Locomotor recovery in spinal-transected lamprey: regenerated spinal coordinating neurons and mechanosensory inputs couple locomotor activity across a spinal lesion

Neuroscience. 1990;35(3):675-85. doi: 10.1016/0306-4522(90)90338-5.

Abstract

Larval lampreys recover locomotor function several weeks after receiving complete spinal transections. In behaviorally recovered whole-animals, the phase-coupling of locomotor activity across a lesion was similar to that observed along the body in normal, unlesioned lampreys. Two factors were found to contribute to recovery of locomotor coupling above and below a spinal transection. Firstly, under in vitro conditions regenerated spinal coordinating neurons could couple brainstem-evoked locomotor activity above and below a lesion in the absence of mechanosensory inputs. Secondly, in whole-animals mechanosensory inputs were capable of coupling locomotor activity across an acute, mid-body spinal transection in the absence of direct neural coupling through spinal coordinating neurons. Since neither regenerated coordinating neurons nor mechanosensory inputs resulted in phase-lags that were as stable as those observed in recovered whole-animals, presumably both mechanisms contribute significantly to the restoration of locomotor coupling across a healed spinal lesion.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aspartic Acid / analogs & derivatives
  • Aspartic Acid / pharmacology
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Brain Stem / physiology
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Electrophysiology / methods
  • Fishes / physiology*
  • Lampreys / physiology*
  • Mechanoreceptors / physiology
  • Motor Activity* / drug effects
  • Movement
  • Muscles / innervation
  • N-Methylaspartate
  • Nerve Regeneration*
  • Reference Values
  • Spinal Cord / drug effects
  • Spinal Cord / physiology*

Substances

  • Aspartic Acid
  • N-Methylaspartate