The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is subject to long-term adaptive changes that minimize retinal image slip and keep eye movement equal to and opposite head movement. As a step toward identifying the site of neural changes, we have used a transient vestibular stimulus to study the dynamic response properties of the vestibular signals carried by the modifiable pathways. In normal monkeys, "rapid...

Many neurons in the rat anterodorsal thalamus (ADN) and postsubiculum (PoS) fire selectively when the rat points its head in a specific direction in the horizontal plane, independent of the animal's location and ongoing behavior. The lateral mammillary nuclei (LMN) are interconnected with both the ADN and PoS and, therefore, are in a pivotal position to influence ADN/PoS neurophysiology. To fur...

Motor proteins are active enzymatic molecules that support important cellular processes by transforming chemical energy into mechanical work. Although the structures and chemomechanical cycles of motor proteins have been extensively investigated, the sensitivity of a motor's velocity in response to a force is not well-understood. For kinesin, velocity is weakly influenced by a small to midrange...

Shifting gaze requires precise coordination of eye and head movements. It is clear that the superior colliculus (SC) is involved with saccadic gaze shifts. Here we investigate its role in controlling both eye and head movements during gaze shifts. Gaze shifts of the same amplitude can be evoked from different SC sites by controlled electrical microstimulation. To describe how the SC coordinates...

The purpose of this study was to investigate head motion of children of varying levels of motor ability performing an overarm throw towards a forward facing target. Ten ten-yearold children were analysed using three-dimensional veideographic techniques. Angular motion of the head about its three axes was determined with respect to the external reference frame and with respect to the trunk. It w...

Eye-head movements to target steps of amplitude 3.75 degrees to 30 degrees were analyzed in 9 untreated patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Testing was performed before and after the introduction of a dopamimetic drug (L-dopa or bromocriptine) and compared with 9 normal controls. The patients showed a significantly greater scatter of mean head latencies prior to treatment, although th...

We study the collective dynamics of interacting deformable self-propelled particles whose migration velocity increases with increasing local density. In two-dimensional numerical simulations of this system, the local density dependence on migration velocity leads to traveling bands similar to those previously reported for Vicsek-type models. We show that a pair of straight bands moving in oppos...

Penetrating craniocerebral trauma is an injury in which a projectile violates the skull but does not exit. The significance of penetrating injuries to the head depends largely on the circumstances of the injury, the velocity of impact, and attributes of the projectile. While most penetrating head injuries are caused by firearms, lower-velocity mechanisms of penetrating brain injury present uniq...

there are only a few, non-evidence based, neuroprotective strategies for treatment and prevention of brain injuries after closed head trauma. to establish new therapy strategies, a novel animal model is needed. the aim of our investigation was to link standardized small animal models and actual patient medical care. data of experimental small animal studies often cannot be transferred to cns in...