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It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved father
who passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on December 8
Amarante touched the lives of all who knew him
had a long career at Franklins Earth Moving
Amarante was also a cherished grandfather to Rachel Gonzales and husband David Gonzales
Bryanna Jones and her husband Justyn Jones and Elijah Maez
Amarante was also a wonderful great-grandfather to Moises and Emma Gonzales
Leonidas Montoya and Noah and Ryleigh Jones
He was lovingly known to all his grandchildren as their OG (the Original Grandpa)
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“Just over a week ago, while partaking in a late-night London frenzy, I ended up meeting a Yemeni man whose main occupation was running a grand hotel in Vienna. In the midst of what began as a short conversation to introduce myself and thank him for allowing my companions and me to join him at his gathering, I looked around and noticed that on the wall he had a poster of Tarantino’s 2007 film Death Proof.
While explaining my current conundrum of writing the next draft of the script, my new friend invited me to join him in Vienna, where he would provide me with a room in his hotel so I could try to conquer this quarrel I had with my script.
I was in awe and eager to learn more. Peter paused before continuing his story. I looked in the rearview mirror and noticed that his face had shrunk with a small sense of sorrow. He then continued staring deep into the empty road before finally saying, “I get upset sometimes when I think about Leonard.”
At that moment, I was bewildered and didn’t know what to say. Peter then summarized his story by simply saying, “Leonard was a very good man to me.”
We continued listening to the Cohen album throughout the journey. We did not need to speak much, and every so often, I would look into the rearview mirror again to see Peter timidly singing along with the poetic words of his dearest Leonard…
As we arrived at the hotel, Peter turned down the music and exhaled before muttering, “Sometimes, you just meet somebody and—”
He didn’t finish his sentence. We both exited the car, and I completely understood why it was hard to describe the feeling he held.
Sometimes, life can be stranger than fiction, and sometimes, life can hold nothing but suffering—to the point of questioning what is what, why is why, and who the hell is who! But, as the vast majority of humans know, in the lucky glimpse of beauty, there can be a time, a place, a moment where you look another human in the eye and realize why the earth can be a place called home.
I thanked Peter, shook his hand, and said, “Until the next time, Peter.” He smiled and continued his journey, which I am sure was accompanied by Leonard.
As I walked into the hotel, I remembered the first time I met the man I call The Wizard, Rodrigo Amarante.
After spending several weeks in Fano, I became enamoured by how mesmerising it was. I learned that Fellini had gone to school there, that it was rarely used as a filming location, and that the locals and I were getting along to such a degree that they would grant me permission to shoot a film there with support from the town’s community. So, within a few weeks, I completed a draft of the script and sent it to the nearest production company that could help bring it to life.
After a month, I was informed that he was busy on tour in Brazil and couldn’t do it. I also realised that I had sent his previous manager an idea for a music video for his song The End, which he wasn’t informed about. Of course, it all seemed too good to be true anyway.
Regardless, financing the film was beginning to seem like an impossible mission, and as Coppola recently said, it’s a battle with “an industry so terrified of risk.” But the majority of those who read the script emphasised that there was potential, and with the support from the locals in the town, there was still a chance we could make it happen. So, while thinking of alternate films I could produce in London, I still held on to a glimpse of hope that my scene with Rodrigo could one day prevail.
As I amplified my motivation to continue the parade of making the film, I was caught off guard by the might of life’s unexpectancies. The day after Christmas, I collapsed, and for the following year, I was in and out of the hospital, caught in the midst of having a rather frightening brain tumour. And that’s the way the cookie crumbles, they say!
During these times, Rodrigo and I would write to each other every month or so, and when we did, it would be in the format of a long letter from a relative who lived across the world. As if we were pen pals, we got to know more about each other. A brotherly foundation was being formed, and what began as a conversation about work, eventually formulated into two humans talking about the methods of living and the queries of life.
Two years later, after recovering enough to be able to fly to New York, Rodrigo and I planned to finally meet.
It was February, and since I had first spoken to Rodrigo, I had released my book of short stories, Memoirs of a Balloon, and my third short film, Puddle of Muddles. Rodrigo had finished his original score for His Three Daughters, and things seemed as if they were adding up. I had told Rodrigo prior to our meeting that it would be an honour to take some photographs of him, which one day I would put to good use. He agreed, and off I set to confront the phrase, “never meet your heroes.”
From a distance, I spotted Rodrigo, and like a drunk aunt, I raised my arms in the air and smiled. He did the same. There were 20 seconds before we finally reached each other, and within the first few words, I had lost any fear or worry that one might have in such a circumstance.
After spending the day travelling through New York, I was welcomed into Rodrigo’s abode. Church stained windows separated his living room from the streets; hundreds of books, vinyls, the instruments I had seen him use in videos of his performances, score sheets, kitchen utensils, and artworks – it would take a Capote or Joyce to portray how much his surroundings aligned with his music and essence.
At this point, I felt as if I was back home, in a place where I belonged. I met Rodrigo’s partner, she was working on a theatre play – yin and yang, it was like the puzzle pieces together forming an image only Hopper could paint. And, as The Four Aces gleefully chanted, Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing…
And there he sat, The Wizard, playing the song, just him and me. I didn’t shed a tear, as it would have been rather weird. But my soul most certainly felt as if the ticking time bomb had paused while witnessing such history.
The next day was Valentine’s Day, and as a lonely, poetic cliché of a man surviving the story of a tortured artist figuring out how to figure things out, I was planning to spend it watching Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, deliriously hoping that one day I’d fail in all my methods of becoming a feature filmmaker, which of course, would inevitably result in me having no choice but to attend my daily service as a salesman in a family-owned secondhand bookstore.
I had to rush to Paris the next day for a shoot, so I couldn’t attend Rodrigo’s show. The Wizard then emphasised that my mother should attend and she would be added as the guest of honour.
The next night, I received a call from her, and with a wonder of excitement, she told me that during the performance, Rodrigo dedicated a song to her – and it was called… Fall Asleep.
Anyway, I started writing this at 4AM, and it is now 10:30AM. I have planned to show my new friend from Yemen the Forman film, Taking Off as he hasn’t seen it yet. So, I must listen to The Wizard and get some rest.
Take from this whatever you will: a journal, a memoir, a gloat, a report, a brag, maybe the most delicately crafted name-drop one can portray, or maybe it’s just a heavenly escapade of a dream coming true.
But, at the end of the day, as Peter said, “Sometimes, you just meet somebody and—””
19 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Amarante FC vs S.U
Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match
The current head to head record for the teams are Amarante FC 0 win(s)
Have scored 2 goals in their last 5 matches
19 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT?Amarante FC vs S.U
19 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT ended in a 1–1 tie.InsightsHave scored 5 goals in their last 5 matches
who graduated in May from Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with a Doctorate in Audiology
completed her fourth-year externship in the audiology program in the 2023-24 academic year at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville
Her research at the Mayo Clinic included investigations into how headphone placement affects hearing tests
the effectiveness of home self-assessment of over-the-counter hearing aids
and how cochlear implants change the quality of life for caregivers of a hearing-impaired person
“I chose audiology because I wanted a career that allowed me to help others
but did not want to become a physician,” says Amarante
Audiology was perfect as it was a good mix of science and technology that allows me to establish rapport with patients and witness their progress.”
