Olanzapine (OLZ) is a second-generation antipsychotic that is used to treat schizophrenia but also causes acute hyperglycemia. This study aimed to determine if the ablation of AMPK b1-containing complexes potentiates acute OLZ-induced metabolic dysfunction and if the activation of AMPK b1 suppresses these effects. Female AMPK b1 2/2 or wild-type (WT) control mice were treated with OLZ, and changes in blood glucose, serum and liver metabolites, whole-body fuel oxidation, and pyruvate-induced increases in blood glucose were measured. Additionally, WT mice were cotreated with OLZ and A769662, a specific AMPK b1 activator, and we determined if cotreatment protected against acute, OLZ-induced metabolic dysfunction. OLZ-induced increases in blood glucose were exacerbated in AMPK b1 2/2 mice compared with WT mice, and this was paralleled by greater OLZ-induced increases in markers of liver glucose production, such as pyruvate tolerance, serum glucagon, and glucagon responsiveness. Cotreatment with A769662 attenuated OLZ-induced increases in blood glucose, serum nonesterified fatty acid, and glycerol. Furthermore, this effect was absent in AMPK b1 2/2 mice, consistent with A769662's specificity for the AMPK b1 subunit. Reductions in AMPK activity potentiate the effects of acute OLZ treatment on blood glucose, whereas specifically targeting AMPK b1-containing complexes is sufficient to protect against OLZ-induced hyperglycemia.

Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs), created using Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, are a form of instructional technology that can deliver critical course content and be used by teacher educators to conserve limited face-to-face instructional time. In this study, the authors investigate whether the sequence of instruction for CAP exposure (preview or review) paired with textbook reading affected knowledge gains on topics related to students with disabilities. They randomly assign preservice teacher candidates from two large public universities to one of three conditions: (a) CAP exposure preceding reading, (b) CAP exposure following reading, and (c) reading with graphic organizer/outline alone. A 40-item multiple-choice pre- and posttest measured participant knowledge of two topics: “Learning Disabilities” and “High-Functioning Autism.” Students in both CAP groups significantly outperformed students from the Text-Only group on both experiments, but order of CAP exposure did not result in significant differences in learning. The authors describe implications for teacher preparation programs regarding how to create and implement theoretically sound technology-based instructional materials, such as CAPs.

We investigated the variability across states in the prevalence of learning disabilities (LD) as reported by the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). This expanded upon the work of Hallahan and colleagues on interstate prevalence rate variability of special education disability categories by focusing on a longitudinal analysis. Furthermore, we examined the effect of response to intervention (RTI) on the change in identification of LD more than 12 years from Fall 2000 through Fall 2011 for ages 6 to 17 years. We used the coefficient of variation (CV) to compare variability of prevalence rates and applied a piecewise regression to examine the effect of RTI. The results are consistent with Hallahan and colleagues’ previous findings—LD continues to demonstrate the least prevalence rate variability across states of all disability categories. LD prevalence variability is almost as minimal as that of some naturally occurring and medically diagnosed conditions (e.g., diabetes, asthma). We discuss these results within the context of changing LD identification methods, such as RTI, and decreasing prevalence of LD, suggesting possible reasons for potential changes in both prevalence and its interstate variability in the future.

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