We describe a simple and effective method for obtaining stable in vivo whole-cell recordings in cat visual cortex. The core of the new approach is to prevent brain pulsation by retaining the dura mater. After being treated with an enzyme (collagenase), the dura became soft enough to allow easy penetration by a patch-clamp electrode with negligible damage to the tip. The procedure is as simple a...

Italy is undoubtedly a country of great contradictions: a magnificent artistic heritage and a wonderful landscape in constant threat of negligence and bad administration, if not from corruption. Italy has the record of the most ancient university in Europe—Alma Mater Studiorum was established in Bologna about three centuries earlier than the university in Heidelberg—but it is, at the same time,...

The cortical response of the cat to light fashes has been studied, the locus of greatest amplitude of response noted, and the conformation described. Recordings through the dura indicate that there is diminution of the response amplitude and reduction of localization caused by the dura. The effects of stimulus parameter changesy of application of strychnine locally, and of intravenous pentobarb...

The calvarial bone microenvironment contains a unique progenitor niche that should be considered for therapeutic manipulation when designing regeneration strategies. Recently, our group demonstrated that cells isolated from the dura are multipotent and exhibit expansion potential and robust mineralization on biodegradable constructs in vitro. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of heal...

Dural metastasis (pachimeningeal carcinomatosis) refers to involvement of dura mater and subdural or epidural spaces in systemic cancer. Although dural metastasis are relatively frequent in malignancies, (8-9% of patients with advanced systemic cancer in autopsy), they are rarely associated with subdural hematoma. We present the case of a 66-year-old male, refereed to the hematological unit for...

A method for constructing a simple, durable injection-microelectrode (injectrode) is described. The injectrode can record neuronal activity, stimulate neuronal tissues, or inject substances locally through its tip. The injectrode is lightweight and is easy to construct from commercially available parts, and it can be used repeatedly for multiple recordings and injections. Since dura penetration...

Medicine is truly a unique art and is undoubtedly the synthesis of a triple humanizing and ethical role, translated as personally helping older colleagues perform a therapeutic act and teaching younger ones to do the same. People who know Professor Aroldo (►Fig. 1) will aver that he was the embodiment of that maxim. Born on December 29, 1935, in São Paulo, Brazil, he pursued his studies at the ...

Linear enhancement (flare sign) along the dura mater that was continuous with or emanated from the dural margin of meningiomas was frequently observed on contrast-enhanced MR images obtained in 18 patients with intracranial meningiomas (surgically proved). Preoperative MR studies obtained at 1.5 T after administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine were reviewed retrospectively to determine the c...

Optogenetics combines optics and genetics to control neuronal activity with cell-type specificity and millisecond temporal precision. Its use in model organisms such as rodents, Drosophila, and Caenorhabditis elegans is now well-established. However, application of this technology in nonhuman primates (NHPs) has been slow to develop. One key challenge has been the delivery of viruses and light ...

Neovascularization of the outer membrane plays a critical role in the development and enlargement of chronic subdural hematomas (CSHs) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may promote their progression. However, the precise mechanisms remain to be determined. We focused on the signaling pathway upstream of VEGF, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), and activin receptor-like kinase 1 (...