UNLABELLED We show here that the growth factor FGF-1 is proinflammatory in the spinal cord and explore the inflammatory mechanisms. FGF-1 applied to rat spinal astrocytes in culture initiates calcium signaling and induces secretion of ATP that within minutes increases membrane permeability to ethidium (Etd(+)) and Ca(2+) by activating P2X7 receptors (P2X7Rs) that open pannexin hemichannels (Px1...

Introduction: Functional MRI methods have been used to study sensorimotor processing in the brain and the Spinal cord. However, these techniques confront unwanted contributions to the measured signal from physiological fluctuations. For the spinal cord imaging, most of the challenges are consequences of cardiac and respiratory movement artifacts that are considered as signifi...

OBJECTIVE The apoptosis of motor neurons is a critical phenomenon in spinal cord injuries. Adult spinal cord slices were used to investigate whether voltage sensitive calcium channels and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers play a role in the apoptosis of motor neurons. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this experimental research, the thoracic region of the adult mouse spinal cord was sliced using a tissue choppe...

The molecular microenvironment of the injured spinal cord does not support survival and differentiation of either grafted or endogenous NSCs, restricting the effectiveness of the NSC-based cell replacement strategy. Studying the biology of NSCs in in vivo usually requires a considerable amount of time and cost, and the complexity of the in vivo system makes it difficult to identify individual e...

A new method for culturing spinal cord slices or explants is presented which entails the use of a commercially available purified collagen, Vitrogen. Vitrogen provides a stable three-dimensional matrix for culturing spinal cord explants which is superior to the conventional method of applying explants to moist dishes coated with rat tail collagen. The use of Vitrogen facilitated the culturing o...

Introduction: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in the head and neck region and radiotherapy is its treatment of choice. In spite of the fact that it is widely used, due to the presence of many sensitive organs or tissues in this region, patients may suffer from a wide range of side effects. One such sensitive tissue is the spinal cord. If the absorbed dose to spin...

Organotypic spinal cord slices from neonatal mammals could be a powerful model for evaluation of cell survival but also cell death mechanisms. The aim of this study was to establish an in vitro model for investigating cell survival and mechanism involved in cell death in neonatal spinal cord slices. The spinal cord was sliced and incubated into culture medium. The MTT assay was carried out to a...

Increasing evidence indicates that the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain is mediated through spinal cord microglia activation. The intracellular protease caspase-6 (CASP6) is known to regulate neuronal apoptosis and axonal degeneration; however, the contribution of microglia and CASP6 in modulating synaptic transmission and pain is unclear. Here, we found that CASP6 is expressed specifically in ...

Neural networks capable of generating coordinated rhythmic activity form at early stages of development in the spinal cord. In this study, voltage-imaging techniques were used to examine the spatiotemporal pattern of rhythmic activity in transverse slices of lumbar spinal cord from embryonic and neonatal rats. Real-time images were recorded in slices stained with the voltage-sensitive fluoresce...

In this study organotypic adult spinal cord slices were used to investigate whether caspases could participate in the apoptosis of motor neurons. The thoracic region of spinal cord was sliced using a tissue chopper and cultured in a medium for 6h. Morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis were assessed by fluorescent staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl nick end labeling (TUNEL) met...