Faculty Bibliography

Aversive Pavlovian conditioned stimuli (CSs) elicit defensive reactions (e.g., freezing) and motivate instrumental actions like active avoidance (AA). Pavlovian reactions require connections between the lateral (LA) and central (CeA) nuclei of the amygdala, whereas AA depends on LA and basal amygdala (BA). Thus, the neural circuits mediating conditioned reactions and motivation appear to diverge in the amygdala. However, AA is not ideal for studying conditioned motivation, because Pavlovian and instrumental learning are intermixed. Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) allows for the study of conditioned motivation in isolation. PIT refers to the ability of a Pavlovian CS to modulate a separately-trained instrumental action. The role of the amygdala in aversive PIT is unknown. We designed an aversive PIT procedure in rats and tested the effects of LA, BA, and CeA lesions. Rats received Pavlovian tone-shock pairings followed by Sidman shock-avoidance training. PIT was assessed by comparing shuttling rates in the presence and absence of the tone. Tone presentations facilitated instrumental responding. Aversive PIT was abolished by lesions of LA or CeA, but was unaffected by lesions of BA. These results suggest that LA and CeA are essential for aversive conditioned motivation. More specifically, the results are consistent with a model of amygdala processing in which the CS is encoded in the LA and then, via connections to CeA, the motivation to perform the aversive task is enhanced. These findings have implications for understanding the contribution of amygdala circuits to aversive instrumental motivation, but also for the relation of aversive and appetitive behavioral control.

A growing body of evidence suggests that sniffing is not only the mode of delivery for odorant molecules but also contributes to olfactory perception. However, the precise role of sniffing variations remains unknown. The zonation hypothesis suggests that animals use sniffing variations to optimize the deposition of odorant molecules on the most receptive areas of the olfactory epithelium (OE). Sniffing would thus depend on the physicochemical properties of odorants, particularly their sorption. Rojas-Libano and Kay (2012) tested this hypothesis and showed that rats used different sniff strategies when they had to target a high-sorption (HS) molecule or a low-sorption (LS) molecule in a binary mixture. Which sniffing strategy is used by rats when they are confronted to discrimination between two similarly sorbent odorants remains unanswered. Particularly, is sniffing adjusted independently for each odorant according to its sorption properties (analytical processing), or is sniffing adjusted based on the pairing context (synthetic processing)? We tested these hypotheses on rats performing a two-alternative choice discrimination of odorants with similar sorption properties. We recorded sniffing in a non-invasive manner using whole-body plethysmography during the behavioral task. We found that sniffing variations were not only a matter of odorant sorption properties and that the same odorant was sniffed differently depending on the odor pair in which it was presented. These results suggest that rather than being adjusted analytically, sniffing is instead adjusted synthetically and depends on the pair of odorants presented during the discrimination task. Our results show that sniffing is a specific sensorimotor act that depends on complex synthetic processes.

Abstract Attention and executive function deficits are a common sequelae of many neurological conditions of childhood. Those with epilepsy frequently show such deficits, as executive dysfunction is common in all epilepsy syndromes of childhood. The purpose of this article is to review what is known about attention and executive functions, including the neurological underpinnings of these skills. Then, general cognitive function and dysfunction in childhood epilepsy is discussed with a special focus on attention and executive function impairment. Finally, treatment considerations for children and adolescents with these deficits are reviewed and future directions are discussed.

Longitudinal imaging studies involve tracking changes in individuals by repeated image acquisition over time. The goal of these studies is to quantify biological shape variability within and across individuals, and also to distinguish between normal and disease populations. However, data variability is influenced by outside sources such as image acquisition, image calibration, human expert judgment, and limited robustness of segmentation and registration algorithms. In this paper, we propose a two-stage method for the statistical analysis of longitudinal shape. In the first stage, we estimate diffeomorphic shape trajectories for each individual that minimize inconsistencies in segmented shapes across time. This is followed by a longitudinal mixed-effects statistical model in the second stage for testing differences in shape trajectories between groups. We apply our method to a longitudinal database from PREDICT-HD and demonstrate our approach reduces unwanted variability for both shape and derived measures, such as volume. This leads to greater statistical power to distinguish differences in shape trajectory between healthy subjects and subjects with a genetic biomarker for Huntington's disease (HD).

