Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are secreted proteins that contribute to the virulence of a great variety of bacterial pathogens. They inflict one of the more disastrous damages a target cell can be exposed to: disruption of plasma membrane integrity. Since thi ...
The interest in new materials and their application in the neuroscience are growing incredibly fast. Current research interests are increasingly focusing on new artificial materials and their direct effects on the central nervous systems so that it would b ...
Calcium regulates neuronal signaling and viability through a vast range of cellular and molecular mechanisms. However, many details of these mechanisms still remain to be elucidated. It is believed that calcium-related pathways may comprise promising thera ...
This thesis is a contribution to the field of cellular communication in arteries during vasomotion, i.e. rhythmic and spontaneous diameter oscillations of arteries. Investigating how individual smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) calcium ...
Neuronal cell culture models in vitro are often restricted to 2D surfaces. Engineering the complexity of the neuronal microenvironment in microfluidic systems can help to generate more tissue like cultures. We have developed a new neuronal cell culturing s ...
The unique properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and the application of nanotechnology to the nervous system may have a tremendous impact in the future developments of microsystems for neural prosthetics as well as immediate benefits for basic ...
Real-time monitoring of neurotransmitters is of utmost importance for understanding the functioning of the brain. Especially L-glutamate and choline play a major role in chemical signalling and are highly involved in cognitive functions such as learning, m ...
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been postulated to be a specific dopaminergic neurotrophic factor since it selectively enhances the survival of dopaminergic neurones in vitro. We report here that GDNF can also act as a neurotrophic f ...
