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Bilateral activity-dependent interactions in the developing corticospinal system.

Kathleen M Friel1, John H Martin

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|October 12, 2007
PubMed
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Restricting motor cortex activity early impairs motor skills. Later, alternate inactivation of motor cortex restored normal motor control and corticospinal tract connections, revealing late plasticity.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Activity-dependent competition shapes corticospinal (CS) tract development and motor skills.
  • Early unilateral motor cortex (M1) silencing causes aberrant CS connections and impaired contralateral movements.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if later activity reduction in the contralateral M1 can rescue aberrant CS tract patterning and motor deficits caused by early M1 silencing.
  • To explore late plasticity in the corticospinal system.

Main Methods:

  • Unilateral M1 inactivation in early postnatal weeks (5-7).
  • Alternate M1 inactivation on the opposite hemisphere later (weeks 7-11).
  • Analysis of CS tract terminations and assessment of visually guided locomotion.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Alternate inactivation redirected aberrant contralateral CS tract terminations from the initially silenced M1 to normal spinal targets.
  • Reduced density of aberrant ipsilateral CS terminations from the initially active M1.
  • Full restoration of normal visuomotor control during locomotion.

Conclusions:

  • Late plasticity exists in the corticospinal system beyond the critical period for CS tract patterning.
  • Reducing synaptic competition later can correct aberrant wiring and restore motor function.
  • Balanced bilateral CS system interactions are crucial for visuomotor control and appropriate contralateral/ipsilateral CS tract connections.