Scientific activity

The research work has been performed in several research groups, with the use of electrophysiological and morphological methods or mathematical modelling.

The results of the scientific experiments carried out in the Department of Neurobiology may be grouped into six following publication cycles:

1. Electrophysiological investigations of evoked contractions of motor units in rat and cat muscles: mechanisms of force summation and regulation in motor units and summation of motor unit forces.
2. Electrophysiological investigations of motoneurones, spinal neuronal networks, and pathways interconnecting spinal centres to the brainstem and the cerebellum in cat and rat (microelectrode intracellular recording and stimulation techniques).
3. Morphological studies on single neurones and their projections in the brainstem,cerebellum and spinal cord in the rabbit and rat (intracellular labelling with retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase and fluorescent tracers).
4. Studies on muscle innervation and structure of muscle fibers using glicogen depletion technique and PAS reaction.
5. Studies on plasticity of the neuromuscular system (motor unit force and electrical properties) under physiological and pathological conditions: interspecies differences and sexual dimorphism, effects of aging and neurodegenerative disorders, effects of spinal cord lesions, effects of exercise training.
6. Mathematical modelling of motor unit contractions and their summation, and modelling of spinal cord neuronal networks.
7. Studies on mechanomyographic signals evoked during motor unit activity.

The results of the research work performed at the Department were published in over 150 articles and books, and were presented on scientific congresses.

Publications

Publishing since 1982

• more than 150 publications
• articles indexed in Thomson Reuters Web of Science Database
• more than 1100 citations

See abstracts of publications (PubMed link)

Full list of publications: find us on Web of Knowledge (link)

Grants awarded for the last 5 years

• 2013-2016: National Science Center grant - "Effects of endurance training on contractile properties of the motor units in relation to changes in the expression of muscle proteins"
• 2012-2015: National Science Center grant 2012/04/M/NZ4/00190 - "Influence of a chronic muscle overload on properties of motoneurons and motor units"
• 2012-2014: Polish and Bulgarian Academy of Science grant - „Development of a rat muscle model composed by realistic number of motor units and its experimental and modeling investigation by application of different patterns of MUs stimulation”
• 2011-2013: National Science Center Grant 2011/01/N/NZ4/04901 - "Influence of a 5-week whole-body vibration on electrophysiological properties of hindlimb spinal motoneurons"
• 2010-2012: Ministry of Science and Higher Education grant N N401 053138 - "Changes in motor units properties of medial gastrocnemius muscle in an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)"
• 2009-2012: Ministry of Science and Higher Education grant N N404 042136 - " Physiological and biochemical aspects of the vibration training influence on the motor system"
• 2009-2012: Ministry of Science and Higher Education grant N N404 197637 - "The differences in motor innervation and a structure of hindlimb muscles of male and female rats"
• 2009-2011: Polish and Bulgarian Academy of Science grant - "Experimental and modeling investigation of forces developed by motor units"
• 2008-2011: Ministry of Science and Higher Education grant N N404 027035 - "Significance of the neuronal code in motor control"
• 2008-2009: Ministry of Science and Higher Education grant N N404 150434 - "Differences of motor unit contractile and action potentials properties in flexor digitorum brevis and medial gastrocnemius muscles"