Search results for "NERVE"
showing 10 items of 1683 documents
Acute effects of 15min static or contract-relax stretching modalities on plantar flexors neuromuscular properties
2010
The present study aimed to investigate the immediate effects of 15 min static or sub-maximal contract-relax stretching modalities on the neuromuscular properties of plantar flexor muscles. Ten male volunteers were tested before and immediately after 15 min static or contract-relax stretching programs of plantar flexor muscles (20 stretches). Static stretching consisted in 30s stretches to the point of discomfort. For the contract-relax stretching modality, subjects performed 6s sub-maximal isometric plantar flexion before 24s static stretches. Measurements included maximal voluntary isometric torque (MVT) and the corresponding electromyographic activity of soleus (SOL) and medial gastrocnem…
Inhibitory responses to exogenous adenosine in murine proximal and distal colon”
2006
The aims of the present study were firstly, to characterize pharmacologically the subtypes of P(1) purinoreceptors involved in the inhibitory effects induced by exogenous adenosine in longitudinal smooth muscle of mouse colon, and secondly, to examine differences in the function and distribution of these receptors between proximal and distal colon. Adenosine (100 microM-3 mM) caused a concentration-dependent reduction of the amplitude of spontaneous contractions in the proximal colon, and muscular relaxation in the distal colon. In the proximal colon, adenosine effects were antagonized by a selective A(1) receptor antagonist, 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX, 10 nM), but were not m…
Changes of the ratio between myelin thickness and axon diameter in human developing sural, femoral, ulnar, facial, and trochlear nerves
1988
Previous studies on sural nerves were extended to human femoral, ulnar, facial and trochlear nerves. As asynchronous development of axon diameter and myelin sheath thickness was noted in all nerves studied. Whereas axons reach their maximal diameter by or before 5 years of age, maximal myelin sheath thickness is not attained before 16-17 years of age, i.e., more than 10 years later. The slope of the regression lines for the ratio between axon diameter and myelin thickness is significantly steeper in older than in younger individuals; it also differs if small and large fibers with more or less than 50 myelin lamellae are evaluated separately. The number of Schmidt-Lanterman incisures during …
Changes of the ratio between myelin thickness and axon diameter in the human developing sural nerve
1978
Axon caliber and myelin sheath thickness of individual nerve fibers were evaluated in the developing human sural nerve using three different methods of measurement: 1. ocular micrometer evaluation of large fibers, 2. photographic enlargements for evaluating large numbers of nerve fibers of all sizes, and 3. electron microscopic enlargements for more precise measurements in selected nerves. The average axonal diameter doubles from 5 months gestation to about 5 years of age. Large fiber group axons increase, during the same period, by a factor of 3--3.5 with a slight decrease thereafter. The myelin thickness increases more slowly, but continuously, between 5 months gestation until the age of …
Endothelial and neural factors functionally involved in the modulation of noradrenergic vasoconstriction in healthy pig internal mammary artery
2011
The role of endothelial and neural factors as modulators of neurogenic- and noradrenaline-induced vasoconstriction was examined in healthy pig internal mammary artery (IMA). Tetrodotoxin-, guanethidine-sensitive electrical field stimulation (EFS)-, and noradrenaline-elicited contractions were significantly diminished by prazosin (n=8, P0.001) and less so by rauwolscine, indicating functional α₁- and α₂-adrenoceptor-mediated noradrenergic innervation of the IMA. Endothelium removal reduced neurogenic (n=8, P0.01) but augmented noradrenaline responses (n=8, P0.01), suggesting the release of two endothelium-dependent factors with opposite effects. In the presence of endothelium, neurogenic and…
Muscular performances at the ankle joint in young and elderly men.
2005
The effect of aging on mechanical and electromyographic characteristics of ankle joint muscles was investigated in 11 young (mean age 24 years) and 12 elderly (mean age 77 years) males. Maximal and submaximal isometric voluntary torques were measured during ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion. Electromyographic activities of triceps surae and tibialis anterior muscles were recorded. The elderly group developed equal maximal dorsiflexion torques (42 vs 45 N.m, p >.05), but in plantarflexion, the elderly group was weaker (80 vs 132 N.m, p <.001) and presented a decreased twitch amplitude (11 vs 16 N.m) and lower coactivation (8% vs 15%) than that of the young adults. We established a linear…
Color-coded diffusion-tensor-imaging of posterior cingulate fiber tracts in mild cognitive impairment.
2005
Abstract Different processes like microvascular dysfunction, free radical toxicity, β-amyloid deposits, and Wallerian degeneration can cause functionally relevant disturbances of cerebral neuronal networks by myelin degeneration. Color-coded diffusion-tensor-imaging (ccDTI) allows the structural identification and quantification of myelinated fiber tracts. Particularly, posterior cingulate fiber tracts, which are regarded as important neuronal substrates of the network representing memory processing can be localized only imprecisely by conventional magnetic resonance imaging techniques. The posterior cingulate bundles were assessed by ccDTI in 17 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impair…
Prospero mutants induce precocious sexual behavior in Drosophila males.
2007
0001-8244 (Print) Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Brain maturation, a developmental process influenced by both endogenous and environmental factors, can affect sexual behavior. In vertebrates and invertebrates, sexual maturation is under the influence of hormones and neuromodulators, but the role of developmental genes in this process is still poorly understood. We report that prospero (pros), a gene crucial for nervous system development, can change the age of onset of sexual behavior in Drosophila melanogaster males: adult males carrying a single copy of several pros mutations court females and mate at a younger age than control males. However, these pros mutations had n…
N-Acetylaspartate/Creatine and Choline/Creatine Ratios in the Thalami, Insular Cortex and White Matter as Markers of Hypertension and Cognitive Impai…
2008
International audience; Abstract: Our objective was to investigate the influence of hypertension on N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline (Cho) ratios in brain tissues in a community-dwelling elderly population. Brain flexibility was also evaluated with regard to the same metabolite ratios. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and the Trail Making Test (TMT) were performed in 80 subjects (75.7 +/- 4 years old) from the Three-City Study. Fifty-eight participants had hypertension. The NAA/creatine (Cr) and Cho/Cr ratios were obtained in the insular cortex, the thalami and the deep periventricular white matter. In addition, the B-A score of the TMT was evaluated. Uniand multi-variate ana…
Phasic and tonic alerting in mild cognitive impairment: A preliminary study.
2013
In this preliminary study we assessed the functioning of the different attentional networks in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, taking as theoretical framework the Posner's cognitive neuroscience approach. Two groups of participants were tested in a single short experiment: 20 MCI patients (6 amnestic, 6 non-amnestic and 8 multiple-domain) and 18 healthy matched controls (HC). For attentional assessment we used a version of the Attention Network Test (the ANTI-V) that provided not only a score of the orienting, the executive, and the alerting networks and their interactions, but also an independent measure of vigilance (tonic alerting). The results showed that all subtypes of MCI p…