Amarante is also a 2020 alumna of CU-Bloomsburg’s undergraduate program in audiology and speech pathology
“I decided to attend Bloomsburg for graduate school as well because it offered a range of opportunities that some of the bigger name schools couldn’t provide
and the opportunity to see patients in the on-campus clinic on day one
It also allowed me to continue research I had started during my undergraduate studies with Dr
The research was later presented at the American Academy of Audiology National Convention.”
Amarante has joined Geisinger Medical Center in Danville as a clinical audiologist.
College Football and Mansfield brought them together as students; Keeps them together as alumni
©2025 Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
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known as the "University of the Pope," recently celebrated its Dies Academicus for the academic school year.
Archbishop Amarante highlighted the university’s unique blend of philosophical
and canon law studies alongside secular legal disciplines
attracting a diverse international student body from all five continents.
The Pontifical Lateran University holds a special role with the Holy See and is crucial in training future church leaders.
Can you tell us a bit about what the students are learning here at the Pope's University?
Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University:
Pontifical means that it has a special status linked to the Holy See
and here there are two branches of this university
At this moment there are about 1,200 students
where 60% belong to religious orders—seminarians
nuns—and then there's 40% composed of lay people
precisely because of the dual nature of the university with these two paths: one philosophical and theological studies and one legal studies.
Why should I study here at the Pontifical Lateran University?
The first reason I can say is that this university has a special connection with the Holy See and therefore with all the Popes—today with Francis
the other day with John Paul II—and tomorrow
because truly studying in Rome means studying at the center of Christianity
Coming to Rome means experiencing the Church
our students—the percentage of Italians is really very small—they come from all five continents.
Thank you for this question because it gives me the opportunity to respond and clarify even better
If in the first level the student is called more to receive the content
here in the second level they are called to engage with the sources
to then reach a third level which corresponds to a doctoral degree where
But with faithfulness to the magisterium.
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Andreas Thonhauser is EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the WU Executive Academy in Vienna and a Master’s degree in German Philology/Anglistics and Americanistics from the University of Vienna. Prior to joining EWTN, Thonhauser worked as the Director of External Affairs for a global human rights organization, and for several media outlets in Vienna, Austria.
03 May 2025 15:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Atletico won 3–1 over Amarante FC on Sat
The current head to head record for the teams are Atletico 0 win(s)
Haven't scored in their last 2 matches
Have scored 5 goals in their last 5 matches
Haven't kept a clean sheet in 5 matches
Who won between Atletico and Amarante FC on Sat
03 May 2025 15:00:00 GMT?Atletico won 3–1 over Amarante FC on Sat
03 May 2025 15:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches
Atletico is playing home against Amarante FC on Sat
Volume 9 - 2015 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2015.00023
We examined the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in reward processing and the control of consummatory behavior
Rats were trained in an operant licking procedure in which they received alternating access to solutions with relatively high and low levels of sucrose (20 and 4%
Each level of sucrose was available for fixed intervals of 30 s over 30 min test sessions
rats came to lick persistently when the high level of sucrose was available and suppressed licking when the low level of sucrose was available
specifically the rostral part of the prelimbic area
greatly reduced intake of the higher value fluid and only slightly increased intake of the lower value fluid
the inactivations altered within-session patterns and microstructural measures of licking
Rats licked equally for the high and low levels of sucrose at the beginning of the test sessions and “relearned” to reduce intake of the low value fluid over the test sessions
Durations of licking bouts (clusters of licks with inter-lick intervals <0.5 s) were reduced for the high value fluid and there were many more brief licking bouts (<1 s) when the low value fluid was available
These effects were verified using an alternative approach (optogenetic silencing using archaerhodopsin) and were distinct from inactivation of the ventral striatum
Our findings suggest that the mPFC is crucial for the maintenance of persistent licking and the expression of learned feeding strategies
our studies suggest that the mPFC is necessary for the maintenance of persistent licking and the expression of learned feeding strategies
All experimental procedures were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee at The John B
where the experimental studies were carried out
and conform to guidelines for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (National Institutes of Health)
Male Sprague-Dawley and Long Evans rats weighing between 350 and 375 g were purchased from Harlan Animals and were allowed 1 week to acclimate to their new environment with daily handling prior to training
Food access was regulated for maintenance of 90% of their free access body weight by giving 18 g of rat chow a day in the evenings following experiments
Rats weighed between 325 and 500 g at the time of testing
A total of 20 rats were tested for effects of positive contrast and 24 rats were tested for effects of negative contrast
Pharmacological inactivations were performed during the operant task in 27 rats and six of these rats were removed from the study due to improper cannula targeting
Seven rats (not included in the operant study) were tested with pharmacological inactivation of the mPFC during sucrose consumption in home cage
A total of 12 rats were used for optogenetic inactivation experiments and seven of these rats were removed from the study due to lack of viral expression and/or misalignment of the optic ferrule with the viral expression field
All animals were trained in operant chambers containing a house lamp and enclosed within a sound-attenuating external chamber (ENV-008; Med Associates)
Control of pumps and data acquisition was carried out using Med-PC version IV (Med Associates)
Pierce Laboratory Instruments Shop) was used that permitted multiple solution lines to merge and be consumed at a single point
The spout was located on one wall of the chamber at a height of 6.5 cm from the chamber floor and positioned horizontally
The spout was positioned between two barriers that restricted the movement of animals while licking on the spout
Two solution lines connected to 60ml syringes were used in these experiments
Syringe plungers were driven by single speed
syringe pumps (PHM-100; Med Associates) triggered by licks and delivered ~0.025 ml of fluid per activation
Licks were detected and recorded optically via interruptions of an infrared beam between an emitter and detector placed directly in front of the licking spout
Animals were placed within an operant box for 30 min sessions with continual access to the drinking spout
Standard sessions consisted of shifts in the availability of the high value sucrose solution (20% sucrose wt/v) and low value sucrose solution (4% sucrose wt/v) over alternating thirty second epochs
Licking on the spout triggered delivery of the solutions
the current epoch would end and the alternate solution epoch would commence following the next lick
Alternation between epochs continued until the 30 min session terminated
Rats were tested for effects of positive and negative contrast in special sessions in which only the high or low value sucrose solution was provided
Positive contrast was detected as an increase in the consumption of the high value sucrose in sessions with access to both the high and low values of sucrose compared to sessions with access only to the high value sucrose
Negative contrast was detected as a reduction in the consumption of the low value sucrose in sessions with access to both the high and low values of sucrose compared to sessions with access to only the low value
