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Journal of Neurophysiology Deep brain stimulation of A13 region evokes robust locomotory response in ratsIn this episode, coauthors Anupam Bisht and Cecilia Badenhorst discuss their study, “Deep brain stimulation of A13 region evokes robust locomotory response in rats.” Their research demonstrates that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the A13 region in rats robustly increases locomotor activity without inducing anxiety using a novel wireless stimulation approach, suggesting that A13 may be a promising therapeutic target for gait dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. Deep brain stimulation of A13 region evokes robust locomotory response in rats Anupam Bisht, Cecilia Badenhorst, Zelma H. T. Kiss, Kartikeya Murari, and Patrick J. Whelan Journa...

2025-10-2913 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Pharmacological modulation of the M-current shapes locomotor function in developing zebrafishIn this episode, coauthors Stephanie Gaudreau and Tuan Bui discuss their recently published research, “Pharmacological modulation of the M-current shapes locomotor function in developing zebrafish.” For the first time, they show that the M-current influences escape responses and swimming in larval zebrafish, with experiments in isolated spinal preparations revealing its presence in spinal circuits. Pharmacological modulation of the M-current shapes locomotor function in developing zebrafish Stephanie F. Gaudreau and Tuan V. Bui Journal of Neurophysiology 2025 133:6, 1795-1806

2025-10-0309 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Legacy of Dr. Joseph Erlanger: A Conversation with Dorothy Erlanger and Dr. Nino Ramirez In our latest episode, Journal of Neurophysiology Editor-in-Chief Dr. Nino Ramirez discusses the life and scientific legacy of Dr. Joseph Erlanger with Dr. Erlanger’s granddaughter, Dorothy Erlanger. While the world knows Dr. Joseph Erlanger as a scientific pioneer in the fields of neuroscience and cardiovascular science, Dorothy Erlanger remembers her grandfather as a humble person who enjoyed weekly dinners and playing cards with his family. His work as an experimental pioneer led Dr. Erlanger, along with his collaborator Dr. Herbert Gasser, to be the first to visualize an action potential with the cathode-ray oscilloscope. This discovery led to Dr...

2025-09-1234 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Higher hyperpolarization activated current (Ih) in a subpopulation of interneurons in stratum oriens of area CA1 in the hippocampus of Fragile X miceIn this episode, coauthor Lauren Hewitt discusses her recently published study, “Higher hyperpolarization activated current (Ih) in a subpopulation of interneurons in stratum oriens of area CA1 in the hippocampus of Fragile X mice.” The research examines how inhibitory interneurons are altered in a fragile X mouse model, revealing that increased Ih current reduces the excitability of a specific interneuron subtype. These findings highlight how changes in voltage-gated ion channel function can disrupt the brain’s excitatory/inhibitory balance, offering new insights into circuit dysfunction in fragile X syndrome. Higher hyperpolarization-activated current in a subpopulation of inte...

2025-09-0306 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Emerging evidence on the effects of electrode arrangements and other parameters on the application of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulationIn this episode of the Journal of Neurophysiology’s podcast series, coauthor Andrea Gigliotti discusses the newly published review, “Emerging evidence on the effects of electrode arrangements and other parameters on the application of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation.” Gigliotti explains how computer simulations are helping researchers understand the role of electrode placement, polarity, and tissue properties in shaping tsDCS outcomes. He also describes why dosage may matter less than previously thought and what future trials should consider to make tsDCS more effective in both research and clinical settings. Emerging evidence on the effects of electro...

2025-08-2205 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Motor Unit Firing Rates During Arm Cycling vs. Isometric ContractionsIn this episode, coauthor Daniel C. Basile discusses the team’s newly published research, "Investigating motor unit firing rates during arm cycling compared with intensity-matched isometric contractions in humans." Until now, motor unit firing rates (MUFRs) during upper-limb locomotor tasks had not been recorded in humans, leaving gaps in our understanding of how motor units behave during dynamic, CPG-mediated activity. Using indwelling fine-wire electrodes, the study reveals that MUFRs are significantly higher during arm cycling compared to isometric contractions, pointing to distinct neural control strategies between these movement types. Tune in to explore the implications for motor control and re...

2025-07-2907 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Alpha Rhythms and Occluded Motion in Natural ScenesIn this episode, coauthors Lu-Chun Yeh and Daniel Kaiser discuss their recently published Short Report, "Cortical alpha rhythms interpolate occluded motion from natural scene context." When objects or people become temporarily hidden from view, our brains rely on environmental cues to predict their motion. This study shows that cortical alpha oscillations play a key role in this process, tracking not only visible movement but also anticipating whether motion continues or stops based on obstacles in the scene. Tune in to learn how these brain rhythms help us fill in the blanks of dynamic, real-world perception. Cortical a...

2025-07-2905 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Uncovering Perceptual Templates with Natural StatisticsIn this episode of the Journal of Neurophysiology’s podcast series, coauthor Lorenzo Landolfi joins us to discuss the newly published research titled "Reverse correlation of natural statistics for ecologically relevant characterization of human perceptual templates." Reverse correlation remains a cornerstone technique for probing neuronal and perceptual receptive fields, yet its application to naturalistic behavior is complicated by the complex structure of real-world stimuli. While advances in accounting for natural statistics have shown promise in neuronal studies, their relevance to human perception has remained uncertain—until now. Landolfi explains how these methods can be extended to psychophysical settings, the impo...

2025-07-2905 min

Journal of Neurophysiology H-Reflex as a Biomarker: Insights from ALS ResearchIn this episode of the Journal of Neurophysiology’s podcast series, coauthor Véronique Marchand-Pauvert discusses key findings from the team's published study, "Synaptic dynamics linked to widespread elevation of H-reflex before peripheral denervation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis." The episode explores how an increased H-reflex—observed even without clear evidence of peripheral denervation—may reflect early synaptic changes in ALS. Marchand-Pauvert explains how this phenomenon appears widespread across different onset sites and may result from reduced inhibitory control over Ia afferent-motoneuron transmission. While its association with exaggerated reflexes and spasticity may limit diagnostic specificity, the H-reflex’s measurable nature makes it...

2025-07-0307 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Uncovering a New Aβ Receptor: A Key to Controlling Neuronal Hyperactivity in Alzheimer’s DiseaseIn this episode of the Journal of Neurophysiology's podcast series, we spotlight the research titled “Discovery of the Aβ receptor that controls the voltage-gated sodium channel activity: unraveling mechanisms underlying neuronal hyperexcitability.” Alzheimer’s disease is well known for memory loss and cognitive decline—but behind these symptoms lies a web of complex neuronal dysfunction. This study reveals that amyloid beta peptides (Aβs), known to enhance sodium channel activity and drive hyperexcitability, exert their effects via an unexpected molecular player: the type I taste receptor, T1R2/T1R3. Using advanced patch-clamp techniques, the researcher...

2025-07-0310 min

Journal of Neurophysiology How Visual Feedback Shapes Muscle Control: Insights from Potentiation ResearchIn this episode, lead author Alexander M. Zero highlights their newly published research, “Without visual feedback voluntary torque is overestimated during muscle potentiation despite similar motor unit firing rate and perception of exertion.” Alexander Zero breaks down their findings on how visual feedback — or the lack of it — influences voluntary torque control during muscle potentiation. Despite changes in muscle state, the study reveals that motor unit firing rates and perceived exertion remain consistent without visual cues. This suggests that the nervous system adjusts motor output not through peripheral feedback, but through central mechanisms influenced by perception. Tune i...

2025-07-0306 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Exploring Angiogenesis and Cerebral Blood Flow in Early Alzheimer’s DiseaseIn this episode, coauthors Dr. Bing Xin Song and Dr. Krista L. Lanctôt give a snapshot of their recently published manuscript, "Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Early Alzheimer’s Disease." Building on past in vitro and in vivo studies, their work highlights a compelling link between angiogenesis and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in individuals with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Using a combination of neuroimaging and neurophysiology techniques, the study reveals a significant association between circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and regional CBF. Vascular endothelial growth factor and regional cerebral blood f...

