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Tracking subjects' strategies in behavioural choice experiments at trial resolution. (2024)
Journal Article
Maggi, S., Hock, R. M., O'Neill, M., Buckley, M. J., Moran, P. M., Bast, T., …Humphries, M. D. (2024). Tracking subjects' strategies in behavioural choice experiments at trial resolution. eLife, 13, Article e86491. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.86491

Investigating how, when, and what subjects learn during decision-making tasks requires tracking their choice strategies on a trial-by-trial basis. Here we present a simple but effective probabilistic approach to tracking choice strategies at trial re... Read More about Tracking subjects' strategies in behavioural choice experiments at trial resolution..

Impaired reversal learning in the Dlg2+/− rat model of genetic risk for psychiatric disorder: Important questions regarding the neuro-behavioral mechanisms of reversal learning (2023)
Journal Article
Bast, T., Maggi, S., Grasmeder Allen, R., & Renstrom, J. (2023). Impaired reversal learning in the Dlg2+/− rat model of genetic risk for psychiatric disorder: Important questions regarding the neuro-behavioral mechanisms of reversal learning. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 22(6), Article e12870. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbb.12870

In this issue, Griesius et al report that heterozygous Dlg2+/- rats showed a reversal learning impairment on a specific bowl-digging task, whereas other reversal tasks were unaffected. The study suggests that Dlg2 gene disruption, which has been link... Read More about Impaired reversal learning in the Dlg2+/− rat model of genetic risk for psychiatric disorder: Important questions regarding the neuro-behavioral mechanisms of reversal learning.

Dopamine D1-like receptors modulate synchronized oscillations in the hippocampal–prefrontal–amygdala circuit in contextual fear (2023)
Journal Article
Stubbendorff, C., Hale, E., Bast, T., Cassaday, H. J., Martin, S. J., Suwansawang, S., …Stevenson, C. W. (2023). Dopamine D1-like receptors modulate synchronized oscillations in the hippocampal–prefrontal–amygdala circuit in contextual fear. Scientific Reports, 13, Article 17631. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44772-6

Contextual fear conditioning (CFC) is mediated by a neural circuit that includes the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala, but the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the regulation of CFC by neuromodulators remain unclear. Dopamine D1-l... Read More about Dopamine D1-like receptors modulate synchronized oscillations in the hippocampal–prefrontal–amygdala circuit in contextual fear.

Improving Translational Relevance in Preclinical Psychopharmacology (iTRIPP) (2023)
Journal Article
Bailey, S. J., Bast, T., Chaby, L., Kinon, B. J., Harte, M. K., Mead, S., …Ajram, L. A. (2023). Improving Translational Relevance in Preclinical Psychopharmacology (iTRIPP). Journal of Psychopharmacology, 37(11), 1051-1057. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811231182607

Animal models are important in preclinical psychopharmacology to study mechanisms and potential treatments for psychiatric disorders. A working group of 14 volunteers, comprising an international team of researchers from academia and industry, conven... Read More about Improving Translational Relevance in Preclinical Psychopharmacology (iTRIPP).

Heading Frequency and Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Retired Male Professional Soccer Players (2023)
Journal Article
Espahbodi, S., Hogervorst, E., Macnab, T. P., Thanoon, A., Fernandes, G. S., Millar, B., …Zhang, W. (2023). Heading Frequency and Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Retired Male Professional Soccer Players. JAMA Network Open, 6(7), Article e2323822. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.23822

Importance Although professional soccer players appear to be at higher risk of neurodegenerative disease, the reason remains unknown. Objective To examine whether heading frequency is associated with risk of cognitive impairment in retired profe... Read More about Heading Frequency and Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Retired Male Professional Soccer Players.

Cognitive Impairment and Self-Reported Dementia in UK Retired Professional Soccer Players: A Cross Sectional Comparative Study (2023)
Journal Article
Macnab, T. P., Espahbodi, S., Hogervorst, E., Thanoon, A., Fernandes, G. S., Millar, B., …Zhang, W. (2023). Cognitive Impairment and Self-Reported Dementia in UK Retired Professional Soccer Players: A Cross Sectional Comparative Study. Sports Medicine - Open, 9, Article 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00588-2

Background Previous studies based on death certificates have found professional soccer players were more likely to die with neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether retired professional male... Read More about Cognitive Impairment and Self-Reported Dementia in UK Retired Professional Soccer Players: A Cross Sectional Comparative Study.

