Spinal cord injury is pathologically characterized by the loss of motor function caused neurons apoptosis. Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) widely known to dictate apoptosis various cell types. To examine SOCE in spinal and explore role apoptosis, patients with (SCI) SCI mouse models were included. Expression components apoptosis-related proteins examined Western blotting. Calcium imaging wa...

The escape behavior of a cockroach may not occur when it is either in a quiescent state or after being stung by the jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa). In the present paper, we show that quiescence is an innate lethargic state during which the cockroach is less responsive to external stimuli. The neuronal mechanism of such a state is poorly understood. In contrast to quiescence, the venom-induced l...

Decreased noradrenergic excitation of hypoglossal motoneurons during sleep causing hypotonia of pharyngeal dilator muscles is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a widespread disease for which treatment options are limited. Previous OSA drug candidates targeting various excitatory/inhibitory receptors on hypoglossal motoneurons have proved unviable in react...

We examined the potential role of fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF-5) as a target-derived trophic factor for spinal motoneurons. Northern analysis of total RNA from rat skeletal muscle revealed an FGF-5 mRNA transcript both during the period of embryonic motoneuron death and in the adult. Recombinant human FGF-5 supported the survival of highly enriched cultures of embryonic chick motoneurons. S...

Ivanenko, Y. P., R. E. Poppele, and F. Lacquaniti. Spinal cord maps of spatiotemporal alpha-motoneuron activation in humans walking at different speeds. J Neurophysiol 95: 602–618, 2006. First published November 9, 2005; doi:10.1152/jn.00767.2005. Functional MRI (fMRI) imaging of motoneuron activity in the human spinal cord is still in its infancy, and it will remain difficult to apply to walki...

The brainstem nucleus hypoglossus contains motoneurons that provide the exclusive motor nerve supply to the tongue. In addition to voluntary tongue movements, tongue muscles rhythmically contract during a wide range of physiological activities, such as respiration, swallowing, chewing and sucking. Hypoglossal motoneurons are destroyed early in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurod...

Premotor and motoneurons could play regulatory roles in motor control. We have investigated the role of a premotor nonspiking (NS) neuron of the leech nervous system in two locomotive patterns: swimming and crawling. The NS neuron is coupled through rectifying electrical junctions to all the excitatory motoneurons examined. In addition, activation of motoneurons evokes chemically mediated inhib...

The development of hindlimb motor activity was studied in an isolated preparation of the chick spinal cord. The motor output from lumbosacral segments was characterized by recording the pattern of ventral root and muscle nerve discharge in 6-14-d-old embryos. In addition, the synaptic drive underlying motoneuron activity was monitored electrotonically from the ventral roots. Spontaneous motor a...

We have examined the regionalization and coordination of rhythm-generating networks in the isolated spinal cord of the chick embryo between embryonic days 9 and 13, by recording the pattern of rhythmic activity recorded from muscle nerves and ventral roots following a variety of lesions. We found that the capacity for rhythmic activity is distributed along the rostrocaudal axis of the cord but ...

Perineuronal nets (PNN) are a promising candidate to harness neural plasticity since their activity-dependent modulation allows either stabilize the circuits or increase plasticity. Modulation of is basis rehabilitation strategies reduce maladaptive after spinal cord injuries (SCI). Hence, it important understand how PNN affected SCI and rehabilitation. Thus, this work aims describe functional ...