2025-07-0303 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Aging, Force, and Feedback: Rethinking Proprioception Through Motor Unit InsightsIn this episode, coauthor Mélanie Henry highlights the findings of the newly published study, “Influence of Age and Feedback Modality on the Proprioceptive Sense of Force: Insights from Motor Unit Recordings.” She discusses how different types of feedback—auditory vs. visual—affect force-reproduction accuracy across age groups. Surprisingly, middle-aged and older adults performed better with auditory feedback, an improvement linked to increased motor unit coherence in the beta band. Tune in to explore how aging influences proprioception, how the brain adapts to different sensory inputs, and what this means for motor control and rehabilitation strategies. Influence o...

2025-05-1506 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Unlocking the Spine: Exploring the Neurophysiology of Dry NeedlingIn this episode, coauthor Gretchen Seif discusses her recently published study, “Neurophysiological Effects of Latent Trigger Point Dry Needling on Spinal Reflexes.” Dive into the fascinating world of deep dry needling (DDN) as she highlights its impact on spinal reflexes in the triceps surae. Dr. Seif breaks down the study's key findings—including unchanged H reflex responses and increased soleus inhibition immediately and 72 hours post-DDN—along with the observed gains in ankle range of motion. Learn how these differential effects on excitatory and inhibitory reflexes reveal the complex spinal-level mechanisms of DDN and what it could mean for clinical practice...

2025-05-1506 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Podcasts: Unlocking Insulin's Mechanism: Activation of Parasympathetic Hepatic Neurons via mTOR SignalingIn this episode, coauthor Karoline Martins dos Santos discusses the recently published research, "Insulin activates parasympathetic hepatic-related neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus through mTOR signaling." The study investigates the complex role of insulin in regulating hepatic glucose production, focusing on how insulin influences specific brain regions. While it's known that insulin reduces liver glucose production, the precise mechanisms and brain areas involved have remained unclear. Dr. Martins dos Santos explains how insulin activates parasympathetic hepatic-related neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVNhepatic) and how this process relies on mTOR signaling. Insulin activates parasympathetic hepatic-related ne...

2025-03-0708 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Podcasts: Decoding Motor Control - Estimating Descending Activation in Fast and Slow MovementsIn this episode, coauthor Lei Zhang explores the research titled "Estimating descending activation patterns from EMG in fast and slow movements using a model of the stretch reflex." Lei introduces a novel method that directly estimates descending activation from electromyographic (EMG) signals and arm kinematics by inverting a model of the spinal stretch reflex—without relying on muscle models or an arm dynamics model. This innovative approach uncovers how movement speed influences the time structure of descending activation, while also highlighting the crucial role of the spinal stretch reflex in movement generation. Estimating descending activation patterns from...

2025-03-0705 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Podcasts: The Power of Light Touch: How Fingertip Contact Modulates Balance and Vestibular ResponsesIn this episode, coauthor Megan Goar discusses the recently published research titled "Light touch alters vestibular-evoked balance responses: insights into dynamics of sensorimotor reweighting." The research uncovers how minimal fingertip contact (light touch) during balance tasks can reduce the impact of electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS) on body sway. Not only does this touch alter sway magnitude, but it also reveals a high-frequency center of pressure element, tied to vestibular inputs, that is typically unseen in free-standing postures. Ms. Goar explains how these findings highlight the central nervous system’s remarkable ability to adaptively reweight sensorimotor processes to optimize balance co...

2025-03-0710 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Podcasts: Improving localization and measurements of M-waves using high-density surface electromyographyIn this episode, coauthor Ernesto Bedoy discusses their recently published research, "Improving Localization and Measurements of M-Waves Using High-Density Surface Electromyography." The study presents an innovative approach to enhancing the measurement of evoked potentials through high-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG). By incorporating spatial filters and ultrasound imaging, the research significantly improves the precision and localization of evoked potentials, providing a more accurate method for assessing motor pathway integrity. These advancements hold promise for developing better tools to detect and treat neurological deficits, offering a significant contribution to the field of neurophysiological research. Improving localization and measurements of M-w...

2025-02-1406 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Podcasts: Hypercapnia elicits changes in diaphragm neuromotor controlIn this episode, coauthor Obaid U. Khurram discusses their recently published research, "Hypercapnia Impacts Neural Drive and Timing of Diaphragm Neuromotor Control." The study explores the complex neuromotor control of the diaphragm muscle (DIAm) under hypercapnic conditions, an area that has not been fully understood. Dr. Khurram explains how hypercapnia increases motor unit recruitment and discharge rates, indicating an enhanced respiratory drive. The research also reveals how hypercapnia affects the postinspiratory (descending) ramp of diaphragm EMG activity, shortening it to facilitate faster respiratory rates. Tune in for valuable insights into the physiological mechanisms of diaphragm function and adaptation in...

2025-02-1410 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Flexion reflexes during transspinal stimulationIn this episode, coauthors Maria Knikou and Abdullah M. Sayed Ahmad discuss their research on "Transspinal stimulation downregulates flexion reflex pathways during walking in healthy humans." The study investigates how transspinal stimulation over the thoracolumbar region affects reflex pathways during walking, revealing its ability to suppress the tibialis anterior flexion reflex at varying frequencies (15, 30, and 50 Hz). Transspinal stimulation downregulates flexion reflex pathways during walking in healthy humans Maria Knikou and Abdullah M. Sayed Ahmad Journal of Neurophysiology 2025 133:2, 530-538

2025-01-3104 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Impact of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on axonal function in diabetic peripheral neuropathyIn this episode, coauthor Arun V. Krishnan highlights the article titled "Impact of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on axonal function in diabetic peripheral neuropathy." Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is known to be relentlessly progressive and irreversible. Prospective studies in 24 participants with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) demonstrated improvements in clinical neuropathy scores, nerve conduction studies, and axonal excitability recordings. Analysis of axonal excitability recordings revealed the mechanism for GLP-1RA improvement in DPN were changed consistent with improvements in Na+/K+–ATPase pump function, and this was supported by mathematical modeling. ...

2025-01-3107 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Uncovering Balance Control from Foot ForceJoin coauthors Rika Dimitrova and Kaymie Shiozawa in this podcast where they dive deep into their research on human balance control. In this episode, they explore the insights of three papers: "Frequency-domain patterns in foot-force line-of-action: an emergent property of standing balance control," "Human foot force suggests different balance control between younger and older adults," and "Human foot force informs balance control strategies when standing on a narrow beam." Their work uncovers a novel, closed-form analytical result that links the frequency-domain patterns of foot force to the body’s neuromotor control during quiet standing. The podcast delves in...

2025-01-3107 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Exploring Amiloride's Impact on Baroreflex Sensitivity and Blood Pressure Variability in Healthy Young AdultsIn this episode of the Journal of Neurophysiology's Podcast Series, coauthor Igor A. Fernandes discusses the research titled "Does a Single Oral Administration of Amiloride Affect Spontaneous Arterial Baroreflex Sensitivity and Blood Pressure Variability in Healthy Young Adults?" This study builds on preclinical models that suggest amiloride (AMD), a nonselective antagonist of acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), may impair baroreflex sensitivity and disrupt blood pressure regulation. Igor explains how the research team translated these findings to human subjects, investigating the effects of acute oral ingestion of AMD on blood pressure variability and baroreflex sensitivity in healthy young adults. Surprisingly, the study fou...

2025-01-0905 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Enhancing Balance: How Ballet Practice Boosts Neuromuscular and Biomechanical Responses to Slips in Older AdultsIn this episode of the Journal of Neurophysiology's Podcast Series, coauthor Caroline Simpkins discusses the research titled "Ballet Practice Improves Neuromuscular and Biomechanical Responses to an Unexpected Standing-Slip in Older Adults." This study is the first to examine how older ballet dancers respond to an unexpected external slip while standing. Caroline shares fascinating findings that reveal how older ballet dancers have a reduced fall risk compared to their nondancer peers. This improved stability is attributed to quicker neuromuscular reactions, allowing dancers to execute a more effective recovery step and maintain greater balance against backward falls. Tune in to learn how ba...

