストステロンの可能性のある影響を汚染する可能性があります。したがって、我々は、彼らがテストステロンまたは偽薬を受け取っていると思うかどうかを被験者に要求することで知覚されるグループの割り当てを評価する。 </li><li>知覚グループの割り当ては、いくつかの社会経済的特性と一緒に最後のアンケートに記録されます。最後のアンケート中に我々は被験者の支払いを準備。 </li></ol> 4。件名お支払い<ol><li>被験者は実験に参加するための百スイスフランの基本料金を受け取る。実際の金銭的インセンティブの使用が大幅に潜在的な社会的望ましさのバイアスとバイアスされた自己認識を減らします。そのため、各被験者は最後通牒ゲームで獲得した各MU用のスイスフラン（約1米ドル）を受け取ります。各被験者は、実験の最後にある基本料に加え、プライベートで獲得したMUが構成される彼または彼女の収入を受け取る。 </li></ol>

<ol>
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A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Early+Androgen+Stimulation+and+Aggressive+Behavior+in+Male+and+Female+Mice.">Early Androgen Stimulation and Aggressive Behavior in Male and Female Mice.</a> Physiology &#38; Behav. 4, 333-338 (1969).</li><li>Archer, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Testosterone+and+human+aggression:+an+evaluation+of+the+challenge+hypothesis.">Testosterone and human aggression: an evaluation of the challenge hypothesis.</a> Neurosci Biobehav R. 30, 319-345 (2006).</li><li>Mazur, A., Booth, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Testosterone+and+dominance+in+men.">Testosterone and dominance in men.</a> Behav Brain Sci. 21, 353-363 (1998).</li><li>Josephs, R. 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S., Schutter, D. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Testosterone+reduces+unconscious+fear+but+not+consciously+experienced+anxiety:+implications+for+the+disorders+of+fear+and+anxiety.">Testosterone reduces unconscious fear but not consciously experienced anxiety: implications for the disorders of fear and anxiety.</a> Biol Psychiatry. 58, 218-225 (2005).</li><li>Steyer, R., Schwenkmezger, P., Notz, P., Eid, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Der Mehrdimensionale Befindlichkeitsfragebogen (MDBF) [Multidimensional Mood Questionnaire. , (1997).</li><li>Laux, L., Glanzmann, P., Schaffner, P., Spielberger, C. 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P., Loomes, G., Moffatt, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Experimental economics : rethinking the rules. , (2009).</li><li>Eisenegger, C., Naef, M., Snozzi, R., Heinrichs, M., Fehr, E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Prejudice+and+truth+about+the+effect+of+testosterone+on+human+bargaining+behaviour.">Prejudice and truth about the effect of testosterone on human bargaining behaviour.</a> Nature. 463, 356-359 (2010).</li></ol>

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平均が提供している場合、結果が有効であることを示しているが観測されている他の研究で見つかったものと似ています。通常は、平均的なオファーは、30の間です- 40総額の％と被験者の約半数が等しいシェア14を提供しています。一方で、被験者はゲームのルールを理解していない可能性指標は50％以上のオファーが認められた場合です。それはかなりの異質性を提供する世界約<sup...

combining behavioral endocrinology and experimental economics: testosterone and social decision making

