IUPUI neuroscience research collaboration examines neural synchronization patterns during addiction

Study will help scientists better understand brain behavior, treat brain disease

2013-06-04

(Press-News.org) (INDIANAPOLIS) A cross-disciplinary collaboration of researchers in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) explores the neural synchrony between circuits in the brain and their behavior under simulated drug addiction. The two-year study could have broad implications for treating addiction and understanding brain function in conditions such as Parkinson's disease.

Advanced mathematical models coupled with extensive laboratory testing revealed recurrent stimulant injections in rodents resulted in neural circuits that could easily synchronize but were more likely to become unstable. In other words, the introduction and restriction of drugs over time caused neurons to lose their ability to engage supervisory control over brain function and behavior. Researchers noticed these short periods of desynchronization were much more prevalent and caused changes in neurobiology and behavior.

"A better understanding of the dynamics of neural synchrony could have very important implications for understanding the addicted brain and may provide a physiological target to understand persistent neural changes that contribute to the probability of relapse," said Christopher Lapish, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at IUPUI.

Lapish, with expertise in neurophysiology and addiction, and Leonid Rubchinsky, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematical sciences, collaborated on the project with support from the IUPUI Institute for Mathematical Modeling and Computational Science. Rubchinsky is an applied mathematician and neuroscientist who has extensively studied the neurophysiology of Parkinson's disease.

Sungwoo Ahn, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow in mathematical sciences, also co-authored the study, recently published in the Cerebral Cortex scientific journal.

The research was patterned after the various stages of drug addiction: the first introduction of amphetamines, periods of abstinence that model withdrawal and then relapse.

The neural synchrony patterns of models injected with a stimulant were compared to those injected with a saline solution. Short periods of desychronization were prevalent in both groups, but the drug-affected group displayed a marked connection between synchrony and brain function. Synchrony has long been considered to play an important role in how the brain processes data, so any disruption of this pattern could hold significant research value, according to the published study.

"Through these long and progressive experimental examinations, we were able to explore the different areas of the brain and how they are connected to each other," Rubchinsky said. "In addition to understanding, monitoring, diagnosing and treating addiction, this type of study is helpful in better understanding how the normal brain works."

This collaboration moves scientists closer to understanding brain function and disruptions, Rubchinsky said, by incorporating mathematical models that recreate events and reactions in the brain over time. Lapish agreed, saying computational science ultimately will drive the growth and success of future neuroscience research.

"Neuroscience is an inherently data-rich science and, by combining experimentalists with theorists, there is a tremendous potential for discovery," Lapish. "The interactive effects of this collaboration are certainly greater than the sum of its parts. We're able to create a fully dynamic picture of this process that would not be possible without combining these two areas of expertise."

Moving forward, the team will continue to seek funding to advance their research methods and better understand the role of synchrony in brain function. By doing so, scientists could map the progress and deterioration of neural circuits in various scenarios.

INFORMATION:

A complete abstract of the research can be found on the Cerebral Cortex website.

About the School of Science at IUPUI

The School of Science is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service in the biological, physical, behavioral and mathematical sciences. The School is dedicated to being a leading resource for interdisciplinary research and science education in support of Indiana's effort to expand and diversify its economy. For more information, visit http://www.science.iupui.edu.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Detecting disease with a smartphone accessory

2013-06-04

As antiretroviral drugs that treat HIV have become more commonplace, the incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma, a type of cancer linked to AIDS, has decreased in the United States. The disease, however, remains prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where poor access to medical care and lab tests only compound the problem. Now, Cornell University engineers have created a new smartphone-based system, consisting of a plug-in optical accessory and disposable microfluidic chips, for in-the-field detection of the herpes virus that causes Kaposi's. "The accessory provides an ultraportable ...

Anxious? Activate your anterior cingulate cortex with a little meditation

2013-06-04

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., – June 3, 2013 – Scientists, like Buddhist monks and Zen masters, have known for years that meditation can reduce anxiety, but not how. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, however, have succeeded in identifying the brain functions involved. "Although we've known that meditation can reduce anxiety, we hadn't identified the specific brain mechanisms involved in relieving anxiety in healthy individuals," said Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow in neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest Baptist and lead author of the study. ...

