Here you will find a regularly updated collection of articles published in physiological journals.

The Physiological Society of Japan

celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023. On this occasion the Journal of Physiology compiled a collection of some of the most influential research published by Japanese authors in this journal. Have a closer look here

Plügers Archiv: a selection:

made by Armin Kurtz, the former editor in chief of Pflügers Archiv – Eur J Physiol:

Selected Publication:

Pflügers Arch – Eur J Physiol. Volume 475, issue 1, January 2023 Special Issue: Body and mind: how somatic feedback signals shape brain activity and cognition.

From Pflügers Archiv we highlight a thematic collection of papers. These are in a Special Issue entitled “Body and mind: how somatic feedback signals shape brain activity and cognition”.

During recent years, body-to-brain signaling is gaining increasing attention. Understanding interactions between the brain and “peripheral” functions (cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, hormonal and others) bears great potential for basic neurosciences as well as for pathophysiology and clinical innovations. A major focus of the Special Issue is on respiration as a fundamental rhythm which has astonishing impact on brain function and cognition. However, this example can and should be generalized to a modern understanding of embodiment – after all, the brain is an organ, and as such is embedded into the entire organism and its environment.

APSselectA November 2025 selection from APS Journals

AJP Function: Carolin Trappe et al: The Amount of Releasable Insulin Depends on Continuous Oxidative Phosphorylation

From the abstract: The consensus or canonical model of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion provides that the metabolism of glucose closes KATP channels by increase of the ATP/ADP ratio and that the ensuing depolarization-induced Ca2+ influx through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels represents the immediate signal for the onset of exocytosis. In this article it is shown that the  inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation by  oligomycin prior to K+ depolarization did not decrease the depolarization-elevated cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and did not affect the resting plasma membrane potential and the extent of depolarization. It is  concluded that the exocytotic machinery of the beta cell requires a continuously running oxidative phosphorylation to remain responsive to the Ca2+ signal for granule fusion

AJP Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology : Pedro Trevizan- Baú et al.: Airway sympathectomy attenuates inflammation, transcriptional ratios of Muc5ac and Muc5b, and airway mechanic deficits in mice delivered intranasal IL-13

From the abstract: The role of airway sympathetic nerves in regulating airway responses remains largely undefined. We demonstrated that chemical depletion of airway sympathetic nerves attenuates specific IL-13 (a key mediator of allergic asthma) -induced airway deficits at the molecular, cellular, and functional level. Our data suggest that airway sympathetic nerves may represent novel therapeutic targets to alleviate some pathologic features due to type 2 (IL-13-mediated) airway inflammation.

AJP Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology: Sean P. Langan et al.: Hypoxia-induced impairments in fasting glucose are associated with acute mountain sickness severity during 4 days of residence at 4,300 m

From the abstract:  We demonstrate insulin resistance during 4 days of exposure at 4,300 m is positively correlated with acute mountain sickness (AMS) severity. Transient perturbations to glucose metabolism during 4 days of HA exposure influences AMS severity without further impact from active ascent.This builds on previous data showing insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate metabolism at sea-level predict AMS. The blood glucose excursions appear at least partly mediated by cortisol and nocturnal hypoxemia.

Much more can be found in this month’s selection of articles from APS journals!

The German Physiological Society (DPG) selects regularly a “Paper of the Month“.

DPG’s latest paper of the month (Guanxiao Qi et al) was recently published in Brain

The endosomal 2Cl-/H+ exchangers ClC-3 and ClC-4 are highly expressed within the central nervous system. Pathogenic variants recently found in the genes encoding ClC-3 and ClC-4 have given rise to a range of neurological and neuropsychiatric complications. The underlying mechanisms  as well as the molecular pathways  remain unknown.

The authors have combined patch-clamp recordings in acute hippocampal slice preparations with simultaneous intracellular biocytin filling to analyse the functional and structural properties of  Clcn3-/- and Clcn4-/-neurons. The authors conclude that Cl-/H+ exchangers regulate neurons’ electrical excitability and firing patterns primarily by fine-tuning Kv7/KCNQ channel density, and that functional defects might contribute to alterations in dendritic morphology. 

The Physiological Society of Japan publishes regularly Science Topics related of a recently published paper.

The latest topic relates to an article published by Kaei Ryu et al. in Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. 

From the  abstract (“Significance”): Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels have an extracellularly extended S4 segment. However, whether this long S4 contributes to gating is still unknown. Here, we elucidated the functional contribution of the extended part of S4 to voltage-dependent gating. Structure-based mutational analysis revealed that the extracellular parts of S4, S5, and the S1-S2 linker form salt bridge networks that are functionally involved in gating. We then used voltage clamp fluorometry to confirm that the S4 movement is indeed influenced by the salt bridge network. Interestingly, mutations of these extracellular arginine residues have been implicated in heart diseases, including sick sinus syndrome. Our findings add to the current understanding of the gating mechanisms of HCN channels and how mutations can cause HCN channel dysfunction.

Don’t miss Physiology Shorts

These new and engaging video feature from The Journal of Physiology aims to deliver short and informative research snapshots directly from the authors of research papers selected by the Editors of the journal!