@article{MuellerRoeberBalazadeh2014, author = {M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Balazadeh, Salma}, title = {Auxin and its role in plant senescence}, series = {Journal of plant growth regulation}, volume = {33}, journal = {Journal of plant growth regulation}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0721-7595}, doi = {10.1007/s00344-013-9398-5}, pages = {21 -- 33}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Leaf senescence represents a key developmental process through which resources trapped in the photosynthetic organ are degraded in an organized manner and transported away to sustain the growth of other organs including newly forming leaves, roots, seeds, and fruits. The optimal timing of the initiation and progression of senescence are thus prerequisites for controlled plant growth, biomass accumulation, and evolutionary success through seed dispersal. Recent research has uncovered a multitude of regulatory factors including transcription factors, micro-RNAs, protein kinases, and others that constitute the molecular networks that regulate senescence in plants. The timing of senescence is affected by environmental conditions and abiotic or biotic stresses typically trigger a faster senescence. Various phytohormones, including for example ethylene, abscisic acid, and salicylic acid, promote senescence, whereas cytokinins delay it. Recently, several reports have indicated an involvement of auxin in the control of senescence, however, its mode of action and point of interference with senescence control mechanisms remain vaguely defined at present and contrasting observations regarding the effect of auxin on senescence have so far hindered the establishment of a coherent model. Here, we summarize recent studies on auxin-related genes that affect senescence in plants and highlight how these findings might be integrated into current molecular-regulatory models of senescence.}, language = {en} } @article{vonderMalsburgKlieglVasishth2015, author = {von der Malsburg, Titus Raban and Kliegl, Reinhold and Vasishth, Shravan}, title = {Determinants of Scanpath Regularity in Reading}, series = {Cognitive science : a multidisciplinary journal of anthropology, artificial intelligence, education, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology ; journal of the Cognitive Science Society}, volume = {39}, journal = {Cognitive science : a multidisciplinary journal of anthropology, artificial intelligence, education, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology ; journal of the Cognitive Science Society}, number = {7}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0364-0213}, doi = {10.1111/cogs.12208}, pages = {1675 -- 1703}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Scanpaths have played an important role in classic research on reading behavior. Nevertheless, they have largely been neglected in later research perhaps due to a lack of suitable analytical tools. Recently, von der Malsburg and Vasishth (2011) proposed a new measure for quantifying differences between scanpaths and demonstrated that this measure can recover effects that were missed with the traditional eyetracking measures. However, the sentences used in that study were difficult to process and scanpath effects accordingly strong. The purpose of the present study was to test the validity, sensitivity, and scope of applicability of the scanpath measure, using simple sentences that are typically read from left to right. We derived predictions for the regularity of scanpaths from the literature on oculomotor control, sentence processing, and cognitive aging and tested these predictions using the scanpath measure and a large database of eye movements. All predictions were confirmed: Sentences with short words and syntactically more difficult sentences elicited more irregular scanpaths. Also, older readers produced more irregular scanpaths than younger readers. In addition, we found an effect that was not reported earlier: Syntax had a smaller influence on the eye movements of older readers than on those of young readers. We discuss this interaction of syntactic parsing cost with age in terms of shifts in processing strategies and a decline of executive control as readers age. Overall, our results demonstrate the validity and sensitivity of the scanpath measure and thus establish it as a productive and versatile tool for reading research.}, language = {en} } @article{MehnertAkhrifTelkemeyeretal.2013, author = {Mehnert, Jan and Akhrif, Atae and Telkemeyer, Silke and Rossi, Sonja and Schmitz, Christoph H. and Steinbrink, Jens and Wartenburger, Isabell and Obrig, Hellmuth and Neufang, Susanne}, title = {Developmental changes in brain activation and functional connectivity during response inhibition in the early childhood brain}, series = {Brain and development : official journal of the Japanese Society of Child Neurology}, volume = {35}, journal = {Brain and development : official journal of the Japanese Society of Child Neurology}, number = {10}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0387-7604}, doi = {10.1016/j.braindev.2012.11.006}, pages = {894 -- 904}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Response inhibition is an attention function which develops relatively early during childhood. Behavioral data suggest that by the age of 3, children master the basic