We compared lick counts and measures of licking microstructure (number of bouts
inter-bout interval) during the 30 s epochs when rats would normally receive the high or low value sucrose and by averaging these measures across all task epochs
we checked for potential changes in satiation using cumulative record plots of licking in each testing session
Animals were provided 2–3 days of full food access prior to implantation of either guide cannulas or infusion of virus into mPFC followed by implantation of optic ferrules
Animals were initially anesthetized with isoflurane (3.5%
~2 min) and injected intraperitoneally with ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg) for deep anesthesia throughout the surgery
supplemental doses of ketamine and xylazine were administered over the span of the surgeries
The scalp was shaved and carprofen (10 mg/kg; Pfizer) was injected subcutaneously into the skin of the neck
Animals were placed into a stereotaxic apparatus using ear bars
and the scalp was covered in iodine for 1 min
Iodine solution was wiped off the scalp and 0.3 ml of 2% lidocaine solution was injected subcutaneously along the midline
A midsagittal incision through the skin covering the scalp was made to expose the surface of the skull and the positioning of the head within the stereotaxic apparatus was adjusted to ensure lambda and bregma were leveled into the same plane
Four skull screws were placed caudally into the parietal skull bone plates for anchoring of implants to the head
Single 26 gage guide cannulas with dummy cannulas (Plastics One) were implanted bilaterally into the prelimbic region of the mPFC [anteroposterior (AP)
-4.0 from the surface of the brain at an angle of 12° from the midline]
Four rats had bilaterial dual cannula targeting both rostral and caudal levels of the mPFC (AP
-4.0 from the surface of the brain at an angle of 12° from the midline; this is the midpoint between the dual cannulas having a distance of 0.5 mm between the centers of each cannula)
Cannulas targeted to ventral striatum were also implanted bilaterally (AP
-5.5 from the surface of the brain at an angle of 22° from the midline)
Guide cannulas were positioned 1 mm dorsal from the target brain structure due to using injection cannulas that extended 1 mm beyond the tip of the guide cannula
Adeno-associated virus (AAV; serotype 9) plasmids containing archaerhodopsin (ArchT) and GFP driven under the ubiquitous CAG promoter (AAV-CAG-ArchT-GFP) were purchased from the University of North Carolina Vector Core (Chapel Hill
Implanted optic ferrules (Prizmatix) had an optic fiber with a diameter of 400 μm and a numerical aperture (NA) of ~0.66 with a flat cut tip to focus light delivery to regions directly below the end of the ferrule
33 gage injection cannulas targeted only the rostral prelimbic cortex and 1 μl of virus was deposited at 0.1 μl/min using the same method described for infusion of drugs into the brain
injection cannulas were left in place for an additional 5 min to allow for diffusion of the virus into the brain prior to being retracted
Optic fibers were positioned 0.3 mm dorsal to the point of viral infusion
After implantation of cannulas or ferrules
the craniotomy was covered and cannulas initially secured using cyanoacrylate (Slo-Zap) and cyanoacrylate accelerator (Zip Kicker)
The entire implant was then permanently affixed to the skull by methyl methacrylate dental cement (AM Systems) via the four implanted skull screws
The skin surrounding the implants was cleaned
animals were given the α2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine (2 mg/ml at equal volumes of the xylazine used during the surgery) to counteract the xylazine used for chronic anesthesia
To reduce any chances of infection the antibiotic enrofloxacin (23 mg/kg; Bayer) was given intraperitoneally when the animal began to move
enrofloxacin was administered via the drinking water (70 mg/500 ml) throughout recovery
Carprofen was also administered via the drinking water (25 mg/500 ml) for 2 days following surgery for pain management
To prevent animals from pulling out dummy cannulas over the span of recovery and re-initiation of behavioral experiments
Kwick-Cast silicon sealant (WPI) was spread over the dummy cannula caps to secure them to their guide cannulas
Animals were allowed to recover from surgery for 1 week while having free access to food and water
Animals were monitored and weighed daily throughout recovery
Regulated access to food was reinstated several days prior to behavioral testing
All animals recovered within one or two test sessions after inactivation and showed equivalent intake and licking behavior to the PBS control sessions
Drug delivery was carried out via a 33 gage injection cannula (Plastics One) connected to fine bore (0.38 ID) polythene tubing
filled with mineral oil that was lightly colored pink with 0.5% Oil RedO (Sigma; O0625)
The tubing was connected to a 10-μl Hamilton syringe (Hamilton)
and the injection needle was then back filled with drug
Drug was injected at 0.25 μl/min using a microsyringe pump (KD Scientific) and confirmed visually by marking the interface between the pink mineral oil and the infused solution before and after activation of the pumps
animals were initially sedated with isoflurane (3.5% for 3 mins) and injected intraperitoneally with 1ml of Euthasol
The animals were transcardially perfused first with 200 ml cold saline solution followed by 200 ml of cold 4% paraformaldehyde
Brains were extracted and placed into 4% paraformaldehyde containing 20% sucrose and 20% glycerol
Brains were cut to 100 μm thick slices in the frontal plane
For experiments using fluorescent material
half of the acquired slices were mounted to slides using Vectashield fluorescent mounting medium containing DAPI (Vector Labs) and the other half were Nissl stained via treatment with thionin
only Nissl stained slices were mounted to slides from brain not using some form of fluorescent material
Imaging of slices was done on a Motic BA400 microscope
Visualization of fluorescence material in brains was provided for by a Photofluor fluorescent light source using DAPI
Images were acquired using Bioquant V8.40.20 software
All data were analyzed using custom-built scripts in Matlab version R2012b (Mathworks) and statistics were performed in R x64 ver. 2.15.1 using R-Studio ver. 0.97.237. Bouts of licks were detected using custom Matlab code provided by Dr. Ranier Gutierrez, as used previously in Gutierrez et al. (2006) and Horst and Laubach (2013)
bouts were defined as having at least three licks within 300 ms and with an inter-bout interval of 0.5 s or longer
Lick counts and bout durations were significantly correlated (r = 0.835) over all rats tested
used in other drug infusion studies that are not reported in the present manuscript
were presented with calibrated drinking tubes containing 20 and 4% sucrose (w/v) for a period of 5 min in their home cages
Volumes consumed were noted over a series of 9 days
rats were tested 1 h after a control infusion procedure (light anesthesia via isoflurane over a period of ~12 min)
they were tested 1 h after an infusion of muscimol (as in the operant studies above)
One rat showed a lack of evidence for drug infusion and another rat did not consume any fluid during the control or muscimol test sessions
These animals were removed from the data summaries for home-cage testing reported below
having a stable (6–7 Hz) intra-bout lick rate that is independent of the relative sucrose concentration
Modulation of intake was implemented through adjustments in bout duration
(A) Rats licked on a single spout and received access to solutions containing relatively high (20%
The two fluids were presented in alternating 30-s epochs at the same spout
(B) Animals consumed sucrose by emitting bouts of licks
Key measures of licking “microstructure” are indicated
Rats learned to actively suppress licking for the low value (4%) sucrose solution while gradually increasing intake for the high value (20%) sucrose solution across the first five sessions of the task
Rats achieved asymptotic levels of licking over four to seven daily training sessions. They came to lick persistently when 20% sucrose was available and emitted many fewer licks when 4% sucrose was available (Figure 1C)
A two-factor repeated measures ANOVA with factors for training session and sucrose concentration found that there was a significant change in mean lick count per epoch [F(3,238) = 27.87
total number of licks per session [F(3,238) = 34.13
