scholarly journals Intersegmental coordination of the central pattern generator via interleaved electrical and chemical synapses in zebrafish spinal cord

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lae Un Kim ◽  
Hermann Riecke
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Frequency Dependence ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Legged Locomotion ◽  
Hybrid Network ◽  
Perturbation Approach ◽  
Swimming Motion ◽  
Spinal Network ◽  
Chemical Synapses

AbstractA significant component of the repetitive dynamics during locomotion in vertebrates is generated within the spinal cord. The legged locomotion of mammals is most likely controled by a hierarchical, multi-layer spinal network structure, while the axial circuitry generating the undulatory swimming motion of animals like lamprey is thought to have only a single layer in each segment. Recent experiments have suggested a hybrid network structure in zebrafish larvae in which two types of excitatory interneurons (V2a-I and V2a-II) both make first-order connections to the brain and last-order connections to the motor pool. These neurons are connected by electrical and chemical synapses across segments. Through computational modeling and an asymptotic perturbation approach we show that this interleaved interaction between the two neuron populations allows the spinal network to quickly establish the correct activation sequence of the segments when starting from random initial conditions and to reduce the dependence of the intersegmental phase difference (ISPD) of the oscillations on the swimming frequency. The latter reduces the frequency dependence of the waveform of the swimming motion. In the model the reduced frequency dependence is largely due to the different impact of chemical and electrical synapses on the ISPD and to the significant spike-frequency adaptation that has been observed experimentally in V2a-II neurons, but not in V2a-I neurons. Our model makes experimentally testable predictions and points to a benefit of the hybrid structure for undulatory locomotion that may not be relevant for legged locomotion.

scholarly journals Rostrocaudal Distribution of the C-Fos-Immunopositive Spinal Network Defined by Muscle Activity during Locomotion

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Natalia Merkulyeva ◽  
Vsevolod Lyakhovetskii ◽  
Aleksandr Veshchitskii ◽  
Oleg Gorskii ◽  
Pavel Musienko
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
Control Systems ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Knee Extensors ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Lumbosacral Spinal Cord ◽  
Adductor Muscles ◽  
Spinal Network ◽  
Hip Flexor

The optimization of multisystem neurorehabilitation protocols including electrical spinal cord stimulation and multi-directional tasks training require understanding of underlying circuits mechanisms and distribution of the neuronal network over the spinal cord. In this study we compared the locomotor activity during forward and backward stepping in eighteen adult decerebrated cats. Interneuronal spinal networks responsible for forward and backward stepping were visualized using the C-Fos technique. A bi-modal rostrocaudal distribution of C-Fos-immunopositive neurons over the lumbosacral spinal cord (peaks in the L4/L5 and L6/S1 segments) was revealed. These patterns were compared with motoneuronal pools using Vanderhorst and Holstege scheme; the location of the first peak was correspondent to the motoneurons of the hip flexors and knee extensors, an inter-peak drop was presumably attributed to the motoneurons controlling the adductor muscles. Both were better expressed in cats stepping forward and in parallel, electromyographic (EMG) activity of the hip flexor and knee extensors was higher, while EMG activity of the adductor was lower, during this locomotor mode. On the basis of the present data, which showed greater activity of the adductor muscles and the attributed interneuronal spinal network during backward stepping and according with data about greater demands on postural control systems during backward locomotion, we suppose that the locomotor networks for movements in opposite directions are at least partially different.

Endogenous Tachykinin Release Contributes to the Locomotor Activity in Lamprey

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 3331-3339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Thörn Pérez ◽  
Russell H. Hill ◽  
Sten Grillner
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Burst Frequency ◽  
Ongoing Activity ◽  
Initial Burst ◽  
Tachykinin Receptor ◽  
Spinal Network ◽  
Endogenous Release

Tachykinins are present in lamprey spinal cord. The goal of this study was to investigate whether an endogenous release of tachykinins contributes to the activity of the spinal network generating locomotor activity. The locomotor network of the isolated lamprey spinal cord was activated by bath-applied N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and the efferent activity recorded from the ventral roots. When spantide II, a tachykinin receptor antagonist, was bath-applied after reaching a steady-state burst frequency (>2 h), it significantly lowered the burst rate compared with control pieces from the same animal. In addition, the time to reach the steady-state burst frequency (>2 h) was lengthened in spantide II. These data indicate that an endogenous tachykinin release contributes to the ongoing activity of the locomotor network by modulating the glutamate–glycine neuronal network responsible for the locomotor pattern. We also explored the effects of a 10-min exogenous application of substance P (1 μM), a tachykinin, and showed that its effect on the burst rate depended on the initial NMDA induced burst frequency. At low initial burst rates (∼0.5 Hz), tachykinins caused a marked further slowing to 0.1 Hz, whereas at higher initial burst rates, it instead caused an enhanced burst rate as previously reported, and in addition, a slower modulation (0.1 Hz) of the amplitude of the motor activity. These effects occurred during an initial period of ∼1 h, whereas a modest long-lasting increase of the burst rate remained after >2 h.

