Identifying functional populations among the interneurons in laminae I-III of the spinal dorsal horn

The spinal dorsal horn receives input from primary afferent axons, which terminate in a modality-specific fashion in different laminae. The incoming somatosensory information is processed through complex synaptic circuits involving excitatory and inhibitory interneurons, before being transmitted to the brain via projection neurons for conscious perception. The dorsal horn is important, firstly because changes in this region contribute to chronic pain states, and secondly because it contains potential targets for the development of new treatments for pain. However, at present, we have only a limited understanding of the neuronal circuitry within this region, and this is largely because of the difficulty in defining functional populations among the excitatory and inhibitory interneurons. The recent discovery of specific neurochemically defined interneuron populations, together with the development of molecular genetic techniques for altering neuronal function in vivo, are resulting in a dramatic improvement in our understanding of somatosensory processing at the spinal level

Mental well-being among schoolchildren in Scotland : age and gender patterns, trends and cross-national comparisons

The HBSC study in Scotland is funded by the Health Education Board for ScotlandPublisher PDFPublisher PD

The Rule of Law, Freedom, and Prosperity.

After decades of neglect, the rule of law is much on the minds of legal scholars today. In the United States, the Supreme Court's controversial decision in Bush v. Gore has triggered renewed interest in understanding the concept of the rule of law and its value to society. Transition and developing economies have increasingly come to recognize the importance of the rule of law in establishing a framework for economic growth and individual liberty. This essay provides an overview of these debates over the concept and consequences of the rule of law. Although American scholars have criticized the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore as violative of the rule of law, this criticism rests on an erroneous understanding of the rule of law. The tradition of the rule of law, as expressed by Dicey, Oakeshott, Hayek, and others, is consistent with the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore. Moreover, this tradition of the rule of law is a cornerstone of a free and prosperous society, in America and abroad.