Binge methamphetamine (MA) users have higher MA consumption, relapse rates and depression‐like symptoms during early periods of withdrawal, compared with non‐binge users. The impact of varying durations of MA abstinence on depression‐like symptoms and on subsequent MA intake was examined in mice genetically prone to binge‐level MA consumption. Binge‐level MA intake was induced using a multiple‐bottle choice procedure in which mice were offered one water drinking tube and three tubes containing increasing concentrations of MA in water, or four water tubes (control group). In two studies, depression‐like symptoms were measured using a tail‐suspension test and a subsequent forced‐swim test, after forced abstinence of 6 and 30 hours from a 28‐day course of chronic MA intake. An additional study measured the same depression‐like symptoms, as well as MA intake, after prolonged abstinence of 1 and 2 weeks. MA high drinking mice and one of their progenitor strains DBA/2J escalated their MA intake with increasing MA concentration; however, MA high drinking mice consumed almost twice as much MA as DBA/2J mice. Depression‐like symptoms were significantly higher early after MA access was withdrawn, compared to levels in drug‐naïve controls, with more robust effects of MA withdrawal observed in MA high drinking than DBA/2J mice. When depression‐like symptoms were examined after 1 or 2 weeks of forced abstinence in MA high drinking mice, depression‐like symptoms dissipated, and subsequent MA intake was high. The MA high drinking genetic mouse model has strong face validity for human binge MA use and behavioral sequelae associated with abstinence.

Segmenting visual objects from each other and their background is critical for vision. Motion speed provides a salient cue for scene segmentation- an object moving at a speed different from its background is easier to be perceived. However, how the visual system represents and differentiates multiple speeds to achieve segmentation is largely unknown. We first characterized the perceptual capacity in segmenting overlapping stimuli moving simultaneously at different speeds. We then investigated the rule of how neurons in the motion-sensitive, middle-temporal (MT) cortex of macaque monkeys represent multiple speeds. We found that the responses of neurons to two speeds showed a robust bias toward the faster speed component when both speeds were slow (< 20⁰/s). Our finding can be explained by a divisive normalization model with a novel implication that the weights for the speed components are proportional to the responses of a population of neurons elicited by the individual components and the neurons in the population have a broad range of speed preferences. We also showed that it was possible to decode two speeds from MT population response in a way consistent with perception when the speed separation was large, but not when it was small. Our results provide strong support for the theoretical framework of coding multiplicity and probability distribution of visual features in neuronal populations and raise new questions for future investigation. The faster-speed bias would benefit figure-ground segregation if figural objects tend to move faster than the background in the natural environment.

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Human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common type of acute leukemia, has approximately eight subtypes, many of which have poor prognosis. Most of these subtypes are associated with specific, recurrent chromosome translocations. These translocations result in fusion genes, which encode oncoproteins that block differentiation and promote proliferation of immature cells. The Myeloid Lymphoid Leukemia gene (MLL) is frequently involved in these translocations, and is considered a driver of the AML. Differentiation promoting drugs, such as all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) are an attractive alternative to cytotoxic chemotherapy, but few types of AML, other than acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), respond to ATRA. We hypothesize that specific genes must be activated or inhibited in AML for drugs like ATRA to induce differentiation, and that gene activation or inhibition may be the result of specific epigenetic modification. We also hypothesize that AML with different genetic alterations may respond differently to specific epigenetic inhibitors. Our initial studies have focused on two MLL-driven AML cell lines, MV4;11 and THP-1, showing translocations t(4;11) and t(9;11), respectively, and one non-MLL related AML cell line, U937. MV4;11, THP-1, and U937 were treated with specific epigenetic modifiers, including tranylcypromine (TCP), an inhibitor of histone demethylase KMD1A/LSD1, N-acetyl-dinaline (CI-994), a general histone deacetylase inhibitor, and 3-deazaneplanocin A (DZNep), a S-adenosylhomocystein hydrolase inhibitor that depletes EZH2 and thus its associated H3K27me3 activity. Evidence for differentiation was noted in a variety of assays, including reduced cell proliferation as measured directly and by MTT assay, upregulation of myeloid-specific cell surface markers such as CD11b as measured by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), myeloid-related nuclear morphological changes noted with cytospin analysis of cells, and decreased AML-associated gene expression with qPCR. All three drugs seemed to sensitize U937 and THP-1 cells to differentiate when treated with ATRA. MV4;11 cells were sensitized to differentiate by CI-994 and DZNep with or without ATRA, although there was no indication of CD11b upregulation. However, MV4;11 was not sensitized by TCP to differentiate with or without ATRA. These experiments suggest epigenetic inhibitors may increase sensitivity to ATRA differentiation therapy, but since the two MLL cell lines responded differently the response may still be dependent on the specific MLL partner gene driving the AML. Citation Format: Kalsi Heimdal, Bikalpa Ghimire, Edjay Ralph Hernandez, Heidi J. Gill Super. Epigenetic manipulation can sensitize AML cells to differentiate with ATRA [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3064.

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