The significant interaction between training session and sucrose concentration led us to perform single-factor ANOVAs on the measures of licking for each of the sucrose levels
Intake of the low value solution was relatively stable and did not decrease significantly over days [mean licks per epoch: F(3,136) = 1.33
p > 0.3; total number of licks per session: F(3,136) = 0.45
p > 0.2; duration of licking bouts: F(3,136) = 1.71
There was a significant increase in mean licks per epoch [F(3,136) = 23.36
total number of licks per session [F(3,136) = 26.35
and duration of licking bouts [F(3,135) = 6.609
p < 0.001] when the higher value solution was available
Reward contrast effects were revealed by testing rats with only one level of sucrose in a given behavioral session
Contrast effects were apparent both in terms of lick counts and the average duration of licking bouts
(A) Negative contrast was evident as rats (N = 24) consumed more of the low value solution when it was presented alone compared to the standard sessions with alternating access to the two levels of sucrose
(B) Positive contrast was evident as rats (N = 20) consumed less of the high value solution when it was presented alone compared to the sessions with alternating access to the two levels of sucrose
To study the role of mPFC in the regulation of intake, pharmacological methods for reversible inactivation were used to inactivate the mPFC during the operant licking task. Twenty-one infusions of 1 μl muscimol (1 μg/μl) or fluorescent conjugated muscimol (5 μg/μl) were made in 17 rats. Figure 3A depicts the estimated placement of all mPFC cannulas
Fourteen of the rats had bilateral cannulas located in the rostral mPFC (+4.2 mm AP)
Nine of these rats had both cannulas clearly centered in the prelimbic cortex (area 32)
Four of these rats also received a second pair of cannulas in the more caudal mPFC (+2.7 mm AP)
Three rats had single bilateral cannulas at an intermediate location (+3.7 mm AP)
Effects of reversibly inactivating the mPFC in the operant licking task
(A) Coronal depiction of infusion sites for muscimol within the mPFC
Sites at 3.7 mm A/P were considered to be in the rostral mPFC area
Nine of these sites were clearly within the prelimbic area
Sites at 2.7 mm were considered to be in the caudal mPFC area
Dual cannula located in both rostral (red) and caudal (blue) mPFC are included as well
(B) Temporal patterns of licking were dramatically altered by inactivation of mPFC
Top: Licking for 20% sucrose following infusion of PBS vehicle occurred in sustained bouts
Bottom: Licking following inactivation of mPFC with muscimol (Musc) was associated with reduced bout durations and reduced overall licking
(C) Inactivation of mPFC decreased licking and the duration of licking bouts for the higher
value fluid and reduced the ratios of licking for the higher-to-lower value fluids (a measure of incentive contrast)
Inactivation of mPFC also reduced the incentive contrast properties (aka subjective or relative value) of the liquid sucrose. To measure these effects, we calculated the ratios of lick counts and bout durations for when the high and low value sucrose was available. Inactivation of mPFC decreased these ratios for lick counts [t(20) = 3.87, p < 0.001] and bout durations [t(20) = 2.53, p < 0.05; Figure 3C
These effects cannot be explained by an impairment in sucrose intake due to mPFC inactivation
as a separate cohort of five rats were tested with mPFC inactivation during sucrose intake in the home cage
There was no effect of the inactivation on the volume of sucrose that was consumed
The rats drank 9.5 ± 3.3 ml of liquid sucrose in control sessions and 9.5 ± 1.9 ml in inactivation sessions
These results suggest that inactivation of the rostral
mPFC reduced persistent licking for sucrose
value sucrose was also reduced following inactivation
(E) There was no change in the number of licking bouts for the high value sucrose
more bouts were emitted when the low value fluid was available and the rostral mPFC was inactivated
the rats remained engaged in the task for a significantly longer duration before cessation of intake in the inactivation sessions [PBS: 1094 s; Muscimol: 1559 s; paired t-test: t(8) = 5.72
A simple interpretation of these findings is that inactivation of the mPFC altered sensorimotor aspects of licking
which may underlie the effects of inactivation on measures of incentive contrast
FIGURE 5. Effects of inactivation on measures of licking variability. (A) Inactivation of the rostral mPFC increased the median inter-lick interval [ILI; paired t-test: t(7) = -2.66, p < 0.04), defined as the time between pairs of licks, in 8 rats with muscimol infused into the rostral mPFC (see Figure 3A)
(B) Inactivation also increased the inter-quartile range [t(7) = -4.09
(C) There was no consistent effect of inactivation on another measure of variability
defined as the variance divided by the mean
near 1 is typical for a random (Poisson) time series; (D) The fraction of non-bout licks (isolated licks and lick pairs) increased with inactivation [t(7) = -3.00
This finding is further support for the idea that the rats were less able to persistently lick with the rostral mPFC inactivated
as found in the experimental group (N = 5)
and when either misaligned (or non-expressing) in the control group (N = 7)
The tips of the optic ferrules delivered green light (520 nm) from a 100 mW LED source
The LED system was calibrated to deliver ~10 mW from the tips of the bilaterally implanted optic fibers
Optogenetic perturbation of the rostral mPFC prevents persistent licking
(A) Fluorescent GFP expression driven by the non-specific CAG promoter showed evidence for transduction of archaerhodopsin (ArchT) in the rostral mPFC of experimental rats
Control rats either did not show proper alignment of viral field with implanted ferrules or showed no viral expression
(B) Transient perturbation of the rostral mPFC in experimental rats via LED activation consistently decreased licking and bout duration
There was no consistent change in licking by LED in control rats
(C) Transient perturbation of the rostral mPFC in experimental rats via LED activation consistently decreased licking in epochs with LED on relative to epochs with LED off
The optogenetic perturbation of rostral mPFC in experimental rats also reduced the duration of licking bouts
There was no significant change in the number of bouts initiated with the LED activated
(D) The ability to lick within bouts was not affected as there was no significant change in the ILI histogram of licking during epochs between epochs with the LED on and the LED off
These results were obtained in five rats in which there was anatomical evidence (GFP fluorescence) for transduction of ArchT and alignment of the GFP marker for ArchT and the tips of the optic fibers
Seven rats had either a lack of GFP labeling or a mismatch between the GFP marker and the optic fibers
None of these rats showed any effects of LED activation on licking counts [t(6) = 1.658; p > 0.1] or bout duration [t(6) = 1.723; p > 0.1]
there were no differences in licking between the first training session and the muscimol inactivation sessions in the well trained rats [20% sucrose (naïve vs
These findings suggest that inactivation of the rostral mPFC blocked the expression of the learned within-session licking patterns
Within-session dynamics following inactivation of the rostral mPFC
(A) Epoch-by-epoch summary of mean lick counts and bout durations
Dark and gray lines represent access to the high- and low-value sucrose solutions
Naive animals begin consumption of high and low sucrose at the same level and inhibit consumption of low-value sucrose within the first day of training
sessions that followed PBS infusions showed high lick rates and long licking bouts during access to the high value solution and low lick rates with short bout durations during access to the low value solution
(C) Sessions that followed inactivation by muscimol were associated with equal initial intake of both the low and high value solutions and an eventual suppression of licking for the low-value fluid
This pattern of intake is comparable to consumption when animals are naïve in the first day of training
(D) In recovery sessions (day after inactivation)
(E) Comparison of licking in the inactivation sessions and the first day of training (naïve animals) showed no significant difference in either lick counts or bout durations
we have characterized the affected area from these infusions as being in the ventral striatum and not the core of the nucleus accumbens.)
