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Biomedical subjects

R P Rao

Publications and source records attributed to R P Rao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Regulation of peri-attachment embryo development in the golden hamster: role of growth factors.

The molecular regulation of mammalian peri-implantation development is complex and difficult to study in vivo. We successfully cultured hamster blastocysts through hatching and peri-attachment stages, using a chemically defined medium, HECM-2h. Using this system, we showed that a species-specific, embryonic cysteine-like protease is involved in blastocyst hatching and that the process is modulated by growth factors. In particular, heparin binding-epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) or leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) enhance blastocyst hatching, and the former also improves attachment and trophoblast outgrowth. We observed interesting changing patterns of expression of mRNA and/or immunoreactive protein for EGF, HB-EGF, LIF and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the embryo and/or endometrial tissue, during peri-implantation development. Together, it appears that hamster blastocyst hatching, attachment and trophoblast outgrowth are regulated by autocrine and/or paracrine growth factors, produced by the embryo-endometrial tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Predictive learning of temporal sequences in recurrent neocortical circuits.

When a spike is initiated near the soma of a cortical pyramidal neuron, it may back-propagate up dendrites toward distal synapses, where strong depolarization can trigger spike-timing dependent Hebbian plasticity at recently activated synapses. We show that (a) these mechanisms can implement a temporal-difference algorithm for sequence learning, and (b) a population of recurrently connected neurons with this form of synaptic plasticity can learn to predict spatiotemporal input patterns. Using biophysical simulations, we demonstrate that a network of cortical neurons can develop direction selectivity similar to that observed in complex cells in alert monkey visual cortex as a consequence of learning to predict moving stimuli.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2001

Frequency dependence of spike timing reliability in cortical pyramidal cells and interneurons.

Pyramidal cells and interneurons in rat prefrontal cortical slices exhibit subthreshold oscillations when depolarized by constant current injection. For both types of neurons, the frequencies of these oscillations for current injection just below spike threshold were 2--10 Hz. Above spike threshold, however, the subthreshold oscillations in pyramidal cells remained low, but the frequency of oscillations in interneurons increased up to 50 Hz. To explore the interaction between these intrinsic oscillations and external inputs, the reliability of spiking in these cortical neurons was studied with sinusoidal current injection over a range of frequencies above and below the intrinsic frequency. Cortical neurons produced 1:1 phase locking for a limited range of driving frequencies for fixed amplitude. For low-input amplitude, 1:1 phase locking was obtained in the 5- to 10-Hz range. For higher-input amplitudes, pyramidal cells phase-locked in the 5- to 20-Hz range, whereas interneurons phase-locked in the 5- to 50-Hz range. For the amplitudes studied here, spike time reliability was always highest during 1:1 phase-locking, between 5 and 20 Hz for pyramidal cells and between 5 and 50 Hz for interneurons. The observed differences in the intrinsic frequency preference between pyramidal cells and interneurons have implications for rhythmogenesis and information transmission between populations of cortical neurons.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2001

Optimal smoothing in visual motion perception.

When a flash is aligned with a moving object, subjects perceive the flash to lag behind the moving object. Two different models have been proposed to explain this "flash-lag" effect. In the motion extrapolation model, the visual system extrapolates the location of the moving object to counteract neural propagation delays, whereas in the latency difference model, it is hypothesized that moving objects are processed and perceived more quickly than flashed objects. However, recent psychophysical experiments suggest that neither of these interpretations is feasible (Eagleman & Sejnowski, 2000a, 2000b, 2000c), hypothesizing instead that the visual system uses data from the future of an event before committing to an interpretation. We formalize this idea in terms of the statistical framework of optimal smoothing and show that a model based on smoothing accounts for the shape of psychometric curves from a flash-lag experiment involving random reversals of motion direction. The smoothing model demonstrates how the visual system may enhance perceptual accuracy by relying not only on data from the past but also on data collected from the immediate future of an event.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Spike-timing-dependent Hebbian plasticity as temporal difference learning.

A spike-timing-dependent Hebbian mechanism governs the plasticity of recurrent excitatory synapses in the neocortex: synapses that are activated a few milliseconds before a postsynaptic spike are potentiated, while those that are activated a few milliseconds after are depressed. We show that such a mechanism can implement a form of temporal difference learning for prediction of input sequences. Using a biophysical model of a cortical neuron, we show that a temporal difference rule used in conjunction with dendritic backpropagating action potentials reproduces the temporally asymmetric window of Hebbian plasticity observed physio-logically. Furthermore, the size and shape of the window vary with the distance of the synapse from the soma. Using a simple example, we show how a spike-timing-based temporal difference learning rule can allow a network of neocortical neurons to predict an input a few milliseconds before the input's expected arrival.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2000

Injury-producing events among children in low-income communities: the role of community characteristics.

