Rubidium ion extraction from salt-lake brines is of vital significance but still challenging. Adsorption is an effective and feasible approach but existing adsorbents face the disadvantages of limited selectivity, capacity, or regeneration. Herein, a strategy is proposed whereby a chelation micro-environment surrounded by multiple sulfonic acid (-SO3H) groups is constructed for the targeted capture of Rb+ ions. A robust MIL-53-(SH)2 (MIL, Material Institute Lavoisier) was synthesized via a newly presented green method and subsequently oxidized to MIL-53-(SO3H)2. Owing to the enlarged group size of -SO3H compared to that of -SH (sulfydryl), the group-group distance was essentially shortened in a fixed pore space, stimulating the synergic chelation of multiple -SO3H groups. Benefiting from the enhanced affinity and smooth diffusion, a high capacity of 165.1 ± 3.2 mg g-1 and fast adsorption equilibrium time of 10-30 min were achieved. Selective adsorption over the co-existing Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ ions was also achieved, demonstrating feasilibity in a simulated salt-lake brine. Furthermore, the proposed adsorbent proved thermo-regenerable, with a high retention rate of adsorption amount (∼90 %) even after the fifth cycle.
Accurate posture assessment is essential for diagnosing and managing health issues related to postural disorders. Existing mobile applications rely on 2D imaging and analyzing reflective markers placed on anatomical landmarks of the human body without comprehensive view of body's posture. A mobile tool of 3D body reconstruction-based posture assessment is proposed in this paper. A smartphone is used to capture video circling around a static standing person in an approximate A-pose. Some specific multi-view body images using body orientation estimation are extracted from video. Then OpenPose and U2Net are employed to extract 2D joints and contours of each image. Camera poses are estimated using feature matching, and 3D joints are reconstructed from 2D joints and camera parameters. Multi-view projection contour consistency is used to iteratively optimize SMPL parameters for accurate 3D body reconstruction. From reconstructed 3D SMPL body, the required parameters for posture assessment including key 3D body points, joint angles, and spatial measurements, etc. can be easily obtained and calculated. Finally, assessment results are compared with artificial intelligence posture evaluation and correction system (APECS), and reliability is evaluated using Cohen's d and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The proposed 3D body-based method achieved over 90% accuracy in identifying common postural abnormalities, such as uneven shoulders and forward head posture. The posture assessment results were in close agreement with existing method. 3D body reconstruction is demonstrated to be an effective method for posture assessment. Smartphone video-based posture assessment provides a user-friendly, visualized, abnormal posture screening tool.
The study aims to understand how loss of ZPLD1 affects the behaviour of homozygous Zpld1(em1/IMPC)J mice (Zpld1-/- mice) and the structure of the cupula. Evaluation of 2-minute open-field, swim, and tail-suspension tests indicated open-field testing was optimal for detecting mutants. Mice were therefore video-recorded in an open field for 5 minutes, and DeepLabCut was trained to track the position of body parts allowing quantitation of head-turning and distance travelled. Dark rearing from postnatal day (P) 11 to 20 with open-field testing at P20, 23, 27, 34 and 46 was used to determine the influence of early visual experience. To examine the structure of the cupula, cryosections of the inner ear were stained with antibodies to otogelin (OTOG) and ZPLD1. Results reveal Zpld1-/- mice are, on average, hyperactive and exhibit increased head-turning relative to Zpld1+/- mice. Furthermore, 24% of all Zpld1-/- mice tested exhibited overt circling behaviour. Head-turning gradually decreases with age but is considerably greater in Zpld1-/- mice at all stages tested. Early visual deprivation does not alter head-turning or locomotor activity, nor the proportion of circlers observed. The cupula and ZPLD1 staining extend from the crista to the ampullary roof in Zpld1+/- mice, and OTOG is concentrated in the region nearest the sensory epithelium. In Zpld1-/- mice, OTOG remains closely associated with the crista, but the cupula no longer extends to the roof of the ampulla. We conclude ZPLD1 plays a critical role in enabling the cupula to form correctly, thereby allowing normal function of the vestibular ampullary organs.
