Two types of motor rhythm induced by NMDA and amines in an in vitro spinal cord preparation of neonatal rat.

Rhythmic motor activities were studied in two rat spinal cord preparations; in the first one, the spinal cord was completely isolated and the ventral roots activity was recorded; in the other, spinal cord and hindlimbs were kept in order to record muscle activities. Motor patterns were therefore recorded in ventral roots and/or hindlimb muscles. Two kinds of specific patterns were elicited by neurochemicals. The first which was induced by N-methyl-D,L-aspartate (NMDA) and serotonin (5-HT) was a slow rhythm (0.5-0.2 Hz) of left and right alternating bursts of spikes. The second one which was induced by NMDA, 5-HT and norepinephrine (NE), was a high frequency rhythm (5-10 Hz). One particularity observed was that these two rhythms could occur simultaneously. The relationship between the two in vitro rhythms is discussed and they are compared with those reported in other rhythmic systems.