Rapid recovery and altered neurochemical dependence of locomotor central pattern generation following lumbar neonatal spinal cord injury

摘要

Key points class="unordered" style="list-style-type:disc" id="tjp12701-list-0001">Spinal compression injury targeted to the neonatal upper lumbar spinal cord, the region of highest hindlimb locomotor rhythmogenicity, leads to an initial paralysis of the hindlimbs.Behavioural recovery is evident within a few days and approaches normal function within about 3 weeks.Fictive locomotion in the isolated injured spinal cord cannot be elicited by a neurochemical cocktail containing NMDA, dopamine and serotonin 1 day post‐injury, but can 3 days post‐injury as readily as in the uninjured spinal cord.Low frequency coordinated rhythmic activity can be elicited in the isolated uninjured spinal cord by NMDA + dopamine (without serotonin), but not in the isolated injured spinal cord.In both the injured and uninjured spinal cord, eliciting bona fide fictive locomotion requires the additional presence of serotonin.