Regulation of cochlear hair cell function by intracellular calcium stores.

Introduction: Mammalian hearing depends on the dual mechanosensory and motor functions of cochlear hair cells. Both these functions may be regulated by Ca release from intracellular stores. However, it is still unclear how exactly intracellular Ca release may affect either hair cell mechano-electrical transduction (MET) or prestin-dependent electromotility in outer hair cells (OHCs).

Dopamine-mediated plasticity preserves excitatory connections to direct pathway striatal projection neurons and motor function in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

The cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) such as bradykinesia and akinesia are debilitating, and treatment options remain inadequate. The loss of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons in PD produces motor symptoms by shifting the balance of striatal output from the direct (go) to indirect (no-go) pathway in large part through changes in the excitatory connections and intrinsic excitabilities of the striatal projection neurons (SPNs). Here, we report using two different experimental models that a transient increase in striatal dopamine and enhanced D1 receptor activation, during 6-OHDA dopamine depletion, prevent the loss of mature spines and dendritic arbors on direct pathway projection neurons (dSPNs) and normal motor behavior for up to 5 months.

Dynamics of charged particles in a solenoid and the accurate determination of the magnetic axis of a solenoid using measured field data.

A fundamental understanding of the theory and measurement procedures for characterizing a solenoid is crucial for making a project cost-effective and achieving the desired performance for its use in a LINAC. This paper attempts to comprehend the beam dynamics of charged particles by considering the conservation of canonical angular momentum, which can take on positive, negative, and zero values. The analytical expression to generate a parallel beam using a solenoid is derived.