P物质拮抗剂及其在P物质作用机理研究中的应用

P物质广泛分布于中枢、外周神经系统和某些组织,与痛觉、内脏传入和传出、炎症反应以及中枢对运动的调节均有密切关系。本文主要介绍P物质拮抗剂的构效关系、与受体结合的特性及其在中枢、外周神经系统 P 物质作用机理研究中的应用。P 物质拮抗剂的研究不仅可以为基础研究提供工具药,推进 P 物质作用机理的研究,而且可能发展成为新型的镇痛药和抗炎药。     

鸣禽发声控制神经通路的左侧优势

鸟类鸣叫机理是近年比较活跃的研究领域,已证明可为人类发声机理提供实验模型。本文作者通过自己的研究工作,对鸣禽控制发声的外围和中枢侧向优势作了简要介绍。     

东莨菪硷及其类似物的中枢作用的研究进展

本文着重讨论东莨菪硷及其类似物的中枢双相作用和机制。中枢抑制作用不仅是选择性地阻断大脑皮层、海马和脑干网状结构等处 M-胆硷受体,也可能与阻断中枢α-肾上腺索能受体有关。中枢兴奋作用则可能是通过促使 AGh 释放激动 N-胆硷受体,以及阻断皮层抑制性中间神经元的 M-受体。此外本文也扼要地介绍了此类药物对镇痛的影响、对黑质纹状体、呼吸中枢和脊髓的作用。     

交联透明质酸衍生物的研究进展

交联透明质酸既保持了天然透明质酸的生物特性,又弥补了天然透明质酸宜分解不稳定的缺陷,因此交联透明质酸可作为医疗、美容和组织工程领域的新型材料进一步扩展研究。主要针对国内外对制备交联透明质酸的各种交联剂进行了介绍,为研究新型透明质酸衍生物提供选择。     

交联蛋白晶体技术及其应用

作为蛋白工程的一项突破性技术,交联蛋白晶体技术正受到广泛重视。蛋白晶体的交联形式不仅保留了蛋白的生物活性,而且显示了对热、极端pH和温度、有机溶剂和蛋白水解酶的更高稳定性。本文介绍交联蛋白晶体的制备和特性及其在生物医学、有机合成、环境催化和色谱分析中的应用 。     

生物医用透明质酸多糖的改性和功能化研究

透明质酸(HA)是一种天然聚阴离子粘多糖已广泛用于医药和其它领域。目前已开发出了许多具有新的生物活性和功能性的透明质酸交联产物和衍生物,特别是水凝胶医用材料。本文综述了近年来透明质酸物理和化学改性研究的进展,重点介绍了交联改性、酯化改性、接枝改性和复合改性,以及改性产物在医药、生物组织工程支架等方面的应用前景。     

交联蛋白晶体技术及其应用

作为蛋白工程的一项突破性技术,交联蛋白晶体技术正受到广泛重视。蛋白晶体的交联形式不仅保留了蛋白的生物活性,而且显示了对热、极端pH和温度、有机溶剂和蛋白水解酶的更高稳定性。本文介绍交联蛋白晶体的制备和制性及其在生物医学、有机合成、环境催化和色谱分析中的应用。     

化学交联质谱技术的研究进展

化学交联质谱技术是解析蛋白质结构和研究蛋白质相互作用的重要工具。近5年以来,该技术在方法和应用上都取得了很大的进步。方法上,一方面可断裂交联剂与新型分离富集方法展现了较好的应用前景,另一方面更加高效的交联肽段搜索引擎和质量控制方法为交联质谱数据分析提供了有力的工具。应用上,一方面与冷冻电镜技术结合解析了大量蛋白质的结构,另一方面从研究蛋白质复合物的相互作用发展到研究全蛋白质组水平的相互作用网络。化学交联质谱技术在方法和应用上的蓬勃发展,体现了这一技术的重要作用。本文对化学交联质谱技术的各个环节进行了详细的综述,包括交联剂选择、交联反应、酶切、交联肽段富集、液质联用、交联肽段鉴定、质量控制和生物学应用,重点介绍了最近5年的研究进展。最后,讨论了化学交联质谱技术面临的挑战及未来的发展方向。     

疲劳产生的机制

本文着重介绍了中枢和神经肌肉、能源物质代谢以及内环境平衡对疲劳的影响。     

前列腺素合成酶的固定化研究

本文介绍了绵羊精囊前列腺素合成酶的固定化。比较了戊二醛交联泡沫法、戊二醛交联沉淀法与聚丙烯酰胺凝胶包埋法的实验结果。探讨了戊二醛交联泡沫法的固定化最适条件及应用此法制备的固定化前列腺素合成酶的初步使用效果。     

Development of rhythmic pattern generators

In contrast to the wealth of knowledge about the organizational rules of adult central pattern generators, far less is known about how these networks are assembled during development. The basic architecture for adult central pattern generators appears early in development but different generators may follow completely different developmental pathways to reach maturity. Recent evidence suggests that neuromodulatory inputs, in addition to their short-term adaptive control of central pattern generator activity, play a crucial role in both the final developmental tuning and the long-term maintenance of adult network function.     

Neuromodulation of central pattern generators in invertebrates and vertebrates

Central pattern generators are subject to extensive modulation that generates flexibility in the rhythmic outputs of these neural networks. The effects of neuromodulators interact with one another, and modulatory neurons are themselves often subject to modulation, enabling both higher order control and indirect interactions among central pattern generators. In addition, modulators often directly mediate the interactions between functionally related central pattern generators. In systems such as the vertebrate respiratory central pattern generator, multiple pacemaker types interact to produce rhythmic output. Modulators can then alter the relative contributions of the different pacemakers, leading to substantial changes in motor output and hence to different behaviors. Surprisingly, substantial changes in some aspects of the circuitry of a central pattern generator, such as a several-fold increase in synaptic strength, can sometimes have little effect on the output of the CPG, whereas other changes have profound effects.     

Plant competition as a mechanism of invasion on islands: Revisiting the conclusions of Kuebbing and Nuñez (2016)

Identifying the mechanisms underlying invasive plant establishment and native plant decline remains a central goal in ecology, particularly for biodiversity hotspots such as islands. We re‐analyzed a previously published meta‐dataset to test the prediction that neighbor effects are stronger on islands vs. continents because island plants are weaker competitors. Although we detected marginally stronger neighbor effects on islands than continents, this was due, at least in part, to stronger competition among native species. An absence of studies testing neighbor effects between native vs. invasive plants on islands prevents a rigorous test for competition effects on islands, highlighting an important knowledge gap.     

Pattern generation

Central pattern generators are neuronal ensembles capable of producing the basic spatiotemporal patterns underlying ‘automatic’ movements (e.g. locomotion, respiration, swallowing and defense reactions), in the absence of peripheral feedback. Different experimental approaches, from classical electrophysiological and pharmacological methods to molecular and genetic ones, have been used to understand the cellular and synaptic bases of central pattern generator organization and reconfiguration of generator operation in behaviorally relevant contexts. Recently, it has been shown that the high reliability and flexibility of central pattern generators is determined by their redundant organization. Everything that is crucial for generator operation is determined by a number of complementary mechanisms acting in concert; however, various mechanisms are weighted differently in determining different aspects of central pattern generator operation.     

Multipole representations of current generators in a volume conductor

As far as the potential distribution outside the current generators is concerned, any current source distribution may be replaced by a suitable collection of multipoles. If these current generators lie close to the geometrical center of the volume conductor, a central dipole is a good approximation for potentials at surface points which are at considerable distances from the center. For better accuracy and for points close to the center, additional singularities such as a central quadrupole, a central octopole, etc., should be included. Potential expressions due to such multipoles in a spherical conductor can be obtained in closed forms by means of the “interior sphere theorem”. This paper presents a method for determining successively better multipole representations of the current generators in a homogeneous conducting sphere by measuring surface potentials at a successively increasing number of points. It is shown that Einthoven's triangle and Wilson's tetrahedron in the theory of electrocardiography are first and second approximations of this method. This concept also applies to conductors of other shapes. This investigation was supported by The National Heart Institute under a research grant H-2263(c).     

Oscillations and oscillatory behavior in small neural circuits

In order to determine the dynamical properties of central pattern generators (CPGs), we have examined the lobster stomatogastric ganglion using the tools of nonlinear dynamics. The lobster pyloric and gastric mill central pattern generators can be analyzed at both the cellular and network levels because they are small, i.e., contain only 25 neurons between them and each neuron and synapse are repeatedly identifiable from animal to animal. We discuss how the biophysical properties of each neuron and synapse in the two circuits act cooperatively to generate two different patterns of sequential activity, how these patterns are altered by neuromodulators and perturbed by noise and sensory inputs. Finally, we show how simplified Hindmarsh–Rose models can be made into analog electronic neurons that mimic the lobster neurons and in addition be incorporated into artificial CPGs with robotic applications.     

The Contributions of Motor Neuronal and Muscle Modulation to Behavioral Flexibility in the Stomatogastric System

The stomatogastric nervous system of crustaceans, which controlsthe four parts ofthe foregut, is subject to modulation at alllevels, sensory, central and motor. Modulation of the centralpattern generators, which are themselves made up largely ofmotor neurons, providesfor increased behavioral flexibilityin a variety of ways. First, each of the pattern generatorscan be reconfigured to give multiple outputs. Second, the "boundaries"of the different pattern generators are in fact somewhat fluid,so that the neuronal composition of the pattern generators canbe altered. For example, neurons can switch from one patterngenerator toanother, or two or more pattern generators can fuseto generate an entirely new pattern and thereby produce a newbehavior. The mechanisms responsible for many of these modulationsinclude alterations of both intrinsic properties and synapticinteractions between neurons. In addition, the alteration ofmembrane properties contributes more directly to the behavioraloutput by changing action potential frequency. Finally, themuscles of the stomatogastric system can themselves be modulated,with the cpvl muscle, for example, becoming an endogenous oscillatorin the presence of either dopamine or the peptide FMRFamide.     

Mechanisms of frequency and pattern control in the neural rhythm generators

The locomotive motion in animals is produced in some central neural units, and basically no sensory signal from peripheral receptors is necessary to induce it. The rhythm generators do not only produce rhythms but also alter their frequencies and patterns. This paper presents some methematical models of the neural rhythm generators and discusses various aspects of the frequency and pattern control in them.     

A phylogenetic hypothesis for the origin of hiccough

The occurrence of hiccoughs (hiccups) is very widespread and yet their neuronal origin and physiological significance are still unresolved. Several hypotheses have been proposed. Here we consider a phylogenetic perspective, starting from the concept that the ventilatory central pattern generator of lower vertebrates provides the base upon which central pattern generators of higher vertebrates develop. Hiccoughs are characterized by glottal closure during inspiration and by early development in relation to lung ventilation. They are inhibited when the concentration of inhaled CO(2) is increased and they can be abolished by the drug baclofen (an agonist of the GABA(B) receptor). These properties are shared by ventilatory motor patterns of lower vertebrates, leading to the hypothesis that hiccough is the expression of archaic motor patterns and particularly the motor pattern of gill ventilation in bimodal breathers such as most frogs. A circuit that can generate hiccoughs may persist in mammals because it has permitted the development of pattern generators for other useful functions of the pharynx and chest wall muscles, such as suckling or eupneic breathing.     

Ambivalence in modelling oblique saccades

Human oblique saccades might be made by synchronized but independent vertical and horizontal pulse generators; we call this the Cartesian theory. Another hypothesis is that the oblique amplitude and angle are coded centrally and trigonometricallyderived signals are sent to the horizontal and vertical muscles (the polar coordinate theory). We took a Cartesian model and cross-coupled the two generators to produce saccades identical to those of a polar coordinate model. This is disproof by counterexample: the experimental evidence claimed to support the polar coordinate model does not necessarily do so. Moreover, the behavior reported for oblique saccades is so variable, contradictory, idiosyncratic, and species-dependent that any model of the central organization of oblique saccades is probably premature.