Neuromodulation techniques including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) have been widely investigated for their therapeutic potential in a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Basic studies using freely behaving animal models are critical for elucidating the underlying mechanisms of these neuromodulation techniques. However, conventional neuromodulation systems typically rely on wired connections or wireless systems incorporating communication and control modules, which increase device weight and volume, restrict natural behavior, and may introduce confounding factors in behavioral experiments. Here, we present an ultra-lightweight wireless neuromodulation system that can be externally controlled using infrared (IR) light, eliminating the need for complex wireless communication modules. The system incorporates wavelength-selective phototransistors (810 and 950 nm) to enable independent control of tDCS and DBS. The complete tDCS device weighs less than 1.5 g, while the DBS device weighs less than 0.5 g. Characterization of the IR LED array demonstrated uniform light distribution and high thermal stability, with no detectable temperature changes in the experimental environment during prolonged illumination. Open-field behavioral testing confirmed that neither device attachment nor IR illumination affected spontaneous locomotor activity in mice. In stimulation experiments targeting the secondary motor cortex (M2), both tDCS and DBS induced robust circling behavior in freely behaving mice, demonstrating effective modulation of motor-related neural circuits. These results indicate that the proposed systems enable reliable and selective neuromodulation without constraining natural behavior, providing a versatile platform for future behavioral and mechanistic studies of neuromodulation.
An 8-year- and 8-month-old spayed female 8.8-kg French bulldog presented with a 4-month history of progressive deterioration, followed by paresis of both pelvic limbs. Orthopedic examination revealed no abnormalities. Neurological examination revealed no findings suggestive of brain dysfunction. However, abnormal findings, including impaired conscious proprioception in both pelvic limbs and hyperreflexia of patellar, cranial tibialis, and gastrocnemius reflexes, suggested a spinal segmental lesion in the T3-L3 region. The dog was diagnosed with a spinal arachnoid diverticulum in the T11-T12 vertebrae (Day 1) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and underwent surgical treatment (dorsal laminectomy with dural marsupialization) on Day 27. The dog was presented to the referral hospital on a weekly basis and underwent neurological examinations at each visit. Initial neurological signs included persistent bilateral pelvic limb proprioceptive deficits; no other new neurological abnormalities were noted. Epileptic seizures occurred on Days 43 and 57. Brain MRI performed on Day 91 revealed findings suggestive of a glioma. The dog was administered prednisone (0.5 mg/kg SID, PO) and zonisamide (5 mg/kg BID, PO). Neurological abnormalities, such as circling and left forelimb ambulatory monoparesis, became more noticeable. The dog developed status epilepticus and died on Day 209. The owner said that the frequency of seizures was approximately twice a month and had not increased, and seizure duration did not appear to have lengthened until Day 209. In this case, no direct history or neurological abnormalities suggestive of a lesion in the forebrain region were noted until the onset of epileptic seizures; however, the glioma was diagnosed within 3 months of spinal arachnoid diverticulum diagnosis. Therefore, the brain tumor might have been detected if a brain MRI had been performed when spinal cord disease was initially diagnosed. This report indicates that simultaneous brain MRIs should be considered when performing MRI examinations for spinal cord diseases. However, this report describes a single case and lacks a histopathological evaluation for a definitive diagnosis of glioma, meningioma, or other types of brain tumors.
Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) is an idiopathic inflammatory disorder of the canine central nervous system predominantly affecting small-breed dogs. Standard treatment typically involves glucocorticoids; however, chronic steroid exposure carries substantial risk for adverse effects and may compromise long-term management. A 9-year-old, 2.5 kg female Chihuahua presented with 1 week of rightward circling, head tilt, and cervical stiffness. MRI revealed multifocal intra-axial hyperintensities involving the cerebellum, brainstem, and medulla with associated meningeal enhancement. CSF cytology demonstrated moderate lymphocytic pleocytosis with elevated protein. A steroid-free immunosuppressive protocol using leflunomide and mycophenolate mofetil was initiated. Neurologic signs progressively improved, and repeat MRI at 12 months documented complete resolution of inflammatory lesions. Both medications were continued for 2 years, during which serial hematologic and biochemical monitoring remained within normal limits. No adverse events occurred. This case provides, to the authors' knowledge, the first documented MRI-confirmed remission of MUO achieved with exclusive steroid-free immunosuppression. Relevant literature is reviewed to contextualize the immunopathogenesis of MUO and considerations for steroid-sparing strategies.
Intracranial sarcomas are rarely reported in dogs. A 9-y-old, castrated male mixed-breed dog was evaluated and euthanized because of a 1-wk history of lethargy, dullness, disorientation, right-sided head tilt, and circling to the right. Grossly, a pale-tan, firm, 1.5-cm mass effaced ~60% of the right-ventral aspect of the pons. Histologically, the mass was composed of elongate neoplastic cells with abundant cytoplasm and round-to-oval nuclei arranged in bundles and supported by collagenous stroma. Anisocytosis and anisokaryosis were moderate, with 11 mitoses in 2.37 mm2 (10 FN22/40× fields). The neoplasm was well-demarcated with occasional areas of infiltration in the surrounding neuroparenchyma. Neoplastic cells had widespread cytoplasmic immunolabeling for vimentin, patchy cytoplasmic immunolabeling for myoglobin, weak cytoplasmic immunolabeling for desmin, and rare cytoplasmic immunolabeling for myogenin. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed bundles of oval-to-elongate neoplastic cells with small-to-medium cytoplasmic aggregates of rough endoplasmic reticulum cisterns. The centrally-to-peripherally located nuclei were round and had one or more compact-to-reticulate nucleoli. Collagen bundles were in intimate contact with the plasma membrane of neoplastic cells and formed the abundant extracellular matrix. Histologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural findings were consistent with an encephalic fibrosarcoma. The myogenic differentiation suggested by immunohistochemistry could not be confirmed by TEM.
Many swimming microorganisms navigate their environment by modulating the curvature of their swimming trajectories in response to external cues. Here, we show that the biflagellate alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii swims in circles and actively switches its trajectory handedness in response to orthogonal illumination: the cell swims counterclockwise at low light intensities yet clockwise at high light intensities. This handedness switching arises from light-dependent modulation of flagellar beating, including rapid and reversible changes in beat extension, phase, and-crucially-beat plane orientation. Using high-speed imaging and hydrodynamic modeling, we reveal that this beat plane reorientation is critical for Chlamydomonas to swim orthogonally to light as well as to dynamically modulate its trajectory curvature, enabling transitions between global exploration and localized searching in spatially structured light fields. Our results establish beat plane reorientation as a novel mechanism for curvature control in microswimmer navigation.
Humulus lupulus (Hops) possesses a diverse array of bioactive compounds with reported antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and neuroprotective properties. However, most studies have focused on isolated components, whose purification is costly and yields limited quantities. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether a complete Hops extract could exert antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. First, the ability of Hops extract's free radical scavenging capacity against superoxide, hydroxyl radical, and peroxynitrite was discovered using combinatorial chemical assays. Moreover, the used Hops extract prevented both DNA and protein degradation induced by hydroxyl radicals. Next, rats were orally administered with three different doses of Hops extract (10, 15, and 20 mg/kg/day) for 7 consecutive days. Ex vivo analyses of brain tissues revealed that Hops pre-treatment attenuated FeSO4-induced lipid peroxidation, increased the GSH/GSSG ratio and downregulated both glutathione peroxidase and reductase activities. Additionally, the expression of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) gene was significantly elevated in the striatum of Hops-treated animals. To further explore neuroprotection, we evaluated the effect of Hops (15 mg/kg/day) in an in vivo model of excitotoxicity induced by quinolinic acid (QUIN). Pre-treatment with the Hops extract reduced QUIN-induced circling behavior, increased the translocation of NRF2 to the nucleus and decreased apoptosis in the striatum. These findings suggest that the whole Hops extract enhances redox resilience in the brain and confers protection against oxidative and excitotoxic insults.
