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Volume 17, Number 1, Issue of January 1, 1997 pp. 267-276
Copyright ©1997 Society for Neuroscience

An Electrophysiological Study of the Postnatal Development of the Corticospinal System in the Macaque Monkey

Received June 19, 1996; revised Sept. 6, 1996; accepted Oct. 2, 1996.

Etienne Olivier¹, Steve A. Edgley², Jean Armand³, and Roger N. Lemon¹

¹ Sobell Department of Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom, ² Department of Anatomy, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 3DY, United Kingdom, and ³ Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France

Postnatal development of the corticospinal system was investigated in 13 macaques using noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex and direct electrical stimulation of corticospinal axons in the medullary pyramid and spinal cord. The latency of antidromic corticospinal volleys evoked from the pyramid and recorded from the motor cortex decreased dramatically during the first postnatal months. Our data predict that conduction velocity (CV) of the fastest corticospinal neurons over their cranial course would reach adult values at ~11 months. The CV of corticospinal neurons in the spinal cord increased with age but with a slower time course. In the neonate, the fastest spinal CV was estimated at 7.8 m/sec, ~10 times slower than in adults (mean 80.0 m/sec). Our data predict that full myelination of corticospinal axons in the spinal cord would not occur until ~36 months. No short-latency EMG responses were elicited in arm and hand muscles by TMS until 3 months of age; TMS thresholds were high initially and then fell progressively with age. When corrected for body size, relative latencies of EMG responses showed an exponential decrease during the first postnatal months.

Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that fine finger movements are not observed before functional CM connections are well established and that rapid changes in the physiological properties of the corticospinal system coincide with the period in which precision grip is known to mature (3-6 months). However, corticospinal development continues long after simple measures of dexterity indicate functional maturity, and these changes may contribute to the improved speed and coordination of skilled hand tasks.

Key words: corticospinal system; pyramidal tract; macaque monkey; development; motor cortex; precision grip

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