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Elasmobranch remains are quite common in Miocene deposits and were the subject of numerous studies since the middle of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, the taxonomic diversity of the Marine Molasse sharks, rays and skates is still largely unknown. Here, we describe 37 taxa from the lower Miocene of the Molasse Basin: 21 taxa could be identified at species level, whereas 15 taxa could only be assigned to genus and one taxon is left as order incertae sedis. The material was collected from deposits of the Auwiesholz Member of the Achen Formation (middle Burdigalian, middle Ottnangian age, ca. 17.8 Ma) exposed near Simssee, Upper Bavaria. This faunal assemblage is a mixture of shallow marine, near-coastal, pelagic and deep-water taxa. The fauna from Simssee displays different biogeographic dynamics at local and regional scales, possibly related to the intense climatic, oceanographic and tectonic events that occurred during the Eggenburgian–Ottnangian stages. The faunal relationships of the early Miocene chondrichthyan faunas from the Mediterranean Sea and Paratethys with others regions are established on the basis of qualitative (presence/absence) data. The beta diversity (Sørensen–Dice coefficient) of the Miocene Molasse elasmobranchs was used to characterize the taxonomic differentiation between localities and regions. According to our results, the fauna from Simssee shows close similarities with those from Switzerland, Austria, France and northern Germany. Faunal similarities and differences are mainly related to tectonic events and oceanographic variables (i.e. migration through seaway passages) or might represent collecting biases.

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early indicator for an increased risk of dementia. The exact definition of SCD remains unclear and has recently become a major research interest. Objectives: To determine impairments in activities of daily living (ADL) and depressive symptoms in elderly individuals with SCD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: We included 752 consecutive patients suffering from SCD, non-amnestic (naMCI) or amnestic MCI (aMCI), AD, and 343 healthy controls into this prospective cohort study. A neuropsychological test battery, B-ADL and BDI-II was performed. Results: SCD patients showed a decreased performance in ADL compared to controls. Performance in ADL declined concurrently with cognitive abilities along the controls−SCD−naMCI−aMCI−AD continuum. Individuals with cognitive complains, no matter if SCD, MCI, or AD patients, reported more often depressive symptoms compared to healthy controls without complaints. Within all five cognitive subgroups, patients with depressive symptoms reported more difficulties in ADL in comparison to patients without depressive symptoms. Adjusting for depressive symptoms, there was no significant group difference between the control versus the SCD group (OR 1.1, CI 0.6–1.7). Conclusions: SCD is a heterogeneous clinical condition. Specific features such as slightly impaired ADL and depressive symptoms are associated with SCD. Clinical markers may serve as an indicator for preclinical AD and in combination with biomarkers guide to an early diagnosis of a progressive neurodegenerative disease.

Three-dimensionally preserved specimens of the pachycormiform neopterygian Pachycormus from the Lower Jurassic (Upper Lias) of Strawberry Bank, Ilminster, UK, are described for the first time, and we present new and detailed morphological descriptions of the skull, trunk and fins of these specimens. The cranial material is characteristic of Pachycormus macropterus, with its operculum being twice as long as it is deep and the ventral angle lying towards the posterior half of the bone, and the preorbital portion occupying up to one-third of the skull. The description of the caudal fin conflicts with previous descriptions of caudal fins assumed to belong to Pachycormus. This raises the question of whether the other caudal fins belong to different species of Pachycormus, or whether it could be a case of intraspecific variability and is in conflict with morphometric data suggesting a monospecific status for Pachycormus. Recent phylogenetic analysis indicates that Pachycormus is sister taxon to Ohmdenia, which is an intermediate form between Pachycormus and the later giant suspension-feeding pachycormids. An alternative phylogenetic analysis reveals Pachycormus to be among the most basal pachycormiforms due to its incorporation of characters present in both hyper-carnivorous and suspension-feeding clades. We suggest future research on these specimens such as CT scanning of the skull may offer vital data regarding pachycormiform morphology and actinopterygian evolution, particularly the sister group relationship of pachycormiforms to the successful teleost fishes. In the future it may be important to focus on caudal fin characters of articulated specimens to identify possible cryptic species diversities within Pachycormus and also other members of Pachycormiformes.

Detailed analyses of the dentition of the single preserved holomorphic specimen and isolated teeth of the extinct Late Jurassic hexanchiform shark, Notidanoides muensteri, support previous interpretations that all Jurassic cow sharks belong to the family Crassonotidae, which represents stem-group hexanchoids. The reconstruction of its dentition has enabled the identification of important congruencies (comb-like lateral teeth, presence of a lower (?) symphyseal tooth row) and differences (very weak dignathic and monognathic heterodonties, with anterior teeth being of the same general morphology as laterals). Although the general tooth morphology does not change significantly, ontogenetic trajectories are identifiable, including development of lateral cusplets in symphyseal teeth, reduction of labial tooth crown ornamentation, and more pronounced dignathic heterodonty pattern in adults. The general root morphology is identical to that of Crassodontidanus and represents the plesiomorphic condition w...

