Dr. Roppolo’s research is concerned with the autonomic nervous system’s control of bladder activity in normal animals and those with central nervous system injuries. A variety of techniques are used to examine, at the level of the lumbosacral spinal cord and brainstem, the various neuronal processes that occur in maintaining normal excretory function.
These methods include: (1) anatomical techniques (HRP tracing and immunohisto-chemical techniques) to determine the location of neurons and possible neuropeptides involved in these processes, (2) neurophysiological techniques (evoked potentials, intracellular and extracellular single neuron recordings) to determine the types of neuronal interactions that occur in this system, (3) neuropharmacological techniques (systemic and iontophoretic application of drugs), (4) behavioral techniques and microstimulation of the of the lumbosacral spinal cord.
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