task requirements for the assessment of response inhibition but performance improves substantially until the age of 7. The neuronal mechanisms underlying these developmental processes, however, are not well understood. In this study, we examined brain activation patterns and behavioral performance of children aged between 4 and 6 years compared to adults by applying a go/no-go paradigm during near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) brain imaging. We furthermore applied task-independent functional connectivity measures to the imaging data to identify maturation of intrinsic neural functional networks. We found a significant group x condition related interaction in terms of inhibition-related reduced right fronto-parietal activation in children compared to adults. In contrast, motor-related activation did not differ between age groups. Functional connectivity analysis revealed that in the children's group, short-range coherence within frontal areas was stronger, and long-range coherence between frontal and parietal areas was weaker, compared to adults. Our findings show that in children aged from 4 to 6 years fronto-parietal brain maturation plays a crucial part in the cognitive development of response inhibition.}, language = {en} } @article{PeresEyngLopesetal.2015, author = {Peres, Tanara V. and Eyng, Helena and Lopes, Samantha C. and Colle, Dirleise and Goncalves, Filipe M. and Venske, Debora K. R. and Lopes, Mark W. and Ben, Juliana and Bornhorst, Julia and Schwerdtle, Tanja and Aschner, Michael A. and Farina, Marcelo and Prediger, Rui D. and Leal, Rodrigo B.}, title = {Developmental exposure to manganese induces lasting motor and cognitive impairment in rats}, series = {Neurotoxicology : the interdisciplinary journal of effects to toxic substances on the nervous system}, volume = {50}, journal = {Neurotoxicology : the interdisciplinary journal of effects to toxic substances on the nervous system}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0161-813X}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuro.2015.07.005}, pages = {28 -- 37}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Exposure to high manganese (Mn) levels may damage the basal ganglia, leading to a syndrome analogous to Parkinson's disease, with motor and cognitive impairments. The molecular mechanisms underlying Mn neurotoxicity, particularly during development, still deserve further investigation. Herein, we addressed whether early-life Mn exposure affects motor coordination and cognitive function in adulthood and potential underlying mechanisms. Male Wistar rats were exposed intraperitoneally to saline (control) or MnCl2 (5, 10 or 20 mg/kg/day) from post-natal day (PND) 8-12. Behavioral tests were performed on PND 60-65 and biochemical analysis in the striatum and hippocampus were performed on PND14 or PND70. Rats exposed to Mn (10 and 20 mg/kg) performed significantly worse on the rotarod test than controls indicating motor coordination and balance impairments. The object and social recognition tasks were used to evaluate short-term memory. Rats exposed to the highest Mn dose failed to recognize a familiar object when replaced by a novel object as well as to recognize a familiar juvenile rat after a short period of time. However, Mn did not alter olfactory discrimination ability. In addition, Mn-treated rats displayed decreased levels of non-protein thiols (e.g. glutathione) and increased levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the striatum. Moreover, Mn significantly increased hippocampal glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. These findings demonstrate that acute low-level exposure to Mn during a critical neurodevelopmental period causes cognitive and motor dysfunctions that last into adulthood, that are accompanied by alterations in antioxidant defense system in both the hippocampus and striatum. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{MkaouerHammoudiNassibAmaraetal.2018, author = {Mkaouer, Bessem and Hammoudi-Nassib, Sarra and Amara, Samiha and Chaabene, Helmi}, title = {Evaluating the physical and basic gymnastics skills assessment for International Gymnastics Federation}, series = {Biology of Sport}, volume = {35}, journal = {Biology of Sport}, number = {4}, publisher = {Inst Sport}, address = {Warsaw}, issn = {0860-021X}, doi = {10.5114/biolsport.2018.78059}, pages = {383 -- 392}, year = {2018}, abstract = {This study aimed to determine the specific physical and basic gymnastics skills considered critical in gymnastics talent identification and selection as well as in promoting men's artistic gymnastics performances. Fifty-one boys from a provincial gymnastics team (age 11.03 ± 0.95 years; height 1.33 ± 0.05 m; body mass 30.01 ± 5.53 kg; body mass index [BMI] 16.89 ± 3.93 kg/m²) regularly competing at national level voluntarily participated in this study. Anthropometric measures as well as the men's artistic gymnastics physical test battery (i.e., International Gymnastics Federation [FIG] age group development programme) were used to assess the somatic and physical fitness profile of participants, respectively. The physical characteristics assessed were: muscle strength, flexibility, speed, endurance, and muscle power. Test outcomes were subjected to a principal components analysis to identify the most representative factors. The main findings revealed that power speed, isometric and explosive strength, strength endurance, and dynamic and static flexibility are the most determinant physical fitness aspects of the talent selection process in young male artistic gymnasts. These findings are of utmost importance for talent identification, selection, and development.