Behavioral monitoring of laboratory animals is essential for evaluating drug safety, yet existing assessments are typically limited to in-room observations by technicians. Here, we introduce our versatile AI model pipeline, composed of interconnected artificial neural networks that leverage end-to-end learning based solely on video-derived appearance features of canines. This non-invasive approach enables detailed mapping of activity, behavior and clinical signs at individual animal level under diverse conditions. To validate its real-world application, we conducted extensive field testing on hours of footage. Trained on a large, annotated dataset, our model can accurately multi-track up to three group-housed canines using color-coded reflective harnesses, achieving high re-identification accuracies (≥92.5%) and IDF1 scores up to 99.9%. AI-derived locomotor activity showed a strong correlation with accelerometer-based measurements (r = 0.965). Our AI model detects 11 behavior and clinical observation classes, with a mean class accuracy of 48% and individual accuracies up to 93%. As such, a detailed time-specific quantitative output is available for activity, mobility, pose, eating, drinking and specific clinical signs (ataxia, anxiety, circling, convulsions, head shaking, involuntary muscle movements, limping, limb stiff, vomiting). Our innovative approach brings holistic behavioral and health monitoring in canines closer to routine practice and contributes towards the 3Rs principles.
Background/Objectives: Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, and neuroprotection therapies, or those that increase recovery, are not available. While the garlic-derived bioactive compound S-allyl cysteine (SAC) has shown neuroprotective properties, its subacute long-term effects remain underexplored, particularly in females. Methods: We evaluated whether SAC supports functional recovery after ischemia/reperfusion (IR), focusing on neurotrophin signaling, tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), protein kinase B (AKT), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Adult female Wistar rats underwent 1 h of ischemia and 15 days of reperfusion. SAC (100 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered at the onset of reperfusion and daily for 15 days. Motor and cognitive deficit tests were performed. Infarct area, Ki67, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), pTrkB, pAKT, and pERK levels were quantified in the cortex, striatum, and hippocampus. Results: MicroPET analysis revealed comparable glucose uptake between the IR and IR + SAC groups, indicating similar ischemic severity. SAC reduced infarct area (54.7%) and significantly improved motor deficits (53.9%), circling behavior (38.9%), and long-term memory compared with ischemia/reperfusion (IR) animals. SAC increased the proportion of Ki67-positive cells (4.3-fold in the cortex and 1.8-fold in the striatum) and enhanced neurotrophin levels, NGF (cortex), BDNF (cortex and striatum), VEGF (striatum), pTrkB, pAKT, and pERK (cortex and striatum). Conclusions: SAC supports post-ischemic recovery, improving motor performance and preserving long-term recognition memory, effects that could be associated with increased cell proliferation, neurotrophin levels, and activation of the TrkB, AKT, and ERK pathways.
During migration through the female reproductive tract, sperm undergo physiological changes known as capacitation, including a motility transition termed hyperactivation. Hyperactivation is essential for various aspects of fertilization, particularly effective migration within the tract. However, how hyperactivation facilitates this migration remains elusive. Here, we profiled bull sperm hyperactivation and swimming in Newtonian and complex fluids, using microfluidic surfaces to mimic confinement of the tract. We identified three swim gaits: wandering (persistent random walks), circling, and an intriguing circling-and-wandering mode marked by stochastic transitions between the two. All gaits exhibit diffusive behavior over long time scales, with wandering showing a tenfold higher diffusivity than circling, and the effective diffusivity of circling-and-wandering falling in between. We found that while wandering sperm scatter from convex and concave surfaces, circling sperm become trapped around pillars, highlighting a distinctive feature of each phase. Additionally, stochastic simulations of active transport in porous media showed that as the geometrical complexity of the environment increases, circling-and-wandering outperforms either motility alone in spreading through the media. Our findings suggest that wandering may broaden the search landscape, while circling could help maintain local focus. Therefore, the combined circling-and-wandering swimming behavior might provide a flexible mechanism for modulating motility and facilitating migration in complex environments. Our results may have implications for understanding the physical aspects of sperm migration in the female reproductive tract.
