Mice with transgenic expression of human SOD1 are a widely used model of ALS, with a caudal-rostral progression of motor impairment. Previous studies have quantified the progression of motoneuron (MN) degeneration based on size, even though alpha (α-) and gamma (γ-) MNs overlap in size. Therefore, using molecular markers and synaptic inputs, we quantified the survival of α-MNs and γ-MNs at the lumbar and cervical spinal segments of 3- and 4-month SOD1 mice, to investigate whether there is a caudal-rostral progression of MN death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Lower-grade gliomas may be indolent for many years before developing malignant behavior. The mechanisms underlying malignant progression remain unclear.
Methods: We collected blocks of live human brain tissue donated by people undergoing glioma resection.
Gliomas are hard to treat. Their prognosis has improved little over the past few decades. Fundamental therapeutic challenges such as treatment resistance, malignant progression, and tumour recurrence persist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Gliomas are composed of multiple clones of tumor cells. This intratumor heterogeneity contributes to the ability of gliomas to resist treatment. It is vital that gliomas are fully characterized at a molecular level when a diagnosis is made to maximize treatment effectiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuronal connections form the physical basis for communication in the brain. Recently, there has been much interest in mapping the "connectome" to understand how brain structure gives rise to brain function, and ultimately, to behaviour. These attempts to map the connectome have largely assumed that connections are stable once formed.
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