Mechanosensitivity of the Nervous System : Forewords by Nektarios Tavernarakis and Pontus Persson

This book presents the latest findings in mechanosensitivity of the nervous system. The nervous system stands out from a number of tissues because besides reacting to the mechanical stress it is transmitting its own response to other organs and tissues, which are located downstream of its signaling pathway. For this reason any type of mechanical stimulation of the nervous system, which is capable of triggering a physiological response, has high scientific and practical significance, since it allows its use beyond a particular experimental model anywhere where it is contributing to a particular pathological condition. This book is a unique collection of reviews outlining the current knowledge and the future developments in this rapidly growing field. Currently, investigations of the effects of mechanical stress on the nervous system are focused on several issues. The majority of studies investigate the effects of mechanical stimulation on mechanosensitive channels, as its primary target and interactive agent, and aim on description of downstream intracellular signaling pathways together with addressing general issues of biomechanics of the nervous system. Knowledge of biomechanics, and mechanisms, which underlie it on organism, organ, tissue and cellular level, is necessary for understanding of the normal functioning of living organisms and allows to predict changes which arise due to alterations of their environment, and possibly will allow to develop new methods of artificial intervention. The book brings up the problem closer to the experts in related medical and biological sciences as well as practicing doctors besides just presenting the latest achievements in the field. Front Matter....Pages I-XXII Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Mechanosensitive Channels in Neuronal and Astroglial Cells in the Nervous System....Pages 3-22 Ion Channels with Mechanosensitivity in the Nervous System....Pages 23-49 Mechanosensitive Cation Currents and their Molecular Counterparts in Mammalian Sensory Neurons....Pages 51-67 Neurons and Cell Swelling-Induced Peptide Hormone Secretion....Pages 69-85 Neuronal Mechanosensitivity in the Gastrointestinal Tract....Pages 87-103 Front Matter....Pages 105-105 Mechanosensitivity of the Cochlea....Pages 107-113 Osmoreceptors in Cochlear Outer Hair Cells....Pages 115-131 Are Stretch-Activated Channels an Ocular Barometer?....Pages 133-144 Neuromodulation of Mechanosensory Input to the Insect CNS....Pages 145-170 Front Matter....Pages 171-171 Biomechanics of the CNS....Pages 173-213 The Neural Representation of Kinematics and Dynamics in Multiple Brain Regions: The Use of Force Field Reaching Paradigms in the Primate and Rat....Pages 215-247 Mechanical Properties of Brain Tissue: Characterisation and Constitutive Modelling....Pages 249-279 Role of Falx on Brain Stress-Strain Responses....Pages 281-297 Exercise and Nervous System....Pages 299-318 Front Matter....Pages 319-319 Mechanosensitive Calcium Fluxes in the Neurovascular Unit: TRP Channel Regulation of the Blood-Brain Barrier....Pages 321-343 Back Matter....Pages 345-347 This book presented the latest findings in mechanosensitivity of the nervous system. Nervous system stands out from a number of tissues because besides reacting to the mechanical stress it is transmitting its own response to other organs and tissues, which are located down stream of its signaling pathway. For this reason any type of mechanical stimulation of nervous system, which is capable of triggering a physiological response, has high scientific and practical significance, since it allows its use beyond a particular experimental model anywhere where it is contributing to a particular patho Mechanosensitivity of the nervous system is a rapidly growing field. This singular resource offers reviews outlining the fundamental knowledge and latest findings in the field as well as ideas for future developments.