2025-01-0907 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Reflex interactions on action potential subpopulationsIn this episode of the Journal of Neurophysiology's Podcast Series, coauthor Natasha G. Boyes delves into her recently published research, "Interaction of Simultaneous Hypoxia and Baroreflex Loading on Control of Sympathetic Action Potential Subpopulations." This study explores the complex interaction between baroreflex loading and peripheral chemoreflex activation in regulating the sympathetic nervous system. Dr. Boyes explains how chemoreflex activation buffers baroreflex-induced reductions in sympathetic activity and reveals that baroreflex loading significantly alters sympathetic action potential clusters, even in the presence of chemoreflex signals. Tune in to hear how this research provides new insights into the dominant role of the arterial ba...

2025-01-0906 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Bidirectional Generative Adversarial Representation Learning for Natural Stimulus SynthesisIn this episode, coauthors Andriy S. Kozlov, Johnny Reilly, and John D. Goodwin discuss their recently published research titled "Bidirectional Generative Adversarial Representation Learning for Natural Stimulus Synthesis." The authors introduce a groundbreaking artificial neural network that generates animal vocalization waveforms and interpolates between them to create new, realistic vocalizations. The team shares how their synthetic stimuli drive auditory cortical neurons in mice just as effectively as natural vocalizations, producing receptive field features with equal predictive power. Tune in as Andriy, Johnny, and John explain the significance of their findings and the potential implications of this innovative technology for...

2024-11-2509 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Locomotor Learning in Chronic Hemiparetic Stroke In this episode, coauthor Jonathan M. Wood provides an in-depth overview of the recently published research titled "Explicit and Implicit Locomotor Learning in Individuals with Chronic Hemiparetic Stroke." The study explores how motor learning, which involves both implicit and explicit processes, is affected in individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke. These two types of learning, which typically work together in daily life and rehabilitation, may be disrupted after a stroke. Using a locomotor task designed to isolate contributions from both processes, alongside computational modeling, the research reveals that chronic stroke leads to deficits in both explicit and implicit locomotor learning. Join...

2024-11-2507 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Saccadic Suppression of Color and LuminanceIn this JNP MicroPodcast, Yuan Zhang highlights the recently published research titled "The Execution of Saccadic Eye Movements Suppresses Visual Processing of Both Color and Luminance in the Early Visual Cortex of Humans." The study reveals how saccadic eye movements—rapid shifts in eye position—suppress the processing of both luminance and chromatic stimuli in the early visual cortex. Yuan breaks down how the research uses a contrast response model to show that saccades reduce response gain, rather than altering contrast gain, pointing to a multiplicative mechanism that affects both the parvocellular and magnocellular pathways. Tune in for a conc...

2024-11-2505 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Electroacupuncture and heart rate: autonomic nervous systemIn this episode of the JNP Micro Podcast series, coauthor Yiwei D. Gong sheds light on their Editorial Focus regarding the research titled "Dorsomedial Hypothalamus-Raphe Pallidus-Cardiac Sympathetic Pathway Mediates Electroacupuncture Intervention of Stress-Induced Tachycardia" by Wang et al. This important study addresses the management of chronic stress—an area with significant treatment gaps that can contribute to tachycardia. Yiwei discusses how lifestyle therapies like meditation, physical activity, and neurostimulation through electroacupuncture can help manage prodromal symptoms and reduce elevated sympathetic tone. By confirming the effects of electroacupuncture on heart rate in humans, this research holds potential clinical relevance for pre...

2024-11-0110 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Working memory constraints for visuomotor retrieval strategiesJoin coauthor Carlos A. Velázquez-Vargas in this insightful episode as he delves into the research titled "Working Memory Constraints for Visuomotor Retrieval Strategies." Discover how humans adapt to feedback perturbations in various visuomotor rotation tasks by tapping into their working memory for successful solutions. Carlos explains the use of a Bayesian latent-mixture model to uncover the impact of guessing and low-precision memories on performance as the number of memorized solutions increases. Tune in to learn how extended practice can help overcome these constraints by enhancing long-term memory retrieval, paving the way for improved visuomotor skills. Wor...

2024-10-1408 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Striatopallidal synaptic currentsIn this episode, coauthor James A. Jones dives into the study titled "Comparison of unitary synaptic currents generated by indirect and direct pathway neurons of the mouse striatum." This research is notable as it’s the first to examine synaptic currents from single identified direct and indirect pathway striatal neurons targeting individual globus pallidus externus (GPe) neurons. Jones highlights how each GPe neuron integrates inputs from both pathways, revealing that while most striatal neurons generate relatively small synaptic currents, a subset is powerful enough to make a significant impact on GPe activity. This finding underscores the collective in...

2024-09-2710 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Beadex is required in NeuronsIn this podcast coauthor Kripa Chitre discusses the recently published article titled "Beadex, the Drosophila LIM only protein, is required for the growth of the larval neuromuscular junction." A novel role for Beadex (Bx) regulates the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) structure and function in a tissue-specific manner. Bx is expressed in a subset of Toll-6-expressing neurons and is involved in regulating synaptic span and physiology, possibly through its negative interaction with Highwire (Hiw). The findings of this study provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying NMJ development and function and warrant further investigation to understand the role of B...

2024-09-2006 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Rejuvenating silicon probes for acute neurophysiologyIn this podcast, coauthor Alden Shoup dives into the methods and resources outlined in their paper "Rejuvenating silicon probes for acute neurophysiology." Discover how they are tackling the issue of degraded probe performance and providing a solution to extend their lifespan. Article Citation: Rejuvenating silicon probes for acute neurophysiology Alden M. Shoup, Natasha Porwal, Mohammad Amin Fakharian, Paul Hage, Simon P. Orozco, and Reza Shadmehr Journal of Neurophysiology 2024 132:1, 308-315

2024-09-1305 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: The Multisensory and Multidimensional Nature of Object RepresentationIn this podcast, author Hellen Kyler delves into her mini-review article on the multisensory and multidimensional nature of object representation. Explore the fascinating findings from fMRI experiments and the impact of 2-D vs. 3-D objects on neural activation and behavior. Article Citation: The multisensory and multidimensional nature of object representation Hellen Kyler Journal of Neurophysiology 2024 132:1, 130-133

2024-09-0607 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcast: Onion Skin or AHP firing scheme?In this podcast, coauthor Mohamed H. Mousa highlights the newly published research titled "Onion skin is not a universal firing pattern for spinal motoneurons: simulation study." The study reports two contrasting schemes, namely the "onion skin" and the "AHP" regarding the relationship between MUs firing rates and recruitment order. Previous studies have examined these schemes phenomenologically, imposing one scheme on the firing-recruitment relationship. Here, the authors employed a high-fidelity computational model that prioritizes biological fidelity and heterogeneity to investigate motoneuron firing schemes without bias towards either scheme. Their objective findings offer an explanation for the longstanding dichotomy on MU...

2024-08-2306 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcast: Switching Neuron Contributions to Second NetworkIn this episode, coauthor Savanna-Rae H. Fahoum dives into her recent research, shedding light on "Switching Neuron Contributions to Second Network Activity" and "Neuropeptide Modulation of Bidirectional Internetwork Synapses." Collaborating with Dawn M. Blitz, they utilize rhythmic neuronal networks in crabs as a model to explore the complex interactions between these networks and neurons capable of switching their network participation. Their findings reveal that when a neuron transitions into dual-network activity, only the second network influences its activity within that context. Furthermore, while the switching neuron can effectively coordinate second network neurons and regulate their activity levels, it's not...

2024-05-2309 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcast: Pontine Reticular Nuclei Scales with Handgrip ForceIn this episode, Justin W. Andrushko discusses the recently published research titled "Activity in the pontine reticular nuclei scales with handgrip force in humans." In this study, the authors used a task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm to show that activity in the pontine reticular nuclei scales linearly with increasing force during a handgrip task. These findings directly support recently proposed hypotheses that the reticulospinal tract may play an important role in modulating force production in humans. Article Citation: Activity in the pontine reticular nuclei scales with handgrip force in humans Tyler L. D...

