Biology subjects

Castelli, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Castelli, F..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Corticospinal excitability is facilitated during coordinative action observation and motor imagery of adapted single-leg sit-to-stand movements in young healthy adults

Combined action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) facilitates corticospinal excitability (CSE). This study used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to explore changes in CSE for coordinative AOMI of a single-leg sit-to-stand (SL-STS) movement. Twenty-one healthy adults completed two testing sessions, where they engaged with baseline (BL), action observation (AO), and motor imagery (MI) control conditions, and three experimental conditions where they observed a slow-paced SL-STS while simultaneously imagining a slow- (AOMIHICO), medium- (AOMIMOCO), or fast-paced (AOMILOCO) SL-STS. A TMS pulse was delivered to the right leg representation of the left primary motor cortex at three stimulation timepoints aligned with peak EMG activity of the knee extensor muscle group for the slow-paced (T3), medium-paced (T2), and fast-paced (T1) SL-STS during each condition. Motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes were recorded from the knee extensor muscle group as a marker of CSE for all stimulation timepoints and conditions. A main effect for experimental condition was reported for all stimulation timepoints. MEP amplitudes were significantly greater for AOMIHICO at T1 and T3, and AOMIMOCO and AOMILOCO at all stimulation timepoints, when compared with control conditions. This study provides neurophysiological evidence supporting the use of coordinative AOMI as an alternative method for movement (re)learning.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Rate of force development is correlated with corticospinal excitability during explosive voluntary contractions.

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between rate of torque development (RTD) and corticospinal excitability (denoted by motor-evoked potential; MEP) during explosive voluntary contractions. Also, to assess differences in MEP and silent period duration between different phases of explosive contraction and at maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) plateau. MethodsIn 14 adults, quadriceps muscle MEP and silent period duration were measured at [~]45 (early), [~]115 (middle), and [~]190 ms (late) from EMG onset during knee-extensor isometric explosive contractions, and at MVC plateau with superimposed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). RTD was measured immediately prior to early-phase MEP during the same contractions, and these two variables were correlated across separate contractions, within participants, via repeated measures correlation (RmCorr). RTD was also measured in explosive contractions without TMS over early-, middle-, and late-phases and correlated to MEP averaged across the corresponding and preceding phases, via Pearsons r correlations, assessing relationships across participants. MEP and silent period duration were compared (ANOVA) between the different phases and at MVC plateau. ResultsMEP and RTD were correlated across separate contractions within participants (RmCorr r=0.43), and in the middle phase across participants (Pearsons r=0.56). MEP and RTD were not correlated in other phases (r[≥]0.09). Silent period duration increased throughout the different phases of contraction and up to MVC plateau (ANOVA, p=0.001) but MEP remained constant (ANOVA, p=0.42). ConclusionThe correlations between MEP and RTD suggests corticospinal excitability is an important determinant of RTD. During rapid torque development and up to MVC plateau, corticospinal inhibition increases but excitability remains constant.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

Test-retest reliability of TMS motor evoked responses and silent periods during explosive voluntary isometric contractions.

PurposeThis study assessed the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV) test-retest reliability of TMS responses MEPs and silent periods at early, middle, and late phases of the rising time-torque curve during explosive voluntary contractions. We also investigated how the number of consecutively averaged measurements over 3 to 15 separate contractions influenced reliability. MethodsOn two separate occasions 3-7 days apart, 14 adults completed 48 isometric explosives (1-s) contractions of the knee extensors, superimposed with TMS. The TMS elicited an MEP and silent period in the quadriceps muscles at 45 (early), 115 (middle), or 190 ms (late) during each contraction. TMS was also superimposed at the plateau of 15 separate MVCs. Test-retest ICC and CV were calculated for consecutively averaged MEPs and silent periods. ResultsNo one condition was more reliable than another. For MEP amplitude, in all conditions except the explosive late phase, ICCs generally increased, and CV decreased, with an increase in the number of averaged contractions, and were >0.50 ICC and <15% CV within 7 contractions. For silent period, ICCs and CVs were unaffected by the number of consecutively averaged contractions and remained >0.50 ICC and <10% CV. ConclusionTest-retest reliability of TMS responses is comparable between phases of explosive contraction and at the plateau of MVC. To enhance MEP reliability, with the increases he number of averaged contractions of except the explosive late phase, we recommend studies average data across > the 3-5 contractions typically reported in the literature for studies using TMS during MVCs.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2020

A combined pipeline for quantitative analysis of human brain cytoarchitecture

The 3D analysis of the human brain architecture at cellular resolution is still a big challenge. In this work, we propose a pipeline that solves the problem of performing neuronal mapping in large human brain samples at micrometer resolution. First, we introduce the SWITCH/TDE protocol: a robust methodology to clear and label human brain tissue. Then, we implement the 2.5D method based on a Convolutional Neural Network, to automatically detect and segment all neurons. Our method proved to be highly versatile and was applied successfully on specimens from different areas of the cortex originating from different subjects (young, adult and elderly, both healthy and pathological). We quantitatively evaluate the density and, more importantly, the mean volume of the thousands of neurons identified within the specimens. In conclusion, our pipeline makes it possible to study the structural organization of the brain and expands the histopathological studies to the third dimension.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Identification of a novel subfamily of bacterial AAT-fold basic amino acid decarboxylases and functional characterization of its first representative: Pseudomonas aeruginosa LdcA

Polyamines are small amino-acid derived polycations capable of binding negatively charged macromolecules. Bacterial polyamines are structurally and functionally diverse, and are mainly produced biosynthetically by PLP-dependent amino acid decarboxylases referred to as LAOdcs (Lysine-Arginine-Ornithine decarboxylases). In a phylogenetically limited group of bacteria, LAOdcs are also induced in response to acid stress. Here, we performed an exhaustive phylogenetic analysis of the AAT-fold LAOdcs which showcased the ancestral nature of their short forms in Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes, and emergence of distinct subfamilies of long LAOdcs in Proteobacteria. We identified a novel subfamily of lysine decarboxylases, LdcA, ancestral in Betaproteobacteria and Pseudomortadaceae {Gammaproteobacteria). We analyzed the expression of LdcA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and uncovered its role, intimately linked to cadaverine production, in promoting growth and reducing persistence of this multidrug resistant human pathogen during carbenicillin treatment. Finally, we documented a certain redundancy in the function of the three main polyamines - cadaverine, putrescine and spermidine - in P. aeruginosa by demonstrating the link between their intracellular level, as well as the capacity of putrescine and spermidine to complement the growth phenotype of the IdcA mutant.

microbiology↗