An 'extinct' frog makes a comeback in Israel

2013-06-04

Jerusalem, June 4, 2013 -- The first amphibian to have been officially declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been rediscovered in the north of Israel after some 60 years and turns out to be a unique "living fossil," without close relatives among other living frogs. The Hula painted frog was catalogued within the Discoglossus group when it was first discovered in the Hula Valley of Israel in the early 1940s. The frog was thought to have disappeared following the drying up of the Hula Lake at the end of the 1950s, and was declared ...

California's Powerhouse Fire at night

2013-06-04

From its orbit around the Earth, the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite or Suomi NPP satellite, captured a night-time image of California's Powerhouse Fire. The Suomi NPP satellite carries an instrument so sensitive to low light levels that it can detect wildfires in the middle of the night. The Day/Night band on Suomi/NPP produces Night-Time visible imagery using illumination from natural (the moon, forest fires) and man-made sources (city lights, gas flares). This image was taken during the early morning hours of June 3, 2013. Suomi NPP ...

Bringing cheaper, 'greener' lighting to market with inkjet-printed hybrid quantum dot LEDs

2013-06-04

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2013—It's not easy going green. For home lighting applications, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) hold the promise of being both environmentally friendly and versatile. Though not as efficient as regular light-emitting diodes (LEDs), they offer a wider range of material choices and are more energy efficient than traditional lights. OLEDs can also be applied to flexible surfaces, which may lead to lights or television displays that can be rolled up and stowed in a pocket. A promising line of research involves combining the OLEDs with inorganic ...

New study explains cognitive ability differences among the elderly

2013-06-04

A new study shows compelling evidence that associations between cognitive ability and cortical grey matter in old age can largely be accounted for by cognitive ability in childhood. The joint study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, The Neuro, McGill University and the University of Edinburgh, UK was published today, June 4 in Molecular Psychiatry. It has long been thought that preserving brain cortical thickness was a determining factor in superior cognitive ability in old age; however the rare availability of childhood cognitive scores reveals other ...

Behold the 9-day fresh strawberry: New approach to slowing rot doubles berry shelf life

2013-06-04

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2013—Strawberry lovers rejoice: the days of unpacking your luscious berries from the refrigerator only to find them sprouting wispy goatees of mold may be numbered. A research team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Components and Health Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., and Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETi) in Columbia, S.C., has demonstrated that low irradiance ultra-violet (UV) light directed at strawberries over long exposure periods at low temperature and very high humidity—typical home refrigerator conditions—delays spoilage. ...

NASA MASTER infrared view of the Powerhouse Fire, California

2013-06-04

NASA's MASTER instrument captured this infrared composite image of California's Powerhouse Fire. The MASTER image shows the intensity of the heat from the fire in different colors. The MASTER instrument, also known as the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator that was developed for the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) projects. ASTER and MODIS are both spaceborne imaging instruments aboard the Terra satellite. This image is a color composite of three infrared bands from the MASTER ...

Rates of emergency bowel surgery vary wildly from state to state

2013-06-04

Johns Hopkins researchers have documented huge and somewhat puzzling interstate variations in the percentage of emergency versus elective bowel surgeries. Figuring out precisely why the differences occur is critical, they say, because people forced to undergo emergency procedures are far more likely to die from their operations than those able to plan ahead for them. "With surgery, just as with most things in life, planning under optimal conditions leads to a better result," says study leader Adil H. Haider, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of surgery at the Johns ...

Exposure to rocket attacks in Israel increases adolescent violence -- Ben-Gurion U. study

2013-06-04

BEER-SHEVA, Israel…June 4, 2013 — Chronic exposure to rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel is causing an increase in severe adolescent violence, according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers. The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), followed 362 Israeli adolescents from the southwestern Negev from 2008 to 2011, and conducted annual assessments of exposure to rocket attacks, symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as acts of violence. "This is the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Younger men have higher risk for mortality and cardiovascular disease for type 2 diabetes than type 1 diabetes; whereas for women type 1 diabetes outcomes are worse at all ages