A midline switch of receptor processing regulates commissural axon guidance in vertebrates.

Commissural axon guidance requires complex modulations of growth cone sensitivity to midline-derived cues, but underlying mechanisms in vertebrates remain largely unknown. By using combinations of ex vivo and in vivo approaches, we uncovered a molecular pathway controlling the gain of response to a midline repellent, Semaphorin3B (Sema3B). First, we provide evidence that Semaphorin3B/Plexin-A1 signaling participates in the guidance of commissural projections at the vertebrate ventral midline.

Actions of propofol on substantia gelatinosa neurones in rat spinal cord revealed by in vitro and in vivo patch-clamp recordings.

Propofol, an intravenous general anaesthetic, exerts anaesthetic actions through interaction with gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptors in the supraspinal nervous system. However, whether propofol has any significant effects on synaptic transmission at the spinal level and whether it exhibits antinociceptive action is still not fully clarified. Spontaneous activity and stimulus-evoked responses of substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurones to noxious pinch stimuli were recorded using spontaneously breathing rats under propofol anaesthesia using in vivo whole-cell patch-clamp techniques.