The 14-3-3 proteins are a family of acidicr egulatory molecules found in all eukaryotes. 14-3-3 proteins function as molecular scaffolds by modulating the conformation of their binding partners. Through the functional modulation of a wide range of binding partners, 14-3-3 proteins are involved in many processes including cell cycle regulation, metabolism control, apoptosis, and control of gene transcription. This minireview includes a short overview of 14-3-3 proteins and then focuses on their role in the regulation of two important binding partners: FOXO forkhead transcription factors and an enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase., V. Obšilová, J. Šilhan, E. Bouřa, J. Teisinger, T. Obšil., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
During the Brain Awareness Week, held worldwide annually in March, neuroscientists and other brain scientists acquaint the wider public concerning their research activities and their achievements to advance awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. Brain Awareness Week was created in the USA by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in 1996. The thirteenth year of the Brain Awareness Week in the Czech Republic occurred on March 14, 2011. Events were held in the building of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. and Josef Syka.
During the Brain Awareness Week, held worldwide annually in March, neuroscientists and other brain scientists acquaint the wider public concerning their research activities and their achievements to advance awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. Brain Awareness Week was created in the USA by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in 1996. The thirteenth year of the Brain Awareness Week in the Czech Republic occurred on March 14, 2011. Events were held in the building of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. and Gabriela Adámková.
Brain Awareness Week is a series of events held around the world to increase public awareness of the brain. Top Czech scientists attracted more then 1,300 students with lectures as part of the annual Brain Awareness Week that took place in the administration building of the Czech Academy of Sciences extending from 10-13 March 2008. and Gabriela Adámková.
The processing of species-specific communication signals in the auditory system represents an important aspect of animal behavior and is crucial for its social interactions, reproduction, and survival. In this article the neuronal mechanisms underlying the processing of communication signals in the higher centers of the auditory system - inferior colliculus (IC), medial geniculate body (MGB) and auditory cortex (AC) - are reviewed, with particular attention to the guinea pig. The selectivity of neuronal responses for individual calls in these auditory centers in the guinea pig is usually low - most neurons respond to calls as well as to artificial sounds; the coding of complex sounds in the central auditory nuclei is apparently based on the representation of temporal and spectral features of acoustical stimuli in neural networks. Neuronal response patterns in the IC reliably match the sound envelope for calls characterized by one or more short impulses, but do not exactly fit the envelope for long calls. Also, the main spectral peaks are represented by neuronal firing rates in the IC. In comparison to the IC, response patterns in the MGB and AC demonstrate a less precise representation of the sound envelope, especially in the case of longer calls. The spectral representation is worse in the case of low-frequency calls, but not in the case of broad-band ca lls. The emotional content of the call may influence neuronal responses in the auditory pathway, which can be demonstrated by stimulation with time-reversed calls or by measurements performed under different levels of anesthesia. The investigation of the principles of the neural coding of species-specific vocalizations offers some keys for understanding the neural mechanisms underlying human speech perception., D. Šuta, J. Popelář, J. Syka., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The Seventh Conference of the Czech Neuroscience Society together with the First Conference of the Slovak Society for Neuroscience was jointly convened in Prague November 1-4, 2009. The conference was held in conjunction with 7th International Stem School in Regenerative Medicine, which offered Ph.D. students and young researchers the opportunity to discuss with prominent scientists in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine stands at the forefront of current medical research as scientists seek to better understand regenerative abilities of our cells and tissues and to use these abilities to enable the rescue and repair of damaged tissue resulting from injury or disease. and Luděk Svoboda.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect and mechanism of low concentration of lidocaine on subthreshold membrane potential oscillations (SMPO) and burst discharges in chronically compressed dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. DRG neurons were isolated by enzymatic dissociation method. SMPO, burst discharges and single spike were elicited by whole cell patch-clamp technique in current clamp mode. Persistent Na+ current (INaP) and transient Na+ current (INaT) were elicited in voltage clamp mode. The results showed that SMPO was suppressed and burst discharges were eliminated by tetrodotoxin (TTX, 0.2 μ mol/l) in current clamp mode, INaP was blocked by 0.2 μ mol/l TTX in voltage clamp mode. SMPO, burst discharges and INaP were also suppressed by low concentration of lidocaine (10 μ mol/l) respectively. However, single spike and INaT could only be blocked by high concentration of lidocaine (5 mmol/l). From these results, it is suggested that INaP mediates the generation of SMPO in injured DRG neurons. Low concentration of lidocaine (10 μ mol/l) suppresses SMPO by selectively inhibiting INaP, but not INaT, in chronically compressed DRG neurons., H. Dong, Y.-H. Fan, Y.-Y. Wang, W.-T. Wang, S.J. Hu., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Purinergic P2X receptors represent a novel structural type of ligand-gated ion channels activated by extracellular ATP. So far, seven P2X receptors subunits have been found in excitable as well as non-excitable tissues. Little is known about their structure, mechanism of channel opening, localization, and role in the central nervous system. The aim of this work is to summarize recent investigations and describe our contribution to elucidating the structure of the ATP binding site and transmembrane domains of the P2X receptor, we also discuss the expression and physiological roles played by the ATP and P2X receptors in the anterior pituitary and hypothalamus., H. Zemková, A. Balík, M. Jindřichová, V. Vávra., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Sam Harris ve své knize The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values (2010) tvrdí, že otázka morálních hodnot není ničím jiným než otázkou po blahu vědomých bytostí. Ve svém výkladu si Harris klade tři úkoly: etablovat etiku jakožto plně racionální a ideálně vědeckou disciplínu, posílit a obhájit naturalismus a ustanovit smysluplnost lidského života na nenáboženské bázi. Harrisova kniha se setkala s odmítnutím v odborných recenzích, avšak ne všechny kritiky jsou oprávněné a skutečný problém s Harrisovým přístupem podle mne leží jinde, než se kritici domnívají. Existují nejméně tři důvody, proč odmítnout Harrisovu koncepci morálky jakožto vědy. Prvním je konfuzní pojetí vědy, se kterým souvisí absence čehokoli vědeckého v Harrisově popisu etických problémů či jejich řešení. Druhý důvod je nekoherentní postup při výkladu původu hodnot. A konečně posledním důvodem k odmítnutí Harrisovy vize je podoba života, kterou nám nabízí jakožto výsledek přijetí etiky založené na vědě., Sam Harris in his book The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values (2010) argues that the question of moral values is none other than the question of the happiness of conscious beings. In his account Harris sets himself three tasks: to establish ethics as a fully rational and purely scientific discipline, to reinforce and defend naturalism, and to rest the meaning of human life on a non-religious grounding. Harris’ book has met with a negative reaction in journal reviews, but not all the criticisms are justified and the real problem with Harris’ approach, in my view, is different to what his critics suppose. There are at least three reasons why we should reject Harris’ conception of morality as a science. The first is his confused conception of science which brings with it the absence of any scientific (on Harris’ understanding) ethical problems and of their solution. The second reason is an incoherent approach in his account of the origin of values. And finally, the last reason for rejecting Harris’ vision is the form of life which he offers us as the result of accepting ethics founded on science., Jakub Jirsa., and Obsahuje seznam literatury