Uwe Windhorst (Prof. Dr. Uwe Windhorst) is a German neuroscientist, systems scientist and cyberneticist, who was born in Bremen, Germany in 1946. Windhorst became known for his pioneer research in the use of diverse methods of correlation, spectral analysis as well as nonlinear systems analysis to describe the dynamic properties of signal transmission through small neuronal networks assessed in experimental animals.

Contributions in Neurophysiology

Windhorst's research has revolved around the control of

skeletal A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

muscle contraction Muscle contraction is the activation of tension-generating sites within muscle cells. In physiology, muscle contraction does not necessarily mean muscle shortening because muscle tension can be produced without changes in muscle length, such as ...

based on sensory signal arising in muscles and skin and on neuronal networks predominantly in the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the spi ...

and

brainstem The brainstem (or brain stem) is the posterior stalk-like part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. In the human brain the brainstem is composed of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. The midbrain is cont ...

. In this wider context, one line of research strived to elucidate the dynamic signal processing of the participating neurons, such as muscle spindles, motoneurons and interneurons (particularly

Renshaw cells Renshaw cells are inhibitory interneurons found in the gray matter of the spinal cord, and are associated in two ways with an alpha motor neuron. * They receive an excitatory collateral from the alpha neuron's axon as they emerge from the motor ...

) and their importance for oscillatory process such as

tremor A tremor is an involuntary, somewhat rhythmic, muscle contraction and relaxation involving oscillations or twitching movements of one or more body parts. It is the most common of all involuntary movements and can affect the hands, arms, eyes, fa ...

. Related issues were the plastic properties of such networks and their modulation by signals arising in the peripheral and central nervous system, specifically in the context of muscle fatigue. A related aspect of research concerned the origin of muscle pain and its effects on spinal neurons. In addition to experimental studies,

computer modeling Computer simulation is the process of mathematical modelling, performed on a computer, which is designed to predict the behaviour of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be deter ...

was used to unravel the properties of small

neuronal networks A neural circuit is a population of neurons interconnected by synapses to carry out a specific function when activated. Neural circuits interconnect to one another to form large scale brain networks. Biological neural networks have inspired the ...

, especially with respect to

Education

Between 1968 and 1974, he studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, where he also earned his PhD and his

Habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

Neurophysiology Neurophysiology is a branch of physiology and neuroscience that studies nervous system function rather than nervous system architecture. This area aids in the diagnosis and monitoring of neurological diseases. Historically, it has been dominated b ...

. He became Distinguished Professor in 1987.

List of major works

*Windhorst, U. and Schwestka, R. (1982): Interactions between motor units in modulating discharge patterns of primary muscle spindle endings. Exp. Brain Res. 45, 417 427 *Christakos, C.N. and Windhorst, U. (1986): The information carried by spindle afferents on motor unit activity as revealed by spectral analysis. Brain Res. 367, 52 62 *Hamm, T.M., Sasaki, S., Stuart, D.G., Windhorst, U. and Yuan, C. S. (1987): The measurement of single motor axon recurrent inhibitory post synaptic potentials in the cat. J. Physiol. 388, 631 651 *Windhorst, U., Rissing, R., Meyer Lohmann, J., Laouris, Y. and Kuipers, U. (1988): Facilitation and depression in the responses of spinal Renshaw cells to random stimulation of motor axons. J. Neurophysiol. 60, 1638 1652 *Laouris, Y., Windhorst, U., Rissing, R., Kuipers, U. and Meyer Lohmann, J. (1988): Time constants of facilitation and depression in Renshaw cell responses to random stimulation of motor axons. Exp. Brain Res. 72, 117 128 *Laouris, Y. and Windhorst, U. (1989): The relationship between coherence and nonlinear characteristics in Renshaw cell responses to random motor axon stimulation. Neurosci. 28, 625 633 *Richter, D.W., Bischoff, A., Anders, K., Bellingham, M. and Windhorst, U. (1991): Response of the medullary respiratory network of the cat to hypoxia. J. Physiol. 443, 231-256 *Windhorst, U., Kirmayer, D., Soibelman, F., Misri, A. and Rose, R. (1997): Effects of neurochemically excited group III-IV muscle afferents on motoneuron afterhyperpolarization. Neurosci. 76, 915-929 *Roatta, S., Windhorst, U., Ljubisavljevic, M., Johansson, H., Passatore, M. (2002) Sympathetic modulation of muscle spindle afferent sensitivity to stretch in rabbit jaw closing muscles. J. Physiol. 540.1: 237-248 *Kalezic, I., Bugaychenko, L.A., Kostyukov, A.I., Pilyavskii, A.I., Ljubisavljevic, M., Windhorst, U., and Johansson, H. (2003) Fatigue-related depression of the feline monosynaptic gastrocnemius-soleus reflex. J. Physiol. (Lond) 556:283-296 *Pilyavskii, A.I., Maznychenko, A.V., Maisky, V.A., Kostyukov, A.I., Hellström, F., and Windhorst, U. (2005) Capsaicin-induced effects on c-fos expression and NADPH-diaphorase activity in the feline spinal cord. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 521:70-78 *Kostyukov, A.I., Bugaychenko, L.A., Kalezic, I., Pilyavskii, A.I., Windhorst, U., and Djupsjöbacka, M. (2005) Effects in feline gastrocnemius-soleus motoneurones induced by muscle fatigue. Exp. Brain Res. 163:284-294 *Vieira, T.M., Windhorst, U., and Merletti, R. (2010) Is the stabilization of quiet upright stance in humans driven by synchronized modulations of the activity of medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles? J Appl Physiol 108:85-97

Reviews

*Windhorst, U., Hamm, T.M. and Stuart, D.G. (1989): On the function of muscle and reflex partitioning. Beh. Brain Sci. 12, 629 645 *Windhorst, U. (1996): The spinal cord and its brain: representations and models. To what extent do forebrain mechanisms appear at brainstem and spinal cord levels? Prog. Neurobiol. 49, 381-414 *Windhorst, U. (1996): On the role of recurrent inhibitory feedback in motor control. Prog. Neurobiol. 49, 517-587 *Windhorst, U. (2007) Muscle proprioceptive feedback and spinal networks. Brain Res. Bull. 73:155-202

Books written and edited

*Windhorst, U. (1988): How brain like is the spinal cord? Interacting cell assemblies in the nervous system. Springer Verlag; Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo *Greger, R. and Windhorst U. (eds.) (1996) Comprehensive human physiology. From cellular mechanisms to integration. Springer-Verlag; Berlin, Heidelberg *Windhorst, U. and Johansson, H. (eds.) Modern techniques in neuroscience research. Springer-Verlag; Berlin, Heidelberg 1999 *Johansson, H., Windhorst, U., Djupsjöbacka, M., and Passatore, M. (eds.) Chronic work-related myalgia. Neuromuscular mechanisms behind work-related chronic muscle pain syndromes. Gävle University Press, Gävle (Sweden) 2003 *Binder MD, Hirokawa N, Windhorst U (eds) Encyclopedia of neuroscience. Springer-Verlag; Berlin Heidelberg 2009

References

External links

Uwe Windhorst in Biomed Experts

Books and Encyclopedias in neuroscience authored by Uwe Windhorst
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windhorst, Uwe 1946 births Living people German neuroscientists Systems scientists Cyberneticists Scientists from Bremen University of Göttingen alumni