Promoting functional plasticity in the damaged nervous system

Damage to the central and peripheral nervous system often produces lasting functional deficits. A major focus of neuroscience research has been to enhance functional restitution of the damaged nervous system and thereby produce recovery of behavioral or physiological processes. Promising procedures include surgical, physical, and chemical manipulations to reduce scar formation and minimize the disruption of support elements, administration of growth-stimulating substances, tissue grafts to bridge gaps in fiber pathways, and embryonic brain tissue grafts to provide new cells with the potential to generate fiber systems. Two elements are required for functional nervous system repair: (i) neurons with the capacity to extend processes must be present, and (ii) the regenerating neurites must find a continuous, unbroken pathway to appropriate targets through a supportive milieu.     

Habituation and dishabituation in the absence of a central nervous system

Habituation and dishabituation have been observed in a semi-intact Aplysia preparation in which the central nervous system is removed. The amplitude of withdrawal responses in the gill decreases in proportion to the rate of water drops applied (one drop per 0.5 minute to one drop per 2.5 minutes at 15 degrees C). The effects of habituation last for at least 2 hours. A dishabituated response is elicited by stopping the water drops or electrically stimulating the preparation. Furthermore, the gill contains nerve cell bodies, and habituation and dishabituation appear to be properties of these peripheral neurons.     

Temporal selectivity in the central auditory system of the leopard frog

Amplitude modulation is a predominant temporal feature in many vocal signals. The leopard frog, Rana pipiens, has a class of neurons in the central auditory system that respond selectively to particular rates of amplitude modulation; these neurons can be characterized by a temporal tuning curve. Such selectivity is absent in the peripheral auditory system. This type of transformation may be fundamental in processing temporal information in the vertebrate sensory nervous system.     

Biochemistry of information storage in the nervous system

The use of molecular biological approaches has defined new mechanisms that store information in the mammalian nervous system. Environmental stimuli alter steady-state levels of messenger RNA species encoding neurotransmitters, thereby altering synaptic, neuronal, and network function over time. External or internal stimuli alter impulse activity, which alters membrane depolarization and selectively changes the expression of specific transmitter genes. These processes occur in diverse peripheral and central neurons, suggesting that information storage is widespread in the neuraxis. The temporal profile of any particular molecular mnemonic process is determined by specific kinetics of turnover and by the geometry of the neuron resulting in axonal transport of molecules to different synaptic arrays at different times. Generally, transmitters, the agents of millisecond-to-millisecond communication, are subject to relatively long-lasting changes in expression, ensuring that ongoing physiological function is translated into information storage.     

The intrinsic electrophysiological properties of mammalian neurons: insights into central nervous system function

This article reviews the electroresponsive properties of single neurons in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). In some of these cells the ionic conductances responsible for their excitability also endow them with autorhythmic electrical oscillatory properties. Chemical or electrical synaptic contacts between these neurons often result in network oscillations. In such networks, autorhythmic neurons may act as true oscillators (as pacemakers) or as resonators (responding preferentially to certain firing frequencies). Oscillations and resonance in the CNS are proposed to have diverse functional roles, such as (i) determining global functional states (for example, sleep-wakefulness or attention), (ii) timing in motor coordination, and (iii) specifying connectivity during development. Also, oscillation, especially in the thalamo-cortical circuits, may be related to certain neurological and psychiatric disorders. This review proposes that the autorhythmic electrical properties of central neurons and their connectivity form the basis for an intrinsic functional coordinate system that provides internal context to sensory input.     

Some neurons of the rat central nervous system contain aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase but not monoamines

Neurons containing the enzyme aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase (AADC) but lacking either tyrosine hydroxylase or serotonin were found in the spinal cord of neonatal and adult rats by light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. The majority of these neurons localized to area X of Rexed contact ependyma. Thus, spinal AADC neurons have the enzymatic capacity to catalyze directly the conversion of the amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan, or phenylalanine to their respective amines tyramine, tryptamine, or phenylethylamine. These amines normally present in the central nervous system may be of potential clinical significance as endogenous psychotomimetics.     