The early Miocene is characterized by warm conditions until the middle Miocene when temperatures dropped significantly. The presence of tropical to subtropical invertebrate faunas in early Miocene sediments of Chile supports the hypothesis of warm temperatures. The Neogene fossil record of chondrichthyans (holocephalans, sharks, rays and skates) has been well established for Chile. However, most studies focused on middle Miocene to Pliocene records, whereas early Miocene chondrichthyans have been rather poorly investigated up to now. The aim of this study is to describe early Miocene chondrichthyans from Chile and to discuss their paleobiogeographic and ecological implications. Here, we report seventeen chondrichthyan taxa from the early Miocene of Chile. The fauna includes the first fossil record of Mustelus from the Pacific coast of South America, the first oral tooth of Pristiophorus humboldti nov. sp. from the Neogene of South America and the first fossil record of Alopias from the Neogene of Chile. We are able to increase the total number of taxa from the early Miocene of Chile from 13 to 21. Faunal shifts in the marine waters of Chile between the early Miocene and the present reveal different biogeographical dynamics: three taxa decreased their southern latitudinal range, seven increased their southern latitudinal range, six went globally extinct and one went regionally extinct. The extinction and latitudinal changes observed in chondrichthyans can be best explained by climatic fluctuations during the Neogene and Holocene along the Pacific coast of South America. However, studies to evaluate the effect of ecological traits should be considered in the future.

The fossil record of angel sharks is reviewed with special focus on skeletal remains. A new family †Pseudorhinidae is established for two species based on complete specimens from the Late Jurassic and a possible third species based on isolated teeth. This clade is a member of the stem lineage of Squatiniformes. Squatinidae represents the crown with a reliable fossil record extending back into the Aptian based on a partial skeleton displaying characteristic morphological traits of Squatina. We also present revised morphological descriptions of the skeletal remains of †Squatina baumbergensis (Campanian of Germany) and †Squatina sp. (Miocene of Japan). In this study, we used reliable skeletal remains and a modified approach to establish the origin and divergence of the Squatiniformes and the Squatinidae. Isolated teeth are considered to be unreliable because of the poor knowledge of squatiniform dental character traits and their evolution. We estimate a ‘hard' minimum age constraint of 156.2 Ma and a ‘soft' ...

Bulk sampling of late Oxfordian and early Kimmeridgian sediments of the Sot de Chera Formation near the Village of Moneva in the Aragonese Branch of the Iberian Ranges (NE Spain) yielded a low-diversity fauna of sharks (Synechodus ungeri, Phorcynis sp. cf. P. catulina, ?Scyliorhinidae indet., Pseudorhina sp., Protospinax sp.), guitarfishes (Belemnobatis sp., Spathobatis sp.) and ray-finned fishes (Gyrodus hexagonus, Ionoscopus sp., Caturus sp.). The most common selachian is Synechodus ungeri, which is the first record of this species outside of Germany, enlarging both its palaeogeographic and stratigraphic distributions. A detailed description and taxonomic discussion of this species are presented. Most other sharks and guitarfishes probably represent new taxa. Taxonomic and systematic information about all taxa recovered from Moneva is provided. The faunal composition consisting predominantly of stenohaline sharks and epipelagic ray-finned fishes and lacking hybodonts is characteristic for an open-marine, neritic environment and represents the first unquestionable fish assemblage from an offshore setting on a distal carbonate platform of the northern tropical Tethys shelf. The faunal composition is compared with contemporaneous fish associations from neritic settings in the Boreal realm.

Remains of the chimaeroid fish Ischyodus are described from the early Kimmeridgian (Late Jurassic) of northeastern Spain. This is the first fossil holocephalan record from the Iberian Peninsula. The material comprises a mandibular tooth plate, two incomplete and isolated symphyseal tritoral rods, and almost 20 frontal tenacular denticles. On the basis of size and morphological features, the material represents different ontogenetic stages. The mandibular tooth plate is the smallest of a chimaeroid that has been described up to date. It is identified as an embryonic tooth plate, in which the pleromic tissue of the tritoral pads still is covered completely with dentine. The fragmentary symphyseal tritoral rods, which are almost as large as the tooth plate, and the frontal tenacular spines come from adults. The mandibular tooth plate from Spain described in this study most probably represents an embryonic stage of Ischyodus egertoni. The differences in tritor number, arrangement, and morphology are ...

