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Related Experiment Videos

Plasticity in reflex pathways controlling stepping in the cat

P J Whelan1, K G Pearson

  • 1Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Journal of Neurophysiology
|October 6, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Stimulating ankle extensor muscle afferents alters cat walking. Nerve injury reduces lateral-gastrocnemius/soleus (LGS) afferent effectiveness while increasing medial-gastrocnemius (MG) afferent effectiveness, with changes persisting after spinal cord transection.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Sensory-Motor Integration

Background:

  • Group I afferents from ankle extensor muscles modulate locomotor rhythms.
  • Chronic axotomy of the lateral-gastrocnemius/soleus (LGS) nerve alters the effectiveness of these afferents.
  • Changes in afferent effectiveness may be localized within the spinal cord.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the time course of changes in group I afferent effectiveness after LGS nerve axotomy.
  • To investigate whether these changes persist after spinal cord transection.

Main Methods:

  • Examined effects of stimulating LGS and medial-gastrocnemius (MG) group I afferents on walking cycle period in decerebrate cats with LGS axotomy of varying duration (2–31 days).
  • Assessed afferent effectiveness in decerebrate and spinalized cats (induced by L-DOPA and Nialamide) after spinal cord transection.

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Main Results:

  • LGS group I afferent effectiveness progressively declined from 3 to 31 days post-axotomy.
  • MG group I afferent effectiveness significantly increased by 5 days post-axotomy, with no further change up to 31 days.
  • Reduced LGS afferent effectiveness persisted after spinalization (4/4 cats), while increased MG afferent effectiveness was retained in only some cases (3/5 cats).

Conclusions:

  • Different mechanisms likely underlie the observed changes in LGS and MG group I afferent pathways.
  • The spinal cord plays a crucial role in mediating these adaptive changes in sensory-motor pathways.
  • The persistence of altered afferent effectiveness after spinalization suggests spinal cord plasticity in response to peripheral nerve injury.