2024-04-2604 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission in the Kölliker-Fuse of Rett Syndrome miceIn this episode of JNP's micro podcasts, Jessica R. Whitaker-Fornek of the University of Michigan Medical School discusses the recently published research titled "Inhibitory synaptic transmission is impaired in the Kölliker-Fuse of male, but not female, Rett syndrome mice." NEW & NOTEWORTHY Kölliker-Fuse (KF) neurons in acute brain slices from male Rett syndrome (RTT) mice receive reduced inhibitory synaptic inputs compared with wild-type littermates. In female RTT mice, inhibitory transmission was not different in KF neurons compared with controls. The results from this study show that sex-specific alterations in synaptic transmission occur in the KF of RTT...

2024-03-1109 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Game-based Rotational Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex AdaptationIn this episode Mark F. Walker of Case Western Reserve University, discusses the recently published research titled "Short-term learning of the vestibulo-ocular reflex induced by a custom interactive computer game." NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates the feasibility and efficacy of a customized computer game to induce motor learning in the high-frequency rotational vestibulo-ocular reflex. It provides a physiological basis for the deployment of this technology to clinical vestibular rehabilitation. Article Citation: Short-term learning of the vestibulo-ocular reflex induced by a custom interactive computer game Qi Li, Honglu Xu, Weicong Chen, Andrew...

2024-02-0905 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Visual Strategy and Force-Steadiness in Older AdultsIn this podcast Brittany Heintz Walters of Seattle University discusses the recently published research titled "Visual feedback and declines in attention are associated with altered visual strategy during a force-steadiness task in older adults." NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study contributes novel findings of age-related changes in visual strategy and associations with attentional deficits during hand motor tasks. Older adults used fewer saccades than young adults and with higher versus lower gain visual feedback during a force-steadiness task. A subset of older adults used an altered visual strategy when allocating attention across multiple tasks. Given that this sub...

2024-02-0209 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Aging and Subcortical Gray Matter VolumeIn this podcast Dr. Peka Christova of The Neuroimaging Research Group, Brain Sciences Center discusses the recently published Short Report titled "Changes of gray matter volumes of subcortical regions across the lifespan: a Human Connectome Project study." NEW & NOTEWORTHY Christova et al. report mixed effects of age on subcortical grey matter volume (GMV) during lifespan (n = 2458, 5-90 yr old, 1113 male, 1345 female). Striatal and cerebellar GMVs decreased linearly with age, more steeply in males. In contrast, GMVs of the amygdala, pallidum, thalamus, ventral diencephalon, and brainstem changed in a quadratic fashion, increasing first and decreasing afterward, with males p...

2024-01-2307 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Modulation of corticospinal excitability during vibrationIn this episode, Lydiane Lauzier of Université du Québec à Chicoutimi discusses the recently published article “Variation of corticospinal excitability during kinesthetic illusion induced by musculotendinous vibration.” New and Noteworthy: The modulation of corticospinal excitability when perceiving a vibration (VIB)-induced kinesthetic illusion evolves dynamically over time. This modulation might be linked to the delayed occurrence and progressive increase in strength of the illusory perception in the first seconds after VIB start. Different spinal/cortical mechanisms could be at play during VIB, depending on the tested muscle, presence/absence of an illusion, and the speci...

2023-12-2005 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Robust Aggregate Code of Competing Sounds in Auditory CortexIn this podcast, author Jian Carlo Nocon (Boston University) discusses the recently published research titled "A robust and compact population code for competing sounds in auditory cortex." NEW & NOTEWORTHY Little is known about how populations of neurons within cortical circuits encode sensory stimuli in the presence of competing stimuli at other spatial locations. Here, the authors investigate this problem in auditory cortex using a recently proposed information-theoretic approach. They found a small subset of neurons nearly maximizes information about target sounds in the presence of competing maskers, approaching information levels for isolated stimuli, and...

2023-12-1307 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Essential Tremor accentuates upper limb coherence patternsIn this podcast coauthor Daniel Free of Brigham Young University talks about the recently published article titled “Essential tremor accentuates the pattern of tremor-band coherence between upper limb muscles.” NEW & NOTEWORTHY This research characterized the relationships in tremor-band activity between the 15 major superficial upper limb muscles of persons with essential tremor by quantifying the proportion of shared activity (coherence) in the tremor band and by characterizing phase differences between these muscles during various tasks. From the authors observations, they conclude that tremor enhances the coherence between muscle pairs throughout the upper limb in a pattern that...

2023-11-1707 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Task-dependent negotiations of bimanual coordinationIn this podcast Nick Kitchen and Jisung Yuk of Pennsylvania State University discuss the recently published manuscript “Bilateral arm movements are coordinated via task-dependent negotiations between independent and codependent control, but not by a “coupling” control policy.” NEW & NOTEWORTHY Minimization of performance and control costs and efferent coupling between bilaterally homologous muscle groups have been separately hypothesized to describe patterns of bimanual coordination. Here, we address whether the mechanisms mediating independent and codependent control between limbs can be weighted for successful task performance. Using bilaterally asymmetric visuomotor gain perturbations, we show bimanual coordination can be characteri...

2023-11-0309 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Otolith-ocular reflex after ototoxicity & vestibular implantMargaret Chow and Celia Fernandez Brillet of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine discuss the recently published manuscript titled "Binocular 3-D otolith-ocular reflexes: responses of chinchillas to natural and prosthetic stimulation after ototoxic injury and vestibular implantation." NEW & NOTEWORTHY Previous studies to expand the scope of prosthetic stimulation of the otolith end organs showed that selective stimulation of the utricle and saccule is possible. This article further defines those possibilities by characterizing a diseased animal model and subsequently studying its responses to electrical stimulation alone and in combination with mechanical motion. We show that we can pa...

2023-10-3007 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts: Acetylcholine receptor and persistent currentIn this paper first author Kelly H. Lee, and Alex Prosserman, an expert in the field discuss the recently published article titled “Cholinergic depolarization recruits a persistent Ca2+ current in Aplysia bag cell neurons.” NEW & NOTEWORTHY Ionotropic acetylcholine receptors mediate brief synaptic communication, including in bag cell neurons of the sea snail Aplysia. However, this study demonstrates that cholinergic depolarization can open a voltage-gated persistent Ca2+ current, which extends the bag cell neuron response to acetylcholine. Bursting in these neuroendocrine cells results in hormone release and egg laying. Thus, this emphasizes the role of ionotropic signaling...

2023-10-1609 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Elijah Haynes, Jennifer Jakobi, and Jayne KalmarIn this podcast Dr. Elijah Haynes and Dr. Jennifer Jakobi of the University of British Columbia Okanagan, and Dr. Jayne Kalmar of the Wilfrid Laurier University discuss the recently published Systematic Review titled “A systematic review of how cannabinoids affect motoneuron output.” This scoping review involved the synthesis of evidence from literature published before August 2022 about the effects of cannabinoids on quantifiable measures of motoneuron output. It contributes to understanding the effects of endocannabinoids on synaptic integration at the motoneuron and modulation of motor output. Article Citation: A systematic review of how cannabinoids affect...

2023-10-1010 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Alexander M. ZeroIn this podcast co lead author Alexander M. Zero of The University of Western Ontario discusses the recently published research titled "Motor unit firing rates in young and very old adult males during an isokinetic fatiguing task and short-term recovery in the anconeus muscle." NEW & NOTEWORTHY Maximal motor unit firing rates were recorded during an isokinetic fatiguing protocol and short-term recovery in young and very old adult males. Prior studies were limited to isometric fatiguing tasks. Despite the old being ∼37% weaker and less fatigable, anconeus rates during elbow extension declined with fatigue and recovered similarly to y...

2023-09-1505 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Robert KassIn this podcast Robert E. Kass of Carnegie Mellon University discusses the recently published review article titled "Identification of interacting neural populations: methods and statistical considerations." Abstract: As improved recording technologies have created new opportunities for neurophysiological investigation, emphasis has shifted from individual neurons to multiple populations that form circuits, and it has become important to provide evidence of cross-population coordinated activity. We review various methods for doing so, placing them in six major categories while avoiding technical descriptions and instead focusing on high-level motivations and concerns. Our aim is to indicate what the methods ca...