Infusions of vehicle and muscimol were also performed in ventral striatum
(A) Infusion sites were located in the nucleus accumbens core
inactivations in ventral striatum led to an increase in lick count for the high value (20%) sucrose solution
The number of licks for the low value (4%) sucrose solution also increased during muscimol inactivation of ventral striatum
(C) There was no change in bout duration for the high or low value sucrose solution with muscimol inactivations of ventral striatum
Inactivation of ventral striatum led to a significant increase in total licking over sessions for both the high and low levels of sucrose (Figure 8B). There was a 49% increase in the number of licks for the high-value sucrose [t(5) = 2.900, p < 0.04) and a 76% increase in the number of licks for the low-value sucrose [t(5) = 3.328, p< 0.03]. No significant effects were found for the microstructural measures of licking (Figure 8C)
These findings suggest that the ventral striatum
has an inhibitory role in the control of sucrose consumption
Inactivating the ventral striatum led to increased overall consumption especially for the lower value fluid
these findings suggest that there is a regional specialization for the control of orolingual behavior within the mPFC (rostral
not caudal) and between the mPFC and ventral striatum
but did not reduce total licking in the operant task and did not reduce fluid consumption in testing sessions done in the home cage
These results suggest that the net effect of inactivating the mPFC on sucrose consumption in the incentive contrast task is not inhibitory
rats fail to express previously learned freezing behaviors at the beginning of the testing sessions but are able to learn to freeze to a stimulus during sessions with mPFC inactivated
An interpretation based on incentive contrast effects alone is therefore not sufficient to explain the behavioral effects of mPFC inactivation
They simply failed to follow the learned rule for solving the task
No published study has directly compared projections from the mPFC and ventral striatum to these feeding centers in the hypothalamus
This seems to be a crucial missing piece of the puzzle for understanding how these brain areas contribute to the control of food consumption
Study design: MP and ML; Pilot studies: BL and ML; Data collection: MP and DW; Development of code for data analysis: MP
and ML; Data analysis: MP and LA; Data interpretation: MP
and two grants from the Klarman Family Foundation to ML
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest
Support for this research was from NSF grant 1121147
The experimental studies were carried out when ML
The authors would like to thank Dr Marcelo Caetano (Universidade Federal do ABC) for developing the behavioral protocol
and Ms Cassidy White (formerly employed by American University) and Ms Linda Harenberg (currently enrolled at the Heidelberg University School of Medicine) for technical support
We would also like to thank Dr Bradley Wetzell and two reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript
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Citation: Parent MA, Amarante LM, Liu B, Weikum D and Laubach M (2015) The medial prefrontal cortex is crucial for the maintenance of persistent licking and the expression of incentive contrast. Front. Integr. Neurosci. 9:23. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2015.00023
Copyright © 2015 Parent, Amarante, Liu, Weikum and Laubach. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)
distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted
provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited
in accordance with accepted academic practice
distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms
*Correspondence: Mark Laubach, Department of Biology and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016-8007, USAbWFyay5sYXViYWNoQGFtZXJpY2FuLmVkdQ==
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Eric Franklin Amarante joined the College of Law in 2017
after teaching at the University of Nevada Las Vegas William S
where he directed the Small Business and Nonprofit Legal Clinic
Amarante was the inaugural Whiting Fellow at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law’s Community Economic Development Clinic
Amarante’s research concentrates primarily on nonprofit law
with a focus on the regulation of charities
Yarbrough Faculty Award for Writing Excellence in 2023 and he was named the Wilkinson Junior Research Professor in both 2019 and 2023
he was invited to join the 2019-2020 class of Bellow Scholars
His articles have been published by The George Washington Law Review
Amarante is dedicated to serving the College of Law and East Tennessee communities
In addition to his teaching and committee work
he serves as the faculty advisor for the Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association
Amarante serves on a number of boards of directors
Amarante received the Carden Faculty Award for Outstanding Service in 2019 and the Thomas and Elizabeth Fox Faculty Excellence Award for Outstanding Service to the Bench and Bar in 2021
Amarante received his law degree from Cornell Law School and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin
he joined Sullivan & Cromwell’s corporate group in Palo Alto
where his practice primarily focused on mergers and acquisitions
he moved to Seattle to join the business transaction group of Davis Wright Tremaine
where he worked primarily with early-stage companies
The Absurdity of Criminalizing Encouraging Words
2022-2023 Cato Supreme Court Review 69 (2023) (invited contribution)
States as Laboratories for Charitable Compliance: An Empirical Study
90 George Washington Law Review 445 (2022)
Criminalizing Immigrant Entrepreneurs (and Their Lawyers)
The Unsung Latino Entrepreneurs of Appalachia
120 West Virginia Law Review 773 (2018) (invited contribution)
has called on President Luis Abinader to initiate a thorough investigation into the Banco Agrícola
He accused leaders and associates of the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) of exploiting the bank’s lending policies for personal and political gain
allowing funds intended for agricultural development to be diverted and relocated to other financial institutions at favorable interest rates
Amarante criticized this misuse of resources
emphasizing that it undermines Banco Agrícola’s mission to support agricultural producers and ensure national food security
He expressed concern that favoritism within the ruling party has prioritized political allies over farmers
“This festival of senseless and political loans must stop,” he urged
Local November 25
highlighting the detrimental impact on agricultural production
Amarante warned President Abinader to safeguard his administration from those prioritizing personal gain over national interests
He stressed the need for immediate corrective action to restore the integrity of Banco Agrícola and its vital role in supporting the country’s agricultural sector
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06 Apr 2025 14:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Amarante FC won 2–1 over Varzim on Sun
The current head to head record for the teams are Amarante FC 2 win(s)
Who won between Amarante FC and Varzim on Sun
06 Apr 2025 14:00:00 GMT?Amarante FC won 2–1 over Varzim on Sun
06 Apr 2025 14:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches
Amarante FC is playing home against Varzim on Sun
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A nationwide search for the men who held up a Maywood jewelry store at gunpoint and fled on moped-style motorcycles has come to an end
Four suspects arrested in Maywood jewelry store heist: Yeison Amarante Bolivar
Authorities at the scene of the April jewelry store heist in Maywood/Yeison Amarante Bolivar
are each facing charges in connection with the incident on April 23 at the West Pleasant Avenue jewelry store
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said
An investigation found that two of the men broke into the business and pointed firearms at an employee and customer inside the store
One of the men grabbed the employee and a brief struggle ensued
detectives determined that several additional suspects were involved in the planning and execution of the armed robbery
the suspects used two moped-style motorcycles
to travel to and from the scene of the armed robbery in Maywood
The four men were identified following a nationwide and monthslong investigation
Rivas-Alvarado and Aguiera Areyan were arrested in North Bergen on Wednesday
Amarante Bolivar was arrested in Miami on Thursday
He was found with a watch valued at nearly $1 million from a robbery in Beverly Hills
They also recovered a stolen rifle and handgun
Amarante Bolivar was lodged at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami pending extradition to New Jersey
Requena Yerena was arrested in New York City ad lodged in the Bergen County Jail
Rodrigo Amarante finished writing and recording his latest album
at his home studio in LA during the pandemic
He says his writing table is separated from the rest of his studio
a sacred space where no machines are allowed
Rodrigo Amarante is full of bird facts.
When we meet him at his home, sitting out on his wooden deck that overlooks northeast LA, his doors and windows are all open, sunshine cascading through them. Amarante sits cross-legged underneath a patio umbrella that he's fashioned wheels on so that it can move easily with the sun. Despite making shade, he wears round, turtle-shell sunglasses as he fiddles with a bottle-top, pondering what inspired the genesis of his second solo album.
"On the foreground, you see the bird feeder and the bird bath," he says, pointing, "which are major elements here of my environment."
Amarante has lived in LA for 13 years, and this house for nine of them. The property is teeming with birds: fantail pigeons — "which is a giant dove, really," he says, "beautiful, iridescent" — finches, mourning doves, woodpeckers, Bushtits, scrub jays.
There's a scrub jay that visits him every morning. Over time, Amarante learned that it enjoys peanuts with their shells on; now, he feeds it out of the palm of his hand. "One very beautiful thing I notice is that he can actually emulate other birds," he says. "It feels like he's still in the stages of development ... He's not he's not up to the mockingbird stage. And so he comes very close to me and shows me what he can do."
