1. Command neurons for the pedal wave motor program (PWMP) that drives locomotion in Aplysia were examined electrophysiologically in the isolated nervous system. The cerebral ganglion contained a minimum of four command (type I) neurons that were excited by stimuli known to trigger locomotion in vivo and evoke its neural correlates in vitro. 2. Type I neurons fired during both spontaneous and s...

BACKGROUND Volatile anesthetics produce surgical immobility by suppressing the motor system. The anesthetic action site in the motor pathway is unclear. Anesthetic effects on the whole and the lower portion of motor pathway can be studied by measuring the motor evoked potentials (MEP) and the F wave. This study measured the effect of isoflurane on the MEP and the F wave. METHODS With institut...

Vaginal constriction might be important for reproduction in mammals, but existing information is both limited and controversial. This paper shows the structure, mechanical properties, innervation and reflex response of a striated sphincter in the vestibule of the cat vagina. A Foley catheter coupled to a pressure transducer detected in the lumen of the vestibule a pressure wave that was induced...

Traveling waves of neuronal oscillations have been observed in many cortical regions, including the motor and sensory cortex. Such waves are often modulated in a task-dependent fashion although their precise functional role remains a matter of debate. Here we conjecture that the cortex can utilize the direction and wavelength of traveling waves to encode information. We present a novel neural m...

Background: Spasticity is a common motor impairment in patients with stroke that not only has a negative impact on the patient’s quality of life but also has high economic burdens for society. Recently the application of shock wave therapy has attracted considerable attention as a safe and effective method in treatment of spasticity. The objective of the present study was to investigate the eff...

[Purpose] We often perform physical therapy using motor imagery of muscle contraction to improve motor function for healthy subjects and central nerve disorders. This study aimed to determine the differences in the excitability of spinal motor neurons during motor imagery of a muscle contraction at different contraction strengths. [Subjects] We recorded the F-wave in 15 healthy subjects. [Metho...

Pulse-labeling studies demonstrate that tubulin synthesized in the neuron cell body (soma) moves somatofugally within the axon (at a rate of several millimeters per day) as a well-defined wave corresponding to the slow component of axonal transport. A major goal of the present study was to determine what proportion of the tubulin in mature motor axons is transported in this wave. Lumbar motor n...

OBJECTIVES Investigation of pathophysiology of F wave disappearance in demyelinating neuropathies. METHODS The peripheral motor nerve conduction was studied by motor evoked potential (MEP) on transcranial magnetic stimulation as well as conventional nerve conduction studies before and after the treatment in 26 patients with inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies. In addition, serum antigangl...

Aim: To study the various electrophysiological changes in the motor conduction, sensory conduction and F wave latencies of acute Guillain-Barre Syndrome patients. Methods: Sixteen patients with acute GBS were included in this study. They were subjected to various nerve conduction studies (NCS) following standardized procedures. The mean values obtained for the various nerve conduction parameter...