2023-09-0805 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Xiaoxuan Ren, Ilhan Bok, Adam Vareberg, and Aviad HaiIn this podcast Xiaoxuan Ren, Ilhan Bok, Adam Vareberg, and Prof. Aviad Hai of the University of Wisconsin-Madison discuss their recently published Innovative Methodology titled "Stimulation-mediated reverse engineering of silent neural networks." NEW & NOTEWORTHY We introduce a new concept for reverse engineering silent neuronal networks using a supervised learning algorithm combined with stimulation. We quantify the performance of the algorithm and the precision of deriving synaptic weights in inhibitory and excitatory subpopulations. We then show that stimulation enables deciphering connectivity of heterogeneous circuits fed with real electrode array recordings, which could extend in the future to...

2023-09-0106 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Apostolos P. GeorgopoulosIn our latest podcast Prof. Apostolos P. Georgopoulos discusses recently published Short Report titled "Changes of cortical gray matter volume during development: a Human Connectome Project study." NEW & NOTEWORTHY We report mixed effects of age on cortical gray matter volume during development in a large sample of 649 participants studied in an identical manner (6–21 yr old, 299 males, 350 females). Volumes of 30/35 cortical areas decreased with age, temporal pole increased, and pericalcarine and hippocampal cortex (hippocampus, parahippocampal, and entorhinal) did not change. These findings were very similar in both sexes and provide a solid base for assessing region-specific corti...

2023-08-2510 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Todd P. SilversteinIn this podcast Dr. Todd Silverstein of Willamette University discusses his recently published review titled "Lee’s “Transmembrane Electrostatically-Localized Proton” model does NOT offer a better understanding of neuronal transmembrane potentials." NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this manuscript I critique a 2020 J. Neurophysiol. paper by James W. Lee. His TELP hypothesis 1) mispredicts the resting neuron’s excess of external chloride; 2) predicts the preponderance of surface H+ over Na+ using ΔG° rather than ΔG; 3) mispredicts the dependence of the neuronal resting potential on external [Na+], [K+], and [Cl−]; 4) neither cites experimental results nor proposes experiments to test his hypothesis; and 5) prese...

2023-08-2505 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Mitchell Adrien St. Pierre and Minoru ShinoharaIn this micro podcast Mitchell Adrien St. Pierre and Minoru Shinohara of the Georgia Institute of Technology discuss their recently published manuscript "Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation at nonspecific timings during training can compromise motor adaptation in healthy humans." NEW & NOTEWORTHY Adding vagus nerve stimulation via implanted electrodes during motor training can facilitate motor recovery in disabled animals and humans. No study examined the effect of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) during training on neuromotor adaptation in healthy humans. We have found that adding tVNS at nonspecific timings during motor skill training can compromise motor adaptation but...

2023-08-1107 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Tea Lulic-Kuryllo and David B. LippsIn this micro podcast Dr. Tea Lulic-Kuryllo and Dr. David Lipps of the University of Michigan discuss their recently published research titled "Assessing shoulder muscle stretch reflexes following breast cancer treatment and postmastectomy breast reconstruction." NEW & NOTEWORTHY Shoulder muscle stretch reflexes may be impacted following postmastectomy breast reconstruction and chemoradiation. Here, we examined short- and long-latency shoulder muscle stretch reflexes in two experiments following common breast reconstruction procedures and chemoradiation. We show impairments in pectoralis major stretch reflexes following postmastectomy breast reconstruction and pectoralis major and deltoid muscle stretch reflexes following chemoradiation. These findings indicate th...

2023-08-0709 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Aiko Thompson and Alan PhippsIn this podcast Aiko Thompson and Alan Phipps of the Medical University of South Carolina talk about their recently published manuscript titled "Altered cutaneous reflexes to non-noxious stimuli in the triceps surae of people with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury" NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study examined modulation of the triceps surae cutaneous reflexes during standing and walking and the relationship between cutaneous and H-reflexes in people with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). In people with SCI, the normal task-dependent, nerve-specific modulation of triceps cutaneous reflexes was missing. Cutaneous and H-reflexes were not correlated. Together with ot...

2023-07-2809 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Johannes Keyser, and Leonie Oostwoud WijdenesIn this podcast Johannes Keyser (Justus Liebig University Giessen) and Leonie Oostwoud Wijdenes (Radboud University Nijmegen) talk about their recently published research "Late integration of vision and proprioception during perturbed reaches." NEW & NOTEWORTHY Both visual and proprioceptive signals provide information about arm state during reaching. By perturbing the perceived, but not the actual, position of the hand in both modalities using visual disturbances and muscle vibration, we examined multimodal integration and state estimation during reaching. Our results suggest that the early reach corrections are based on separate state estimates from the two sensory modalities and onl...

2023-07-1707 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Adalee J. Lube, and Bruce A. CarlsonAdalee J. Lube and Bruce Carlson of Washington University in St. Louis discuss their recently published manuscript "Spike timing-dependent plasticity alters electrosensory neuron synaptic strength in vitro but does not consistently predict changes in sensory tuning in vivo" in our newest micro podcast series. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We replicated behaviorally relevant temporal patterns of synaptic activity in vitro and used the same patterns during sensory stimulation in vivo. There was a Hebbian spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) pattern in vitro, but sensory responses in vivo did not shift according to STDP predictions. Analysis suggests that this disparity is...

2023-07-1304 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Micro Podcasts ”Four Questions”: Jan-Marino (Nino) Ramirez and Nicholas J. BurgraffListen to our new micro podcast series where authors, Nicholas J. Burgraff and Jan-Marino (Nino) Ramirez of the Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute discuss their recently published research "Inspiratory rhythm generation is stabilized by Ih". Follow JNP on Twitter and Facebook Listen to other podcasts produced by the American Physiological Society

2023-06-0909 min

Journal of Neurophysiology The Cortical Evoked Potential Corresponds with Deep Brain Stimulation Efficacy in RatsIn this podcast senior author Prof. Warren Grill of Duke University discusses his published manuscript "The cortical evoked potential corresponds with deep brain stimulation efficacy in rats" with Editor in Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. In this paper the authors characterize a new potential biomarker for deep brain stimulation (DBS), the cortical evoked potential (cEP), and demonstrate that it exhibits a robust correlation with motor behaviors as a function of stimulation frequency. The cEP may thus be a useful clinical biomarker for changes in motor behavior. This work also provides insight into the cortical mechanisms of DBS, suggesting that motor...

2023-03-1349 min

Journal of Neurophysiology How Functional brain states impinge on the fundamental functional organization of the brain in health and diseaseIn this podcast authors Prof. Albrecht Stroh of the University Medical Center and Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research in Mainz and Dr. Miriam Schwalm of Massachusetts Institute of Technology discuss their recently published manuscript Functional States Shape the Spatiotemporal Representation of Local and Cortex-wide Neural Activity in Mouse Sensory Cortex with Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Nino Ramirez. The authors work, which was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Washington, compares the cortical representation of two distinct functional states, based on optical and electrophysiological signals, locally recorded in the primary visual and somatosensory area, and wide-field camera imaging of t...

2023-02-2442 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Covid shows us the importance of smell in cognitive healthIn this podcast, Prof. Leslie Kay of The University of Chicago and Associate Editor for the Journal of Neurophysiology discusses her review article “COVID-19 and olfactory dysfunction: a looming wave of dementia?” with Editor in Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. We find ourselves in the middle of a global “experiment” on the mechanisms of dementia and the relationship between our sense of smell and our ability to think. In many diseases that end in dementia, one of the early signs is olfactory dysfunction, often associated with degeneration in the olfactory bulb. More than 15 million people worldwide experience persistent COVID-19 olfactory changes...

