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Spinal cholinergic neurons activated during locomotion: localization and electrophysiological characterization
1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3J7, Canada.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|June 10, 2000
Summary
Cholinergic interneurons in the cat spinal cord are active during fictive locomotion. These neurons, identified by c-fos and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) labeling, project to the contralateral side and are involved in locomotion control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Spinal Cord Research
- Locomotion
Background:
- Fictive locomotion in decerebrate cats is a model for studying spinal cord motor control.
- Cholinergic neurons play a role in motor functions, but their specific involvement in locomotion remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the location of cholinergic neurons activated during fictive locomotion in the cat spinal cord.
- To investigate the role of these neurons in the generation of locomotion.
Main Methods:
- Induction of fictive locomotion via mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) stimulation in decerebrate cats.
- Immunohistochemical analysis using c-fos and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) to identify activated neurons.
- Electrophysiological recordings and intracellular filling to characterize neuronal activity and projections.
Main Results:
- Cholinergic neurons in ventral lamina VII, VIII, and IX of the lumbar spinal cord showed increased c-fos expression during fictive locomotion.
- Activated cholinergic neurons were concentrated in the medial portion of lamina VII, near lamina X.
- Electrophysiologically identified cholinergic partition cells projected contralaterally and were active during the extension phase of locomotion.
Conclusions:
- Cholinergic interneurons in the lumbar spinal cord are involved in the production of fictive locomotion.
- A novel population of cholinergic partition cells with commissural projections active during locomotion extension has been identified.