The BNA's winter research meeting took place high above the City of London at Canary Wharf, an inspiring setting to consider new perspectives. The central theme was 'delivery', focusing on translation of fundamental neuroscience into effective therapies. The event targeted three main questions: How can therapies be effectively delivered to the brain? How might 'meaningful intervention' be realised for patients? How might hope be maintained for people with neurological and psychiatric disorders? Several interlocking ideas and debates emerged, circling around a central concern of how to move from molecular promise to effective and equitable real-world change for patients.
We present a controlled route to active turbulence in an active paranematic fluid, i.e., a suspension of rods that exhibit nematic order only under extensile activity. To this end, we introduce a spot of radius r with non-zero activity, embedded in an otherwise passive fluid. Due to the open boundary, defects can enter and leave the spot. As r increases starting from the nematic coherence length, we first observe paranematic order with a uniform director field, then transient +½ topological defects, followed by spiral or swirling pairs of +½ defects. Additional defects progressively enter until bulk active turbulence occurs. While positive and negative defect charges grow with the square of the spot radius r, the total charge only increases linearly in r. This hints to a length along the rim of the spot, comparable to the active length, so that activity can induce the director distortions needed for a defect to enter. In addition, the extensional active flow realizes active anchoring at the rim, which establishes a baseline charge of +1. Two dynamic regimes mark the progression toward bulk turbulence. The enstrophy rises sharply when the spot allows the stable circling motion of the two +½ defects, and the finite-time Lyapunov exponent, characterizing the chaotic flow pattern, jumps to a non-zero value, when a third +½ defect enters the spot noticeably. For large radii, both measures approach their bulk-turbulence values.
Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions causing abnormal, often repetitive, movements, postures, or both. DYT1 dystonia is an early-onset dystonia caused by DYT1/TOR1A gene mutations with reduced penetrance. It is believed that dystonia is produced by abnormal brain networks, but details remain unknown. Recent studies have shown that acute cerebellar knockdown of torsinA using small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) can induce overt dystonia in adult mice. However, shRNAs have off-target effects that may alter the expression of unintended genes. To avoid this issue, we generated an alternate acute torsinA knockdown model using cre-loxP technology by injecting AAV-cre into the cerebellum of the Dyt1 loxP/loxP mouse. These knockdown mice exhibited overt dystonia and displayed a spinning behavior, characterized by bidirectional circling or spinning during tail suspension. The overt dystonia and spin behavior were not observed in control mice injected with the AAV-GFP virus. Additionally, the knockdown mice showed decreased spontaneous firing and reduced intrinsic excitability of Purkinje cells. These findings confirmed that the acute cerebellar knockdown of torsinA can produce overt dystonia and further support the cerebellum's role in the pathogenesis of DYT1 dystonia. However, the emergence of a spinning phenotype raises questions about the validity of the acute knockdown models as accurate representations of human dystonia.