2023-01-2041 min

Journal of Neurophysiology The effects of reward on sequential motor behaviorIn this podcast, senior author Dr. Joseph Galea of the University of Birmingham discusses his recently published manuscript "The dissociable effects of reward on sequential motor behavior" with Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Nino Ramirez. Joseph M. Galea, et al.'s research provides a mechanistic framework for how reward influences motor behavior. Specifically, the authors show that instantaneous improvements in speed and accuracy are driven by reward presented in the form of money, while knowledge of performance through performance feedback leads to training-based improvements. Importantly, combining both maximized performance gains and led to improvements in movement quality through fusion, which describes an o...

2022-11-2159 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Self-Organization of Spinal Monosynaptic and Interneuronal CircuitryIn this podcast coauthors Dr. Jonas M.D. Enander of Lund University and Dr. Gerald E. Loeb of the University of Southern California discuss their companion papers titled “A Model for Self-Organization of Sensorimotor Function: The Spinal Monosynaptic Loop" and "Spinal Interneuronal Integration” with Editor in Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. In the first paper the authors present a model of a simple but biologically realistic musculoskeletal system with spindle primary afferents that become selectively connected to homonymous beta motoneurons as a result of Hebbian adaptation. The second paper models a later stage of spinal cord development in which populations of e...

2022-10-281h 09

Journal of Neurophysiology Sensitivity to change in heartbeats as interoceptive abilityWhat is the nature of autonomic signals and how do they shape introception? This study presents a new method for evaluating cardiac interoceptive ability, measuring sensitivity to naturalistic changes in the number of heartbeats over time periods. The results of this research show participants have an overall tendency towards sensing fewer heartbeats during higher heart rates. This likely reflects the influence of changing heartbeat strength on cardiac interoception at rest, which should be taken into account when evaluating cardiac interoceptive ability and its relationship to anxiety and psychosomatic conditions. Take a listen to this podcast as Dr. Sarah Garfinkel...

2022-07-2337 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Oscillatory entrainment mechanisms and anticipatory predictive processes in children with autism spectrum disorderIn this podcast the authors Dr. Shlomit Beker and Dr. Sophie Molholm of Albert Einstein College of Medicine discuss their recently published manuscript titled “Oscillatory entrainment mechanisms and anticipatory predictive processes in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)” with Editor-in-Chief Prof. Jan-Marino (Nino) Ramirez. In their paper they, along with co-author John Foxe, used EEG and behavior to index predictive processes in children with ASD. A condition in which an auditory target was cued by a rhythmically predictable sequence of visual stimuli was compared to a condition in which the visual cues were absent. Neurophysiological measures of predictive processing, namely...

2022-06-0952 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Forms of explanation and understanding for neuroscience and artificial intelligenceIn this podcast author Dr. Jessica Thompson of the University of Oxford discusses her recently published manuscript titled "Forms of explanation and understanding for neuroscience and artificial intelligence" with Editor-in-Chief Prof. Jan-Marino (Nino) Ramirez and Associate Editor Dr. John W. Krakauer. Much of the controversy evoked by the use of deep neural networks as models of biological neural systems amount to debates over what constitutes scientific progress in neuroscience. In order to discuss what constitutes scientific progress, one must have a goal in mind (progress towards what?). One such long term goal is to produce scientific explanations of intelligent ca...

2022-05-3155 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Temporal Differences between Load and Movement Signal Integration in the Sensorimotor Network of an Insect LegListen as coauthors Dr. Corinna Gebehart and Prof. Ansgar Büschges of the University of Cologne talk about their recently published manuscript "Temporal Differences between Load and Movement Signal Integration in the Sensorimotor Network of an Insect Leg" with Editor-in-Chief Prof. Jan-Marino (Nino) Ramirez. In this podcast the authors discuss temporal differences in the processing of two distinct sensory modalities generated by the sensorimotor network and affecting motor output. The authors found that the reported temporal differences in sensory processing and signal integration improve our understanding of sensory network computation and function in motor control. Cor...

2022-05-0646 min

Journal of Neurophysiology JNP Discusses Experimental Biology 2022 with the Central Nervous System SectionIn our latest podcast Prof. Nino Ramirez discusses Experimental Biology 2022 with Central Nervous System section's, Dr. Janice Urban, Chair of the Steering Committee. Listen now to learn about what is coming up for CNS at Experimental Biology, along with new call for papers the journal will be launching after Experimental Biology. For more information on Experimental Biology 2022 please go to www.experimentalbiology.org . To learn more about the journal and section please go to www.physiology.org. If you are interested in submitting a manuscript and have questions, please email Jami Jones at jjones@physiology.org

2022-03-2821 min

Journal of Neurophysiology New insights into how general anesthetics interfere with memory formationWhat are the most important classes of anesthetics and their use? Do anesthetics affect GABA-A receptor expression or composition? In this podcast author Dr. Robert Pearce of the University of Wisconsin-Madison discusses these questions and more as he goes over his recent research titled “ Hippocampal β2-GABA-A receptors mediate LTP suppression by etomidate and contribute to long-lasting feedback but not feedforward inhibition of pyramidal neurons” with Editor-in-Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. Etomidate exerts its anesthetic actions through GABA-A receptors. But exactly how does this prevent memories from being formed? Here, using a hippocampal brain slice model, Dr. Pearce and his colleagues showed...

2022-03-1139 min

Journal of Neurophysiology The orchestration of the sympathetic responseMost of us have heard about the Flight and Fight response and the activation of the sympathetic system. But, what is often overlooked is the sheer complexity of sympathetic activation as it differentially and specifically modulates different organ systems. Different stressors activate and inhibit specific target organs, including specific muscle groups. Understanding the mechanisms how the central and peripheral nervous system interacts to control such a highly differentiated sympathetic response is challenging and we are just beginning to get a first taste of this fascinating task that our nervous system accomplishes without us being aware of it. Given the...

2022-01-2143 min

Journal of Neurophysiology A Discussion on Postural mechanisms in moderate-to-severe cerebral palsy with Dr. Goodworth and Dr. SaavedraIn this podcast coauthors Dr. Adam Goodworth of Westmont College and Dr. Sandra Saavedra of the University of Hartford discuss their manuscript titled “Postural mechanisms in moderate-to-severe cerebral palsy” with Editor in Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of motor disability in children. People with moderate-to-severe CP are typically non-ambulatory and have major impairments in trunk postural control. Dr. Saavedra has tremendous clinical experience in treating children with CP and shares in this podcast her clinical insights and why she realized how important it is to collaborate with engineers to better help children with...

2022-01-1442 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Event-related synchronization/desynchronization and functional neuroanatomical regions associated with fatigue effects on cognitive flexibilityIn our current society, multimedia use is particularly prevalent. It has become increasingly normal to multitask, which requires cognitive flexibility. How do we focus without getting fatigued at the same time? Would you think that the data on fatigability bears information about possible changes in people with “burnout” or other forms of “fatigue”? What is happening in our brain when we fatigue by pursuing our daily tasks? Author, Professor Christian Beste of Dresden University of Technology discusses these questions and more with Editor in Chief Professor Jan-Marino (Nino) Ramirez in our latest podcast. Cognitive flexibility is an essential prerequisite for goal-d...

2021-12-1449 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Evaluation of force feedback in walking using joint torques as ‘naturalistic‘ stimuliWhat are the common features of force detection in vertebrates, insects and walking machines? Do the sense organs signal different force qualities at different joints? In the podcast coauthors Professor Sasha Zill of Marshall University, Dr. Nicholas Szcecinski of the University of West Virginia and Professor Ansgar Büschges of the University of Cologne join Editor in Chief Professor Nino Ramirez to delve deeper into their manuscript titled “Evaluation of force feedback in walking using joint torques as 'naturalistic' stimuli.” Sensory encoding of forces during walking by campaniform sensilla was characterized in stick insects using waveforms of joint torques calcula...

2021-11-1254 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Taking aim at the perceptual side of motor learning: Exploring how explicit and implicit learning encode perceptual error information through depth visionWhat are the explicit and implicit processes that contribute to motor learning in visuomotor adaptation tasks? In this podcast authors, Prof Jordan Taylor of Princeton University and Dr. Carlo Campagnoli of the University of Leeds discuss their recently published manuscript “Taking aim at the perceptual side of motor learning: Exploring how explicit and implicit learning encode perceptual error information through depth vision” by Campagnoli, et al with Editor in Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. The authors of this manuscript leveraged a classic sensorimotor adaptation task to perform a first systematic assessment of the role of perceptual cues in the estimation of an...