ヒトにおいてだけでなく、動物の行動内分泌学的研究は、テストステロンが社会的相互作用において重要な役割を果たしている示唆している。げっ歯類での研究は、テストステロンは、反社会的な利己的あるいは攻撃的な行動2を誘導示唆し、テストステロンと攻撃行動1と民衆の知恵人間にこれらの知見を適応との間の直接のリンクを示している。しかし、多くの研究者はテストステロンは主に状態関連の動作3,4に関与していることを代わりに主張し、人間に直接テストステロン-侵略のリンクを疑う。高い地位にも攻撃的で反社会的手段により達成することができるとして、それは行動を求めて反社会的と状態を区別することが困難な場合があります。 そこで、唯一の向社会的手段によって達成することができる状態での実験環境を、設定します。二重盲検とプラセボ対照実験では、我々は、121の女性にテストステロンを0.5 mgの単一の舌下投与を（ヒドロキシプロピル-β-シクロデキストリンキャリア付き）投与との経済交渉のパラダイムにおける彼らの社会的相互作用の挙動を調べた。実際の金銭的インセンティブは、このパラダイムにかかっている、すべてのプレイヤーが一定の金額を受け取り、お金を共有する方法で他のプレイヤーBに申し出を行う必要があります。 Bが受け入れる場合、彼女が提供されたものを取得し、プレイヤーは残りを保持します。 Bがオファーを拒否した場合、誰も何かを取得しません。プレーヤーを求める状況は、すなわちより高いオファーを行うことによって、向社会的な行動によって拒否されるのを避けるために期待されています。 結果は、ホルモンについての期待がために制御されている場合、テストステロン投与はプラセボと比較して公正な交渉提供の大幅な増加につながることを示している。期待の役割は、それらがテストステロンを受けていると信じていることを報告被験者は、彼らがプラセボで治療されたと信じていると言う人よりも低いオファーをするという事実に反映されている。これらの知見は、実験経済学のアプローチは、ホルモンの投与により達成されるものと微妙なような神経生物学的効果を検出するための敏感であることを示唆している。また、調査結果は人間の社会行動におけるテストステロンの影響を決定する上で、両方の心理社会的ならびに神経内分泌因子の重要性に向かって指している。

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Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

このプロトコルで説明する手順では、テストステロン投与とテストステロンに関する民間信仰が直接ではなく社会的行動と関連しているかもしれないことを示しています。

行動内分泌学と実験経済学を組み合わせること：テストステロンと社会的意思決定

Behavioral endocrinological research in humans as well as in animals suggests that testosterone plays a key role in social interactions. Studies in ...

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15.0K ビュー.  University of Zurich. このプロトコルで説明する手順では、テストステロン投与とテストステロンに関する民間信仰が直接ではなく社会的行動と関連しているかもしれないことを示しています。

ビデオ: Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking

Experimental paradigms are valuable insofar as the timing and other parameters of their stimuli are well specified and controlled, and insofar as they yield data relevant to the cognitive processing that occurs under ecologically valid conditions. These two goals often are at odds, since well controlled stimuli often are too repetitive to sustain subjects' motivation. Studies employing electroencephalography (EEG) are often especially sensitive to this dilemma between ecological validity and experimental control: attaining sufficient signal-to-noise in physiological averages demands large numbers of repeated trials within lengthy recording sessions, limiting the subject pool to individuals with the ability and patience to perform a set task over and over again. This constraint severely limits researchers' ability to investigate younger populations as well as clinical populations associated with heightened anxiety or attentional abnormalities. Even adult, non-clinical subjects may not be able to achieve their typical levels of performance or cognitive engagement: an unmotivated subject for whom an experimental task is little more than a chore is not the same, behaviourally, cognitively, or neurally, as a subject who is intrinsically motivated and engaged with the task. A growing body of literature demonstrates that embedding experiments within video games may provide a way between the horns of this dilemma between experimental control and ecological validity. The narrative of a game provides a more realistic context in which tasks occur, enhancing their ecological validity (Chaytor &amp; Schmitter-Edgecombe, 2003). Moreover, this context provides motivation to complete tasks. In our game, subjects perform various missions to collect resources, fend off pirates, intercept communications or facilitate diplomatic relations. In so doing, they also perform an array of cognitive tasks, including a Posner attention-shifting paradigm (Posner, 1980), a go/no-go test of motor inhibition, a psychophysical motion coherence threshold task, the Embedded Figures Test (Witkin, 1950, 1954) and a theory-of-mind (Wimmer &amp; Perner, 1983) task. The game software automatically registers game stimuli and subjects' actions and responses in a log file, and sends event codes to synchronise with physiological data recorders. Thus the game can be combined with physiological measures such as EEG or fMRI, and with moment-to-moment tracking of gaze. Gaze tracking can verify subjects' compliance with behavioural tasks (e.g. fixation) and overt attention to experimental stimuli, and also physiological arousal as reflected in pupil dilation (Bradley et al., 2008). At great enough sampling frequencies, gaze tracking may also help assess covert attention as reflected in microsaccades - eye movements that are too small to foveate a new object, but are as rapid in onset and have the same relationship between angular distance and peak velocity as do saccades that traverse greater distances. The distribution of directions of microsaccades correlates with the (otherwise) covert direction of attention (Hafed &amp; Clark, 2002).

