Social cognition is a set of mental skills necessary to create satisfactory interpersonal relationships and feel a sense of belonging to a social group. Its deficits significantly reduce the quality of life in people with epilepsy. Studies on social cognition and its impairments focus predominantly on people with focal epilepsies. Idiopathic generalised epilepsies are a group of diseases that share similar clinical, prognostic and electrographic characteristics. Despite their typically normal intelligence, people with Idiopathic generalised epilepsies can suffer from learning disabilities and executive dysfunctions. Current studies also suggest social cognition impairments, but their results are inconsistent. This review offers the latest knowledge of social cognition in adults with Idiopathic generalised epilepsies. In addition, we provide an overview of the most frequently used assessment methods. We explain possible reasons for different outcomes and discuss future research perspectives.

• MeSH
• epilepsie generalizovaná * psychologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• exekutivní funkce fyziologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• sociální kognice * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

The impact of the microbiome on brain function and behavior has recently become an important research topic. We searched for a link between the gut microbiome and impulsive and violent behavior. We focused on critical factors influencing the microbiome establishment that may affect human health later in life, i.e., delivery mode, early-life feeding, and early antibiotic exposure. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. We included original human studies examining adults and children with impulsive and/or violent behavior that assessed the gut microbiota composition of participants, delivery mode, infant feeding mode, or early antibiotic exposure. Bibliographic searches yielded 429 articles, and 21 met the eligibility criteria. Two studies reported data on patients with schizophrenia with violent behavior, while 19 studies reported data on patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The results showed several bacterial taxa associated with ADHD symptomatology and with violent behavior in patients with schizophrenia. No association was found between delivery mode and impulsive behavior, nor did any articles relate infant feeding mode to violent human behavior. Those studies investigating early antibiotic exposure yielded ambiguous results. The heterogeneity of the data and the different methodologies of the included studies limited the external validity of the results. We found few studies that addressed the possible microbiome involvement in the pathophysiology of impulsive and violent behavior in humans. Our review revealed a gap in knowledge regarding links between the gut microbiome and these extreme behavioral patterns.

• MeSH
• agrese MeSH
• antibakteriální látky MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• hyperkinetická porucha * MeSH
• impulzivní chování MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• střevní mikroflóra * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• systematický přehled MeSH

Methylphenidate is a stimulant used to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the last decade, illicit use of methylphenidate has increased among healthy young adults, who consume the drug under the assumption that it will improve cognitive performance. However, the studies that aimed to assess the methylphenidate effects on memory are not consistent. Here, we tested whether the effect of methylphenidate on a spatial memory task can be explained as a motivational and/or a reward effect. We tested the effects of acute and chronic i.p. administration of 0.3, 1 or 3 mg/kg of methylphenidate on motivation, learning and memory by using the 8-arm radial maze task. Adult male Wistar rats learned that 3 of the 8 arms of the maze were consistently baited with 1, 3, or 6 sucrose pellets, and the number of entries and reentries into reinforced and non-reinforced arms of the maze were scored. Neither acute nor chronic (20 days) methylphenidate treatment affected the number of entries in the non-baited arms. However, chronic, but not acute, 1-3 mg/kg methylphenidate increased the number of reentries in the higher reward arms, which suggests a motivational/rewarding effect rather than a working memory deficit. In agreement with this hypothesis, the methylphenidate treatment also decreased the approach latency to the higher reward arms, increased the approach latency to the low reward arm, and increased the time spent in the high, but not low, reward arm. These findings suggest that methylphenidate may act more as a motivational enhancer rather than a cognitive enhancer in healthy people.

• MeSH
• hyperkinetická porucha * farmakoterapie   MeSH
• krysa rodu rattus MeSH
• methylfenidát * farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• motivace MeSH
• odměna MeSH
• potkani Wistar MeSH
• stimulanty centrálního nervového systému * farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu rattus MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Naphyrone, also known as NRG-1, is a novel psychoactive substance (NPS), a cathinone with stimulatory properties available on the grey/illicit drug market for almost a decade. It is structurally related to infamously known powerful stimulants with the pyrovalerone structure, such as alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP) or methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) that are labeled as a cheap replacement for cocaine and other stimulants. Despite the known addictive potential of α-PVP and MDPV, there are no studies directly evaluating naphyrone's addictive potential e.g., in conditioned place preference (CPP) test or using self-administration. Therefore, our study was designed to evaluate the addictive potential in a CPP test in male Wistar rats and compare its effect to another powerful stimulant with a high addictive potential - methamphetamine. Naphyrone increased time spent in the drug-paired compartment with 5 and 20 mg/kg s.c. being significant and 10 mg/kg s.c. reaching the threshold (p = 0.07); the effect was comparable to that of methamphetamine 1.5 mg/kg s.c. The lowest dose, naphyrone 1 mg/kg s.c., had no effect on CPP. Interestingly, no dose response effect was detected. Based on these data, we are able to conclude that naphyrone has an addictive potential and may possess a significant risk to users.