Recent advances in neuroimaging methods have made accessible new ways of disentangling the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors that influence structural brain development. In recent years, research investigating associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and brain development have found significant links between SES and changes in brain structure, especially in areas related to memory, executive control, and emotion. This review focuses on studies examining links between structural brain development and SES disparities of the magnitude typically found in developing countries. We highlight how highly correlated measures of SES are differentially related to structural changes within the brain.

Reviews the book, Reading Anna Freud by Nick Midgley (see record 2012-32286-000). Reading Anna Freud is less a work of criticism than a work of orientation, and doubly valuable as such. First, because of the Freud family fame, one sometimes presumes one knows more about them than one really does (indeed, a misplaced presumption of familiarity is at the core of so much of the popular contempt hurled Sigmund's way). Second, orienting yourself to Anna Freud is a way of orienting yourself to child mental health: from how we speak to children and the role of schools in a child's psychological health to developmental psychopathology and the consultation-liaison service. What comes through in Reading Anna Freud is that the core of Freud's success was not just patient, compassionate intellectualism, genes, or an ability to get published, but advocacy. Moreover, you do not need a degree or an internal review board to be an advocate. In fact, it is in this regard that she is most inspiring. Although the book provides a historical and personal orientation, it is intended as an orientation to Freud's intellectual contributions, and Midgely does an excellent job translating her work, some of it nearly a century old, into a language that is still alive, relevant, and enriching.

The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) defined a seizure as "a transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms due to abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain." This definition has been used since the era of Hughlings Jackson, and does not take into account subsequent advances made in epilepsy and neuroscience research. The clinical diagnosis of a seizure is empirical, based upon constellations of certain signs and symptoms, while simultaneously ruling out a list of potential imitators of seizures. Seizures should be delimited in time, but the borders of ictal (during a seizure), interictal (between seizures) and postictal (after a seizure) often are indistinct. EEG recording is potentially very helpful for confirmation, classification and localization. About a half-dozen common EEG patterns are encountered during seizures. Clinicians rely on researchers to answer such questions as why seizures start, spread and stop, whether seizures involve increased synchrony, the extent to which extra-cortical structures are involved, and how to identify the seizure network and at what points interventions are likely to be helpful. Basic scientists have different challenges in use of the word 'seizure,' such as distinguishing seizures from normal behavior, which would seem easy but can be very difficult because some rodents have EEG activity during normal behavior that resembles spike-wave discharge or bursts of rhythmic spiking. It is also important to define when a seizure begins and stops so that seizures can be quantified accurately for pre-clinical studies. When asking what causes seizures, the transition to a seizure and differentiating the pre-ictal, ictal and post-ictal state is also important because what occurs before a seizure could be causal and may warrant further investigation for that reason. These and other issues are discussed by three epilepsy researchers with clinical and basic science expertise.

This article reviews the progression of a research program designed to develop, implement, and study the implementation of "achievable" evidence-based practices (EBPs) in schools. We review challenges encountered and ideas to overcome them to enhance this avenue of research. The article presents two federally funded randomized controlled trials involving comparison of a four-component targeted intervention (Quality Assessment and Improvement, Family Engagement and Empowerment, Modular Evidence-Based Practice, Implementation Support) versus a comparison intervention focused on personal wellness. In both studies, primary aims focused on changes in clinician attitudes and behavior, including the delivery of high-quality EBPs and secondary aims focused on student-level impacts. A number of challenges, many not reported in the literature, are reviewed, and ideas for overcoming them are presented. Given the reality that the majority of youth mental health services are delivered in schools and the potential of school mental health services to provide a continuum of mental health care from promotion to intervention, it is critical that the field consider and address the logistical and methodological challenges associated with implementing and studying EBP implementation by clinicians.