Localization and functional roles of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 2 in the cerebellum.

The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) type 2 receptor has three splice variants alpha, beta, and gamma. In the rodent brain only CRFR2alpha is present. In the cerebellum, CRF-R2alpha has two different isoforms: a full-length form (fl) and truncated (tr).

Neural compensation after early lesions: a clinical view of animal experiments.

The widely held view, known as Kennard's principle, that lesions in the human central nervous system in the perinatal period are followed by better compensation than equivalent lesions sustained at a later age is under challenge from results of animal experiments. Experiment in rats have demonstrated, contrastingly, that lesions at early stages generally lead to more behavioral impairments than lesions of a similar size and location at adult stages. It also has been demonstrated that early lesions often lead to extensive neural reorganizations.

The glutamate receptor delta 2 in relation to cerebellar development and plasticity.

Understanding what are the mechanisms that strengthen, stabilize and restrict synaptic innervation is a relevant topic in glutamate receptor delta 2 (GluRdelta2)-related research. It also involves targeting and selection of afferent input during formation of the neuronal circuitry in the cerebellar cortex and its functioning. This review will focus on the role of GluRdelta2, one of the main players in this field.

Functional recovery after transection of the sciatic nerve at an early age: a pilot study in rats.

It is often clinically noted that peripheral nerve transections in infants and very young children seem to show better functional recovery after nerve repair compared with adult patients. There can be several reasons for this (e.g.