Procedures for recording high-density EEG and gaze data during computer game-based cognitive tasks are described. Using a video game to present cognitive tasks enhances ecological validity without sacrificing experimental control.

組み合わせてコンピュータゲームベースの高密度脳波や赤外線視線追跡と行動実験

Experimental paradigms are valuable insofar as the timing and other parameters of their stimuli are well specified and controlled, and insofar as they ...

神経科学

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions

The ability to gauge social interactions is crucial in the assessment of others&#x2019; intentions. Factors such as facial expressions and body language affect our decisions in personal and professional life alike 1. These "friend or foe" judgements are often based on first impressions, which in turn may affect our decisions to "approach or avoid". Previous studies investigating the neural correlates of social cognition tended to use static facial stimuli 2. Here, we illustrate an experimental design in which whole-body animated characters were used in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recordings. Fifteen participants were presented with short movie-clips of guest-host interactions in a business setting, while fMRI data were recorded; at the end of each movie, participants also provided ratings of the host behaviour. This design mimics more closely real-life situations, and hence may contribute to better understanding of the neural mechanisms of social interactions in healthy behaviour, and to gaining insight into possible causes of deficits in social behaviour in such clinical conditions as social anxiety and autism 3.

This article demonstrates an experimental design in which whole-body animated characters are used in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of observing virtual social interactions.

仮想社会的相互作用を観察するの神経相関の脳イメージング研究

The ability to gauge social interactions is crucial in the assessment of others&#x2019; intentions. Factors such as facial expressions and body language ...

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods

Most of the choices we make have uncertain consequences. In some cases the probabilities for different possible outcomes are precisely known, a condition termed "risky". In other cases when probabilities cannot be estimated, this is a condition described as "ambiguous". While most people are averse to both risk and ambiguity1,2, the degree of those aversions vary substantially across individuals, such that the subjective value of the same risky or ambiguous option can be very different for different individuals. We combine functional MRI (fMRI) with an experimental economics-based method3 to assess the neural representation of the subjective values of risky and ambiguous options4. This technique can be now used to study these neural representations in different populations, such as different age groups and different patient populations.
In our experiment, subjects make consequential choices between two alternatives while their neural activation is tracked using fMRI. On each trial subjects choose between lotteries that vary in their monetary amount and in either the probability of winning that amount or the ambiguity level associated with winning. Our parametric design allows us to use each individual's choice behavior to estimate their attitudes towards risk and ambiguity, and thus to estimate the subjective values that each option held for them. Another important feature of the design is that the outcome of the chosen lottery is not revealed during the experiment, so that no learning can take place, and thus the ambiguous options remain ambiguous and risk attitudes are stable. Instead, at the end of the scanning session one or few trials are randomly selected and played for real money. Since subjects do not know beforehand which trials will be selected, they must treat each and every trial as if it and it alone was the one trial on which they will be paid. This design ensures that we can estimate the true subjective value of each option to each subject. We then look for areas in the brain whose activation is correlated with the subjective value of risky options and for areas whose activation is correlated with the subjective value of ambiguous options.

Using functional MRI and behavioral methods to determine the neural representation of the subjective value of risky and ambiguous options in the human brain.

実験経済学と機能的MRI法を用いたリスキーかつ曖昧なオプションの主観的な値を測定する

Most of the choices we make have uncertain consequences. In some cases the probabilities for different possible outcomes are precisely known, a condition ...

