Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan.
J Neurophysiol. 2011 Oct;106(4):1782-92. doi: 10.1152/jn.00385.2011. Epub 2011 Jul 6.
Inhibitory neurons are an essential element of the locomotor network in the mammalian spinal cord. However, little is known about the firing pattern and synaptic modulation during locomotion in the majority of them. In this study, we performed whole cell recording in visually identified ventrolaterally located GABAergic neurons (VL-GNs) in the rostral (L2 segment) and caudal (L5 segment) lumbar cord using isolated spinal cord preparations taken from glutamate decarboxylase 67-green fluorescent protein (GAD67-GFP) knock-in mouse neonates. These neurons did not respond to electrical stimulation of the ventral root, indicating that they were not Renshaw cells. Ninety-five percent of VL-GNs in the L2 segment and fifty percent of those in the L5 segment showed significant rhythmic firing during locomotor-like rhythmic activity induced by bath application of 5-HT and NMDA. Seventy percent of these neurons fired mainly during the extensor phase, and twenty-five percent fired mainly during the flexor phase. Voltage-clamp recordings revealed that most of these neurons received rhythmic inhibition during the nonfiring phase and excitatory synaptic inputs during the firing phase. Morphological examination of recorded neurons filled with neurobiotin showed that their soma was located lateral to the motoneuron pool and that they extended their processes into the local ipsilateral ventromedial region and dorsal regions. The present study indicates that these GABAergic interneurons located in the ventrolateral region adjacent to the motoneuron pool are rhythmically active during locomotion and involved in the inhibitory modulation of local locomotor network in the lumbar spinal cord.
抑制性神经元是哺乳动物脊髓运动网络的重要组成部分。然而,对于大多数抑制性神经元在运动过程中的放电模式和突触调制知之甚少。在这项研究中,我们使用来自谷氨酸脱羧酶 67-绿色荧光蛋白 (GAD67-GFP) 敲入鼠新生儿的离体脊髓标本,在腹外侧定位的 GABA 能神经元 (VL-GNs) 进行全细胞膜片钳记录,这些神经元位于脊髓的头段 (L2 节段) 和尾段 (L5 节段)。这些神经元对腹根的电刺激没有反应,表明它们不是 Renshaw 细胞。在 L2 节段的 95%的 VL-GNs 和 L5 节段的 50%的 VL-GNs 在 5-HT 和 NMDA 浴应用诱导的类似运动的节律性活动期间表现出显著的节律性放电。这些神经元中有 70%主要在伸肌相放电,25%主要在屈肌相放电。电压钳记录显示,这些神经元中的大多数在非放电相接受节律性抑制,在放电相接受兴奋性突触输入。对用神经生物素填充的记录神经元进行形态学检查显示,它们的胞体位于运动神经元池的外侧,其突起延伸到同侧腹内侧区和背侧区。本研究表明,这些位于运动神经元池旁腹外侧区的 GABA 能中间神经元在运动过程中具有节律性活性,并参与了脊髓腰段局部运动网络的抑制性调制。