A low-diversity hybodont assemblage from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) Qigu Formation at Liuhuanggou in the southern Junggar Basin includes the remains of three taxa based on isolated teeth, two of which represent new species of a hitherto unknown genus: Hybodus sp. cf. H. huangnidanensis Wang, 1977, Jiaodontus montaltissimus gen. et sp. nov., and Jiaodontus vedenemus gen. et sp. nov. H. sp. cf. H. huangnidanensis might represent a new taxon pending future revisions. The two new species of Jiaodontus gen. nov. are assigned to the Lonchidiidae and represent endemic species, which are only known from the Junggar Basin. Their teeth superficially resemble those of other lonchidiids, such as Parvodus and Vectiselachos, but differ in several aspects, including the morphology of the cusp and cusplets and the ornamentation pattern. Two different morphotypes of dermal denticles with hybodont affinities, possibly representing two species, are described. The low enameloid δ18OPO4 values [9.7 ± 0.4‰ (standard deviation), n = 5) of H. sp. cf. H. huangnidanensis teeth indicate that at least this taxon was completely adapted to freshwater. This is in good accordance with the depositional setting and sedimentological results.

Klug, S. & Kriwet, J. (2010). Timing of deep-sea adaptation in dogfish sharks: insights from a supertree of extinct and extant taxa. —Zoologica Scripta, 39, 331–342. Dogfish sharks (Squaliformes) constitute a monophyletic group of predominantly deep-water neoselachians, but the reasons and timing of their adaptation to this hostile environment remain ambiguous. Late Cretaceous dogfish sharks, which generally would be associated with deep-water occur predominantly in shallow water environments. Did the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event that eliminated large numbers of both terrestrial and aquatic taxa and clades including sharks trigger the evolutionary adaptation of present deep-water dogfish sharks? Here, we construct, date, and analyse a genus-level phylogeny of extinct and living dogfish sharks to bring a new perspective to this question. For this, eleven partial source trees of dogfish shark interrelationships were merged to create a comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis. The resulting supertree is the most inclusive estimate of squaliform interrelationships that has been proposed to date containing 23 fossil and extant members of all major groups. †Eoetmopterus represents the oldest dalatoid. †Microetmopterus, †Paraphorosoides, †Proetmopterus and †Squaliogaleus are stem-group dalatoids in which bioluminescence most likely was not developed. According to our analyses, bioluminescence in dogfish sharks was already developed in the early Late Cretaceous indicating that these sharks adapted to deep-water conditions most likely at about 100 Mya. The advantage of this reconstruction is that the fossil record is used directly for age node estimates rather than employing molecular clock approaches.

Klug, S. (2009). Monophyly, phylogeny and systematic position of the †Synechodontiformes (Chondrichthyes, Neoselachii). —Zoologica Scripta, 39, 37–49. Identifying the monophyly and systematic position of extinct sharks is one of the major challenges in reconstructing the phylogeny and evolutionary history of sharks in general. Although great progress has been accomplished in the last few decades with regard to resolving the interrelationships of living sharks, a comprehensive phylogeny identifying the systematic position of problematic or exclusively fossil taxa is still lacking. Fossil taxa traditionally assigned to synechodontiform sharks are very diverse with a fossil record extending back into the Palaeozoic but with uncertain inter- and intrarelationships. Here, phylogenetic analyses using robust cladistic principles are presented for the first time to evaluate the monophyly of this group, their intrarelationships and their systematic position within Neoselachii. According to the results of this study, taxa assigned to this group form a monophyletic clade, the †Synechodontiformes. This group is sister to all living sharks and displays a suite of neoselachian characters. Consequently, the concept of neoselachian systematics needs to be enlarged to include this completely extinct group, which is considered to represent stem-group neoselachians. The origin of modern sharks can be traced back into the Late Permian (250 Mya) based on the fossil record of †Synechodontiformes. The systematic position of batoids remains contradictory, which relates to the use of different data (molecular vs. morphological) in phylogentic analyses.

The serotonin(1A) receptor (5-HT(1A) R) knock-out mouse (KO) is a widely used animal model for anxiety and cognitive function and regulation of signaling cascades by this receptor has been reported. We aimed to determine individual representatives of signaling cascades in order to screen 5-HT(1A) R-dependent signaling proteins (SPs). Hippocampal proteins from wild type and 5-HT(1A) R KO mice were extracted, run on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, proteins were identified by MALDI and nano-ESI-LC-MS/MS and SPs were quantified by specific software. Nucleoside diphosphate kinase A (NDK A, synonym: nm23), Dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MAPKK1, synonym: MEK), Serine/threonine-protein phosphatase PP1-gamma catalytic subunit (PP-1G), Septin-5, were reduced in the KO mice. Novel phosphorylation sites at T386 on MAPKK1 and at S225 and Y265 on Septin-5 were observed. MAPKK1 and PP-1G are known 5-HT(1A) R-dependent signaling compounds and are in agreement with receptor knock-out and septin-5 is involved in serotonin transport, although regulation by 5-HT(1A) R has not been reported. 5-HT(1A) R - dependent levels for NDK A have not been demonstrated so far and we herewith propose a role for NDK A in 5-HT(1A) R signaling. Reduced SP levels along with findings of two novel phosphorylation sites may be relevant for interpretation of previous and the design of future studies on this receptor system.