C. elegans Tracking and Behavioral Measurement

We have developed instrumentation, image processing, and data analysis techniques to quantify the locomotory behavior of C. elegans as it crawls on the surface of an agar plate. For the study of the genetic, biochemical, and neuronal basis of behavior, C. elegans is an ideal organism because it is genetically tractable, amenable to microscopy, and shows a number of complex behaviors, including taxis, learning, and social interaction1,2. Behavioral analysis based on tracking the movements of worms as they crawl on agar plates have been particularly useful in the study of sensory behavior3, locomotion4, and general mutational phenotyping5. Our system works by moving the camera and illumination system as the worms crawls on a stationary agar plate, which ensures no mechanical stimulus is transmitted to the worm. Our tracking system is easy to use and includes a semi-automatic calibration feature. A challenge of all video tracking systems is that it generates an enormous amount of data that is intrinsically high dimensional. Our image processing and data analysis programs deal with this challenge by reducing the worms shape into a set of independent components, which comprehensively reconstruct the worms behavior as a function of only 3-4 dimensions6,7. As an example of the process we show that the worm enters and exits its reversal state in a phase specific manner.

C. elegans Tracking and Behavioral Measurement

We have developed a video-rate tracking microscope system that can record and quantify C. elegans behavior at high resolution and high speeds. We have also developed computational methods to reduce the dimensionality of the worm images to a fundamental set of measurements that completely describe the shape of the worm.

C. elegansの追跡と行動計測

We have developed instrumentation, image processing, and data analysis techniques to quantify the locomotory behavior of C. elegans as it crawls on the ...

A Low Cost Setup for Behavioral Audiometry in Rodents

In auditory animal research it is crucial to have precise information about basic hearing parameters of the animal subjects that are involved in the experiments. Such parameters may be physiological response characteristics of the auditory pathway, e.g. via brainstem audiometry (BERA). But these methods allow only indirect and uncertain extrapolations about the auditory percept that corresponds to these physiological parameters. To assess the perceptual level of hearing, behavioral methods have to be used. A potential problem with the use of behavioral methods for the description of perception in animal models is the fact that most of these methods involve some kind of learning paradigm before the subjects can be behaviorally tested, e.g. animals may have to learn to press a lever in response to a sound. As these learning paradigms change perception itself 1,2 they consequently will influence any result about perception obtained with these methods and therefore have to be interpreted with caution. Exceptions are paradigms that make use of reflex responses, because here no learning paradigms have to be carried out prior to perceptual testing. One such reflex response is the acoustic startle response (ASR) that can highly reproducibly be elicited with unexpected loud sounds in na&iuml;ve animals. This ASR in turn can be influenced by preceding sounds depending on the perceptibility of this preceding stimulus: Sounds well above hearing threshold will completely inhibit the amplitude of the ASR; sounds close to threshold will only slightly inhibit the ASR. This phenomenon is called pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) 3,4, and the amount of PPI on the ASR gradually depends on the perceptibility of the pre-pulse. PPI of the ASR is therefore well suited to determine behavioral audiograms in na&iuml;ve, non-trained animals, to determine hearing impairments or even to detect possible subjective tinnitus percepts in these animals. In this paper we demonstrate the use of this method in a rodent model (cf. also ref. 5), the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), which is a well know model species for startle response research within the normal human hearing range (e.g. 6).

A fast and inexpensive method for the behavioral determination of hearing parameters like hearing thresholds, hearing impairments or phantom perceptions (subjective tinnitus) is described. It uses pre-pulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response and can be easily implemented in a personal computer using a programmable AD/DA-converter and a piezo sensor.

げっ歯類における行動聴力検査のための低コストのセットアップ

In auditory animal research it is crucial to have precise information about basic hearing parameters of the animal subjects that are involved in the ...

