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Updated: Mar 8, 2026
08:34
Contribution of the Na+/K+ Pump to Rhythmic Bursting, Explored with Modeling and Dynamic Clamp Analyses
Published on: May 9, 2021
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Sodium Pumps Mediate Activity-Dependent Changes in Mammalian Motor Networks
Laurence D Picton1, Filipe Nascimento1, Matthew J Broadhead1
1School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, United Kingdom.
Summary
Sodium pumps dynamically regulate spinal locomotor networks, with their activity influenced by dopamine. Inhibiting or activating these pumps alters locomotor output frequency and duration, impacting motor control and movement disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cellular Physiology
Background:
- Sodium pumps maintain neuronal resting potential and ionic gradients.
- Activity-dependent changes in sodium pump function influence neuronal firing and network output.
- The role of sodium pumps in regulating spinal locomotor networks is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of sodium pump activity in regulating locomotor networks in the neonatal mouse spinal cord.
- To determine the influence of neuromodulators, specifically dopamine, on sodium pump-mediated regulation of locomotor activity.
- To characterize the biophysical properties of sodium pump-mediated potentials in spinal neurons.
Main Methods:
- Pharmacological manipulation of sodium pump activity using ouabain (inhibitor) and monensin (activator).
- Evoking locomotor output via drug-induced bursting and dorsal-root stimulation.
- Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from spinal motoneurons and interneurons.
- Investigating the effects of dopamine on sodium pump activity and locomotor output.
Main Results:
- Sodium pump inhibition (ouabain) increased locomotor burst frequency and episode duration, while activation (monensin) decreased them.
- These effects were modulated by dopamine, influencing drug-induced bursting.
- A long-duration, activity-dependent hyperpolarization (pump potential) mediated by increased pump activity was identified in spinal neurons.
- Dopamine enhanced the duration of this pump potential.
Conclusions:
- Sodium pumps act as dynamic regulators of mammalian spinal motor networks.
- Sodium pump activity is influenced by neuromodulatory systems like dopamine.
- Understanding sodium pump function in motor networks has implications for movement disorders.
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