The skeletal morphology of Paraorthacodus jurensis, a Late Jurassic neoselachian from Nusplingen, is described based on the incomplete holotype and a newly discovered almost complete specimen. For the first time, the postcranial skeleton could be investigated. Paraorthacodus is characterized by a monognath dental heterodonty and tearing-type dentition. The number of lateral cusplets in the lateral teeth differs between the holotype and the new specimen, possibly indicating sexual dimorphism. Clasper organs are not preserved in either of the two specimens. The notochord is sheathed by about 123 well-calcified vertebral centra. The posterior-most caudal vertebrae are lacking. The transition from monospondylous thoracic to diplospondylous abdominal vertebrae occurs at centra 48 and 49. The origin of the caudal fin is at the 80th centrum. Most conspicuous is the presence of a single spineless dorsal fin. In this respect, Paraorthacodus differs from most palaeospinacids, but resembles Macrourogaleus. Palidiplospinax possibly is sister to a group comprising Synechodus, Paraorthacodus, and Macrourogaleus (the Palaeospinacidae). A reinterpretation of dental and skeletal characters of synechodontiform taxa indicates that Synechodontiformes and Palaeospinacidae are monophyletic groupings of basal neoselachians. Synechodontiformes is probably sister to all living elasmobranchs.

The Palaeospinacidae are a highly diverse clade (> 30 species) within the Synechodontiformes, which are considered to be a monophyletic group of basal galeomorph sharks. Four genera, Macrourogaleus, Paraorthacodus, Palidiplospinax, and Synechodus, are included in the Palaeospinacidae, ranging in age from the Early Permian to the Paleogene. So far, the only described palaeospinacids from the Upper Jurassic lithographic limestones of southern Germany are several specimens of Macrourogaleus from the Solnhofen area, and a single one of Paraorthacodus jurensis from Nusplingen. The presence of Synechodus in the Upper Jurassic of southern Germany was only indicated by a single figured but undescribed tooth. An incomplete and disarticulated skeleton of a small neoselachian shark and additional isolated teeth from the Kimmeridgian of Baden-Wurttemberg represent the first record of Synechodus in the Upper Jurassic lithographic limestones of Germany. The skeleton includes parts of the vertebral column, the ...

Palaeospinacids are a group of basal galeomorph sharks and are placed in the order Synechodontiformes (Chondrichthyes, Neoselachii) ranging from the Permian to the Eocene. Currently, there is a controversy concerning the identity of diagnostic characters for distinguishing palaeospinacid genera because of very similar dental morphologies and the scarcity of articulated skeletal material. The most notable character for distinguishing species within the Palaeospinacidae is, however, the dental morphology. The main dental character uniting all palaeospinacids is the very specialised pseudopolyaulacorhize root vascularisation. A re-examination of articulated neoselachian skeletons from the Lower Jurassic of Lyme Regis (England) and Holzmaden (S Germany), and recently discovered specimens from the Upper Jurassic of the Solnhofen area and Nusplingen (S Germany) has yielded several hitherto unrecognised complete skeletons of the palaeospinacids Synechodus and Paraorthacodus enabling a re-evaluation of characters. These specimens indicate that the number of dorsal fins and the presence or absence of dorsal fin spines represent important features for identifying palaeospinacids. Synechodus bears two dorsal fins without fin spines, whereas Paraorthacodus only has a single dorsal fin lacking a fin spine directly in front of the caudal fin. All palaeospinacids from the Early Jurassic have two spines supporting the dorsal fins and are consequently assigned to a new genus, Palidiplospinax nov. gen. Three species are placed into the new taxon: Synechodus enniskilleni, S. occultidens and S. smithwoodwardi.

We describe the first known occurrence of a Permian shark specimen preserving two temnospondyl amphibians in its digestive tract as well as the remains of an acanthodian fish, which was ingested by one of the temnospondyls. This exceptional find provides for the first time direct evidence of a vertebrate three-level food chain in the fossil record with the simultaneous preservation of three trophic levels. Our analysis shows that small-sized Lower Permian xenacanthid sharks of the genus Triodus preyed on larval piscivorous amphibians. The recorded trophic interaction can be explained by the adaptation of certain xenacanthids to fully freshwater environments and the fact that in these same environments, large temnospondyls occupied the niche of modern crocodiles. This unique faunal association has not been documented after the Permian and Triassic. Therefore, this Palaeozoic three-level food chain provides strong and independent support for changes in aquatic trophic chain structures through time.

