Summary
Here are some highlights from the April 2011 Issue of Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE).
Protocol
Methods to quantify pharmacologically induced alterations in motor function in human incomplete SCI
Christopher K. Thompson1, 2, Arun Jarayaman2, Catherine Kinnaird2, T. George Hornby2, 3
1Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2Sensory Motor Performance Program, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 3Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago
This video demonstrates modulation of reflex activity, volitional strength and ambulation through clinical and quantitative assessments in individuals with motor incomplete SCI as a result of acute oral administration of a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).
Studying the Neural Basis of Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Insects
Matthias Gruhn, Philipp Rosenbaum, Hans-Peter Bollhagen, Ansgar Bueschges
Zoological Institute, University of Cologne
We describe a method to record motor activity, timed to the electrically recorded tarsal contact signal in a tethered insect, walking on a slippery surface. This is used to study the neural basis of adaptive behavior under reduced influence of mechanical interaction between legs through the substrate.
Electrophysiology of Scorpion Peg Sensilla
Elizabeth D. Knowlton, Douglas D. Gaffin
Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma
This article describes an electrophysiological method for isolating chemical stimulation to individual sensilla via extracellular, tip-recordings under mineral oil.
Measurement of Aggregate Cohesion by Tissue Surface Tensiometry
Christine M. Butler, Ramsey A. Foty
Department of Surgery, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
We describe a method of measuring binding energy, expressible as tissue surface tension, between cells within 3D tissue-like aggregates. Differences in tissue surface tension have been demonstrated to correlate with invasiveness of lung, muscle, and brain tumors, and are fundamental determinants of establishing spatial relationships between different cell types.
