Objective To assess changes in blood-oxygen-level-dependent activity after light deprivation compared to regular light exposure in subjects with migraine in the interictal state and in controls. Methods Ten subjects with migraine and ten controls participated in two sessions of functional magnetic resonance imaging. In each session, they performed a finger-tapping task with the right hand, cu...

PURPOSE To assess whether the early light deprivation induced by congenital cataract may influence the cone-driven retinal function in humans. METHODS Forty-one patients affected by congenital cataract (CC) who had undergone uncomplicated cataract extraction surgery and intraocular lens implant, and 14 healthy subjects (HS) were enrolled. All patients underwent complete ophthalmological and o...

Arachidonic acid (AA) is a precursor of biologically active prostaglandines and leukotrienes. The commercial source for AA at present is a fungus, but the recently discovered coccoid green alga, Parietochloris incisa comb. nov., in which over 90% of total AA is deposited in triacylglycerols, makes this species a potential candidate for commercial production of AA. We investigated the effect of ...

On the model of premature aging induced by 30-day dark deprivation (light-dark cycle 24/0 h, artificial illumination 300 Lux), effect exogenous melatonin (0.3 mg/kg, 14 days after cancellation deprivation, intragastric dailyin 2 % starch mucus) on dynamics body weight and level Klotho protein in blood was studied outbred white male rats 4 months age. It has been shown that prolonged is accompan...

PURPOSE To investigate whether long-term protection from light exposure affects the rate of disease progression in patients with autosomal recessive Stargardt disease (STGD1), measured using fundus autofluorescence imaging. DESIGN Longitudinal, retrospective, interventional case series. METHODS Five patients with Stargardt disease protected 1 eye from light exposure by applying a black cont...

Visual cortical neurons selectively respond to particular features of visual stimuli and this selective responsiveness emerges from specific connectivity in the cortex. Most visual response properties are basically established by eye opening and are thereafter modified or refined by visual experience based on activity-dependent synaptic modifications during an early postnatal period. Visual dep...

AIMS This study aimed to establish and compare the effects of brief sensory deprivation on individuals differing in trait hallucination proneness. METHOD Eighteen participants selected for high hallucination proneness were compared against 18 participants rating low on this trait. The presence of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), and participants' cognitive appraisals of these, was evaluated...

Dehydration has a profound influence on neuroexcitability. The mechanisms remained, however, incompletely understood. The present study addressed the effect of water deprivation on gene expression in the brain. To this end, animals were exposed to a 24 hours deprivation of drinking water and neuronal gene expression was determined by microarray technology with subsequent confirmation by RT-PCR....