Background Health related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important issue in the context of dementia care. Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate HRQOL in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its relation to Activity of Daily Living (ADL). Methods In this cross sectional study, four experimental groups (each n = 98), controls, SCD, naMCI and aMCI, were compared. For data collection, neuropsychological methods (NTBV) and psychological questionnaires (SF-36 and B-ADL) were used. Multivariate analysis of variance was calculated to detect differences in HRQOL between groups. Correlations between HRQOL and ADL were explored. Results The dimensions of HRQOL showed mainly consistent differences between the control and the SCD group and MCI subgroups. In almost every dimension of HRQOL, the control group scored higher than subjects with SCD, naMCI, or aMCI. The controls showed low to moderate negative correlations between HQROL and B-ADL in some dimensions of the HRQOL. In the SCD group, low negative correlations with ADL were observed in some HRQOL scales. Low to moderate correlations were found between each scale of the SF-36 and the B-ADL in both MCI subtypes. We found gender differences in HRQOL. Conclusion In conclusion, we could demonstrate that patients with SCD report reduced quality of life. This knowledge is important to get a better understanding of the individuals with SCD and may pave the way for the development of early intervention.

Background:Deficits in facial emotion recognition (FER) have been shown to substantially impair several aspects in everyday life of affected individuals (e.g. social functioning). Presently, we aim at assessing differences in emotion recognition performance in three patient groups suffering from mild forms of cognitive impairment compared to healthy controls.Methods:Performance on a concise emotion recognition test battery (VERT-K) of 68 patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), 44 non-amnestic (non-aMCI), and 25 amnestic patients (aMCI) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was compared with an age-equivalent sample of 138 healthy controls all of which were recruited within the framework of the Vienna Conversion to Dementia Study. Additionally, patients and controls underwent individual assessment using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery examining attention, executive functioning, language, and memory (NTBV), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and a measure of premorbid IQ (WST).Results:Type of diagnosis showed a significant effect on emotion recognition performance, indicating progressively deteriorating results as severity of diagnosis increased. Between-groups effect sizes were substantial, showing non-trivial effects in all comparisons (Cohen's ds from −0.30 to −0.83) except for SCD versus controls. Moreover, emotion recognition performance was higher in women and positively associated with premorbid IQ.Conclusions:Our findings indicate substantial effects of progressive neurological damage on emotion recognition in patients. Importantly, emotion recognition deficits were observable in non-amnestic patients as well, thus conceivably suggesting associations between decreased recognition performance and global cognitive decline. Premorbid IQ appears to act as protective factor yielding lesser deficits in patients showing higher IQs.

Several recently proposed criteria for assessing cognitive disorder require measuring the cognitive domain of visuo-constructional function. The aims of the present study were to develop a new test (Vienna Visuo-constructional Test-VVT) measuring visuo-constructional functions and to determine the reliability and validity of the VVT in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We further examined age and sex effects and the psychometric quality of the VVT.The study included 76 healthy controls and 103 patients who were referred to the Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna for neurocognitive assessment. An administering and scoring system for the VVT was developed.Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was found to range from 0.82 for the healthy control group to 0.93 for the total patient group. There was no sex effect, but age had a negative effect on VVT performance. The VVT successfully differentiated healthy controls from MCI patients, AD patients, and PD patients, respectively.The VVT shows satisfactory validity and reliability and can be administered easily in clinical practice. It constitutes a new measure that can successfully be used to identify visuo-constructional problems in patients with cognitive dysfunction.

ObjectiveControlled data on predictors of subjective sleep quality in patients with memory complaints are sparse. To improve the amount of comprehensive data on this topic, we assessed factors associated with subjective sleep quality in patients from our memory clinic and healthy individuals.MethodsBetween February 2012 and August 2014 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) from our memory clinic and healthy controls were recruited. Apart from a detailed neuropsychological assessment, the subjective sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II).ResultsOne hundred fifty eight consecutive patients (132 (84%) MCI patients and 26 (16%) SCD patients) and 75 healthy controls were included in the study. Pairwise comparison of PSQI scores showed that non-amnestic MCI (naMCI) patients (5.4 ± 3.5) had significantly higher PSQI scores than controls (4.3 ± 2.8, p = .003) Pairwise comparison of PSQI subscores showed that naMCI patients (1.1 ± 0.4) had significantly more "sleep disturbances" than controls (0.9 ± 0.5, p = .003). Amnestic MCI (aMCI) (0.8 ± 1.2, p = .006) and naMCI patients (0.7 ± 1.2, p = .002) used "sleep medication" significantly more often than controls (0.1 ± 0.6) Both, aMCI (11.5 ± 8.6, p < .001) and naMCI (11.5 ± 8.6, p < .001) patients showed significantly higher BDI-II scores than healthy controls (6.1 ± 5.3). Linear regression analysis showed that the subjective sleep quality was predicted by depressive symptoms in aMCI (p < .0001) and naMCI (p < .0001) patients as well as controls (p < .0001). This means, that more depressive symptoms worsened subjective sleep quality. In aMCI patients we also found a significant interaction between depressive symptoms and global cognitive function (p = .002).DiscussionDepressive symptoms were the main predictor of subjective sleep quality in MCI patients and controls, but not in SCD patients. Better global cognitive function ameliorated the negative effect of depressive symptoms on the subjective sleep quality in aMCI patients.