Simultaneous Detection of c-Fos Activation from Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Dopamine Reward Sites Following Naive Sugar and Fat Ingestion in Rats

This study uses cellular c-fos activation to assess effects of novel ingestion of fat and sugar on brain dopamine (DA) pathways in rats. Intakes of sugars and fats are mediated by their innate attractions as well as learned preferences. Brain dopamine, especially meso-limbic and meso-cortical projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), has been implicated in both of these unlearned and learned responses. The concept of distributed brain networks, wherein several sites and transmitter/peptide systems interact, has been proposed to mediate palatable food intake, but there is limited evidence empirically demonstrating such actions. Thus, sugar intake elicits DA release and increases c-fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) from individual VTA DA projection zones including the nucleus accumbens (NAC), amygdala (AMY) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as well as the dorsal striatum. Further, central administration of selective DA receptor antagonists into these sites differentially reduce acquisition and expression of conditioned flavor preferences elicited by sugars or fats. One approach by which to determine whether these sites interacted as a distributed brain network in response to sugar or fat intake would be to simultaneous evaluate whether the VTA and its major mesotelencephalic DA projection zones (prelimbic and infralimbic mPFC, core and shell of the NAc, basolateral and central-cortico-medial AMY) as well as the dorsal striatum would display coordinated and simultaneous FLI activation after oral, unconditioned intake of corn oil (3.5%), glucose (8%), fructose (8%) and saccharin (0.2%) solutions. This approach is a successful first step in identifying the feasibility of using cellular c-fos activation simultaneously across relevant brain sites to study reward-related learning in ingestion of palatable food in rodents.

The goal of this study is to identify reward-related distributed brain networks by delineating a reliable immunohistological technique using cellular c-fos activation to measure simultaneous changes in dopamine pathways and terminal sites after novel ingestion of fat and sugar in rats.

ラットにおけるナイーブ砂糖と脂肪の摂取後の中脳辺縁系と中間皮質ドーパミン報酬サイトからのc-Fosの活性化の同時検出

This study uses cellular c-fos activation to assess effects of novel ingestion of fat and sugar on brain dopamine (DA) pathways in rats. Intakes of sugars ...

Effects of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation on the Primary Motor Cortex by Online Combined Approach with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) is a neuromodulatory technique able to act through sinusoidal electrical waveforms in a specific frequency and in turn modulate ongoing cortical oscillatory activity. This neurotool allows the establishment of a causal link between endogenous oscillatory activity and behavior. Most of the tACS studies have shown online effects of tACS. However, little is known about the underlying action mechanisms of this technique because of the AC-induced artifacts on Electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Here we show a unique approach to investigate online physiological frequency-specific effects of tACS of the primary motor cortex (M1) by using single pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to probe cortical excitability changes. In our setup, the TMS coil is placed over the tACS electrode while Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs) are collected to test the effects of the ongoing M1-tACS. So far, this approach has mainly been used to study the visual and motor systems. However, the current tACS-TMS setup can pave the way for future investigations of cognitive functions. Therefore, we provide a step-by-step manual and video guidelines for the procedure.

Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) allows the modulation of cortical excitability in a frequency-specific fashion. Here we show a unique approach which combines online tACS with single pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in order to "probe" cortical excitability by means of Motor Evoked Potentials.

経頭蓋交流電流刺激オンライン結合による一次運動野の経頭蓋磁気刺激の効果

Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) is a neuromodulatory technique able to act through sinusoidal electrical waveforms in a specific ...

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents

Reinforcement-guided decision making is the ability to choose between competing courses of action based on the relative value of the benefits and their consequences. This process is integral to the normal human behavior and has been shown to be disrupted by neurological and psychiatric disorders such as addiction, schizophrenia, and depression. Rodents have long been used to uncover the neurobiology of human cognition. To this end, several behavioral tasks have been developed; however, most are non-automated and are labor-intensive. The recent development of the open-source microcontroller has enabled researchers to automate operant-based tasks for assessing a variety of cognitive tasks, standardizing the stimulus presentation, improving the data recording and consequently, improving the research output. Here, we describe an automated delay-based reinforcement-guided decision-making task, using an operant T-maze controlled by custom-written software programs. Using these decision-making tasks, we show the changes in the local field potential activities in the anterior cingulate cortex of a rat whilst it performs a delay-based cost-and-benefit decision-making task.