Habituation and dishabituation: interactions between peripheral and central nervous systems in Aplysia

The withdrawal response of the isolated siphon of Aplysia habituates to a light stimulus and dishabituates to a tactile stimulus, and vice versa, with or without connections to the central nervous system. The peripheral nervous system can dishabituate or enhance the response mediated by the central nervous system and vice versa. Normally the adaptive siphon withdrawal response of the intact animal must be mediated by the integrated activity of the peripheral and central nervous systems.     

Immunocytochemical detection of acetylcholine in the rat central nervous system

A specific antibody to acetylcholine was raised and used as a marker for cholinergic neurons in the rat central nervous system. The acetylcholine conjugate was obtained by a two-step immunogen synthesis procedure. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to test the specificity and affinity of the antibody in vitro; the results indicated high affinity. A chemical perfusion mixture of allyl alcohol and glutaraldehyde was used to fix the acetylcholine in the nervous tissue. Peroxidase-antiperoxidase immunocytochemistry showed many acetylcholine-immunoreactive cells and fibers in sections from the medial septum region.     

Hemagglutinin variants of reovirus type 3 have altered central nervous system tropism

Variants of the Dearing strain of reovirus type 3 with antigenically altered hemagglutinin proteins are much less neurovirulent than the parental virus. When injected intracerebrally into mice these variants infected a subset of the brain neurons that were infected by the parental virus. When injected intraperitoneally, the variants did not spread to the brain. These results indicate that minor modifications of the reovirus hemagglutinin dramatically alter the ability of the virus to spread into and injure the central nervous system.     

Perineural epithelium: a new concept of its role in the integrity of the peripheral nervous system

A multilayered, squamous-celled epithelial cell membrane covering the individual nerve fasciculi of the entire peripheral nervous system ( both voluntary and autonomic) including the sensory and motor end organs has been demonstrated in various species of animals, including man. This membrane is the direct continuation of the pia-arachnoid mater from the central nervous system.Functional significance of this membrane, especially as a diffusion barrier and as a protector of the peripheral nervous system, is briefly discussed.     

Transient pioneer neurons are essential for formation of an embryonic peripheral nerve

In developing nervous systems, many peripheral and central pathways are established by early arising populations of pioneer neurons. The growth cones of these pioneer neurons can migrate while embryonic distances are short and while intervening tissue is relatively uncomplicated. Are these pioneers necessary? In grasshopper embryos, a pair of pioneer neurons arise at the tips of limb buds and extend axons through the limb to the central nervous system. Growth cones of later arising sensory neurons migrate along the pioneer axons. After ingrowth of sensory axons, the pioneer neurons die. If the pioneer neurons are prevented from differentiating by heat shock, then the sensory growth cones that would have migrated along them are blocked and fail to reach the central nervous system. Thus, the pioneer axons are necessary for successful migration of these sensory growth cones. By crossing a segment boundary early in embryogenesis, the pioneers circumvent an incompatibility between differentiated segment boundary cells and growth cone migration. Pioneer neurons may resolve similar problems in many systems.     

Decremental Conduction over "Giant" Afferent Processes in an Arthropod

Four "giant" mechanoreceptive cells form part of a stretch receptor organ at the base of the uropod in the sand crab, Emerita (Crustacea, Anomura). Injection of the fluorescent dye Procion Yellow revealed that these sensory cells are monopolar with somata located in the central nervous system. No such cells have previously been described in arthropods. These neurons are also unusual in that they do not generate propagated action potentials; rather, they mediate stretch reflexes by transmission of graded, decremental potentials.     

Induction and maintenance of the neuronal cholinergic phenotype in the central nervous system by BMP-9

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have multiple functions in the developing nervous system. A member of this family, BMP-9, was found to be highly expressed in the embryonic mouse septum and spinal cord, indicating a possible role in regulating the cholinergic phenotype. In cultured neurons, BMP-9 directly induced the expression of the cholinergic gene locus encoding choline acetyltransferase and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter and up-regulated acetylcholine synthesis. The effect was reversed upon withdrawal of BMP-9. Intracerebroventricular injection of BMP-9 increased acetylcholine levels in vivo. Although certain other BMPs also up-regulated the cholinergic phenotype in vitro, they were less effective than BMP-9. These data indicate that BMP-9 is a differentiating factor for cholinergic central nervous system neurons.     