STUDY PURPOSE: Injury remains the leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 4 years. Past studies of determinants of injuries among young children have most often focused on the microlevel, examining characteristics of the child, parent, family, and home environments. We sought to determine whether and how selected neighborhood economic and physical characteristics within these low-income communities are related to differences in risk of events with injury-producing potential among infants and young children. METHODS: Our study used both individual-level data and information on the characteristics of the neighborhood of residence to describe the prevalence of events with injury-producing potential among infants and young children in three low-income communities in Baltimore City, Maryland. Our sample was 288 respondents who participated in a random household survey. Information on respondent (age, employment, and length of residence in the neighborhood) and neighborhood characteristics (average per capita income, rate of housing violations, and crime rate) were available. Methods of multilevel Poisson regression analysis were employed to identify which of these characteristics were associated with increased risk of experiencing an event with injury-producing potential in the month prior to the interview. RESULTS: Although all three communities were considered low income, considerable variation in neighborhood characteristics and 1-month prevalence rates of events with injury-producing potential were observed. Younger age of respondent and higher rates of housing violations were associated significantly with increased risk of a child under 5 years old in the household experiencing an event with injury-producing potential. CONCLUSIONS: Information on community characteristics was important to understanding the risks for injuries and could be used to develop community-based prevention interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

An optimal estimation approach to visual perception and learning.

How does the visual system learn an internal model of the external environment? How is this internal model used during visual perception? How are occlusions and background clutter so effortlessly discounted for when recognizing a familiar object? How is a particular object of interest attended to and recognized in the presence of other objects in the field of view? In this paper, we attempt to address these questions from the perspective of Bayesian optimal estimation theory. Using the concept of generative models and the statistical theory of Kalman filtering, we show how static and dynamic events occurring in the visual environment may be learned and recognized given only the input images. We also describe an extension of the Kalman filter model that can handle multiple objects in the field of view. The resulting robust Kalman filter model demonstrates how certain forms of attention can be viewed as an emergent property of the interaction between top-down expectations and bottom-up signals. Experimental results are provided to help demonstrate the ability of such a model to perform robust segmentation and recognition of objects and image sequences in the presence of occlusions and clutter.

Attention↗
PubMed1999

Predictive coding in the visual cortex: a functional interpretation of some extra-classical receptive-field effects.

We describe a model of visual processing in which feedback connections from a higher- to a lower-order visual cortical area carry predictions of lower-level neural activities, whereas the feedforward connections carry the residual errors between the predictions and the actual lower-level activities. When exposed to natural images, a hierarchical network of model neurons implementing such a model developed simple-cell-like receptive fields. A subset of neurons responsible for carrying the residual errors showed endstopping and other extra-classical receptive-field effects. These results suggest that rather than being exclusively feedforward phenomena, nonclassical surround effects in the visual cortex may also result from cortico-cortical feedback as a consequence of the visual system using an efficient hierarchical strategy for encoding natural images.

Feedback↗
PubMed1998

Development of localized oriented receptive fields by learning a translation-invariant code for natural images.

Neurons in the mammalian primary visual cortex are known to possess spatially localized, oriented receptive fields. It has previously been suggested that these distinctive properties may reflect an efficient image encoding strategy based on maximizing the sparseness of the distribution of output neuronal activities or alternately, extracting the independent components of natural image ensembles. Here, we show that a strategy for transformation-invariant coding of images based on a first-order Taylor series expansion of an image also causes localized, oriented receptive fields to be learned from natural image inputs. These receptive fields, which approximate localized first-order differential operators at various orientations, allow a pair of cooperating neural networks, one estimating object identity ('what') and the other estimating object transformations ('where'), to simultaneously recognize an object and estimate its pose by jointly maximizing the a posteriori probability of generating the observed visual data. We provide experimental results demonstrating the ability of such networks to factor retinal stimuli into object-centred features and object-invariant transformation estimates.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Dynamic model of visual recognition predicts neural response properties in the visual cortex.

