神经生物学

Astrocyte activation and reactive gliosis are seen in many neuropathologies, e.g., neurotrauma, stroke, epilepsy, or neurodegenerative diseases. Astrocyte activation alters gene expression and leads to morphological and functional changes in astrocytes with important fu ...

The cytoskeleton constitutes a dynamic intracellular framework for inbound and outbound trafficking of cell organelles and is responsible for cell shaping including cell division. While transport in neuronal compartments has extensively been conquered in particular the sh ...

Neuronal intermediate filaments are the most prominent cytoskeleton component of adult neurons in both central and peripheral nervous system. They include neurofilament triplet proteins, peripherin, α-internexin, nestin, and synemin. Although it was initially thought that ...

The cytoskeleton plays a key role in maintaining the highly asymmetrical shape and structural polarity of neurons that are essential for neuritogenesis and neuronal physiology. In neurodegenerative diseases, the cytoskeleton is abnormally assembled and impairment of neurot ...

This chapter presents the protocol established in our laboratory to determine the cytoskeletal genomic fabric (CGF), defined as the most inter-coordinately and stably expressed gene web whose encoding proteins form the intracellular scaffolding. In addition to detailed experi ...

Recent advances in the identification and analysis of protein–protein interaction complexes associated with synapses and synaptic proteins deepened not only our insights into the molecular composition and dynamic structural makeup of interneuronal connections but cont ...

Postsynaptic densities (PSDs) are cytoskeletal specializations present in synaptic contacts in the central nervous system. PSDs have been considered to be subcellular organelles that maintain and cluster the synaptic signal transduction apparatus in direct contact with the a ...

Using live confocal microscope imaging of molecular probes, retrospective immunolabeling, classical electron microscopy, and cultured Aplysia neurons this chapter describes the experimental approaches to document the cascades of cytoskeleton remodeling that under ...

The dynamic nature of cellular cytoskeleton is vital to many cell functions. It was shown that all three filamentous components of the cytoskeleton (F-actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments) share dynamic behavior. In this chapter we address briefly some basic features of cyt ...

In combination with bioinformatics and molecular biological techniques proteomic approaches become more and more indispensable in order to deepen our understanding of cellular functions. Since the cytoskeleton is presented by a highly dynamic network, engaged in many basic cel ...

In this chapter, we summarize and describe various methods that have been used to detect glycocalyx and to study the interactions between glycocalyx and actin cytoskeleton with the emphasis in the nervous tissue. We highlight two methodologies to analyze the direct interaction between g ...

Here we present a detailed guide for performing in vitro trafficking assays. These are high-resolution light microscopy assays designed to look at the cytoskeletal filament-based trafficking of cellular organelles. The strategy is to partially purify organelles from lysed mamma ...

Visualization of cytoskeletal dynamics in real time is of paramount interest in cell biological research. With the aid of fluorescent-cytoskeletal fusion proteins and enhancement of confocal laser scanning microscopes with high-end objectives and cell-incubation chamber ...

The visual evoked potential (VEP) is recorded in humans in response to flash or pattern stimuli with appropriately placed electrodes over the occipital scalp. In recent years the multifocal VEP (mfVEP) has been developed as a means of obtaining focal responses rather than just a summed respon ...

Stroke is one of the leading causes of acquired motor disability worldwide. With no cure, the only way to recover motor function is through rehabilitation. Recent trials of Wii-based movement therapy have demonstrated improved functional ability that has transferred to greater indepe ...

The visual evoked potential (VEP) is an electronic potential recorded from the visual cortex in response to a visual stimulus. It provides a means to examine the function of the visual pathway from the retina to the occipital cortex. The most common animals employed in VEP laboratory studies are ra ...

Significant changes in afferent nerve activity and/or neuronal sensitization occur in response to peripheral injury and inflammation. One approach to study of sensitized nerve responses is to record increased peripheral nerve activity in vivo in experimental animal models with e ...

Chronic neuropathic pain is a frequent outcome of nervous system injury affecting the somatosensory system, and its pathobiology is dependent on activation and disinhibition of nociceptive neurons. It is characterised by spontaneous pain, dysaesthesia/paraesthesia as well as ...

Heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity are two readily accessible methods available to assess control of heart rate by the autonomic nervous system. Heart rate variability can provide information regarding neural (parasympathetic, sympathetic, reflex) and nonne ...

Motor unit number estimation (MUNE) techniques estimate the number of motor units innervating a single muscle or a group of muscles. As such, MUNE techniques are commonly used to quantify the loss of motor units in disease. MUNE requires obtaining and analysing neurophysiological recordi ...