Network Functions And Plasticity

Book Description :

Network Functions and Plasticity: Perspectives from Studying Neuronal Electrical Coupling in Microcircuits focuses on the specific roles of electrical coupling in tractable, well-defined circuits, highlighting current research that offers novel insights for electrical coupling‘s roles in sensory and motor functions, neural computations, decision-making, regulation of network activity, circuit development, and learning and memory. Bringing together a diverse group of international experts and their contributions using a variety of approaches to study different invertebrate and vertebrate model systems with a focus on the role of electrical coupling/gap junctions in microcircuits, this book presents a timely contribution for students and researchers alike. Provides an easy-to-read introduction on neural circuits of the model system Focuses on the specific roles of electrical coupling in tractable, well-defined circuits Includes recent discoveries and findings that are presented in the context of historical background Outlines outstanding issues and future research in the field

Book Description :

Activity within neural circuits shapes the synaptic properties of component neurons in a manner that maintains stable excitatory drive, a process referred to as homeostatic plasticity. These potent and adaptive mechanisms have been demonstrated to modulate activity at the level of an individual neuron, synapse, circuit, or entire network, and dysregulation at some or all of these levels may contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders, intellectual disability, and epilepsy. Greater mechanistic understanding of homeostatic plasticity will provide key insights into the etiology of these disorders, which may result from network instability and synaptic dysfunction. Over the past 15 years, the molecular mechanisms of this form of plasticity have been intensely studied in various model organisms, including invertebrates and vertebrates. Though once thought to have a predominantly postsynaptic basis, emerging evidence suggests that homeostatic mechanisms act on both sides of the synapse through mechanisms such as retrograde signaling, to orchestrate compensatory adaptations that maintain stable network function. These trans-synaptic signaling systems ultimately alter neurotransmitter release probability by a variety of mechanisms including changes in vesicle pool size and calcium influx. These adaptations are not expected to occur homogenously at all terminals of a pre-synaptic neuron, as they might synapse with neurons in non-overlapping circuits. However, the factors that govern the homeostatic control of synapse-specific plasticity are only beginning to be understood. In addition to our limited molecular understanding of pre-synaptic homeostatic plasticity, very little is known about its prevalence in vivo or its physiological and disease relevance. In this research topic, we aim to fill the aforementioned void by covering a broad range of topics that include: - Identification of signaling pathways and mechanisms that operate globally or locally to induce specific pre-synaptic adaptations - The nature of pre-synaptic ion channels relevant to this form of plasticity and their synapse-specific modulation and trafficking - Development and utilization of new tools or methods to study homeostatic plasticity in axons and pre-synaptic terminals - Novel mechanisms of homeostatic adaptations in pre-synaptic neurons - Postsynaptic sensors of activity and retrograde synaptic signaling systems - A comprehensive analysis of the kinds of pre-synaptic adaptations in diverse neural circuits and cell types - Identification of physiological or developmental conditions that promote pre-synaptic homeostatic adaptations - How activity-dependent (Hebbian) and homeostatic synaptic changes are integrated to both permit sufficient flexibility and maintain stable activity - Relevance of pre-synaptic homeostatic plasticity to the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders - Computational modeling of pre-synaptic homeostatic plasticity and network stability.

Book Description :

Download From Structure to Function in Neuronal Networks Effects of Adaptation Time Delays and Noise book written by Serhiy Yanchuk,Viktor Jirsa,Joana Cabral,Oleksandr Popovych,Alessandro Torcini, available in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle, or read full book online anywhere and anytime. Compatible with any devices.

Book Description :

Supercomputing facilities are becoming increasingly available for simulating activity dynamics in large-scale neuronal networks. On today's most advanced supercomputers, networks with up to a billion of neurons can be readily simulated. However, building biologically realistic, full-scale brain models requires more than just a huge number of neurons. In addition to network size, the detailed local and global anatomy of neuronal connections is of crucial importance. Moreover, anatomical connectivity is not fixed, but can rewire throughout life (structural plasticity)—an aspect that is missing in most current network models, in which plasticity is confined to changes in synaptic strength (synaptic plasticity). The papers in this Ebook, which may broadly be divided into three themes, aim to bring together high-performance computing with recent experimental and computational research in neuroanatomy. In the first theme (fiber connectivity), new methods are described for measuring and data-basing microscopic and macroscopic connectivity. In the second theme (structural plasticity), novel models are introduced that incorporate morphological plasticity and rewiring of anatomical connections. In the third theme (large-scale simulations), simulations of large-scale neuronal networks are presented with an emphasis on anatomical detail and plasticity mechanisms. Together, the articles in this Ebook make the reader aware of the methods and models by which large-scale brain networks running on supercomputers can be extended to include anatomical detail and plasticity.