The Translesional Spinal Network and Its Reorganization after Spinal Cord Injury

2020 ◽  
pp. 107385842096627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Krupa ◽  
Ahad M. Siddiqui ◽  
Peter J. Grahn ◽  
Riazul Islam ◽  
Bingkun K. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Clinical Research ◽  
Functional Recovery ◽  
Motor Training ◽  
Motor Functions ◽  
Sensory Inputs ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Spinal Network ◽  
Motor Signals

Evidence from preclinical and clinical research suggest that neuromodulation technologies can facilitate the sublesional spinal networks, isolated from supraspinal commands after spinal cord injury (SCI), by reestablishing the levels of excitability and enabling descending motor signals via residual connections. Herein, we evaluate available evidence that sublesional and supralesional spinal circuits could form a translesional spinal network after SCI. We further discuss evidence of translesional network reorganization after SCI in the presence of sensory inputs during motor training. In this review, we evaluate potential mechanisms that underlie translesional circuitry reorganization during neuromodulation and rehabilitation in order to enable motor functions after SCI. We discuss the potential of neuromodulation technologies to engage various components that comprise the translesional network, their functional recovery after SCI, and the implications of the concept of translesional network in development of future neuromodulation, rehabilitation, and neuroprosthetics technologies.

The Spinal GABAergic System Is a Strong Modulator of Burst Frequency in the Lamprey Locomotor Network

2004 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 2357-2367 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Schmitt ◽  
Russell H. Hill ◽  
Sten Grillner
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Gabaergic Neurons ◽  
Ventral Root ◽  
Gabaergic System ◽  
Frequency Regulation ◽  
Fictive Locomotion ◽  
Burst Frequency ◽  
Pronounced Increase ◽  
Spinal Network

The spinal network coordinating locomotion is comprised of a core of glutamate and glycine interneurons. This network is modulated by several transmitter systems including spinal GABA interneurons. The purpose of this study is to explore the contribution of GABAergic neurons to the regulation of locomotor burst frequency in the lamprey model. Using gabazine, a competitive GABAA antagonist more specific than bicuculline, the goal was to provide a detailed analysis of the influence of an endogenous activation of GABAA receptors on fictive locomotion, as well as their possible interaction with GABAB and involvement of GABAC receptors. During N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-induced fictive locomotion (ventral root recordings in the isolated spinal cord), gabazine (0.1–100 μM) significantly increased the burst rate up to twofold, without changes in regularity or “burst quality.” Gabazine had a proportionately greater effect at higher initial burst rates. Picrotoxin (1–7.5 μM), a less selective GABAA antagonist, also produced a pronounced increase in frequency, but at higher concentrations, the rhythm deteriorated, likely due to the unspecific effects on glycine receptors. The selective GABAB antagonist CGP55845 also increased the frequency, and this effect was markedly enhanced when combined with the GABAA antagonist gabazine. The GABAC antagonist (1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-4-yl)methylphosphinic acid (TPMPA) had no effect on locomotor bursting. Thus the spinal GABA system does play a prominent role in burst frequency regulation in that it reduces the burst frequency by ≤50%, presumably due to presynaptic and soma-dendritic effects documented previously. It is not required for burst generation, but acts as a powerful modulator.

Modeling, Analysis, and Control of SLIP Running on Dynamic Platforms

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Iqbal ◽  
Zhu Mao ◽  
Yan Gu
Keyword(s):  
Rigid Body ◽  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Legged Locomotion ◽  
Force Model ◽  
Slip Model ◽  
Modeling Analysis ◽  
And Control ◽  
Slip Motion

Abstract The complex dynamic behaviors of legged locomotion on stationary terrain have been extensively analyzed using a simplified dynamic model called the spring-loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) model. However, legged locomotion on dynamic platforms has not been thoroughly investigated even by using a simplified dynamic model such as SLIP. In this paper, we present the modeling, analysis, and control of a SLIP model running on dynamic platforms. Three types of dynamic platforms are considered: (a) a sinusoidally excited rigid-body platform; (b) a spring-supported rigid-body platform; and (c) an Euler–Bernoulli beam. These platforms capture some important domains of real-world locomotion terrain (e.g., harmonically excited platforms, suspended floors, and bridges). The interaction force model and the equations of motion of the SLIP-platform systems are derived. Numerical simulations of SLIP running on the three types of dynamic platforms reveal that the platform movement can destabilize the SLIP even when the initial conditions of the SLIP motion are within the domain of attraction of its motion on flat, stationary platforms. A simple control strategy that can sustain the forward motion of a SLIP on dynamic platforms is then synthesized. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in sustaining SLIP motion on dynamic platforms is validated through simulations.

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