Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts both axonal pathways and segmental spinal cord circuity, resulting in permanent neurological deficits. Physical exercise is known to increase the expression of neurotrophins for improving the injured spinal cord. In the present study, we investigated the effects of treadmill exercise on locomotor function in relation with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF...

There is considerable evidence from research in neonatal and adult rat and mouse preparations to warrant the conclusion that activation of 5-HT2 and 5-HT1A/7 receptors leads to activation of the spinal cord circuitry for locomotion. These receptors are involved in control of locomotor movements, but it is not clear how they are implicated in the responses to 5-HT agonists observed after spinal ...

background and objectives cannabinoids which are active compounds of marijuana show some pharmacological effects similar to the opioids. there are also functional interactions between both cannabinoid and opioid systems. in this study we investigated the role of cannabinoid receptors in central amygdala and its interaction with opioid system.   methods in the present study, we investigated the ...

Bilateral ibotenic acid lesions of the anteromedial neostriatum produce neuropathological and behavioral changes in rats that are characterized by locomotor hyperactivity and severe maze learning impairments, which can be viewed as analogous to changes seen in Huntington disease. Grafts of fetal striatal neurons, implanted either into the lesioned striatum or into the denervated globus pallidus...

Objective: To determine whether automated locomotor raining with a driven-gait orthosis (DGO) can increase funcional mobility in people with chronic, motor incomplete spinal ord injury (SCI). Design: Repeated assessment of the same patients or singlease experimental A-B design. Setting: Research units of rehabilitation hospitals in Chicago; eidelberg, Germany; and Basel and Zurich, Switzerland....

The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system contains both D1-like and D2-like receptors, has been connected to control of locomotor behavior. An apparent role for D1 and D2 receptors throughout the mesolimbic system in the alteration of locomotor behavior has been demonstrated in pharmacological studies. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is comprised of a core and a shell subregion, which is a component of t...

Temporal restriction of feeding can entrain circadian behavioral and physiological rhythms in mammals. Considering the critical functions of the hypothalamic orexin (hypocretin) neuropeptides in promoting wakefulness and locomotor activity, we examined the role of orexin neurons in the adaptation to restricted feeding. In orexin neuron-ablated transgenic mice, the food-entrained rhythmicity of ...

INTRODUCTION General neurobehavioral assays, like a modified Irwin test or a functional observational battery, are necessary for central nervous system (CNS) safety pharmacology testing near the end of the target validation (early discovery) stage of preclinical drug development. However, at earlier stages, when a greater number of test compounds must be screened for potential CNS side effects,...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of early motor balance and coordination training on functional recovery and brain plasticity in an ischemic rat stroke model, compared with simple locomotor exercise. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with cortical infarcts were trained under one of four conditions: nontrained control, treadmill training, motor training on the Rota-rod, or both Rota...