2,2'-Dimorpholinodiethyl ether (DMDEE) is a tertiary amine catalyst used in the production of polyurethane foams. Human exposure may occur occupationally through inhalation of DMDEE vapors. B6C3F1/N mice (5-6 weeks old) were exposed to 0-1000 mg DMDEE/kg in water by oral gavage daily for 4 weeks. Time-mated Harlan Sprague Dawley (HSD) rats (12-14 weeks old) were exposed to 0-500 mg DMDEE/kg in water from gestation day (GD) 6 through post-natal day (PND) 27 by oral gavage; their pups were directly dosed from PND12 through PND27. Blood was collected from mice (4-weeks), rat dams (GD18, PND4, PND28) and rat pups (PND 4, PND 28) for hematology, clinical chemistry, and micronucleus evaluation; mouse tissues were analyzed for histopathology. DMDEE (500-6000 μg/plate) was evaluated for mutagenicity using Salmonella typhimurium (TA98, TA100) or Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA pKM101. No DMDEE-related effects were observed on pregnancy or litter parameters in HSD rats. The mouse and rat micronucleus tests and the bacterial reverse mutation tests were negative. At 1000 mg DMDEE/kg, behavioral observations of circling, repetitive head lifting, and abnormal gait were accompanied by cytoplasmic vacuolization in epithelial cells of the brain choroid plexus, and in the renal cortical tubules in male and female mice. Cytoplasmic vacuolization was also observed in the epithelial cells in the coagulating gland, prostate, and epididymis of male mice. These data indicate deficits in the cellular structure and function of neurological and renal tissues in male and female mice, as well as male reproductive tissues at higher doses and suggest caution in the industrial use of DMDEE.
Objective.Focused ultrasound (FUS) neuromodulation holds strong potential for treating neurological disorders, but most preclinical studies have been performed in healthy animal models. How disease states influence the FUS neuromodulation effects remains poorly understood, limiting clinical translation.Approach.We used Parkinson's disease (PD) as a model to compare the calcium and behavioral responses to FUS neuromodulation in healthy and diseased mice. The PD mouse model was the unilateral dopamine depletion model, induced by injecting 6-hydroxydopamine into the left middle forebrain bundle. FUS was targeted at the left external globus pallidus (GPe) in freely moving mice using a wearable device. Calcium activity in the GPe was monitored via fiber photometry, and motor behavior was assessed using video tracking.Main results.In unilateral PD mice, FUS significantly inhibited GPe calcium activity, and this inhibition lasted for ∼3 min after stimulation. This inhibition was accompanied by motor improvements as shown by a reduction in ipsilateral circling that lasted for at least 50 min after stimulation. In healthy mice, FUS did not significantly change the calcium activity in the GPe and rotational behavior during or after the FUS. Histological analysis revealed no evidence of neuronal damage, astrocytic activation, or microglial proliferation following the FUS.Significance.These findings demonstrate that FUS neuromodulation produces disease-state-dependent effects on calcium activity and behavior, emphasizing the importance of evaluating neuromodulation strategies in relevant disease models for clinical translation.
The black-winged kite algorithm (BKA) integrates the Cauchy mutation strategy and the leader selection strategy to simulate high-altitude circling exploration, fixed-point diving attack, and group cooperative migration of the black-winged kites to approximate the global optimal solution. The BKA exhibits deficiencies in ponderous convergence efficacy, inefficient calculation precision, and insufficient population diversity. To strengthen the convergence property and computational practicability, an enhanced BKA with multiple strategies (MSBKA) is advocated to accommodate global optimization and constrained engineering applications. The objective is to systematically verify its advancement and competitiveness and accurately actualize the global optimal solution. The ranking-based differential mutation can strengthen population information interaction, accelerate convergence efficiency, restrain premature convergence, diminish homogenization competition, promote exploration and exploitation, intensify elite individual guidance, downscale ineffective iterations, and materialize orderly population renewal. The simplex method can execute the local refinement operations of reflection, expansion, compression and contraction, strengthen local mining efficiency, ameliorate solution accuracy, abate parameter sensitivity, eschew local optimal traps, accelerate accurate convergence, and preserve the optimal individual potential. The elite opposition-based learning strategy can fabricate reverse solutions, expand the monolithic detection space, shorten the convergence process, elevate the quality of initial and iterative solutions, boost population diversity, guide intelligent search direction, and relieve premature convergence. The MSBKA utilizes deficiency orientation, strategy adaptation, and collaborative search to accomplish the realistic demands of high-precision, high-efficiency and strong constraint adaptation, surmount the static trade-off dilemma, endow a strong directional abscond mechanism to replace random perturbation, and actualize the inertia of directional exploration and the blind spots of solution exploitation. Twenty-three benchmark functions and six real-world engineering designs are employed to authenticate theoretical superiority and engineering practicability. The experimental results demonstrate that the MSBKA incorporates strong practicability and reliability to strengthen information interaction, restrain search stagnation, diminish convergence oscillation and fluctuation, facilitate globalized discovery and localized extraction, expedite convergence efficacy, ameliorate solution precision, and consolidate stability and robustness.