}, language = {en} } @article{JunemannWinterhoffNordholzetal.2013, author = {Junemann, Alexander and Winterhoff, Moritz and Nordholz, Benjamin and Rottner, Klemens and Eichinger, Ludwig and Gr{\"a}f, Ralph and Faix, Jan}, title = {ForC lacks canonical formin activity but bundles actin filaments and is required for multicellular development of Dictyostelium cells}, series = {European journal of cell biology}, volume = {92}, journal = {European journal of cell biology}, number = {6-7}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Jena}, issn = {0171-9335}, doi = {10.1016/j.ejcb.2013.07.001}, pages = {201 -- 212}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Diaphanous-related formins (DRFs) drive the nucleation and elongation of linear actin filaments downstream of Rho GTPase signalling pathways. Dictyostelium formin C (ForC) resembles a DRF, except that it lacks a genuine formin homology domain 1 (FH1), raising the questions whether or not ForC can nucleate and elongate actin filaments. We found that a recombinant ForC-FH2 fragment does not nucleate actin polymerization, but moderately decreases the rate of spontaneous actin assembly and disassembly, although the barbed-end elongation rate in the presence of the formin was not markedly changed. However, the protein bound to and crosslinked actin filaments into loose bundles of mixed polarity. Furthermore, ForC is an important regulator of morphogenesis since ForC-null cells are severely impaired in development resulting in the formation of aberrant fruiting bodies. Immunoblotting revealed that ForC is absent during growth, but becomes detectable at the onset of early aggregation when cells chemotactically stream together to form a multicellular organism, and peaks around the culmination stage. Fluorescence microscopy of cells ectopically expressing a GFP-tagged, N-terminal ForC fragment showed its prominent accumulation in the leading edge, suggesting that ForC may play a role in cell migration. In agreement with its expression profile, no defects were observed in random migration of vegetative mutant cells. Notably, chemotaxis of starved cells towards a source of cAMP was severely impaired as opposed to control. This was, however, largely due to a marked developmental delay of the mutant, as evidenced by the expression profile of the early developmental marker csA. In line with this, chemotaxis was almost restored to wild type levels after prolonged starvation. Finally, we observed a complete failure of phototaxis due to abolished slug formation and a massive reduction of spores consistent with forC promoter-driven expression of beta-galactosidase in prespore cells. Together, these findings demonstrate ForC to be critically involved in signalling of the cytoskeleton during various stages of development.}, language = {en} } @article{TsukayaByrneHoriguchietal.2013, author = {Tsukaya, Hirokazu and Byrne, Mary E. and Horiguchi, Gorou and Sugiyama, Munetaka and Van Lijsebettens, Mieke and Lenhard, Michael}, title = {How do 'housekeeping' genes control organogenesis?-unexpected new findings on the role of housekeeping genes in cell and organ differentiation}, series = {Journal of plant research}, volume = {126}, journal = {Journal of plant research}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Tokyo}, issn = {0918-9440}, doi = {10.1007/s10265-012-0518-2}, pages = {3 -- 15}, year = {2013}, abstract = {In recent years, an increasing number of mutations in what would appear to be 'housekeeping genes' have been identified as having unexpectedly specific defects in multicellular organogenesis. This is also the case for organogenesis in seed plants. Although it is not surprising that loss-of-function mutations in 'housekeeping' genes result in lethality or growth retardation, it is surprising when (1) the mutant phenotype results from the loss of function of a 'housekeeping' gene and (2) the mutant phenotype is specific. In this review, by defining housekeeping genes as those encoding proteins that work in basic metabolic and cellular functions, we discuss unexpected links between housekeeping genes and specific developmental processes. In a surprising number of cases housekeeping genes coding for enzymes or proteins with functions in basic cellular processes such as transcription, post-transcriptional modification, and translation affect plant development.