Amarante's latest album, Drama, is its own searching opus, an examination of how we perform the self, for ourselves and for others. In string-laden sweeps of thought and memory, he sings about how our own self image shimmers through the sands of time, how it warps in the funhouse mirrors of society's expectations — especially in our dangerously susceptible stages of youth.
In writing Drama, Amarante unexpectedly dredged up an incident from his own pre-mockingbird stage, when he was about seven or eight years old.
"My dad, who's a wonderful father, brought me outside and said there was something that I [needed]," he recalls. "It was the moment of ritual, of turning from boy to man. So he shaved my head."
He says that the haircut made him feel ugly, and he was ashamed that he even felt that way. "I understood that I wasn't supposed to [care]," he says. "You're not supposed to be thinking about being pretty."
"I was sent to that moment" when writing the abum, he continues, "and understood that 'drama' was what I was supposed to get rid of to become a man, in this fallacy that is repeated and that my father was passing on to me."
Amarante says he learned that "a man is efficient because it controls its emotions, and so this fallacy spills over the idea that women are inefficient because they are susceptible to the imbalances of emotion, to the cycles of the moon.
"And there it is," he concludes. "The seed of the patriarchy."
Amarante carried a sense of shame with him after that childhood haircut."I don't want to blame my father as if he's some sort of, like, exception to the rule," he says, adding that his father is very open-minded. "But I'm hearing it from my father and from society."
Amarante didn't exactly intend to find himself mid-epiphany about misogyny when writing these songs, but he couldn't deny the way the idea had shaped him as a person without his knowledge.
"I thought, 'You know what? I am going to throw a musical tantrum. I'm going to be the drama I wasn't supposed to be.' "
On Drama, Amarante shows his growth into a new man, one susceptible to those imbalances of emotion. From his reluctant attitude on "Sky Beneath," feeling its pull against his will, he evolves, echoing the moon again on "Maré": "Lua puxa o véu, mexe o mar em mim / De Pierrot a Arlequim."
Led by meandering melodies with only the occasional turn into full-band sound, the songs on his first solo record, Cavalo, were grounded in lyrical storytelling, its central instruments a stately, sonorous piano, his trusty '30s-era acoustic with an electric pickup and his sleepy voice. But on Amarante's latest, the voice is almost an afterthought, the thrust of the album lying in its surround-sound arrangements.
"I started writing arrangements for 16 violins, and horns, and playing harpsichord and writing these songs that bring out all this, you know," he says, "my desperation at times, my doubt and [desire] not to worship those things."
Like the tide he sings about on "Mare," Drama is insistent and ever-changing, going from the playful, swirling guitar lines of "Tanto" to the breezy, wayward love ballad "Tara," with brass accompaniment out of an old jazz standard. Where a prominent bass line was a rarity on Cavalo, the rhythm section — with its congas, sapo, bamboo block and celeste — steers the sonic waters to greater degree on Drama.
"I don't force myself to be more or less Brazilian than I am," he says of the album's distinct sonic influence.
"We learn to think with words and we learn to speak echoing the words that are given to us by our parents and by the people that are around us," Amarante says. "So identity in that sense: We look for it."
Two decades ago, the 44-year-old was one of the most successful musicians in his home country. Alongside Marcelo Camelo and Rodrigo Barba, his band Los Hermanos released four albums from 1999 through 2005, making mid-tempo rock with searching, grainy vocals that would have sat nicely alongside Lighthouse and Daughtry on American alt rock radio.
"[Los Hermanos] became, really, a big deal, like stadium-big deal," he says.
In 2002, Amarante joined Orquestra Imperial — a big, 20-plus-piece samba band in the fashion of the late '40s and '50s — as a guitarist and vocalist. His profile in Brazil's alt-rock scene introduced the band to a broader audience, and Amarante's membership in Orquestra Imperial unwittingly set him on the path to the U.S.
"I got asked to come to LA to record with Devendra Banhart, who I met in London at a festival with members of the big band," he says. Banhart was working on his 2007 album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon; Amarante played in his backing band and appears on the song "Rosa."
"At the time," he says, "another friend, Fabrizio Moretti from The Strokes, who I met in Lisbon playing with [Los Hermanos], heard I was in LA and said, 'Oh, you're in LA, let's write music together.' " That project turned into the band Little Joy, which put out a self-titled album in 2008 and signed a record deal with Rough Trade.
"I'm going to spend a couple of years here touring and then I'll go back" to Brazil, Amarante told himself at the time. But 13 years later, he's still in LA, a city he describes as "the place where people come to run away from ghosts, to realize an impossible dream."
He explains that, unlike the American idea of longing for something as an action, saudade is a noun, almost a physical thing.
"So it's something you have to carry, and you can put it away and you can open that box and visit it. When you miss someone, you go and pick up that picture and look at the person; you're savoring that feeling," he says. "And in contrast, it seems to me that Americans have a little bit more of a hard time dealing with melancholy and sorrow."
In a time when facts are political, Amarante thinks "maybe theater, drama, can be remembered as a vehicle to reflect a truth."
Amarante is well acquainted with saudade, as both someone who moved around often as a child, and now as an expat. "We become blind to so many things where we're from, they just get erased," he says. "When you move around, then everything is present again." Amarante used that perspective to issue himself a challenge as a songwriter when he moved to the U.S. and began writing in English. He says the experience of relearning how to express himself was "painful."
"But I feel [how] very rich and important it was to me," he says. "It felt like this: There's value in this. I have to know what I'm saying. I don't have the subterfuge of vocabulary."
Even through the pain of learning a new language and culture, there was joy in the struggle. But there are some ideas that remain untranslatable. By writing "Tara" in Portuguese, for example, Amarante says he's "savoring the sorrow" in a way English wouldn't manage to convey.
"Because I'm crystallizing it, I'm gaining distance from it and looking at it as a gift," he says. "That pain is a measure of the happiness that's on the other side, and so it feels good to write that in Portuguese."
Amarante isn't worried that listeners, whether English or Portuguese-speaking, won't understand his words. His lyrics lean towards impressionistic flashes of emotion over narrative storytelling, regardless of language.
"There's something beautiful about it, too, if you don't understand the words," he says. "You have more space in that mirror to project; you can invent something that's there and you can occupy that space and make your own [understanding]." In some ways, all expressions of the self are an act of translation, an attempt to bridge two worlds.
"The point of calling it Drama is about the theater we all are," he muses. The unreliability of our memories, a lifetime's accumulation of societal expectations, the birth of the self through performance.
"I was somewhat known in Brazil for my music," he says; an understatement. But when he moved to LA, he says, "no one knew who I was ... Still, a lot of people don't know who I am."
Amarante likes the anonymity, he says, "in terms of the challenge of writing. I'm not playing for my fans; all of a sudden I have to conquer a room of strangers with my music, right? And that's [a] treasure. That's punk ... because it puts the music to test."
A dream is something between faith and reason, he sings on "Maré." We create luck ourselves, by not allowing aspirations to supersede the act of living.
"The whole challenge, it's perfect," he says. "Performance," like drama, "is danger." Amarante is ready for it.
