A5087362727- Spinal Cord Injury Research
- Muscle activation and electromyography studies
- Nerve injury and regeneration
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Neurogenetic and Muscular Disorders Research
- Chemokine receptors and signaling
- Nerve Injury and Rehabilitation
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research
- Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
- Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications
- EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Ion channel regulation and function
- Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Polydiacetylene-based materials and applications
- Aortic Disease and Treatment Approaches
- Genetic Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Spinal Dysraphism and Malformations
Northwestern University
2013-2023
Peptide amphiphile (PA) molecules that self-assemble in vivo into supramolecular nanofibers were used as a therapy mouse model of spinal cord injury (SCI). Because self-assembly these is triggered by the ionic strength environment, nanoscale structures can be created within extracellular spaces simply injecting liquid. The are designed to form cylindrical display cells laminin epitope IKVAV at nearly van der Waals density. PA known inhibit glial differentiation cultured neural stem and...
Abstract Injection into the injured spinal cord of peptide amphiphile (PA) molecules that self‐assemble and display laminin epitope IKVAV at high density improved functional recovery after injury (SCI) in two different species, rat mouse, models, contusion compression. The improvement required was not observed with injection an displaying a nonbioactive sequence. To explore mechanisms underlying these improvements, number serotonergic fibers lesioned compared animals receiving IKVAV‐PA, PA...
Astrogliosis following spinal cord injury (SCI) involves an early hypertrophic response that is beneficial and a subsequent formation of dense scar. We investigated the role bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling in gliosis after SCI find BMPR1a BMPR1b exerts opposing effects on hypertrophy. Conditional ablation from glial fibrillary acidic (GFAP)-expressing cells leads to defective astrocytic hypertrophy, increased infiltration by inflammatory cells, reduced axon density. BMPR1b-null...
Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF1) and its major signaling receptor, CXCR4, were initially described in the immune system; however, they are also expressed nervous system, including spinal cord. After cord injury, blood brain barrier is compromised, opening way for chemokine between these two systems. These experiments clarified prior contradictory findings on normal expression of SDF1 CXCR4 as well examined resulting responses from this signaling.These function injured adult mouse...
Muscle spasms are common in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), posing challenges to rehabilitation and daily activities. Pharmacological management of mostly targets suppression excitatory inputs, an approach known hinder motor recovery. To identify better targets, we investigated changes inhibitory synaptic inputs motoneurons as well motoneuron excitability SCI. We induced either a complete or incomplete SCI adult mice sex divided those with into low high functional recovery groups. Their...
Two subtypes of serotonin (5-HT) within the 2 class, 5-HT 2C receptor and 2A receptor, are involved in regulation spinal motor function. The has been implicated various aspects volitional movement, such as locomotion, gait, coordination, muscle contraction, well involuntary behavior like spasms, which affect many individuals with cord injury. Despite their known involvement function, little is about physiological roles changes that occur after In this study, we have investigated male female...
Local sign withdrawal, a reflex to direct the limb away from noxious cutaneous stimuli, is thought be indicative of modular organization spinal cord. To assess integrity such an cord in chronic human injury (SCI), we tested electromyogram (EMG) and joint torque responses stimuli applied 6 locations leg 10 SCI volunteers 3 spinal-intact controls. The included medial arch foot, second metatarsal, dorsum, region over sural nerve at lateral malleolus, anterior posterior aspects lower leg....
The mouse is essential for genetic studies of motor function in both normal and pathological states. Thus it important to consider whether the structure output from fact analogous that recorded other animals. There a striking difference basic electrical properties motoneurons compared with those rats, cats, humans. firing evoked by injected currents produces unique frequency-current (F-I) emphasizes recruitment units at their maximum force. These F-I functions, however, were measured...
Although the loss of motoneurons is an undisputed feature amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in man and its animal models (SOD1 mutant mice), how disease affects size excitability prior to their degeneration not well understood. This study was designed test hypothesis that SOD1G93A mice exhibit enlargement soma (i.e., cross-sectional area) increase Cav1.3 channel expression at postnatal day 30, before manifestation physiological symptoms typically occur p90 (Chiu et al. 1995). We made...
The contribution of force-sensitive muscular afferents to prolonged flexion withdrawal reflexes, or flexor spasms, after human spinal cord injury (SCI) was investigated. In three separate experimental conditions, reflexes were triggered in subjects with SCI using trains electrocutaneous stimuli delivered at the foot and lower leg compared elicited via intramuscular (i.m.) electrical stimuli. first experiment, i.m. tibialis anterior (TA) majority tested. ratio peak isometric ankle hip torques...
After spinal cord injury (SCI), reflexes become hyperexcitable, leading to debilitating muscle spasms and compromised motor function. Previous work has described adaptations in systems that might underlie this hyperexcitability, including an increase constitutively active 5-HT2C receptors motoneurons. That work, however, examined following complete transection SCI, whereas SCI humans is usually anatomically functionally incomplete. We therefore evaluated whether constitutive activity of...
The present study demonstrates that electromyograms (EMGs) obtained during locomotor activity in mice were effective for identification of early physiological markers amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These measures could be used to evaluate therapeutic intervention strategies animal models ALS. Several parameters shifted the disease time course SOD1G93A mice, especially when treadmill was inclined, including intermuscular phase, burst skew and amplitude bursts. results indicate...
Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in a loss of serotonin (5-HT) to the spinal and inhibition deep dorsal horn (DDH) neurons, which produces an exaggerated excitatory drive motoneurons. The mechanism this could involve DDH neurons triggering long postsynaptic potentials motoneurons, may ultimately muscle spasms. Modifying activity with drugs such as NMDA or 5-HT
We investigate the firing characteristics of bursting deep dorsal horn (DDH) neurons following chronic spinal transection. DDH in stage are different from those acute as noted by their increase excitability overall and differing responses serotonin (5-HT) N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor agonists. Also, there is a strong relationship between neuron activity ventral root output. These results support contribution to muscle spasms cord injury (SCI).
Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in not only the loss of voluntary muscle control, but also presence involuntary movement or spasms. These spasms post-SCI involve hyperexcitability spinal motor system. Hyperactive commands post SCI result from enhanced excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and persistent inward currents voltage-gated L-type calcium channels (LTCCs), which are reflected evoked root reflexes with different timings. To further understand contributions these cellular...
ABSTRACT Uncovering the intricacies of recovery trajectory following spinal cord injury (SCI) has remained a critical exploration for researchers and clinicians, fostering need innovative approaches to offer insight into underlying dynamics this complex phenomenon. Existing methods, such as Basso Mouse Scale (BMS) kinematic analyses, have provided valuable insights, yet limitations in their ability comprehensively capture behavioral nuances call more sophisticated approaches. This study...