scholarly journals Direct and Indirect Regulation of Spinal Cord Ia Afferent Terminal Formation by the γ-Protocadherins

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuhina Prasad ◽  
Joshua A. Weiner
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Ia Afferent ◽  
Afferent Terminal

scholarly journals Early postnatal development of GABAergic presynaptic inhibition of Ia proprioceptive afferent connections in mouse spinal cord

2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (8) ◽  
pp. 2118-2128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick M. Sonner ◽  
David R. Ladle
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Postnatal Development ◽  
Presynaptic Inhibition ◽  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Reciprocal Inhibition ◽  
Afferent Feedback ◽  
Early Postnatal Development ◽  
Ia Afferent ◽  
Ia Afferents ◽  
Stimulation Of

Sensory feedback is critical for normal locomotion and adaptation to external perturbations during movement. Feedback provided by group Ia afferents influences motor output both directly through monosynaptic connections and indirectly through spinal interneuronal circuits. For example, the circuit responsible for reciprocal inhibition, which acts to prevent co-contraction of antagonist flexor and extensor muscles, is driven by Ia afferent feedback. Additionally, circuits mediating presynaptic inhibition can limit Ia afferent synaptic transmission onto central neuronal targets in a task-specific manner. These circuits can also be activated by stimulation of proprioceptive afferents. Rodent locomotion rapidly matures during postnatal development; therefore, we assayed the functional status of reciprocal and presynaptic inhibitory circuits of mice at birth and compared responses with observations made after 1 wk of postnatal development. Using extracellular physiological techniques from isolated and hemisected spinal cord preparations, we demonstrate that Ia afferent-evoked reciprocal inhibition is as effective at blocking antagonist motor neuron activation at birth as at 1 wk postnatally. In contrast, at birth conditioning stimulation of muscle nerve afferents failed to evoke presynaptic inhibition sufficient to block functional transmission at synapses between Ia afferents and motor neurons, even though dorsal root potentials could be evoked by stimulating the neighboring dorsal root. Presynaptic inhibition at this synapse was readily observed, however, at the end of the first postnatal week. These results indicate Ia afferent feedback from the periphery to central spinal circuits is only weakly gated at birth, which may provide enhanced sensitivity to peripheral feedback during early postnatal experiences.

Ammonium decreases excitatory synaptic transmission in cat spinal cord in vivo

1989 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1461-1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Raabe
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Conduction Block ◽  
Excitatory Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
Presynaptic Terminals ◽  
Ia Afferent ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Low Threshold

1. Glutamine is thought to be a precursor of the pool of glutamate that is used as synaptic transmitter. NH4+ inhibits glutaminase, the enzyme presumed to cleave glutamine into glutamate in synaptic terminals. Therefore a decrease by NH4+ of excitatory synaptic transmission in hippocampus was suggested to be due to the inability to utilize glutamine as a precursor for glutamate and subsequent transmitter depletion. This study reexamines the effects of NH4+ on excitatory synaptic transmission. 2. The effects of NH4+ on excitatory synaptic transmission from low-threshold afferent fibers, presumably Ia-afferent fibers, to motoneurons was investigated in the spinal cord of anesthetized cats in vivo. 3. Action potentials of low-threshold afferent fibers were recorded at the entry of the dorsal roots into the spinal cord. An extracellular electrode within a motoneuron nucleus recorded the action potential of low-threshold afferent fibers and the extracellular monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potential, i.e., the focal synaptic potential (FSP). This extracellular electrode also recorded the antidromic field potential (AFP) in response to ventral root stimulation. Electrodes on the ventral roots recorded the monosynaptic reflex (MSR) and the monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potential in motoneurons electrotonically conducted into the ventral roots (VR-EPSP). 4. Intravenous infusion of ammonium acetate (AA) reversibly decreased MSR, VR-EPSP, and FSP, i.e., decreased excitatory synaptic transmission. 5. The decrease of VR-EPSP and FSP was accompanied initially by a decrease of conduction and, eventually, a conduction block in presynaptic terminals of low-threshold afferent fibers. 6. The decreases of VR-EPSP and FSP were also accompanied by the transient appearance of a reflex discharge, triggered by VR-EPSPs of decreased amplitude, and changes of the AFP indicating increased invasion of motoneuron somata by antidromic action potentials. 7. It is suggested that NH4+ depolarizes intraspinal Ia-afferent fibers and motoneurons. This depolarization initially decreases and then blocks conduction of action potentials into the presynaptic terminals of Ia-afferent fibers. The conduction block prevents the release of excitatory transmitter and decreases excitatory synaptic transmission. 8. The suggested depolarizing action of NH4+ may be due to K+-like ionic properties of NH4+ and/or an inhibition of K+-uptake into astrocytes. 9. The conduction block in presynaptic terminals of low-threshold afferent fibers can fully explain the decrease of excitatory synaptic transmission by NH4+. Because of the conduction block in presynaptic terminals, this study does not permit a conclusion as to an inhibition by NH4+ fo the utilization of glutamine as a precursor for glutamate used as synaptic transmitter.

