The mammalian spinal cord contains a locomotor central pattern generator (CPG) that can produce alternating rhythmic activity of flexor and extensor motoneurones in the absence of rhythmic input and proprioceptive feedback. During such fictive locomotor activity in decerebrate cats, spontaneous omissions of activity occur simultaneously in multiple agonist motoneurone pools for a number of cycl...

Introduction: Astrocyte dysfunction is the common pathology resulting in failure of astrocyte-neuron interaction in neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s Disease (PD). To date, only few experimental models of selective ablation of astrocytes are known. The aim of present study was to evaluate the effect of striatal injections of selective glial toxin L-aminoadipic acid (L-AA) on the loco...

Using a computerized video-image analysis system, spontaneous locomotor activity was measured in dominant and subordinate individuals of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) and in individuals treated with inhibitors of serotonin (5-HT) synthesis and reuptake. Arctic charr were put together in pairs. After 1 week, subordinate individuals were found to have elevated brain levels of 5-hydroxyindolea...

Oxytocin is involved in the control of different behaviors, from sexual behavior and food consumption to empathy, social and affective behaviors. An imbalance of central oxytocinergic neurotransmission has been also associated with different mental pathologies, from depression, anxiety and anorexia/bulimia to schizophrenia, autism and drug dependence. This study shows that oxytocin may also pla...

Activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) requires the binding of a coagonist, either d-serine or glycine, in addition to glutamate. Changes in occupancy of the coagonist binding site are proposed to modulate neural networks including those controlling swimming in frog tadpoles. Here, we characterize regulation of the NMDAR coagonist binding site in mammalian spinal locomotor networ...

Previous studies over the past two decades have demonstrated that the brain and other nervous systems possess key steroidogenic enzymes and produces pregnenolone and other various neurosteroids in vertebrates in general. Recently, 7α-hydroxypregnenolone, a novel bioactive neurosteroid, was identified in the brain of newts and quail. Importantly, this novel neurosteroid is produced from pregneno...

We investigated the role of the two calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin (PV) and calbindin D-28k (CB) in the locomotor activity and motor coordination using null-mutant mice for PV (PV-/-), CB (CB-/-) or both proteins (PV-/-CB-/-). These proteins are expressed in distinct, mainly non-overlapping populations of neurons of the central and peripheral nervous system and PV additionally in fast-twi...

Locomotion is a fundamental motor act that, to a large degree, is controlled by central pattern-generating (CPG) networks in the spinal cord. Glutamate is thought to be responsible for most of the excitatory input to and the excitatory activity within the locomotor CPG. However, previous studies in mammals have produced conflicting results regarding the necessity and role of the different ionot...

Locomotor activity was studied with the method of electromagnetic activity meters, before and after operation in rats bilaterally lesioned in medial amygdala, and in a sham-operated control. Two activity tests were performed daily. In the first test spontaneous activity was recorded for a 30 min period without access to food or water. The second test measured 12 h of nocturnal activity with ful...

Repeated exposure to nicotine increases psychomotor activity. Long-lasting neural plasticity changes that contribute to the nicotine-induced development of locomotor sensitization have been identified. The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signalling pathway is involved in regulating the neuroplasticity of the central nervous system. In this study, we examined the role of mTORC1 ...