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This article surveys RBM45 from molecular function and RNA binding to cellular roles and evolutionary conservation. It summarizes emerging links to neurobiology and disease, and highlights tools and models to probe RBM45 biology.
Cholecystokinin (CCK) is found in high concentrations in cortical and limbic structures including the amygdala of rodents, and evidence has been gathered supporting a role for CCK in the neurobiology of anxiety. A variety of animal models have been used to study a central state of fear or anxiety, state that appears to produce a complex pattern of behaviors highly correlated with each other. It is now well established that the amygdala in particular is a critical link in the pathway through which sensory stimuli come to acquire fear evoking properties. The purpose of the proposed experiments is to study the role of the putative neurotransmitter CCK in fear and anxiety in vivo by means of a methodology coupling electrochemical and electrophysiological measurements in various brain areas. Indeed, the association of in vivo differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with in vivo extracellular single unit recording could be able to provide concomitant physiological and neurochemical indications and to relate them to behavioral events. To further study and support the initial observations pharmacological experiments will also be performed by means of CCK receptor agonists and antagonists. This may eventually lead to development of more effective pharmacological strategies for treating clinical anxiety disorders.
Background: There is a growing scientific interest in the phenomenon of earworms, which are melodies that are heard and re-heard despite the absence of an external stimulus. Aim: The aim of this paper is to determine whether understanding earworms can shed light on mechanisms underlying auditory hallucinations in psychosis. Method: Using recent data sources, this report briefly reviews what is most relevant about musical hallucinations and earworms. Results: Musical hallucinations, like hallucinated voices, are more prevalent in women. In the elderly, they are often associated with hearing impairment. They are most distressing when they first begin, with the degree of distress inversely proportional to the extent to which they can be controlled. Earworms can be provoked both by the memory of past events and by the anticipation of future events. Strong emotion can trigger earworms, but so can boredom. Limitations: The neurobiology potentially involved in the phenomenon of earworms is not explored in this paper. The pertinence of the literature about earworms and musical hallucinations, while interesting, is of unproven relevance to pathological voices in psychotic illness. Conclusions: The clinical relevance, while unproven, is that addressing recurring memories, as well as managing strong emotions and avoiding occupations that lead to boredom are all strategies worth trying when treating pathologicalauditory hallucinations