Individual EPSPs produced by single triceps surae Ia afferent fibers in homonymous and heteronymous motoneurons

1976 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Scott ◽  
L. M. Mendell
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
The Other ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Relative Location ◽  
Spatial Effects ◽  
Epsp Amplitude ◽  
Ia Afferent ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Individual

1. The individual EPSPs evoked by the action of single Ia fibers from cat triceps surae (MG, LG, SOL) were recorded in homonymous and heteronymous motoneurons innervating these same three muscles. 2. In general, Ia fibers projected to a greater percentage of homonymous than heteronymous motoneurons. One class of Ia afferent evoked EPSPs in virtually all homonymous motoneurons; the other had a substantially lower projection frequency. Possible difficulties introduced by the limited resolution of the averaging technique are discussed. 3. Individual EPSPs were larger on the average if evoked a) in SOL rather than in MG or LG motoneurons, b) by LG rather than by MG or SOL afferent fibers, or c) in homonymous rather than in heteronymous motoneurons. The mean EPSP was larger in homonymous than in heteronymous motoneurons because the largest EPSPs (greater than 150 muV) were found mainly in homonymous motoneurons. 4. Rise times of EPSPs were only slightly shorter in homonymous than in heteronymous motoneurons, suggesting that other factors besides relative location of Ia terminals account for the observed EPSP amplitude differences. Rise times in SOL motoneurons were longer than those in MG or LG. 5. LG afferent fibers tended to produce larger EPSPs in rostral than in caudal LG motoneurons, and MG afferents produced larger EPSPs in caudal than in rostral MG motoneurons. These spatial effects were in accord with the more rostral entry of LG than MG Ia afferents into the spinal cord. The differential projection of SOL afferents to MG and SOL motoneurons which overlap spatially in the spinal cord suggests a species specificity in addition to a location specificity.

scholarly journals Cortical and Subcortical Contributions to Neuroplasticity after Repetitive Transspinal Stimulation in Humans

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynda M. Murray ◽  
Md. Anamul Islam ◽  
Maria Knikou
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Evoked Potential ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
H Reflex ◽  
Conditioning Stimulation ◽  
Ia Afferent ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Novel Method

The objectives of this study were to establish cortical and subcortical contributions to neuroplasticity induced by noninvasive repetitive transspinal stimulation in human subjects free of any neurological disorder. To meet our objectives, before and after 40 minutes of transspinal stimulation we established changes in tibialis anterior (TA) motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in response to paired transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) consistent with I-wave periodicity. In order to establish to what extent similar actions are exerted at the spinal cord and motor axons, changes in soleus H-reflex and transspinal evoked potential (TEP) amplitude following transspinal and group Ia afferent conditioning stimulation, respectively, were established. After 40 min of transspinal stimulation, the TA MEP consecutive peaks of facilitation produced by paired TMS pulses were significantly decreased supporting for depression of I-waves. Additionally, the soleus H-reflex and ankle TEP depression following transspinal and group Ia afferent conditioning stimulation was potentiated at intervals when both responses interacted at the spinal cord and nerve axons. These findings support the notion that repetitive transspinal stimulation decreases corticocortical inputs onto corticospinal neurons and promotes a surround inhibition in the spinal cord and nerve axons. This novel method may be a suitable neuromodulation tool to alter excitability at cortical and subcortical levels in neurological disorders.

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