26 Apr 2025 14:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Amarante FC vs Lusitania Lourosa on Sat
The current head to head record for the teams are Amarante FC 1 win(s)
Have kept the most clean sheets in the competition (12)
Lusitania Lourosa have won the previous 2 matches against Amarante FC
Who won between Amarante FC and Lusitania Lourosa on Sat
26 Apr 2025 14:00:00 GMT?Amarante FC vs Lusitania Lourosa on Sat
26 Apr 2025 14:00:00 GMT ended in a 1–1 tie.InsightsHave scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches
Amarante FC is playing home against Lusitania Lourosa on Sat
emphasised that the team played with the seriousness and tactical precision needed to face a top opponent like Arsenal
Sporting opened their account early in front of a roaring Estádio José Alvalade crowd and dominated throughout the match
with Teixeira crediting the side’s attacking dynamics and commitment to the tactical approach they had trained for
unlike what we’re used to at the academy,” said Teixeira
“The players approached this match as if it was a final
as if it were the game against Arsenal—that’s exactly what we wanted.”
With Sporting set to face Arsenal in a crucial Champions League fixture on Tuesday
reflecting the views of the new head coach Pereira
shed light on the team’s ambition to compete at a high level across all competitions
The win against Amarante served as both a morale boost and a rehearsal
demonstrating a polished Sporting side able to dominate possession and create opportunities against a compact defensive line
Daniel Bragança
reflecting a tactical shift Teixeira was eager to implement
“It was a dynamic really prepared for this game,” he noted
“Sometimes we’ll set up with three plus two in midfield
and he fulfilled it fully.” This flexible approach is likely to be tested against Arsenal
Sporting’s squad management also came into focus, with João Simões and Henrique Arreiol making their debuts
Teixeira praised their contributions but stressed that consistency is required for future involvement: “They are here on great merit
They need to perform on a daily basis—whether it’s with the B team or when called up to the first team.”
Notably absent from the matchday squad was Ousmane Diomande, with Teixeira confirming his precautionary omission due to a minor knock sustained during international duty. “We decided not to take any risks, just as we did with Zeno Debast and Edu Quaresma,” said Teixeira
indicating the cautious approach being taken with key players ahead of a congested fixture list that includes the Champions League clash with Arsenal
Sporting are undergoing a period of adjustment following Ruben Amorim‘s departure to Manchester United, and Teixeira, echoing head coach João Pereira’s emphasis on emulating Arsenal’s discipline and focus is part of an attempt to maintain stability
Teixeira also mentioned Sporting’s leading forward Viktor Gyökeres, who, despite not starting, made an impact off the bench. With Gyökeres chasing a goalscoring record for 2024, Teixeira spoke of the striker’s ambition: “He wants to play and score in every game. We have to manage his minutes, but we want him to continue playing, continue scoring—he needs the support of all the players for that. If he breaks some records, even better.”
Gyökeres has been linked heavily with Arsenal and is expected to leave Sporting in the summer.
Menu Listen
Ahead of his performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall this weekend
the Brazilian-born musician talks returning to his longtime home of Los Angeles
With 232 pages and an expanded 12″ by 12″ format
our biggest print issue yet celebrates the people
and Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records
the sophomore album from the endearing Brighton duo is a jolt of punk-rock beauty
The NYC-based project’s second album delights in its confident sense of chaos
with vocalist Cole Haden knowing full well there’s no way we’re going to avert our gaze for a single moment
Channeling Ziggy Stardust’s glam transcendence
Will Toledo resurrects the album as a grandiose narrative vehicle while marking his valiant stride into the rock canon
Though born in Brazil and currently living in Brooklyn, literarily lyrical and adventurously emotional vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and actor Rodrigo Amarante surely left his heart in Los Angeles—his longtime home
as a sense of home permeates everything he does
Beloved for his roles within ensembles such as Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy, it’s Amarante’s solo work that’s most vividly intriguing and imagistic. Beginning with Cavalo in late 2013, touching on the bolero-based sound of “Tuyo” on his theme song for Netflix’s Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, then pivoting into the neorealism of 2021’s Drama
every sonic portrait that Amarante paints feels deeply lived in and woozily warm
Before returning to Downtown Los Angeles for his Walt Disney Concert Hall set with the equally picturesque Helado Negro on Friday, April 21, we spoke to Amarante about writing to a sense of place on his last album, as well as some of his favorite spaces to dwell within the City of Angels.
On Drama, there’s a song called “Sky Beneath,” which sounds as if it’s in tune with a specific location without spelling anything out. Am I nuts?
I’m flattered that “Sky Beneath” does that. I’m curious about how, though—you tell me [laughs]. I had been living in Los Angeles when I wrote that, longer than I lived anywhere in my lifetime—and I didn’t realize it at the time. That says something about that city. Los Angeles was always meant to be temporary. But it was a decade into being there when I wrote that song.
What did you first fall in love with to want to stay in Los Angeles?
And then I fell in love. It’s like a new language—you only learn one when you’re in love, or you need to. Plus, I grew up surfing, so the city offered me great surfing and a great surfing community. I made records with friends from New York and LA. Got married. Got divorced. No regrets.
Is there a specific place in Los Angeles that connects you to where—or how—you grew up in Brazil?
Not really. Los Angeles is different than Rio. And I’m not in the world looking for Brazil. I’m fascinated looking for and at everything else, all of the other cultures. I learned to appreciate the others while in LA. There, I was never so close to other people from other parts of the world. Besides, I can always get on a plane and fly to Brazil. I’m not stuck here.
Is there a music room in Los Angeles where you’re most comfortable hanging out?
Dining in Los Angeles—that’s a far different experience than where you are in Brooklyn.
I’ve been away from Los Angeles for almost a year, and I can give you one very LA thing: what I’m missing is Leo’s Tacos on Eagle Rock Boulevard.
That stuff doesn’t exist in New York. And I’m a cook, so I know what I’m talking about. The salsa is different. The way they make the rice is different. I miss that so much. Also, there is Hama Sushi on 2nd Street, Downtown, on the other side of the spectrum.
Talking about your cooking skills, I know you worked with the Hollywood Food Coalition during the pandemic. What is your recollection of that moment in Los Angeles, drawing you to that space and that activity?
Will Lemon, an artist and a good friend who I met through Devendra, is the head chef there, and asked if I would want to come cook. We’ve cooked together many times, like friends who cook do—and that is very LA, that dinner party thing. I was particularly touched by his offer, because I’ve had a relationship with homeless people and poor people who live on the street. Being a kid from Brazil, I saw that all the time, and never thought that I would ever see that in LA so drastically.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rodrigo Amarante (@_rodrigo_amarante)
For a while after that studio on Palmetto Street
I had another studio on Wall Street—Skid Row
To walk through Skid Row can mean becoming numb to it
Some of my early songs have characters who are homeless
prepare Sunday dinner for sometimes 250 people with food donated from bakeries and supermarkets
I really loved doing it—having some Fela Kuti on the boombox
I felt as if I’d gotten more than I was given
is there any place where you could most go within
Being a foreigner is an invitation to turning a handicap into a superpower
so any time I have an opportunity to do that is lovely
You’re coming back Downtown when you play the Walt Disney
Want to say something about where you might hang after the gig
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Four men were arrested on charges that stem from an armed robbery at a jewelry store in Maywood in April
the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Friday
were arrested on charges from the incident
the Maywood Police Department responded to 42 West Pleasant Ave.