Accurate quantification of behavioral deficits is critical for investigating vestibular disorders, yet current assessment methods often fail to capture complex kinematic features like rotational asymmetry. This study aimed to develop a cost-effective, high-precision automated analysis pipeline using the pose estimation tool DeepLabCut to quantify fine-grained behavioral phenotypes in a mouse model of Bilateral Vestibular Dysfunction (BVD). We established the BVD model via bilateral intratympanic gentamicin injection and monitored locomotor function using the Open Field Test over a 7-day post-operative period. By tracking anatomical landmarks (nose, head, and tail) with DeepLabCut and utilizing a custom Python analysis framework, we quantified total locomotor distance, central zone exploration, and specific rotational metrics. The analysis revealed a distinct biphasic behavioral progression: an acute phase (Days 1-2) characterized by significant hypokinesia and thigmotaxis, indicative of severe spatial disorientation, followed by a chronic phase (Days 5-7) marked by a transition to profound hyperactivity and pathological, stereotypic circling. Crucially, the pipeline detected early onset rotational tendencies that traditional metrics overlooked. This study demonstrates that the proposed DeepLabCut-based methodology provides a sensitive, objective, and accessible tool for the multi-dimensional assessment of vestibular dysfunction, offering a robust paradigm for evaluating functional recovery and therapeutic interventions.
Maternal immunisation allows the transfer of protective antibodies to the offspring, reducing the risk of severe infection during early life. While vaccination during pregnancy is clinically recommended, its long-term impact on neurodevelopment remains under investigation. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by social and behavioural alterations. Here, we evaluated whether prenatal exposure to the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine or influenza vaccine affects general and autism-related behavioural outcomes in juvenile (4 weeks) and adult (8 weeks) mouse offspring. We also assessed maternal and fetal immune responses by measuring cytokines, soluble P2X7 receptor, BDNF, CRP, and lipid peroxidation in maternal plasma and fetal brain tissue. Prenatal COVID-19 vaccination elicited a moderate maternal cytokine response (increased IL-6 and KC) without overt fetal brain inflammation. Mild, age- and sex-dependent behavioural changes were observed, including anxiety-related parameters in the elevated plus maze and altered locomotion in the open field at 4-8 weeks, however, no consistent or robust ASD-like behavioural phenotype emerged across ages. Fetal P2X7 receptor levels were elevated, while fetal CRP, BDNF, and TBARS remained unchanged. In adult offspring, BDNF was selectively reduced in the prefrontal cortex, whereas hippocampal BDNF and P2X7 receptor levels in both regions were unaffected. Although embryonic P2X7 receptor levels were transiently elevated following COVID-19 vaccination, these changes were not accompanied by fetal inflammation or persistent adult purinergic alterations. Prenatal influenza vaccination induced mild, age-dependent behavioural alterations, such as increased circling in juveniles and reduced sociability in females, without detectable maternal or fetal inflammatory responses or changes in fetal neurotrophic markers. In contrast, maternal poly(I:C) administration provoked robust systemic inflammation and pronounced fetal brain effects, including elevated cytokines, CRP, P2X7 receptor, and region-specific microglial density, accompanied by persistent reductions in adult BDNF expression. Overall, within the limits of this experimental design, prenatal COVID-19 vaccination did not produce long-lasting ASD-like phenotypes or widespread neurodevelopmental alterations, while influenza vaccination had limited and transient effects. These findings are consistent with the absence of widespread or persistent neurodevelopmental disruption in this experimental model, although further studies-including multiple doses, gestational timepoints, and cellular-level analyses-are warranted to fully elucidate mechanisms and long-term outcomes.