}, language = {en} } @article{HohmannBuchmannWittetal.2012, author = {Hohmann, S. and Buchmann, Arlette F. and Witt, S. H. and Rietschel, M. and Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine and Schmidt, M. H. and Esser, G{\"u}nter and Banaschewski, Tobias and Laucht, Manfred}, title = {Increasing association between a neuropeptide Y promoter polymorphism and body mass index during the course of development}, series = {Pediatric obesity}, volume = {7}, journal = {Pediatric obesity}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2047-6310}, doi = {10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00069.x}, pages = {453 -- 460}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Objective: To investigate the association of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) promoter polymorphism rs16147 with body mass index (BMI) during the course of development from infancy to adulthood. Design: Longitudinal, prospective study of a German community sample. Subjects: n = 306 young adults (139 males, 167 females). Measurements: Participants' body weight and height were assessed at the ages of 3 months and 2, 4.5, 8, 11, 15 and 19 years. NPY rs16147 was genotyped. Results: Controlling for a number of possible confounders, homozygote carriers of the rs16147 C allele exhibited significantly lower BMI scores when compared with individuals carrying the T allele. In addition, a significant genotype by age interaction emerged, indicating that the genotype effect increased during the course of development. Conclusions: This is the first longitudinal study to report an association between rs16147 and BMI during childhood and adolescence. The finding that this effect increased during the course of development may either be due to age-dependent alterations in gene expression or to maturation processes within the weight regulation circuits of the central nervous system.}, language = {en} } @article{MuellerMuellerBauretal.2013, author = {M{\"u}ller, Juliane and M{\"u}ller, Steffen and Baur, Heiner and Mayer, Frank}, title = {Intra-individual gait speed variability in healthy children aged 1-15 years}, series = {Gait \& posture}, volume = {38}, journal = {Gait \& posture}, number = {4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Clare}, issn = {0966-6362}, doi = {10.1016/j.gaitpost.2013.02.011}, pages = {631 -- 636}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Introduction: Gait speed is one of the most commonly and frequently used parameters to evaluate gait development. It is characterized by high variability when comparing different steps in children. The objective of this study was to determine intra-individual gait speed variability in children. Methods: Gait speed measurements (6-10 trials across a 3 m walkway) were performed and analyzed in 8263 children, aged 1-15 years. The coefficient of variation (CV) served as a measure for intra-individual gait speed variability measured in 6.6 +/- 1.0 trials per child. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the influence of age and body height on changes in variability. Additionally, a subgroup analysis for height within the group of 6-year-old children was applied. Results: A successive reduction in gait speed variability (CV) was observed for age groups (age: 1-15 years) and body height groups (height: 0.70-1.90 m). The CV in the oldest subjects was only one third of the CV (CV 6.25 +/- 3.52\%) in the youngest subjects (CV 16.58 +/- 10.01\%). Up to the age of 8 years (or 1.40 m height) there was a significant reduction in CV over time, compared to a leveling off for the older (taller) children. Discussion: The straightforward approach measuring gait speed variability in repeated trials might serve as a fundamental indicator for gait development in children. Walking velocity seems to increase to age 8. Enhanced gait speed consistency of repeated trials develops up to age 15.}, language = {en} } @article{KayhanWagnerMeyerO’Reillyetal.2019, author = {Kayhan Wagner, Ezgi and Meyer, Marlene and O'Reilly, J.X. and Hunnius, Sabine and Bekkering, Harold}, title = {Nine-month-old infants update their predictive models of a changing environment}, series = {Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience : a journal for cognitive, affective and social developmental neuroscience}, volume = {38}, journal = {Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience : a journal for cognitive, affective and social developmental neuroscience}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1878-9293}, doi = {10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100680}, pages = {8}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Humans generate internal models of their environment to predict events in the world. As the environments change, our brains adjust to these changes by updating their internal models. Here, we investigated whether and how 9-month-old infants differentially update their models to represent a dynamic environment. Infants observed a predictable sequence of stimuli, which were interrupted by two types of cues. Following the update cue, the pattern was altered, thus, infants were expected to update their predictions for the upcoming stimuli. Because the pattern remained the same after the no-update cue, no subsequent updating was required. Infants showed an amplified negative central (Nc) response when the predictable sequence was interrupted. Late components such as the PSW were also evoked in response to unexpected stimuli; however, we found no evidence for a differential response to the informational value of surprising cues at later stages of processing. Infants rather learned that surprising cues always signal a change in the environment that requires updating. Interestingly, infants responded with an amplified neural response to the absence of an expected change, suggesting a top-down modulation of early sensory processing in infants. Our findings corroborate emerging evidence showing that infants build predictive models early in life.}, language = {en} }