Authorities were told two male suspects had entered the business
withdrawn their firearms and pointed them at an employee and a customer inside the store
but not before one suspect allegedly grabbed the employee
The suspects left behind duct tape and zip ties
Two other suspects are accused of assisting in the alleged armed robbery by using two moped-style motorcycles and a motor vehicle to travel to and from the scene
Rivas-Alvarado and Aguilera Areyan were arrested in North Bergen on June 19 by the prosecutor's Special Investigations Squad
They are currently detained in the Bergen County jail
said the news release from the Prosecutor's Office
Amarante Bolivar was arrested in Miami on Sept
An existing investigation by Miami law enforcement looking into Amarante Bolivar recovered "a watch worth approximately one million dollars that was stolen during a robbery in Beverly Hills
California." A stolen rifle and a handgun were also recovered
He is currently detained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami
pending extradition to Bergen County to face charges in the armed robbery
Requena Yerena was arrested in New York City on Oct
the FBI and the New York Police Department
He is also currently detained in the Bergen County jail
Amarante Bolivar and Requena Yerena are charged with two counts of first-degree armed robbery
second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery
second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
Rivas-Alvarado is charged with same crimes as the other three men
along with two counts of fourth-degree aggravated assault
The press release did not reveal the roles each man allegedly played in the armed robbery
nor did it provide the suspects' next court date
Above the Fold
the musicians reflect upon recent collaborations
and affirm that any wishes for their continuation are likely to come true
Tim Bernardes and Rodrigo Amarante are illuminated by the sight of one another. Their obvious—and oft verbalized—mutual affection is built from satisfaction in its simplest form: the joy of spending time together. The Brazilian artists recently collaborated on reimaginations of two songs, Bernardes’s “Leve” and Amarante’s “Tao.” Captured on camera in the former’s living room
the recordings were really the product of chance
born from a brief opportunity where the two found themselves in the same city—an excuse for the friends to share time and song
Amarante’s resume is similarly weighted: His theme tune for Narcos
“Tuyo,” is embedded in the contemporary cultural consciousnesses; he recently performed with the LA Philharmonic; and he’s found critical acclaim across his first musical projects
In the throes of touring, Bernardes and Amarante meet to reflect upon their recent collaboration
and affirm that any wishes for its continuation are likely to come true
Megan Hullander: You’re obviously fans of each other’s work—but I feel like being a fan of someone’s work is different from wanting to collaborate with them
What felt like you were suited to make music together
Rodrigo Amarante: This collaboration was precisely that: liking each other’s music and liking each other
Tim Bernardes: We were really just spending an afternoon together
I liked this [because] it was more about the joy of doing it
Megan: I think that sense of joy is something that’s associated with Brazilian culture
I’m curious about how Brazil—aside from the obvious musical influences—permeates into your creative processes
your sense of worth comes from working hard
I think a very good indicator is that it’s positive to respond to
we have this openness—and it gets to the music because it comes from intention
The direction of your arrow just goes a different way
and you can’t escape that some things are planned
So I was dying to do unplanned things like [these recordings]
Megan: Why is it easier to find that joy in collaboration than it might be in your solo work
Tim: I like collaborations because they kind of feel like vacation
When I’m worried about creating my own sound
I can be at ease; I don’t have to justify anything
I like the discovery process of doing an album—I love it—but it feels lighter to collaborate
You don’t have to have some big conceptual thing
it’s like there’s a mirror in front of you the whole time
Tim: It almost feels like you can be more yourself when you’re collaborating
because you’re not using part of your brain to try to be yourself
to be faithful to yourself—you’re just being
Megan: Would you ever work in a more structured capacity for an album together
or would that ruin the pleasures of spontaneity
Rodrigo: I would like to try to take it to the next level and write something together
Tim and I have talked about music today and the feelings we share about songwriting—like
Sometimes I use this exercise: Whatever it is that I’m writing
because you don’t have all the restraints of adulthood or what’s proper
I feel like that would be the spirit of it
Rodrigo: Maybe we should do something with a time restraint
I wasn’t pretending to be a songwriter yet
But we would go to this house in the countryside
the same amount of work would probably get done
But that [time constraint] creates an environment where you have to believe in instinct
Tim: It’s like recording to tape—you don’t have endless options
not going back to edit and rethink brings a certain energy
you will find mistakes: I started early here
But the energy is what makes it so vibrant and warm
we’re going to use this interview to plan an album
Rodrigo: We could even try this: I record four tracks and leave some space at random parts
and you send me another tape with your four tracks
“It almost feels like you can be more yourself when you’re collaborating
to be faithful to yourself—you’re just being.”
I wonder how it functions in knowing when something feels final
Tim: If you had some idea that you wanted to get in there
but it’s an exercise always [in making] sure I’m not being precious
And these kinds of free attempts are great reminders of how letting go quicker is usually better
I hope that I remembered lines that I would have changed
But I’m so glad I didn’t have time to change anything
because there’s an inconsistency that I like in the lyrics; I started with a certain idea and as the night went on
I abandoned it and became more free towards the end of the song
I’d probably polish it and would lose something that was there
There’s also the feeling that you’re collaborating with chance
It’s interesting to see what happened in a song that is not exactly [purposeful]
This newscast is updated weekdays at 6am
On this edition of All Songs Considered, I have a conversation with Rodrigo Amarante. The great Brazilian-born, now Los Angeles-based musician has just put out his first solo album in seven years; it's called Drama
It's an album filled with his vibrant and thoughtful persona
a record that started pre-pandemic but finished at home
To get some new insight into how Rodrigo Amarante puts his music together, I asked him to pick some favorites from the past and music that changed his life. So we hear not only music from his new album, Drama, and a collaboration with the Brazilian luminary musician Gal Costa, but also music by The Smiths and Gilberto Gil and more
The birds are annoyingly chirpy in Amarante
given the uncompromising sleeplessness of the night before
The small city in Portugal’s north is celebrating its patron saint
who is associated with marriage and fertility and various other things
but I’m now fairly certain sleep is not one of them
A DJ booth right below me is still pumping out a stream of bad Kizomba tracks at 6 a.m
a deafening percussion of fireworks signals a new day of festivities
I wake convinced someone is firing off a shotgun right next to my head
bleary-eyed and pretty sure that sugar and caffeine are the only viable breakfast options
these penis-shaped pastries are ninety percent the reason I came here
These days they’re available from some bakeries all year round
but during the festas—Portugal’s traditional festivals—the fertility and marriage traditions reach full momentum
Young men and women exchange these cakes as romantic overtures or tokens of affection
and they’re given to unmarried women as good luck charms; a petition to the saint to help them net a suitable husband
but this bizarre tradition is one I want to see and photograph first hand
My AirBnB apartment happens to be right above a sweet shop called Confeitaria Tinoca
I head groggily downstairs and buy one of the cakes as my breakfast
The older lady serving me selects a particularly generous member from the bottom of the pile—”Um grande
Muito grande,” she nods—and I’m not sure whether she senses my urgent need for sugar
or assumes I’m particularly lacking in the relationship department
I’m too tired to do anything but appreciate the gesture
make a strong cup of tea and sit outside on my balcony listening to the obscene joviality of the birds and the gleeful running of the river
Not a question you regularly ask at breakfast time
I end up eating four doces falicos in Amarante—all in the name of journalism—and the ones from Tinoca are by far the best
The cakes from the street vendors are a little too anatomically correct for comfort and streaked suggestively with dried white frosting
Some are also rock hard (make of that what you will)
They’re soft and fluffy and melt-in-the-mouth buttery with a just-generous-enough coating of diaphanous white icing that breaks apart flirtatiously at the touch
If the cakes do as they advertise it might result in more marriages than Elizabeth Taylor
But who’s to say it wouldn’t be worth it
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