No Evidence for Cognitive Impairment in an Experimental Rat Model of Knee Osteoarthritis and Associated Chronic Pain (2023)
Journal Article
Gonçalves, S., Hathway, G. J., Woodhams, S. G., Chapman, V., & Bast, T. (2023). No Evidence for Cognitive Impairment in an Experimental Rat Model of Knee Osteoarthritis and Associated Chronic Pain. Journal of Pain, 24(8), 1478-1492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2023.04.002

Although chronic pain states have been associated with impaired cognitive functions, including memory and cognitive flexibility, the cognitive effects of osteoarthritis (OA) pain remain to be clarified. The aim of this study was to measure cognitive... Read More about No Evidence for Cognitive Impairment in an Experimental Rat Model of Knee Osteoarthritis and Associated Chronic Pain.

Foot and ankle Osteoarthritis and Cognitive impairment in retired UK Soccer players (FOCUS): protocol for a cross-sectional comparative study with general population controls (2022)
Journal Article
Espahbodi, S., Fernandes, G., Hogervorst, E., Thanoon, A., Batt, M., Fuller, C. W., …Zhang, W. (2022). Foot and ankle Osteoarthritis and Cognitive impairment in retired UK Soccer players (FOCUS): protocol for a cross-sectional comparative study with general population controls. BMJ Open, 12(4), Article e054371. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054371

INTRODUCTION: Professional footballers commonly experience sports-related injury and repetitive microtrauma to the foot and ankle, placing them at risk of subsequent chronic pain and osteoarthritis (OA) of the foot and ankle. Similarly, repeated head... Read More about Foot and ankle Osteoarthritis and Cognitive impairment in retired UK Soccer players (FOCUS): protocol for a cross-sectional comparative study with general population controls.

The association of socio-economic and psychological factors with limitations in day-to-day activity over 7 years in newly diagnosed osteoarthritis patients (2022)
Journal Article
Kouraki, A., Bast, T., Ferguson, E., & Valdes, A. M. (2022). The association of socio-economic and psychological factors with limitations in day-to-day activity over 7 years in newly diagnosed osteoarthritis patients. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 943. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-04781-3

Previous research has established links between chronic pain and impaired cognitive ability, as well as between chronic pain and anxiety, in osteoarthritis. Furthermore, there is evidence linking risk of osteoarthritis to lower educational attainment... Read More about The association of socio-economic and psychological factors with limitations in day-to-day activity over 7 years in newly diagnosed osteoarthritis patients.

Hippocampal Disinhibition Reduces Contextual and Elemental Fear Conditioning While Sparing the Acquisition of Latent Inhibition (2022)
Journal Article
Williams, S. A., Gwilt, M., Hock, R., Taylor, C., Loayza, J., Stevenson, C. W., …Bast, T. (2022). Hippocampal Disinhibition Reduces Contextual and Elemental Fear Conditioning While Sparing the Acquisition of Latent Inhibition. eNeuro, 9(1), ENEURO.0270-21.2021. https://doi.org/10.1523/eneuro.0270-21.2021

Hippocampal neural disinhibition, i.e., reduced GABAergic inhibition, is a key feature of schizophrenia pathophysiology. The hippocampus is an important part of the neural circuitry that controls fear conditioning and can also modulate prefrontal and... Read More about Hippocampal Disinhibition Reduces Contextual and Elemental Fear Conditioning While Sparing the Acquisition of Latent Inhibition.

Ratlas-LH: An MRI template of the Lister hooded rat brain with stereotaxic coordinates for neurosurgical implantations (2021)
Journal Article
Prior, M. J., Bast, T., McGarrity, S., Goldschmidt, J., Vincenz, D., Seaton, A., …Pitiot, A. (2021). Ratlas-LH: An MRI template of the Lister hooded rat brain with stereotaxic coordinates for neurosurgical implantations. Brain and Neuroscience Advances, 5,

There is currently no brain atlas available to specifically determine stereotaxic coordinates for neurosurgery in Lister hooded rats despite the popularity of this strain for behavioural neuroscience studies in the UK and elsewhere. We have created a... Read More about Ratlas-LH: An MRI template of the Lister hooded rat brain with stereotaxic coordinates for neurosurgical implantations.

Individual differences in theta-band oscillations in a spatial memory network revealed by electroencephalography predict rapid place learning (2021)
Journal Article
Bauer, M., Buckley, M. G., & Bast, T. (2021). Individual differences in theta-band oscillations in a spatial memory network revealed by electroencephalography predict rapid place learning. Brain and Neuroscience Advances, 5, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/23982128211002725

Spatial memory has been closely related to the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and theta-oscillations are thought to play a key role. However, it remains difficult to investigate MTL activation related to spatial memory with non-invasive electrophysiologi... Read More about Individual differences in theta-band oscillations in a spatial memory network revealed by electroencephalography predict rapid place learning.