2021-11-0555 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Case Studies in Neuroscience: Neuropathology and diaphragm dysfunction in ventilatory failure from late-onset Pompe diseaseWhat is Pompe disease? What are the current treatment options and their limitations, such as enzyme replacement therapy? What insights can you gain in animal models, and how similar is the disease progression in the mouse vs the human patient? In this podcast authors Dr. Dave Fuller and Dr. Barbara Smith, of the University of Florida, discuss their recently published manuscript with Editor in Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. This case study offered a unique opportunity to investigate longitudinal changes in phrenic neurophysiology in an individual with severe, ventilator-dependent, late-onset Pompe disease. Additional diaphragm and neural tissue histology upon autopsy c...

2021-10-2934 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Cortical compensation for hearing loss, but not age, in neural tracking of the fundamental frequency of the voiceHow do factors like advancing age and hearing loss impact auditory processing in the human brain? In this podcast, author Dr. Jana Van Canneyt of the University of Leuven discusses the recently published manuscript “Cortical compensation for hearing loss, but not age, in neural tracking of the fundamental frequency of the voice” with Editor in Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. Previous studies disagree on the effects of age and hearing loss on the neurophysiological processing of the fundamental frequency of the voice (f0), in part due to confounding effects. Using a novel electrophysiological technique, natural speech stimuli, and controlled study desig...

2021-10-2224 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Increased excitation-inhibition balance and loss of GABAergic synapses in the serine racemase knockout model of NMDA receptor hypofunctionWhat are the neuronal mechanisms that are the neuronal mechanisms implicated in Schizophrenia? Why is the SRKO mouse such a great model? How does it compare to other models of Schizophrenia in general and NMDA hypofunction in particular? In this podcast Editor in Chief Professor Nino Ramirez and author, Dr. John Gray (University of California, Davis) discusses his manuscript titled “Increased excitation-inhibition balance and loss of GABAergic synapses in the serine racemase knockout model of NMDA receptor hypofunction”. Recently, disruption of E/I balance has become an area of considerable interest for psychiatric research. Here, we report a reduction in in...

2021-10-0744 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Distributed Processing of Load and Movement Feedback in the Premotor Network Controlling an Insect Leg JointWhat types of proprioceptors are involved in insect locomotion? Insects have an exoskeleton, mammals have an endoskeleton. What are the implications for proprioception and locomotion in general? What are the advantages of studying proprioception in animals with an exoskeleton? In this podcast, senior author Prof. Ansgar Buschges and first author Ms. Corinna Gebehart address these questions with Editor-in-Chief Prof. Nino Ramirez. They discuss their recently published manuscript, titled "Distributed Processing of Load and Movement Feedback in the Premotor Network Controlling an Insect Leg Joint." Proprioception is crucial for motor control in le...

2021-09-1050 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Encoding of limb state by single neurons in the cuneate nucleus of awake monkeysWhy is it important to study the cuneate nucleus/proprioception in the brain? In this podcast authors, Dr. Lee Miller and Mr. Christopher Versteeg talk with our guest host, Associate Editor Professor Robert Brownstone, about their recently published article on “Encoding of limb state by single neurons in the cuneate nucleus of awake monkeys.” The cuneate nucleus (CN) is the somatosensory gateway into the brain, and only recently has it been possible to record these signals from an awake animal. The authors recorded single CN neurons in monkeys and found proprioceptive CN neurons appear to receive input from very few...

2021-08-2740 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Sodium sensitivity of KNa channels in mouse CA1 neuronsThe Journal of Neurophysiology would like to dedicate the following podcast to Dr. Richard Gray. Dr. Gray passed away at the age of 68 on September 4, 2021. How are potassium channels regulated? How ubiquitous are sodium-dependent potassium channels? In this podcast Editor-in-Chief Professor Nino Ramirez and authors Drs. Richard Gray and Daniel Johnston discuss their manuscript titled “Sodium sensitivity of KNa channels in mouse CA1 neurons.”. In this podcast, the authors discuss KNa channels in mouse hippocampal CA1 neurons. Excised inside-out patches showed the channels to be prevalent and active in most patches. Cell-attached recordings from intact neurons, however, showed...

2021-08-2033 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Compensating for a shifting world: evolving reference frames of visual and auditory signals across three multimodal brain areasAuditory and visual information are processed differently by the brain, especially when it comes to space. In vision, the retina senses the locations of images with respect to where the eyes are pointing. In hearing, the cues our brains use to localize sound tell us where the sound is positioned with respect to the head and ears. How then do we perceive space as unified? In particular, how do our brains compensate for eye movements that constantly shift the relationship of the visual and auditory scenes? In this podcast Editor in Chief Nino Ramirez and author Jennifer Gro...

2021-07-1238 min

Journal of Neurophysiology The Neurocene-Exploring Developments in the Field of NeuroscienceIn this podcast Editor in Chief Nino Ramirez and Associate Editor Prof. John Krakauer discuss JNP’s new manuscript type the Neurocene. The Neurocene is a narrative that explores accelerating developments in the field of neuroscience, placing them in their historical and present context. Authors should provide a personalized and thoughtful viewpoint of a topic that does not seek to either provide definitive proof or a final conclusion. This long-form scientific essay may focus on cultural currents, books and biography, philosophy and the history of science, and on puzzles, paradoxes, and controversies within the field of neuroscience it...

2021-06-1831 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Respiratory effects of low and high doses of fentanyl in control and β-arrestin 2 deficient miceIn this podcast Editor in Chief Nino Ramirez and senior author, Professor Haouzi of Pennsylvania State University discuss the paper titled “Respiratory effects of low and high doses of fentanyl in control and β-arrestin 2 deficient mice”. When life-threatening doses of fentanyl are used in mice, the beta-arrestin2 pathway appears to play a critical role in the recovery from an opioid overdose. This observation calls into question the use of G protein-biased μ-opioid receptor agonists, as a strategy for safer opioid analgesic drugs. Check out the article here: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jn.00711.2020 #neuroscience

2021-06-1140 min

Journal of Neurophysiology The effect of visual uncertainty on implicit motor adaptation What is sensorimotor adaptation? Why do the authors use this term rather than motor learning? What are some of the key features of sensorimotor adaptation, and in particular, why is the focus here on error-based learning? How do the author's results change the way we think about how visual uncertainty impacts adaptation? Out of the University of California, Professor Richard Ivry and JT Tsay discuss their recently published manuscript titled “The effect of visual uncertainty on implicit motor adaptation.” Sensorimotor adaptation is influenced by both the size and variance of error information. In the present study, we varied...

2021-06-0251 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Music-selective neural populations arise without musical trainingWhat features of a sound does the brain perceive as a pitch? What is the role of rhythm in music? In this podcast Dr. Nancy Kanwisher ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and PhD candidate Dana Boebinger (Harvard University) discuss how music-selective neural populations are clearly present in people without musical training, demonstrating that they are a fundamental and widespread property of the human brain. The authors then discuss how music-selective neural populations respond strongly to music from unfamiliar genres as well as music with rhythm but little pitch information, suggesting that they are broadly responsive to music as a whole. ...

2021-05-2540 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Neurovision: Capturing new ideas and experiments in the Journal of NeurophysiologyIn this podcast Editor in Chief Nino Ramirez discusses JNP’s new article type Neurovision with Prof. John Krakauer of Johns Hopkins University and Prof. Reza Shadmehr of Johns Hopkins University. Neurovision articles aim to move science forward and point out bottlenecks in our understanding of the field. They resemble review articles, but with the inclusion of original data. The presence of new original data is meant to inspire new experiments and ideas. These articles will serve as blueprints, and guides for future research. JNP is inviting leading neuroscientists to write articles in this format, which will serve as te...

