NMDA induces persistent inward and outward currents that cause rhythmic bursting in adult rodent motoneurons

Marin Manuel, Yaqing Li, Sherif M. ElBasiouny, Katie Murray, Anna Griener, C. J. Heckman, David J. Bennett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are of critical importance for locomotion in the developing neonatal spinal cord in rats and mice. However, due to profound changes in the expression of NMDA receptors in development between the neonatal stages and adulthood, it is unclear whether NMDA receptors are still an important component of locomotion in the adult rodent spinal cord. To shed light on this issue, we have taken advantage of recently developed preparations allowing the intracellular recording of adult motoneurons that control the tail in the sacrocaudal spinal cord of adult mice and rats. We show that in the adult sacrocaudal spinal cord, NMDA induces rhythmic activity recorded on the ventral roots, often coordinated from left to right, as in swimming motions with the tail (fictive locomotion). The adult motoneurons themselves are intrinsically sensitive to NMDA application. That is, when motoneurons are synaptically isolated with TTX, NMDA still causes spontaneous bursts of rhythmic activity, depending on the membrane potential. We show that these bursts in motoneurons depend on an NMDA-mediated persistent inward current and are terminated by the progressive activation of a persistent outward current. These results indicate that motoneurons, along with the central pattern generator, can actively participate in the production of swimminglike locomotor activity in adult rodents.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2991-2998
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of neurophysiology
Volume108
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2012

Funding

Keywords

  • Fictive locomotion
  • Persistent inward current
  • Persistent outward current
  • Spinal cord

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Physiology

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