PURPOSE To demonstrate that it is possible to acquire accurate functional magnetic resonance images from thoracic spinal cord neurons. MATERIALS AND METHODS The lower thoracic spinal dermatomes (T7-T11) on the right side of the body were mechanically stimulated by vibration for 15 participants. Neuronal responses to vibration sensation were measured in the thoracic spinal cord using a HASTE s...

Lower spinal cord injuries frequently cause sexual dysfunction in men, including erectile dysfunction and an ejaculation disorder. This indicates that the important neural centers for male sexual function are located within the lower spinal cord. It is interesting that the lumbar spinal segments contain several neural circuits, showing a clear sexually dimorphism that, in association with neura...

Despite the diverse methods vertebrates use for locomotion, there is evidence that components of the locomotor central pattern generator (CPG) are conserved across species. When zebrafish begin swimming early in development, they perform short episodes of activity separated by periods of inactivity. Within these episodes, the trunk flexes with side-to-side alternation and the traveling body wav...

The morphology and frequency of collaterals originating from single afferents supplying primary endings of muscle spindles in dorsal neck muscles have been examined using intra-axonal injections of HRP. Within the segment in which the afferent entered the spinal cord, one collateral was found for every 3.3 mm of stained axon. In contrast, afferents--one of more segments rostral to the segment i...

Bath application of monoamines is a potent method for evoking locomotor activity in neonatal rats and mice. Monoamines also promote functional recovery in adult animals with spinal cord injuries by activating spinal cord networks. However, the mechanisms of their actions on spinal networks are largely unknown. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that monoamines establish rostrocaudal gradie...

The rhythmogenic capacity of the tail-innervating segments (L4-Co3) of the spinal cord was studied in isolated spinal cord and tail-spinal cord preparations of neonatal rats. Bath-applied serotonin/N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) failed to produce a robust sacrococcygeal rhythmicity following midlumbar transection of the spinal cord. By contrast, a regular alternating left-right rhythm could be ind...

The first electrophysiological evidence of the phenomenon of traveling electrical waves produced by populations of interneurons within the spinal cord was reported by our interdisciplinary research group. Two interesting observations derive from this study: first, the negative spontaneous cord dorsum potentials (CDPs) that are superimposed on the propagating sinusoidal electrical waves are not ...

Three patients are described with nonrhythmic repetitive axial myoclonic jerks causing symmetric flexion of the neck, trunk, hips and knees. No electrophysiological evidence of a cortical or brainstem reticular origin for the myoclonus was found. In the first patient the axial jerks only occurred spontaneously. The latencies of recruitment of spinal segments during a jerk indicated that the dis...

Introduction: Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that has the ability to reduce the damage caused by oxidative stress and is predominantly found in the inner mitochondrial membrane. This study was conducted to determine the effect of coenzyme Q10 on neuropathic pain in an animal model of spinal cord injury. Methods: In order to induce neuropathic pain, thoracic segments of the spinal cor...

As part of the central nervous system (CNS), the spinal cord is the gateway for information transfer between body and brain, as well as a center for neuronal circuits that integrate and coordinate complex sensory, motor, and autonomic functions. This primer provides an overview of the organization and function of the mammalian spinal cord. With millions of neurons arising from eleven distinct p...