Journal of neurophysiology
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There is accumulating evidence that peripheral motor axons deteriorate following spinal cord injury (SCI). Secondary axonal dysfunction can exacerbate muscle atrophy, contribute to peripheral neuropathies and neuropathic pain, and lead to further functional impairment. In an attempt to ameliorate the adverse downstream effects that developed following SCI, we investigated the effects of a short-term peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) program on motor axonal excitability in 22 SCI patients. ⋯ These membrane dysfunctions were ameliorated after 6 wk of PNS, which produced a significant hyperpolarizing effect. The contralateral, nonstimulated nerves remained depolarized. Short-term PNS reversed axonal dysfunction following SCI, may provide an opportunity to prevent chronic changes in axonal and muscular function, and may improve rehabilitation outcomes.
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Techniques for recording large-scale neuronal spiking activity are developing very fast. This leads to an increasing demand for algorithms capable of analyzing large amounts of experimental spike train data. One of the most crucial and demanding tasks is the identification of similarity patterns with a very high temporal resolution and across different spatial scales. ⋯ SPIKY includes implementations of the ISI-distance, the SPIKE-distance, and the SPIKE-synchronization (an improved and simplified extension of event synchronization) that have been optimized with respect to computation speed and memory demand. It also comprises a spike train generator and an event detector that makes it capable of analyzing continuous data. Finally, the SPIKY package includes additional complementary programs aimed at the analysis of large numbers of datasets and the estimation of significance levels.
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The spinal cord contains the circuitry to control posture and locomotion after complete paralysis, and this circuitry can be enabled with epidural stimulation [electrical enabling motor control (eEmc)] and/or administration of pharmacological agents [pharmacological enabling motor control (fEmc)] when combined with motor training. We hypothesized that the characteristics of the spinally evoked potentials after chronic administration of both strychnine and quipazine under the influence of eEmc during standing and stepping can be used as biomarkers to predict successful motor performance. To test this hypothesis we trained rats to step bipedally for 7 wk after paralysis and characterized the motor potentials evoked in the soleus and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles with the rats in a non-weight-bearing position, standing and stepping. ⋯ The administration of quipazine and strychnine in concert with eEmc and step training after injury resulted in larger-amplitude evoked potentials [MRs and late responses (LRs)] in flexors and extensors, with the LRs consisting of a more normal bursting pattern, i.e., randomly generated action potentials within the bursts. This pattern was linked to more successful standing and stepping. Thus it appears that selected features of the patterns of potentials evoked in specific muscles with stimulation can serve as effective biomarkers and predictors of motor performance.
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Differential thermal nociception across inbred mouse strains has genetic determinants. Thermal nociception is largely attributed to the heat/capsaicin receptor transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1); however, the contribution of this channel to the genetics of thermal nociception has not been revealed. In this study we compared TRPV1 expression levels and electrophysiological properties in primary sensory neurons and thermal nociceptive behaviors between two (C57BL/6 and BALB/c) inbred mouse strains. ⋯ In publicly available nocifensive behavior data and our own behavior data from the using the two mouse strains, C57BL/6 exhibited higher sensitivity to heat stimulation than BALB/c, independent of sex and anatomical location of thermal testing (the tail, hind paw, and whisker pad). The TRPV1-selective antagonist JNJ-17203212 inhibited thermal nociception in both strains; however, removing IB4-positive trigeminal sensory neurons with IB4-conjugated saporin inhibited thermal nociception on the whisker pad in C57BL/6 but not in BALB/c. These results suggest that TRPV1 expression levels in IB4-positive type 2 and 13 neurons contributed to differential thermal nociception in skin of C57BL/6 compared with BALB/c.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) most frequently occurs in pediatric patients and remains a leading cause of childhood death and disability. Mild TBI (mTBI) accounts for nearly 75% of all TBI cases, yet its neuropathophysiology is still poorly understood. While even a single mTBI injury can lead to persistent deficits, repeat injuries increase the severity and duration of both acute symptoms and long-term deficits. ⋯ Examination of intrinsic and synaptic properties of layer II/III pyramidal neurons revealed no significant difference between sham-injured and rmTBI animals at rest or under convulsant challenge with the potassium channel blocker 4-aminopyridine. Overall, our findings indicate that the neuropathological changes reported after pediatric rmTBI can be effectively modeled by repeat weight drop in juvenile animals. Developing a better understanding of how rmTBI alters the pediatric brain may help improve patient care and direct "return to game" decision making in adolescents.