Previous reports from this laboratory have shown that the chronic treatment of chick embryos with neuromuscular blocking agents (e.g., curare, alpha-bungarotoxin), during the period of naturally occurring cell death of spinal motoneurons (days 5 to 10), greatly reduces the amount of cell death in this system. The surviving motoneurons continue differentiation and innervate the peripheral muscul...

Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that disrupts the communication between brain and spinal cord. Several studies have sought to determine how revive dormant circuits caudal lesion restore movements in paralyzed patients. So far, recovery levels human patients been modest at best. In contrast, animal models of SCI exhibit more lost function. Previous work from our...

Glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a survival and maintenance factor for dopamine-containing neurons and motoneurons. GDNF belongs to a family of structurally related factors that includes neurturin (NRTN), artemin (ARTN) and persephin (PSPN). An initial step in the activation of signaling via the GDNF family of ligands (GFLs) is their binding to their cognate co-receptor GFR...

BACKGROUND Hypoglossal (XII) motoneurons innervate tongue muscles and are vital for maintaining upper-airway patency during inspiration. Depression of XII nerve activity by opioid analgesics is a significant clinical problem, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Currently there are no suitable pharmacological approaches to counter opiate-induced suppression of XII nerve activity whi...

Reflex pathways to tibialis anterior motoneurons from low threshold afferents of the common peroneal nerve were examined in 13 Parkinsonian subjects and 12 age-matched normals. Post-synaptic events occurring in single motoneurons were derived from changes in the firing probability of single voluntarily activated motor units during afferent stimulation. A period of increased firing probability o...

The thyroid hormones have profound effects on the development of neuromuscular system. These hormones exert their influence on both muscle fibers and related motoneurons during development. Masseter is one of the most important muscles for mastication in mammals. Thyroid hormone deficiency 3 weeks after birth, the period in which an alteration from sucking to biting occurs, could influence the ...

introduction: appropriate thyroid hormone (th) levels are essential during the critical period of brain development, which is associated with the growth of axons and dendrites and synapse formation. in rats, oral motor circuits begin to reach to their adult pattern around 3 weeks after birth, the period in which alteration from sucking to biting and chewing occurs (weaning time). trigeminal mot...