Reinforcement Learning approaches to hippocampus-dependent flexible spatial navigation (2021)
Journal Article
Bast, T., Coombes, S., O’Dea, R., & Tessereau, C. (2021). Reinforcement Learning approaches to hippocampus-dependent flexible spatial navigation. Brain and Neuroscience Advances, 5, https://doi.org/10.1177/2398212820975634

Humans and non-human animals show great flexibility in spatial navigation, including the ability to return to specific locations based on as few as one single experience. To study spatial navigation in the laboratory, watermaze tasks, in which rats h... Read More about Reinforcement Learning approaches to hippocampus-dependent flexible spatial navigation.

Frequency? and state?dependent effects of hippocampal neural disinhibition on hippocampal local field potential oscillations in anesthetized rats (2020)
Journal Article
Gwilt, M., Bauer, M., & Bast, T. (2020). Frequency? and state?dependent effects of hippocampal neural disinhibition on hippocampal local field potential oscillations in anesthetized rats. Hippocampus, 30(10), 1021-1043. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.23212

Reduced inhibitory GABA function, so‐called neural disinhibition, has been implicated in cognitive disorders, including schizophrenia and age‐related cognitive decline. We previously showed in rats that hippocampal disinhibition by local microinfusio... Read More about Frequency? and state?dependent effects of hippocampal neural disinhibition on hippocampal local field potential oscillations in anesthetized rats.

Quand le cerveau en fait trop (2019)
Journal Article
Bast, T. (2019). Quand le cerveau en fait trop. Cerveau & Psycho, 116, 16-22

« Mais où ai-je garé ma voiture ? Pourquoi suis-je étourdi ce matin ? Mon cerveau n'est pas réveillé ! » Longtemps, on a cru que des troubles cognitifs et de nombreuses maladies mentales étaient dus à une activité cérébrale insuffisante. En fait, c'... Read More about Quand le cerveau en fait trop.

Weniger ist manchmal mehr! (2019)
Journal Article
Bast, T. (2019). Weniger ist manchmal mehr!. Gehirn und Geist, 8/2019, 46-51

HIRNFORSCHUNG NEURONALE HEMMUNG Lange Zeit dachten Forscher, dass viele neurologische und psychiatrische Erkrankungen auf einer zu geringen Hirnaktivität beruhen. Doch häufig ist genau das Gegenteil der Fall.

Dopamine D1-like receptors in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex regulate contextual fear conditioning (2019)
Journal Article
Stubbendorff, C., Hale, E., Cassaday, H. J., Bast, T., & Stevenson, C. W. (2019). Dopamine D1-like receptors in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex regulate contextual fear conditioning. Psychopharmacology, 236(6), 1771-1782. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-018-5162-7

Rationale Dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) signalling is involved in contextual fear conditioning. The D1R antagonist SCH23390 impairs the acquisition of contextual fear when administered systemically or infused locally into the dorsal hippocampus or ba... Read More about Dopamine D1-like receptors in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex regulate contextual fear conditioning.

A new human delayed-matching-to-place test in a virtual environment reverse-translated from the rodent watermaze paradigm: characterization of performance measures and sex differences (2018)
Journal Article
Buckley, M. G., & Bast, T. (2018). A new human delayed-matching-to-place test in a virtual environment reverse-translated from the rodent watermaze paradigm: characterization of performance measures and sex differences. Hippocampus, 28(11), 796-812. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.22992

Watermaze tests of place learning and memory in rodents, and corresponding reverse translated human paradigms in real or virtual environments, are key tools to study hippocampal function. In common variants, the animal or human participant has to fin... Read More about A new human delayed-matching-to-place test in a virtual environment reverse-translated from the rodent watermaze paradigm: characterization of performance measures and sex differences.

Cognitive deficits caused by prefrontal cortical and hippocampal neural disinhibition (2017)
Journal Article
Bast, T., Pezze, M., & McGarrity, S. (2017). Cognitive deficits caused by prefrontal cortical and hippocampal neural disinhibition. British Journal of Pharmacology, 174(19), 3211-3225. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.13850

We review recent evidence concerning the significance of inhibitory GABA transmission and of neural disinhibition, i.e. deficient GABA transmission, within prefrontal cortex and hippocampus for clinically relevant cognitive functions. Both regions su... Read More about Cognitive deficits caused by prefrontal cortical and hippocampal neural disinhibition.

Hippocampal neural disinhibition causes attentional and memory deficits (2016)
Journal Article
McGarrity, S., Mason, R., Fone, K. C., Pezze, M. A., & Bast, T. (2017). Hippocampal neural disinhibition causes attentional and memory deficits. Cerebral Cortex, 27(9), https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhw247

Subconvulsive hippocampal neural disinhibition, that is reduced GABAergic inhibition, has been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by attentional and memory deficits, including schizophrenia and age-related cognitive decline. Consi... Read More about Hippocampal neural disinhibition causes attentional and memory deficits.