The mouse neurological mutant lurcher (Lc) results from a semidominant mutation. Heterozygous Lc/+ mice are viable but ataxic because Lc/+ Purkinje cells die by apoptosis within the first 3 weeks of life. Lc/Lc mice die shortly after birth. To aid in understanding the function of the lurcher gene product, we have examined the embryonic development of homozygous lurcher animals. The ratio of +/+...

Hypoxia-sensitive peripheral carotid chemoreceptors, which regulate sympathetic outflow from the brain stem, are promising antihypertensive treatment targets. However, central nervous pathways integrating human chemoreflexes poorly understood. We combined high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging with physiological profiling to elucidate hypothalamic and medullary responses acute hy...

The actions of opioid agonists in the substantia gelatinosa are important for their antinociceptive effects. In order to identify possible mechanisms underlying opioid actions in the substantia gelatinosa, the pre- and postsynaptic effects of opioid agonists on neurons of the substantia gelatinosa were examined using a brain slice preparation. Intracellular recordings were made from neurons of ...

The brainstem is a major site of processing and modulation of nociceptive input and plays a key role in the pathophysiology of various headache disorders. However, human imaging studies on brainstem function following trigeminal nociceptive stimulation are scarce as brainstem specific imaging approaches have to address multiple challenges such as magnetic field inhomogeneities and an enhanced l...