Vol 74, No 3 (2024)

Myelin is a highly specialized form of the plasma membrane. The gradual loss of myelin is typical for both age-related and pathological changes in the brain. In this review, we attempted to characterize the spectrum of genes which products are involved in the formation and functioning of CNS myelin, as well as to assess their possible contribution to the pathogenesis of PD. Analysis of currently published data obtained from model objects and patients with PD has identified several myelin protein genes that may be associated with the development of PD. The PLP1, MOBP, FA2H, and HSPA8 genes are the most promising for studying their contribution to the pathogenesis of PD.

Previously, based on the material of multiple wake-sleep transitions when performing a bimanual psychomotor test based on a mobile app, we identified and interpreted 4 qualitatively different patterns of behavioral activity. In the same 191 1-hour experiments within 73 students we analyzed the data to see how interhemispheric interactions change when waking up from sleep. Using the Ward hierarchical clustering method, 4 clusters were identified. The average values of behavioral indicators in clusters were estimated, two sets of clusters were compared using Pearson’s chi-square test.

It is shown that the pronounced pattern of asymmetry between the hands is the rarest; for the least “sleepy” cluster, alternating awakenings with different hands is characteristic, for the most “sleepy” – the least predictability of patterns over time. It is also shown that the “asymmetric” and “sleepy” clusters never switched each other between falling asleep and waking up, and are more often switched by the remaining two clusters than vice versa.

The results obtained can reflect the dynamics of interhemispheric interactions during sleep-wake transitions. It is argued that the differences between the clusters are due to the restructuring of functional connectivity in different ranges of EEG activity.

We studied the evoked responses of the human brain elicited by the onset of sound motion (motion-onset response, MOR). Sound motion was created by means of linear changes in the interaural level differences (ILD). The structure of the ILD-related MOR was similar to that reported in the studies which used changes in the interaural time delay. The amplitude of the cN1 component increased with sound velocity, regardless of motion direction, and the cP2 deflection increased only in the case of motion from the center to the periphery. The amplitude of both cP1 and cN2 components did not depend on motion velocity. Centrifugal motion evoked a stronger MOR than centripetal motion, which corresponds to the hemifield model of lateralization (i.e. opponent channels model). Our findings suggest that motion direction (towards the center or towards the periphery) was reflected in the MOR potential in a wider time interval than velocity.

In foxes selectively bred by IC&G SB RAS for domestication or aggressive behavior toward humans, the behavior was analyzed. We have used the foxes not selected for behavior features as a control. Control foxes also were bred on experimental farm of IC&G SB RAS. The peculiarities of explorative activities of foxes toward new objects, introduced inside the domestic cage, as well as behavioral features during attenuation of focused attention on the object of food reinforcement are discussed in the paper. Domesticated foxes demonstrated less neofobia during experiments then aggressive and unselected ones. On the other hand, the explorative behavior of tame foxes was characterized by a greater variability of motor reactions compared to aggressive and unselected ones. In the test for attenuation of focused attention, tame foxes used a greater number of different actions compared to other studied groups. Fox cubs from the domesticated population, placed in a new environment for the first time, found various ways go through obstacles when following a person. Based on these results we discuss the peculiarities of the decision-making in foxes.

The effect of prolonged housing (from the 30th to the 150th postnatal day) in increased crowding (15–17 rats in a standard cage measuring 31 × 52 × 20 sm, 106–120 sm² per rat) on anxiety behavior, as well as the acquisition and extinction of the conditioned fear in adult animals was studied. In half of the rats in early ontogenesis, activation of the immune system was induced by the administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide on the 3rd and 5th postnatal days at a dose of 50 mcg/kg (LPS group). The other half of the rats were injected with saline solution (SAL group). Starting from the 90th day, the rats were tested in an open field, an elevated plus maze, and conditioned fear to sound was developed. Both males and females participated in the experiments. Testing revealed that the level of anxiety didn’t increase, but the locomotor activity decreased and displacement activity (grooming) increased in both males and females under the influence of crowding. During fear conditioning, all males kept in crowded conditions had a shorter freezing time compared to the control. However, only in males of the LPS group, the memory of the signal was disturbed under the influence of crowding, the differentiation of the context and the signal suffered, the extinction of the freezing reaction passed faster. Thus, males compared to females were more susceptible to the negative impact of crowding. Experienced early proinflammatory stress in the LPS group aggravated the effect of crowding.

Application for Video Raw Record Acquisition – AVRawRA [ɔːvˈrɔːrə], is a software designed for acquisition and recording video from the cameras into raw binary and compressed video formats. AVRawRA allows using a wide range of camera devices in various neuroimaging applications. That provides the benefit of usage of expensive video registration equipment for several tasks with single software. The concept of presented software allows adding any camera device without rebuilding of the main code pipeline. Presented software has a user-friendly interface with interactive elements for regulating parameters of acquisition and recording in real time, without stopping video stream. Simultaneous real-time visualization, analysis and recording can be performed without loss of the efficiency and missed frames. AVRawRA supports recordings from camera devices with both external and internal triggers. The size of the saved video file is not restricted by the recording time and is limited only by the space on the storage. Our software is perfectly suited both for the neuroimaging applications and experiments with supplementary videoregistration. To summarize, AVRawRA represents a universal platform for usage of various videoregistration devices, performing real-time analysis and high-speed recordings in raw and compressed video formats.