In rats loss of body weight and lethality were measured after bilateral electrolytic lesions of the lateral hypothalamus. The rats with incomplete lesions initially lost body weight but recovered spontaneously. Treatment with haloperidourgery facilitated the recovery in those rats. The rats with more complete lesions lost body weight which resulted in eventual death. Treatment with haloperidol (4 mg/kg/day) or morphine (60 mg/kg/day) given daily for six days before surgery promoted recovery and reduced the incidence of death. The drugs used in this study inhibit activity of brain dopamine receptors to result in the supersensitivity and/or promotion of regenerative processes. These effects are considered to be related to the facilitation of recovery from nerve injury.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Locus coeruleus-to-dorsal raphe input examined by electrophysiological and morphological methods.

In order to examine the hypothesis that the locus coeruleus (LC) projects directly to the nucleus raphe dorsalis (DR), electrical stimulation was applied to the LC of rats while recording from single neurons in the region of the DR. Slow firing units of the DR were not influenced by the stimulation, although faster firing units in the nearby substantia grisea centralis (SGC) were. These latter cells become oscillatory in their firing rates during LC stimulation. In parallel studies a retrograde transport technique was imployed to obtain morphological evidence regarding projections to DR. Placements of horseradish peroxidase precisely in the DR resulted in very sparse labeling in the LC, although positive transport occurred to other areas. The results indicate that the LC does not project directly to slow firing DR neurons, but does influence faster firing celles in the region of the SGC, probably by complex routes. Suggestions are made for the integration of these findings with earlier fluorescence studies.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The use of a calcaneal reconstruction plate in intra-articular calcaneal fractures.

Treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures has a long and varied history. New techniques and application of computerized tomography technology has greatly improved the prognosis and is summarized here. A case report with the use of a calcaneal reconstruction plate is presented. The authors suggest that in comminuted calcaneal fractures that possess a defect in the cancellous bone of the calcaneal body, this plate will triangulate fixation over the defect and provide for better support of the posterior facet of the subtalar joint.

Bone Plates↗