• MeSH
• alkaloidy farmakologie   MeSH
• chování zvířat účinky léků   MeSH
• klasické podmiňování účinky léků   MeSH
• krysa rodu rattus MeSH
• methamfetamin aplikace a dávkování   farmakologie   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• pentanony aplikace a dávkování   farmakologie   MeSH
• poruchy spojené s užíváním psychoaktivních látek * MeSH
• potkani Wistar MeSH
• pyrrolidiny aplikace a dávkování   farmakologie   MeSH
• stimulanty centrálního nervového systému aplikace a dávkování   farmakologie   MeSH
• vztah mezi dávkou a účinkem léčiva MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu rattus MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Maternal immune activation has been identified as a significant risk factor for schizophrenia. Using rodent models, past work has demonstrated various behavioral and brain impairments in offspring after immune-activating events. We applied 5 mg/kg of poly(I:C) on gestation day 9 to pregnant mouse dams, whose offspring were then stressed during puberty. We show impairments in attentional set-shifting in a T-maze, and a decreased number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the hippocampus as a result of peripubertal stress specifically in females.

• MeSH
• chování zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• exekutivní funkce fyziologie   MeSH
• hipokampus cytologie   MeSH
• infekční komplikace v těhotenství * chemicky indukované   imunologie   MeSH
• interneurony cytologie   MeSH
• kognitivní dysfunkce etiologie   patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• poly I-C aplikace a dávkování   MeSH
• pozornost fyziologie   MeSH
• psychický stres komplikace   patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• schizofrenie etiologie   imunologie   patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• zpožděný efekt prenatální expozice chemicky indukované   patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Schizophrenia is severe neuropsychiatric disease, which is commonly accompanied not only by positive or negative symptoms, but also by cognitive impairment. To study neuronal mechanisms underlying cognitive distortions and mechanisms underlying schizophrenia, animal pharmacological models of cognitive symptoms are commonly used. Between various cognitive impairments in schizophrenia patients, disturbed time perception has often been reported. Here, we examined temporal and spatial cognition in a modified Carousel maze task in the animal model of schizophrenia induced by non-competitive NMDA-receptor antagonists MK-801. Male Long-Evans rats (n = 18) first learned to avoid the aversive sector on a rotating arena in both dark and light intervals. We verified that during dark, rats used temporal cues, while during light they relied predominantly on spatial cues. We demonstrated that the timing strategy depends on the stable rotation speed of the arena and on the repositioning clues such as aversive stimuli. During testing (both in light and dark intervals), half of the rats received MK-801 and the control half received saline solution. We observed dose-dependent disruptions of both temporal and spatial cognition. Namely, both doses of MK-801 (0.1 and 0.12 mg/kg) significantly impaired timing strategy in the dark and increased locomotor activity. MK-801 dose 0.1 mg/kg, but not 0.12, also impaired spatial avoidance strategy in light. We found that the timing strategy is more sensitive to NMDA antagonist MK-801 than the spatial strategy. To conclude, a modified version of the Carousel maze is a useful and sensitive tool for detecting timing impairments in the MK-801 induced rodent model of schizophrenia.

• MeSH
• antagonisté excitačních aminokyselin aplikace a dávkování   farmakologie   MeSH
• bludiště - učení účinky léků   MeSH
• chování zvířat účinky léků   MeSH
• dizocilpinmaleát aplikace a dávkování   farmakologie   MeSH
• kognitivní dysfunkce chemicky indukované   patofyziologie   MeSH
• krysa rodu rattus MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• potkani Long-Evans MeSH
• schizofrenie chemicky indukované   MeSH
• učení vyhýbat se účinky léků   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu rattus MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Exercise therapy represents an important tool for the treatment of many neurological diseases, including cerebellar degenerations. In mouse models, exercise may decelerate the progression of gradual cerebellar degeneration via potent activation of neuroprotective pathways. However, whether exercise could also improve the condition in mice with already heavily damaged cerebella remains an open question. Here we aimed to explore this possibility, employing a mouse model with dramatic early-onset cerebellar degeneration, the Lurcher mice. The potential of forced physical activity and environmental enrichment (with the possibility of voluntary running) for improvement of behaviour and neuroplasticity was evaluated by a series of behavioural tests, measuring BDNF levels and using stereological histology techniques. Using advanced statistical analysis, we showed that while forced physical activity improved motor learning by ∼26 % in Lurcher mice and boosted BDNF levels in the diseased cerebellum by 57 %, an enriched environment partially alleviated some behavioural deficits related to behavioural disinhibition. Specifically, Lurcher mice exposed to the enriched environment evinced reduced open arm exploration in elevated plus maze test by 18 % and increased immobility almost 9-fold in the forced swim test. However, we must conclude that the overall beneficial effects were very mild and much less clear, compared to previously demonstrated effects in slowly-progressing cerebellar degenerations.