Book Description :

This research topic aims at providing a state of the art update on neuroplasticity in humans with multiple sclerosis. It summarizes advances in plasticity research as achieved by a variety of techniques, in the motor as well as visual and cognitive domain. We are confident that this collection of articles broadens the view across systems and techniques and widens our understanding of this exciting field of research.

Book Description :

This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.

Book Description :

This volume will explore the most recent findings on cellular mechanisms of inhibitory plasticity and its functional role in shaping neuronal circuits, their rewiring in response to experience, drug addiction and in neuropathology. Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity will be of particular interest to neuroscientists and neurophysiologists.

Book Description :

Download Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity From Synaptic Circuit Assembly to Neurological Disorders book written by Lorenzo A. Cingolani,Mathieu Letellier, available in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle, or read full book online anywhere and anytime. Compatible with any devices.

Book Description :

Homeostatic Control of Brain Function offers a broad view of brain health and diverse perspectives for potential treatments, targeting key areas such as mitochondria, the immune system, epigenetic changes, and regulatory molecules such as ions, neuropeptides, and neuromodulators. Loss of homeostasis becomes expressed as a diverse array of neurological disorders. Each disorder has multiple comorbidities - with some crossing over several conditions - and often disease-specific treatments remain elusive. When current pharmacological therapies result in ineffective and inadequate outcomes, therapies to restore and maintain homeostatic functions can help improve brain health, no matter the diagnosis. Employing homeostatic therapies may lead to future cures or treatments that address multiple comorbidities. In an age where brain diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's are ever present, the incorporation of homeostatic techniques could successfully promote better overall brain health. Key Features include · A focus on the homeostatic controls that significantly depend on the way one lives, eats, and drinks. · Highlights from emerging research in non-pharmaceutical therapies including botanical medications, meditation, diet, and exercise. · Incorporation of homeostatic therapies into existing basic and clinical research paradigms. · Extensive scientific basic and clinical research ranging from molecules to disorders. · Emerging practical information for improving homeostasis. · Examples of homeostatic therapies in preventing and delaying dysfunction. Both editors, Detlev Boison and Susan Masino, bring their unique expertise in homeostatic research to the overall scope of this work. This book is accessible to all with an interest in brain health; scientist, clinician, student, and lay reader alike.

Book Description :

Download Plasticity and Reconstruction of Neural Network in Brain Injury book written by Zhang Pengyue,Yuchuan Ding,Yulong Bai,Xiangjian Zhang,Yunping Deng, available in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle, or read full book online anywhere and anytime. Compatible with any devices.

Book Description :

Download Alterations of Synaptic Plasticity and Network Functions in APP and APLP deficient Mice book written by Ulrike Herrmann, available in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle, or read full book online anywhere and anytime. Compatible with any devices.

Book Description :

A comprehensive, multidisciplinary review, Neural Plasticity and Memory: From Genes to Brain Imaging provides an in-depth, up-to-date analysis of the study of the neurobiology of memory. Leading specialists share their scientific experience in the field, covering a wide range of topics where molecular, genetic, behavioral, and brain imaging techniques have been used to investigate how cellular and brain circuits may be modified by experience. In each chapter, researchers present findings and explain their innovative methodologies. The book begins by introducing key issues and providing a historical overview of the field of memory consolidation. The following chapters review the putative genetic and molecular mechanisms of cell plasticity, elaborating on how experience could induce gene and protein expression and describing their role in synaptic plasticity underlying memory formation. They explore how putative modifications of brain circuits and synaptic elements through experience can become relatively permanent and hence improve brain function. Interdisciplinary reviews focus on how nerve cell circuitry, molecular expression, neurotransmitter release, and electrical activity are modified during the acquisition and consolidation of long-term memory. The book also covers receptor activation/deactivation by different neurotransmitters that enable the intracellular activation of second messengers during memory formation. It concludes with a summary of current research on the modulation and regulation that different neurotransmitters and stress hormones have on formation and consolidation of memory.

