The Cortex

The cortex constitutes the major part of the fiber mass of human hair and consists of cells and intercellular binding material. The intercellular binding material, or the cell membrane complex, is described later in this chapter. 

Mesocortical cells contain an intermediate cystine content [84]. Morphologically, the cortical cells of human scalp hair are all similar and are closer to orthocortical cells of wool, but they contain a high sulfur content. 

Kassenbeck [83], however, has shown that cortical cells adjacent to the cuticle are more flat and contain less sulfur than the remaining cortical cells that comprise the bulk of the cortex. Kassenbeck calls these heterotype cortical cells. Swift recently provided evidence for a higher percentage of orthocortical cells in curly hair than in straight hair see the section entitled Curliness or Crimp, described later in this chapter. 

Kassenbeck [83] suggests that the biological function of crimped animal hairs is to trap large volumes of air in the hair coat to provide thermal insulation. For animals with both summer and winter fur  

Summer fur begins to grow rapidly in the spring, producing long and coarse hairs that are less crimped to inhibit the formation of air pockets and to permit cooling. 

---

Cortisone is a hormone produced by the cortex of the adrenal glands. As with other adrenal corticoid steroids, administration of cortisone leads to an increased deposition of liver glycogen. Tt can remove features of rheumatoid arthritis, but does not check the underlying disease it is used in various diseases of the eye, and is an antiallergic and anlifibroplastic agent. 

AH three of these materials are apparentiy central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. It is beheved that for most individuals caffeine causes greater stimulation than does theophylline. Theobromine apparentiy causes the least stimulation. There is some evidence that caffeine acts on the cortex and reduces drowsiness and fatigue, although habituation can reduce these effects. 

Neuropeptide Y. Neuropeptide Y [82785 5-3] (NPY) (255) is a 36-amiao acid peptide that is a member of a peptide family including peptide YY (PYY) [81858-94-8, 106338-42-5] (256) and pancreatic polypeptide (PPY) [59763-91-6] (257). In the periphery, NPY is present in most sympathetic nerve fibers, particulady around blood vessels and also in noradrenergic perivascular and selected parasympathetic nerves (66). Neurons containing NPY-like immunoreactivity ate abundant in the central nervous system, particulady in limbic stmctures. Coexistence with somatostatin and NADPH-diaphorase, an enzyme associated with NO synthesis, is common in the cortex and striatum. 

Three tachykinin GPCRs, NK, NK, and NK, have been identified and cloned. AH are coupled to phosphatidjhnositol hydrolysis. The NK receptor is selective for substance P (SP) and is relatively abundant in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral tissues. The NK receptor is selective for NKA and is present in the gastrointestinal tract, urinary bladder, and adrenal gland but is low or absent in the CNS. The NIC receptor is selective for NKB and is present in low amounts in the gastrointestinal tract and urinary bladder, but is abundant in some areas of the CNS, ie, the spinal dorsal bom, soUtary nucleus, and laminae IV and V of the cortex with moderate amounts in the interpeduncular nucleus. Mismatches in the distribution of the tachykinins and tachykinin receptors suggest the possibility of additional tachykinin receptor subtypes. 

The effects of VIP and PACAP are mediated by three GPCR subtypes, VIP, VIP2, and PACAP receptor, coupled to the activation of adenjiate cyclase (54). The VIP subtype is localized ia the lung, Hver, and iatestiae, and the cortex, hippocampus, and olfactory bulb ia the CNS. The VIP2 receptor is most abundant ia the CNS, ia particular ia the thalamus, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and suprachiasmatic nucleus. PACAP receptors have a wide distribution ia the CNS with highest levels ia the olfactory bulb, the dentate gyms, and the cerebellum (84). The receptor is also present ia the pituitary. The VIP and PACAP receptors have been cloned. 

The cortex comprises the main bulk and determines many mechanical properties of wool fibers (see Fig. 1). Cortical cells are long, polyhedral, and... 

Fig. 2. Schematic representation of relevant electrolyte transport through the renal tubule, depicting the osmolar gradient ia medullary iaterstitial fluid ia ywOj yW where represents active transport, —passive transport, hoth active and passive transport, and passive transport of H2O ia the presence of ADH, ia A, the cortex, and B, the medulla. An osmole equals a mole of solute divided by the number of ions formed per molecule of the solute. Thus one mole of sodium chloride is equivalent to two osmoles, ie, lAfNaCl = 2 Osm NaCl. ADH = antidiuretic hormone.

Dronabinol (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active principle from cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids, nabilone and levonantradol are effective in treating nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy. The mode of action is unclear but appears to involve cannabinoid CBi receptors. Cannabinoids have been shown to reduce acetylcholine release in the cortex and hippocampus, and have been suggested to inhibit medullary activity by a cortical action. Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis and release of endorphins may also be involved in the antiemetic effect. A review of trials of dronabinol, nabilone or levonantradol concluded that while the cannabinoids were superior to placebo or dopamine receptor antagonists in controlling emesis... 

Afferent input from cutaneous and visceral nociceptors is known to converge on spinal neurons, which accounts for the referral of pain between visceral and cutaneous structures (e.g. cardiac pain gets referred to the chest and left upper arm in patients suffering from angina pectoris). Projection neurons in the spinal dorsal horn project to cell nuclei in supraspinal areas such as the thalamus, brainstem and midbrain. Of these, the synaptic junctions in the thalamus play a very important role in the integration and modulation of spinal nociceptive and non-nociceptive inputs. Nociceptive inputs are finally conducted to the cortex where the sensation of pain is perceived (Fig. 1). The mechanisms via which the cortex processes nociceptive inputs are only poorly understood. 

Anticancer drugs originally extracted from the cortex of Taxus brevifolia or Taxus baccata. They block cell division by inhibiting tubulin depolymerization. Two... 

Corticosteroids are hormones secreted from the adrenal cortex. These hormones arise from the cortex of the adrenal gland and are made from the crystalline steroid alcohol cholesterol. Synthetic forms of the natural adrenal cortical hormones are available The potent antiinflammatory action of the corticosteroids makes these drugs useful in the treatment of many types of musculoskeletal disorders. The corticosteroids are discussed in Chapter 50. 

Figure 10.1. Ferrier (1876) mapped the different functions of the macaque brain (a) by direct stimulation of the cortex and transposed the functions to the human cortex (b).

Lang, K. J. 1994. Abies alba Mill., differentiation of provenances and provenance groups by the monoterpene patterns in the cortex resin of twigs. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 22 53-63. 

After release there must be some way of terminating the action of a NT necessitating the presence of an appropriate enzyme and/or uptake mechanism. Such uptake processes can be quite specific chemically. Thus a high-affinity uptake (activated by low concentrations) can be found for glycine in the cord where it is believed to be a NT, but not in the cortex where is has no such action. This specific uptake can be utilised to map terminals for a particular NT, especially if it can be labelled, and also for loading nerves with labelled NT for release studies. 

---