2021-05-2140 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Spatial receptive field structure of double-opponent cells in macaque V1In this podcast Dr. Greg Horwitz of the University of Washington discuses double-opponent cells in macaque area V1, a class of neurons that respond to spatial chromatic contrast in visual scenes. What information they carry is debated because their receptive field organization has not been characterized thoroughly. Using white noise analysis and statistical model comparisons, De and Horwitz show that many double-opponent receptive fields can be captured by either a Gabor model or a center-with-an-asymmetric-surround model but not by a difference-of-Gaussians model. Read the article here: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jn.00547.2020

2021-05-0750 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Synchronous spiking associated with prefrontal high gamma oscillations evokes a 5 Hz-rhythmic modulation of spiking in locus coeruleusIn this episode Editor in Chief Prof. Ramirez is joined by Prof Stroh of the University of Mainz and Prof. Totah of the University of Helsinki to discus the manuscript titled "Synchronous spiking associated with prefrontal high gamma oscillations evokes a 5 Hz-rhythmic modulation of spiking in locus coeruleus." Prof. Nelson Totah highlights the main conceptual advances in their paper and talks about what motivated them to focus on top down control exerted by PFC on LC. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to control activity in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC). Prior anatomical and prefrontal stimulation studies demonstrated the...

2021-03-1241 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Development and plasticity of complex movement representationsThe topographic organization of skilled movements seem to be particularly plastic. The author describes how they addressed this issue in their study, and what methods they used. The motor cortex is topographically organized into maps of different body parts. We used to think that the function of motor cortex was to drive individual muscles, but more recently we have learned that it is also organized to make complex movements. In this podcast Prof. Cam Teskey of the University of Calgary discuses in detail the emergence and topography of complex movement representation, as well as their plasticity during development. ...

2021-03-0334 min

Journal of Neurophysiology The execution of movement - a spinal affairWhat does it take to recover walking after a spinal cord injury? If you could replicate this supraspinal control – what aspects would you need? In this podcast Prof Sten Grillner talks about the spinal mechanisms that coordinate locomotion and the interaction between the different sensory mechanisms that help coordinate the locomotor movements and the central locomotor network. Sten Grillner https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00656.2020 @neuroscience

2021-02-2646 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Regulation of Vocal Precision by Noradrenergic Modulation of a Motor NucleusIn this podcast, Editor-in-Chief, Nino Ramirez talks with Dr. Marc Schmidt (University of Pennsylvania) about his Research Article which explores recent theories of norepinephrine (NE) function regarding the stimulation of the norepinephrine function that NE can act directly on the motor system to influence the transition between exploratory and exploitative behavioral strategies. Learn how the songbird can act directly on a "cortical" motor area and cause a switch between exploratory and exploitative behavior. Read the article: "Regulation of vocal precision by noradrenergic modulation of a motor nucleus" Marc F Schmidt, Zachary Phillip Sheldon, Christina B. Castel...

2021-02-1635 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Variable but not random: temporal pattern coding in a songbird brain area necessary for song modificationHave you ever wondered how the brain encodes information? How do you crack a code produced within the brain? What are the changes in practicing and performing during development and aging? In this podcast the authors talk about the differences between practice and performance. Be sure to listen to the end for our special guest. S. E. Palmer, B. D. Wright, A. J. Doupe, and M. H. Kao Read the article here: https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00034.2019 @neuroscience

2021-02-1641 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Whole brain mapping of somatosensory responses in awake marmosets investigated with ultra-high field fMRIIn this podcast Editor in Chief Nino Ramirez interviews first author Justine Clery and senior author Stefan Everling about an insightful new Research Article by Clery et al. Learn more about the advantages of the marmosets as a primate model system for studying primate neuroscience. The authors talk about using somatosensory stimulation combined with functional MRI in awake marmosets to reveal the topographic body representation in areas S1, S2, thalamus and putamen. They showed the existence of a body representation organization within the thalamus and the cingulate cortex by computing functional connectivity maps from seeds defined in S1/S2 u...

2021-01-2629 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Online control of reach accuracy in miceHave you ever wondered how the brain controls reaching movements, whether mice can perfect a reaching movement and cease making errors, which would resemble a “hot-hand” a phenomenon that has been proposed and discussed in Basketball. What about perfecting reaching movements in the violin? In this podcast Editor-in-Chief Nino Ramirez talks with Dr. Abby Person (University of Colorado), senior author of the study entitled “online control of reach accuracy in mice”. This study uses statistical machine learning and kinematic characterization to identify the canonical features of reaching movements that are conserved in mice and primates. Read the article here: https...

2020-12-1023 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Estimation of self-sustained activity produced by persistent inward currents using firing rate profiles of multiple motor units in humansIn this podcast, new Editor-in-Chief Nino Ramirez talks with Dr. Monica Gorassini (University of Alberta) about her recent article which employed a "new method of estimating synaptic drive to multiple, simultaneously recorded motor units" in order to explore the contribution of persistent inward currents to self-sustained firing across motoneuron size. This article was also featured in August's issue of APSselect! "Estimation of self-sustained activity produced by persistent inward currents using firing rate profiles of multiple motor units in humans" Babak Afsharipour, Nagib Manzur, Jennifer Duchcherer, Keith F. Fenrich, Christopher K. Thompson, Francesco Negro, Katharina A...

2020-10-1420 min

Journal of Neurophysiology LRRK2 mutation alters behavioral, synaptic, and nonsynaptic adaptations to acute social stressHow does a common Parkinson's Disease-linked mutation affect stress response? In this podcast, Editor-in-Chief Bill Yates talks with Christopher Guevara, Dr. Bridget Matikainen-Ankney, Dr. Deanna Benson, and Dr. George Huntley (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) about their Rapid Report article, which explored this question in a mouse model of the LRRK2-G2019S mutation. Listen to learn about evidence of how "G2019S alters the magnitude and direction of behavioral responses to stress that may reflect unique modifications of adaptive plasticity in cells and circuits implicated in psychopathology in humans." LRRK2 mutation alters behavioral, synaptic...

2020-08-1312 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Comparative gain-of-function effects of the KCNMA1-N999S mutation on human BK channel propertiesIn this podcast, Editor-in-Chief Bill Yates talks with Dr. Andrea Meredith and Dr. Hans Moldenhauer about their article which compares the effects of different mutations (N999S and D434G) which are associated with the recently-identified neurological disorder called KCNMA1-linked channelopathy. This research was also featured in Episode 4 of the Netflix and New York Times documentary series Diagnosis. Listen to learn about BK channels, gain-of-function mutations, and important clinical implications of this research! Comparative gain-of-function effects of the KCNMA1-N999S mutation on human BK channel properties Hans J. Moldenhauer, Katia K. Matychak, and Andrea L...

2020-04-2009 min

Journal of Neurophysiology The “embreathment” illusion highlights the role of breathing in corporeal awarenessWhat exactly is corporeal awareness, and how does breathing contribute to this form of self-consciousness? In this podcast, Editor-in-Chief Bill Yates talks with Alessandro Monti, Dr. Giuseppina Porciello, Dr. Gaetano Tieri, and Dr. Salvatore M. Aglioti (Sapienza Università di Roma and IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia) about their Rapid Report article, which combined respiration recordings with immersive virtual reality to explore this question. Listen to learn about the embreathment illusion, which emerged from this unique experimental design. The “embreathment” illusion highlights the role of breathing in corporeal awareness Alessandro Monti, Giuseppina Porciello, Gaetano Tieri, and Salvatore M. Aglio...

2020-01-2912 min

Journal of Neurophysiology Estradiol rapidly modulates excitatory synapse properties in a sex- and region-specific manner in rat nucleus accumbens core and caudate-putamenHow does estradiol acutely facilitate sex differences in striatum-dependent behaviors? In this podcast, Editor-in-Chief Bill Yates talks with Dr. Amanda Krentzel and Dr. John Meitzen (both from North Carolina State University) about their study which investigated this question in adult rats. Listen to learn about sex differences, medium spiny neurons, glutamatergic signaling, and more. Also be sure to check out the parallel episode of The Brain That Named Itself podcast, which discusses this study in a way that is acessible to non-scientists: https://brainthatnameditself.com/episode-14-science-interlude Estradiol rapidly modulates excitatory synapse properties in a...

2019-09-2407 min