Introduction: To test the hypothesis of impaired cholinergic activity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we studied short- and long-latency afferent inhibition (SAI and LAI).
Methods: The ulnar nerve was stimulated at the wrist preceding transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), 21 ms for SAI and 200 ms for LAI, in 21 patients and 17 control subjects. Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and cognitive function was assessed in ALS patients using automatic threshold tracking and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
Results: The SAI paradigm resulted in inhibition in all control subjects, whereas inhibition was observed in 13 of 21 (62%) patients. Mean SAI and LAI values were significantly reduced in ALS. No significant correlation existed between afferent inhibition and other neurophysiological data. The MoCA was normal in all but 1 patient.
Discussion: LAI and SAI are both impaired in ALS, probably unrelated to increased cortical excitability or cognitive dysfunction. Muscle Nerve 59:699-704, 2019.
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Neurosci Res
January 2025
Department of Cell Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan. Electronic address:
Sensorineural hearing loss causes cell death in central auditory neurons, but molecular mechanisms of triggering this process are not fully understood. We report here that loss of afferent activity promotes cell death by facilitating proBDNF-p75NTR signals in cochlear nucleus of chicks around hatch. RNA-seq analyses revealed up-regulation of genes related to proBDNF-p75NTR-JNK signals as well as apoptosis at the nucleus within 24hours after unilateral cochlea deprivation.
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Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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January 2025
Department of Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden; Scandinavian Center for Orofacial Neurosciences (SCON).
Occlusal tactile acuity (OTA) and bite force are essential components of the sensorimotor control of oral behaviors. While these variables have been studied independently, it has not yet been revealed whether compressive force impacts the occlusal perception mediated by the mechanoreceptive afferents in the periodontal ligament. The present study examined the effect of repetition and maximum bite force on OTA by testing nine aluminum foils of different thicknesses together with a sham test with no foil, three times each, in randomized order in 36 healthy individuals.
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January 2025
Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
The parabrachial nucleus (PB), located in the dorsolateral pons, contains primarily glutamatergic neurons that regulate responses to a variety of interoceptive and cutaneous sensory signals. One lateral PB subpopulation expresses the Calca gene, which codes for the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). These PB neurons relay signals related to threatening stimuli such as hypercarbia, pain, and nausea, yet their inputs and their neurochemical identity are only partially understood.
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