The responses of visual cortical neurons during fixation tasks can be significantly modulated by stimuli from beyond the classical receptive field. Modulatory effects in neural responses have also been recently reported in a task where a monkey freely views a natural scene. In this article, we describe a hierarchical network model of visual recognition that explains these experimental observations by using a form of the extended Kalman filter as given by the minimum description length (MDL) principle. The model dynamically combines input-driven bottom-up signals with expectation-driven top-down signals to predict current recognition state. Synaptic weights in the model are adapted in a Hebbian manner according to a learning rule also derived from the MDL principle. The resulting prediction-learning scheme can be viewed as implementing a form of expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. The architecture of the model posits an active computational role of the reciprocal connections between adjoining visual cortical areas in determining neural response properties. In particular, the model demonstrates the possible role of feedback from higher cortical areas in mediating neurophysiological effects due to stimuli from beyond the classical receptive field. Simulations of the model are provided that help explain the experimental observations regarding neural responses in both free viewing and fixation conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Deictic codes for the embodiment of cognition.

To describe phenomena that occur at different time scales, computational models of the brain must incorporate different levels of abstraction. At time scales of approximately 1/3 of a second, orienting movements of the body play a crucial role in cognition and form a useful computational level--more abstract than that used to capture natural phenomena but less abstract than what is traditionally used to study high-level cognitive processes such as reasoning. At this "embodiment level," the constraints of the physical system determine the nature of cognitive operations. The key synergy is that at time scales of about 1/3 of a second, the natural sequentiality of body movements can be matched to the natural computational economies of sequential decision systems through a system of implicit reference called deictic in which pointing movements are used to bind objects in the world to cognitive programs. This target article focuses on how deictic binding make it possible to perform natural tasks. Deictic computation provides a mechanism for representing the essential features that link external sensory data with internal cognitive programs and motor actions. One of the central features of cognition, working memory, can be related to moment-by-moment dispositions of body features such as eye movements and hand movements.

Brain↗
PubMed1978

The effectiveness of glass lenses in reducing exposure to the eyes.

A study was done to determine the degree of radiation protection afforded by various types of prescription lenses, including commercially available lead glasses. A wide variation in measured attenuation was found. Two commonly available types of prescription lenses were found to provide greater than 92% attenuation of the x-ray beam generated at 108 kVp.

Eye Protective Devices↗
PubMed1978

Lost intrauterine devices and their localization.

With the increasing popularity of intrauterine devices for contraception, an increase in the number of IUD-related complications has been observed. A common clinical problem is loss of marker strings at the external os. It could be due to translocation or unnoticed expulsion, both of which reduce the contraceptive effectiveness of the method. Even with the most scrupulous IUD insertion technics, uterine perforation is a recognized complication. Ectopic devices should be removed because extensive sepsis and adhesions between adjacent organs with subsequent bowel strangulation have been reported. Determining the location of the device is facilitated by flat plate X-rays of the abdomen, hysterography, ultrasound or hysteroscopy. The best method of IUD removal depends upon its location, extent of adhesions and the experience of the operator.

Abortion, Septic↗
PubMed1977

Intrauterine contraception.

Newer medicated IUDs, such as the copper or progesterone-releasing devices, are more effective, better tolerated and have fewer side effects than nonmedicated IUDs. Major complications are rare if adequate precautions are taken. The IUD is an ideal contraceptive for patients with contraindications to oral contraception and for those who have difficulty remembering to utilize other methods.

Embryo Implantation↗
PubMed1975

Synthesis and antitrichomonal activity of certain pyrazolo (1,5-a) pyrimidines.

Several bridgehead nitrogen heterocycles were synthesized to be screened as antimicrobial agents, modeled after nalidixic acid. The activity of these new compounds, all derivatives of 3-nitro-4,6-disubstituted pyrazolo (1,5-a)pyrimidin-7-ones (3,7,8, and 9), however, was found to be highly specific for Trichomonas foetus and completely lacking in activity against bacteria, fungi, and parasites other than Trichomonas. Of the nine componds synthesized, including the intermediate 4,6-disubstituted pyrazolo (1,5-a) pyrimidin-7-ones (2-6) and the 6-substituted or unsubstituted pyrazolo (1,5-a) pyrimidin-7-ones (1 and 4), only 6-carbethoxy-4-ethyl-3-nitropyrazolo(1,5-a)pyrimidin-7-one (7) was found to be a potent antitrichomal agent, being comparable or perhaps better than metronidazole. From a tentative structure-activity relationship study, it was apparent that the combination of the 3-mitro, 4-ethyl, and 6-carbethoxy groups imparted specific activity, wheras other substitutions imparted little or no antitrichomonal activity.

Animals↗