Cohenkromann2697

The accumulation of amyloid-β, a metabolic residue found in the brain, has been linked to cognitive ageing and Alzheimer's disease. A longitudinal study reveals that the increase of amyloid-β can be predicted using simple sleep parameters.Dead museum specimens are finding new life, providing critical data about otherwise hidden impacts of human-caused environmental change. New research powerfully leverages decades of plant collections to uncover global responses in floral pigmentation linked to ozone and climate change.The dorsal striatum is important for motor control. Yet whether that control encompasses procedural memories, kinematic refinement, or both is still debated. A recent study has shed new light on the role of the dorsal striatum in learned movement sequences and the effort required to refine them.Unlike mammals, most insects have no chance to personally take care of their offspring. Insect mothers, therefore, carefully weigh egg-laying options to select an optimal site, which guarantees better survival and fitness for their progeny. A new study in oriental fruit flies reveals that gravid females rely on a bacteria-derived odour - β-caryophyllene - to avoid competition for their offspring.A rare case of a deaf signer undergoing awake craniotomy has revealed that sensorimotor cortex is functionally organized for signing. Electrocorticography recordings indicated neural tuning to linguistically-relevant handshapes and body locations and distinct neural activity for linguistic versus transitional movements.We sincerely appreciate the constructive comments made by Peter Kappeler [1] regarding our paper, "Key male glandular odorants attracting female ring-tailed lemurs" [2]. We largely agree with the points raised in these comments, and believe these should be considered as critical discussion that would enable a more reasonable assessment of our findings.Pheromones mediate a wide range of functions across the animal kingdom [1], and such chemosensory communication is especially widespread among mammals [2]. In a recent paper in Current Biology, Shirasu, Ito et al. [3] describe the results of a series of chemical and behavioral studies that identified three aldehyde odors released from the wrist gland of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) that could represent the first identified sex pheromones in male primates. Observations of a captive group and controlled presentations of isolated male scent samples showed captive female lemurs sniffing antebrachial scent marks longer on average during the breeding season. Comparison of the chemical profiles of antebrachial secretions between breeding- and non-breeding-season samples revealed three aldehydes putatively responsible for the female response, the concentration of one of these subsequently shown to increase following testosterone injection of one male. Average sniffing duration of two females increased slightly with increasing concentrations of two of the three aldehydes in one experiment, and so did the response of seven other females to swabs with mixtures of the three compounds, compared to individually presented aldehydes. From these results, the authors conclude that "it is conceivable that the identified C12 and C14 aldehydes are putative sex pheromones that aid male-female interactions among lemurs." Here, I argue that, in fact, more data are needed to determine whether antebrachial marking and these substances are actually involved in mediating the attractiveness of males to females during the breeding season. My specific concerns pertain to several aspects of the methods that produce ambiguous results and conclusions that are too strong, especially when considering the broader context of lemur biology.We greatly appreciate the critical comments on our paper made by Drea et al. [1]. 1-Deoxynojirimycin in vivo We would like to emphasize that we are not claiming or giving concrete evidence that the identified compounds are pheromones in our paper. We agree that before we can reasonably conclude that the identified compounds are indeed pheromones, we would at least need to examine whether the responses to the identified compounds are stereotypical and reproducible and exclude the effects of signature differences, such as health, relatedness and genetic quality. To this end, it will be necessary to investigate a broader range of behaviors in the future using a larger number of animals.As chemicals that elicit unlearned, functionally specialized, and species-specific responses [1] or 'stereotyped behavior' [2], pheromones differ from mammalian scent signatures that comprise complex, variable mixtures, convey multiple messages via learned chemical combinations, and elicit generalized responses [1]. Studying ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) behavior and semiochemistry, a recent study by Shirasu, Ito et al. [2] claimed to have identified "the first sex pheromones in primates." However, reliance on one male in most chemical procedures and on few females in behavioral procedures constrains statistical analyses and challenges the broad applicability of their findings. Also, the non-independent testing of even fewer signaler-recipient dyads downplays the critical role of learning and memory in primate communication [1] - an argument that refuted earlier claims of primate pheromones [3,4]. Here, we challenge each of their four highlighted findings and interpretations.Neurophysiological studies have demonstrated that attentional orienting is associated with activity in fronto-parietal brain areas that play a pivotal role in oculomotor control, such as the lateral intraparietal cortex (LIP), the frontal eye fields (FEF), and the superior colliculus (SC) (e.g., [1]). Accordingly, based on the influential premotor theory of attention, which posits that even covert shifts of spatial attention in the absence of eye movements are elicited by preceding activation in the oculomotor system [2], it has been claimed that attention can only be allocated to where we can potentially make an eye movement [3]. There are two forms of covert spatial attention exogenous attention is automatic, stimulus-driven, and transiently deployed in ∼100 ms. Conversely, endogenous attention is voluntary, goal-driven, and deployed in a slower (∼300 ms) and sustained manner [4]. Notably, it has been postulated that only exogenous attention, but not endogenous attention, would be restricted to locations within the so-called oculomotor range that is accessible by saccadic eye movements [5,6].