Background:Impaired awareness of memory deficits has been recognized as a common phenomenon in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and research is now increasingly focusing on awareness in groups at risk for future dementia. This study aimed to determine whether levels of awareness differ among healthy elderly people and patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), amnestic and non-amnestic subtypes of mild cognitive impairment (aMCI, naMCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), to explore correlates of awareness and to establish frequencies of memory over- and underestimation within each diagnostic group.Methods:756 consecutive outpatients of a memory clinic and 211 healthy controls underwent thorough neuropsychological testing. Impairment of awareness was measured as the difference between subjective memory appraisals (16-item questionnaire on current memory-related problems in everyday life) and objective memory performance (15-item delayed recall task). Subgroups of over- and underestimators were classified using percentile ranks of controls.Results:At group level, awareness significantly decreased along the naMCI→aMCI→AD continuum, with naMCI patients showing a tendency towards overestimation of memory dysfunction. PD patients showed accurate self-appraisals as long as memory function was largely unaffected. However, there was a considerable between-group overlap in awareness scores. Furthermore, different correlates of awareness were observed depending on the diagnostic group. In general, unawareness seems to be associated with decreased cognitive performance in various domains (especially memory), higher age and lower levels of depression and self-reported functional impairment.Conclusion:Impaired awareness is an important symptom in aMCI. Yet, given the considerable variability in awareness scores, longitudinal studies are required to evaluate their predictive power.

Neben der medikamentosen und operativen Therapie stellt die Strahlentherapie (Radioonkologie) als biophysikalische Therapieform das dritte Standbein der Behandlung von Krebserkrankungen dar. Sie findet in der onkologischen Behandlung ein breites Anwendungsgebiet und wird - in Abhangigkeit von Tumorart, Lokalisation und Ausdehnung - sowohl kurativ zur Heilung der PatientInnen, als auch palliativ zur vorubergehenden Eindammung des Tumorwachstums eingesetzt. Ebenso kommt sie im Rahmen der Rezidivprophylaxe und zur akuten Symptomkontrolle, beispielsweise bei Schmerzen, zur Anwendung (Sauer, 2002). In vielen Krankheitsfallen wird die Strahlentherapie erfolgreich mit chirurgischen und medikamentosen Therapien kombiniert. Durch dieses breite therapeutische Spektrum kommt die Strahlentherapie bei rund 60 % aller KrebspatientInnen im Laufe des gesamten Therapiekonzeptes zum Einsatz.

Extensive sampling of several Barremian and Albian–Cenomanian levels across the Aguilon, Oliete and Aliaga subbasins of the Iberian Basin, north-east Spain, yielded abundant material of new or so far poorly known neoselachians. The faunas consist of 16 different species, five of which represent new species and two new genera: Cantioscyllium brachyplicatum sp. nov., Platypterix venustulus gen. et sp. nov., Ptychotrygon pustulata sp. nov., Ptychotrygon striata sp. nov. and Iberotrygon plagiolophus gen. et sp. nov. In addition, teeth of Heterodontus cf. H. carerens, Lamniformes indet., Pteroscyllium sp., Scyliorhinidae indet., Rhinobatos sp., Spathobatis sp., Belemnobatis sp., Ptychotrygon geyeri, Ptychotrygon sp. and Celtipristis herreroi are described. The new family Ptychotrygonidae is defined. The localities comprise palaeoenvironments ranging from lacustrine and shallow lake to open marine settings. Neoselachians are almost completely absent from continental settings in the Barremian, as a result of prevailing freshwater conditions, but became more abundant in marine strata. The Albian–Cenomanian selachian assemblage is the most profuse and diverse of the three assemblages studied. It is dominated by small, benthic and near-coastal taxa, for instance Cantioscyllium and Ptychotrygon, and contains several new species, including an endemic batoid, Iberotrygon plagiolophus gen. et sp. nov. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 155, 316–347.

Different interpretations on the timing of early diversification and radiation of modern sharks and batoids (Neoselachii) in the Earth's history exist and are related to discrepancies in taxonomic and phylogenetic interpretations favouring a Late Triassic or earliest Jurassic diversification and subsequent radiation event, respectively. Sampling standardization based on pooled taxonomic occurrences made it possible to overcome the problem of a much richer neoselachian record in the Late Jurassic than earlier on. The standardized pattern of genus richness is one of low and fairly constant diversity in the Late Triassic and earliest Jurassic with a steep rise in the Toarcian (ca180 Myr ago), representing the maximum diversification rate in the Jurassic towards a Middle and Late Jurassic plateau. The major Toarcian diversification agrees with the conclusions based on phylogenetic analyses, but is in conflict with older interpretations based on raw data. Early Jurassic expansion of neoselachians was opportunistic in the aftermath of the end-Triassic mass extinction and the reasons for their rapid diversification and radiation probably include small body size, short lifespans and oviparity, enabling faster ecological reorganizations and innovations in body plans for adapting to changing environmental conditions.

