ELDRIDGE F. JOHNSON, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

The University of Tennessee College of Medicine

Address

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

855 Monroe Avenue, Suite 515

Memphis, TN 38163

Tel: (901) 448-5992; Fax: (901) 448-7193;

Lab: 208 Mooney Building

Education

Ph.D. Institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Anatomy

Postdoctoral: The University of Tennessee, Memphis, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

Research Interests

Research interests include the morphological and physiological characteristics of motor output cells in the neocortex and striatum. The axonal interconnections of these areas are also of concern. In addition to the primary motor cortex, several areas of the somatosensory cortex are responsible for separate and autonomous motor control of facial muscles. Intracortical micro-stimulation of secondary (SII), third (SIII), and/or fourth (SIV) somatosensory cortex indicates that these areas contain low threshold regions in which stimulating currents less than 5UA were effective in producing contraction of facial musculature. Utilizing the anterograde tracer and plant lectin phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutin (PHAL) and the extracellular recording of motor output neurons in SII, SIII, and SIV cortices, attempts are being made to elucidate the pathway(s) between these somatosensory cortical regions, basal ganglia, other brain stem nuclei, and facial muscles.

Recent Publications

• Johnson, E.F., J. McCluer, J. Berryman, H. Spight, S. Cosby (1997) Supranuclear connective tissue lamellae of the annulus fibrosus in the human intervertebral disc. National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), Proceeding, in press.
• Li CX, Waters RS, McCandlish CA, Johnson EF. Electrical stimulation of a forepaw digit increases the physiological representation of that digit in layer IV of SI cortex in rat. Neuroreport. 1996 Oct 2;7(14):2395-400. PMID: 8951859
• Pearson PP, Oladehin A, Li CX, Johnson EF, Weeden AM, Daniel CH, Waters RS. Relationship between representation of hindpaw and hindpaw barrel subfield (HBS) in layer IV of rat somatosensory cortex. Neuroreport. 1996 Oct 2;7(14):2317-23. PMID: 8951845
• Li CX, Waters RS, Oladehin A, Johnson EF, McCandlish CA, Dykes RW. Large unresponsive zones appear in cat somatosensory cortex immediately after ulnar nerve cut. Can J Neurol Sci. 1994 Aug;21(3):233-47. PMID: 8000979
• Waters RS, Li CX, Oladehin A, Johnson EF, Dykes RW. Ulnar nerve innervation of paw and SI cortex of cat: substrate for reorganization. Neuroreport. 1990 Nov-Dec;1(3-4):225-8. PMID: 2129883
• Johnson EF, Berryman H, Mitchell R, Wood WB. Elastic fibres in the anulus fibrosus of the adult human lumbar intervertebral disc. A preliminary report. J Anat. 1985 Dec;143:57-63. PMID: 3870732

view complete list of references (pubmed link)