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Neuronal mechanisms underlying transhemispheric diaschisis following focal cortical injuries

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Abstract

Unilateral cortical lesions cause disturbances often spreading into the hemisphere contralateral to the injury. The functional alteration affecting the contralesional cortex is called transhemispheric diaschisis and is believed to contribute to neurological deficits and to processes of functional reorganization post-lesion. Despite the profound implications for recovery, little is known about the cellular mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon. In the present study, transhemispheric diaschisis was investigated with an in vivo–ex vivo model of unilateral lesions, induced by an infrared laser in rat visual cortex. Visually evoked cortical activity was evaluated by the expression level of the cellular activity marker zif268, which showed an elevation in the cortex contralateral to the lesion. In vitro patch-clamp recordings from layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons revealed a shift in the excitatory–inhibitory balance in favor of excitability, particularly expressed in the undamaged hemisphere. Layer 5 principal neurons displayed an increased spontaneous firing rate contralateral to the lesion, while cells of the injured cortex displayed a reduced firing upon somatic current injection. These data suggest that a cortical lesion triggers an enhanced neuronal activity in the hemisphere contralateral to the damage. Our findings constitute an important step toward the understanding of transhemispheric diaschisis on the cellular level.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Simone Dahms-Praetorius and Ria Vanlaer for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by a grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) (Grant Number MI 452/4-1) to T.M., a grant from the Research Council of KU Leuven (Grant Number GOA 12/008) to L.A. E.Y. is supported by a Ph.D. grant from the Agency of Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT) Flanders.

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  1. Institute for Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany

    Barbara Imbrosci & Thomas Mittmann

  2. Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neuroproteomics, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Ellen Ytebrouck & Lutgarde Arckens

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  1. Barbara Imbrosci
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  2. Ellen Ytebrouck
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Correspondence to Barbara Imbrosci or Thomas Mittmann.

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Imbrosci, B., Ytebrouck, E., Arckens, L. et al. Neuronal mechanisms underlying transhemispheric diaschisis following focal cortical injuries. Brain Struct Funct 220, 1649–1664 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-014-0750-8

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