Eoptolamna eccentrolopha gen. et sp. nov. (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes) from the near coastal upper Barremian Artoles Formation (Early Cretaceous) of Castellote (northwestern Spain) is described on the basis of about 50 isolated teeth. This taxon represents one of the earliest lamniform sharks known to date. We hypothesize that most pre-Aptian lamniforms belong to an ancient group characterized, amongst others, by a very weak gradient monognathic heterodont dental pattern, and by tearing-type dentition. There is a nutritive groove in the lingual root protuberance in juveniles of Eoptolamna, which persists in adults. A single pair of symphysial and a pair of upper intermediate teeth might have been present. Consequently, a new family, Eoptolamnidae, is introduced to include the new form, as well as Protolamna and probably Leptostyrax. The Eoptolamnidae represent an ancient family within Lamniformes. The origin of lamniform sharks remains, however, ambiguous despite recent advances. The new Spanish taxon is widespread in the Barremian of north-eastern Spain, and occurs in a wide range of facies from near-coastal to lake deposits. This lamniform also occurs in the Lower Cretaceous of northern Africa. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 154, 278–290.

Background:The goals of this study were to establish prevalence of subjective memory complaints (SMC) and depressive symptoms (DS) and their relation to cognitive functioning and cognitive status in an outpatient memory clinic cohort.Methods:Two hundred forty-eight cognitively healthy controls and 581 consecutive patients with cognitive complaints who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in the study.Results:A statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between control group and patient group regarding mean SMC was detected. 7.7% of controls reported a considerable degree of SMC, whereas 35.8% of patients reported considerable SMC. Additionally, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between controls and patient group regarding Beck depression score was detected. 16.6% of controls showed a clinical relevant degree of DS, whereas 48.5% of patients showed DS. An analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant difference across all four groups (control group, SCI group, naMCI group, aMCI group) (p < 0.001). Whereas 8% of controls reported a considerable degree of SMC, 34% of the SCI group, 31% of the naMCI group, and 54% of the aMCI group reported considerable SMC. A two-factor analysis of variance with the factors cognitive status (controls, SCI group, naMCI group, aMCI group) and depressive status (depressed vs. not depressed) and SMC as dependent variable revealed that both factors were significant (p < 0.001), whereas the interaction was not (p = 0.820).Conclusions:A large proportion of patients seeking help in a memory outpatient clinic report considerable SMC, with an increasing degree from cognitively healthy elderly to aMCI. Depressive status increases SMC consistently across groups with different cognitive status.

Background and purpose: The goal of this study was to establish the prevalence of subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and depressive symptoms (DS)s and their relation to cognitive functioning in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: In all, 248 controls and 104 PD patients were included in the study. The PD group was subdivided into three PD subtypes with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) according to the Petersen criteria and three PD subtypes with MCI according to the Litvan criteria. Results: Substantial SMCs were reported by 7.7% of controls and 16.3% of the PD patients (P < 0.001). A clinically relevant degree of DSs was evident in 16.6% of controls compared with 40.4% in the PD group (P < 0.001). An analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant difference for SMCs across all Petersen groups as well across all Litvan groups. Two-factor analyses of variance with the factors cognitive status (MCI subtype) and depressive state (depressed versus not depressed) and SMCs as dependent variable revealed significant results. Conclusions: Approximately 15% of PD patients seeking help in a movement disorder clinic report significant SMCs, with an increasing degree from cognitively healthy PD to PD-MCI. Significant DSs increase SMCs across all cognitive status groups.

IntroductionSomatoform pain disorder (SPD) is frequently associated with sleep disorders, specifically restless legs syndrome and insomnia, which in turn lowers the pain threshold and worsens pain.ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to investigate differences in wake-EEG by low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) and objective and subjective sleep and awakening quality in SPD patients as compared with controls and study acute and chronic effects of trazodone CR on these variables and pain measures.MethodsFifteen patients with SPD (F45.4) and co-morbid insomnia (F51.0) were compared with 15 controls and participated in a single-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study on the acute effect of 100 mg trazodone CR, followed by a six-week open titration period. Statistics involved clinical, EEG-LORETA, PSG and psychometry.ResultsLORETA showed reduced power, mainly in the beta band in almost all pain matrix areas (SI, SII, ACC, SMA, PFC, PPC, insula, amygdala, hippocampus). PSG demonstrated a lack of deep sleep and increased arousals and stage shifts, with opposite changes induced by trazodone after acute and chronic therapy. Improvement of sleep was associated with improvement of pain, evaluated by visual-analog scales.ConclusionOur LORETA findings demonstrate a dysfunctional pain modulation in SPD. Trazodone induced changes in subjective and objective sleep and awakening quality that were opposite to the differences between SPD patients and controls (key-lock principle) and associated with pain improvement.

