The cholinergic agonists acetylcholine (ACh), nicotine, and pilocarpine produced depolarizations and contractions of muscle of the nematode Ascaris suum. Dose-dependent depolarization and contraction by ACh were suppressed by about two orders of magnitude by 100 microM d-tubocurarine (dTC), a nicotinic antagonist, but only about fivefold by 100 microM N-methyl-scopolamine (NMS), a muscarinic an...

Anterior pituitary endocrine cells that release hormones such as growth hormone and prolactin are excitable fire action potentials. In these cells, several studies previously showed extracellular sodium (Na+) removal resulted in a negative shift of the resting membrane potential (RMP) subsequent inhibition spontaneous firing potentials, suggesting contribution Na+ background conductance. Here, ...

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), known as an epithelial Cl− channel, is increasingly noted to be expressed in the nervous system, although whether and how it plays a role neuronal excitability unclear. Given association of CFTR with fertility, we tested here possible involvement regulating hypothalamic neuron excitability. Patch-clamp Ca2+ imaging showed that pharmaco...

...................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements ..................................................................... 4 Preface ........................................................................................ 5 Statement of Candidate Contribution ........................................... 6 Table of

Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (ppTMS) is a well-established method for non-invasive measurement of cortical excitability, alterations of which are the core background of epilepsy. For the past 20 years this technique has been extensively used to assess patients with epilepsy. We present here a critical overview of these studies, with emphasis on their translation to the clinica...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this post-hoc exploratory analysis was to examine the relationship between age and measures of cortical excitability and inhibition. METHODS Forty-six participants (24 with major depressive disorder and 22 healthy controls) completed MT, SICI, ICF, and CSP testing in a cross-sectional protocol. Of these 46 participants, 33 completed LICI testing. Multiple linear ro...

Despite therapeutic advances, heart failure (HF) remains a leading cause of death in the United States and is growing prevalence. Although disease-induced defects ion channel excitability expression put patients at higher risk for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, exact mechanisms by which HF leads to proarrhythmic dysfunction are not completely understood. Notably, several recent studi...

Introduction : There are different applications for cooling in rehabilitation and there is also a controversy in results of applying ice on limb and its effects on motorneurons excitability. Methods : This study was done to determine the effect of applying controlled cooling (rubbing cold ointment with 3°C temperature) on the spinal skin (around T place of S root nerve) on the excitabili...