Book Description :

From the propagation of neural activity through synapses, to the integration of signals in the dendritic arbor, and the processes determining action potential generation, virtually all aspects of neural processing are plastic. This plasticity underlies the remarkable versatility and robustness of cortical circuits: it enables the brain to learn regularities in its sensory inputs, to remember the past, and to recover function after injury. While much of the research into learning and memory has focused on forms of Hebbian plasticity at excitatory synapses (LTD/LTP, STDP), several other plasticity mechanisms have been characterized experimentally, including the plasticity of inhibitory circuits (Kullmann, 2012), synaptic scaling (Turrigiano, 2011) and intrinsic plasticity (Zhang and Linden, 2003). However, our current understanding of the computational roles of these plasticity mechanisms remains rudimentary at best. While traditionally they are assumed to serve a homeostatic purpose, counterbalancing the destabilizing effects of Hebbian learning, recent work suggests that they can have a profound impact on circuit function (Savin 2010, Vogels 2011, Keck 2012). Hence, theoretical investigation into the functional implications of these mechanisms may shed new light on the computational principles at work in neural circuits. This Research Topic of Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience aims to bring together recent advances in theoretical modeling of different plasticity mechanisms and of their contributions to circuit function. Topics of interest include the computational roles of plasticity of inhibitory circuitry, metaplasticity, synaptic scaling, intrinsic plasticity, plasticity within the dendritic arbor and in particular studies on the interplay between homeostatic and Hebbian plasticity, and their joint contribution to network function.

Book Description :

In contemporary consciousness studies the phenomenon of neural plasticity has received little attention despite the fact that neural plasticity is of still increased interest in neuroscience. We will, however, argue that neural plasticity could be of great importance to consciousness studies. If consciousness is related to neural processes it seems, at least prima facie, that the ability of the neural structures to change should be reflected in a theory of this relationship "Neural plasticity" refers to the fact that the brain can change due to its own activity. The brain is not static but rather a dynamic entity, which physical structure changes according to its use and environment. This change may take the form of growth of new neurons, the creation of new networks and structures, and change within network structures, that is, changes in synaptic strengths. Plasticity raises questions about the relation between consciousness and brain functions. If consciousness is connected to specific brain structures (as a function or in identity) what happens to consciousness when those specific underlying structures change? It is therefore possible that the understanding and theories of neural plasticity can have direct consequences for a theory about consciousness. For instance, theories of strict identity between consciousness and structure may face the serious dilemma to either accept that, say, the experience of the colour red is fundamentally different in one individual over time due to cortical changes or to abandon the strong identity thesis altogether. Were one to pursue a theory according to which consciousness is not an epiphenomenon to brain processes, consciousness may in fact affect its own neural basis. The neural correlate of consciousness is often seen as a stable structure, that is, something that is stable over time. Considering neural plasticity, this is not necessarily so. The NCC might change and hence literally change the way a person is conscious. What it is about the NCC that can and might change is, even though it can be relevant for the relation between the brain and consciousness is, still an unanswered question. There are, hence, a lot of questions that might shed light upon the relevant but unknown relations between consciousness and the brain. Therefore, We hereby propose to do a Research Topic on consciousness and neural plasticity to shed light on these underestimated issues.In contemporary consciousness studies the phenomenon of neural plasticity has received little attention despite the fact that neural plasticity is of still increased interest in neuroscience. We will, however, argue that neural plasticity could be of great importance to consciousness studies. If consciousness is related to neural processes it seems, at least prima facie, that the ability of the neural structures to change should be reflected in a theory of this relationship "Neural plasticity" refers to the fact that the brain can change due to its own activity. The brain is not static but rather a dynamic entity, which physical structure changes according to its use and environment. This change may take the form of growth of new neurons, the creation of new networks and structures, and change within network structures, that is, changes in synaptic strengths. Plasticity raises questions about the relation between consciousness and brain functions. If consciousness is connected to specific brain structures (as a function or in identity) what happens to consciousness when those specific underlying structures change? It is therefore possible that the understanding and theories of neural plasticity can have direct consequences for a theory about consciousness. For instance, theories of strict identity between consciousness and structure may face the serious dilemma to either accept that, say, the experience of the colour red is fundamentally different in one individual over time due to cortical changes or to abandon the strong identity thesis altogether. Were one to pursue a theory according to which consciousness is not an epiphenomenon to brain processes, consciousness may in fact affect its own neural basis. The neural correlate of consciousness is often seen as a stable structure, that is, something that is stable over time. Considering neural plasticity, this is not necessarily so. The NCC might change and hence literally change the way a person is conscious. What it is about the NCC that can and might change is, even though it can be relevant for the relation between the brain and consciousness is, still an unanswered question. There are, hence, a lot of questions that might shed light upon the relevant but unknown relations between consciousness and the brain. Therefore, We hereby propose to do a Research Topic on consciousness and neural plasticity to shed light on these underestimated issues.