Pathfinding by peripheral pioneer neurons in grasshoppers

Grasshopper neurons accurately project axons across long distances between peripheral structures and the central nervous system. Nerve-trunk pathways followed by these axons are established early in embryogenesis by pioneer neurons. Growth cones from the first pioneers navigate along a chain of cells to the CNS. The placement of these cells may constitute the initial guidance mechanism underlying long-distance pathfinding.     

Regulation of C. elegans life-span by insulinlike signaling in the nervous system

An insulinlike signaling pathway controls Caenorhabditis elegans aging, metabolism, and development. Mutations in the daf-2 insulin receptor-like gene or the downstream age-1 phosphoinositide 3-kinase gene extend adult life-span by two- to threefold. To identify tissues where this pathway regulates aging and metabolism, we restored daf-2 pathway signaling to only neurons, muscle, or intestine. Insulinlike signaling in neurons alone was sufficient to specify wild-type life-span, but muscle or intestinal signaling was not. However, restoring daf-2 pathway signaling to muscle rescued metabolic defects, thus decoupling regulation of life-span and metabolism. These findings point to the nervous system as a central regulator of animal longevity.     

Central synaptic inputs to identified leech neurons determined by peripheral targets

Developing Retzius (Rz) neurons in different segments of the central nervous system of the medicinal leech have different peripheral targets: Rz cells in standard segments innervate the body wall, whereas Rz cells in the reproductive segments innervate reproductive tissue. Early removal of reproductive tissue primordia causes reproductive Rz cells to develop morphologically like their standard segmental homologs, suggesting that Rz cells depend on peripheral targets for signals that determine their central and peripheral morphology. Furthermore, after removal of reproductive tissue, reproductive Rz cells also receive synaptic inputs normally appropriate for standard Rz cells. These results suggest that the functional identity of these neurons is specified by the target they contact during embryogenesis.     

Cell line segregation during peripheral nervous system ontogeny

The peripheral nervous system of vertebrates arises from the neural crest and the ectodermal placodes. Construction of quail-chick chimaeras has provided significant information on the migration and fate of the neural crest and placodal cells. Transplantation of neural crest tissue to various sites in these chimaeras has demonstrated that the differentiation of neural crest cells is controlled by environmental influences during their migration and, particularly, during gangliogenesis. Experiments with in vitro and monoclonal antibody techniques have shown that these environmental cues act on a heterogeneous population of neural crest cells whose developmental potencies are partly restricted to definite differentiation pathways.     

兔脑和脊髓内开胃素A免疫阳性神经元和神经纤维的分布

采用免疫组织化学法研究了10只青紫蓝兔脑内开胃素（Orexin） A免疫阳性神经元和神经纤维的分布。结果显示,Orexin A免疫阳性神经元分布于下丘脑的视上核、室旁核、背内侧核、穹隆周核、外侧区、前区和后区以及底丘脑的未定带。Orexin A免疫阳性神经纤维广泛分布于中枢神经系统内,在端脑分布于大脑皮质、尾状核、隔核和杏仁核;在间脑分布于丘脑、下丘脑、上丘脑和垂体;在中脑分布于中央灰质、前丘、后丘、黑质、网状结构和中缝核;在脑桥分布于蓝斑、网状结构和中缝核;在延髓分布于极后区、孤束核和迷走神经背侧运动核;在小脑和脊髓也有分布。     

短蛸神经系统和消化系统的形态解剖

采用传统的系统形态解剖学方法对短蛸神经系统和消化系统进行观察,并描述、绘图.结果表明,短蛸中枢神经系统由围绕着食道的脑神经节、足神经节和脏神经节组成,周围神经系统可见口球神经节、视神经节、胃神经节、鳃神经节、外套神经节和脑神经索;短蛸的消化管从前到后包括口、口球、食道、嗉囊、胃、胃盲囊、肠、直肠、肛门,消化腺包括1个肝脏及前唾液腺、后唾液腺和胰脏各1对.     

Botulinus toxin: effect on the central nervous system of man

Electrical stimulation of multiple peripheral nerves, elicited "H" reflexes in a patient, 61 years old, with botulism. These reflexes are extremely suggestive of some central release or failure of inhibitory control of a monosynaptic or polysynaptic spinal reflex arc. This "central" action of botulinus toxin is similar to that suggested for tetanus toxin.