A new taxon, †Crassodontidanus gen. nov. of Hexanchiformes (cow sharks) from the Jurassic of Germany is described. It is characterized by peculiar teeth combining apomorphic (serrated mesial cutting edge of the main cusp) and plesiomorphic features (deep root with convex mesial and distal margins in labial and lingual views; protruding lingual root bulge). This character combination readily distinguishes members of the new taxon from all other known extant (Heptranchias, Hexanchus, Notorynchus) and extinct (†Gladioserratus, †Notidanodon, †Notidanoides, †Pachyhexanchus, †Paraheptranchias, †Weltonia) hexanchiforms. Currently, two species, †C. serratus (type species; Late Jurassic, Late Kimmeridgian of Nusplingen, South Germany) and †C. wiedenrothi (Early Jurassic, Early Pliensbachian of Gretenberg (Hanover), North Germany) are assigned to this taxon. †Crassodontidanus gen. nov. is member of †Crassonotidae fam. nov. and sister to †Notidanoides Maisey,1986 and †Pachyhexanchus Cappetta,1990. We consider †Notidanusamalthei Oppel,1854 from the Pliensbachian of South Germany, †Notidanusinsignis Seguenza,1887 from the Oxfordian of Sicily (Italy) and †Notidanuswagneri Agassiz, 1843 from the Early Tithonian of Solnhofen (South Germany) nomina dubia and nomina nuda, respectively. The family †Crassonotidae comprises plesiomorphic hexanchiforms ranging from the Sinemurian (Early Jurassic) to the Hauterivian (Early Cretaceous).

A new Jurassic species of the very rare and incompletely known synechodontiform shark, Welcommia, is described. The new species, Welcommia cappettai, is represented only by a single tooth, precluding reconstruction of its dentition in detail. Nevertheless, this specimen provides sufficient information and characteristics to establish its taxonomic status. Welcommia cappettai n. sp. occurs in the middle Oxfordian (Upper Jurassic) of south-western Germany. This is the first unambiguous record and named species of Welcommia from the Late Jurassic, substantially reducing the rather large gap in the fossil record of this synechodontiform taxon. So far, two Welcommia species from the Lower Jurassic of Belgium and the Lower Cretaceous of southern France have been described. An additional, still unnamed species seemingly occurs in the Oxfordian of southern France. The new species has plesiomorphic and apomorphic characteristics and, probably, an intermediate dental pattern that tentatively enables reconstruction of evolutionary trends in the dentition of this shark from small and compact teeth with broad, almost triangular cusps, to mesio-distally lengthened teeth with elongated mesial heels resulting in an extremely extended mesial cutting edge in addition to more delicate cusp and cusplets in advanced forms. These differences might be related to improved feeding mechanisms. It is hypothesized that Welcommia was predominantly a component of the Mediterranean faunal province. The disappearance of Welcommia in the Early Cretaceous remains ambiguous and might be related to competition by other sharks, for example hexanchiforms, or might represent a collecting bias and/or taxonomic misidentification of isolated teeth.

In this paper we report the first Peruvian record of the extinct giant sclerorhynchiform sawfish, Onchosaurus pharao . The single specimen consists of a characteristic rostral spine, which was recovered from nodular limestone in the West-Peruvian Trough of the central Andean Basin, close to the city of Cajamarca. The fossil-bearing strata belong to the lower part of the Celendin Formation, which is of middle–late Coniacian age. This specimen is the first Coniacian record of Onchosaurus pharao and constitutes the third known record of this sclerorhynchiform taxon in South America filling previous gaps in the stratigraphic and geographic distribution of this species. A review of the distribution patterns of both species assigned to Onchosaurus reveals that the genus originated in circum-Equatorial, tropical waters and subsequently dispersed along different pathways south- and northwards. Based on its palaeogeographic distribution and the size of the rostral spines, both Onchosaurus spp. are considered large, bottom-dwelling sclerorhynchiforms primarily inhabiting shallow marine, near-coastal environments. The palaeogeographic distribution nevertheless indicates that they were powerful swimmers and able to cross wide, open marine distances. The reason for the disappearance of Onchosaurus in the Campanian remains unknown. In the early Maastrichtian, Dalpiazia seemingly replaced Onchosaurus ecologically. However, we hypothesize that the different histologies of rostral spines of Onchosaurus and Dalpiazia are of minor taxonomic importance. Dalpiazia thus might represent a derived onchosaur rather than a distinct taxon.