Book Description :

Cognitive Plasticity in Neurologic Disorders describes and specifies the cognitive impact of neuroplastic processes in key neurologic disorders and syndromes. It is set apart from previous works in this area by its emphasis on the changing quality of neurocognition, demonstrating that this dynamic nature emerges from the neuroplastic processes at work in both mild and severe states of brain disease or injury. This resource describes the ways neurological illness or trauma (or attempts to treat patients with such conditions) can trigger neuroplastic mechanisms in the brain, inducing cognitive reorganization and remapping of brain networks. Each chapter shows how the cognitive and behavioral presentation of the disorder mirrors the changing neurobiologic context, and displays the numerous techniques being employed (e.g. behavior and rehabilitation therapies, electrical stimulation, and computer/machine neuromodulation of brain signals) underlying the neurobiology in ways that facilitate adaptive plasticity and cognitive recovery. An important feature of the book involves characterizing the degree to which the mechanistic principles governing neuroplastic responses and cognitive reorganization in the brain have been elucidated, making clear that it is these principles which will allow us to further develop rational rehabilitative therapies, match patients to appropriate treatments, and even begin to predict clinical treatment outcomes.

Book Description :

Download Mind Brain Plasticity and Rehabilitation of Cognitive Functions What Techniques Have Been Proven Effective book written by Katiuscia Sacco,Benedetto Sacchetti, available in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle, or read full book online anywhere and anytime. Compatible with any devices.

Book Description :

This is one of a two-volume work on neurocognitive development, focusing separately on normative and non-normative development. The normative volume focuses on neurology, biology, genetics, and psychology of normative cognitive development. It covers the development of intellectual abilities, visual perception, motor function, language, memory, attention, executive function, social cognition, learning abilities, and affect and behavior. The book identifies when and how these functions develop, the genetics and neurophysiology of their operation, and their evaluation and assessment in clinical practice. This book will serve as a comprehensive reference to researchers in cognitive development in neuroscience, psychology, and medicine, as well as to clinicians and allied health professionals focused on developmental disabilities (child neurologists, pediatric neuropsychologists, child psychiatrists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists.) Summarizes research on normative neurocognitive development Includes intellectual abilities, language, memory, attention, motor function, and more Discusses genetics and environmental influences on development Provides interdisciplinary information of use to both researchers and clinicians

Book Description :

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of death and permanent disability, contributing to nearly one-third of all injury related deaths in the United States and exacting a profound personal and economic toll. Despite the increased resources that have recently been brought to bear to improve our understanding of TBI, the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches has been disappointingly slow. Translational Research in Traumatic Brain Injury attempts to integrate expertise from across specialties to address knowledge gaps in the field of TBI. Its chapters cover a wide scope of TBI research in five broad areas: Epidemiology Pathophysiology Diagnosis Current treatment strategies and sequelae Future therapies Specific topics discussed include the societal impact of TBI in both the civilian and military populations, neurobiology and molecular mechanisms of axonal and neuronal injury, biomarkers of traumatic brain injury and their relationship to pathology, neuroplasticity after TBI, neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapy, advanced neuroimaging of mild TBI, neurocognitive and psychiatric symptoms following mild TBI, sports-related TBI, epilepsy and PTSD following TBI, and more. The book integrates the perspectives of experts across disciplines to assist in the translation of new ideas to clinical practice and ultimately to improve the care of the brain injured patient.

Book Description :

The Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network has gained in popularity over recent years because of its rapid training and its desirable properties in classification and functional approximation applications. RBF network research has focused on enhanced training algorithms and variations on the basic architecture to improve the performance of the network. In addition, the RBF network is proving to be a valuable tool in a diverse range of application areas, for example, robotics, biomedical engineering, and the financial sector. The two volumes provide a comprehensive survey of the latest developments in this area. Volume 1 covers advances in training algorithms, variations on the architecture and function of the basis neurons, and hybrid paradigms, for example RBF learning using genetic algorithms. Both volumes will prove extremely useful to practitioners in the field, engineers, researchers and technically accomplished managers.

Book Description :

Hebb's postulate provided a crucial framework to understand synaptic alterations underlying learning and memory. Hebb's theory proposed that neurons that fire together, also wire together, which provided the logical framework for the strengthening of synapses. Weakening of synapses was however addressed by "not being strengthened", and it was only later that the active decrease of synaptic strength was introduced through the discovery of long-term depression caused by low frequency stimulation of the presynaptic neuron. In 1994, it was found that the precise relative timing of pre and postynaptic spikes determined not only the magnitude, but also the direction of synaptic alterations when two neurons are active together. Neurons that fire together may therefore not necessarily wire together if the precise timing of the spikes involved are not tighly correlated. In the subsequent 15 years, Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP) has been found in multiple brain brain regions and in many different species. The size and shape of the time windows in which positive and negative changes can be made vary for different brain regions, but the core principle of spike timing dependent changes remain. A large number of theoretical studies have also been conducted during this period that explore the computational function of this driving principle and STDP algorithms have become the main learning algorithm when modeling neural networks. This Research Topic will bring together all the key experimental and theoretical research on STDP.