A cost-benefit analysis is a weighing-scale approach that the brain performs during the course of decision making. Here, we propose a protocol to train rats on an operant-based decision-making paradigm where rats choose higher rewards at the expense of waiting for 15 s to receive them.

齧歯動物による補強意思の中に費用便益分析を評価するためのオペラントのプロトコル

Reinforcement-guided decision making is the ability to choose between competing courses of action based on the relative value of the benefits and their ...

Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains

In a constantly aging population, the prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders is expected to rise. Understanding disease mechanisms is the key to find preventive and curative measures. The most effective way to achieve this is through direct examination of diseased and healthy brain tissue. The authors present a protocol to obtain, process, characterize and store good quality brain tissue donated by individuals registered in an antemortem brain donation program. The donation program includes a face-to-face empathic approach to people, a collection of complementary clinical, biological, social and lifestyle information and serial multi-dimensional assessments over time to track individual trajectories of normal aging and cognitive decline. Since many neurological diseases are asymmetrical, our brain bank offers a unique protocol for slicing fresh specimens. Brain sections of both hemispheres are alternately frozen (at -80 &#176;C) or fixed in formalin; a fixed slice on one hemisphere corresponds to a frozen one on the other hemisphere. With this approach, a complete histological characterization of all frozen material can be obtained, and omics studies can be performed on histologically well-defined tissues from both hemispheres thus offering a more complete assessment of neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. Correct and definite diagnosis of these diseases can only be achieved by combining the clinical syndrome with the neuropathological evaluation, which often adds important etiological clues necessary to interpret the pathogenesis. This method can be time consuming, expensive and limited as it only covers a limited geographical area. Regardless of its limitations, the high degree of characterization it provides can be rewarding. Our ultimate goal is to establish the first Italian Brain Bank, all the while emphasizing the importance of neuropathologically verified epidemiological studies.

This protocol describes a method to track individual brain-aging trajectories through a brain donation program and proper characterization of brains. Brain donors are involved in a long-term longitudinal study including serial multi-dimensional assessments. The protocol contains a detailed description of brain processing and an accurate diagnostic methodology.

老化脳の収集、処理、特徴付けのためのアッビアテグラッソブレインバンクプロトコル

In a constantly aging population, the prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders is expected to rise. Understanding disease mechanisms is the key to find ...

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias

New knowledge is continuously gained from a social environment that can influence how people respond to each other. Such responses often occur implicitly, at a subliminal perceptual level, and related brain mechanisms can be experimentally isolated by presenting the stimuli quickly. Subliminal presentation of faces that belong to different ethnicity groups, races, or gender has been shown to be successful in investigating social implicit responses. However, many implicit responses are based on knowledge previously gained about the faces (e.g., sexual orientation, political views, and socioeconomic status) and not solely on physical appearance. Here, a novel method called post-movie subliminal measurement (PMSM) is presented. When watching a socially engaging movie, a spectator gains knowledge about the protagonist and becomes familiar with his/her identity and world views. When the face of the protagonist is presented subliminally after the movie, it evokes an implicit neural response depending on what is learned about the protagonist. With a vast number of movies available, each depicting a variety of people with different identities, the PMSM method enables investigation of the brain&#39;s complex implicit biases in a manner that resembles real-life social perceptions.

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement PMSM, for Investigating Implicit Social Bias

This protocol describes the use of movies to investigate brain mechanisms underlying implicit social biases during functional magnetic resonance imaging. When the face of a protagonist is presented after a movie subliminally, it evokes an implicit response based on knowledge of the protagonist gained during the movie.

暗黙的な社会的バイアスを調査するためのポストムービーサブリミナル測定(PMSM)

New knowledge is continuously gained from a social environment that can influence how people respond to each other. Such responses often occur implicitly, ...