Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies performed to date have focused on brain structures rostral to the thalamus, although the first level of sensory information and pain transmission occurs at the spinal ...

The currents generated by excitatory and inhibitory synapses on motoneurons can be amplified by noradrenalin and serotonin. Both of these neurotransmitters act, and interact, via the same Gq-protein second-messenger system ...

The human hand has evolved to be remarkably good at skillfully manipulating objects. This manipulation requires knowledge of the dynamic properties of an object, which is represented in the central nervous system (CNS) by ...

The ability of the brain to store information and adapt to changes in the sensory environment stems from the capability of neurons to change their communication with other neurons (“synaptic plasticity”). However, the ...

Coordinated gaze and hand movements predominate a number of our interactions in reachable space and yet few studies examine the potential contribution of tactile feedback in planning these actions. This thesis was designed ...

Excessive muscle tone or stiffness secondary to stroke frequently involves the ankle plantarflexors and has been associated with decreased mobility and reduced function. Although becoming more common in clinical practice, ...

Processing information in the nervous system is energetically expensive, constraining the ability of the system to survive disturbances caused by stress. While some organisms compensate for extreme changes in the abiotic ...

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are well known to depend almost exclusively on milkweed (genus Asclepias) host plants for oviposition sites, as their larvae need to ingest compounds critical for adult butterfly ...

Altered sexual function is one of the most devastating consequences of spinal cord trauma (SCT). Despite this fact, current knowledge of the neural circuitry regulating sexual response in the spinal cord (SC) in healthy ...

Reward-related learning occurs when previously neutral stimuli acquires an enhanced ability to elicit approach and other responses. Studies in the past have shown that dopamine receptor-mediated 3’,5’-cyclic adenosine ...