Spinal Cord Research Group
The Spinal Cord Research Group at the University of Glasgow was formed within the IBLS in 1996 by Professor D. J. Maxwell, Professor. A.J. Todd, and Dr. J.S. Riddell. In addition to academic staff, the group consists of 7 postdoctoral fellows, 4 technicians and 2 postgraduate research students. The ethos of the group is to take a multi-disciplinary approach in investigating neuronal processing mechanisms in the spinal cord. We have expertise in a variety of areas including morphology, immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, and in vivo electrophysiology (including intracellular staining methods). Our work has been generously funded by the Wellcome Trust, the MRC, the Robertson Trust and the International Spinal Research Trust. We are well equipped and the facilities at our disposal include a new Phillips BioTwin CM 100 electron microscope (funded by the Wellcome Trust), a BioRad MRC 1024 confocal microscope (funded by the Robertson Trust), modern electrophysiological facilities and image analysis equipment. We have research interests in both sensory and motor aspects of spinal cord function.
Our current research projects include:
Organization of spinal interneurons with respect to their involvement in reflex control of motor and postural pathways. Regeneration of the spinal cord (J. S. Riddell).
Pain processing mechanisms in the spinal cord with particular respect to the role of substance P and the 
organization of cells which express the substance P receptor. Synaptic circuitry of the dorsal horn (Professor A.J.Todd).
Control of afferent input to the spinal cord with particular respect to the organization of presynaptic inhibitory interneurons and descending monoaminergic systems. Synaptic circuitry of the dorsal and ventral horn (Professor D.J. Maxwell).
In addition to these projects, we collaborate with a number of other laboratories in the UK and abroad.
WHY THE SPINAL CORD?
The spinal cord contains complex neuronal circuits which are responsible for the first stage of processing of input from skin, muscle and viscera, including signals contributing to sensation of pain. Networks of neurons in the spinal cord also integrate sensory input and signals descending from the brain to generate the common motor output by which volitional movement and postural control are produced. The synaptic connections of the spinal cord are not well understood but it is a region of the central nervous system which is particularly amenable to experimental investigation as its inputs, outputs and internal circuitry are accessible to study. 
Over the past decade new approaches for investigating spinal cord circuitry have been developed and our knowledge of these circuits has increased considerably. Attempts to determine how neuronal networks in the spinal cord operate have two main goals; first to contribute to an understanding of the fundamental functioning of the vertebrate nervous system and secondly to provide a rational basis for the design of treatments of spinal disorders. Strategies for the design of more effective and more selective compounds for controlling neuropathic pain or spasticity, for example, depend upon the identification of the circuitry which underlie these phenomena and the neurotransmitters, receptors and cellular mechanisms involved.