• MeSH
• bydlení zvířat * MeSH
• chování zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• hra a hračky MeSH
• kondiční příprava zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• mozeček * metabolismus   patologie   MeSH
• mozkový neurotrofický faktor metabolismus   MeSH
• myši - mutanty neurologické MeSH
• myši MeSH
• neurodegenerativní nemoci * metabolismus   patologie   rehabilitace   MeSH
• terapie cvičením MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Anxiety-related behaviors in mice are often assessed over short periods starting immediately after introducing the animals in a dedicated apparatus. In these usual conditions (5-10 min periods), the cerebellar Lurcher mutants showed disinhibited behaviors characterized by abnormally high exploration of the aversive areas in the elevated plus-maze test. We nevertheless observed that this disinhibition sharply weakened after 10 min. We therefore decided to further investigate the influence of the disinhibition on the intrinsic and anxiety-related exploratory behaviors in Lurcher mice, with a special focus on familiarization effects. To this end, we used an innovative apparatus, the Dual Maze, permitting to tune the familiarization level of animals to the experimental context before they are faced with more (open configuration of the device) or less (closed configuration of the device) aversive areas. Chlordiazepoxide administration in BALB/c mice in a preliminary experiment confirmed both the face and the predictive validity of our device as anxiety test and its ability to measure exploratory motivation. The results obtained with the Lurcher mice in the open configuration revealed that 20 min of familiarization to the experimental context abolished the behavioral abnormalities they exhibited when not familiarized with it. In addition, their exploratory motivation, as measured in the closed configuration, was comparable to that of their non-mutant littermates, whatever the level of familiarization applied. Exemplifying the interest of this innovative device, the results we obtained in the Lurcher mutants permitted to differentiate between the roles played by the cerebellum in exploratory motivation and stress-related behaviors.

• MeSH
• bludiště - učení fyziologie   MeSH
• chování zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• inhibice (psychologie) * MeSH
• motivace fyziologie   MeSH
• mozeček MeSH
• myši - mutanty neurologické MeSH
• myši inbrední BALB C MeSH
• myši MeSH
• neuropsychologické testy * MeSH
• pátrací chování fyziologie   MeSH
• rozpoznávání (psychologie) fyziologie   MeSH
• úzkost patofyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Several studies suggest that EEG parameters, reflecting top-down processes in the brain, may predict cognitive performance, e.g. short-term memory (STM) capacity. According to Lisman and Idiart's model, STM capacity is predicted by theta and gamma EEG waves and their ratio. This model suggests that the more periods of gamma band waves fit into one period of theta band waves, the more information can be stored. We replicated the study by Kaminski et al. (2011), which recorded spontaneous EEG activity and measured verbal STM capacity with a modified digit span task from the Wechsler battery. Our study included more subjects and two EEG recording sessions. We discuss the possible limits of EEG correlates of STM capacity as EEG parameters were not stable across the two measurements and no correlation was found between the theta/gamma ratio and performance in the digit span task.

• MeSH
• biologické modely MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• gama rytmus EEG fyziologie   MeSH
• krátkodobá paměť fyziologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• psychomotorický výkon fyziologie   MeSH
• theta rytmus EEG fyziologie   MeSH
• Wechslerovy škály MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH

Visuospatial perspective-taking (VPT) is a process of imagining what can be seen and how a scene looks from a location and orientation in space that differs from one's own. It comprises two levels that are underpinned by distinct neurocognitive processes. Level-2 VPT is often studied in relation to two other cognitive phenomena, object mental rotation (oMR) and theory of mind (ToM). With the aim to describe the broad picture of neurocognitive processes underlying level-2 VPT, here we give an overview of the recent behavioral and neuroscientific findings of level-2 VPT. We discuss its relation to level-1 VPT, which is also referred to as perspective-tracking, and the neighboring topics, oMR and ToM. Neuroscientific research shows that level-2 VPT is a diverse cognitive process, encompassing functionally distinct neural circuits. It shares brain substrates with oMR, especially those parietal brain areas that are specialized in spatial reasoning. However, compared to oMR, level-2 VPT involves additional activations in brain structures that are typically involved in ToM tasks and deal with self/other distinctions. In addition, level-2 VPT has been suggested to engage brain areas coding for internal representations of the body. Thus, the neurocognitive model underpinning level-2 VPT can be understood as a combination of visuospatial processing with social cognition and body schema representations.

• MeSH
• imaginace fyziologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mozková kůra fyziologie   MeSH
• teorie mysli fyziologie   MeSH
• vnímání prostoru fyziologie   MeSH
• zraková percepce fyziologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH