Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Ageing Res Rev 2021 Feb 24:101311. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK; The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK. Electronic address:

A number of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), possess a shared characteristic of region-specific neurodegeneration. However, the mechanisms which determine why particular regions within the nervous system are selectively vulnerable to neurodegeneration, whilst others remain relatively unaffected throughout disease progression, remain elusive. Here, we review how regional susceptibility to the ubiquitous physiological phenomenon of normal ageing might underlie the vulnerability of these same regions to neurodegeneration, highlighting three regions archetypally associated with AD, PD and ALS (the hippocampus, substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral spinal cord, respectively), as especially prone to age-related alterations. Read More

Neurosci Lett 2021 Feb 24:135773. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Department of Anesthesiology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Research Institute of Anesthesiology, Tianjin, 300052, China. Electronic address:

The mechanism underlying the high incidence of remifentanil-induced postoperative hyperalgesia is unclear. Also, no effective prevention method exists. Inflammatory pain-related studies showed that P2 × 4 purinergic receptors (P2X4Rs) in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia are essential for maintaining allodynia caused by inflammation. Read More

Exp Neurol 2021 Feb 24:113658. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Electronic address:

Neurogenic bladder management after spinal cord injury (SCI) is very challenging. Daily urethral catheterization is most commonly used to empty the bladder, which causes frequent infections of the lower urinary tract. This study reports a novel idea to restore both continence and micturition after SCI by an implantable pudendal nerve stimulator (PNS). Read More

Eur J Pharmacol 2021 Feb 24:173979. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China, 221004; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China; Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China, 221002. Electronic address:

The use of morphine is controversial due to the incidence of rewarding behavior, respiratory depression, and tolerance, leading to increased drug dose requirements, advancing to morphine addiction. To overcome these barriers, strategies have been taken to combine morphine with other analgesics. Neuropeptide B23 and neuropeptide W23 (NPB23 and NPW23) are commonly used to relieve inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain. Read More

Brain Behav 2021 Feb 27:e02020. Epub 2021 Feb 27.

Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Hospital, Tokushima, Japan.

Background: Transection-induced axonal retrograde degeneration, in contrast to Wallerian degeneration, has not been widely recognized in clinical practice.

Aims Of The Study: To assess a potential of corticospinal tractography for detecting axonal retrograde degeneration.

Methods: We assessed the corticospinal tractography of a 74-year-old woman with monoplegia of the lower limb due to a unilateral thoracic spinal cord tumor. Read More